Ps 99:6 - Moses and Aaron were among His priests,
And Samuel was among those who called on His name;
They called upon the LORD and He answered them.  NASU 

• God Answers Prayers 

The Psalmist informs us, Moses, Aaron, and Samuel called on the LORD and He answered them. However, I have known Christians who believe God doesn't hear nor does He answer their prayers.
 
Why would a Christian believe their prayers aren't heard or answered by our LORD?
 
Operator Error!
 
Yes, you read that correctly. We have put prayer in the hands of those who don't know how to pray or in other words they don't know how to operate "Prayer".
 
Prayer is a Powerful item.
 
In a sermon where I speak about getting better acquainted with our Heavenly Father, I speak about prayer. It is important you know this about prayer and God.
 
He answers prayer according to His time table, not ours. 
 
If you don't get this correct you will have a messed up view about prayer your entire life. His time table will almost always be different from our time table, but it is important that we are patient and wait on the LORD.
 
Look at what the Psalmist says:
 
Ps 27:14
Wait for the LORD;
Be strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for the LORD.
 
God will answer your prayer, but it will be according to His time table. 

• If You Are In Christ 

Gal 3:27 - For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
 
When you and I pray, hold onto your seats for what I am about to say, it is like Jesus praying. What? Are you out of your mind Serago? No. No, I am not out of my mind.
 
We need to realize how God views us.
 
If we have been baptized into Christ we have clothed ourselves with Christ. Do you call yourself a Christian? If the answer is yes, do you know what it means to be a called a "Christian"?
 
It means "one belonging to Christ".
 
If we are members of Christ's church we are members of the body of Christ. Therefore, we have great access to the Heavenly Father because we are part of the body of Christ.
 
Eph 5:28-30 - So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body. 
 
Col 1:18-20 - He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.  For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him,…
 
Jesus is the Head of the Body, which is the Church. We are the members who make up the Body or the Church.
 
Can you see why I stated that when we pray God the Father would see us as if we were Jesus? It is because we make up His Body.
 
You and I have peace with the Father. We are not at war with Him and He is not at war with us because Jesus Christ has made peace between God and us through His blood.
 
Amen and Amen.
 
It is time we realize who we are. 

• Saint or Sinner? 

My next point will probably scare some of you. I don't see myself as a sinner. Okay, that is it he has gone crazy. His much learning has really sent him off a cliff. Now by that, it doesn't mean I don't commit acts of sin because I STILL DO.
 
Let me explain: I believe it is important for us to have the proper mindset. Notice what the apostle Paul says at the beginning of some of his epistles.
 
Romans 1:7 - to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
1 Cor. 1:2 - To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints  by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours: 
 
2 Cor 1:1 - Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God which is at Corinth with all the saints who are throughout Achaia: 
 
Eph 1:1-2 - Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus:  Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  
 
Philippians 1:1-2 - Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
 
If you want to really help yourself then I suggest you start by seeing yourself correctly. You need to see yourself as a Saint of God, who occasionally sins rather than a sinner who goes through life sinning and then when you sin you say well I am a sinner.
 
You are in the body of Christ. So see yourself correctly from here to the end of your life is the best gift you can give yourself.
 
Think About This:

Don't pray for an easier life; pray to be a stronger person.

Stay Pumped,
 
Gary A. Serago
 
Minister of God's Word
​

​Gen. 6:6 - The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.  NASU
 
1 Sam. 15:11 - "I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following Me and has not carried out My commands."  NASU 

• Regret 

The one thing we have in common with God is "regret". In Genesis the Hebrew word for "regret" has been translated "sorry".
 
God had regretted making Saul the King of Israel and in Genesis God regretted or was sorry He had made man.
 
Most people that I know all have some regrets of the things they have or have not done. 

• What You Can't Allow 

The regret you have for whatever reason cannot be permitted to hinder your future progress. Okay, so you did something wrong or you didn't do something right. You can't allow it to freeze you from moving forward. If you are not making new plans you will find yourself frozen and second guessing every one of your future decisions.
 
I have spoken with quite a few college athletes and everyone I spoke with always told me they learned more about themselves from their losses than they ever did from their victories. 

• Dan Gable's One Loss 

I was walking beside Dan Gable at one of the NCAA Championship Wrestling tournaments and I asked him about his loss to Larry Owens. For those of you, my readers, who have no idea who Dan Gable is or was, he went through high school and college undefeated until his last match. He was 181 - 0 and in his final collegiate match he was upset by a wrestler named Larry Owens.
 
Now this might surprise some of you but this is what he told me, "It was the best thing to happen to me."
 
What a loss was the best thing that happened to him. Yes, that is exactly what he told me.
 
He said after that loss it helped him like nothing else to refocus on his training, conditioning, technique, everything.
 
Dan took that one loss and allowed it to motivate him to become an even better wrestler. In fact, he became so good in the 1972 Olympics he won the Gold medal and never had a point scored against him. 

• Flip Side Of That Coin 

Dan could have become so consumed by regret over that one loss that he lost his focus and the history books would have been written differently.
 
Don't let regret stop you from accomplishing great things.
 
Everyone has regret including God.
 
So if you have some regrets you are in good company. Allow those regrets to work for you not against you.
 
It is all up to you.
 
The decision is yours make the correct one.
 
Think About This:
 
No One Who Ever Gave His Best Regretted It. - George Halas

Stay Pumped,
 
Gary A. Serago
 
Minister of God's Word

Jn 5:36 - "… the very works that I do — testify about Me,…"    NASU 
​

• The Works Of Jesus 

In our text above Jesus said the works that He did testified about Him. He was given a job by His Father and He accomplished it. Therefore, the accomplished works of Jesus stated clearly what kind of person He was.
 
John the Baptist was in prison and he is having some doubts about Jesus being the Messiah so he sends some of his men to ask Jesus if He were the One that was to come or should they be looking for another.
 
Jesus gives them this answer in Luke 7:22-23 - And He answered and said to them, "Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: the BLIND RECEIVE SIGHT, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed , and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM."  NASU
 
Oh yeah, He is the One all right because Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would be doing exactly what Jesus said He has been doing. 

• The Works Of You 

What would your works say about you?
 
I was at the bedside of a man who was going in for some major heart surgery. When we were all alone he confessed to me that he had not been living his life correctly and he would like to have a second chance to make things right at home, at work and most importantly with the Lord.
 
I prayed that he would come through his surgery successfully and that the Lord would allow him time to change his legacy.
 
I learned something really important from that brother that day and it was when you are faced with the possibility that you might die you really want to arrange your life according to those things which are really important. 

• What Is Really Important To You? 

As you read this Pump Up and with no one else around answer this question, "What is really important to you? Now do some introspection of yourself and can you say that your works testify that what you're doing matches what you think is important?
 
If you said, "My family, my job or the Lord is important to me." Then your works should be your proof that your family, job or the Lord is really important to you.
 
Don't say that something is important to you and then have no works to support your statement because that will make you a hypocrite and that is certainly not what you're interested in accomplishing.

It was really important for Jesus to stay focused on His goals and we see Him doing exactly that staying focused on His purpose for coming to earth. That is why He says that His works testify about Him.
 
So ask yourself this question: "What do your works say about you?"
 
Think on These:
 
The plain fact is that human beings are happy only when they are striving for something worthwhile.
 
This will be a better world when the power of love replaces the love of power.

Stay Pumped,
 
Gary A. Serago
 
Minister of God's Word

​Proverbs 29:18 - Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keeps the law, happy is he. KJV 

• No Vision 

What an awful position for a person to be in a place in life where you have lost your vision. You can't see anything positive and you're depressed. If you ask me I would rather have no sight and vision than to have sight and no vision.
 
Solomon, who is considered by many to be one of the wisest men who ever lived says people will perish without vision. How truly sad that must be to wake up and have no plans for your day and no vision for your life. 

• Vision 

I believe vision is the source of one's energy to get up every morning and start off on a new day. What is it you are interested in accomplishing? It is your vision that will help you arrive at this destination.
 
I like this Hasidic Proverb: The man who has confidence in himself gains the confidence of others.
 
C. S. Lewis said it this way: "You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream."
 
I hope you and God will develop a vision for yourself today. I simply remind you to pray about this vision first and ask God to accompany you on your quest.
 
A day without vision is a day where you will not see clearly. 

• Others Can't See It 

Do not be surprised when others can't see why you are working so hard to accomplish your vision.
 
I read this quote once: "Don't expect people to understand your hard work when God didn't give them your vision." Boy, did that make sense to me.
 
It is my prayer that you have a vision today if you don't already have one.
 
Helen Keller said it this way: "The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision."
 
Think About This:
 
Faith is the daring of the soul to go farther than it can see.

Stay Pumped,
 
Gary A. Serago
 
Minister of God's Word