The Lord's House Community Church

Remember Who You Are!

This reading is dedicated to the life, legacy, and ministry of our great emancipator Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the occasion of the celebration of what would have been his 92nd birthday. On December 6, 1956, he preached a sermon to the students, faculty, administrators and community at Howard University, Washington, DC entitled “Remember Who You Are.”  

Scripture:  1 Peter 2:9-10

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

There is a story of a young girl whose mother taught her ‘always remember who you are.’ One day a classmate at school began to insult her by calling her names other that her name. The incident bothered her but she ignored it and did not share it with her teacher or her mother. Day after day the insults became more aggressive. As the pressure grew, she came home one day in tears and share the bullying and name calling incidents with her mother. Taken back by the experience her daughter was enduring, she loved and comforted her daughter and asked, “are any of the names the girl is calling you, your name?” The daughter replied, “no mom.” The mother reminded her daughter, “remember what I named you and always remember who you are.” The girl returned to school the next day reassured of her identity and confident in who she was and whose she was. Knowing her identity gave her a renewed confidence to confront her fear and reject the insulting names. The bully no longer had power over her.

In his ministry, Dr. King emphasized the importance of loving ourselves and knowing our identity as a means of achieving civil rights, freedom and justice. 

 He once preached,  “You will change your mind; You will change your looks; You will change your smile, laugh, and ways but no matter what you change, you will always be you.”

 In this life, we are continually insulted with insulting names, threats and attacks from the enemy. One of Satan’s tactics is to make you believe lies and accept an identity that is different from the one God has given you. Be challenged to reject any identity other than the one God has given you!

 Peter reminds believers of the identity that God has given us as new testament priests in Christ Jesus. He declares our identity this way: 

You are a royal priesthood (a priest unto God in the order of Jesus Christ), a holy nation (a people ‘set apart and consecrated’ for holy service to the kingdom of God that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light) – our purpose in this identity is to proclaim (publicly make known) the praises of Jesus through our life and words. 

 Purpose in your heart and mind to ‘know who you are in Christ at all times and live the Kingdom identity that the Lord God has given you.’

 It’s Time to Pray:  Heavenly Father, please reveal my identity in Christ. Remind me continually who you have called me to be. With holy confidence and boldness I reject all false names and identities that the enemy attempts to call me. I belong to you… in Jesus name, Amen!

What Is Right!

Scripture: Philippians 4:8

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

Thought for Today:  We live in a world filled with trouble. Negative news, negative responses, negative communications come at us from every direction. Many days it can be difficult to find good news in the midst of the all the bad. Troubling times and bad news can produce a negative spirit and pessimistic, cynical responses even in believers. When a negative spirit is received, you begin to focus on what is wrong in your life and circumstances rather than what is right. A great friend once preached a message “The Good News is that the Bad News Ain’t So Bad!” That message stuck with me. It helped me to understand that no matter how bad things may seem at times, there is always greater Good News, God is in control, my faith is in Him! Paul challenged the Philippians to focus their minds on positive things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, and of good report…meditate on (ponder deeply) these things. When you choose to focus on these virtues, you focus on ‘what is right’ rather than what is wrong. You will realize that these virtues will enable you to live in victory. As I ponder this passage, I understand that my attitude and reactions to life are shaped by the way I think!

It’s Time to Pray: Gracious God, help me to be mindful of all that I take in to my mind, soul and spirit. Help me by the power of the Holy Spirit to choose to think on ‘What is Right’ and respond to every situation with a positive mindset and unlimited faith…in Jesus name. Amen!

Prayer Changes Everything!

Scriptures:

James 5:16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.  

Acts 12:5 Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.

Thought for Today:  Prayer changes everything! Understanding the power of prayer will change your life. When we pray, we gain a personal audience with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. When we pray according to God’s Word, by the power of the Holy Spirit, He hears us and answers our prayers. When we pray together, God releases His mighty power in the middle of our circumstances and everything changes including our hearts.

Acts 12 describes an amazing story of the power of prayer and how prayer changed everything. The passage tells of Herod, the king harassing the church. He killed James, the brother of John with the sword. And when he saw the Jews excitement, he had Peter arrested and placed in prison during the Days of Unleavened Bread. Peter was the spiritual leader of the church, and was highly respected and honored by the believers. So, Herod seized the opportunity to make an example of him. It seemed that Herod’s next step would be to execute Peter as a way to crush the spread of the church. Acts 12:5 tells us, “Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.” Look at what happens…as Peter was held captive in prison, the church prayed! Those saints knew that when they prayed, God would hear them, answer their prayers, and their prayers changed everything! The passage goes on to describe that while Peter was sleeping, he was bound with two chains between two soldiers with two prison guards at the door. Immediately, an angel of the Lord stood by Peter, and a light shined in the prison and the angel struck Peter and awakened him from his sleep. Miraculously, the angel called Peter to get up and put on his clothes and sandals…and the chains fell off his hands! Peter was set free from bondage and delivered by God’s mighty power because the people of God prayed!

The effectual, fervent prayer of the righteous avails much! (James 5:16) Prayer is one of our most powerful weapons, yet we don’t use it as often as we should. When we pray according to His will, God saves, He breaks chains, He heals, He delivers, He works miracles!

Will you commit to increasing the time you spend each day in prayer? Will you commit to a life of prayer? Will you commit to praying in faith with other believers for God to move by His awesome power? 

Prayer and Fasting that Pleases God    

Scripture: Romans 12:2 

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.  

Thought for Today: This is our time and season for transformation! We begin the year with 21 days of prayer and fasting to surrender to God and allow Him to take control of our lives. It is during this time that we ‘consecrate’ ourselves which means ‘to be set apart’ for God’s use.  Consecration requires a renewed mind. As the year gains momentum, we seek God’s face, deny our flesh and feed our spirit. God desires draw you closer to Him in order to speak to your heart and mind. He wants to tune your spirit in His presence, renew your mind, tune your ears to His voice and tune your eyes to His movement. He desires to prepare you to do His good, acceptable and perfect will.  

However, to truly be transformed by this time of self-denial, our prayer and fasting must please God. The Lord God must be pleased by our time with Him. It is critically important that we confess and repent of all sin and have a right spirit in the presence of God. For that to occur, we must mean business with God and set aside intentional time daily to worship, pray, fast and study of His Word. Be intentional! Be transformed! Hear God’s voice as you start the year.  

It’s Time to Pray: Father God, Help me to take this time of prayer and fasting seriously. Transform me, change me in Your presence by the power of Your Spirit. Please prepare me to do Your acceptable and perfect will this year. In Jesus name, Amen!

The Riches of God’s Grace

Scripture: Ephesians 1:7

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.”

Thought for the Day: How do you define riches and what measurements do you use to define them? Most people define riches as the value of a person’s material wealth. Someone else might define it as one’s net worth. To keep this 100, the average definition is ‘all that a person or a family has.’ As a result of this mindset, we pursue earthly wealth with the hope of gaining riches. Even as we prosper in the natural, God has a given us riches by His grace through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The riches of God’s grace are far beyond the material riches this world offers. This grace is His gift that we cannot purchase and do not deserve.  He has offered us the eternal riches of His grace in Jesus Christ our Lord! They are far more valuable than any wealth we can earn through our labor or investments. The richness of this grace was given by God when He sent Jesus, His only begotten Son, to shed His blood and to die for our sins. No measure of riches or success in this life compares to the riches of God’s grace in your life. This grace is God’s unmerited favor that He pours out to a sinner that is condemned to death. God’s grace amazingly saves a sinner when the person confesses their sins and calls upon the name of the Lord. So the riches of God’s grace have immeasurable value because they were purchased with the blood of Jesus on the cross at Calvary. Through His ultimate sacrifice, we have redemption through His blood.

It’s Time to Pray: Lord Jesus, thank you for your sacrifice on the cross for me. I am saved from my sins by the blood of Jesus according to the riches of Your grace. I am rich in You. Thank You Jesus, Amen!

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:7-10

 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.

Thought for Today:  Watching Alabama and Ohio State compete in the college football national championship last night is a reminder of all that is required to be an UNDISPUTED CHAMPION. Both teams came into the game undefeated this season with perfect records from a challenging season greatly impacted by COVID-19 and other factors. However, only the Alabama Crimson Tide emerged from the game as the UNDEFEATED CHAMPION of college football.

UNDISPUTED CHAMPIONS are rare in any sport or field in life. Think about how difficult it is to compete against competitors for an entire season and be considered a winner by all competitors and fans. UNDISPUTED CHAMPIONS are not perfect, in fact they have numerous flaws. But these champions are known for their ability to work hard, stick together, overcome adversity, persevere through troubled times and pursue victory with diligence.

In this life, you will face many challenges that are far beyond your natural ability to overcome. Additionally, you have a formidable opponent in the devil who hates you and is constantly devising plans and schemes to defeat you by keeping you in a state of discouragement and despair. As you experience these things, it is critical to fight the good fight of faith by declaring God’s Word to gain victory. To become the Undisputed Champion that God has made it possible for you to be in Christ, you must know and practice the following the principles Paul teaches in 2 Corinthians 4: 7-10.

These principles will help you and I to become and be recognized as an UNDISPUTED CHAMPION in this life.

 It’s Time to Pray: Almighty God, I ask you to fill me with the excellence of Your power from Your heavenly treasure so that I will operate in Faith to persevere and overcome every challenge that the enemy sends to defeat me…Help me to live as an UNDISPUTED CHAMPION for Christ…

Is Anybody Home?

Scripture: Revelation 3:20

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”

Thought for Today:

Have you ever gone to someone’s home and seen cars in the driveway, seen lights on, rang the doorbell repeatedly but no one answered the door? Chances are you peeked through several windows, walked to a side door attempting to get the attention of the people you were there to visit. But no one responded. At some point, you probably yelled “Is anybody home?” This scenario illustrates the way Jesus feels when we are indifferent toward Him. Yes, we once confessed faith in Him as Savior, and received the ‘new birth’ that He gave through salvation. Yes, we were ‘hot’ with a desire to learn of Him and become a disciple of His. But the issues of life ‘cooled’ our passion.

In Revelation 3, John the Apostle writes the words that Jesus had spoken concerning the Laodicean church. He describes that He sees their works and that their works are lukewarm (neither cold nor hot). A church that had once been ‘hot’ for Jesus had cooled off and was now ‘lukewarm.’ Because of this,  He tells them that He will literally spit them out of His mouth. He expressed a deep love for them and called them to be zealous and repent (v. 19). In verse 20, Jesus declared to them “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” In this powerful declaration, He expresses that the Laodicean church has left Him out and because of His love for them, He is standing and knocking at their door to enter in. He pleads that if anyone hears and opens the door to Him, He will enter and dine (have fellowship) with them. 

Have you become ‘lukewarm’ toward Jesus? He is standing and knock at the door to your heart. Is anybody home? Will you open the door to your Savior and allow Him to become Lord of your life?

It’s Time to Pray: Lord Jesus, I confess that my heart and my life have become ‘lukewarm’ and indifferent toward you. I repent of my ‘lukewarmness’ and ask you to forgive me. I hear you knocking at the door of my heart and I open the door. Please come in my Lord and Savior. I welcome you…

ASK (Ask, Seek, Knock)

Scripture: Matthew 7:7-8

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

Thought for Today:  What do you want to ask of God?

ASK is a term that is often overlooked as an important part of our relationship with Christ. In our desire to really know Christ, we must learn how to approach Him in prayer in order to express our concerns, needs and desires. He alone is the source for everything that we need spiritually and naturally to live “life more abundantly” as He has promised. He is willing and waiting to supply every need that you have if you will simply ask Him! In prayer, we have a personal privilege of talking with the Lord and asking Him questions that only He can answer and asking for solutions that only He can provide. But the key is asking in faith according to His Word, waiting on His answer and obeying His instructions. As you ask things of God in prayer, the Holy Spirit will give you the words to speak and will intercede before the Father on your behalf.

The Adam Clarke Commentary describes the three steps in the process as follows:

Jesus teaches the disciples (and us) how to approach Him in Matthew 7:7-8 when He compels them to Ask, Seek and Knock. He challenges and invites them to make their requests known directly to Him. Later, He says to them “You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” (John 14:14). So as we pray, let’s pray with boldness, yet approaching the Lord in humility. Ask (believing) with confidence, Seek with care and pursuit, Knock with persistence and watch God move with power and authority in our life and circumstances.

 And Remember, it’s in the Asking!

 It’s Time to Pray: Dear Holy Spirit, teach me how to pray in faith with greater boldness. I desire to Ask with confidence, Seek with care and pursuit, Knock with persistence in the Name of Jesus and believe God for the impossible…

Jesus is the Open Door!

 Scripture:  John 10:7-10

⁷ Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. ⁸ All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. ⁹ I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. ¹⁰ The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

Thought for Today:  Jesus is the open door!

Think for a moment of the importance of doors in our everyday lives. They open and close; lock and unlock; provide or deny access;  provide security and protection; separate and togetherness and other functions. When viewed this way,  one can gain a greater appreciation for the doors that you encounter daily. In John 10, Jesus reveals a description of who He is by describing himself as “the door of the sheep.”

Access: He vividly describes the relationship between the shepherd, and the sheep. He declares himself the door (the entranceway, access giver, gate keeper, protector, care giver) of the sheep.

Assurance: He assures them that He is the (Good Shepherd) that they have been waiting for and that all who preceded Him were imposters, in fact, thieves and robbers. He also subtly assures that they are now under His care because they have tuned their ears and hearts to His voice and were not deceived by others who had attempted to lure them to danger and destruction.

Abundant Life: Lastly, Jesus, the Great Shepherd, tells them that their obedience as sheep has spared them from being killed, stolen, or destroyed by the thief and that He has come to give them life and life more abundantly.

 Will you allow Jesus, the Great Shepherd, to be your Door? Will you allow Him to be your Access, Assurance and Abundant Life! Tune your ears to His voice. Open your heart to His presence and establish your Faith in Him alone.

 It’s Time to Pray: Lord Jesus, You are my Savior and Lord. You are my Door. I come to You alone for Access, Assurance and Abundant Life. Thank you for being my Door to You and Your Kingdom!