https://www.unitedbyprayer.com/.../godly-behavior... The godly lives and righteous behavior of believers should set an example to the ungodly, who speak against the truth. Their conduct and character should convict evil-doers of their wrongdoing. Living godly lives should act as a testimony to the truth of the gospel. The way Christians behave and the words they speak should serve to promote the Word of truth and honor the Lord. We are not to imitate the ways of the world, but to talk about things that are true and to speak of things that are honorable and doctrinally sound. It is not always pleasant to have to chasten a fellow believer who has stepped outside the boundaries of truth or who has strayed from the path of righteousness. Sometimes inexperienced church leaders, timid elders, overbearing brethren, or misguided Christians, can cause great damage when attempting to reprove a fellow believer, due to legalistic learnings, incorrect doctrine, lack of spiritual understanding or a tendency to lay down principles as incontrovertibly true, without consideration of evidence or the opinions of others. There are many lessons to learn for older men and women, younger pastors, appointed elders, and the whole Body of Christ in this letter to Titus. We would all do well to study its organization and orderliness, and to ensure that our character and conduct reflects the Godly Behavior Presented To Us In Scripture. May we hold fast to the gospel of truth and live lives that encourage others, support our leaders, and honor our God and Savior.

https://www.unitedbyprayer.com/.../spiritual-gifts-are... Spiritual gifts can be over-exaggerated by some Christians while being understated by others. While some elevate the importance of spiritual gifts above their great salvation, others can diminish the tremendous benefits that are ours through the spiritual gifts we receive from the Lord. But it is important that Spiritual Gifts Are Used As God Determined. They are not to be abused, or used for self-gratification. Nor should someone exploit their gift, by trying to demonstrate their own superior spirituality! Spiritual gifts are sovereignly bestowed, to enable us to carry out the good work God has prepared for us to do. We all receive a spiritual gift, or gifts, but we do not choose our preferred spiritual gifts, from a heavenly catalog of options. Today it is the gift of pastors and teachers for which we should earnestly pray, so that the men and women who are gifted to teach, are raised up within the Body, and empowered by the Spirit to interpret the Scriptures and teach the truth of God's Word to the wider congregation. Like all believers, they are to use these greater gifts of pastor and teacher, for the benefit of ALL. May we determine in our hearts to earnestly desire the greater spiritual gifts within the Body of Christ, so that together we may grow in grace and learn to LOVE others as Christ loved us.

https://www.unitedbyprayer.com/uni.../a-closer-walk-with-god Anything made or unmade, visible or unseen that is placed either before the Lord or alongside Him, is deemed to be an idol, for He will never share His honor with another. We read the following words from a well-loved hymn: "The dearest idol I have known, whate’er that idol be, help me to tear it from Thy throne, and worship only Thee," which captures the essence of what comprises an idol in any age, anything and everything, anyone and everyone that lays equal or greater claim to our affection for Jesus, is our own, personal idol. But the same hymn spells out the remedy that helps us to guard against the erection of such idols in our own lives: "O for A Closer Walk With God, a calm and heavenly frame, a light to shine upon the road, that leads me to the Lamb!

https://www.unitedbyprayer.com/.../we-must-keep-our-eyes... Christ was the perfect example of what a perfect Man should be, but He had to learn obedience through all that He was called upon to suffer throughout His life, as He kept the goal of His calling forever in His sight. We who are saved by His blood, baptized into His death, and risen with Him into newness of the new life, are to always strive to be perfect as He is perfect. Christ was perfected through all that He had to suffer, and we too are to walk the same path of suffering. We Must Keep Our Eyes Fixed On Christ, our perfect example, and to learn obedience through all that we are called on to suffer for His sake. As we submit to the leading, guiding, and correction of the Holy Spirit, He will use all things, including our suffering and pain, to work together for good to His praise and glory, as did Christ our perfect, obedient, example: That I may be conformed into the image and likeness of the Lord Jesus Christ.

https://www.unitedbyprayer.com/united-by.../hope-in-the-lord. God's people can always find encouragement and comfort in the shadow of His wings. Those who trust in God have a great assurance that He will vindicate us in front of all who have purposed evil against us. Unlike the writer of this psalm, we are not under the Law. During this Church dispensation, we do not have to go to a particular place to meet the Lord. We do not have to go to the tent of meeting or the tabernacle of the Lord to worship our God. Our access to God is not limited to a time or feast day or participation in a religious ritual. As members of Christ's Body, we have the Spirit of peace and joy and can enter boldly into the room of grace, for mercy to find help in times of need. We need to realize that the antidote to despair and distress is Hope In The Lord, and we need to apply it to our life on a day-to-day basis. We need to know and appropriate all the precious promises that are ours in Christ, when we delight ourselves in the Lord and offer Him our sacrifice of praise, we reignite our trust in Him and as our faith increases so fear and depression will be forced to flee away.

https://www.unitedbyprayer.com/united-by.../faith-is-the-key Once we are saved through faith, we are to live and grow and develop through faith. All we need to know about sanctifying faith for the saved man or woman is also found in the Scriptures. It is not to be found in nature, although that is certainly a demonstration of God's power. It is not to be found in a philosophy or denominational regulations. It is not to be found in the traditions of mankind or in a ritual ceremony. God's divine revelation is in His WORD, faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God. Faith Is The Key that opens our understanding to the Christian life. We are to be SAVED by faith; to STAND by faith; to WALK by faith; to RUN by faith; to FIGHT the good fight of faith by faith; to PRAY by faith; to LIVE by faith. We are to do ALL that we do by our faith in Christ. The first step in our Christian life is simply to believe: "Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved." Let us tell all we meet this simple, yet life changing truth. Let us not cloud the simplicity of the gospel with any of our human reasoning, rules, or regulations, but simply tell people who want to know how to be saved, by faith in the death and Resurrection of our precious Savior, Jesus Christ.

https://www.unitedbyprayer.com/.../let-us-seek-first-the...In this everyday world, the struggles and strivings in life have become an accepted 'norm'. This passage exposes the attitude of the majority, where a passion to accumulate wealth and the desire for more possessions, not only gives birth to greed and selfishness, but causes us to worry about things we need, strive for things we desire, crave things we want and fight to gain more 'things' in the roundabout of life. However, the truth of this verse is staggering, when once accepted and applied. Our minds should not cave into life's problems and perplexities, but should be fashioned in the likeness of the heavenly Father. Anxious thoughts and futile strivings, in their various disguises, is a sin that reflects unbelief in God's gracious promises of provision. How much more important that we should praise and thank God that we have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb and forgiven of the sins we commit. Let Us Seek FIRST The Kingdom Of God and His righteousness, by seeking Christ and setting the eyes of our heart on the beauty of the Lord Jesus and trusting Him in every circumstance of Life, even when we don't understand, for in doing so, the worry of the world will be replaced with the wisdom of the WORD, as our mind rests in Him.

https://www.unitedbyprayer.com/uni.../the-word-of-god8240137. This verse outlines the relationship between faith and works. It recognizes that there are some that profess to be Christians who do not have a saving faith, but there is also those that have a genuine saving faith but show little or no outward evidence of their justification. This verse admonishes all genuine Christians to be doers of the Word and not hearers only. Every believer should be growing in grace, maturing in the faith, walking in spirit and truth, bringing forth the good works of righteousness which God Himself has prepared for us to do, in the power of the Holy Spirit, as we abide in Christ and He in us. We are encouraged to be quick to hear, faith comes by hearing and hearing by The Word Of God, but we should also be wise in our actions and circumspect in our reactions by being slow to speak and slow to anger, angry Christians do not achieve the righteousness of God. May we who have been rooted in Christ by grace through faith when we were saved, seek to be fruitful in our Christian walk, by bearing much fruit to the glory of God as we abide in Christ and He in us.

https://www.unitedbyprayer.com/unit.../study-the-word-of-god Although this verse was probably addressing the public ministry of the Word, in a day when the reading of personal scripture is being replaced with water-down and distorted audio-visual alternatives, all Christians should give heed to these instructions from Paul and make opportunities to engage in both the personal and public reading of Scripture as well as paying careful attention that what is preached and taught from the pulpit. Let us with discernment read and Study The Word Of God for ourselves as well as participating in a Christ-centered Church assembly. Let us search the scriptures diligently to ensure that any scriptural message we receive or offer is rooted and grounded in the word of truth, which was once given to the saints, for our learning and spiritual growth. Let us apply the Word of God in our lives daily, or we will find that we become disconnected from the only Source of our life and power.

https://www.unitedbyprayer.com/.../ungodly-thoughts-or... Many of the sins listed in this verse are connected with sins of speech. Anger often is expressed in spiteful words or a hostile attitude. Although there is a godly anger which grieves over wrongs, lawlessness, and sin, we should not become involved with the unrighteous anger expressed in this verse. Similarly, we are to abstain from ungodly wrath which implies an inappropriate verbal outburst, laced with evil intent. Malice in this verse suggests a violent temperament designed to do harm to others and can often be spawned from the build-up of anger or hatred, and it can often explode into a rage of Ungodly Thoughts Or Actions, while slander is connected with malicious lies, speaking evil of others, or even participating in gossip or spreading cruel rumors. The final part of verbal sins to avoid is 'abusive speech' which implies participation in disgusting, unclean, and obscene language. May we seek to put away all the things that dishonor the Lord. May the words we speak be honest and true. May our speech be wholesome and holy. May we speak the truth in love and live lives that honor our Father in heaven.

https://www.unitedbyprayer.com/united-by.../godly-wisdom. We have the Spirit of God and, under His guidance, should be in a position to examine, investigate, and inquire into difficult questions and discern all things because we are spiritual men and women. Being born of His Spirit gives us access to Godly Wisdom, and as spiritual men and women, we have the capacity to appraise all things. As spiritual beings with a God-given ability to 'judge all things' "He who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one." As Spirit-directed beings, no one has the authority to judge our spirituality, even though they may criticize and mock us. It is by faith that we have the Spirit of God, and should appraise ourselves to see if we are in the faith, walking in spirit and truth, growing in grace, and maturing in our Christian witness. As believers, we not only have the Spirit of God in our heart, but the written Word of God in our possession, which is living, powerful, and will guide us in all truth. Each one of us should be capable of inquiring and scrutinizing the Word of Truth to understanding its content and apply it in our lives so we can appraise all things, are appraised by no one, and understand many mysteries of God which are revealed to us.

https://www.unitedbyprayer.com/.../god-alone-understands... The outward appearances of others may deceive us, but God Alone Understands The Heart. We may not even know the true content of our own heart, but the Lord our God knows what is in the heart of each one of us. We are all fallen creatures, and although we praise and thank God that we have been saved by grace through faith in Christ, have been made a new creation in Him, and have been given His resurrected life, our old, fleshly nature lusts against our new-life-in-Christ and our new nature lusts against our old, fleshly, sinful self. As born again believers who are living in the dispensation of grace, we have the Holy Spirit in our heart. He will never leave us nor forsake us, and He can never be taken away from us as used to happen in the dispensation of Law. Nevertheless, knowing that "the heart is more deceitful than anything else and desperately wicked," we should examine our hearts to see if we are in the faith, to see if we are walking in spirit and truth, to see if we are trusting in anything other than the Lord Jesus. We should ask Him to search our hearts to see if there is any wicked way in us that needs to be cleansed and rooted out. Only God can fully know and understand our inner heart. May we submit to His purifying gaze and be ready and willing to say: "Purify my heart O Lord," no matter what it may cost.

https://www.unitedbyprayer.com/united.../trusting-in-jesus. As the days on earth get darker, and the trials and tribulations of this life can seem never-ending and overwhelming, we would do well to take this verse to heart. We are strangers, passing through this world on the way to our eternal, heavenly home and we can be assured that the best is, most certainly, yet to come. We who are in Christ, are called to keep our minds on things that are above and not to be influenced by the things of the earth. We are to live by Trusting In Jesus and not by trusting in our own abilities. Knowing that in this world we will have tribulation, troubles, and sorrows, we can rejoice that Christ has overcome the world. And we can look forward, with eager anticipation, to our priceless inheritance; a beautiful inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade away.

https://www.unitedbyprayer.com/united.../share-our-blessings. As believers, we have all been blessed with every spiritual blessing from above and are instructed by the Word of God and through Church elders and Christian ministers, to Share Our Blessings, both material and spiritual, with others so that they in turn are enabled to rejoice in the Lord for His provision and go further afield themselves, to bless others who cross their path. Sowing and reaping blessings in this way, is a biblical principle that benefits both the giver and the one that receives, as well as honoring the Lord our God from Whom all blessings flow. A beautiful way of doing this, is to go out into the world to share with others truths that we ourselves have learned in our Christian life. May we seek to sow to the Spirit by investing our time, talent, money, material possessions, gifts, and godly graces wisely. May our offerings be carried out in ways that honor the Lord, by ministering to others as God desires so that we may lay up for ourselves spiritual treasure in heaven, knowing that the things of this world will all pass away while the things of value are permanently laid up in heaven, for those that love the Lord and walk in spirit and in truth.

https://www.unitedbyprayer.com/uni.../happy-fathers-day-2024. The sleeping child needs to be sheltered by his father, the weary child needs to be carried. The hungry child needs the father's provision of food to sustain him, while the wandering child needs to be sought after, brought home, and shown great understanding. The disobedient child needs to be chastened, and the child that is wounded and afraid needs the loving compassion that can only come from the heart of a father who truly cares for the child of his love. The loving compassion of every earthly father is completely eclipsed by the tender-hearted pity and grace that God shows to each of His own. He knows our various weaknesses. He knows our human frame, our inner frailties. Yet in His mercy and grace, He has rescued us from a miry pit and bestowed on us such riches of His grace, that we should be forever glorifying His holy name. Let us never fail to bless the Lord with our whole being, and not forget all His benefits. He pardons all our iniquities, heals all our diseases, redeems our life from the pit, crowns us with lovingkindness and compassion, and satisfies our years with good things. Let us never forget that just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on all of us who fear Him -

https://www.unitedbyprayer.com/.../god-does-indeed-reward... Many self-righteous Christians take this verse out of its Biblical context to mean that God has effectively signed a blank check, which allows His children to fill in a simple prayer request to ensure that they get whatever they want in order to fulfill their fleshly lusts. This is not what the verse is teaching. God Does Indeed Reward Obedience, but not the sort of ritual obedience of rigid adherence to a series of imposed commands in order to guarantee a reward that God is obligated to grant, as is suggested by many in the Word of Faith movement. The dangerous root of this sort of interpretation is found in positive thinking, positive confession, positive declaration, and the prosperity gospel. Righteous prayer comes from an obedience to God's Word and a mental attitude of love for Him, which was initiated by God Himself Who first loved us by giving His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Legalistic obedience to God's law does not guarantee an answer to our declared demand. If we do not ask, then we will not receive, and even the godly prayer of the righteous man or woman may be used by God to teach some deeper spiritual truth. This verse give us an assurance that we will receive whatever we ask for, when we humbly request what is in full alignment with the Word of God and pray into the will of God in the power of the Holy Spirit, for the honor and glory of His name.

https://www.unitedbyprayer.com/united-by.../the-church. The good news of peace with God and an eternal relationship with Him has come by faith in Christ's shed blood for the redemption of the body and the forgiveness of sins. Having been born from above, we not only enjoy a new relationship with our Heavenly Father, but we have also become part of a wider and growing body, a new establishment, The Church, who are all members of Christ's Body and the holy Temple of the living God. The body of believers who have been saved by grace through faith in Christ, are becoming a sanctified dwelling which is set apart unto God, and in Whom resides the living Lord. It was Christ Who said that He would build His Church and one by one, down through centuries of time, men and women have come to faith in Christ Jesus and one by one, they have each been fitted into the growing Temple of the living God. We who are part of this holy construction which will soon be completed, have the permanent Holy Spirit as a guarantee of our promised inheritance, which is being kept for us in heavenly places. Praise His holy name.

https://www.unitedbyprayer.com/.../the-bible-is-the-word... We live in a world where unschooled Christians are absorbing many false doctrines into their souls and seeking after palatable, ear-tickling teachings. Sadly, they are doing this to the detriment of their spiritual growth and in preference to giving heed to the sound truth of God's inerrant Word. The Bible Is The Word Of Truth and was written for our learning by God's appointed apostles and prophets. Their inspired teachings should be the only foundation upon which our Christian faith, our spiritual life, and our fundamental doctrine should stand, knowing that Jesus Christ is the Chief Cornerstone. From the Gospel writers and the letters of Paul, to the Revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave through Him to John (telling His Church things which must soon take place), the unquestionable foundation upon which our faith is grounded is the Bible. The Bible is the Word of God and must remain the foundation upon which our faith is fastened.Let us all remember that all Scripture is breathed out by God and must remain the foundation upon which our Christian faith is rooted and grounded:

https://www.unitedbyprayer.com/.../he-is-our-protection... This psalm of David is a petition and prayer to the Lord that covers every possible eventuality that is likely to touch each of our lives at one time or another. From beginning to end, this is a psalm that could be the prayerful petition of any of God's children. No matter how far any one of us have strayed from the Lord, He hears our cries. We have a God who hears our prayers and gives ear to our supplications. We have a God Who is faithful in His righteousness. Whatever problems or difficulties we face, He Is Our Protection And Provider. Whether we are seeking the Lord with all our hearts or urgently crying to Him for pity, He is a good and gracious God. He is faithful and just to answer all our cries. Let us, like David, put our entire trust in the Lord and open our ears daily, to hear of His loving-kindness and to joyfully sing of His never-ending faithfulness. Let us be ready and willing to humbly submit to the Holy Spirit within, and ask Him to lead and guide us, to teach us and to train us in the way that He would have us go. Day by day, let us rejoice in the Lord our God, and lift up our hearts in prayer and praise, for He alone is worthy.

https://www.unitedbyprayer.com/.../we-are-to-guard-our... Oh, how we should cry out to the Lord each moment of the day, to guide us into the way of godliness and to deliver us from those that practice their wicked ways. The Lord hears the cries of all His children and is not slow to respond to our pleading call, and He is not slack in fulfilling the many precious promises that He has made towards us. We Are To Guard Our Speech and watch our words about and towards others. We are to take every thought captive, the moment it starts to steal into our heart. We are to seek after the way of righteousness, peace, truth, and love, in the power of the Holy Spirit, and to cast all our cares upon Him.Let us nurture that attitude of prayer as we wake in the morning, lie down at night, and undertake the necessary duties of the day. Let us seek after righteousness, handing over every circumstance of life to Him as we take every thought captive to His guidance so that we too may have lips that praise the Lord and a mouth that sends forth words of praise to our Father in heaven.