One Minute Memory Verse: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 NIV –
Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit.
One Minute Bible
Luke 18:1-8 ESV
1And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. 3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 4 For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7 And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
One Minute Prayer
Lord, teach me persistence in prayer.
One Minute Praise
Psalm 27:1-6 ESV
A psalm of David.
The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
When evildoers assail me
to eat up my flesh,
my adversaries and foes,
it is they who stumble and fall.
Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war arise against me,
yet I will be confident.
Five Minutes in My Prayer Closet
Jan 5, continued
One thing have I asked of the Lord,
that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
and to inquire in his temple.For he will hide me in his shelter
in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
he will lift me high upon a rock.And now my head shall be lifted up
above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the Lord.
One Minute Wisdom
Job 2:11-13 ESV
When Job’s three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him. When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him, they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.
One Minute Devotional
Job’s three friends did not always give him good advice. At times, they seemed as much the antagonist as Satan in this story. In the passage above, though, his friends displayed great wisdom in their silence. Sometimes, nothing helpful can be said. Sometimes, it is just enough to know that a friend is present.
The same can be said of God. At times, especially in times of distress, it is just enough to enter His presence and sit silently. Even in times of great joy, it is sometimes enough just to bask in the presence of God, our daddy.
The key to living in God’s presence is remembering that we do not have to enter into it (His presence). He lives in us. He is always present, even when you don’t “feel” Him, even if we don’t “want” Him present.
There is great comfort in His presence. I come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses. And, the voice I hear… is His alone.
Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit.
One Minute Bible
1 Thessalonians 5:12-24 NIV
Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil.
May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.
One Minute Prayer
Jesus, Teach me the importance of prayer.
One Minute Praise
Psalm 8 NIV
For the director of music. According to gittith. A psalm of David.
Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory
in the heavens.
Through the praise of children and infants
you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.
When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
Five Minutes in My Prayer Closet
Jan 4, continued
You have made them a little lower than the angels
and crowned them with glory and honor.
You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
you put everything under their feet:
all flocks and herds,
and the animals of the wild,
the birds in the sky,
and the fish in the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
One Minute Wisdom
Proverbs 15:8-11 NIV
The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked,
but the prayer of the upright pleases him.
The Lord detests the way of the wicked,
but he loves those who pursue righteousness.
Stern discipline awaits anyone who leaves the path;
the one who hates correction will die.
Death and Destruction lie open before the Lord—
how much more do human hearts!
One Minute Devotional
Whenever a Christian sets his or her heart toward God, Satan interferes. Since the fall of Man, it has been the same. I am Adam; I am Man. I have fallen countless times, and I likely will again. Yet, if we are aware of some of the dangers inherent in beginning a journey like this one: prayer, fasting, devotionals, and learning an in-depth journey through Scripture, we can possibly avoid such falls.
Let me give you a peek at two people I know who have undertaken this journey and forewarn you of the results of one that didn’t end up so well.
Mona Jacobs was in her nineties. She had learned to pray continuously; her every thought was a prayer to God. She was humble, meek, and had a glow about her. As faithfully as the sun rose daily, God revealed to Ms. Jacobs new areas in her life that she must surrender to Him. She never quit growing closer to her Master.
Arthur, on the other hand, undertook the same journey: to learn to pray continuously so that he might grow closer to God. The last I saw of him, he was proud, vain, unyielding, argumentative, a bully, and convinced that he had been perfected.
The truth of the matter is this: left to our rebellious, human ways, we would all be Arthurs. Lord, build my hope on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
