Safe Heaven House Of Prayer

"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." John 14:6 When referring to Himself as "the way," Jesus identified Himself as God's special path to Him. Jesus wasn't just a good teacher, leader, example, or person. He was God's only Son, who died as a perfect Sacrifice to make a way the only way imperfect people to enter into relationship with God. No other leader, so called prophet, religious figure, political authority, cultural icon, prolific author, or philosopher has ever done such. Jesus alone paved a path so that sinners might travel to their loving heavenly Father. Jesus described His "way" with words truth and life. In other words, Jesus is the only way to God. Fallen humanity supposes many paths to God, but only one true path to God exists (Acts 4:12). Finally, the word life shows that Jesus way contains a quality found nowhere in any other worldview. Our Lord didn't just teach about G

"The hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." John 4:23-24 During His ministry, Jesus introduced a new type of worship. Both the Samaritans and Jews of His day debated the best place to worship God (John 4:20). For Christ, geography wasn't really important. Spirit and truth mattered most. According to Scripture, the Lord is a Spirit, and He cannot be isolated to a certain locale, as religious leaders of Jesus day assumed. Further, when people trust in God's Son for salvation, they receive His Spirit (John 3:6). Thus they receive the presence of God. Truth is also essential to worship: praise of God is to take place in light of His revelation of Himself. Worship that isn't grounded in God's Word isn't real worship. Believers in Christ have continual access to the Father. In al

"Everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God." John 3:20-21 During my college years, I waited tables to pay tuition. That experience taught me among others things that restaurants often keep the lighting low to hide crumbs on the carpet and other undesirable sights. Darkness masks things, but light exposes. Such is true in the spiritual realm as well. In his writings, the apostle John used the concepts of light and darkness as metaphors for truth and error, right and wrong. Recounting how Jesus came to live among humanity, He used images of light and darkness to describe how many rejected God's Son. People who live with themselves as the guiding principle of life don't want to be convicted of their ungodliness, so they stay away from light of Jesus. When people do draw near to God's So

Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name. I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and I will glorify Your name forevermore. For great is Your mercy toward me, and You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.....You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, long suffering and abundant in mercy and truth. Psalm 86:11-13, 15 Psalm 86 contains a prayer King David possibly offered while he was on the run, fleeing from his treasonous and murderous son Absalom. In this psalm, David expressed his desire for spiritual restoration. Do you, like me, sometimes find yourself praying similar prayers? One of my most repeated supplications is this: "Dear Lord, help me to love You and live for You." But I often wrestle with this matter: what can I do to encourage my heart to change? David's prayer in Psalm 86 contains an important insight. After declaring his commitment, he recognized that all of his abilit

For the word of the Lord is right, and all His work is done in truth. He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. Psalms 33:4-5 Jesus truth is dynamic and powerful (Hebrews 4:12). When we cherish His truth, it can effect extraordinary change in the ways we live. Our personal holiness is obtained positionally at the moment of salvation (Romans 3:21-22), but believers are called to pursue holiness throughout their Christian journeys (1 Peter 1:15-16). At the end of the day, all righteous living is a result of a heart devoted to God's truth (Psalms 119:19). The psalmist spoke of this in his description of the Word of the Lord. After describing the Bible as trustworthy and dependable, he remarked on how the Lord "loves righteousness and justice." Together, these two terms call us to do what is right in the eyes of the Lord, to live a holy life. Since our Creator is the God of truth and since He loves righteousness, His truth will nat

"If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:31-32 Many people believe that personal liberty is being able to choose freely matters like vocations, possessions, and lifestyle, but Scripture shows that genuine freedom is found only in Jesus and His truth. Living according to the whims of fallen humanity is actually a form of slavish bondage (Romans 6:16), but Jesus offers real freedom (John 8:36). By accepting Christ and His truth, one can experience liberty from sin and it's accompanying consequences (Romans 8:2). The truth in view here involves the realities concerning God, creation, and man, as detailed in Scripture. This truth is given through God's revelation of His Son, Jesus (John 1:14; 14:6). We are most free when we align our lives with God's truth, because we have been created in the image of God in order enjoy Him and glorify Him forever (Genesis 1:26-27; Matthew 5:16

Jesus said to the rich ruler, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. Matthew 19:21-22 John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, was away from home one day when his house burned to the ground. When others shared the news with him of what had happened, Wesley said, "That's impossible. You see, I don't own a house. God gave me a place to live in. I only managed that house for Him. If He didn't put the fire out, then that's His problem. He'll have to put me somewhere else." If your house burned to the ground, how would you react? If your car were totaled or your boat sank, how would you react? Your attitude during situations like these reveals much about your walk with the Lord and your trust in Him. Are you living with a tight grip on your possessions, or are yo

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures  in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:19-21 David Livingstone was a medical missionary to Africa. After serving and ministering among the village people of Africa, Livingstone died of malaria and other medical complications. The villagers were so fond of Livingstone that upon his death, they removed his heart from his body and buried it under a tall Mvula tree, to be near the people whom he loved so greatly. His body was shipped to London for burial at Westminster Abbey. Jesus said, "Where your treasure is there your heart will be also." Our most treasured possessions and our deepest desires are inseparable. If your heart were to be buried in the place you love most, where would it be? Wou

"A good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by it's own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil, For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks." Luke 6:43-45 As a pastor I often counsel people struggling with anger, temptation, pride, jealousy, envy, and so forth. The truth is that on some level all of us deal with these issues. While these may seem like problems, they are actually symptoms of a much deeper issue a sinful heart.  Someone once said, "What's down in the well comes up in the bucket," and Solomon understood this truth. In Proverbs 4:23 he wrote, "Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life." The picture here is guarding or placing  fortresses aroun

"You are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth. The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; but because the Lord loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt." Deuteronomy 7:6-8 Everyone likes to be chosen. Boys dream of being chosen for the football team. Young women desire to be chosen as a wife. Adults in the workplace long to be chosen for a job promotion. Being chosen feels good. God chose the line of Abraham, the nation of Israel to be His people, and He set them apart to be unlike other nations. Why did He choose them? Not because of anything they did, but simply because He loved t

"If you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words which you shall speak to children of Israel." Exodus 19:5-6 Israel has been and always will be the chosen people of God. This promise from God, given to Moses, was contingent upon the Israelite's obedience and faithfulness to Yahweh. Their faithfulness and obedience make them a special treasure to God. By grace through faith in Jesus Christ, those of us who are Gentiles have been grafted into this covenant of blessing, with all the privileges and rights as the people of God. In light of this truth we, too, are special treasures to God. We are "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession." (1 Peter 2:9). The apostle Paul said we are "his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works"