Prayer

Inviting the Enemy Out to Play

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We live in a fallen world. The enemy prowls and surrounds us on all sides. He is shrewd. He is cunning. He is devious. He twists the facts and distorts the truth. He comes to you wearing sheep’s clothing and, if you are not suited up in the full armor of God, you will be deceived.

Then, just like that, before you even know it, you are dancing with the devil. What started out as a little flirting has ended in you inviting him into your home, your job and all the places you hold dear. You invite him out to play where he is more than happy to go to work, spreading evil from corner to corner of your life. You give him an all-access pass to your life and then wonder where in the world you went wrong.

Good news! We are never too far away to be reached by God. He is always near, but you must reach for Him. God is a giver. Realize he gave you what you have. He doesn’t need anything from us…he gives us breath….we are in the place god always meant for us to be….puts us in circumstances…so that men will seek him and find him….God is God…always in charge!

He is a sovereign God….a sovereign guard….he guards and guides us….

Prayer for Today:

Dear Lord, you know the needs of this day. I will do my part and clothe myself in the armor that You designed. The belt of truth. The breastplate of righteousness. The Gospel of Peace. The Shield of Faith. The Helmet of Salvation. And, the only offensive weapon, the Sword of the Spirit, which is Your Word. Please open the eyes of the spiritually naïve, Lord, so that they may suit up and STAND as well, at all times, but especially today when it seems the enemy is being called out to play. Amen and ehmen!

And The Word of God Says:

Ephesians 6:10-18New International Version (NIV)

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

Walking with God: About Faith and Favor.

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Whenever I get the chance I like to take a walk with God. Literally. The following is what I learned during our stroll around the neighborhood…

God’s favor isn’t about our personal pleasure, it’s about His purpose. It’s when we truly understand this that we truly become useable by God. Don’t listen to the prosperity preachers. They have it all twisted. God’s favor is not about your financial gain, a new car, new clothes, worldly comforts. And, if that is your view and expectation, you will be sorely and eternally disappointed. Not that you won’t get some of those things, it’s just that if you don’t use them properly, it will be ALL you get. You will have received your reward. A small, temporary, fleeting reward in the grand scheme of things.

I’ll say it again. God’s favor isn’t about our personal pleasure, it’s about His purpose. Look at Mary. She found favor, but do you think it was easy to have her life interrupted just as she was about to marry the man of her dreams? Do you think it was easy for her to be shunned and made fun of as she tried to convince people that she was still a virgin while looking like she was carrying a beach ball under her frock? Thank God, she had the faith to accept God’s favor.

What about Noah? Do you think it was easy to build an ark big enough to carry two of all of God’s creations…without help? Do you think it was easy to know everyone thought he was crazy? Thank God, he had the faith to accept God’s favor.

What about Joseph? David? Moses? And Jesus? What about Jesus? Do you think it was easy to be betrayed; to suffer the cruelest most inhumane death possible? Thank God, he had the faith to accept God’s favor. And the list goes on and on. Thank God, they had the faith to accept God’s favor.

Lord, I ask that you help me to have the faith to accept your favor and the strength to do what needs to be done. I know without You, I am nothing. I also know that I need Your strength.  I need You. Thank you, Jesus, for being my Lord and Savior. And for choosing a plain old, everyday, run-of-the-mill girl like me to take part in your grand plan. I am favored, indeed. And I am honored. Help me to make you proud today and everyday. Amen and Ehmen!

Savor the Silence…

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Writer’s Note: Just before Thanksgiving last year, I spent a weekend at a monastery. Knowing that God was clock photocalling me there for a little ‘Me and Thee Time,” I went. And, boy, am I glad I did. I didn’t know what to expect, but I knew WHO to expect. As promised, He met me there and taught me more in a few moments of silence than I could learn in years of busyness and bustle. Thanks for reminding me of this, Dear Lord, as I have let the loudness of life take its toll on me this week. Back to the stillness, to the silence, to Your Peace! Happy Sunday, y’all. May you find Him in all that you do.

In the silence, I sit. The only sound is the ticking of a nearby clock. Tick tock. Tick tock. The echo of minutes, of hours, of time passing by.

But, you need not be left behind. Grab hold of one of those moments and don’t let go. Delve deeper and deeper into solitude and into that sweet, sweet place that only you and God dwell.

Oh, how much easier it is to hear Him when you are in the same place at the same time. Oh, how much easier it is to see and feel Him when all else falls away.

Why, I wonder, do people fear silence so much? Why do they treat it as if it were a roaring lion trying to devour them when in reality it is the noise and distractions that are most dangerous? Yes, the truth is that silence is beautiful. It has a rhythm which ebbs and flows and harmonizes with every beat of you heart. It is the foundation of God’s own voice, speaking directly to you. Can you hear him? I can.

Lord, may I learn to embrace the silence and You on a daily basis, whether at a monastery or at home where finding peace and solitude is more of a challenge. May I learn to turn down the volume of everyday life so that I can commune with you and hear the sweetness of your still, small and mighty voice every day. I love you. Forever and ever. Amen and Ehmen.

1 Kings, Chapter 19

11 Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.

13 So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

Pondering “On Purpose”

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From my personal “Dear God” journals. Did you know that the best prayers are really just converdear godsations; a real, two-way chat between you and your Heavenly Father? You talk and you listen…the latter being the most important, especially when the other conversationalist is your very Creator. In recent years, I have enjoyed putting those conversations on paper, starting my morning with God’s Word, a blank page and a desire to get closer and learn more from my Father in Heaven. Much of what I write stems from these early morning sessions. This morning I invite you into my private God time in hopes that you find a word or perhaps two that speaks to you. And, remember, you, too, can talk to God. You don’t need fancy words or a specific time and place. Just talk to Him like you would a friend. He’s always listening…and speaking.  Amen and Ehmen! 🙂

Hey, God.

I’m sorry about letting work and things get in the way of our time together this morning, but here I am. Better late than never, I suppose. Help me to stay right here with you, mind, body and spirit until we have had this very important one-on-one time together. Help me to stay committed as I know that this is what is needed to get me to the next level of your will and purpose for me. It is what is needed to help me learn to move aside and let you do your thing….your way….in me. It is what is needed to get the education that You want me to have, oh Teacher. Lord, help me to turn everything else off and “just be” with you. I don’t want to be that kid that is texting and surfing the internet the whole time their parent is trying to talk to them. Billie has done that to me and it doesn’t feel very good. And, honestly, I’ve done it to people too and there is no way that I got everything that I should have and could have gotten out of the time spent with them. Satan is happiest when we bow to our flesh or his temptation and will do anything to drive us to distraction when we are trying to do what is righteous and what is good. He will do anything to close our bibles and clog our minds. He will do anything to keep this time between us from happening, but anything is possible WITHIN my power in You, in Jesus’ name. Help me to stay in Your Name, dear Lord. Today and every day. Amen and Ehmen.

Dear Child,

You are Mine and I am proud of you. Your enemies may distract you, but they can never take you away from Me or My love. You are special. You are talented. You are finally beginning to open the gifts I have given you. I know it is hard for you to just sit in front of this blank page with a clear mind focused on just Me and My purposes for you. But, I will say this again and again until you hear me. Your desire to seek my perfect will is what matters the most and that, together with My power, is all that is needed to get the job done. You are My child and I am your Father. I will always be there to gently correct you when it is needed and will always do everything out of love and for your best interest. And, in serving your best interest, I will always be fueling you to fully and completely fulfill the purposes I have laid before you. You will get there, my Child, as long as you stay with me. And it will be more glorious than anything you can imagine. But, also know this, it is a process. My will for you is ongoing. There are checkpoints along the way; tasks that will be completed and fulfilled, but your purpose is not one thing, one end result. It is not one book to be written or even published. That may be part of it, but it’s not the end. Your responsibility in fulfilling your purpose continues until you come home to Me for eternity, and the end results of your fulfillment of that purpose will, like you, live on for eternity. Not just until the end of the age when I return to gather all of my belongings, but after My Kingdom has come as well; for your purpose, just like the purposes of all My children, is to spread the good news to and fro across the earth, through the ages and all generations, and that has eternal implications. There are people that you and only you can reach for the Kingdom and these are people within your personal sphere of influence today as well as people who you don’t even know and even some that aren’t even born yet. I don’t expect you to understand it all. You can’t on your side of Heaven, but you do have to trust Me. I’m proud of you for wanting this more than anything; for wanting my Will and Purpose for you more than material or worldly things. I have heard your cries and pleas. I know you are ready to “get started”, but I need you to understand that THIS is “getting started.” Just stay focused on me; stay in obedience. Keep communicating with me daily and, yes, stick with our morning time together, not because I want to give you another rule to keep or hoop to jump through, but because I want undistracted time to truly develop and grow you; to touch you spiritually and to deeply love you. To help you fulfill your purpose from me as that purpose can only be fulfilled through Me. Let that seep deep into your understanding, dear child. Any purpose from Me, must be fulfilled though Me. Oh, the plans I have for you. Now, go about your day, dear Child, and know that I am with you every step of the way. It really is all good, when I’m in the picture. Shalom.”

Oh, my dear Lord, thank you so very much. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you. I lay here smiling broadly and deeply breathing in a sense of peace and joy that can only come from you….such a far cry from where I was less than an hour ago when this exchange started. I was knee deep in work frustrations, which I allowed to start, before my time with you, and, yet, just as You always promised, you brought me back into Your Peace and Purpose. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I cannot wait to go back and see what was written as I am always astonished by the wisdom, love and beauty. I can’t always see the entire picture when I’m typing. I get an idea, but nothing like what I get out of it when I read it. Thank you for communicating with me like this. What a precious gift. I love you, dear Father. And I praise you as I strive to always live in Jesus’ name, Amen and Ehmen!

Prayer to the Almighty Puzzle Master

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Writer’s Note: This is an excerpt from my personal God Journals written several years ago as I was going through a particularly rough patch. Things were changing in my life, some painful, some confusing and all of which would turn out to be the beginning of a whole new journey for me, an exciting journey that has brought me to this place at this time, a place in which I live and breath closer to God than I ever imagined was possible. Never give up on God, my friends, because He never gives up on you! This I can promise.

Hey, God, it’s me again.puzzle pieces heart

It’s 5:11 in the morning and though I’m concerned about not getting enough sleep, I felt the nudging of the Holy Spirit that I should go get my computer and write a little this early morn. I had prayed last night for the Holy Spirit to come upon me and inspire my writing so that I am writing what you need me to write. So here I am.

When I look back on my life at the difficult times, I can always find positive things that came out of the hardships I faced. All believers can do this, if they truly have faith and trust in You. That faith and trust is what allows us to give up dwelling on the negative and firmly grasp the positive. It has been my faith and trust in You that has gotten me through this most difficult year. And, though, I am still in the midst of trials and tribulations, I can actually see Your masterful and powerful hand moving throughout my life, shifting the puzzle pieces around, snapping them in place, one at the time. It’s my faith—my  ability to see the puzzle picture of my life slowly coming together—that keeps me going.

I’m finally learning that we can’t just grab puzzle pieces from anywhere and try to force fit them into our lives, because if You didn’t put those pieces in our puzzle box, they’re simply never going to fit. And, who wants a puzzle that doesn’t fit together? No, I don’t want to create my own picture anymore. I want You, the Creator of the universe,  to be my artist, because I know that Your picture for my life is better than anything I can possibly come up with on my own. Indeed, the sooner I give You full reign and complete creative license over my life, the sooner my picture will emerge as the true work of art, the truly purposeful life I was created for.

God, I wholeheartedly, give it all to you. Right now. Take me and take my talent, work through me. I only want to write your words, words that please you, words everlasting.

Thank you for giving me these gifts. I commit them all to you.

I love you, God.

Amen and Ehmen

And our Almighty Savior says:

Isaiah 14:24: The LORD Almighty has sworn, “Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will happen.

Jeremiah 29:11:  For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Romans 8:28: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Isaiah 55:8:

My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything your could imagine.”