Do The Right Thing

Do The Right Thing

Hebrews 13: ¹⁸ Keep on praying for us. We are sure we have a clear conscience, because we want to do the right thing at all times. ¹⁹ And I beg you even more earnestly to pray that God will send me back to you soon.

 

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Having said the lie, now I had to live with it. Whenever I saw the person, my conscience felt guilty. “Oh great! Now I’ve lied and I have guilt?” How can this be fixed? A thought popped in my head. “Lie again to fix the last lie.”

 

• I was headed down the wrong path.
• I was trying to fix my lies with more lies.
• I was starting to get good at lying versus simply having a clear conscience.

 

Paul, the assumed writer, asked for prayer because he knew they could be tempted to do the wrong thing which would lead to a guilty conscience. He must have been going through something difficult because he asked for prayer twice.

 

My Observations:

• GOD gives me rest when I have a clear conscience.
• GOD lets me sleep when I do not lie to HIM or myself.
• GOD provides peace when I desire to do the right thing.

 

Doing what is right can sometimes be hard. I mean, when I get insecure about what I did or am about to do, I may not want to experience any consequences, so I lie or stretch the truth. The problem with that approach, is I still face consequences and lost sleep in the process.

 

Peace and rest are elusive when I do not do the right thing. I’d rather follow GOD and enjoy peace than to live with hidden secrets and mounting sins. I gladly do the right thing for GOD and could use your prayers to keep going, HIS way.

 

Challenge

• What is “the right thing” the writer speaks about?
• Have you ever done the wrong thing and tried to cover it up?
• Have you gotten so good at covering things up that you now believe in your own lie?
• Will you get some relief from your guilty conscience and confess to GOD that you do not know how to go forward, so HE can step in and guide you to HIS path today?

Pray, pray, pray, pray, pray!

Ephesians 6: ¹⁸ Do all this in prayer, asking for God's help. Pray on every occasion, as the Spirit leads. For this reason keep alert and never give up; pray always for all God's people. ¹⁹ And pray also for me, that God will give me a message when I am ready to speak, so that I may speak boldly and make known the gospel's secret. ²⁰ For the sake of this gospel I am an ambassador, though now I am in prison. Pray that I may be bold in speaking about the gospel as I should.

 

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Being on my own, I chose to stop praying. “What good is saying the LORD’s prayer anyway?” I said to myself. I wanted to just have “fun.” As things got worse and worse, I revisited prayer.

 

• I only prayed when I wanted something.
• I had stopped believing in prayer, because things were not going “my” way.
• I did not feel the need for prayer when I was in the middle of doing what “I” wanted to do.

 

Paul gives everyone several reasons to pray. He ties prayer to “building up your strength” and “Standing ready” as he mentioned earlier while urging us to put on the whole armor of GOD. Do all this in prayer.

 

My Observations

• Prayer helps me communicate with GOD to place my desires before HIM.
• Prayer guides me to a better place when led by the HOLY SPIRIT.
• Prayer gets other people involved to ask GOD to reveal HIS mighty power.

 

Usually prayer is the last resort when it should be the first. I mean, asking GOD for permission, direction and success seems like the right thing to do. Unfortunately, I have the tendency to start doing what “I” want to do and when it is a mess, ask GOD to fix it.

 

Prayer is a time to change “my” mind versus trying to get GOD to do something HE does not want to do. HE gracefully reveals the “gospel’s secret” and enables anyone who asks to become an ambassador for HIM. HIS SPIRIT shows me that HE can never be constrained. I am thankful GOD wants to communicate with me all day every day.

 

Challenge

• What different ways to pray do you see in the writers words?
• How is the SPIRIT leading you?
• Have you validated your desires by asking GOD “Is this what YOU want me to do?”
• Will you place every situation, thing and person, including yourself, before GOD in prayer today?

Get Help. Give Help.

 

Get Help. Give Help.

Galatians 6: ² Help carry one another's burdens, and in this way you will obey the law of Christ. 

 

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Feeling overwhelmed, I just sat there with a lost look on my face. I must have looked lost because someone came over and asked, “Do you need help?” Not knowing where to turn, I replied, “Yes, thank you.”

 

• I needed help.
• I had huge burdens that I was carrying alone.
• I felt I could not help someone else at that time.
• I remembered being helped, so then I could help others when I faced trials.

 

“Love one another” were the words of JESUS to help people stop trying to achieve GOD versus behaving as HE wanted. This message was further explained through Paul, urging everyone to carry one another’s burdens.

 

My Observations

• Sometimes GOD wants me to get help from other people.
• Sometimes GOD wants me to give help to other people.
• GOD wants me to pray for and with other people to share our burdens.

 

Pride gets in the way of asking for help. I mean, if I asked for help again and again, it seems like I am the problem or I cannot seem to do for myself. This is far from the truth and the enemy wants me to not ask.

 

BUT GOD wants me to share my burdens to get help. HE also expects me to share “in” another person’s burden. I may not be able to fix the situation, or provide the need, but I can share the burden and pray for deliverance. I am grateful GOD puts many people in my life who can share my burdens.

 

Challenge

• When you read this passage, do you feel you need to help or get help?
• If you feel overwhelmed, will you continue to ask GOD for help?
• Will you share in one another’s burdens today and pray for many who need help?

Favorable or Unfavorable

Jeremiah 42: Then all the army officers, including Johanan son of Kareah and Jezaniah son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least to the greatest approached ² Jeremiah the prophet and said to him, “Please hear our petition and pray to the Lord your God for this entire remnant. For as you now see, though we were once many, now only a few are left. ³ Pray that the Lord your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do.”

⁴ “I have heard you,” replied Jeremiah the prophet. “I will certainly pray to the Lord your God as you have requested; I will tell you everything the Lord says and will keep nothing back from you.”

⁵ Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with everything the Lord your God sends you to tell us. ⁶ Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey the Lord our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go well with us, for we will obey the Lord our God.”

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Tired of all of the issues I finally said “GOD, YOU win!” I was finally too tired to fight HIM and it seemed like I was not going to get my way anyway. The more I tried to do things on my own, the worse things got.

• There are times when I think I can solve my own problems.
• There are times when I think I have it within myself to come up with a solution.
• There are times when I think I can face any situation and hit it head on with my own strength.

In this world of “individualism” I was king. I mean I was great at not needing anyone and groused at those who did. BUT GOD took me through many situations that had me turn back to HIM. Things were falling apart left and right and eventually I had no place to turn. “GOD help me” was my cry.

• When I cry out to GOD, HE always answers.
• When I say the name of JESUS, HE always comes through.
• When I place my worries, sins, doubts and fears in front of GOD, HE always takes care of me.

There is one caveat that HE wants me to do. When I do turn my face back to HIM, HE does not want me to turn away from HIM again. HE desires that I live a life that is obedient to HIM whether HIS answer is favorable or unfavorable. HE wants full rights to my life and I must give HIM full praise. Ever since I realized this, all has gone very well.

• Are you nervous about something?
• Do you seem worried?
• Can you stop worrying for moment and ask yourself “Why do I not trust GOD?”
• What are you fighting GOD about?
• Will you stop being exhausted by trying to steer GOD and ask HIM for HIS favorable or unfavorable direction?