Why Should I Attend Church?

"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." Hebrews 10:24-25

Do you attend church regularly? As we can see from the scripture above, God considers getting together with other believers important. He tells us not to neglect it. 

Why?

What good does it do?

Well, the easy answer to "why" is because God said so.

The longer answer to "why" is the answer to "what good does it do?."

The Benefits of Church Attendance (as I see it)

• It gives me a place to belong and a spiritual family to belong to.
• It gives me a chance to spend time in worship with other believers.
• I learn more about God by hearing His word and the message that He has laid on the heart of the Pastor.
• I am encouraged to greater love for others and to good works as I serve those around me (and not just in church).

These are all great reasons to attend church, but I've left one very important reason out. You see, all of the above is focused on what I get out of church, but what's more important is what I give to others while I'm at church. I'm not talking about money, although, giving the tithe (10th of my income) is a part of my weekly worship. I'm talking about helping others to experience the benefits I've listed above. How can I help others to get the most out of coming to church?

I can...

• Welcome them with a hug or handshake and a sincere, "It's good to see you this morning. How was your week?"
• I can enter fully into the worship time by singing the songs, clapping my hands, raising them to God. This may encourage others to worship God wholeheartedly, too.
• I can listen intently to the message, taking notes and jotting down scripture references. After church, I can share briefly a highlight or a scripture that particularly spoke to my heart and ask others what spoke to them.
• I can show real love by being attentive to the needs of others and by serving in some capacity in my church.
• I can be part of a small group that meets during the week to go over the message again and dig a little deeper into the topic, so that we all can grow in our relationship with God.

God wants us to stir one another up. 

Sometimes that takes a negative form. Some use the time after church to criticize the Pastor, the message, or another believer. They might complain about the music, the temperature in the room, or any number of things. That will stir things up, for sure, but that's NOT what God meant. We are to encourage one another, refresh one another, even challenge one another to take the next step in spiritual journey. 

Daily life - problems, busyness and stress all tend to weary us through the week. Sundays give us the chance to revive, refresh and renew. Not just for ourselves, but to be a part of building others up. We were never meant to do life alone. We are better together.

So, I leave you with this; how will you strengthen others this Sunday? How will you "stir up one another to love and good works", this week? How can you give as much as you get?

As you put this into practice, you will find that the more you give to others, the more you will be blessed by great friendships and support, yourself. Go on, give it a try this Sunday and let me know how it works out.

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Divine Appointments

Did you ever have a chance meeting with someone and just know that you were supposed to meet? That happened to me today.

I stopped in a coffee shop today to grab a bite of lunch. While waiting for my food I noticed a beautiful young girl. I didn't know her, but I recognized the look on her face. She looked like me when I'm trying to think of the next words to write - fingers poised over the keyboard, eyes looking up, searching for just the right word or phrase to express what you're trying to say. If you're a writer, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

I asked her if she was writing and that started a conversation. We spoke for just a few minutes, but in that time I learned quite a bit about her and knew that God had arranged for the two of us to run into each other. Her name is Amanda and she has a wonderful story to tell. I just know that God is going to use her to help and encourage many people along the way. He has a wonderful plan for her life and he's arranging circumstances and moving people into her life to help her along the journey.

I'm adding Amanda to the list of people I pray for on a regular basis.

Does something like this ever happen to you? When you're out and about, keep you eyes open for someone that God might want you to meet, to encourage and to pray for. You never know when your normal, everyday life will turn into a divine appointment.

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Dirty Dishes Devotional

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." 

1 Corinthians 10:31

Let me just say this right up front...

I hate doing dishes.

I could say that it's because I grew up in a household with 5 brothers, Mom, Dad and me and that I was responsible for doing the dishes each night while my brothers were allowed to go outside and play...right outside the window over the kitchen sink where I slaved over a pile of dishes. (My mom made wonderful, old-fashioned big meals, so lots of dishes.) Yes, I could say that's why I hate doing dishes, but I won't. You are free, however, to assume that's the reason I hate washing dishes.

Now, here's the kicker - I have a dishwasher, but I wash them by hand. Why, you ask? Well, our dishwasher was installed when our mobile home was manufactured about 35 years ago. It's loud, it runs for about an hour and a half per load and it drives up our electric bill terribly, so until we break down and buy a new energy-saving dishwasher, I do by them by hand. Did I mention that we've lived in our mobile (which we love) for 20 years?

So, there I was this morning, dreading the pile of dirty dishes on my counter. (Yes, I'm a procrastinator.) Then the verse above came to me - 

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." 

1 Corinthians 10:31

I grabbed my Kindle, put on some worship music and sang my way through that pile of dirty dishes. Was done before I knew it and, much to my surprise, I enjoyed it! Who knew?

How about you? What is that one household chore that you dislike so much that you put it off until it's a much bigger job than it needs to be? Can you pretend that God, Himself has asked you to do it for Him? 

Go ahead, do it that way and let us know how it goes.

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Struck with a Sense of Sehnsucht

Sehnsucht (n.)

Origin: German

Definition: The inconsolable longing in the human heart for a far, familiar, non-earthly land one can identify as one's home.

I didn't know there was a word for this constant longing I experience for my heavenly home. It's always there, in the back of my mind - a wondering about what it will be like, look like, sound like.

My heart beats a little faster when I think of dwelling in the presence of my Savior and my Heavenly Father. Will the Holy Spirit still reside within me or will he surround me?

I contemplate the joy I will experience at seeing those I love who have gone on before to their promised reward - that place that was prepared for them by Jesus himself.

The chorus of an old hymn comes to mind...

Oh, I want to see Him, look upon His face,

There to sing forever of His saving grace;

On the streets of glory let me lift my voice,

Cares all past, home at last, ever to rejoice. 

Tell me, my friend, are you ever struck with a sense of sehnsucht?

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Lawlessness and a Lack of Love

Is it possible to love those who have a total disregard for the law and humanity?

 In Matthew, chapter 24, the disciples came to Jesus and asked him, "What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" (verse 3)

Jesus began to list various signs that would proceed His coming. We've heard of most of them; many leaders will come in the name of Jesus and mislead people, wars and rumors of wars, nation rising against nation, famines and earthquakes, many people falling away from their faith, betraying and hating one another, false prophets that mislead many. (verses 5-11)

Then Jesus mentions one that we seldom pay attention to. He said, "Because lawlessness is increased, many people's love will grow cold."

We see increasing lawlessness everywhere these days. Newspapers, television, the internet, radio - the bulk of what is reported as news today on every media outlet is lawlessness and not just misdemeanors, but vile, ugly crimes against humanity. I won't even list them here, because the minute you read that sentence, horrible things came to mind - things you hear on the news every day.

The more we hear about these people who have no regard for one another, for the law, for human life, the more we tend to withdraw. We no longer think of humans as kind and worthy of our love. We pull back from reaching out to those who are lost and hurting because we just don't trust humanity any more. It may be a natural response, meant to protect ourselves, but for those who are followers of Jesus Christ, this can not be, for we are commanded to love - 

"Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." Colossians 3:12-14

This does not just pertain to our fellow believers.. 

"But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you." Luke 6:27

So, friends, as hard as it might be, we need to guard against our love for others growing cold. Love others, fiercely and if that proves too difficult, ask God to love others through you. Let it be His love that reaches out to the ones who hurt us, disappoint us and reject us. Express that love through kindness and praying for those who are hard to love. 

Do not let the godless, lawless acts of others be the reason you pull away from doing what our Father asks us to do - LOVE.

Sometimes living the Christian life is difficult, but God has already given us everything we need to live a life that pleases Him -

"Jesus has the power of God, by which he has given us everything we need to live and to serve God. We have these things because we know him. Jesus called us by his glory and goodness." 2 Peter 1:3 (NCV)

What do you think? Are you having a hard time loving others? Does the behavior of others release us from following God's commands?

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Are you a member of The Church of the Wandering Heart?

Remember how much you loved Jesus when you first asked Him to be the Lord of your life? How hungry you were for the Word? And how your heart longed to let everyone around you know how much God loves them?

What happened? What distracted you? What seemed more fun, more exciting, more profitable? What was the hurt that caused you to distance yourself from the One who loves you?

In the book of Revelation, God tells the church;  I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 

God wants hearts that are committed to Him. Hearts that are not enticed away by the flashy but worthless attractions of this world. Hearts that turn to Him when they are hurting, not blame Him for their troubles. 

The good news is that when we recognize our wandering heart, repent and return to God, there is no condemnation - only love and acceptance.

Dear One, return to your first love. 

He is waiting with open arms. 

Pray: Father, forgive my wandering heart. Restore to me the fire that once burned bright for you. Give me a hunger and thirst for your Word and a love for those around me that reflects your love for them. I am returning to you - my First Love. Amen

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Restoring Intimacy with God

 "Draw near to God and He 

will draw near to you..." 

James 4:8 (NKJV)

I read these words in my morning devotional...

"Sometimes, the reason we lack intimacy with God is that we're in hiding. We might be hiding because of sin in our lives that we don't want to give up. Often, we are hiding because of a distance we've allowed as a result of something difficult we're experiencing. We allow distance because we're questioning God's love, his goodness, or his trustworthiness."  (Debbie Causey - North Point Community Church)

We all long for intimacy with God and why at times He seems so far away. Could it be that we are the ones who have distanced ourselves from Him, all the while craving intimacy with our Heavenly Father?

At some point, we have to decide whether the sin we don't want to acknowledge, much less give up is worth the lack of connection we feel to God. We will have to decide if distancing ourselves from God (perhaps unknowingly because He didn't "perform" in the way we wanted Him to) is worth the aching of our hearts to be close to Him.

Intimacy with God is the cry of every Believer's heart, but it's seldom God who has stepped back. Today, let's search our hearts and see if there is something that we have allowed to come between us, something that needs to be ripped out at the root, so that we are once again free to enjoy intimacy with the One who loves us above all else.

The Father says if we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us.

Take Him at His word.

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How to Bless your Future Generations

We all want to leave a lasting legacy to our children, grandchildren and beyond.

Money is quickly gone, houses get sold, businesses eventually fold,

but the legacy of what it looks like to live your life in step with God,

prayers that cover them in every situation, and

words of encouragement and wisdom from God's Word

will stay with them forever.

That kind of example - walking on obedience to His word,

loving God and loving the people He created - all the people,

will bring blessings untold to your descendants.

What greater legacy could you leave them?

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He Gets You!

Trusting God Paid Off!

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways submit to him,

and he will make your paths straight.

(Proverbs 3:5-6)

Several years ago, we had a credit card with a $4000 outstanding balance. (Mostly due to an expensive surgery.) We were appalled and determined to get it paid off as quickly as possible. We cut back on everything. My husband took on extra jobs. I created custom items and sold them online. It was hard work, but we eventually got that card balance down to $400. We had taken Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University and they had encouraged us to cut up our credit card, but I was afraid. What if we needed another surgery? What if our car broke down? What if something happened to a family member in Ohio and I had to fly home suddenly? I held onto the card.

Then several things happened - 3 more surgeries, multiple car breakdowns and family members that needed some help. Suddenly that credit card balance was almost $12,000 dollars! Appalled was not the word for what we felt - more like ashamed and panicked, wondering how in the world we would be able to ever pay this off.  

Then I received a statement that said if we paid $300 a month for the next 3 years, we could pay the card off in that amount of time. We were struggling just to make the minimum payments, so I couldn't imagine how we could afford $300 a month, but I felt God prompting me to trust Him. 

Took a leap of faith, cut the card in half, framed it and hung it on the wall, trusting God to help us make the large payments to pay the card off in 3 years. This week we made the final payment on the card! God came through every month and to our amazement we never needed a credit card even once during that time. Even more amazing, our car did break down, but each time we had the money to pay for it and just about the time we were sick of making repairs to it, we were given a car!. We did face another surgery, but we worked through the hospital to pay off our part without putting it on the card and without interest. I even made several trips to Ohio to help my mom after open heart surgery and just to visit, but I didn't have to pay for the tickets.

Trusting God definitely PAID OFF!

Do you have overwhelming credit card debt? Why not take a leap of faith. Cut the cards up and ask God to help you pay them off. 

Do you have a story of how God helped you out financially in an amazing way? Please share it in the comments. I'd love to celebrate God's goodness with you.

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Praying with Confidence

Sometimes God's word doesn't seem to match up with my experiences and reality. At first glance, 1 John 5:14-15 appears to be one of those passages...

"¹⁴This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. ¹⁵And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of him."

It's easy for us to skim through verse 14 and jump to the promise of verse 15 - he hears us and we have what we asked of him, but not so fast. If you're anything like me, that's not always a reality. I don't get everything I pray for, do you? So, let's dig a little deeper into this passage.

First of all, I love the fact that we can have confidence in approaching God. That could not be possible if He had not loved us enough to send Jesus to bear our sins on the cross in order to open the door for a right relationship with Himself. (Thank you, God!) So, confidently I go into prayer, confident that he hears my prayers - that they do not bounce off the ceiling or fall on deaf ears, but are carefully monitored by him. I am praying heart-to-heart.

The hard part of verse 14 is praying according to his will, for we don't know how to pray as we ought (Romans 8:26).  Fortunately, God has given us His Spirit, who helps us to pray and intercedes for us as we pray. It is the Holy Spirit who knows God's will - knows God's thoughts (1 Corinthians 2:10-16). As we pray, we need to ask the Holy Spirit to help us pray according to God's will and He will do so.

Still, we are human and our own desires creep into our prayers, so in the end, after we have prayed  and shared our cares and requests with God, we need to acquiesce to His will in the matter, just as Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:39-42) when He closed His own prayer to be released from the cross with, "Nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done." (Luke 22:42)  In doing this, we recognize and submit ourselves to the sovereignty of God.

So, pray with confidence, let your requests be made known to God (Philippians 4:6), then end your prayer by submitting to God's will over your own, because His will is perfect (Romans 12:2). After that, you can relax and let Him handle the situation. Receive His promise to fill you with His peace, which transcends all understanding and will guard your heart and mind (Philippians 4:7). I am assuming that means guarding your heart and mind against worry and anxiety, as mentioned in Philippians 4:6.

You prayed.
You put it in God's hands.
God's got it.
He will do what is best.
Rest in Him.

...and that's how you pray with CONFIDENCE!


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How to Develop Intimacy with God

Exodus 33 records an amazing conversation between Moses and God...

12 Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ 13 If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”

14 The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

15 Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. 16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”

17 And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked,because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”

18 Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”

19 And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.

Were you as astonished as I was at the boldness of Moses when speaking to the Lord? 

Where did this confidence come from? I believe the answer is found in verse 12 when God said...

"I know you by name and you have found favor with me."

Moses and God had an intimate relationship. That kind of relationship can only be developed after spending much time together, after displaying devotion and obedience to God, after walking with Him daily in a way that honors Him.

 Do you wish that you had that kind of relationship with God? I know I do and I'm willing to put in the time, live my life to the best of ability to please Him, cultivate intimacy with Him and listen hard for His directions for me.

There is no better pursuit that we can have then an intimate friendship with our Creator.

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Photo by Daniel Reche via Pixabay

Oh, my Soul - I'm NOT Alone!

The song, Oh My Soul, by Casting Crowns has been pulling at me for a couple of weeks, now. Especially the line that goes, "There's a place where fear has to meet the God you know."

Today, I found the story behind the song on YouTube and it really spoke to my heart...




 I'm not really a fearful person, but lately, fear has been trying to rear its ugly head where my health is concerned. I have a disease (not cancer). I'm not comfortable sharing the details, but there is no cure and no effective treatment. For the past 12 years, it has been getting steadily worse and painful. You can't tell it by looking at me, but I feel it every day. The fear that keeps cropping up is what the future might hold. How bad will it get? Will it turn into cancer? etc.

When that fear rises up in me, I have to remind myself that I am not alone. God walks through every step of life with me. He is fully aware of what's happening. He more than able to heal me, but if that's not his plan, I'm okay with it as long as I know He is with me. Why? Because I know he loves me beyond measure and even if this condition takes my life, I am going to be with Him.

In the meantime, I want to live my life in a way that honors Him every day. I want to love others and let him love love them through me. I want to point the way to Him so that others can experience the joy and peace that comes from  knowing they are loved more than they can ever understand and that they are not alone.

Here's the song, I'm Not Alone...




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Detoxing Your Thought Life

Do you use the You Version app of the Bible?  I do and I love it. I have it on both my phone and my Kindle Fire and find it invaluable tool for digging into God's word, reading uplifting and eye-opening devotionals and sharing it with my friends.

Today I started a new devotional plan called Soul Detox by Craig Groeschel and already, day one of the plan touched me deeply.  It talks about detoxing our minds from toxic thoughts. I know, right? It's amazing how many times toxic thoughts enter our minds and how they they affect our relationships, our moods and our outlook on life.

Look at what God has to say about this...

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." Philippians 4:8

My child, pay attention to my words; listen closely to what I say.
Don't ever forget my words; keep them always in mind.
They are the key to life for those who find them;
they bring health to the whole body. 
Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life Proverbs 4:20-23

It seems that in these two passages of scripture, God has given us the key to detoxing our minds, hearts and spirits. I keep hearing that we can retrain our brains. I'm not sure if that's true, but I do know that we can renew our minds.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2

Matthew Henry's Commentary on this verse says that as we renew our minds (by submitting to his will, taking in his word and applying it to our lives and walking in obedience to him, we develop...

New dispositions and inclinations, new sympathies and antipathies; the understanding enlightened, the conscience softened, the thoughts rectified; the will bowed to the will of God, and the affections made spiritual and heavenly: so that the man is not what he was—old things are passed away, all things are become new; he acts from new principles, by new rules, with new designs. The mind is the acting ruling part of us; so that the renewing of the mind is the renewing of the whole man, for out of it are the issues of life. - This is called the transforming of us.

Part of the detox process for our thought life is to be aware of what we used to call stinkin' thinkin' and to be active in combating it.  I call this my 3R plan for detoxing my mind. (I just made that up 😊)

• Recognize (toxic thoughts)
• Reject them
• Replace them

And I'll be replacing them with - whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy.

How about you? Have toxic thoughts negatively affected your life and relationships?

Do your entertain those thoughts or do you have a plan to combat them?

Feel free to use mine.

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Citizen of Heaven - Represent

Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven,

conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of

the Good News about Christ."

Philippians 1:27a (NLT)

This verse popped out at me this morning as I read through the book of Philippians - especially the phrase "citizens of Heaven."

I'm a citizen of Heaven! Since I surrendered my life to Jesus, he not only gave me a new identity (Child of God), but a new homeland (Heaven). This world is not my home, but while I'm here - a foreigner in the only place I've ever known, I represent the Kingdom of God and my conduct should reflect that.

That's a tall order, but not one I will back away from, because, while I feel inadequate, I know that God's Holy Spirit lives in me, enabling me to do God's will.

For God is working in you, giving you the desire

and the power to do what pleases him."

Philippians 2:13 (NLT)

My heart's desire is to represent God well, to bring glory to His name and to influence others so that they will want to know Him and experience salvation through Jesus Christ, but I can only do that by allowing God to enable me to do his will and letting Him work through me to touch others.


Prayer: Father, thank you for adopting me into your family and for making me a citizen of Heaven, where you are preparing a place for me to live with you eternally. I look forward to the time when I set foot in my homeland, but until that time comes, please help me to conduct myself in a manner that brings you glory and draws others to want to know you. Amen

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Prayer - Are You Doing it "Right?"

Just pour out your heart to God.

I've been thinking a lot about prayer these days. Being the Prayer Team Coordinator for our church means all prayer requests that come into the church and channeled to me, then sent out to our Prayer Team.  Some of these requests are heartbreaking and when there are many of those during the week, it can get you down if you don't anchor your faith in a God who loves each one of those people deeply, a God who knows what is the very best for each person in each situation, A God who understands each heart.

So, a while back, I started to feel like as I prayed for each request it seemed like I was giving God orders - God, heal this person, God restore this marriage, God save this woman's son, God break this man's addiction, God protect this man in prison...

One day the thought occurred to me that since God knows the intimate details of each person and their circumstances, that it might be better to ask God to step into their situation and do what if the very best thing for all involved and to help each person lean heavily on him during their trials.

Then today I read an short synopsis for a book on prayer. It started like this...\

"Are your prayers being answered? Do you even know what to pray? Deep down inside, do you feel that prayer is too passive to really accomplish much?"

I have to tell you, these three questions bug me. It seems to infer that unless you pray the correct way or unless you pray passionately, God won't bother to answer. Or if it seems that your prayers aren't being answered, it's your fault for not praying right. That rankles me to no end!

Friend, one of the most loving things we can do is lift a hurting person to God in prayer. We don't have use the perfect words or quote the appropriate scriptures back to God before he will pay attention to our prayers. We don't have to work ourselves up into a frenzy before he responds. All we have to do is open our hearts and let our love for others pour out to him. Sometime, we don't know exactly what to pray because a trial in someone's life may be what it takes to draw someone closer to God or to transform their character to be more like Christ. Not that God brings calamity on us just to teach us a lesson. He doesn't. Life will do that for us all by itself because we live in a broken world and when it does, God sees and works to turn a bad situation around so that good will come out of it.

So, go ahead and pray for those you love, those you don't like, those you don't even know when you see someone hurting. Don't worry about saying the right words or having the right posture, just open your heart and ask God to work his perfect will in their lives. That's better than anything else you could possibly do.

So, what do you think? Does prayer intimidate you? Have you been frustrated with your prayer life?

Remember, prayer is just an open conversation between you and your Father God.
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Well, shut my mouth!

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." Ephesians 4:29

Every conversation, no matter how short or how long, leaves the other person either feeling better or worse. It doesn't matter if it's an online conversation of a couple of sentences, a short conversation with a store clerk, a lengthy phone chat or asking our children to do something - in any situation, our words have the power to heal or hurt.

It's not just the words we use, but the tone of our voice, the expression on our face, even our body language conveys either a positive or negative message to the other person.

Think your words aren't important? Read what Jesus has to say about out words in Matthew 12:34-37...

³⁴ You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. ³⁵ A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. ³⁶ But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. ³⁷ For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Do your words bring healing or hurt?

"The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing." Proverbs 12:18

Your words matter a great deal.  

Let's leave a trail of smiles behind us, not a trail of destruction.

*****

Scripture Prayer:

“Set a guard over my mouth, LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips.” (Psalm 141: NIV)

"Help me, Lord, to keep my mouth shut and my lips sealed." (Psalm 141:3 NLT)

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Jesus had Questions of His Own

One day as Jesus and his disciples sat by the lake, a throng of people gathered around him. He took the opportunity to deliver a stirring message, filled with many parables. Toward evening, he said to his disciples, "Let's go over to the other side." They left the crowd behind, got into the boat and set out for the distant shore.

A furious squall came up. The waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.  Where was Jesus?  Fast asleep in the back of the boat!  The disciples woke him with but one question on their minds, "Don't you care if we drown?"

They did what many of us do when the storms of life hit. They questioned the one they thought loved them. The one they thought would keep them from all harm. 

We do that. We ask God why he would let bad things happen to 
us- his children. We sort of expect him to give us a smooth, trouble-free life, but he never promised that. In fact, he said just the opposite:

"...In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33b)

So, we need not be surprised when life brings us stormy seas. Trouble hits everyone and yes, it does sometimes raise questions in our minds. In fact, when the disciples questioned whether or not Jesus cared if they died, he had a question of his own...

Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”  Mark 4:30-41

"Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?"

Jesus knew the storm would hit. He is God, come in the flesh. He knew everything. So, why would he suggest crossing a lake when he knew a huge storm would hit them. Perhaps it was to prove to the disciples that no matter the danger, they could trust him. Perhaps it was to reveal to the disciples just how little faith they had in him. Perhaps it was to display the powerful saving grace of God.

Storms will hit - it's a part of living in a fallen and broken world. It's a part of life. Expect hard times to come.  Before they do, anchor your faith in the one who has overcome the world. Rest assured that he will see you through the storm, providing whatever is needed. 

Sometimes he calms the angry sea around you and sometimes he calms the angry storm within. 

Trust the One who loves you beyond measure, the one who knows you better than you know yourself and please know that if he allows a storm, he'll go through it with you. Perhaps the storm is necessary to deepen your faith.

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Waiting on God - You're not Alone

You've prayed (many times) yet the answer has not come. You're weary, sick, alone and feel as if God has forgotten you. You've read, believed and stood on God's promises. You feel your faith wavering, your hope fading, your trust crumbling. You are holding on frantically, but losing your grip. You know God loves you, wants the best for you and is able to rescue you, yet He has not yet stepped in and you wonder why. What purpose could there be to this waiting?

Dear friend, you are not alone. Many believers across the land are waiting. They, too are discouraged, confused and desperate to see God's hand move.

If all who are waiting on the Lord were gathered together in one place, what would they do? What would you do? Would you commiserate, recounting your own woes and doubts, or would you look on those troubled souls and speak life to them? Would you encourage them with words of faith, pray for them, let them know that they are not alone - that you are standing with them?

Of course you would, and in the process, your own strength would be renewed, your own spirit lifted and your own hope refreshed.

You may not be standing in the midst of that waiting throng, but you know they are out there and you can still do the one thing that would be most helpful and loving. You can pray for them. Pray all the things that you would say if you were with them, and in the process, you will be strengthened, for God honors love.

So, as you wait, pray, and as you wait, take a look around you. There are people who are waiting on the Lord, struggling to maintain hope, feeling all alone. They may be the people closest to you. Don't let them stand alone. Reach out and offer friendship, understanding, encouragement and most of all, love and together praise God while you are waiting, knowing that He is faithful and will reward those who endure with patience and trust on His perfect timing and His perfect answer.

"Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you." Psalm 33:20-22

Are you in that waiting place? Discouraged and feeling alone? I would love to pray for you. Please leave a comment below and know that you are not alone. I'm here with you.


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There's more to repentance than you thought.

I recently made a trip home to Ohio for the holidays and had a wonderful time with my large circle of family and friends. 

Coming home, I was glad to be with my husband, but quickly became dissatisfied with the loneliness of life here in Arizona. What family I do have here are all busy working and involved with families and work of their own. I understand that, but it still leaves me lonely.

All this culminated in a day of whining and feeling sorry for myself. By the end of the day, I was headed to full blown depression, so when my sweet husband walked in from work and asked, "How was your day?" I crumbled. Then, I unloaded on him. Not blaming him, but just venting.

He held me, prayed for me and asked what he could to to help. Short of moving back to Ohio, there was nothing more he could do than what he was already doing. Fortunately, bedtime came soon and rescued him from having to listen to me any further.

The next morning I sat with God in prayer, repenting for wallowing in self-pity and thanking God for the blessings that I have in my life. I had to admit that much of my loneliness was my own fault. I had retired early, often rejected invitations to spend time with friends and spent way too much time on Facebook, telling myself that this interaction with friends and family made up self-imposed isolation and for being away from my Ohio kin. (Yes, kin - country girl here.) 

Anyway, after a good repentance session and feeling forgiveness flow from the Father, I flipped open my Bible and decided to start reading through the New Testament for the New Year. It wasn't long before I came to Matthew 3:8...

"Produce fruit in keeping with repentance."

Oh, boy - that one hit me right between the eyes. Repentance brings forgiveness, however that's not the end of it. We must then begin producing "fruit" that shows that we are truly sorry for our behavior. In other words, change the behavior - turn around and go the other way - stop doing what you were doing that brought you to the point of sin. It's not to earn forgiveness, because that's a free gift from God, but it's behavior that shows you shun sin and embrace godly change.

LOL - God has a way of spelling it out for, ya. You know what I mean?

Your thoughts on this? 

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