By Waylon Bailey Today at 12:00 EST Donald J. Trump will be inaugurated as the 45th president of the United States of America. This is always history making. It is especially so this year. America is the envy of the world for a reason. Let us be a people who pray for our country and its leaders. How should we pray today for President Trump and for America? First, we should pray for the blessings of God on all who lead. “First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good, and it pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved ad to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:1-4). Second, we should pray for revival and righteousness in America and in our lives. “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin condemns any people” (Proverbs 14:34). “If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people, and my people who are called by my name humble themselves and pray, and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear … [Read more...]

By Steve Horn, pastor, First Baptist Lafayette I am sure that since today is Inauguration Day, more articles will come your way than you can possibly read. Well, here is one more. I will try to keep it short. Back in December, I had the privilege of praying as the Louisiana Electoral College formally cast their votes. I want to share with you the content of my prayer that day in hopes that you might join me in praying along these lines as President Trump takes office today. Heavenly Father, As the Psalmist declared, “Some trust in chariots and some trust in horses, but we will trust in the name of the Lord, our God.” (Psalm 20:7) We give You thanks today as we should do in all things. We give You thanks for grace upon our nation. We give You thanks for the opportunity to participate in an election. We give You thanks for the election of Donald Trump. And now, oh God, we pray in the spirit of the prophet of old, Zechariah. We pray for favor and union. We pray for unity in our nation and we pray for the favor of God to rest on our nation. (Zechariah 11:7) We pray for God’s wisdom to rest both on President Trump and Vice-President Pence. We pray in the spirit of 1 Timothy 2 that they might lead us in such a way … [Read more...]

By Robert Jeffress, pastor, First Baptist Dallas, Texas The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. --Proverbs 16:9 If you have made a big mistake or bad choice, perhaps you have asked some of the following questions about God’s role in your failure: If God is all-powerful and all-knowing, then did His plan for me include my failure? If my failure was part of God’s sovereign plan, then how can God hold me responsible? If God’s script for my life has already been written, then does it matter what I do? These questions have profound implications for understanding how we can have a second act in life. What is God’s role in our past mistakes? This week, we will look at the relationship between God’s sovereignty and our choices. The most foundational principle is this: God is in control of everything that happens. God’s sovereignty means that God is in charge of everything that happens in His universe. In Isaiah 45:6, God says, “There is no one besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other.” God has no competition in this universe. There is nobody He is trying to wrestle control of this universe from. Many people accept the sovereignty of God in theory, but they have a hard time … [Read more...]

By Steve Horn, pastor, First Baptist Lafayette I guess it is possible to maintain a vibrant spirit-filled, Christ-honoring, God-abiding spiritual walk without maintaining a relationship with a local church, but I have never met anyone who did. I’ve known some who have tried, but I have never known anyone who succeeded. I’ve met some who said they were going to succeed, but I have never known anyone who did. The local church, including ours, with all of her problems and at times hypocrisy and inconsistencies, is still the best way to help you in every other area of life. Maintaining a growing relationship with Christ when we are connected to the church will never be easy, but I maintain it is nearly impossible to maintain that relationship without the Church. So, as we begin this new year, I urge you to commit yourself anew to Christ and anew to the Church. I urge you as a sign of your commitment to pledge your faithfulness to the “assembling of ourselves together” each week. Notice in the Hebrews 10 passage the high priority of worship. Our Condition Before Salvation—The first thing that ought to compel us to worship is our condition before our salvation in Christ. The context of Hebrews gives several ideas to … [Read more...]

By Waylon Bailey, Pastor, FBC Covington Not everyone believes in God and some do not want to believe in God. Those people may never know God, and that’s a bad thing. To know God and to get to spend your life with Him is a good thing. Here are four things I think everyone should say to God. I would encourage you to say these things when you are alone and not distracted. I also would encourage you not to do this frivolously but in great earnestness before God. You probably don’t need any formal way to get this done. Just talk to God like He’s right next to you. He is, and He wants you to know him. He cares for you deeply and wants the best for you for all eternity. Don’t get confused about long-term and short-term. You already know that the two may conflict. God is in it with us for the long-haul. Try saying these four things to God. First, “God, if you are real please make Yourself known to me.” Second, “I am willing to open myself to You on Your terms.” Third, “I’m a little nervous about this conversation. Please let me know I’m on the right track.” Fourth, “please keep me safe in Your presence.” What can you expect if you say these four things to God? First, you can expect that God will … [Read more...]

A lot of people yesterday had a New Year’s lunch of black eyed peas and cabbage or greens. Though origins of these traditions are varied, the common reason is tied to good luck, health, and financial prosperity. One tradition is that the Union troops left the black eyed peas in their victory march South believing the crops only for animal consumption. Folks in the South considered this to be good luck that they had such good food to eat after the war. John in writing to his friend Gaius shared his prayer blessing. I think it is a good prayer to pray over our friends as we begin this New Year. "Dear friend, I pray that you may prosper in every way and be in good health physically just as you are spiritually. 3 For I was very glad when some brothers came and testified to your faithfulness to the truth—how you are walking in the truth. 4 I have no greater joy than this: to hear that my children are walking in the truth." (3 John 2-4) A Good Prayer Here’s how we can pray for our friends. -- That you will prosper in every way. The abuse of the so-called “prosperity preachers” have perhaps made us timid to pray for God’s favor over our lives. But here is how I understand the difference in what they do and what we … [Read more...]

By Jack Graham He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. -- Colossians 1:15 I want you to try to imagine what the world would be like without the birth of Jesus Christ. It’s beyond our imagination, but just try to picture it. We certainly wouldn’t know God as we know Him. In fact, we’d be fortunate to have even heard about the God revealed in the Old Testament. So what changed on that first Christmas so long ago? Well, when Jesus Christ came, the Bible says He was Immanuel… “God with us.” God was no longer a distant deity. He was no longer an unfathomable, unapproachable image. But God became flesh and blood; God was with us! That’s why Jesus would later say, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). When Jesus was born into the world, He was God! He wasn’t a man acting like God; not even God acting like a man; but God who was fully man and a man who was fully God! When Christ was seeing, that was God seeing. And when Christ was walking, that was God walking! If Jesus hadn’t come, and if He weren’t God, we’d never have the knowledge of God we have today. So thank God today for sending Jesus to Bethlehem all those years ago so that you might have a clear picture of a God who … [Read more...]