Forgotten

Read chapter 8 of Deuteronomy.

Did you notice how much the United States has become like the people described there? We have plenty. And, we have forgotten the commandments of God. We are in a good land. Yet, we have forgotten that He is a holy God. We eat sumptuously. But, we have forgotten that He is a just God. We have a land that brings forth much produce. Still, we have forgotten He is a jealous God. We are full. None the less, we have forgotten that He is a perfect God. We are wealthy. And, we have forgotten He is a living God. By forgetting all these things about God, we are making our own false god.

It is our turn to pray as Moses did in the next chapter (9:18, 26-27). We must pray that we will not be destroyed. We must pray for remembrance. We must pray for mercy. I wonder what "work" God will do to the USA if we are subjected to Psalm 119:126 because we have made God's law void.

(Father God, I thank You for the bountiful land that You have provided these United States. I bless You for the good land which You have given us. I am thankful that we have eaten and are full. I praise you for the water, the wheat, and the honey. Oh, Father God, it is Your power that has made this possible. It is Your power that has made us wealthy. Please remember us and grant us mercy because we have forgotten You. I remember You, O LORD. I remember to walk in Your ways and to fear You. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen.)

Praying to God

While working on the previous post, I began to wonder what is the proper way to close a prayer. What is the proper punctuation? How do I pray in Jesus name?

I did a quick search on the Internet and pulled myself to the example provided by God through His Holy Word for instructions. It really is pretty simple. Prayer is directed to God the Father in the name of God the Son (Jesus) delivered by the groaning of God the Holy Spirit.

"Father God, I am clay in your hands, help me to stay that way through all life's demands cause they chip and they nag and they pull at me." (Lose My Soul, Toby Mac) This is the beginning of my current favorite song. It starts the prayer properly and is an awesome example . While the song does not directly follow the example provided in Matthew 6 and Luke 11, it is none the less a heartfelt prayer. And while the words were not originated with me, they are also my heartfelt prayer.

I've heard so many times that the words of the prayer are not what are important but that God hears the cry of the heart. I believe this to be true. Prayers can be offered in many ways and it is the position of the heart and the words of the heart that God hears and acknowledges. When my heart cries out to Father God, He hears. God is so great and awesome. I'm excited as I learn more about Him.

(Father God, I am clay in Your hands. I know that You fashion me to be what You desire. I also understand that while I am clay, I have a free will - unlike earthly clay. I can make decisions that cause Your perfect plan to be marred. Yet, You quickly and wonderfully fix, smooth, rework, and perfect the clay. You don't remove the consequences of my bad decisions You use them to Your glory. I stand amazed at all times at how You can continually do that without losing it. Thank You Father God for loving me. In the name of Jesus, Amen.)

Awesome God

Yes, my God is awesome. He is so good, faithful, and consistent. He cares for me. He is orchestrating things for my good even when I don't know it. Yes, He is awesome. My work was overwhelming me. The project could not be accomplished in the time frame given. I sought God's protection and relief through prayer. I prayed, my family prayed, my church sisters prayed. But, God had already been at work on the hearts of those at work. He brought us to a place of understanding so that the project time line was extended. It happened in the time that He wanted. I was in a position of lost power and humility. He is great. He shows His power in these -- uh -- magnificent ways. There is no fan fare to it. It is in the things taken for granted. We, no, I have to stop and see them.

(Lord, thank you for taking care to put everything in place so that I would not be broken. Thank you for being in the little things. Your power is magified there. In Jesus' Name I pray, amen.)

So much...

I have so much on my prayer list this evening. Each of the blogs I follow has something that I want to bring before our Great God. My day has many items that I know He knows but I want to discuss with Him.

I have so much for which I am thankful. I am reminded that the volume of the books could not hold all that Jesus did during His earthly ministry. My mind can not hold all my thanks or my requests. I have to give them over to God.

(Lord, I'm in an attitude of prayer even now. Hear my voice. Give me the grace to accept the answer to each request as You provide it. Give me the grace to accept Your will in every situation even and most especially when it is not what I'm requesting. Thank You, in Jesus' name, amen.)

Thorns, Briers and the Kings Kids

Read Judges 8:16-23.

Gideon gave a Bible lesson using thorns and briers. Praise the Lord I missed that one.

Consider the testimony of Gideon in this passage. "As thou art, so were they; each one resembled the children of a king." Even as as he taught with thorns and briers, demolished a tower and fought men to the death, he carried himself as a child of the King. What is it about Gideon that these men recognized? I believe our answer to be found a few short verses later...

And Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the LORD shall rule over you.

There it is (verse 23). The Lord ruled Gideon's life and it was obvious to all who came in contact with him.

(Lord, thank you for the scripture from which I can learn. Help me to be recognizable as a child of the King no matter what I'm doing. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.)

Powerful Prayer and Inspiration Locations

Today God reminded me of how powerful He really is. I've been struggling with stress at my job and I've asked the ladies in my Sunday School class and the prayer warriors in Wednesday Prayer Meeting to remember me as I deal with the situation. God is faithful. He has answered the prayers of His children. I have been able to concentrate and get tasks completed in face of the stress and struggles. I've been able to come home each day with a tired body but a calm spirit. My heavenly Father God is incredible.

Where do I get my moments? I draw inspiration first from God's own Word, the Bible. That's the reason I have sixty gazillion little scrap pieces of paper with a reference written down on each one. (I have no doubt that some of them are duplicates.) Next, I draw from the feeding I get from my fabulous Pastor who uses the Bible as his primary resource. For day to day pick-me-ups, I visit Our Daily Bread Online and Proverbs 31 Ministries Blog Online. I have various study guides and topical books although I am careful to read these in the light of scripture. It seems that just because something claims to be a Christian book it might not be so on the pages.

There are so many other books, songs, people, things, etc. that God uses to make a moment in my life. I am truly blessed.

(Lord God, thank you for holding me together during this time. I know it's not over and I can't see the end but I know that YOU can. That's all that really matters. Bless each one that has lifted me up in prayer this week, please. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.)

Tired and wondering...

I haven't posted in a few days because I've been so busy at work that my mind is exhausted by the time I get home each evening. This evening, we went and had a great meal so I've got a bit of my mind back.

Please pray for Ashley tonight. She is in significant need of the Lord's intervention for her health.

I'm wondering if those of us calling ourselves Christian know what we are doing in this election cycle. Are we educating ourselves to the true nature of the candidates? Are we scrutinizing the candidates for honesty and consistency? Do we believe that we will never be persecuted for our faith? Are we asking God to raise up a righteous man to lead our nation? Are we asking God to forgive our national sins?

I'm wondering what our lives will be like in one year? Will the LORD have raptured out His bride? Will we be hiding our Bibles to keep them from being confiscated and burned? Will we be holding church in basements to keep our faith from being discovered? Will our fellow church members be killed or imprisoned because they believe in Jesus Christ? Will the tares among the wheat be turning us in? Will we be that close to the tribulation time? Are we that close now?

(Lord God, please forgive me for not memorizing Your Holy Word more fervently. I pray for focus to do that now. Please forgive our sin as a nation. Forgive us for putting other idols on Your throne. Thank you for the salvation that you so freely gave to me. Raise up a righteous and God-fearing man to lead our country. For when a righteous man leads, we will rejoice. I praise Your Name. I pray in Jesus name alone. )

Answered Prayer

"Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man." (Proverbs 3: 3-4)

"Thou art my portion, O LORD: I have said that I would keep thy words. I intreated thy favour with my whole heart: be merciful unto me according to thy word." (Psalm 119: 57-58)

God showed the life verses He has for my son. I've been asking for awhile to know the verses that are to govern and shape my son's life. This is a great undertaking and not to be entered lightly. What joy! Now it becomes my privilige to pray these for and over my son. I'm saddened (briefly) that I did not seek God on this subject earlier in his life. But God is faithful to answer my prayer now and always. He is never late. He's been busy preparing the way.

By the way, I expect there will be lots of entries with this title. Good evening.

A New Week Begins

Hello, it's been a great first day of the week. It is so wonderful how God reveals himself to us. How easy it is to find Him when we just look.

I want to share with you another blog that I follow daily. It is the amazing story of God's presence in a young life, Ashley Adams. I won't give you the details here because I might get them confused. Check out her blog at http://ashleyadamsjournal.blogspot.com/ and her web site at http://www.ashleysstory.org/.

God had used this young lady to open my heart in ways that I tried to stave off. He speaks to me through her journey in ways that are awesome. He's allowed me to see her through His eyes and by doing that He's taught me to see those around me differently. I'm still practicing this ability.

Thanks for taking a moment to see what's up around here. Good evening.