God helps us to pray

Romans 8:26-27

Why do we sometimes feel that our prayers don't go beyond the ceiling? We are talking,
But is God listening? The truth is that the Lord is always attentive to the prayers of His
people. He is the one who has invited us to come boldly into his presence. Moreover, he also promised
help us while we pray.

First, our Father has given us His Word to teach us the truth, so we will know how
pray wisely and effectively. We find guidance for prayer in God's direct commands, the
descriptions of His ways and thoughts, the examples of biblical characters and the
biblical principles that teach us how to apply divine truth in every area of our life.

Second, He has given us many promises in His Word. This assures us that He will guide our
paths (Prov.3: 5-6), will satisfy our needs (Philippians 4:19), will give us wisdom
(James 1:5) will answer our prayers (John 14:13), and make all things work
together for good, since He conforms us to the image of His Son (Romans 8: 28-29).

Third, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us because in our human weakness, we do not always
we know how to pray as we should (Romans 8:26-27). He takes our requests
misguided or uncertain and re-frames them according to the will of God.

Fourth, Jesus Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father as our High Priest,
interceding on our behalf (Hebrews 7: 25-26).

We are never alone when we pray, because the Trinity acts on our behalf. Not only the
prayer is an incredible privilege; it is also an incredible and powerful effort. The next time that
Come to the Lord in prayer, remember that it is a divine appointment with Almighty God.
The path of brokenness

Juan 12: 23-28

A seed that is never planted will not produce a harvest. Then Jesus used a seed to
to illustrate why he had to die to lead many people to glory. He was teaching a
a principle that is also true in our lives: if our ambition is to remain isolated,
protected and comfortable, we will never have the fruit that God desires. To die to oneself and break pride.
and self-sufficiency makes us fruitful and useful to the Lord.

Brokenness is one of the means that God uses to mature His children. In that process,
we may find ourselves challenged in:

Circumstances that paralyze our self-sufficiency.

Areas in which we are not submissive to him.
The time of your plans.

If we refuse to be reformed and cling to what God wants us to release, how

Can you use us for your kingdom? Just like the unique and uninterrupted grain of wheat, we will continue
being unproductive.

With so much at stake, why do we still resist its collapse? The problem usually
are our shortsighted wishes. It is difficult to set aside things, relationships, or hobbies that
we enjoy, even when we know they hinder our spiritual growth. We prefer
take the path of least resistance and hope that God blesses us anyway.

Do not be distracted by short-term happiness; that is not the path to the maturity that God has.
prepared for you. An abundance of fruitful outcomes awaits you if you release your control and let
do what it takes to get you there.

John 12:23-28 Reina-Valera 1960 (RVR1960)

23Jesus answered them, saying: The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

24Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone; but
if it dies, it bears much fruit.

25Whoever loves his life will lose it; and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
will save.

26If anyone serves me, let him follow me; and where I am, there my servant will be also. If anyone serves me
He who serves me, my Father will honor.
Jesus announces his death

27Now my soul is troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour? But for this I have come.
arrived at this hour.

28Father, glorify your name. Then a voice came from heaven: I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.
time.

Experiences of the valley of the believers

Salmo 23: 1-6

Where there are mountains, there must also be valleys; it is a simple fact of the created world.
this is also true in our spiritual life. To reach the place where the Lord guides us, to
sometimes we must go through 'the valley of the shadow of death' (Psalm 23: 4).

The peaks of spiritual mountains are wonderful places to rest. In those

moments, we feel close to God and secure in His love. But we arrive at those places
highly working hard in the valley, where we discovered their character, the truth of their promises and
our own weakness. There are aspects of the Lord that we only see when we travel through the
shadow.

God is a jealous shepherd. He wants his followers to rely completely on him. He leads us to
through the valleys to eliminate all habits, thought patterns, or external crutches
what we use instead of trusting in Him. Suddenly, these seem inadequate in low places.
That is where we discover if our faith, courage, and wisdom are created by ourselves or
they come from the Lord.

Although walking in the valleys is an inevitable part of life, believers are not left without
comfort. Verse 5 addresses the meeting of needs, including the desire to be comforted.
Here is the image of a gentle shepherd rubbing oil on the skin of an animal. God promises
security, healing and safety, even in difficulties.

Believers can shout: 'I trust in God' from the mountain because they have learned to live by faith.
in the valley. Walking in the shadow of evil is a difficult and terrifying job. But when we
we surrender to everything that the Lord has to teach us in this dark place, our spirit is
it calms us and our faith is strengthened.
September 20, 2018
The best friend you will ever have

John 15:12-17

Good friends are hard to find, and our busy schedules don't help. Many
people do not take the time to cultivate meaningful friendships. Are you possibly among
them? If so, notice how Jesus prioritized time with his friends. He lived very close to his
disciples for three years and showed to be not only their Lord and Savior, but also the best
a friend that you once had.

Unlike the disciples, we have never walked physically with Jesus, but this does not us
exclude from his friendship. First Peter 1:8 says: "And though you have not seen him, you love him, and though...
Now you do not see Him, but you believe in Him, you rejoice with an inexpressible and glorious joy.

Every person who trusts in Christ becomes his friend, and the ultimate proof of his love
unbreakable is that he gave his life for anyone who wants to believe. Without the astonishing act of self-sacrifice
of Salvador, his disciples, along with each of his followers since then, would have
lost and separated forever from the Lord forever.

Although Jesus is a unique friend like no other, we can learn a lot about friendship from
His example. He tells us to love one another as He has loved us, and that He is a love
selfless one who does what is best for the other person. Jesus was open and honest with his
friends, letting them know everything that the Father had said.

What a comfort to know that even though others may disappoint us and abandon us, Christ always
remain as a faithful, patient, and loving friend. And as we seek to emulate him and
by obeying him, we will become the same kind of friend to others.
Trust and obey

Josué 6: 1-14
1JERICHO was shut up, tightly shut, because of the children of Israel: no one went in,
I didn't go out.

And the Lord said to Joshua: Behold, I have delivered Jericho and its king into your hand, along with its
warriors.
You shall therefore search the city, all the men of war, going around the city a
And you shall do this for six days.
4 And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark; and when
On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets.
5Y when they blow the trumpet for a long time, as soon as you hear the sound of the
trumpet, all the people will shout with a loud voice, and the wall of the city will fall down flat:
then the people will rise each in their own right.
6Y calling Joshua son of Nun to the priests, he said: Take the ark of the covenant, and seven
Priests shall carry ram's horn trumpets before the ark of the Lord.

One of my favorite hymns is "Trust and Obey" because it summarizes God's purpose for
our lives. When we practice these two commands, a beautiful cycle begins. Trust in
The Lord makes obedience easier, and obedience produces a growing trust.
Mayor. Can you remember facing a challenge that was difficult or puzzling? If so, you know
how important these two commands are.

When the Lord calls you to a task that seems irrational, you have two options. You can obey Him.
Even if you don't understand what will happen, you can fear and try to find a way out. Joshua
He chose the first option. Because he trusted in the Lord, he ignored all his experience.
military and adopted God's bizarre battle plan. Over the years, he learned that the Lord is
perfectly reliable.

The way we respond to God's challenging tasks reveals what we believe about Him.
We can feel that we are in tune with the Lord, until he proposes a change of
address. That's when our resistance comes into action, along with the understanding that we do not
We are as close to Him as we think. At that point, our decision determines if the Lord
he may use us as he wishes. Joshua decided again and again that the way of the Lord was better than
his, and he continued serving the Lord for the rest of his life.

Sometimes, obedience is a struggle, as the mind considers all the reasons why the
the path of God is illogical. When fear takes control, our reasoning says that
We must run to the other side, and we do not want to comply. But obedience is always the best.
option, because one can trust in our loving and omniscient Father.