Even as a very young lady, I wrote out some of my prayers to the Lord.  I taught my students to do this as well.
Today, I will share a written prayer with you from the bottom of my heart.

 My intention is NOT to impress anyone with my walk with God, but to model how impacting our written prayers can be not only to ourselves but to the kingdom of God.

Remember David and Jeremiah?  We read these prayers and supplications to this day. Writing your prayers is not only a good practice but, these prayers can bless others and certainly effect the world around us.

Dear Lord Jesus,
Oh, how I love you, my Lord! You are my Christ, my Messiah;  Jesus my Lord.   I am so thankful that I know you as my Lord - the Christ.  Once again, I give you my life.  I am yours. Wash me with your Word.

We celebrate your birth soon.  The birth of the Christ-child. The God-man; Emmanuel-God with us.  You are the God that is with me!  I am so amazed to see how you have kept your promises to me. You have been so real; so present. I have come short over and over, but you have never left me.  I see your precious loving hand guiding my life day after day.

This morning, as I spoke to AJ before he went off to school, I reminded him about how there are so many kids that know ABOUTt you, but do not truly KNOW you.  I told him to please continue to get to know you more and more; to talk to you about things and then expect to hear back from you.
I don't think kids are taught to listen to what you are saying to them.

Conversation with God-what a revelation!

Lord, my family needs continued guidance and healing.  I can't thank you enough for bringing us through these storms.  We are a living testimony that your Word sustains us, heals us and restores us.

I miss being in the ministry, Lord.  I miss teaching classes and speaking. I love to see the faces light up when your Word begins to come alive to them.  It is like seeing a fire ignite; there is no mistaking it.  I keep getting messages to share with others.  I will just keep them,  and when the right time comes, I pray I will to be able to share what is on my heart again with others.

Joseph comes to my mind often.  He too,  felt like his life had been stolen from him.  He lost his family, his identity, his wealth, his security and his freedom. But Lord, you were building something through his life.  You were building a plan of escape for your people.  Please help me to learn to trust you more.  I want this loss in my life to be used for something good. I give you this loss.  If you can take broken vessels and make them new,  please take my family and make something useful of us as we enter this new chapter.

I choose to trust you and to believe you,  though many times, I doubted that your promises were for ME.  I wanted to believe, it was just hard. I hurt so deeply.  I wondered why I was having to go through this terrible trial.  But I thank you for sending true Christians in my life.  They kept speaking faith to each member of our family. Oh, how I need to be there for others that are hurting and going through trials that make no "apparent" sense.

Lord, you gave me a verse about hope back when I was a teenager.

Proverbs 13:12  Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life. 

When we wait and wait for a prayer to be answered, it can make us truly sick.  But when we see the answer come forth, it is like seeing trees blossom once again.  I pray, Lord,  that I can remember that you have every intention of bringing healing to our lives.  Night only lasts so long.  I want to be filled with hope during those night hours when fear and dread reigns usually.

Lord, thank you for this time we had together and please help those that are in so much anguish today.  Please supply the needs of the destitute.  I hurt for those that are suffering.  Heal ____, and _____, and ____. I know that I am nothing without you and all my efforts are nothing compared to one moment of your working in a situation.  Bless my leaders and bless those that I teach. Please supply our needs. 

In Jesus' name, AMEN.

 

God may have to knock you down to get your attention!

God speaks through His creation all the time, and He speaks through people all the time.  But some of us are tough to reach.  Saul was one of those.  He was so "dense" to spiritual things.  He was so steeped in his traditions and religiosity, that God Almighty had to use unusual means to reach him. 

Acts  chapter 9 tells his amazing story.  We soon read that Saul, this man on  a "holy war" mission  to destroy the followers of Jesus, being  knocked off his donkey by a "light" that shone so brightly that it literally knocked him off of the donkey. It must have been like a bolt of lightening. 

How often do we get some unforeseen physical interruption in our life?  God may just be trying to get our attention.  We need to recognize, as Saul did, that it must be God speaking.  Then, as Saul did, we should ask, "Who are you, Lord?"  Saul (Paul) certainly knew this occurrence was spiritual, but he now questioned from WHICH source it had come from. 

Saul was now blinded to natural things but enlightened and illuminated to TRUTH.  He became  Paul, the most ardent follower  of Jesus and preacher of the Gospel ever.  He gave his life for the TRUTH that he found that day.  He was used by God to write most of the epistles or letters that form the New Testament of the Bible.

Lord, today, let me be so sensitive to your presence and voice that I may hear and see your work  in my life. Use my life Lord, TODAY, to do whatever it is that you need me to do.

 

Four months

It's been four months since I added a new post to this blog. Why?  Because our "tipped-over" canoe has become  a righted!  Life took a sudden turn and my full attention has been needed to put things back in order " on the boat".  It  may take us a year or more to put things back in place, but it is so worth it.  In a canoe, it takes a lot of balance to say afloat and the fact that we did "tip over" does not mean we could not make things right; it means we will be ever so careful in the future to keep balance in our lives. God is our healer and he is the ULTIMATE model of forgiveness.
 
During this last year, I can say that I've been testing the Hebrew names of God out....the Jehovah translations that we have heard and sang about for years.

I can assure you that He is everything the WORD says he is and more!
He is:
 my peace,
 my righteousness,
 my banner,
 my shepherd,
 my provider,
 my healer,
 my sanctuary,
 my I AM.
My Lord, you are everything!

Bless the Lord.

 

Rebuild your house before the storm comes.

In college,  I took a class called Building Construction 101.  To explain for those of you that know me,  the other classes offered that hour did not interest me at all.  As I think of this blog entry I reminisce on some of the instruction from that class. 

Jesus said that a wise man built his house upon a rock, but a foolish man built his house on sand.  Both the wise and the foolish man encountered the same storms.  Both had heavy rains, so much so that flooding followed with such heavy winds  that both homes were "beaten". (Sounds like straight line winds, a hurricane or a tornado to me).  The only difference in the outcome was what was not seen initially. Underneath the one house was rock;  under the other home, sand.

What we are founded or built upon will only be evident after the horrendous trials and storms  come our way.  Trials and storms  bring deep pain and suffering. But to experience all that pain in addition to losing everything would be devastating.

God has not promised that we will not suffer the storms of life.  We need to be more clear on this point, we need to teach our youth these things.  We should teach that "no weapon formed against us shall prosper", Isaiah 54:17  "and it (the house) fell not: for it was founded upon a rock."  Matthew 7:24 and " but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."  I Corinthians 10:13.

We are truly founded upon a rock, though unseen, it sustains us in any storm.

What if we have not built our house upon a rock?  Is there hope for us?  Of course!  Rebuild before the storm comes! How do we do that?

We open up the depths of our soul and allow God to go in and remake us.  We admit that we have not done right in the past.  We allow God to take over; we trust him with every area of your life.

He will be your ROCK, and the storms of life will NOT destroy you.  You will still have troubles like anyone does, but the ROCK will be holding you up and you will NOT FALL.

The term,  "SAVED" means: To be born spiritually.  Rebuilt.  Reborn. Remade. Redeemed.  Renewed...these are terms that we use to describe this wonderful process of salvation.  Jesus spoke to Nicodemus the lawyer about what it meant to be saved in John 3.  We are born of the water (baptism) and of the Spirit ( Holy Spirit baptism).  The Bible says that God would pour out his Spirit on all flesh., everyone can be saved! 
So, get your house ready for the storm coming, you will be fine IF you are built on the Rock Christ Jesus.

Snow cleans the air....

Every little ice crystal or snowflake adheres to a bit of dust or dirt (pollution)  floating in the air and brings it down as  to the earth. Eventually that snow melts and that dust or dirt just stays on the ground as dirt.

That is why the air is so clean after a snowfall.  Take a deep breath and enjoy God's amazing filtered air.

A storm can do the same to our lives.  Troubles adhere to the  pollution in our mind and spirit.   I'm not sure how it happens, but the ugly/filthy things in our hearts are cleaned out as we allow the storm to do its intended work.

Pray this with me:

Precious Lord, take this storm and use it for good in my heart and spirit.
Go ahead, grab some of the dirt in my heart and bring it down where it belongs.
Let this terrible pain and sorrow be used for some good, I give it to you, I trust you. 


David said, "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me". Psalm 51:10.
Til the storm passes by...
just a short clip...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-a4jYkTSEc



 

Special Forces

Having been raised with four older brothers, and then marrying a big strong guy, I rarely have had to protect myself. I never developed the ability to defend myself against bullies or those that would intend to hurt me. I know this is strange for a woman of my age to write, but I have been asking God for help to be stronger and more fearless. I have always been so protected; spoiled. I looked up the definition of "special forces" on Wikipedia this morning.  These definitions reminded me of the book on spiritual warfare prayer that our ladies prayer group has been studying. People who really learn how to pray are just like those who are trained to be in the SPECIAL FORCES. Under each definition I will add my take from Scriptures (KJV). 

Special forces capabilities include the following:

• Reconnaissance and surveillance in hostile environments 1 John 4:1 (Apostle John wrote) Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.(Apostle Peter wrote) 1 Peter 4:7 But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.
• Training and development of other states' military and security forces..... Philippians 3:17 (Apostle Paul wrote) Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.
• Offensive action..... Our Lord Jesus said, Mark 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
• Support to counter-insurgency through population engagement and support..... (Apostle Mark wrote) Mark 9:41 For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.
• Counter-terrorism operations..... (Apostle Paul wrote) 1.Ephesians 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
• Sabotage and demolition..... (Prophet Isaiah wrote) Isaiah 54:17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord. (Apostle Paul wrote) 2 Cor. 10:3-5 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
• Hostage rescue..... This may be the most difficult part but also the most noble duty of the special forces: Galatians 6:1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. and Jude 1:23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.

SPECIAL FORCES ARE CALLED UPON TO DO A WORK FOR GOD.  ONE OF THE MAIN PREPARATIONS ARE OF THE HEART: WE MUST HAVE A CLEAN HEART...

 

CONFESSION FOLLOWED BY PRAYER BRINGS HEALING...AND WHEN RIGHTEOUS PEOPLE PRAY THINGS HAPPEN.(Apostle James wrote)James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. :