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Because I know prayer changes things, we must pray and keep on praying. Here are some posts that will build your faith and inspire you to persist until you breakthrough to victory.
You might be surprised if you know me personally, because I’m so energetic and passionate, (that’s a nice way to say I’m loud and crazy)–but I was a very compliant child. I was content to stay home. I made mud cakes in a little muffin tin and baked them in the sun. I danced and […]
The last scrap of meat has been carved off the end of the ham bone. The last deviled egg was gobbled, so the plate could be washed. All that’s left of Easter is the two malted milk ball eggs in the bottom of the bag that the kids didn’t find. It’s almost the end of […]
I’ve always loved stories. So it was a natural progression for me to love the narratives of the Bible. I must admit many of them have been a total mystery to me. Mysteries that I’ve pondered and studied to understand the truth cloaked inside. The Garden Mystery One mystery from the pages of Scripture that […]
Dressed in bright colors the mysterious man called himself a rat catcher. He negotiated with the citizens of Hameln to rid them of all their rats. This legend of the Pied Piper of Hameln shared by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm Piped Piper of Hamln is disturbing. First, the thought of a town overrun with rats is repulsive. Just the […]
Extraordinary! NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope let’s us glimpse and enjoy extraordinary sights. But the sky isn’t the only place you find extraordinary examples of God’s creation! Let me tell you of an extraordinary little girl in our School of Holy Spirit. You never know when you’ll meet one, those extraordinary people disguised in the ordinary. […]
Jason and I saw it at the same time. I turned to look at Jason just about the same time that he looked at me to see if I saw what he saw! We just shook our heads. Jason was still in college. If you have experienced a college town as an adult, you […]
December 7, 1941 started off like any normal Sunday morning. Hawaii- a beautiful, tropical paradise! While war raged in Europe, Hawaii was tranquil. The American flag flapped loudly back and forth high on its pole at Ford Island at Pearl Harbor, Oaho, the Pacific headquarters for the American fleet. Even in December, the warm glistening […]
Like a bee, he followed his nose to the source of the sweet fragrance. The bushy-like orange tree was almost as glorious as the fragrance from the blooms. Vibrant orange balls hung like ornaments on the branches covered with emerald green leaves and beautiful white flowers.Wayne brought a fresh orange inside and handed it to […]
It really is important to always celebrate love. Holidays remind us to express our love in tangible ways. Brayden loves to Celebrate My grandson, Brayden, loves to help me bake, but he’s never satisfied to just have an ordinary cake. He always wants to add stuff. Sometimes he suggests sprinkles, chocolate chips or marshmallows. I […]
We had a gorgeous snow time in Michigan. Kayden was born on a snowy afternoon and it is still snowing. They closed schools for two days to celebrate Kayden’s birth. No, actually we celebrated and the school board protected kids from dangerous, icy roads. It was so cold, that the salt wouldn’t melt the […]
She was home and about to get out of the van, when the young child called out, “Mommy.” It wasn’t the usual chipper, little voice that called from the back seat. It was slower and quieter, “Mommy,” she called again.” The little girl waited to be sure her Mom was listening. When her Mom answered, the quiet voice continued, “I did something really bad.”
She had her Mom’s full attention, so the quiet voice continued, “I didn’t buckle my seat belt and I wanted to tell you what I did.”
Her mom was more than a little relieved, “Thank you for telling me. It’s very dangerous to ride without your seat belt buckled. Next time be sure to buckle it, so you are safe.”
Does it bother you when you break God’s rules?
It will if you have a heart that desires to please God. That feeling of conviction that comes when you know you’ve violated God’s rules is like the pain that comes when you run across hot pavement. It says don’t do this again. That sense of conviction is valuable, because it warns you this action or attitude is outside God’s best for you. This choice is displeasing to God.
But what do you do with conviction?
Can you, do you and should you go running to God with the same simplicity of this little child when you break His rules? And the answer is simply, yes. But do you?
Our tendency is to cover our sins, call them by a softer name like “my little problem” to minimize them, or simply ignore them. What happens when we cover our sin or try to ignore it?
1. It festers and breeds guilt. Guilt is entirely different than conviction. Guilt is never from God.
2. It is left to grow deeper, bigger and more destructive.
3. It desensitizes your ability to discern right from wrong in other areas of your life.
And what does Scripture say about hiding that sin?
Proverbs 28:13 NLT “People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy.”
What is your attitude toward sin?
Maybe you are like the young pastor that was praying, “God, I hate sin. I hate it!” He felt a still small voice interrupt his prayer.
“That doesn’t impress me.” He was shocked. He stopped to listen. “I want you to hate YOUR sin.”
Do you…do you hate your sin?
Or just the sin you see in someone else. The life of a believer is a life of surrender to His will, His way and His time. Sin shouldn’t be shrugged as insignificant, but avoided like a cancer or a venomous snake.
James 1:14,15 “Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.” It is important to realize that sin has consequences.
God isn’t a heavenly kill joy! He’s not out to deliberately ruin your fun, but His laws are NOT optional. Without becoming overwhelmed with a sense of fear and dread, we can come to God, “Father, Forgive me.” Or proactively like David, “Search me, God. Is there something there that I don’t see.” And then “Cleanse me, God.”
1 John 2:1 NLT “My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous.”
I love the way that verse starts, “my dear children,” like the child in the back seat suddenly realizes her seat belt wasn’t buckled and responds to a loving parent. God wants to forgive. He wants to enable us to live sin overcoming lives, but when we do sin, we can go running to Him–tell Him what we did, ask for forgiveness and He will forgive! Thank you, Father!
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“Just do it” is a motto I live by. Keira has that same mentality. We were unloading a trailer of fill dirt, when Keira found her shovel and joined us. She picked the dirt up by the handfuls and dropped it onto the shovel. She’ll learn. And while I have accomplished a lot by diving in and just doing it, I have also discovered there are benefits that come with increased knowledge. As a little girl I didn’t know anything about prayer, I just talked to God relationally. Later, I discovered examples and clues in Scripture that enriched my prayer time. I still talk with God about everything, but I also enjoy other kinds of prayer too.
Often, different types of prayer get all rolled up into one group like a pot of soup; causing us to miss the benefits that are derived from savoring the unique and distinct flavors of different types of prayer. Let me explain. Most of us know a lot about asking God for things, that’s the “Prayer of Petition.” The Bible gives us a firm foundation for asking boldly and expecting results. But that’s only one kind of prayer.
And like a cook that is given an unfamiliar spice, we struggle with how to use different types. Without embracing and practicing the different kinds of prayer, our prayer time can lack depth and scope. My intention is not to merely put a name on a type of prayer, but enrich your prayer life to include different types of prayer, so you will operate in them with authority, confidence and boldness.
As a believer we each have a right and a responsibility to pray.
Jesus didn’t say, “Well, just in case you want to pray sometime.” No, He said, “When you pray.” Prayer is a right and a responsibility of every believer.
It is a privilege to pray.
As His child you can enjoy all the benefits of belonging to God’s family. You have access into the very presence of God, not because you earned it, but because Jesus paid the price for your sins. And prayer is also a responsibility, and that responsibility includes prayer for others. “1 Timothy 2:1 NIV I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone–” To intercede for someone is to make earnest, heartfelt requests for them. That kind of praying continues until you feel in your spirit you have touched heaven or until the answer arrives.
We get a glimpse of intercession in the story of the widow woman and the unjust judge in Luke 18:9-14. She wanted to save her son so she interceded for him.
When you realize you have a dog in the fight, you’ll intercede.
No, really. I know this is a crude analogy, but when you’ve got a dog in the fight, you care about the results, otherwise you don’t care. Every believer has a dog in the fight, so to speak, because we are part of a family of believers. Family is important! We take care of family and that includes interceding or taking someone else’s need to God in prayer.
Let me explain with a story from Bruce Wilkerson’s powerful book “Beyond Jabez.” He tells about going into a stadium arena early for a Promise Keepers event where he found a small group praying. The presence of God was so real that he slipped into a seat behind the group and waited until they finished. They explained that they were a part of a group of churches in that city that had been praying every Friday night for a hour and a half for the last year for this event.
But why? Why did they pray so hard for so long? It wasn’t their event! They weren’t speaking. It wasn’t held in their church. They weren’t getting paid.
Two reasons:
They prayed because they cared. They cared because they connected with God. In that connection they began to care about the things God cares about. They saw His heart. They saw a glimpse of what God wanted to do with an upcoming men’s event in their city. They got it. God’s vision rubbed off on them. They began to partner with God through prayer for His will to be done. James 4:2b “And yet the reason you don’t have what you want is that you don’t ask God for it.”
Ask God to stretch your vision to include others. Ask God to stretch your faith. Maybe that stretch will be gradual, but keep hanging out with God. Keep praying your relational prayers. Keep asking God to meet your needs, but then pause long enough to expand your prayer to include, “Father, who do you want me to pray for?” Listen. Pray.
More posts on prayer:
Four Lettered Word that Will Change Your Kids
Still Praying Circles Around You
Think MISSIONAL. If you know someone that would enjoy this blog, please pass it on!
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