God Speaks
Jesus Teaches about Prayer and True Spirituality
Verse of the Day: As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd cried out, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.” He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” (Luke 11:27-28 NIV 2011)
Read or listen on BibleGateway.com
Watch TBR Day 286
We Respond
Reflection: In Luke 11: Jesus gave the disciples a model prayer. Then He taught them about the importance of persistence in prayer–to continually ask, seek, and knock. The best gift we can receive in answer to our prayer is presence of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was compared to Beelzebub, the devil. What may happen once an evil spirit is cast out? Who is truly blessed? Who is wiser than Solomon and more of an evangelist than Jonah? Jesus taught about the importance of inner light and inner cleansing. He pronounced a series of woes on the Pharisees and experts in Jewish laws.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, teach me to pray. I claim the example here and the one in Matthew 6 as my pattern. Make me persistent, continually asking, seeking, and knocking. I desire Your best gift in answer to my prayer, the presence of the Holy Spirit. Jesus, You were compared to Beelzebub, the devil. Surround me with Your protection so that I can stand up against the malicious slander aimed at me when I am pursuing righteousness. Whenever a demon is cast out of me or anyone else, may we fill that place to overflowing with the Holy Spirit and all of His fruit so that there is no room for demons. I want to be truly blessed because I am really hearing the word of God and putting it into practice. That way I can focus on the One who is wiser than Solomon and the One who turns more people back to God than Jonah. Jesus, shine Your light on and apply Your cleansing blood to my inmost being. May You not have to pronounce woes over me as You did over the Pharisees and experts in Jewish laws. I earnestly desire to glorify You in whatever I think, say, and do. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, which one of these He wants you to work on or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will personalize the Lord’s Prayer by using it as an outline and expanding on it.
- I will work at being more persistent in my prayers for my relatives and friends: for example, setting a specific time and gathering verses to pray for each of them.
- I will not let malicious slander keep me from pursuing righteousness: for example, on social media.
- I will investigate what I can learn about deliverance (from demonization) and inner healing from ministries like RestoringTheFoundations.org, DeeperWalkInternational.org, or FreedomInChrist.org.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.