Luke 11:1
“Lord Teach Us To Pray…”

The one concern of our enemy,  Satan, is to keep Christians out of church and off of their knees. 
The Devil fears nothing from an unfaithful and prayerless people,
but trembles when the Church and you are on your knees.

Bro. Adams

Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles.
Proverbs 21:23

  How many times do we roll our eyes and think, “How could I have said something so  stupid?”
  We can keep our souls from trouble – the trouble that comes from others tormenting  us for hurting them or from the nagging guilt from saying dumb things – only if we actively
 Guard our mouths.  Here are some commonsense suggestions that can change your life:
 
  1.  Every morning, ask God for wisdom about your words.
 
  2.  Before any significant conversation, take a minute to define your goals. 
           Also, identify any topics or issues to avoid or treat diplomatically.
 
  3.  Watch out for any temptation to use sarcasm to get a laugh.  (Stopping
                   that habit may severely limit the number of words some of use!)
 
    4.  In conversations, be aware that words can kill or cure.  If you feel emotions
                  rising, take a deep breath and don’t let your words fly!

  5.  From time to time, give yourself a progress report on how well you’re
                  guarding your mouth.

 For all of us, learning a new skill takes time and effort.  And for some of us, the learning
curve for guarding our words is really steep.  Still, the peace of mind and joy of relationships are worth the effort.
-Zig Ziglar-

The world has always been scornful of dreamers.  “Here comes that dreamer!”  Joseph’s  brothers said to one another.  “Come now, let’s kill him…Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams”... Genesis 37:19.

So dreamers have to become in turn thinkers, planners, and workers, and that demands industry or hard labour.  Men of vision need to become men of action.  Thomas Alva Edison, the inventor of electrical devices, defined genius as “1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration.”  All great leaders find this to be true.  Behind their apparently effortless performance there lies the most rigorous and painstaking self-discipline.  A good example is the world-renowned pianist, Paderewski.  He spent hours in practice every day.  It was not unknown for him to repeat a bar or phrase fifty times to perfect it.  Queen Victoria once said to him, after she had heard him play, “Mr. Paderewski, you are a genius.”  That may be, Ma’am,” he replied, “but before I was a genius, I was a drudge.”

 It was not enough for Moses to dream of the land flowing with milk and honey; he had to organize the Israelite rabble into at least the semblance of a nation and lead them through the dangers and hardships of the desert before they could take possession of the Promised Land.  Nehemiah was inspired by his vision of the rebuilt Holy City, but first he had to gather materials to reconstruct the wall and weapons to defend it.

 The combination of vision and industry is needed.

God wishes to promote us at First Baptist Church, Mantachie, as stated in Jeremiah 29:11 … “plans to prosper you and not harm you.”

If so we must commit fully to His Cause and His Church.  Oddly, some people just sit in the shade of the Church and refuse to put down any roots.  Some folks like the benefits, but resist true commitment to Jesus and His Body.

Some love the Church perks, a/c-heat, free parking, powerful sermons, lovely music, and places for the kids to learn and enjoy.  So they date her, visit her, but never put the ring on!  Commit to the Church?  Nope, can’t do that.

Miss the Church in salvation, baptism and local membership and you miss what God has best for you.  For the Church is the best place to do what you can do for Him!  Let Him prosper You!