Talk to GOD Every Day

By definition prayer is simply talking to GOD. Jesus taught us to pray to our Father in Heaven. Christ is our mediator. The Holy Spirit intercedes for us when we talk to our Father.

Question: How does GOD long for us to talk to Him?

Answer: "Pour out your heart before Him..." (Psalm 62:8)

Jason Cicero

I'm Missing Something

Question to GOD: What am I missing?

Answer from GOD: Me.

Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." So we may boldly say: "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?" (Hebrews 13:5-6; NKJV)

Jason Cicero

Hidden in My Heart

"Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:9-11; NKJV)

Sunday Morning Starters

On this Memorial Day weekend consider these words:

And God said moreover unto Moses, "Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, Jehovah, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name forever, and this is my memorial unto all generations." (Exodus 3:15; ASV)

Jason Cicero

From Whence Comes My Help

"I will lift up mine eyes unto the mountains: From whence shall my help come? My help cometh from Jehovah, who made heaven and earth" (Psalm 121:1-2; ASV).

Everyone needs help.

Where do you look for help?

Might I recommend Jehovah, the Maker of Heaven and Earth.

Jason Cicero

I Was Glad

"I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go unto the house of Jehovah" (Psalm 122:1; ASV).

Psalm 122 is a song the Israelites would sing as they made their way to Jerusalem. The Psalm speaks of physical Jerusalem. The "house" refers to the Temple where Jehovah dwelt. The people of GOD prayed for the peace of the city of GOD as they made their way to Jehovah's dwelling place.

There is a "New Jerusalem" where all of Jehovah's children will live forever and ever. In Christ, "we have no continuing city" (Hebrews 13:14). As we journey to the "New Jerusalem" we sing! "Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name" (Hebrews 13:15; NKJV).

Jason Cicero

Mercy

"Unto thee do I lift up mine eyes, O thou that sittest in the heavens" (Psalm 123:1; ASV).

Question: Why does the Psalmist lift his eyes up toward the One that sittest in the heavens?

Answer: For mercy.

Mercy - Hebrew - chanan - properly, to bend or stoop in kindness to an inferior; to favor, bestow; causatively to implore (Strong's).

Jason Cicero

Our Help

"Our help is in the name of Jehovah, Who made heaven and earth" (Psalm 124:8; ASV).

Israel existed because of Him. Israel was protected by Him. Israel overcame her enemies through Him.

Recognize Him as your Maker. Seek His protection. Overcome through Him!

Jason Cicero

Jehovah is a Man of War

"Jehovah is a man of war: Jehovah is his name." (Exodus 15:3; ASV)

1. See all of Him - Romans 11:22

2. Don't go to war with Him - Psalm 24:8

3. Allow Him to fight for you - Exodus 14:14

4. Be with Him - Revelation 17:14

Jason Cicero

Hidden in My Heart

"Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:9-11; NKJV)

Sunday Morning Starters

After one puts on the whole armor of God and takes it up to fight the first thing the Lord would have us to do is pray.

"...praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints..." (Ephesians 6:18; NKJV).

A prayer warrior is a person who is convinced that God is omnipotent, that He has the power to do anything, to change anyone, and to interfere in any circumstance.

Jason Cicero

Beginnings

The Word. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made” (John 1:1-3; NKJV). The true and living God wants to communicate with us! Words express our inner thoughts. Words reveal what cannot be seen. The Word reveals the nature, character, and will of the invisible God!

The Light. “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it” (John 1:4-5; NKJV). Light shines, makes manifest, illuminates. Jesus came to enlighten us. To shed some light on who God is and on who He would have us to be. What we need in all this darkness is illumination. What we need, He is: “I am the light of the world…” (John 8:12; NKJV).

Flesh and Blood. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14; NKJV). He became flesh because we are flesh. He “dwelt” among us as one of us. He came to where we are because He wants us. God desires our companionship. The personal God longs to have a personal relationship with each of us…forever: “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God” (Revelation 21:3; NKJV).

See Him. Christianity, in its purest form, is nothing more than seeing Jesus. Imitate Him. Christian service, in its purest form, is nothing more than imitating Him who we see. To see His glory and to imitate Him, that is the sum of Christianity. “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18; NKJV).

Jason Cicero

Mark's Portrait of Jesus

Mark presents Jesus as an active, compassionate, and obedient Servant who constantly ministers to the physical and spiritual needs of others. The distinctive word of this book is euthus (translated “immediately”), and it appears more often in this compact gospel than in the rest of the New Testament. Jesus is constantly moving toward a goal that is hidden to almost all. Mark clearly shows the power and authority of this unique Servant, identifying Him as no less than the Son of God (1:1, 11; 3:11; 5:7; 9:7; 13:32; 14:61; 15:39). Chapter by chapter, the book of Mark unfolds the dual focus of Christ’s life: service and sacrifice. The purpose of Mark is to present the Christ as the servant of the LORD.

Jesus calls me to be His servant and the servant of others. Jesus calls me to discipleship: “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (8:34). I am to “be last of all and servant of all” as His disciple ( 9:35). To be great in this Man’s kingdom is to be a “servant” and a “slave of all” (10:43-44). I am to follow His example: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (10:45).

Jesus calls me to sacrifice my life for Him and for others. To save my life I am to lose it in Him and for Him (8:34-37). Like the Rich Young Ruler, I am to sacrifice whatever it takes to follow Jesus (10:21). The sacrifice I make for Him and others will be rewarded now and in eternity: “…who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time – houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions – and in the age to come, eternal life” (10:29-30).

Jesus calls me to victory through suffering. A cross is an instrument of death: “…let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me” (8:34-38). His victory came after persecutions, suffering and death (10:30, 33-34). Mine will too.

See Mark’s portrait of Jesus and give your life to the service of the Lord, sacrificing your time, energy, your very life for others!

Jason Cicero

Five Foundational Blessings

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; NKJV)

A foundation is a strong, stable base on which a life is built. A blessing is a gift from God. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17; NKJV). In Christ there are “showers of blessing” (Ezekiel 34:26; NKJV). Of all the blessings God has given us it seems to me that there are five that we can fall back on as we make our journey from Earth to Heaven.

Five Foundational Blessings. Grace is God’s kindness to the guilty and undeserving. Grace is God giving us what we don’t deserve. Mercy is God withholding from us what we do deserve. Love is God’s active good will toward us. Forgiveness of sins is the release from the debt, guilt, and punishment for our transgressions. Hope is the confident expectation He fills us after we receive forgiveness.

Why I don’t deserve them. I do not deserve these five foundational blessings because I have sinned. By definition I do not deserve grace. I am guilty and undeserving. He is well within His holy nature to give me what I deserve. He loves me despite my sins. He longs to forgive me. He fills me with a living hope even though I have let Him down again and again.

Why I’ve been given them. I have been given these five foundational blessings to the praise of His glory! We have been given “every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” for the purpose of glorifying His name (Ephesians 1:3). He gives me grace, mercy, love, forgiveness of my sins, and hope that I would praise His name! Receive these blessings “to the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:6, 12, 14; 2:7; 3:20-21).

My response to them. Because of these five foundational blessings I will rejoice always! I will pray without ceasing! I will give thanks in everything! Because of these five foundational blessings I have a relationship to God through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit that will sustain me no matter what happens. Nothing “shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39; NKJV). In this I rejoice and praise His name!

Jason Cicero

Forgiveness

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7; NKJV).

Forgive. To forgive is “to send away” (Thayer’s). To truly forgive is to cease to feel angry or resentful toward, to remit or let off. Some synonyms of forgive are overlook, pay no attention to, clear, let off, cancel, erase. God sends our sins away from us and from Him. He ceases to feel righteous indignation toward us when He forgives. He remits our sins and removes the punishment. With Micah we stand in awe and ask, “Who is a God like You?” (Micah 7:18-20).

Forgiveness. Forgiveness in involves “release – as from bondage, imprisonment” (Thayer’s). Some synonyms of forgiveness are mercy, compassion, grace. God releases us from the bondage of sin when He forgives. We release others from the bondage of sin when we forgive them of the sins they have committed against us. We rejoice that “there is forgiveness” with the true and living God that each of us has sinned against (Psalm 130:5).

I am to pray for forgiveness. “And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us” (Luke 11:4; NKJV).

When someone repents, I am to forgive them. “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32; NKJV).

God will not forgive me unless I forgive those who have sinned against me. “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses” (Mark 11:25-26; NKJV).

Lessons from “The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant” (Matthew 18:21-35). The difference between the two amounts is the difference between the sins against our neighbor and the sins against Almighty GOD. No one can pay the debt due from him to his Lord. Forgiveness is God’s amazing Grace in action. Forgiveness is God’s mercy in action. Learn to give people not what they deserve, but what they need. As I forgive without limit, so His mercy is infinite and will be extended to me in measure unbounded.

We pardon to the extent that we love. Receive His love. Receive His grace. Receive His forgiveness. When and only when you receive His love, grace, and forgiveness will you be able to give it to others. “Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little” (Luke 7:47; NKJV).

Jason Cicero

Hidden in My Heart

“Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.” (Psalm 119:11; NKJV)

Israel. “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart” (Deuteronomy 6:6; NKJV).

The Righteous. “The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, and his tongue talks of justice. The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide” (Psalm 37:30-31; NKJV).

The Young. “Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart, And so find favor and high esteem In the sight of God and man” (Proverbs 3:3-4; NKJV).

Participants in the New Covenant. “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them” (Hebrews 10:16; NKJV).

Every Christian. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Colossians 3:16; NKJV).

GOD wants His word in my heart. He doesn’t want His word on tablets of stone. He is not looking for it to be found on scrolls. He is not interested in it being in a book. Jehovah longs for His word to be found in my heart.

Jason Cicero

Hidden in My Heart

"Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:9-11; NKJV)

Sunday Morning Starters

Shortstops - a few suggestions of some things we would do well to stop shortly:

1. Stop complaining. Nobody likes it and few people pay much attention to it. Know the difference in concern and complaining.

2. Stop criticizing. Few things are accomplished through this means. If you have to criticize, be sure you have decided to do it in love.

3. Stop stopping. There’s no sadder thing than a half-done job.

Dee Bowman

In Everything Give Thanks

"In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18; NKJV)

To give thanks is to express gratitude. Thankfulness is gratefulness expressed to another. Thanksgiving is the expression of gratitude. Tis the season of thankgiving. Our Heavenly Father is to be the recipient of our thanksgiving.

Our GOD created us in His image (Genesis 1:26-27). We share in His likeness. He is worthy of praise because He is the Creator: “You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created” (Revelation 4:11; NKJV). Thank Him!

Our GOD sustains us (Colossians 1:17). In Him we “live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). Apart from Him there is no life or breath (Acts 17:25). He upholds us “by the word of His power” (Hebrews 1:3). Thank Him!

Our GOD has redeemed us through His dear Son (Revelation 5:9-10; Ephesians 1:3-14). Created in His image with the ability to think, reason and choose, each of us has defaced that image by falling short of His glory (Romans 3:10-18, 23). Sin defaces the image of GOD in our lives. Love compels Him to restore His image in each of us: “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8)! Christ Jesus has “redeemed us to God” by His blood (Revelation 5:9). Thank Him!

Indeed, “Every good and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17; NKJV). It is all about Him, it is all from Him, it is all returning to Him! Thank Him!

Jason Cicero

A Blessing or a Curse?

"Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you today; and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you today, to go after other gods which you have not known.” (Deuteronomy 11:26-28; NKJV)

Created in His image, each of us has the freedom to choose. The Creator has set before us a choice. He would have us see fully how desirable the blessing, how dreadful the curse. I am free to be a blessing. I am free to be a curse.

A Blessing. Am I a blessing to my Father in Heaven? Am I a blessing to my Savior? Am I a blessing to the Spirit? Am I a blessing to the Kingdom? Am I a blessing to my family? Am I a blessing to my neighbor? Am I building people up? Am I leading others to Jesus? Am I a blessing?

A Curse. Am I a curse to GOD? Am I a curse to the Kingdom? Am I a curse to my family? Am I a curse to my neighbor? Am I building people up or am I tearing them down? Am I leading others to Jesus or causing them to flee from Him? Am I a curse?

The Choice. I am free to choose. Free to choose to be a blessing. Free to build up others. Free to praise my Father. Free to be spent for the Kingdom’s sake. I am free to choose to be a blessing to you.

Beloved, choose wisely: “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them." (Deuteronomy 30:19-20; NKJV)

Jason Cicero

A Faithful Saying

“This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him. If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.” (2 Timothy 2:11-13; NKJV)

"For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him." To die with Christ is to be baptized into His death - "...who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death" (Romans 6:3; NASBU). He died for us that we might live for Him and with Him.

"If we endure, We shall also reign with Him." To endure is to abide up under whatever burden comes our way because of Him - "Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted" (2 Timothy 3:12; NASBU). He endured on our behalf so that we might reign with Him.

"If we deny Him, He also will deny us." To deny is to disavow, to reject - "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me" (Luke 9:23; NIV). He would have us treat Him as we would long to be treated by Him.

"If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself." To be faithless is to betray the trust of the Faithful One - "...for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day" (2 Timothy 1:12; NASBU). As faithful as Jesus is to save those who believe in Him, He is equally faithful to judge those who do not.

A faithful saying...am I faithful to the saying?

Jason Cicero

Assembled in Heaven

“...and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus…” (Ephesians 2:6; NKJV)

As we come before our God and Father through His beloved Son and the Holy Spirit in worship, let us remember that we are assembled in Heaven (Ephesians 2:6). Christ is in our midst (Matthew 18:20; Revelation 1:9-20). He is not ashamed to call us brethren (Hebrews 2:11). Christ declares the name of our Father to us, “in the midst of the assembly” He sings praises with us (Hebrews 2:12). Through the Holy Spirit we access our Father and our elder brother (Ephesians 2:18).

As we glorify our GOD in worship, let us edify one another. Let us seek not to be a distraction to one another as we seek to “worship in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). Give some thought to what you wear to worship (1 Timothy 2:8-10; 1 Peter 3:3-4). Come into the assembly with your heart filled with reverence (Hebrews 12:28-29). Turn off all modern day blessings (cell phones, beepers, etc.). Let us approach our GOD and one another in such a way that those who visit with us will “worship God and report that God is truly among” us (1 Corinthians 14:25; NKJV).

Jason Cicero

But We See Jesus

“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone” (Hebrews 2:9; NKJV).

We live in a world that has not bowed the knee to Jesus. That world is to come. But what of this world? We see acts of terrorism, child abuse, crime, drug abuse, the list goes on. What keeps us going? Hebrews 2:9 does. “But we see Jesus...”

We might be tempted to lose hope if we focus on the world about us. The Hebrew writer reminds us that Jesus is. And because Jesus is, we can rest assured as we look to Him that everything is going to be all right – “…looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2; NKJV). If we are in Christ we have nothing to worry about. “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus...” (Romans 8:1; NKJV). When we obey the gospel of Jesus Christ we are baptized into Christ (Galatians 3:27). As we walk in the Spirit we remain in Christ (Romans 8:1). The happenings of this world can get us down, but they cannot separate us from the love of Christ (Romans 8:35). When I focus on the things I can see I am out of focus. I must focus on “the King eternal, immortal, invisible” (1 Timothy 1:17; NKJV).

Let us pray for faith that we might see Jesus more clearly (Hebrews 2:9).

Jason Cicero

Hidden in My Heart

"Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:9-11; NKJV)

Sunday Morning Starters

"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen." (2 Corinthians 13:14; NKJV)

Experience His grace...

Receive His love...

Commune with Him...

Jason Cicero

I Appeal to Caesar

Paul was a Roman citizen and often exercised the rights of being a citizen of the Roman empire. As Christians we serve a higher calling. Jesus is our King. Our Kingdom is not of this world. Our King has given us the liberty to live and move and work within the places in which we enjoy citizenship. Paul exercised his rights as a Roman citizen in order to further the gospel. His Roman citizenship opened doors for him to share Christ.

Use your rights a citizen to further the gospel to His glory and praise!

Jason Cicero

I Myself Thought

King Agrippa permitted Paul to speak for himself. As Paul spoke concerning the accusations of the Jews, he recapped his life for Agrippa. He spoke of his youth, his nation, and his religion. Paul pointed out that all knew of his faithfulness as a Pharisee.

"Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth" (Acts 26:9).

It is possible to believe something to be true that is false. It is possible to do many things believing them to be good that are in truth, evil. It is possible to be wrong.

Jesus set Paul apart to open the eyes of the Gentiles (Acts 26:18). Before Paul went to the Gentiles he had his own eyes opened by Jesus. Maybe I need my eyes opened to something...

Jason Cicero

I Believe God

While traveling to Rome a tempest threatened the lives of all aboard the ship. An angel appeared to Paul to tell him not to be afraid. He would appear before Caesar. No life aboard the ship would be lost. Paul responded to this news from above with these words for those on the ship: "Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me" (Acts 27:25).

God is there. He is trustworthy. He has spoken.

Read His word. Believe His word. Act accordingly.

Jason Cicero

Hidden in My Heart

"Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:9-11; NKJV)