Evangelist George Arnold

If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. John 15:7 The purpose of prayer is not getting our will in Heaven. Rather, it’s getting God’s will on earth. Imagine for a moment that you’re in a little boat not far from a dock. You throw out your rope, secure it to the dock, and then pull yourself in. Now, are you pulling the dock toward your boat, or are you pulling your boat to the dock? It’s the latter, of course.... In the same way, God is like that dock, and we need to get aligned with Him in our prayers. And the closer we align ourselves with His will, the more that we’ll see our prayers answered in the affirmative. Jesus said, If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you (John 15:7 NKJV). The Message puts it this way: But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon. We tend to gravitate toward the latter part of the verse about asking whatever we desire. But we need to realize that if we’re maintaining a living communion with Him, and His Word is at home in our hearts, then we will start praying for what God wants. The Bible tells us, And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him (1 John 5:15 NKJV). So don’t be afraid to ask God to reveal His will to you. Don’t afraid to say, Not my will, but Yours, be done. Never be afraid to commit an unknown future to a known God. God loves you, and His plan for you is good. Be blessed and be a blessing.

This post is from Pastor Nik Schexnayder. Life Church San Diego, California. Once we were having a crusade style Sunday service. We had made a big push for guests, had many pray through and ready to be baptized. A man came down into the baptistery to be baptized. My Outreach Director was holding the mic for me as I put him under in the name of Jesus. When he came out, he lifted his hands and I laid a hand on his head and began praying. That’s when I noticed it; the water ...was turning this brownish color. I looked at my OD and his eyes were as big as softballs. I looked back at the water and we saw stuff floating all in the baptistery: the man had forgotten a bag of weed he had in his pocket. My OD, still in shock, asked what to do. I said scoop it out man! So, with one hand on his forehead and another scooping out weed, I prayed him through to the Holy Ghost. Standing in the que, getting ready to be baptized next, was a young African American lady. She took a look at the water, shook her head and said , All h’*^ naw....I simply said not to worry, the Blood of Jesus just washed the drugs out if this man’s life. Moral of the story: if you’re going to build a Church, you’ve got to be able to scoop out weed with one hand and pray folks through with the other!

But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too. Mark 11:25 I heard about a Sunday school teacher who asked her class about forgiveness. She said, Kids, what does a person need to do to receive forgiveness from God? There was a short pause, and then a small boy spoke up and said, You have to sin.... We’ve all done that, haven’t we? If we’ve sinned, then we need forgiveness. The good news is that God promises in 1 John 1:9, If we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness (NLT). Not only do we need forgiveness when we sin, but we also need to forgive others who have wronged us. When we’ve been hurt, we have a choice: We can rehearse what happened, or we can release it. Forgiveness, however, isn’t condoning or dismissing someone’s bad behavior. It isn’t even reconciliation, because that isn’t always possible. To forgive means surrendering our right to get even. It means we’re not going to pay that person back, even though they may deserve it. Instead, put them in God’s hands, because Romans 12:19 tells us, Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, ‘I will take revenge; I will pay them back,’ says the Lord (NLT). Is there someone you’re holding a grudge against right now? To fail to forgive actually can bring your prayer life to a halt. Jesus said, But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too (Mark 11:25 NLT). Are you bound up in bitterness and haven’t been able to forgive? The more you know about God’s willingness to forgive you, the more you’ll be willing to extend that same forgiveness to others. Be blessed and be a blessing.

Demonstrating Security By Serving Most food comes with a serving suggestion. The manufacturers provide an illustration. Even on a packet of cornflakes there will usually be a photograph. What is the photo telling us? It is saying, We suggest that you eat these cornflakes with milk, in a bowl, using a spoon. We have taken a picture for you, so that you know exactly what we mean by the terms, bowl, milk and spoon! It couldn’t be simpler. They do not suggest you put the cornf...lakes on a plate, otherwise that’s what the picture would show. They do not suggest that you serve them with olive oil; they know that would taste vile! The options are narrower, but they are clear about how they will taste the best. Why? Because they are the makers. Did you know that our lives also have a serving suggestion? The suggestion is that we serve! This will make us happy. Many of us get this wrong. We think, If only I had enough money to be served by someone else all day, I would feel amazing! I am sure you would, for a while. But you weren’t designed to sit around and do nothing all day for long. According to a recent survey done by the United Health Group, 96 percent of people who volunteered said that this enriched their sense of purpose. The same research showed that serving others lowered the volunteer’s stress and helped them feel less lonely. I believe that the Bible is a bit like the photograph on the food we eat, showing us what we need in order to live well, think well and be well. It shows us the truth that we were made to bless others. Jesus Himself told us that He came not to be served, but to serve (Matthew 20:28). 1 Peter 4:10-11 says, Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms..... Prayer: Father, show me ways I can serve you and bless others. Help me not to make excuses any longer, but to get involved with your mission for my life. Thank you that I can live a confident life with you in charge. Amen. Be blessed and be a blessing.

Update on mom Brenda Lue Frasier . Thank you all for your prayers mom is home and doing so good her kidney function has gone from 17% to over 50% she hasn't had to take any insulin for 6 weeks she is a walking miracle. I am so grateful for all of you. God bless everyone.

Someone today needs to hear this! Mark 6:45 And straightway he constrained his disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while he sent away the people....Continue reading