Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

2.25- Keys to Great Prayer Times Think of God as the greatest and most loving Father possible. Ask Him for your basic needs. Ask Him for for purity and forgiveness. Ask Him for leadership. Ask boldly and persistently.  Keep on asking, seeking and knocking. Never ever give up. Luke 11. 11  One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” 2  He said to them, “When you pray, say: “‘Father, [ a ] hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. [ b ] 3  Give us each day our daily bread. 4  Forgive us our sins,      for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. [ c ] And lead us not into temptation. [ d ] ’” 5  Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6  a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 7  And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Do

2.24- Luke 10. 38  As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39  She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40  But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” 41  “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42  but few things are needed—or indeed only one. [ f ] Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

2.23- Luke 10. 25  On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26  “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” 27  He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ [ c ] ; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ [ d ] ” 28  “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” 29  But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30  In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31  A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32  So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33  But a Samaritan, as

2.22- Jesus prayed that God's will in heaven be done on earth. God's plan is to have us experience heaven's love and grace and then spread it around on earth. Once we have tasted heaven's love it is to be taken to our homes and families. Ephesians 5. 5  1  Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2  and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. 3  But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity , or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. 4  Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5  For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. [ a ] 6  Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on

2.21- If you choose to follow Jesus there will be times of testing.  We must be careful in such times to not lose our connection to the word of God. Luke 8. 13  Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. Acts 21. 27  When the seven days were nearly over, some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul at the temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and seized him, 28  shouting, “Fellow Israelites, help us! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people and our law and this place. And besides, he has brought Greeks into the temple and defiled this holy place.” 29  (They had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with Paul and assumed that Paul had brought him into the temple.) 30  The whole city was aroused, and the people came running from all directions. Seizing Paul, they dragged him from the temple, a

2.20- Life should be appreciated each day. One of the blessings of life is freedom of choice of who we follow as our teacher.  If you desire to not follow Jesus Christ as your teacher you have that freedom. Luke 8. 9  His disciples asked him what this parable meant. 10  He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, “‘though seeing, they may not see;      though hearing, they may not understand.’ [ a ] Ecclesiastes 9. 9  So I reflected on all this and concluded that the righteous and the wise and what they do are in God’s hands, but no one knows whether love or hate awaits them. 2  All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad, [ a ] the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. As it is with the good,      so with the sinful; as it is with those who take oaths,      so with those who are afraid to take them. 3  This is t

2.19- How to keep going with a positive attitude when others are negative. Luke 6. 20  Looking at his disciples, he said: “Blessed are you who are poor,      for yours is the kingdom of God. 21  Blessed are you who hunger now,      for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now,      for you will laugh. 22  Blessed are you when people hate you,      when they exclude you and insult you      and reject your name as evil,          because of the Son of Man. 23  “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets. If you have decided to follow Jesus then you will be one who teaches good news in a hopeful way.  God is going to change things that are not right and install people who will do that which is right.  This makes most people very happy, but those who are leading and getting money and power from oppressing people instead of helping people will not be happy. Our job is to keep on g