Feeding on God; Cultivating a Fruitful Life in the Word

Mike Bullmore

2 Timothy 3:16-17

Without God's Word, we will remain a spiritual infant, but with it, we can experience sincere growth in our spiritual lives. We must hold several convictions in our heart as we feed on God's Word. First, we must believe that Scripture is God-breathed. Second, it is necessary that we hold that Scripture is understandable. Furthermore, we must hold that it is useful and that God can accomplish His work through Scripture. It is God's intention to nurture us by His Word, but our responsibility is to create opportunities for Him to do this. Once we have humbled ourselves under the authority of Scripture, there are numerous practical ways that we can create these opportunities.

What Does Spiritual Maturity Look Like?

Dennis McCallum

Ephesians 4:3

Our culture believes that the path to personal peace is based on our good circumstances and developing an inner sense that nothing is bothering us. The Bible, however, says that personal peace comes from a relationship with God and is the sense of security and purpose that comes from trusting in God's love. This peace is accessible to all believers no matter what their circumstances, and anxious believers can experience it through practicing gratitude.

The Work of Prayer

Jim Leffel

Daniel 9:1-19

Great works of God are accomplished by the disciplined intercession of God's people. Prayer is an opportunity to participate in the supernatural and to bring praise to God. Daniel repeatedly pleaded with God in a way that shows three principles on the subject of prayer: 1) pleas should be specific; 2) pleas should be confident; and 3) pleas are rooted in grace.

Darius' Dark Night of the Soul

Jim Leffel

Daniel 5:31-6:27

When Darius involuntarily takes part in a trap to kill Daniel in a lion's den, he feels immense guilty, angry, and provoked at the fact that he had condemned a man with distinguished character. Daniel refused to give up the work of prayer as an act of rebellion, trusting that God is powerful and thanking Him. When Daniel was saved by God, his provocative faith caused Darius to come to terms with God and encouraged the exiles.

A Servant's Heart

Jim Leffel

Acts 17:25-26

Paul calls us to pray for other people, this is a major way we can love and serve other people through God's power. While praying for others we can also develop a deeper love and understanding of them as God shares His perspective of them with us. God has done all the work to initiate a relationship with us, and all we have to do is accept His free gift of salvation. As Christians God empowers us to share this incredibly important message.

Lessons on Prayer

Dennis McCallum

Acts 12:1-23

Peter is thrown into jail by King Herod, where he encounters the Angel of the Lord. The Angel of the Lord aids Peter in his escape from prison, allows Peter to return the house of Mary, where many had gathered and were praying earnestly to God about Peter's situation. From this miraculous event, there are five key lessons that can be learned about prayer: 1) there is no promise to answer any and all prayers; 2) it's important to be persistent in prayer; 3) corporate prayer is vital; 4) It's not the quantity of their faith that is important to God; and 5) remembering when God answers prayers.

The Gospel and Prayer

Jim Leffel

Mark 11:12-14

When Jesus curses the fig tree, he shows that prayer is not mind power or magic words, but faith verbalized. His teaching shows a variety of principles about prayer: 1) expect an answer; 2) the impossible is possible; 3) root prayers in grace; and 4) you are relating to the Father.

Teaching Kids How to Pray

Kathy Steinman

Mark 11:12-14

Jesus loved children and valued their faith immensely. We should, therefore, be proactive about teaching kids to pray to the Lord, despite several of our culture's common misconceptions about kids. First, children's spiritual capacity is not as limited as we are tempted to think, for which there are both Biblical and extra-Biblical examples. Second, it is incorrect to say that only adults do the real spiritual work, because many children posses a natural eagerness for the Lord that draws them to follow Him. Teaching kids how to pray starts with us, how we react to our children's questions about God, how we exemplify our own growing relationship with God, and how we live our lives. We must also remember amidst teaching prayer that God has a role that is active and unique apart from our role.

The Power of the Tongue

Dennis McCallum

Matthew 10:20

James talks about the power of our words and how they can bring real good in the lives of others or when handled poorly can tear others down and cause discord. How often do we think of what we are going to say before we say it? When it comes speaking a timely word in a fellow Christians life, or speaking the Gospel to a friend for the first time, we should be in prayer with God so that he may direct our words. Doing this regularly and being immersed in scripture will prepare us to be ready with the Word of God at hand.