Would you say that you live life to delight the Lord, pleasing God?
Truly, we all want answers to our prayers. No, we NEED answers to our prayers. But what kind of prayers will God answer, consistently?
The Scripture is filled with promises about how to pray effectively, so the Lord will answer. Let’s start there, pleasing God through prayer.
Pleasing God Through Prayer Scriptures
The Scriptures tell us many ways to pray more effectively, and strategically. Pleasing the Lord through prayer seems a great place to start if we long to delight the Father. LOL, and I guess I should state that up front… I believe we are called to please HIM… but I’m struggling to understand how.
In fact, when searching for pleasing God Scriptures we find most of what is said is said about prayer!
Pleasing God Bible Verses in the Old Testament
Fasting and prayer go hand in hand to please Jesus and bring answers.
“So we fasted and sought our God concerning this matter, and He listened to our pleading.” (Ezra 8:23 NASB)
Related Post: What Are The Spiritual Benefits of Fasting and Prayer?
Pleasing God Bible Verses in the New Testament: Words from Jesus Himself
We are to pray in Jesus’ name.
“And whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” (John 14:13 NASB)
Pray in faith, pleasing God.
“And whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive it all.” (Matthew 21:22 NASB)
Luke 18 tells a parable of a widow who through persistence wins the day with an evil judge. We are to be persistent in prayer, Jesus tells us.
“Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not become discouraged” (Luke 18:1 NASB)
Related Post: How To Pray for Your Husband: 8 Ways and 55 Prayers (PDF)
Verses About Pleasing God in Prayer in the New Testament
The prayer of the righteous (Believer) is effective.
“Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. A prayer of a righteous person, when it is brought about, can accomplish much.” (James 5:16 NASB)
Praying according to His will, pleases the Lord.
“This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” (1 John 5:14-15 NASB)
Related Post: 200+ Scripture About Prayer To Grow Your Faith
There are 12 ways to live a life Pleasing God: The Benefits of Delighting the Lord are exactly what we need! Click To TweetGod Answers Prayers
Who else has used these as prayer strategies?
- Faith
- Pray according to His will
- Living righteously (if that’s even possible)
- Being persistent
- Praying in Jesus’ name
- Fasting
Have they worked?
I have seen answers to prayer in so many miraculous ways. Powerful answers to prayer. Unexpected answers to prayers.
An Answer to Prayer
My mom was a woman who used every prayer strategy above as she prayed through the issues in life. The most powerful prayer I saw answered in recent years, literally changed my mind about prayer!
In January 2022 mom got sick. She was quickly diagnosed with cancer and went home to be with Jesus in March of that same year.
During the few months of caring for her, my oldest brother came back into our lives. He would call himself the “black sheep of the family,” though none of us ever called him that. He had spent a lifetime running from the Lord and hurting his family in the process. I was uncomfortable calling him with the news of mom’s illness.
We had heard that he accepted Jesus a year or so beforehand, but we didn’t know if it was genuine this time… or not.
As I talked to Him, Jesus is who I heard. He came and helped. He was a support by phone when he couldn’t be physically with us. There was a real change.
The Persistent Prayer of Faith
While mom was sick, she would ask us to read her the Bible. There were pieces of her throughout it. She marked, noted, underlined, and highlighted so much that you could follow her journey.
After she passed I took more time looking through her Bible. What I saw were lists. She had lists of people she needed help to forgive. She also had lists for each of her children.
Though we each spent time running from the Lord, she never stopped praying for us to turn back!
I still remember her correcting me when I was frustrated about something in my brother’s life. She always challenged me to pray instead of becoming angry or complaining. She firmly believed he would return to the Lord.
He did!
More Than You Could Ask or Imagine
Today, I can see such a beautiful answer to mom’s prayers. My brother is walking with the Lord in a strong way. He serves in his church, is trying to do what’s best for his kids, and is building a connection with his family.
Mom always prayed for that!
She also hoped there could be restoration of my relationship with my brother. I didn’t believe that was possible and had never prayed for it… but today, as we talk on the phone each month I am in awe of how the LORD answered even that hope in my mother!
God answers prayer.
The prayer of faith… persistent prayer… in Jesus’ name… according to His will… with fasting… through a life lived in righteousness… pleases God!
But God Doesn’t Always Answer Prayer
But… I wouldn’t say that these prayer strategies always work.
Would you?
In this life, I need the Lord to answer prayer. I need the Lord to step in and help me in situations that seem so impossible… so overwhelming…
So I am always searching for more about how to pray prayers that God will answer.
That’s what led me to begin thinking about what pleases the Lord… Pleasing God seems like a theme of people in the Scriptures for whom the Lord answers mighty prayers.
Had you noticed?
Related Post: How To Keep Trusting God When It Looks Impossible
It’s Not About What You Pray?
In reading a book about prayer by R.A. Torrey (The Power of Prayer and the Prayer of Power) I began to see something… hidden… mysterious… profound… yet, so simple and pure.
It has been blowing my mind.
Before, my goal was to get prayers answered. To gauge how the Lord and I were doing I was tracking answered prayers.
So imagine my surprise by the answer to this question in 1 John 3:22.
“and whatever we ask, we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.” (1 John 3:22 NASB)
Whatever you ask.
It will be given.
Not because of how we asked, but because of how we live.
How Are You Living?
What if we have this completely wrong?
What if God is serious about obedience?
Do you live in obedience to the commandments?
Not all the time.
Me neither.
That feels so defeating, almost as if the Scripture implies God only answers the prayers of the perfect person… constantly.
I can never be perfect. None of us could. If we could, there would have been no reason for the cross.
I’m sorry… let me say that again.
If we are supposed to be perfect, or somehow earn our way into heaven through good works… there was no purpose for Jesus’ death on the cross!
So that can’t be the whole story here.
Do You Want to Please the Father?
If this verse stopped at obedience, we would all be justified in becoming legalistic. And believe me, I battle the pull of legalism… toward holding myself to a perfect standard (and living in shame for failing) and holding others to that perfect standard.
If that were the main point here, it would be confusing in light of Jesus’ life and Words, especially his continuous reproving of the legalistic religious leaders.
No. Perfect obedience is not the whole story.
“… and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.”
another translation says it this way:
“… And by our beautiful intentions, we continue to do what brings pleasure to him.”
Pleasing God seems to be the key here, the way to receive answers to prayer.
What Does the Bible Say About Pleasing God?
So maybe instead of asking how we should pray, we should be asking what pleases God.
When I began to search this out through Google, I found everything from, “7 ways to please God,” to “100 ways to please God.” There was even a subcategory titled, “Benefits of pleasing God.”
Y’all, this was so highly searched I had to read through. There is a lot of Jesus online! I loved it!
But what I didn’t see, was a lot of Scripture being referenced. And you know how I feel about that, right?
It means nothing if it’s not backed by the Word of God!
So, what are the things that bring Him pleasure according to the Scriptures?
Faith is Pleasing to God
“And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for the one who comes to God must believe that He exists, and that He proves to be One who rewards those who seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6 NASB)
What is the one thing that pleases God? Faith.
Do you see that in this passage? Without faith, it is impossible to please the Lord.
Pleasing God requires faith.
If you did everything else on the list but didn’t have faith, it would be pointless.
Related Post: How To Be Still When God Says No: A Hard Faith Lesson
What is Faith?
Faith (according to Webster’s Dictionary) has complete trust (a firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength) or confidence in someone or something.
Faith in God is about a soul-deep knowledge that He is:
- True
- Reliable – faithful, trustworthy
- Able
- Capable – strong, tested, proven
He is.
Faith is not just believing those things or just talking about them. No, faith lives like those things are believed all the way to the core of who you are.
Faith hears a Word from the Lord and steps out knowing He will catch you, even when it makes NO earthly sense.
Praise the Lord, that He says we only need faith the size of a mustard seed (the tiniest speck) to please the Lord!
Walking in the Spirit Pleases God
“and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Romans 8:8 NASB)
Romans 8:8 gives us a negative about pleasing God. Walking in the flesh does not please the Lord. We can turn that on its head to say that walking in the Spirit will please the Lord.
“for you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8 NASB)
There are many Bible verses about pleasing God by walking or living by the Spirit. This naturally builds on living by faith!
How Do You Walk In the Spirit?
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead. He is given to us at the time of salvation. We see He is the Helper, the Comforter, the Counselor.
Living by the Spirit of God is about staying connected to Him through prayer, Bible reading, and worship.
Walking in the Spirit is about walking in faith, living how He directs us rather than living for our selfish pleasures or desires.
Living a life that pleases God is impossible without the help of the Holy Spirit in our lives!
Doing Good to Live Pleasing to The Lord
“And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” (Hebrews 13:16 NASB)
I hope you can see how each of these builds on the last. We are called to live a life of faith, filled with the Spirit, which will lead us to do good and share!
Good Works Vs Grace for Salvation
I just want to add a word of caution. Many Believers have misunderstood the idea of doing good works. I was raised to believe that without them you can not be saved.
Many others believe you are saved from hell through salvation, but then must work to earn heaven or depend on the prayers of your loved ones after death to somehow tip the scales toward heaven.
The Bible tells us that this was the belief in religion right from the beginning. And it makes sense that we always want a way to be the ones in control of our fate.
By Grace, Through Faith
But the Apostles themselves spoke against this.
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—” (Ephesians 2:8 NIV)
We are saved by grace through faith, not by works.
Why? So no man could boast!
Salvation – an eternity spent with God (not without Hell) can not be earned. It is a gift He gives when we step into faith.
Why Do Good Works?
So then, why do we see so much in the Bible about doing good works?
It is a proof of our faith.
- We do good because Jesus did good works.
- We do good works to help others, to love them as God loves them.
Good works are a way to show the lost world that a Loving God – the Creator of the Universe – cares for them and wants a relationship with them!
When we are living in faith, walking by the Holy Spirit, good works will flow freely from our hearts.
It is a proof of our faith.
Not a way to earn our faith.
Love and Knowledge of the Lord Please God
“For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice,
the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” (Hosea 6:6 ESV)
Living in a way that pleases God requires a love of God and a growing knowledge of the Lord.
We can’t please Him if we don’t know what pleases Him.
Related Post: How To Be Still When God Says No: A Hard Faith Lesson
How Can We Know The Lord?
This seems like something simple, but many Believers in Jesus do not actually know what the next step of faith is after salvation and baptism.
We must get to know God better.
How do you get to know God?
How do you get to know anyone? God is a real person (or being) with real thoughts, feelings, and desires.
He has a past that He has revealed to us through Scripture.
Read the Bible. He’s right there, at your fingertips.
Pray. He wants to talk to you and hear from you.
Go to church! The preacher is there to help you understand the Bible and apply it to your life.
Get to know God!
Related Post: Complete Surrender to God Is Hard: How To Fully Let Go
Full Surrender
“Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” (Romans 12:1 NASB)
That phrase, “acceptable to God” is another way to say pleasing to God. If Romans 12 is a great book about pleasing God then Romans 12:1 is the perfect verse about pleasing God.
Your body is to be a sacrifice to the Lord.
That means everything you look at, listen to and participate in should please Him. Ouch. That’s tough.
Everywhere you go, everyone you speak with, everything you put your hands to is to be acceptable to the Lord.
He is talking about a life fully surrendered to God.
Related Post: How To Let Go and Let God: Surrender Brings Peace
What is a Full Surrender?
Full surrender.
“I surrender all,” is the phrase in a song we sing… actually, many songs we sing in church.
What does it look like to give Jesus every area of your life?
What you watch or listen to, your entertainment… books, movies, social media, plays, music, podcasts… does it please the Lord?
Where you go…
What you do with your hands…
Everything.
God wants everything; every part of your life.
This is a continual process of falling short and getting back up to try again. It is impossible without the Holy Spirit who dwells with us and helps us.
Related Post: How To Give Your Life To God in Full Surrender: 4 Easy Steps
Our Words and Thoughts Must Be Pleasing to God
“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14 NASB)
We often gloss over surrender in our words and thoughts.
Remember, God wants every area of our lives surrendered to HIM. That includes what we think… which leads to what we say.
How Can We Surrender Our Thoughts and Words?
Well, that is the question, isn’t it?
What kind of thoughts are pleasing to the Lord?
And how can we surrender our thoughts? How can we be sure our words are pleasing God?
Philippians 4:8 tells us exactly what kind of thoughts are pleasing to the Lord.
“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise,dwell on these things” (Philippians 4:8-9 NASB).
We’ve walked through that verse word by word already. Click through any of the links to study more about it.
Related Post: 10 Ways to Love the Lord With All Your Mind
Bearing Fruit Will Please Jesus
“so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Colossians 1:10 ESV)
As each piece of this works together we see the idea behind fully pleasing God; bearing fruit. The Scripture often talks about the life of a person in terms of farming or gardening.
Seeds are planted. Seeds are watered or fed. Weeds are pulled. Scavengers are kept away. Someone tends the plants. Someone reaps the harvest of fruit.
The life of a believer, walking in faith, living in step with the Holy Spirit will bear fruit. Fruit is a sort of proof that we are walking with the Lord.
A life bearing fruit, walking with the Lord, pleases our Heavenly Father.
Related Post: 6 Tips to Create A Fruitful Marriage Relationship
What is Spiritual Fruit?
To better understand this verse about pleasing God we need to look at another.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23 NIV)
- Love
- Joy
- Peace
- Patience
- Kindness
- Goodness
- Faithfulness
- Gentleness
- Self-control
These are the characteristics of a person walking in the Spirit, walking in faith, and surrendering actively to the Lord.
Fruit grows slowly in our lives but when they are missing we know we are not walking fully with the Lord yet.
Related Post: How To Prepare Your Heart To Seek The Lord: A 5-Day Devotional
Brokenness over sin
“For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it;
You do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
A broken and a contrite heart, God, You will not despise.” (Psalm 51:16-17 NASB)
This is another verse that teaches by showing the opposite. God is not pleased with sacrifices…
What does that look like today?
He doesn’t want empty religious acts. If we are going to church week in and week out to earn our way or out of habit, it does not please the Lord.
He isn’t happy with man’s traditions. They won’t help us reach Him or grow our faith.
Instead, it pleases God when we are broken over sin, humbly seeking His face.
Religion and tradition often lead us away from humility and brokenness… they offer a way to earn forgiveness through some sort of sacrifice that does not please the Lord.
We are not called to a life of self-reliance, but humility and surrender.
Vain Tradition of Religion
During the life of Jesus, He continually confronted the religious leaders. They had pride because of what they knew, and how they kept themselves from looking sinful. All the while, on the inside their sin was stacking up.
He called them out for the hypocrisy of looking pure while being sinners… for making everyday people feel like they could never be good enough, never approach the Lord because they were not perfect.
NO ONE is perfect. Some may be better at hiding our sins… or some of us may have overcome the sins that are easier to see… but we all sin.
God wants us to come to Him as we are… so that He can grow us and change us in His way and in His time.
Break Down the Walls
There’s a song we sing at church that says…
I will make room for YOU to do whatever YOU want to
Shake up the ground of all my traditions
Break down the walls of all my religeon
Your way is better
The Lord wants to do something new and fresh in the church today. I believe we will have to let go of many of the traditions and religious things that are not in the Bible if we are going to see it in our lifetime.
I believe it is what this next generation is starving for… something real, something honest, something transparent, something powerful! Something like the church in Acts.
Related Resources: Song Link “Make Room”
Justice, Kindness, and Humility
“He has told you, mortal one, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justice, to love kindness,
And to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8 NASB)
What will our lives look like when we are living to please the LORD? What is good and pleasing to God? Justice, kindness, and humility.
Pleasing God Not Man Bible Verse
Micah 6:8 is the verse that comes to mind when we think about how the Lord called us to live. He called us to live for justice, kindness, and humility. These are not characteristics that the world values. No, to live this way we must live for God… not man.
To please the Lord rather than man often requires we live counter-culturally.
Justice is not something the world values. They value choice, pleasure, and freedom.
Kindness is not something the world values… true kindness. They value self and tolerance and others who will placate their ideals.
Humility is not something the world values. They value self-reliance, pride, assertiveness, and self-promotion.
Pleasing God in these ways will look weird. Let’s be a peculiar people and draw the lost to Jesus (Deuteronomy 14:2).
Righteousness Pleases The Father
“To do righteousness and justice Is preferred by the Lord more than sacrifice.” (Proverbs 21:3 NASB)
The Lord God prefers righteousness. What is that? Morality, or doing what is right in God’s eyes.
In a world where no one can agree on what is right or wrong and where there is no such idea as sin or evil, this is challenging.
How do we know what is right or righteous?
We have to have a standard. As Christians, our standard is the Bible.
Biblical Morality
What God says is right, we have to say is right. What God says is wrong, we have to say is wrong.
The Bible says some things are sinful.
What is sin? Sin is anything we think, say, or do that God says is wrong.
Things like lying, stealing, killing, and cheating are clearly called sins in the 10 Commandments. However, Jesus took the idea of the 10 commandments to another level when He said that when we just think it wrong or say it wrong we also sin.
Biblical morality requires God’s people to stand up against sin in our lives, and in our families and to speak up about it in our communities. Even when the world has legalized sin… even when speaking up will be seen as unkind.
Kindness and Eternity
The world says we are unkind when we call their choices wrong. As Christians, for too long, we have just shut up about those things. Our silence has bred an entire generation of Believers who now believe we can live right but we don’t have the right to tell others what’s right.
That is a different kind of sin.
You have to remember, one day we will stand before the Lord and give an account of our lives. When He asks us why we didn’t share His gospel with the lost, He won’t be impressed that we were just being kind by being silent.
Eternity in hell is on the line for them.
We know the truth. It is wrong to not speak up about it for fear of hurting their feelings!
God will judge us harshly for this one day… in fact, I think He has already begun to remove His hand of favor from us now to get our attention.
Related Post: Cure Spoiled Kids with Random Acts of Kindness
Awe and Hope
“the Lord delights in those who fear him,
who put their hope in his unfailing love.” (Psalm 147:11 NIV)
God is God. He is high above us, holy, and righteous. In His perfection He sits enthroned over eternity, the Great Creator and Judge of all time.
It would be crazy not to have a healthy dose of fear or awe or respect toward God.
On the other hand, He stepped down out of eternity, put on human flesh, and gave HIS very life to make a relationship with us possible. So there is awe, but there is hope.
When we find a healthy balance between awe in who God is and hope in who He is, we are pleasing to Him.
Praise and Thanksgiving
“I will praise the name of God with song,
And exalt Him with thanksgiving.
And it will please the Lord better than an ox
Or bull with horns and hoofs.” (Psalm 69:30-31 NASB)
Lastly, as we walk with the Lord, standing in awe of the Lord, and working toward a life of righteousness and fruit, we will praise Him.
God is great and inspires praise from His people.
Related Post: 27 Fasting and Prayer Scriptures for Spiritual Breakthrough
A Pleasing Aroma To God
The Lord says our praise rises to heaven like a pleasing aroma to the Lord (Leviticus 3:5). A smell that pleases Him.
In the temple, the priest burned incense to please the Lord. Now, as the very temple of the Holy Spirit, our praise is like that insense. It rises to Him and brings a smile to His face.
I imagine it like my favorite apple cinnamon candle. I light it when I need help to find peace and calm. It reminds me of good times and makes me smile despite how hard things might be.
A Sacrifice of Thanksgiving
Often when things are the most bleak, giving thanks helps us keep our focus on the Lord. Remembering His faithfulness in the past keeps us trusting when all seems hopeless.
Thanksgiving and praise are a sacrifice that moves the heart of God. Remember when Paul and Silas were in prison at midnight singing praise to God (Acts 16:25-26)? He sent a miraculous rescue answering the prayers of His people.
I want to be a praising and thanking person, even when life completely stinks! How about you?
How Do You Know If You Are Pleasing God?
Let’s jump back to our verse.
“and whatever we ask, we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.” (1 John 3:22 NASB)
We are called to keep His commandments, which means to keep getting back up when we fail and try again to live in righteousness before Him.
We are also called to do the things that are pleasing in His sight. Some of those things we just saw are:
- Keep growing in faith
- Walking in the Spirit
- Doing Good
- Words and thoughts that line up with Scripture
- Grow love and the knowledge of the Lord
- Live fully surrendered
- Bear Spiritual fruit
- Have brokenness over sin
- Pursue justice, kindness, and humility
- Live in righteousness
- Have awe and hope
- Give praise and thanksgiving
What is Meant By Pleasing God?
So what does all that look like? What does it really mean to please God?
It kind of still sounds like perfection. I can never be perfect. Never. So how can I please the Lord? What does it mean by pleasing God?
I have a picture in my mind of a season in my life… You see, I was a daddy’s girl when I was little.
Daddy’s Girl Knows Where to Find Daddy
I wanted to be near my dad. Near him was safe, secure and sometimes there was a treat.
I always knew where my dad would be.
He was in his workshop a lot. If I went in quietly I could sit and watch him work on some project. He might even give me a piece of sandpaper and let me help if I was good.
He was often in the garage, working on a car. If I didn’t get in the way or break anything I could stay with him. He might even teach me about what he was doing.
Or he might be in his room, working on a song (he dreamed of being a famous rock star). I could come in and sit and listen to him play or sing for hours.
Daddy’s Girl Knows When He’s Pleased or Not
I knew what I could say or do that would please him. Also, I knew when I had done or said something to displease him.
If I had pleased him, he would hug me or toss me up on his shoulders… to my mom’s horror as he was 6’3″ and she always feared the fan would cut my head off.
And if I pleased him, he would bring home a surprise or wink at me as he teased my mom or invited me to go on an errand with him.
If I had not pleased him, he didn’t look at me, told me to go to my room, left early so I couldn’t bother him, or locked the door so I couldn’t get in.
I knew I displeased him. It hurt.
Pleasing God Our Father
Some of that applies to our Heavenly Father. We know where to find Him. Where did you meet Him or hear from Him last? That’s a good place to start.
We know how to hear from Him. Read the Bible, listen to the preacher, turn up the praise music, sit still before Him, and wait.
And when we are living in a way that pleases God we can more easily connect with Him.
But when we are not right with Him, He seems far away. When we don’t pursue Him, it’s hard to hear Him. If we ignore His promptings it gets harder to hear from Him about things.
The more we live pleasing to Him, the more we hear from Him, and the more it seems He is answering our prayers.
The Benefits of Pleasing God
The benefits of pleasing God are just that. He is pleased. He answers us. We hear Him, we hear Him more easily.
We can ask Him anything and He will answer us. That’s what the Scripture says. How can that be true?
He will give us what we ask for because we will ask for things that please Him.
If we are living to please the Lord, we won’t ask for selfish or sinful things, because those things would not please God. So it makes sense, doesn’t it?
The benefit of living a life pleasing to the Lord is that we will be near Him, and know what to ask and hear when He answers.
Live Like The Saints
Remember Danial in the Old Testament. He lived a life to please the Lord. The Lord answered His prayers.
What about David? He was a man after God’s own heart. God answered his prayers.
Ezekial, Moses, Abraham, Ezra, Nehemiah, Hannah, Ruth, Esther, Anna, Mary, and Elizabeth, all lived for God. None were perfect, but the desire of their hearts was to please the Father.. to delight the Father. And God consistently answered their prayers.
I want that!
What about you?
Something has to change personally for me… for you.
Will you join me in making those changes?
Nations That Please the Lord
There was a time when I could see the hand of God protecting and blessing our nations and others who honored Him. That time has passed.
He seems to be removing His hand of blessing from many nations.
We see wars, rumors of wars, famine, drought, pestilence, pandemics, tornados, hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanoes more than we ever have before.
We must begin to pray for revival or reformation in the nations. Yes, we must stand up and proclaim the gospel to the lost world.
Related Post: How Personal Revival Leads to Unity in the Church
Change Through Prayer and Repentance
I have to believe there is still time.
“if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14 NIV)
We are His people.
We must humble ourselves and pray like we’ve never prayed before.
Seeking His face on behalf of the lost around us is a kind of humility that draws Him nearer.
We must turn from our wicked ways first.
Where is there sin in your life? Your thoughts, your entertainment, your pleasure, your words or actions. Deal with that!
Where is there sin in your family life? Your children; what they watch, say, or do. Deal with that!
Where is there sin in our churches? What we allow or reject or say or do or do not say or do not do. We must deal with that!
Will You Join Me?
Will you pray?
How about changing toward righteous living? Will you set aside what you know is sinful in your life today? Will you ask the Lord to reveal what He sees as sinful in your life and agree to set it aside?
It has to start with us.
Revival starts with us. When we are living in the power of the Holy Spirit, change will come.
Which of These 12 Ways to Live Pleasing God or Delighting God Will You Start With?
A life lived pleasing God will bring blessings in so many ways. We looked at 12 ways to delight the Lord with our lives:
- Keep growing in faith
- Walking in the Spirit
- Doing Good
- Words and thoughts that line up with Scripture
- Grow love and the knowledge of the Lord
- Live fully surrendered
- Bear Spiritual fruit
- Have brokenness over sin
- Pursue justice, kindness, and humility
- Live in righteousness
- Have awe and hope
- Give praise and thanksgiving
Pick one to start changing and let’s begin the reformation!
in HIS love,
Tiffany of Hope Joy in Christ inspires Christian Women to grow in faith, live out Biblical Marriage Principles and raise Godly Children. Join the Wives Only Facebook Group here or keep up with her through Pinterest.
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