THE HERALDS DEVOTIONAL

WHEN SCRIPTURE BECOMES YOUR PRAYER PART 8: THE BLUEPRINT MUST BE FOLLOWED James 1:22 (NIV) “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” So far, we have been building this picture: Scripture is God’s written message. Scripture is God’s blueprint. Prayer is our response. Faith trusts what God has spoken. But now we come to something very important: The blueprint must be followed. Imagine an architect gives a builder a blueprint. The builder studies it. He understands it. He talks about it. He even prays about the project. But then he builds the house according to his own ideas. What is the problem? The blueprint was never the problem.  The builder simply did not follow it.  And sometimes, this can happen in our Christian lives. We can read Scripture. We can listen to sermons. We can underline verses. We can quote Scripture. We can pray Scripture. We can even have strong faith. But if we are not willing to obey what God has r...

WHEN SCRIPTURE BECOMES YOUR PRAYER PART 7: PRAYER GIVES FAITH A VOICE Mark 11:24 (NIV) “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” In the previous part, we said something important: Scripture gives us the blueprint. Faith trusts the blueprint. Prayer responds to the blueprint. Obedience builds according to the blueprint. Today, let's take another step.  Prayer gives faith a voice.  Think about faith for a moment. Faith may begin in the heart, but eventually, faith needs expression. And one of the ways faith expresses itself is through prayer. When you pray, you are bringing your trust in God before God. You are saying: “Lord, I believe You.”  Not because everything looks good. Not because you have all the answers. Not because you can already see the outcome. But because you trust the One who has spoken. Consider the story of Peter when Jesus told him to step out of the boat and walk on the wate...

WHEN SCRIPTURE BECOMES YOUR PRAYER PART 6: WHEN THE BLUEPRINT MEETS FAITH Hebrews 11:1 (NIV) “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” So far, we have been building a simple picture. Scripture is God’s written message. Scripture is God’s blueprint. Prayer is our response to the blueprint. Then we moved from reading to praying. But now we come to another important question: What happens when what God has said does not look like what we currently see? This is where faith comes in. Think again about a blueprint. A builder may look at an empty piece of land and see nothing but sand, stones and space. But when the architect looks at that same land, the architect sees something different. The architect sees the building that has been designed. The building is not physically there yet. But the blueprint reveals what is intended to be built. The builder therefore does not build according to what the land looks like. The builder builds acc...

WHEN SCRIPTURE BECOMES YOUR PRAYER PART 5: FROM READING TO PRAYING Philippians 4:6 (NIV) “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God .” In the previous parts, we have been building one simple truth: Scripture is God’s written message. Scripture is God’s blueprint. Prayer is our response. And in Part 4, we looked at the script and the speaker . We said that before we speak a script, we need to understand it. Now, let's take the next step. How do we move from reading Scripture to actually praying Scripture? It can be very simple. When you read the Bible, don't just ask: “What does this verse say?” Also ask: “How can I pray this?” That one question can change the way you read Scripture. For example, Philippians 4:6 says: “Do not be anxious about anything…” You can read that and move on. Or you can turn it into prayer: “ Lord, Your Word tells me not to be anxious. You know the th...

WHEN SCRIPTURE BECOMES YOUR PRAYER PART 4: THE SCRIPT AND THE SPEAKER 2 Timothy 2:15 (NIV) “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” In the first three parts, we have been building a simple picture. Scripture is God’s written message. Scripture is God’s blueprint. Prayer is our response to that blueprint. But there is something important we need to understand. Before you speak a script, you need to understand the script. Imagine an actor receiving a script for a movie or drama. The actor does not simply open the script and start saying every word without understanding what is happening. The actor studies the character. The actor understands the story. The actor understands the meaning behind the words. Why? Because the goal is not merely to say the words . The goal is to communicate the message . The same principle applies when we pray Scripture. Sometimes we find a ver...

WHEN SCRIPTURE BECOMES YOUR PRAYER PART 3: PRAYER — RESPONDING TO THE BLUEPRINT 1 John 5:14 (NIV) “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.”   In the first two parts, we established two important things. Scripture is God's written message. And Scripture is like God's blueprint. But now comes the practical question: What do we do with the blueprint when we pray? The answer is simple: We respond to it.  Think about receiving a letter from someone you love. You read the letter, and the person tells you something important. Maybe they say, “ I will be coming to see you.”  You don't read the letter and simply put it away. You respond. You might say: “ I'm looking forward to seeing you.” Or: “ Thank you for letting me know .” The message came from them, but your response comes from you. That is one way to understand prayer. God speaks through His Word, and prayer is our response to what He h...