A Christmas Gift of Prayer: Would You Trust God to Help?

Giving the gift of prayer at Christmas is a powerful way to communicate with your family and friends. It takes a minute to get use to the idea, as well as trusting that God will use this gift of prayer as a means of bringing people together.

Giving the gift of prayer may or may not be a replacement for other gifts. The gift of prayer includes talking with God so your heart and mind are in harmony with the Holy Spirit.

Remember you are a light pointing the recipient of your prayer to Jesus. Giving the gift of prayer will be encouraging as Jesus, the light of the world, shines in darkness. Merry Christmas and God bless you!

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An angel of the Lord appeared to [shepherds], and the glory of the Lord shone over them…the angel said to them, …“I am here with good news for you, which will bring great joy to all the people. This day in David’s town your Savior was born – Christ the Lord!”

~ Luke 2:9-11 Good News Bible

Jesus…said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will have a life filled with light and will never live in the dark.”

~John 8:12 God’s Word Translation

Here are my directions: Pray much for others; plead for God’s mercy upon them; give thanks for all he is going to do for them.

~1 Timothy 2:1 The Living Bible 

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From Sunday, December 21 through Christmas Day, blogs are being posted each day to coincide with KHCB radio's special music and short devotional programming, "Five Days of Christmas". 

How Do Bad Habits Promote Darkness?

Life is composed of habits that can promote a healthy lifestyle, while addictions promote physical and emotional suffering. A bad habit can be a stumbling block to one’s walk with God by blocking the knowledge and wisdom on how to live life as God intended.

The internet is a significant tool for personal and professional use but can become addictive and a stumbling block. Romans 14:13 warns, “Make up your mind not to erect stumbling blocks in your own life or anyone else’s.” Anyone causing a person to stumble is in danger of severe consequences.

Bad habits are like darkness, as Proverbs 4:18-19 points out. “The path of the righteous is like the gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.” The light of the world is Jesus, who gives power to move beyond the pitfall of any habit.  

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If we claim that we experience a shared life with [Christ] and continue to stumble around in the dark, we’re obviously lying through our teeth – we’re not living what we claim. But if we walk in the light, God himself being the light, we also experience a shared life with one another, as the sacrificed blood of Jesus, God’s Son, purges all our sin.

~1 John 1:6-7 The Message

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Can Unhappiness Ever Be Beneficial?

The majority of people accept the fact that happiness cannot be permanently sustained. Happiness is dependent on too many variables and evaporates if our expectations fail or when we’re confronted with disappointment. Can unhappiness be healthy or beneficial?

Unhappiness can bring together the power and strength of your soul and spirit to discover solutions made available by the Holy Spirit. Conflict that exists in a relationship or within oneself can be resolved if you seek God himself with all your heart. This will restore peace between you and God by creating a climate for healthy change.

While God does not prevent unhappiness from being intrusive, he never intended for it to be permanent. Jesus said, "I am the light of the world and in me there is no darkness." This means that problems and troubles will show up, but the light that Jesus is will be your guide and hope for managing any darkness that’s trying to create unhappiness. God bless you.  

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Sorrow is better than laugher, for sorrow has a refining influence on us.

~Ecclesiastes 7:3 The Living Bible

 

So humble yourselves under God’s strong hand, and in his own good time he will lift you up. You can throw the whole weight of your anxieties upon him, for you are his personal concern.

~1 Peter 5:6-7 Phillips – New Testament in Modern English

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Crisis: Danger or Divine Opportunity?

A crisis usually develops where neglect and inattention have played a major role. Neglect of the family may result in children developing unacceptable behavioral patterns. Neglecting our need to worship and pray can evolve into a diminished awareness of God's presence. A crisis provides opportunities to make changes that have been ignored.

Can you picture Samson chained to a grinding wheel where his only purpose was to survive another day? He did, however, have the opportunity to change his attitude and thought patterns from an embittered attitude toward God, himself, and his enemy. His choice determined if he would benefit from his crisis. 

Someone noted, "God does not send us despair in order to kill us, but to awaken us to a new life." Perhaps what kept Samson from despair was realizing his hair was beginning to grow out. This gave him hope for the future. The night is never so dark as to extinguish the Light of the World, which is Jesus Christ our Lord. 

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My enemies, don’t be glad because of my troubles! I may have fallen, but I will get up; I may be sitting in the dark, but the Lord is my light. I have sinned against the Lord. And so I must endure his anger, until he comes to my defense. But I know that I will see him making things right for me and leading me to the light.

~Micah 7:8-9 Contemporary English Version

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