Are you a competent leader? Or are you an exceptional leader?

I know lots of competent leaders (and unfortunately incompetent leaders as well), but very few exceptional ones.

Competent- having suitable of sufficient skill, knowledge, and experience. Seems doable. Doesn’t seem like a stretch to try and be competent at your job and as a leader. Another definition of competent- adequate, but not exceptional. Wow, sign me up…. every since a child dreaming about what I would be when I grow up I dreamed of being adequate…. yeah, not real inspiring, huh.

How about being Exceptional as a leader? How about being the best in the world at your skill or area of expertise. How about being #1 in your industry as an organization. Striving to be better than average, above the norm, outside of the ordinary. That seems a bit more inspiring than adequate, average or suitable.

Being competent is the norm. Being exceptional is the unusual.  Work on being exceptional.

BradLomenick.com

How can you create your own personal prayer journal?  What are the advantages of doing so?  The answers might surprise you and you will be blessed when you create your own personal prayer journal.

Writing Down Prayer Requests

Here is how you can begin your own, personal prayer journal.  I highly recommend creating one because in a few days, weeks, months, and even years, you can look back and reflect on how God has answered the prayer requests of so many different people.  We receive so many prayer requests at What Christians Want to Know that   I write them down.

Who Should Be On Your Prayer List

Here are just a few thoughts on for whom you should pray. As you build your journal you will add to this list.

Pray for Government Leaders

I get many prayer requests from church members, family, local citizens and from the website here.

I believe one of the greatest things we can do is to give thanksgiving to God for all He has given us (Colossians 1:12).  One of the greatest sins is that of ingratitude.  Many ask what God’s will is.  The Bible tells us that we are to “pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18).  Take some blank sheets of paper and start writing out all that God has blessed you with.   I include my family, my home, my job, my church, my friends, and my freedom to worship but the list is endless. You could probably think of things you would include that I might not even mention here.  I believe it is biblical to pray for those in authority as Paul said pray “for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness” (1 Timothy 2:2).  It is “pleasing to the God of heaven and pray for the well-being of the king and his sons“ (Ezra 6:10).  Today we don’t have kings, but we do have local authorities like the police, mayor, council members, the president, congress, and those who govern over us for our own welfare because these “authorities that exist have been established by God” (Romans 13:1). You may not agree with the president or the politicians, but they have been established by God and we would do well to pray for them.

Pray for Church Leaders

I also believe we should be praying for our pastors (include their wife and children) and the church leadership like the youth ministers, elders, deacons, board members, and committee members.  These men and women may face greater spiritual warfare and attacks than other Christians do because they are at the front of the spiritual battle.  We also need to be praying on a regular basis for missionaries for they are on the front lines of the spiritual war in this world and often times they face immeasurable and formidable foes and circumstances beyond their control.  Paul may have been the greatest missionary ever but he still asked the Thessalonians to “pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you” (2 Thessalonians 3:1).

Pray for Church Members

It is good to also pray for fellow church members.  Paul was a passionate man of prayer, writing to the Colossians that, “the day we heard about you, have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God” (Colossians 1:9-10).  Paul commanded the Ephesians to be “Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:18).  Paul wrote, “I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people” (1 Timothy 2:1).

Pray for Those Who Persecute You

How about those who hate you and persecute you for being a Christian?  Are you kidding?  Pray for those who attack you for your faith?  Jesus said, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44).   I also get persecutions and attacks from other Christians who do not agree with me but I have discovered that it is best not to retaliate but to pray for them.  I do not budge on what I write that is taught in the Bible, but I have begun to pray for those who wrestle with the articles that I write.  Not for my own good or protection, but for God to bless them.  Hard?  Yes, but it is not impossible.

Ask Jesus to Pray for You

Think of this…Jesus prays for us!  Imagine hearing that prayer.  Jesus “is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us” (Romans 8:34). He told the disciples that He was not only praying for them, but “also for those who will believe in me through their word”, that “they may be one even as we are one” (John 17:20, 22).  If we are on Jesus’ prayer list, how much more should we be praying for others in the church and for those who don’t yet know Christ.

How to do it; Creating Your Prayer Journal

Now that you know who to pray for, here is how you can create your own prayer journal and make daily entries.     I get many prayer requests from church members, family, local citizens and from the website here.  I quickly learned that I need to write these down and here is what I write down:

The person’s name
The date
The person’s situation (illness, joblessness, etc.)
The person’s prayer request
The date
I leave a blank space under it and put “Answer” and the date it was answered.
Then I make a line and separate the person from others.  I like to pray daily for my wife, my children, my grandchildren as this is truly a Christian’s first ministry…to their own family.  That’s the reason that I have them on a permanent list that is on the inside liner of my prayer journal notebook. This permanent list also includes the president and local authorities like the police department and fire fighters .

Now, here we begin to assemble our prayer requests on blank sheets or lined notebook paper. You can either buy a notebook (8 x 11 inch or so) with lined papers or buy a notebook binder with the 3-hole punch place for paper.        I like notebooks because I can collect them and quickly scan the dates and names for when people let me know that God has answered their prayers.  I put the dates on the upper right hand corner of each sheet to know precisely the day, month, and year like Saturday, 11/24/2012.  The place that is the blank section under the person’s name is where I put down how and what God did in answering their prayer…when and how it was answered.  Some may remain blank for some time but I have discovered that they slowly fill in over time.  Each day I turn to a new sheet of paper in my notebook.  This makes it easier to find names and dates so I can fill in the answered prayers or remind myself to keep praying until the prayer has been answered. It is as simple as that.

Conclusion

Creating your own prayer journal, and making sure you include your own supplications, is a faith-building experience. It is so edifying and encouraging to see how our God is such an awesome God.  A prayer journal is so easy to make and so wonderful to review and it prevents the important people and their prayer requests from leaking out of your memory.  Start your own prayer journal. It is inexpensive, it allows you to remember the prayer requests, and you can look them over later to see just how amazing God is.  He hears and answers our prayers.     I thank God for all He has done for us.  That is one of my memorized prayer requests when I pray to Him daily.  See if you don’t enjoy the experience as much as I have.  You won’t forget it…and you won’t regret it.

By Jack Wellman 
Photo source

Most Christians take that Bible to be the authoritative Word of God.  We believe that it contains the very words of God, written down by men who were guided by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21).  There are many reasons to accept the Bible as God’s Word, such as the evidence of archaeology, which confirms the accuracy of the biblical record with each new discovery it makes, and the consistency of the fulfilled prophecies [1] recorded in the Bible, which attest to its supernatural origin.  Even the most hardened skeptic must admit that these evidences speak strongly for the reliability of God’s Word.

Nevertheless, I would like to address three reasons that I believe, and trust, the Bible.  When I enter a time of doubt or questioning, I think back on why I believe the Bible.  Why do I trust it so completely and attempt to pattern my life according to its teachings?  What motivates me to introduce others to its Author?  The answer comes in three parts:  victory over sin, it makes sense of what I see in the universe, and the witness of the Holy Spirit.

Victory over sin

What motivates me to introduce others to its [the Bible's] Author?

The power of sin in a person’s life can be devastating.  Sin produces guilt in one’s heart, it destroys lives, and it separates us from God.  On our own, we are powerless to conquer it.  I struggled with certain sins from which        I could not get away, no matter how I tried.  I could stop for a while, but I would always find myself entangled and beaten by them again.  Secular psychology, claiming to have cures, offered temporary victory over them, but nothing lasting.

How liberating when I understood the message of the Bible that said, “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.  Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness” (Romans 6:12-13 ESV).  The Bible said that I did not have to be a slave to sin;         I could be free from sin and guilt through the power of Jesus Christ.  The apostle Paul, speaking of Jesus Christ, says this, “We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin” (Romans 6:6 ESV).

I have not only learned that Jesus sets us free from the power of sin, but I now experience this freedom daily.         I have been set free from those sins that used to have such a grip on me.  It is not my imagination; I had tried too hard for too long to break the bonds of sin.  There was no way that I would ever be strong enough on my own to live as I knew I should be living.  No, the truth of the saving power of Jesus Christ set me free, “For the law of the Spirit of life has set[me] free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:2 ESV).  I carry this witness  in my heart wherever I go.

It makes sense of what I see in the universe

The Bible answers so many life questions: Where did we come from?  What is our purpose?  Why are people the way they are?  Where do morals come from?

C.S. Lewis wrote, “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else” (Lewis).  When I look at our world through the lens of a biblical worldview, it makes sense.  The Bible tells me that murder, rape, child abuse, and all the other bad things in the world were not part of God’s original design for us.  The Bible tells me that God created a perfect world (Genesis 1:31) for humanity to live in.  Humans and God were created to be in a special relationship with one another.  However, humanity’s rebellion spoiled that relationship and brought negative consequences upon our environment and us.

The Bible tells me that God is love (1 John 4:7-8, 16), therefore, anyone who is not in communion with God is unable to consistently exhibit His love.  The Bible even answers the questions of race, religion, government, and any question one might have concerning life, both here and the hereafter.  The Bible tells me that my eternal destiny depends on the choice I make; the choice to follow, or rebel against, the Savior Jesus Christ.  The Bible is so rich that a lifetime of study could not fully plumb its depths.  However, that lifetime of study will allow the reader to be plumbed, and molded, by the Author of the Words contained within the Bible.

The witness of the Holy Spirit

The Bible tells us that, when we become followers of Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes into our hearts to dwell, “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him” (Romans 8:16-17 ESV, see also 2 Corinthians 1:22, 5:55; Ephesians 1:13-14; James 4:5).  When we become Christians, we are linked to God in a way that is not possible for those who reject Him.  This indwelling of the Holy Spirit enables us to resist temptation, to show others the love of God, and to be empowered to live as He wants us to live.  It is impossible to live life like this under our own power. 

The Holy Spirit in us enables us to have the kind of relationship with God for which we were created, “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba!  Father!”  (Romans 8:15 ESV, see also Galatians 4:6).  We who are saved by faith in Jesus Christ have come into a relationship with God that makes us His children and our spirits cry out in recognition of this relationship.  He is our loving Father, and we are His faithful children.

The Holy Spirit in us continually reminds our spirit of the truth of God, His love, His Son, His salvation, and the fact that we are saved and kept by His power as we live for Him, “Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him.  And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us” (1 John3:24 ESV, see also Romans 5:5).

Conclusion

Whenever doubts or hardships arise in your walk with Jesus, remember these evidences of the reality of your salvation.  God has empowered you to have victory over sin and to resist temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13).  The biblical record explains everything about why the universe is the way it is.  It gives us the history of how we got here, why we are here, how we got into this condition, and the cure for our sinful state.  Last, but certainly not least, we have the Holy Spirit living inside of us, witnessing to our Spirit concerning the truth of God and His plan.

Strengthened by these truths, we can be bold in our walk with God and our witness of the saving grace of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, “…for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control."
                                                                                                                                        (2 Timothy 1:7 ESV)
By Robert Driskell

There are many different ways to read and study the Bible. You don’t have to do just one type of study; however, if you are new to reading or studying the Bible you should probably focus on one at a time. As you get more involved in Bible study you may find that as you are doing one type of study another will naturally grow out of it.

Here are 5 Bible study methods you can use:

Read

Before you can feel comfortable with deep and advanced Bible study methods, you should first start reading your Bible regularly. Read it like you would other books—from cover to cover. Don’t just randomly jump into the pages of the Bible without regard for how it all fits together. You will have an almost impossible time understanding of  Hebrews without having a basic knowledge of the Old Testament law. Take time to read the Bible linearly (straight through).

Don’t just randomly jump into the pages of the Bible without regard for how it all fits together.

Another way to read the Bible is to do a chronological reading. This is where you read the Bible based on how the events occur in a historical time-line. As you may know, there are many books that overlap in their histories. Finding a chrono-logical reading program will show you which chapters or verses to read at a time to get a more accurate chronology of biblical events. Whichever method you choose, reading the Bible as a whole book is helpful in understanding more detailed studies. 

Book Studies

When you become interested in a certain book you can study it in-depth. The best way to start a book study is to find an overview of the book to give you a general idea of the outline and contents of the material. If you have a study Bible these book overviews can be found at the beginning of the book in your Bible. I have several book summaries at my own website starting with Genesis.

Book summaries will tell you who the author was and when the book was written. They will also tell you the general themes covered in each book with a quick overview of the stories. From this summary you are ready to study the book in detail. Keep a notebook (either physical or digital) of the things you learn and it will help you the next time you are reading through the book.

Chapter Studies

Many chapters in the Bible have great meaning. Some are critical passages to help unlock truths in other chapters of the book, or other books of the Bible. For example, Paul spends a great deal of time explaining how to live a proper Christian life in 1 Corinthians. Yet the principles of love need to be understood so that you can properly apply the concepts found in the rest of the book. You find that when you study the 13th chapter.

To do a proper chapter study you need to understand the chapter in context. Don’t pull a chapter out of a book and try to interpret it without the context with which it was intended. A good concordance or topical Bible can help you find other verses related to the chapter you are studying.

Biographical Studies

Studying the life of a person in the Bible can be rewarding and enlightening. Many Bible characters will show up in only one book; but there are some who span multiple books or are referenced many times in the Scriptures. Verses containing Moses in the book of Hebrews give more insight into his character than what you get when only reading the Exodus story of his life.

When doing a search for a person in the Bible, remember that sometimes their name may be spelled differently in the New Testament than it was in the Old Testament. This is due to Hebrew and Greek having different versions of the same name. An example is Elijah in the Old Testament being the same name as Elias in the New. Did you know that the name Jacob and James are the same root names? One is Hebrew and the other Greek.

Topical Studies

Another fun study is to find a topic and follow it through the Bible. This can be based on a single word or teaching. Again, a good study Bible or concordance will help here. There are even topical Bibles that do much of the work for you. Sometimes they are called topical Bibles, but they are also known as reference Bibles.

Pick your topic and then find all the verses you can related to it. Make sure you study the verses in context. This may mean reading a verse or two before and after the verse you are studying. Or you may need to spend time understanding whole chapters and books to understand the meaning of a single verse.

Keep Notes

Whichever Bible study method you employ, remember to write down what you learn. You will benefit personally from looking over your notes as you pass through certain books and chapters in your future reading time. These notes can help as you teach others what you are learning. My personal notes are the basis for many Bible studies    I do with others or for articles I write.

By David Peach

Is there archeological evidence to support the authenticity of the Bible?  Are there actual archeological digs that have unearthed artifacts that are relevant to the recorded stories in the Bible?  Here is an actual look at real evidence that has been discovered by archeologists.

What is Archeology?

Archeology is a science. It is the scientific study of material remains that authenticate the remains of human activities, civilizations, and life.  The finds include fossils, artifacts like tools or utensils, scrolls, hieroglyphs, weapons of war, structures and so forth.  Archeology is the discovery of empirical evidence that verifies what has been recorded in historical accounts, traditions, and by eye witness testimonies that have been passed down through generations.  This branch of science can produce concrete validations of what has happened or occurred in the past, even thousands of years ago. Archeology is like an underground history book; the deeper you go, the further you go back into time.

Archeology is demonstrating that the Bible is truly reliable and accurate as written.

Archeology and the Bible

The Bible is a book that is full of historical accounts covering thousands of years and multiple nations and peoples.  Every year there is a significant find that is tied to recorded events that are written down in both the Old Testament and the New Testament.  Due to the massive amounts of archeological finds, this article can never hope to cover all of these finds that have been unearthed over the last few thousand years.  The mountainous collection of artifacts show indisputable evidence that the Bible is true and what was recorded actually happened in the places and times that the Bible states that they did.  The many thousands of archeological finds have provided solid evidence for the reliability of the Scriptures and biblical scholars have used much of this evidence to further their study of the Bible.

Every year we find another significant find in the Middle East, Africa, and in Europe.  These artifacts that have been unearthed are specifically mentioned in the Old Testament and the New Testament.  There is no way possible that we can mention every single one of these artifacts in one article.  It would take hundreds of books to hold all of the finds that validate the Bible as a true historical record.  Let’s look at only a few since space does not allow us to include them all.

Herod’s Inscription

 Ehud Netzer found a piece of broken pottery at Masada with an inscription that read, “Herod the Great King of the Jews” and dated to the time that he was ruling in 19 B.C. which fit’s the time period mentioned in the Bible       (Luke 1:5, Matthew 2).

Caiaphas’ Ossuary

In November, 1990, the bones of Caiaphas the high priest were found in Peace Forest, just south of Jerusalem in an ossuary with the name Caiaphas on it.  The Jewish historian Josephus mentioned Josephus Caiaphas, a high priest who served around A.D. 18-36.  This time period fits exactly the time that Jesus was convicted by the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem and later crucified by the Romans.

Seal of Abdi

A seal with the inscription “Belonging to Abdi servant of Hoshea” was found in Israel and dated to the 8th century B.C.  Hoshea was the very last King of Israel before the Assyrians invaded and conquered the nation.  The inscription of the seal matches the date of Hoshea’s reign from 731-722 B.C. which fits perfectly with that which is recorded in the Old Testament.

Babylonian Empire

The ancient capital of the Babylonian Empire covers nearly 3,000 acres and is about 55 miles south of current-day city of Baghdad in Iraq. These discovered ruins include the famous ziggurat structures, the Tower of Babel, and the Palace of King Nebuchadnezzar.  The ruins describe what is written in the Old Testament, exactly as it was found in archeological finds.

The House of David

A team of archeologists headed by Dr. Avraham Biran, working in the Upper Galilee region, found written references to “The House of David” in both the Hebrew and Aramaic languages.  Dr. Biran commented that, “This is the earliest archaeological mention of King David.”  These inscriptions also mention part of the Royal lineage of Israel and other Jewish Kings mentioned in the Old Testament and in the exact order that they are mentioned in 1 and 2 Kings and  1 and 2 Chronicles.

Herod’s Jewish Temple

In excavations near Jerusalem in 2009, archeologists uncovered what they believe to be part of a much larger network of quarries used by Herod in the city. The ancient quarry is where they believe King Herod extracted stones for the construction of the Jewish Temple which was dated around 2,000 years ago.  This fits perfectly with the account of the New Testament gospels.

The Elba Archive

In the 1970 the Elba Archive was discovered in Northern Syria.  Contained in this archive is a listing of the patriarch’s accounts of places that they lived.  For example, these documents, dated around 2300 B.C., mention Canaan and the customs of those who lived in the time of Moses as described in the Old Testament.  Clay tablets from Mari and Nuzi give much the same information and the time period of these archives and tablets are consistent with the patriarchs mentioned in Genesis.

The Granite Column of Solomon

An ancient column that is credited to Solomon mentions Mizoram (Hebrew name for Egypt) and the words in Hebrew of death, water, Edom, Yahweh, and Solomon.  Interestingly, this column was found near the Red Sea where tradition has it was the place where Israel crossed over at.

Egyptian Chariot Wheels in the Red Sea

Numerous chariot wheels have been discovered in the Red Sea near the place where the Israelites crossed.  Horse’s hoofs were also found even though horses have been absent from this area for thousands of years.  Archeologists have discovered four, six, and eight spoke wheels that match those used by the Egyptians during the Exodus time period and there were hundreds of human bones found in this same area.   The chariot wheels, the horse’s hoofs, and the bones date from around 1446 B.C., the time in which the Exodus took place.

Conclusion

The number of archeological support for the Bible continues to swell, year after year.  Today, well over 50,000 digs at 30,000 different locations have been excavated.  These finds continue to provide substantial support of the Bible’s written record.  Some of the finds include Belshazzar, King Darius, and King Cyrus’ being mentioned by name. What were once thought to be mythological empires mentioned in the Old Testament, like the Hittite’s, have been found to have existed after all.  King David’s reign was found recorded on ancient Egyptian inscriptions, evidence of the Regal House of Nebuchadnezzar, and a stone tablet bearing Pontius Pilate’s name.

Archeology is demonstrating that the Bible is truly reliable and accurate as written.  The historical accounts of the Bible match the archeological discoveries with amazing accuracy.  Archeology supports what the Bible records and more archeological treasures seem to arrive every year now.  These finds are not surprising to Christians but for those who don’t believe the Bible, it is indisputable evidence that the Bible is true and Word of God is certain.  In this, there can be no doubt.

By Jack Wellman