God's Secret Weapon

When your enemy attacks you, God has a Secret Weapon for you to use. Jesus instructed you to “pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:28) and “pray for those who persecute you” (Matt. 5:44). Praying is God’s Secret Weapon to use against your enemies. My book If God Knows What I Need, Why Should I Pray (chapter 16) explains three reasons why you should do this.

1. Praying for your enemy protects you from becoming resentful and bitter. If you have been abused by someone, your natural reaction is to respond with revenge, which will eventually destroy you. Praying for that person prevents the seed of unforgiveness from being planted in your heart and puts you in a position to receive God’s blessing (Job 42:10).

2. Praying for your enemy starts the repentance process in them. Praying is God’s Secret Weapon to change your enemy. Sometimes it looks as those who are getting away with their evil behavior without suffering any consequences. God wants them to change and your prayer is what begins the process of them repenting.

3. Praying for your enemy releases the Holy Spirit to convict him and her of their abusive behavior. When the innocent victim prays for the person who caused the hurt, God intervenes and brings conviction on the oppressor. Only the Holy Spirit can bring true conviction, which brings change.

The Lord might even bring punishment on your enemy to bring him to repentance. “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles, or the Lord will see it and be displeased, and turn His anger away from him” (Prov. 24:17-18). This verse tells us God is watching both you and your enemy. If you are thrilled to see your enemy punished, He might remove His hand from the situation.

If you don’t use God’s Secret Weapon and pray for your enemy, you are in danger of becoming bitter and the abuser may never change. And this is why Jesus said to pray for those who mistreat you. www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com

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WATCH MUSIC VIDEO  “No Longer Slaves” http://tinyurl.com/zh8o268

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Making Life Count Ministries

P.O. Box 680174

Prattville, Alabama 36068-0174

www.makinglifecount.net   Twitter: @KentCrockett

What God Wants Most

What does God want the most from you? Out of 613 commandments in the Old Testament, Jesus said the greatest is “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and will all your mind, and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30). He wants all our love and not just part. He wants us to love Him in four ways.

1. All your HEART.  Not half-hearted love. My whole heart. What am I most passionate about? Is it money? A hobby? I love my hobby, which is football, but it’s not my greatest passion. If I love my hobby or anything more than God, it becomes an idol. It’s not wrong to have hobbies, but the Lord wants me to be most passionate about Him.

2. All your SOUL.  The Greek word for "soul" also means “life.” I'm to love Him more than my own life. I should be willing to die for Him, and willing to live for Him every day.

3. All your MIND.  This is my thought-life. What do I think about most as I go through my day? I show my love for Him through my thoughts. He wants me to think good and holy thoughts, not evil or impure thoughts.

4. All your STRENGTH. I will love Him till my dying day. It takes strength to love Him through the good times and the bad.  

Remember we cannot do this until we first realize His great love for us. “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). You can pray, “Lord, I want to love you in this way. I surrender to you and ask you to show me how I can love you with all my being.” www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com

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Download for $7.96.  Buy If God Knows What I Need, Should I Pray? (eBook) for only $7.96.

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Making Life Count Ministries

P.O. Box 680174

Prattville, Alabama 36068-0174

www.makinglifecount.net Twitter:  @KentCrockett

The "R" Word

The “R” word is something that many people don’t want to talk about, but it’s essential for salvation (Luke 13:3). It’s “repentance.” A pastor told a man, “When you walked into the room, I detected you have 7 demons that are tormenting you. Would you like me to cast them out?” The man thought for a moment and said, “How about 6 of them?” Some people refuse to let go of the one thing that’s destroying them.

The Definition. Repentance means desiring to change so we can be pleasing to the Lord. Immediately after Jesus was baptized, He preached, “Repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). Repentance is not simply changing your behavior. It’s having a change of heart first, which results in changing your behavior. You really can’t repent without the Holy Spirit working in your heart, who gives you both the desire and power to change.

The Turning Point. A counselor friend of mine went to see a youth in drug rehab. The counselor asked, “If I gave you a gun, would you kill someone?” The youth said, “No way. I would never kill anyone.” Again he asked the same question. He replied, “I already told you no.” He asked a third time. The youth got angry, “No! I told you I would never do that!” The counselor said, “When you feel that way about drugs, then you’ll be free from drugs.” You cannot be free from bondage until you’re determined to change.

The Reward. What in your life needs to change? Is it an attitude? An addiction? Paul wrote, “You turned away from idols to serve the true and living God” (1 Thess. 1:9). When you seek to be close to God, you’ll turn away from your sin—and only then you’ll discover a freedom and joy that you didn’t know was possible! (Rom. 15:13). But you’ll never experience these blessings until you first decide to change in your heart. www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com

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PREVIEW my new book If God Knows What I Need, Why Should I Pray?

Making Life Count Ministries

P.O. Box 680174

Prattville, Alabama 36068-0174

www.makinglifecount.net Twitter:  @KentCrockett

The Things Not Seen

The following is from my new book If God Knows What I Need, Why Should I Pray?

There’s more to reality than what you can see with your eyes. God created everything in heaven and on earth, “visible and invisible” (Col. 1:16). Imagine a horizontal line that divides the things we can see from the things we can’t see. Everything “below the line” is visible and exists in the earthly realm. Everything “above the line” is invisible and exists in the spiritual realm.

Second Corinthians 4:18 describes the two realms: “While we look not at the things which are seen [below the line], but at the things which are not seen [above the line]; for the things which are seen are temporal [below the line], but the things which are not seen are eternal [above the line].”

The invisible things in the spiritual realm seem like foolishness to those who only believe in what they see in the earthly realm. Paul writes, “But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised” (1 Cor. 2:14). (Hendrickson Publishers 2016, p.46-47).

When we pray, we reach into the spiritual realm and ask God in heaven to intervene in our situations here on earth. Jesus said, “The things that are impossible with people [natural realm] are possible with God [spiritual realm].” (Luke 18:27) Since we can’t see what’s going on in the spiritual realm when we pray, we must trust God’s promises in His Word that what He says will come to pass. Faith is the conviction of the things not seen (Heb. 11:1). So the next time you pray, keep in mind the reality of the spiritual realm, which is an important part of receiving the answer.  www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com

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If God Knows What I Need, Why Should I Pray? explains that some things in your life will not happen unless you pray. CLICK HERE to read chapter one.

Receive these devotionals (free) by email: You can subscribe in the box on the right at www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com (Your email will not be given out. You’ll receive an email when the new devotional is posted)

Making Life Count Ministries

P.O. Box 680174

Prattville, Alabama 36068-0174

www.makinglifecount.net Twitter:  @KentCrockett

Trusting God When You Don't Understand

The following is from my new book If God Knows What I Need, Why Should I Pray?

In the TV show 24, Jack Bauer is a special agent with the Counter Terrorism Unit. He’s always involved in a highly secretive plan that requires him to call the President of the United States to ask permission for a highly classified assignment. The President asks Bauer, “Jack, what exactly are you planning to do?”

Bauer answers, “Mr. President, you don’t need to know and I don’t have time to explain. Please, I just ask you to trust me. I promise I’ll do my very best to resolve this problem.” The President always gave him permission because his trust in Bauer was greater than his need to know.

Whenever we’re going through a trial and don’t understand, we’d like for God to explain why it’s happening. Instead of giving us clarification He says, “You don’t need to know. I just ask you to trust Me.” When you're devastated, your trust in God must become greater than your need to know.

Prayer’s fourth purpose is to let go of your problems and hand them over to God. You aren’t praying to get something, but to get through something. “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray” (James 5:13 NKJV). You’re going through a divorce, a loved one passed away, you’ve lost your job, or you’re under extreme stress. Prayer is how you release your burdens to the Lord so you can find peace of mind.

Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Paul does not say that getting the answer to your request will give you peace, but just turning your request over to God is enough to calm your soul. (Hendrickson Publishers 2016, p.193-194). www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com

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READ SERMON:  Jonah 1—“Unwelcome Assignments” (Jonah didn’t want to do what God asked)

MY NEW BOOK: If God Knows What I Need, Why Should I Pray? Some things in your life will not happen unless you pray. CLICK HERE to read chapter one.

Receive these devotionals (free) by email: You can subscribe in the box on the right at www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com (Your email will not be given out. You’ll receive an email when the new devotional is posted)

Making Life Count Ministries

P.O. Box 680174

Prattville, Alabama 36068-0174

www.makinglifecount.net Twitter:  @KentCrockett

Watch Kent's Interview about new Prayer book

The book interview begins at the 5:00 mark.
Discusses the four purposes of prayer and answers several questions about prayer.
If God Knows What I Need, Why Should I Pray? is available at your local Christian bookstore and online stores. www.makinglifecount.net

The Throne of Grace, not The Throne of Terror

The following is from my new book If God Knows What I Need, Why Should I Pray? 

When I was a young, one particular scene in the movie The Wizard of Oz scared the wits out of me. Dorothy, the scarecrow, the tin man, and the cowardly lion are permitted to enter into the Wizard’s throne room. Fire and smoke surround the throne. The cowardly lion is absolutely terrified. A huge image of the Wizard’s head floats up before them and says in a booming voice, “I am Oz, the great and powerful! Who are you?”

The fearful four tremble in the Wizard’s presence. Dorothy says to the big face of the Wizard, “I’m Dorothy. We’ve come to ask you…” The Wizard interrupts her with a thundering, “Silence! The great and powerful Oz knows why you have come.” He then belittles the tin man, “You dare to come to me for a heart, do you? You clinking, clanking, clattering collection of junk!” (Hendrickson Publishers 2016, p.91,95)

Some people view God's throne like Oz's throne when they pray. But God calls His throne “The Throne of Grace” and not “The Throne of Terror.” Hebrews 4:6 tells us, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in the time of need.” This verse tells us 5 things about how to pray (explained in detail in the book).

   1. WHO can go—“Let us therefore come”

   2. WHERE to go—“to the throne of grace”

   3. HOW to go—“come boldly”

   4. WHY to go—“that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help”

   5. WHEN to go—“in time of need”

Once you understand these 5 things, you’ll become more confident in your praying.

www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com

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NOW AVAILABLE at your local Christian bookstore. If God Knows What I Need, Why Should I Pray? Some things in your life will not happen unless you pray! CLICK HERE for a PREVIEW.

Receive these devotionals (free) by email: You can subscribe in the box on the right at www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com (Your email will not be given out. You’ll receive an email when the new devotional is posted)

Making Life Count Ministries

P.O. Box 680174

Prattville, Alabama 36068-0174

www.makinglifecount.net Twitter:  @KentCrockett