Posts by Matthew Shorack (Page 10)
Wise Or Woke?
Wise Or Woke?When you confuse being woke with being wise, it’s easy to get lost. 1 Corinthians 3:18-20 Stop deceiving yourselves. If you think you are wise by this world’s standards, you need to become a fool to be truly wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As the Scriptures say, “He traps the wise in the snare of their own cleverness.” 20 And again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise; he knows…
We Are In This Together
We Are In This TogetherDaniel 2:17-18 Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. 18 He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.Sometimes God’s tests come through people who ask you to do something difficult. It’s so important to first go to God in prayer…
Knowing What To Pray For
Knowing What To Pray ForDo you feel completely comfortable praying to God, or do you struggle sometimes with how you should approach Him? Don’t overthink it. Be real with what you are thinking and feeling. One way I’ve experienced real depth in my prayer life, is when I’ve intentionally let scripture guide my time of opening myself up for God to search me and tell me where I am missing out on His truth in my life.Romans 8:26-27 In the…
Relating to the Holy Spirit more like Jesus!
Relating to the Holy Spirit more like Jesus! Isaiah 11:13 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—3 and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. If we understand the how the Holy Spirit worked in Jesus, we can learn from that relationship, and we can grow in how we hear…
Don’t Let Your Wounds Define You!
Don’t Let Your Wounds Define You! Colossians 3:12-14 – Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Hurt people, hurt people. So, stop holding onto your wounds as your…
Worship Is Not About Getting A Good Feeling
Hebrews 13:5 “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” Sometimes we find ourselves complaining about feeling like God is absent. Most of us are familiar with the poem “Footprints”, but we know from scriptures like Hebrews 13:5 that God promises to never leave or give up on us. One thing God never promised was that we will always feel His presence. Psalm 22:1-2 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so…
Change Happens When We Follow Christ’s Truth!
How do you know if something is true or not? Ephesians 4:20-24 That, however, is not the way of life you learned 21 when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like…
Sharing Blessings During Times Of Suffering?
Sharing Blessings During Times Of Suffering? What connects more with non-believers, achieving prosperity or surviving adversity? Philippians 1:12-14 Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. 13 As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14 And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to…
An Encouragement For A Daily Devotion
An Encouragement For A Daily Devotion 1 Samuel 16:7 The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. Why we do what we do, is important to God. God told Samuel, It’s possible to do the right thing but with the wrong attitude. When we meet with God in our quiet time, God is looking at our heart. Psalm 63:1 O God, You are my…
Empowering Others (Series)
What will happen with the people you love when you pass away? What will you leave behind? Are the people in your life prepared to mentally, emotionally, relationally, and spiritually to succeed? When you move on with another job are the people who follow you prepared for success? Join us as we look to God’s word and discover how to empower those around us. We will be looking at leaving a legacy of faith, hope, success, and kindness. Make your…
Don’t Let Guilt Control You
Don’t Let Guilt Control You Psalm 51:10-12 How does guilt affect our lives? Guilt is a thief and an oppressor. It will steal your joy and leave you mentally broken and depressed. Eventually the sickness will go from your mind to your body as stress gives birth to high blood pressure, and other physical ailments. Psalm 51:10-12 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.12 Restore…
When You’re Angry…
When You’re Angry… Ephesians 4:26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, Growing up, how did your family deal with anger? There is such a thing as righteous anger. The problem with righteous anger is it usually doesn’t stay righteous very long. As we think about what made us angry, we often stir in self-righteousness, with just a hint of blame and condemnation, until our angry stew is fully…
Don’t Let Satan Toy With You
Don’t Let Satan Toy With You Proverbs 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. We don’t have to give in to Satan’s attempts to control us through temptations. We are able to live victorious lives if we know how to prepare for the battles. We are called to guard our hearts, and we do that by not being undone by negative emotions. Negativity truly is the devils playground. What negative emotions does Satan use…
Don’t Live As A Puppet To Sin
Don’t Live As A Puppet To Sin John 8:31-32 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” What is it that we are freed from?Being in ministry for almost Thirty years, many with children, I’ve worked with puppets a fair bit. The puppet only does whatever you decide it should do. We don’t have to live as puppets…
Acting On What You See
Acting On What You See Proverbs 3:27-28 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act. 28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you”— when you already have it with you. Why do we hesitate in helping other people who are in need? Last Sunday we looked at the Parable of the Good Samaritan. How important it is to love others, even…
The Harvest Is Worth The Work
The Harvest Is Worth The Work Galatians 6:9-10 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. Good employers know, you don’t hire someone just because they look good on paper. You want someone who won’t leave when things get tough, because…
