Having a Vibrant Prayer Life

-Written by J. Fisher
"Now I lay me down to sleep.
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
If I should die before I wake,
I ask the Lord my soul to take."
"God is great. God is good. Let us thank Him for our food. Amen."
When we were children, our prayers were simple. We practiced saying grace and bedtime prayers, repeating after our parents in rote memorization. But what about now? Have your prayers remained repetitive and tentative?
A vibrant, meaningful prayer life accompanies a mature faith and close walk with God.

“Teach us to pray,” the disciples said. They were eyewitnesses to the ministry of Jesus, yet they still needed some guidance on prayer. “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
These beautiful words are those of Jesus in the prayer He modeled for His disciples and for us, recorded in Matthew 6:9-13.
In his book, The Prayer of Jesus, Ken Hemphill explains each line of the Lord’s Prayer in detail. Praying as Jesus taught, with an attitude of expectation and a desire to communicate with the Father, sets our hearts right; our focus is shifted from ourselves to the worship of God and the service of others.
Prayer mirrors the depth of our relationship with God. “I view prayer as a continuous conversation with God,” says Catherine, a doctoral student at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Looking back on the prayer journal she keeps, she can see a clear record of the ways God has moved in response to prayer. And that record reminds her of His love and faithfulness – encouraging her to keep at the relationship and challenging her to rely on Him more and more.
Prayer deepens your faith, broadens your empathy for others and helps you see God constantly at work in our world. If you struggle with what to pray about, simply ask God to open your eyes.
Use Scripture as a basis for prayer. Beth Moore’s book,Praying God's Word, teaches you how to break free from the spiritual strongholds in your life by correlating your own prayers with Scripture. Each of the 14 chapters contain Scripture-prayer combinations to guide you through specific strongholds.

Read the newspaper. It’s full of the names of people who desperately need prayer. The family of a murder victim. The convicted felon sentenced to prison (and the family he will leave behind). Political leaders. Molested and abducted children. Professional athletes. Hollywood actors. You may never meet these people, but you can ask God to lead, guide, comfort, and convict hearts. And He will.

Intercede for people you know. Somebody’s always changing jobs, getting married or divorced, or having a difficult day.
Voice prayers of thankful gratitude when you hear good news.
Pray in everyday moments.
Pray over decisions which are an investment of finance or time.
Pray about what ministries to be involved in.
Pray for your doctor as you sit in the waiting room.
For your neighbor as he mows his grass.
For the occupants of that speeding ambulance.
Paul’s words in 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 tell us to “pray continually.”

Start with a thank you. In the same passage, Paul also says to “give thanks in all circumstances.” Thank God for the blessings in your life, big or small. Being thankful can often open the skies in your prayer life. Thank God for your burger at lunch or for your new promotion. Thank Him for another day to live.

Pray the small stuff. Pray the big stuff. and the stuff in between.
When you’re at a loss for words, begin with the things you know, the everyday things around you.
Voice your concerns to God, whether they seem legitimate or not.
Try a prayerful posture. Those old knees can take the heat.

Pray out loud. Sometimes talking out loud to God can make prayer a more conversational situation. And when you pray out loud, pray from your heart. Don’t try to impress God with fancy words. Jesus even warned against this (Matthew 6:5-8).

Use a map. Pick a region, country, or city and intercede for it every day for at least a week. Pray for that area’s leaders, for believers to be encouraged, and for God to bring revival.

God hears and answers every prayer of His children. "Yes," "No," and "Wait" are all viable answers.
Judy, a registered nurse in Tennessee, felt led to share Christ with a college friend named Susan. “That may be for you,” Susan responded, “but it’s not for me.” Judy felt she had failed in one of her first attempts to witness. As her contact with Susan dwindled, Judy continued to pray for God to intervene in Susan’s life. Five years later, Susan was killed in a tragic car accident. At the funeral, Judy was surprised and delighted to learn that Susan had become a Christian the previous year. Judy says, “God used that experience in my young Christian walk to teach me His faithfulness. He uses both answered and seemingly unanswered prayer to build our trust in Him.”

Heart Examination
Before you pray, examine your heart to check if it’s in tune with God’s. If your prayers feel stale and routine, ask Him to help you. A revitalized, creative prayer life is a wonderfully transforming thing.

God is in Control

-by Mary Southerland

"I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. Psalm 32:8 (NLT)

The apostle Paul understood and lived by the truth that God is constantly at work in and around us, monitoring every circumstance. Paul writes in Philippians 4:10, “I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it.” There is a truth in this verse that is easy to miss - the truth that God is always at work around us. Paul’s circumstances did not show that God was working. But Paul knew! He was secure in the belief that help was on the way so he stood firm and began watching for God to show up! He examined every circumstance, understanding that it had already passed through His Father’s hands with His permission! And God came through! To find real security and contentment we must learn to search for the handprints of God in the every day circumstances of life.

Life is not a series of accidents but a series of divine appointments made by our heavenly Father, designed to prove that He loves us and orchestrated to illustrate His provision for us. That interruption we complain about or that intrusion we resent may well be a window of opportunity sent by Him! God is our provider. The word “provider” comes from two Latin words, “pro” which means “before” and “video” which means, “to see”. In other words God will take care of it beforehand. God caused the church at Philippi to become concerned about Paul’s needs and it came at the time when Paul needed their love the most! He always comes when we need Him the most! It is a picture of the Good Shepherd meeting every need of every sheep.
John 10:4 After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they recognize his voice. (NLT)

The Shepherd is always ahead of his sheep - out in front which means that any attack upon the sheep has to take him into account first. What peace and security we can have knowing that God has gone before us through every valley, across each mountain of life. He knows what tomorrow holds and will give us everything we need to face it. When we begin to understand and walk in the truth that God monitors every circumstance, we will also understand and walk in contentment. You may find yourself in a frightening place filled with darkness and doubt. Your fragile heart may be wondering if God knows where you are. Let me assure you my friend - He does. Even if you cannot see Him He can see you. And when it comes right down to it, I really prefer that God be able to see me rather than insisting that I be able to see Him!
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"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.
Jer. 29:11

Blessings~

Happy Thanksgiving All!

Dear Blogettes, many of you may be traveling or out and about this Thanksgiving weekend... I wanted to give you a few excerpts from some Thanksgiving devotionals ....together they are a bit lengthy but worth the read.. I hope they will resonate with your ThanksGiving to God :)

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* Thanksgiving: Celebrating Divine Goodness
by Deborah Wuehler
We cannot go through the month of November without thinking, “I have so much to be thankful for!” But, instead of thinking the same old thanksgiving thoughts, I want to encourage you to look at Thanksgiving in a slightly different way this year.
Noah Webster was a man who knew his own history. In his 1828 dictionary, he defined Thanksgiving as: “The act of rendering thanks or expressing gratitude for favors or mercies. 2. A public celebration of divine goodness; also a day set aside for religious services, specially to acknowledge the goodness of God, either in any remarkable deliverance from calamities or danger, or in the ordinary dispensation of his bounties.”

A celebration of divine goodness and remarkable deliverance. These concepts were probably at the root of the feelings of gratitude in the pilgrims. I believe they were more than simply thankful for their families, friends and their feast. I believe it touched those things but also went much deeper than that. I believe they were thankful for the God of their feast. Sounds like a no-brainer, doesn’t it. Of course they were thankful for their God – aren’t we all? But just how are we thankful for our God today? I would guess that most of our thankfulness has to do with His provision and not necessarily His Person. The pilgrims knew that His provision was because of His character.
From my historical readings, the first Pilgrims knew their God! They knew Him to not only be a Provider, but a God of Mercy; their Creator; Redeemer; Life-giver; Deliverer; Rescuer. They knew Him to be all these things and were filled with Thanksgiving that He would even acknowledge mortal men!
How about us? Do we know Him in this way? At this time of year especially, we tend to give thanks for what God does for us, more than for who He is.
So, my recommendation is not to simply celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday – but celebrate the God behind the holiday and give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!

Psalm 136
v.1 Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever!

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Thanksgiving's Unexpected Blessings
- by Rebecca B. Jordan
For the last year, my husband and I have been systematically sorting through every closet, every drawer, and every space in our home. Why? I have been trying to fulfill a long-time promise to him to de-clutter and organize our home more efficiently. And that’s a hard task for a sentimental collector like myself. Inwardly, I objected as usual: “It’s a waste of good, creative time.” “I’m not skilled at organizing.” “It’s too hard to decide what stays and what goes.” “I just don’t have time to do it.” “When would I write?” But love has a way of breaking down your defenses, and God has a way of reminding you of your promises. So I put other things on hold and began the task. When we decided to redecorate in the process that sparked a creative surge. Still, there were times when I wanted to give up. The task seemed endless. We finally struck a compromise: I would weed out, if my husband would reorganize what was left. Ouila! This time our garage sale was so huge, our neighbor left a message on our phone saying, “You’re not moving, are you?” After staring at those merchandise-filled tables for two days, I wondered why I ever kept that baggage in the first place. The house is almost finished -- both the redecorating and the organizing. And through this process God taught me something--many things, in fact. What started out as a huge, dreaded burden ended up a fantastic blessing. I can find things in record time. I have a new admiration for my husband, and he thinks he got a new wife! The house has a fresh look--and God gave me a new confidence. Not to mention all the stories that evolved during that time!

God's blessings come in all shapes and sizes. He loves to bless His people! But after a closer look in the Bible, I discovered many blessings I had never thought about -- like getting rid of “stuff” -- excess baggage that interferes with our intimacy with Him
and His peaceful presence in our lives. In fact, I found that knowing God more intimately is one of the best blessings of all.

At Thanksgiving, what better time to think through and appreciate the "unexpected" blessings God shows us. Here are just a few:

-If you've ever experienced God's hand of discipline, and you were allowed to see His reasons for doing so, you can never say, "I don't deserve that kind of treatment." Instead, you would thank your Father God for His protection and wisdom.
-If you have struggled with an unchangeable defect or a menacing weakness, and felt God's power in the midst of it, you understand the blessing of God's overcoming strength being made perfect through you.
-If you've come near to losing someone who is precious to you, you will thank God for His mercy, for second chances and the gift of time. You will treasure each day and each memory -- and you will love more deeply.
-If you've ever observed the awesome handiwork of God in nature and basked in the beauty and wonder of His creation, you cannot help but praise Him profusely.
-If you have lost a loved one, experienced deep grief or experienced the pain of loneliness, and felt God's arms around you, then you understand the pain and the magnitude of Christ's sacrifice for you -- and you will thank God for His tender and compassionate comfort.
-If you have ever broken God's heart through sin (and we all have), then you can never say to God, "I deserve more." Instead, you will thank God for His infinite love -- and for the hunger to know Him deeply, and cry out to Him, "God, You deserve more!"
-If you have survived a near accident, pulled through a crushing blow, or felt His peace in the midst of a storm, you are eternally grateful for your Master Potter, and for the Blessed Controller who is shaping you into His image and who values you as His child.
-If you have ever asked God for something, and received God's "No," but then He answered with something far better than you could ever have hoped or imagined, then you will thank God that He works all things out for your good -- and that His ways are not your ways.

That's only the beginning, but you get the idea. And it really doesn't matter if you live in another country where Thanksgiving is not a national holiday like it is in America. We all forget. That why I love to remind others -- and myself -- that we are indeed a most blessed people. That's why my heart wells up with gratitude daily, yes, thanking God for His blessings, but with a pleading, "Oh God. Please! How can I bless you?" I pray that instead of offering a word of thanks this year, we will give Him more. Instead of thanksgiving, may we pledge to Him our "thanksliving."
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with Thankfulness and blessings :)

Being Thankful.........for the People in our lives

-by Robin Dugall

I thank my God every time I remember you. Phillipians 1:3

Thanksgiving is just around the corner again and I’m sure that across our country, pastors are preaching sermons pointing out the need for Christ-followers to be thankful people. As a pastor, I’ve made impassioned pleas for Christ-followers to rise above our culture… to resist the temptation for the holidays to be simply another opportunity for us to be self-focused and self-indulgent. Thanksgiving isn’t just about eating to the brink of explosion; shopping to the brink of bankruptcy; watching television to the brink of insanity. I’ve tried to make the point that Thanksgiving for a person who loves God can be so much more.

Even so, I discovered in my own life that despite what I’ve preached, I have missed a crucial element in the process of being a thankful follower of Jesus in my own life. I found that over the years I have been mostly thankful for the THINGS in my life; for food, finances, the house I have lived in, the clothes I have worn, and so on. While there’s nothing wrong with being thankful for these things, I have missed the boat on giving thanks for the biggest blessings of God in my life…PEOPLE. Consider how empty, purposeless, and meaningless, our lives would be without relationships. Relationships have shaped who we are and who we are becoming. Without exception, everyone I know has been positively influenced by another person. While it is easy to thank God for the THINGS in our lives, we should remember to be equally thankful for the PEOPLE God has placed in our lives as well!

Let me give you just one example. I am thankful for my Aunt Patty. She had suffered a brain injury when she was a small child severe enough that by the time I was born, she had become mentally disabled. But, when I was a child, she would play games and entertain me for hours. She loved me unconditionally. We would play The Beatles records, and pretend to be Paul and John. It was her love for music that infected my soul for the rest of my life. I thank God for her!

How about you? Who do you thank God for?
This Thanksgiving, take a few moments and thank God for the relationships in your life. Truthfully, it can revolutionize your life.


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blessings :)

Psalm 27

The Lord is my light and my salvation-- whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life-- of whom shall I be afraid?
When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall.
Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident.

One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.

For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock. Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the Lord.
Hear my voice when I call, O Lord; be merciful to me and answer me.
My heart says of you, "Seek his face!" Your face, Lord, I will seek.
Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, O God my Savior. Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me. Teach me your way, O Lord; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors. Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing out violence.

I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

Our Personal Accountability

God holds us accountable for our words, actions, and thoughts. In Psalm 139, David writes: "O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, and are intimately acquainted with all my ways" (vv. 1-3).

There is a mystery to God’s love that our human minds cannot understand fully, and that is this: God knows all about us, and yet He loves us. He knows our inner thoughts and how we flash with anger when someone hurts us. He sees how we become jealous, resentful, and critical of others.

The fact that God loves so freely should stir a desire within us to draw closer to the Lord. David wrote: "Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me . . ." (v. 24). Will you pray this prayer with David, and ask the Lord to reveal anything in your life that is displeasing to Him?

Godly friends are a rich source of accountability. They can help us discern pure motives and right actions, thoughts, and feelings. Be willing to accept this type of accountability from a committed Christian friend. When you do, you will find your spiritual walk with Christ has deepened, and you will gain fresh insight into your own life and habits.
- by Charles Stanley - (from today's portion of his In Touch devotional)


blessings all~

Honoring US Veterans Day

Armistice Day became Veterans' Day by an act of Congress in 1954. President Eisenhower called on the nation to remember the sacrifices of those who fought in all our nation’s wars, to celebrate the contributions of all veterans of military service, and to rededicate ourselves to the task of promoting an enduring peace. It is Eisenhower’s call that remains the three-fold purpose of Veterans' Day: remembering those who fought and died, celebrating all veterans, and promoting an enduring peace.

Click here for a Veteran's Day Tribute

From the Presidential Prayer Team for Kids:
Since we are honoring Veterans this week in advance of Veterans Day, it’s a very good time to pray for all the veterans who have served our country so very faithfully, giving of their efforts and energy and their lives. Pray that they will know how grateful our country is, and pray that each one will have their needs—whether physical, emotional or spiritual—fully met by those closest to them. Pray that those who suffer with disability or other difficulty because of their service will receive all the services and support needed to help them live a full and good life. Veterans Day is also a great time to thank God for the blessings of freedom, because our veterans fought and sacrificed for us to have that freedom.

with thankfulness for those who have served as veterans~
blessings all~

Ephesians 2:10

For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

When We Love

Frances Mason died a few days ago.
I realize fully that very few who will read this will know anything about Frances Mason. But I did. You see, Frances Mason made a powerful impact on my life for one very simple reason: She loved me.

I became the pastor of Green Valley Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., in 1990. It was my second church out of seminary, and I was a 35-year-old “kid.” Frances Mason had seen neophytes like me come and go, but this senior citizen made a decision the day I came to Green Valley. “Pastor,” she said with enthusiasm, “you will have some good and bad days here, but I want to promise you two things. First, I will pray for you every day and, second, I will love you no matter what.”

When I think of people who have made significant positive differences in my life, Frances Mason is near the top. Even after I left Green Valley, she continued to call and write with a simple message: She loved me.

Maybe it is because I am in a position today to see a broader view of evangelical Christianity. I hope it is not because I have become cynical. But it just seems to me that Christians are showing less love and more judgmental behavior.

I can hear possible sighs: “Oh no, Rainer is talking about this love thing. He is going soft on doctrine.” But the foundation of Christian doctrine is the love of Christ manifest on the cross. And the Apostle John tells us that this love is most evident when Christians love one another:

“Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God” (1 John 4:7).

Indeed my doctrine drives me to love others. And when I do not, I am nothing less than disobedient to this doctrine I say I believe.

Coach Joe Hendrickson loved me, too. Again, few of you will know his name. He was my high school football coach. In the two short years he coached at Bullock County High School in Union Springs, Ala., he made a profound impact on the team. He was tough, but we players never doubted that he loved us. Coach Joe was a follower of Christ, and the love of Christ was so very evident in his attitude and behavior. So when he shared the Gospel of Christ with me, I listened. He had already won my trust and my heart by his love. And on that same day he shared with me, I became a follower of Christ.

I was surprised to feel the lump in my throat when I received the call that Frances had died. Indeed it has been years since I have seen her. It is simply amazing how love transcends barriers and years. She knew how to pray. And she knew how to love.

One person led me to Christ by demonstrating Christian love. Another person’s Christian love and prayers strengthened me in some challenging times.

This morning in my quiet time, I reflected on lives like Frances’ and Coach Joe’s. And I began to pray. May I share with you portions of my prayer?

“Lord, teach me to pray for someone before I criticize them.”

“Lord, help me to see others through Your love, and to treat them as You would.”

“God, remind me of the brevity of life, so that I will spend more time loving and less time judging.”

“Father, teach me to love those who do not love me.”

“Lord, may Your love be so apparent in my life that I will have ongoing opportunities to share that love with those who do not know You.”

Frances Mason died a few days ago. But she leaves behind a legacy of love.

“We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

Lord, teach me to love.

~by Thom S. Rainer
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blessings & much love ~

Stars...

by Gwen Smith

He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name (Psalm 147:4).

A few days back, as my kids were playing with Play-Dough at the kitchen table, they enthusiastically called me over to view their creative masterpieces. I noticed that my son Hunter had used a small cookie cutter to make a bunch of blue stars. As I looked at the work of his small hands, I was reminded of a Bible verse. So I asked them, “Did you guys know that the Bible talks about stars?” I continued, “It says that God made all of the stars in the sky and has named each one!” Without hesitation, my five-year-old daughter excitedly responded “Like George, Junior and Kelsey?”

After the laugher waned, we had a simple, yet special conversation about God’s love for us. I really enjoy those moments of simplicity…the times when we pause to think about God’s handiwork and His Word as it applies to us. I can’t help but shake my head when I consider the unending lavishness of this thought: if God directed His attention to the stars and named each and every last one…how much more does He direct His attention to His children who are made in His image and purposed in His love?

It’s not uncommon for me to watch my children play in the backyard. While I do care what they are saying to one another, how they are behaving and if they are safe, I just love to watch them because they are my kids…because I love them. Do you know that God delights in you and loves you simply because you are His? Not because of what you do or don’t do…not because of what you say or don’t say…not because of what neighborhood you live in or what dress size you wear. He just – flat out – loves you!

Psalm 145:20a says “The LORD watches over all who love him….”

I’m so glad that I don’t have to perform for God in order to be loved by Him. Just like the stars in the heavens, we were hand made by the Master of Life. He watches over us, loves us and extends mercy to us through Jesus. I need that mercy daily. We all do. Let’s intentionally remember that today and look for opportunities to extend that same attention, love and mercy to the people in your life. - by Gwen Smith


blessings :)

Isaiah 40:28 - 31

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.