Spiritual Wisdom and Understanding

Posted on October 4, 2025 by pastorjeffsneighborhood
Spiritual Wisdom and Understanding by Jeff Syverson "His power brings great endurance and patience and joyful thanksgiving for all that God has done for us."

October 4

Spiritual Wisdom and Understanding

Today’s Scripture Readings: Psalm 108:6-13; Jeremiah 2:31-4:18; Colossians 1:1-20; Proverbs 24:21-22

Today’s Scripture Focus: Colossians 1

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding (Colossians 1:9 NIV).

Paul is thankful and encouraged by the progress of the Christians in Colossae. Yet he knows that there is much more that God wants to do in their lives. So he continues to pray for them. The prayer he prays is a powerful one; one that could become a regular part of your prayer life.

He prays for God to fill them with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. If we are to please God and live according to his will, we need the wisdom and understanding that God alone can give by his word and by his Spirit.

The reason he prays this prayer is so that we may “live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way.” We will do this by “bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.”

How are we going to live such a life? By the strength and power God gives by His Spirit: “being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might.” Paul knows that bearing spiritual fruit requires spiritual power. That comes only as we walk in the power of the Spirit.

His power brings great endurance and patience and joyful thanksgiving for all that God has done for us. This gives us what we need when times get tough. Endurance and patience are qualities that are especially needed when we go through the trials of life. Thanksgiving is also especially necessary in those difficult times. It takes our eyes off the problems and enables us to put our hope in God and his promises.

Life is filled with difficulties and decisions that require God’s wisdom and strength. This prayer leads us to trust in the one who can give us all that we need to get us through each and every day.

Heavenly Father, fill me with knowledge of your will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding  so that I may live a life worthy of the Lord Jesus and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that I may have great endurance and patience, and give joyful thanks to you Father, for you have qualified me to share in the inheritance of your holy people in the kingdom of light. Amen

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Unexpected Peace

Posted on October 3, 2025 by pastorjeffsneighborhood
Unexpected Peace by Jeff Syverson "Where there was hopelessness, God births hope; unexpected joy begins to bubble to the surface; anxiety begins to give way to peace."

October 3

Unexpected Peace 

Today’s Scripture Readings: Psalm 108:1-5; Jeremiah 1:1-2:30; Philippians 4:1-23; Proverbs 24:17-20

Today’s Scripture Focus: Philippians 4

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7 NIV).

“The misfortunes hardest to bear are those which never happen.” –James Russell Lowell–

We all have times when we are tempted to worry. Yet, worry is counterproductive. It consumes our attention; it saps our energy and creativity; it takes away our peace, our hope, our joy. Paul suggests an alternative to worry: prayer.

Instead of anxiety and worry, we are encouraged to pray– to bring our concerns to the Lord. In prayer, we open our hearts to God and share our deepest concerns. In petition, we lay our requests. With thanksgiving, we recount the ways God has already been faithful.

Somehow as we pour out our hearts and lay out our needs before the Lord –as we recount his blessings and faithfulness–our perspective begins to change. Where there was hopelessness, God births hope; unexpected joy begins to bubble to the surface; anxiety begins to give way to peace.

The peace that comes in times like these transcends our understanding–humanly speaking, it doesn’t make a lot of sense. Yet as we release our doubts and concerns in prayer, and as thanksgiving reassures us to trust, peace, unexpected peace, is freed to calm our anxious spirits. That peace, guards our hearts and our minds.

Don’t waste your time and energy with worry. Take it to the Lord in prayer. Open up your heart; pour out concerns. Allow God to replace your anxious thoughts with peace, with joy, with hope.

Lord, I take the events of this day and lay them before you. Guide my steps, give me wisdom, strengthen me. Help me to trust you, and be filled with gratitude as I pray. Having laid these things at your feet, I now am ready to face the day without worry. Help me to walk with you having a sense of your presence  that peace may guard my heart and mind. Amen.

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Knowing Christ

Posted on October 2, 2025 by pastorjeffsneighborhood
Knowing Christ by Jeff Syverson "This issue is not what we bring to the tab le, but what Jesus brings through the cross."

October 2

Knowing Christ 

Today’s Scripture Readings: Psalm 107:33-43; Isaiah 66:1-24; Philippians 3:4-21; Proverbs 24:15-16

Today’s Scripture Focus: Philippians 3

“I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:10-11 NIV).

When it came to religious heritage, Paul had a lot of things going for him: He was a faithful Jew with good family connections, zealous for the law, a Pharisee who counted himself blameless. Yet, an encounter with Jesus forever altered his whole life and calling. So much so that he considered all his impressive religious credentials as loss for the sake of knowing Christ.

An encounter with Jesus is a powerful thing. Have you come to know him?

Eternal life is found in a relationship with Christ that is entered into by faith in what Christ did for us on the Cross. The issue is not what we bring to the table, but what Jesus brings through the cross. Even Paul, who had considered himself faultless, saw his need for the righteousness that is by faith. Christ enters into the heart of the one who calls out to Him in faith and brings his righteousness and the gift of eternal life.

What Paul found in his relationship with Christ made him want to press in deeper and press on farther. “I want to know Christ . . . I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.”

He wanted to know Christ as intimately as one could possibly know him. In the victories, “in the power of his resurrection,” and in the difficult times: “the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings.” Paul knew that some of the most intimate moments would come as he walked through trials with Christ, hand in hand.

Do you know Christ? Have you entered into a relationship with him. Have you received his gift of eternal life by grace through faith?

Are you pressing on to know Christ more deeply? Do you want to really know Him?

Lord Jesus, I want to know you deeply and intimately, through tough times and good times. May I draw my life and strength from you each and every day. I invite you into my life and receive your gift of life-eternal and abundant, life lived to the full. Walk with me this day, and from this point forth I pray. Amen.

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Watchman

Posted on October 1, 2025 by pastorjeffsneighborhood
Watchman "Watchmen are the serious prayer warriors who give God no rest until he fulfills his promises and accomplishes the vision he has given." -Jeff Syverson

October 1

Watchman

Today’s Scripture Readings: Psalm 107:23-32 | Isaiah 62:6-65:25 | Philippians 2:19-3:4 | Proverbs 24:13-14

Today’s Scripture Focus: Isaiah 62-65

I’ve posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem. Day and night they keep at it, praying, calling out, reminding God to remember. They are to give him no peace until he does what he said, until he makes Jerusalem famous as the City of Praise (Isaiah 62:6-7 The Message).

Through Isaiah, God has given a glorious vision of what Jerusalem is to become. But as with any God-given vision, it must be prayed into existence. Isaiah had the hard work of praying to receive the vision. The Watchmen had the hard work of praying the vision into reality.

Watchmen are the serious prayer warriors who give God no rest until he fulfills his promises and accomplishes the vision he has given. Some assume that once they’ve received a vision from God of what is to be accomplished, that the hard work of prayer is over. The watchmen know that the hard work of persistent prayer has only begun.

Every church and ministry needs watchmen. They catch the God-given vision and pray it into existence. They know the promises of God and pray them into reality.

Watchmen also “watch”–they look for the attacks of the enemy that would seek to thwart the good things God wants to do. They pray prayers of protection and resistance. They pray a shield of protection around the ministry, its leaders and its people.

It is not an easy job to be a watchman, but it is essential. Churches and ministries need the protection of faithful prayer warriors. They need those who can pray the vision and promises into being.  They need those who will persist in prayer until they see the answer. Perhaps God is calling and shaping you to be one who “watches and prays.” Be faithful with the prayer burdens he gives and be encouraged as he uses you in praying for his will to be done “on earth as it is in heaven.”

God, help me to learn to watch and pray. Help me to be sensitive to the burden you place on my heart. Enable me to persevere in prayer until your kingdom comes and your will is done. Amen.

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Humility

Posted on September 30, 2025 by pastorjeffsneighborhood
Humility

September 30

Humility 

Today’s Scripture Readings: Psalms 107:17-22; Isaiah 60:1-62:5; Philippians 1:27-2:18; Proverbs 24:11-12

Today’s Scripture Focus: Philippians 2

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very natureGod, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very natureof a servant, being made in human likeness.And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death- even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:5-8 NIV).

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death–even death on a cross!

Paul encourages the Philippians to imitate Christ’s example of humility. What an example it is! Being in very nature God, he refused to grasp– to hold onto–his divine rights and willingly took on human flesh. In humility, God became man– and was born a babe in a manger. Imagine that, God in human flesh in the form of a helpless baby. He was born humbly: in a manger. His first visitors were humble shepherds. The whole story of his birth is a story of humility.

We see his humility throughout his life and ministry. He lives his life loving and serving others, “taking the very nature of a servant.” He takes the time to listen, to care, to bless, to help others. He lived his life, not looking to his own interests, but looking to the interests of others.

Most impressively, we see his humility in his death–a death in its most humiliating form: death on a cross. In this act of humility he demonstrates love to the highest degree.

In light of his example, we are encouraged to “be like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.” We should “do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.” Instead, “in humility, we should consider others better than ourselves.” It is not an easy example to follow, but he has promised to help us. As Paul reminds us, “we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.”

Father, help me to have the mindset of Jesus—to live out of humility. Pour out your love into my heart, strengthen me by your Spirit so that I can indeed follow the example of Jesus. Amen.

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Learning to Pray from Paul

Posted on September 29, 2025 by pastorjeffsneighborhood
Learning to Pray from Paul

September 29

Learning to Pray from Paul

Today’s Scripture Readings: Psalms 107:10-16; Isaiah 57:14-59:21; Philippians 1:1-26; Proverbs 24:9-10 

Today’s Scripture Focus: Philippians 1:1-26

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, [10] so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, [11] filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ–to the glory and praise of God (Philippians 1:9-11 NIV). 

Do you ever pray the prayers of Paul? Let me encourage you to do that. Pray them for yourself, and everyone else on your prayer list. Pray them for your pastor and church. Almost every one of the epistles of Paul has at least one prayer. They are all gems. You can learn a lot about prayer through them.

We often focus on the immediate needs. Paul prays for the big things, the overarching things. Instead of a quick fix for the moment, Paul prays for that which will make the biggest impact in the big picture of things. Rather than focusing only on the present need, Paul’s prayers impact the here and now by focusing on the eternal. There is so much to learn from his prayers.

The prayer of Paul for the Philippians is a great starting place:

I pray that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God (Philippians 1:9-11).

We all need a daily overflowing dose of God’s love. We all need the wisdom and discernment to not only know what is good, but even what is best. We all need Christ’s fruit of righteousness manifest in our lives that we would bring him praise and glory. We all need God’s grace and the Holy Spirit’s empowering if we are going to be pure and blameless until the coming of Christ. It’s a great prayer.

Some time ago, I printed out the prayers of Paul and began making them a regular part of my prayer life. I applied them to myself, to my congregation, to others I knew. It had a powerful impact in my life. I encourage you to do the same.

Father, I pray that love would abound in knowledge and depth of insight more and more in my life and in my church so that we may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ. I pray that we will be filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the praise and glory of God. Amen.

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Joy in the House of Prayer

Posted on September 28, 2025 by pastorjeffsneighborhood
Joy in the House of Prayer "One of the enemy's greatest victories is found when a prayer meeting loses life and vitality and becomes a boring, redundant exercise proving the faithfulness of a few." --Jeff Syverson

September 28

Joy in the House of Prayer

Today’s Scripture Readings: Psalms 107:1-9; Isaiah 54:1-57:13;  Ephesians 6:1-24; Proverbs 24:8 

Today’s Scripture Focus: Isaiah 54:1-57:13

“These I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer” (Isaiah 56:7 NIV).

Prayer should be a joyful experience. Whether personal times of prayer, or corporate times of prayer, those times should be characterized by joy. 

Yet often, our prayers lives and prayer meetings are sleepy and boring. They lack focus. Our words become mechanical, thoughtless and flippant. We pray in unbelief and accomplish little if anything at all. One of the enemy’s greatest victories is found when a prayer meeting loses life and vitality and becomes a boring, redundant exercise proving the faithfulness of a few.

There is joy in God’s presence (fullness of joy) and so when we connect to him in prayer, we can expect a surge of joy. When we pray together, we can expect that joy to be multiplied and to overflow.

Don’t allow your personal times of prayer to become redundant and boring. Try something fresh and new. Don’t get in a rut where you begin to pray mindlessly—and without any real faith.

When you pray with others, be careful not to drone on and on endlessly. Nothing drains the life out of a prayer meeting like a longwinded prayer, or praying exactly the same phrases each week predictably. People tune out. It’s not time to catch up on your personal devotions; it’s time to pray together. It is not a time to try to impress others with flowery sentences and archaic phrases. 

Learn to pray corporately instead of as individuals in a group. It helps to remember the “B’s” of corporate prayer:

Be brief, be bold (pray in faith), be biblical (pray the scriptures, claim the promises), Burden (pay attention to the burdens and insights the Holy Spirit gives), build on each other’s prayers, breakthrough (remain focused on one thing at a time until you sense there is a breakthrough). 

Expect joy in your personal times with God. Come expecting to be a part of a joyful experience when you gather to pray. It is God’s intent to bring joy to your prayer gathering.

Father, in your presence is fullness of joy. Help me to be aware of your presence as I pray that I might find the joy that flows from being with you. Help me to bring that joy to others as we gather to pray. Strengthen me today with your joy. Amen.

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Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs

Posted on September 27, 2025 by pastorjeffsneighborhood
Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs by Jeff Syverson "Life lived with eyes focused on circumstances often drags down our spirit, but life lived with eyes focused on Jesus is likely to lead us to singing."

September 27

Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs

Today’s Scripture Reading: Psalms 106:40-48; Isaiah 51:1-53:12; Ephesians 5:1-33; Proverbs 24:7 

Today’s Scripture Focus: Ephesians 5:1-33

“Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:18b-19 NIV)

One good indicator of a life lived in the fullness of the Spirit is a joyful, singing heart. When the Holy Spirit is really in control, he fills you with joy and he fills your heart with singing. Life lived in the flesh doesn’t produce joyful songs, but life in the Spirit always does.

Life lived with eyes focused on circumstances often drags down our spirit, but life lived with eyes focused on Jesus is likely to lead us to singing.

When we try to remain in control, our lives are filled with anxious worry. When we surrender to his control, we are able to sing again.

What type of songs will you sing? “Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.” In other words, sing all kinds of songs.

If a distinction is to be made between them, the psalms are heartfelt expressions covering nearly every circumstance of life and expressing nearly every emotion.  From lament to praise; from sorrow to joy; from times of feeling distant and alone to times of intimacy in his presence; From songs that celebrate God’s faithfulness in the past to songs that look for God’s justice in the future. Through the ages, the psalms have served as a prayerbook that teaches us to pray; a songbook that teaches us to praise.

Hymns certainly includes those well-thought out songs that express our theology. They bring depth to our worship and engage our mind to worship in truth. They keep us anchored to the historic Christian faith.

Spiritual songs are often the simple, sometimes spontaneous songs, which flow from the Spirit. The best ones get passed on to others through worship songs. Simple, heartfelt and God-focused, they express our praise in our heart language. Spirit connects to spirit and song is birthed. We worship in spirit and in truth.

Be filled with the Spirit and sing; let your heart be filled with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs!

Lord, fill me with your Spirit anew and afresh, and fill my heart with singing. Amen.

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I Have Not Forgotten You

Posted on September 26, 2025 by pastorjeffsneighborhood

September 26

I Have Not Forgotten You

Today’s Scripture Readings: Psalm 106:32-39; Isaiah 48:12-50:11; Ephesians 4:17-32; Proverbs 24:5-6

Today’s Scripture Focus: Isaiah 49

But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me” (Isaiah 49:14 ESV).

Have you ever wondered if God had forgotten about you? Sometimes our prayers seem to go on unanswered for so long that we think he has forgotten us. Sometimes the circumstances of our lives are difficult and painful and we wonder how God could ever allow us to go through such a thing.

There are times that we wonder. There are times we may even say it: “The LORD has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me.” It may be a statement that is true to our feelings, but it is never really true. God never forgets his people. He never forsakes us.

Isaiah goes on to say: “Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. Behold I have engraved you on the palms of my hands” (49:15-16a).

How could a young mother forget her newborn baby? How could she fail to have compassion? God says that he will remember us and have compassion on us even more surely than a young mother who cares for her newborn child.

God may seem to hide for a time, but he has not forsaken you. He has not forgotten you. You are his child and he cares for you with the same loving affection given by a mother to her young child.

Father, thank you for being there and loving me even when I am unaware of your presence, even when I may feel that you have forgotten about me. In those times I can not feel  your presence, help me to rest in the truth that you are there and love me like a young mother who cares for her newborn child. Amen.

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Thank You for Your Support

Posted on September 25, 2025 by pastorjeffsneighborhood
Thank You For Your Support! by Jeff Syverson The healthy church is one where each member recognizes their role and where each part does it work.

September 25

Thank You for Your Support!

Today’s Scripture Readings: Psalm 106:24-31; Isaiah 45:11-48:11; Ephesians 4:1-16; Proverbs 24:3-4

From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work (Ephesians 4:16 NIV). 

We each have a vital role to play in the body of Christ. Each of us is gifted for ministry. The leadership gifts (like pastor-teacher) are given in large part to equip the body (all of us) to do the work of the ministry. We don’t sit in a pew and pay the pastor to do the work. The “up-front gifts” are given to equip those with the “behind the scenes gifts” to join those “up-front” in the work of ministry. Listen carefully to Paul: “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, [12] to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up [13] until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-13).

That is a beautiful picture of a healthy church. It is a picture of a church operating as it was intended to. Notice the results: the body is built up, there is unity, there is maturity, there is growth. 

In addition to using our gifts in ministry, we are also to do our part in ministering to each other—caring for each other. Each of us is a supporting ligament in the body. Each of us has a part to play. When someone is hurting, you are a supporting ligament—someone needs you.

The healthy church is one where each member recognizes their role and where each part does its work. Imagine a body where only one arm was trying to do all the work. Little of value is accomplished. A healthy body requires a coordinated effort of all the parts. What is your part?

By the way, thanks for your support. I don’t know what I’d do without a supporting ligament like you!

Lord, help me to find my place and use my gifts in my local body of Christ. Help me to be an encouragement to others and support them in their time of need. Thank you for my brothers and sisters in Christ. Amen.

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