prayer

God Knows Your Heart

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so it is no use trying to pretend. I was talking to a friend last night. She was struggling with praying for her enemies.

First of all, she was overwhelmed with guilt for having enemies. But when someone puts a target on your back, that gives them a special status. Jesus had enemies so as his disciples why would we not have them.  What I love about Jesus is He had no problem confronting their behavior. In Matthew 3:7 and 12:34 He called them vipers.

When people attack us, we need to be honest with ourselves and with God. We need to pray honest prayers over the situation.  I know some folks like to pray good things over their enemies, but baby, I bet they get upset when they see good things happening to them. I have learned to pray from exactly where my heart is. God knows where my heart is so there is no need for me to pretend and pray a bunch of stuff I don’t believe.  (just because you say it in a prayer doesn’t make it true)

I will lift up my enemies family situation, their work, finances, relationships, everything God brings to mind. Lord, get them so busy dealing with their stuff they don’t have time to deal with me.

What you do is give God permission to deal with your honest stuff. You have to recognize your stuff before God can change it.  Most recently some folks came after some friends and me hard. Sometimes I found the situations to be unreal because the prejudice was so over the top. But we prayed honest prayers and talked each other out of physical violence.

One day of the main oppressor went away.  It was awesome.  Then the Lord began to deal with the others. He took us from praying “Lord, get them!” to  praying “Lord, save them.”  We went from wanting to hit them in their throats to praying that God would deliver them from their struggles.

The Lord handled them and healed us. Most people miss the healing part, because they are too afraid to pray those first prayers.  They let bitterness take root, and never let God dig it out.  They stay in the pretend world of wanting good things to happen to everyone.

I want people who intentionally do evil to others to feel the wrath of God.  Many want to emphasize God’s  love, but down play His judgment.  Jesus has promised that God will protect His sheep, and I am going to hold Him to it.  When people come after me, I am going to let God handle it.

I pray over everyone who comes against me. Most situations the Lord has changed my heart on, while there are still a few I should not meet because I will hit them in their throat.  I have learned He deals with everything in its own time.  We are such a microwave generation that we want to feel better about something instantly, while God will take all the time He needs to work out His plan.

I keep praying until I see Him change a situation. He does. In the process I become a better me, not a bitter me.  How about you?

It is always darkest before the dawn

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And it is in our dark days that we see the light more brilliantly. We saw good but have been so tainted with our own stuff we did not recognize it. And the truth is, we have a hope in Jesus, but we have so much other stuff we don’t really need him. So in this drought, Lord, take all the things that hinder us from seeing you.

One of the things that the Lord has taught me during the last eight years is that He is just.  He always rights a situation in His own time, and baby when He RIGHTS it, there is no doubt He did it.

Over the last couple of months, I have been praying for my enemies and watching what God is doing in their lives. He has done some mighty work and I have seen it. People who set out to destroy me are trying to put the pieces of their lives back together. God protects His people.

God warned me months ago that Donald Trump would be president. I thought He was just playing. I mean “Really God, him?” But sometimes in order to heal a wound that isn’t healing correctly, you have to cut it open. He has cut open our festering hypocrisy for the world to see.  You see we talk about freedom and equal rights to the rest of the world, but we don’t practice it. Sometimes humiliation has to come before humility.

Over the last 10 years I have come up against some of the most hateful, mean people who felt they were entitled to treat people anyway they wanted. I often pray Lord, don’t let me work with mean people. But it is kinda like trying to find a righteous man in Soddom and Gomorrah. There just ain’t none. We are a country full of self centered hateful people and before the Lord can use us, He has to change us from the inside out. Donald Trump will be our catalyst.

For weeks He has been giving me this prayer, and I keep pushing it back. Lord I don’t want to say that. (I know how Elijah felt sometimes.) Forgive me, Lord. I have been disobedient in not saying what You wanted me to say, when You wanted me to say it.

Lord, dry up your grace, wealth, resources and protection from a government that terrorizes your people and encourages others to do the same. Like you did with Ahab and Jezebel, let those leaders feel the void of not having  access to You and all you give as they set out to harm Your sheep. Reveal them for what they really are. Like You dried out the land of Israel in Elijah’s time, dry out the United States in these times.

Protect Your people, separate the goats and sheep, devour the wolves at the gate.

Change us, Lord from the inside out because it is only once you deal with hate that we can get on with the mission of loving each other, which is your second greatest commandment.

Like He told Elijah in 1 Kings 17, God has told me there is going to be a drought in the land. He is going to dry up all of assets that have become the idols of the hateful. I know many people who say their foundation is Jesus. They are about to find out if that is true because He is about to be all they have.

Dry up all the jobs of the hateful and entitled so they can experience what no healthcare and income feel like. Make them totally dependent on the charity of others because it will change their hearts when they see it is only grace that keeps them and not their skills and talent and hard work. When they see small children in Africa and Asia saving pennies to feed the starving Americans maybe it will change their hearts.

For all of the people who have set their hearts in destroying health care for those in need of it, let them find themselves in need of it. Let their health care not work. Allow worms to eat their insides while they are still alive causing them much pain and difficulty. Let this affluent group find no medicine or cure for this ailment only a long life with pain and suffering. With each moment allow them to see the folks they allowed to die because they didn’t want to help.

For those destroying families and pulling them apart, let their own families be pulled apart and have no peace. Let there be constant churn  and strife in their dwellings and on display for the world to see. For those aborting and abusing children, stop their reproductive systems and put children in charge of them.

For those who take what the poor has to fill their own, let their wealth melt like wax. Let nothing they try cause them any gain until they are desolate on the streets. For all those who champion these type of people, let them lose everything of value they own and join them on the streets.

We have too much stuff and won’t even share with each other, and God knows only if He takes it away will He save some lives. When you are truly dependent on one another, you find out what you really believe.

And Lord, don’t allow people You chose to lead us to abuse and kill your people without any recompense.  Let them be like Egypt’s Pharaoh and lead his followers to a watery destruction. Or more like Jezebel, let dogs eat the rotting flesh of those who take evil action against God’s people.

I pray this drought lasts as long as You allow, Lord. I know you will get the glory when hearts are changed. Amen.

Five Things to Pray for Your Kids as They Leave the Nest

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Even though your kids have reached the status of young adults and are leaving the nest, you should continue to pray over them. I have found it very effective to pray God’s word over mine. He is faithful.

1  Pray that Their Mind, Their Thoughts will value God’s Word over the world’s values

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 daughter is entering college and will be inundated with all types of information. I pray that she will focus on the things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely and admirable to God. It is very easy to focus on all the negative in life. It will be difficult not to focus on the trivial in our society.  I pray that God will focus her mind on praiseworthy things.

 

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2  Pray that they will not be anxious but trust God in each situation

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

The thing that gets me anxious is sitting in traffic.  I lose control of time and am at the will of the people in front of me. I hate it. When parents are not around, I know anxiousness will rush in to the hearts of our young adults and try to set up house.  Pray that each situation they encounter they will take to God and make their requests. Pray that God’s peace will rule over their lives.

 

 

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3 Pray that they will have Godly friends and faithful family

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity. Proverbs  17:17

My first college roommate brought a young man in the room while I was in bed asleep.  I woke up to the two of them across from me.  My innocent Southern Baptist upbringing had not prepared me for that. Our young adults will encounter thousands of people, most of which will not be good for them. Pray the God will surround them with Godly friends and influences.

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4 Pray that the Lord will enlightened them to their Calling

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people. Ephesian 1:18

At a time in life when many set out to make millions or become wealthy, pray they will focus on what God is calling them to in this life. Pray they will understand that it is far more profitable to be in God’s calling than to make their first million.

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5 Pray that they will Trust the Lord leading them on the Path

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

In order to trust God, one has to know God. You get to know God by studying His word. God gives us all a passion. Pray that they will spend time in God’s word and come to trust Him. As they come to trust, He will make clear the path they should take.

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Pray God’s word over your young adult and watch what God will do.

Prayer for my People

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Lord Jesus,

You created us different for a reason. You darkened our skin and curled our hair. It was according to your magnificent purpose and your Everlasting plan. You operate in the spiritual and physical realms so you know better than us what is going on. But you have taught me, that if I cry out, you will hear and answer.

My heart is heavy and my soul cries out.

Lord, the devil is trying to annihilate my people. He has used many things in his arsenal including destroying our family units, but we are strong and have been able to push past that.  Now he has taken to killing us defenseless in the streets.

Lord, like you defended Israel in Egypt and Babylon, defend us.

You birthed us from the bottom of a ship,so I know there is a mighty plan at work.  We are your people Lord, you have seen to that. You taught us who you were before we could even read your word.  You put a song in our spirit that connects us to you. Some have strayed, but we are your people.

My prayer Lord is this. For every one of us that they kill, give us 10 more. Let us multiple to the point where this continent is so full of dark skinned people it makes the African continent jealous. Let our oppressors see that every time they kill one of us, 10 more will spring up.

Not only am I asking you to multiple my people Lord, I am asking to you bless whatever they put their hands to in your name. Make us many and bless our work in your name. Show our oppressors that you are a mighty God who decides what this continent looks like and who will run it.

Lord, I pray you will look upon our oppressors and change their hearts. Take the scales from their eyes and allow them to see that they are persecuting you.

Work out your plan and protect my people. I know you will do exceeding, abundantly above all I can ask or imagine.

Amen.

 

 

The War Room

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Last week, my pastor, Dr. Tony Evans preached on the movie, War Room. The story of the movie has been very exciting to us Christians as it unfolds before our eyes. God is doing amazing things with lives poured out to Him.

It is no secret to Christians that God has called us to pray. This movie challenges us to pray like we have never prayed before.

My pastor made a very good point. He said when you go to battle you have to have a strategy. When countries go to war, they have a plan of attack. When teams play each other in sports, they have a game plan. As we deal with the challenges of our lives, we have to have a plan.

How is it we are trying to tackle well planned battles against us with no strategy? God has a plan for our lives which He reveals in two ways, my pastor said. His revealed will comes through His word in the bible. His secret will comes to you as you spend time with Him. Deuteronomy 29:29.

This week as I prayed in my war room, the Lord enabled me to see His work in my life in several areas. I spent time aligning my prayers with His word, and He spent time resolving my issues. I have spent more time concentrating on what God’s word says about an issue than what my circumstance says about an issue.

Every morning when I pray over my lists, I remind myself that He who began a good work in me shall see it through to completion. I remind myself of who I am praying to and what He is capable of. With this, He gives me power to accomplish the things my faith prompts me to do. 2 Thessalonians 1:11.

What is God calling you to pray over? Are you ready for the secrets He will reveal to you?

Ask And It Will Be Given To You, Seek And You Will Find

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One of the things I love about BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) is that it has taught me how to pray effectively. It adds structure to my prayer life, which adds structure to my life.

Every morning when I rise out of bed, I meet God in prayer. Most mornings, I am more alert than others, but the structure is still the same. The Lord has refined the process over time but in times, like grief, when I don’t know what to say or do, having structure keeps my hand to the plow. I meet with God whether for instruction or comfort.

The first thing I do when I pray is remind myself who I am praying to. He is Creator of all things. The Master of the Universe. King of Kings. Lord of Lords. I envision Him sitting on His throne hearing my words. It is  humbling. We have to remember who we are approaching. He is not just a better version of us.

I ask forgiveness of my sins and attempt to name the ones I remember. I have a tendency to get caught up in the moment, and I have to press myself to keep going. I could spend a lot of time here. Truth is I won’t remember all my sins and neither will He. Amen! But confession should be part of your day so that God will not remember your sins.

Next I read His word and pray it back to Him. When you are in a relationship with someone, you learn new stuff about them. God’s word teaches me new things about Him. Each month He gives me powerful verses that echo throughout my days and nights. This month He has taught me that He is just. He will right all wrongs. He will give me the power to accomplish all my faith prompts me to do. Amen again.

Then after I have good sense of who I am praying to, I begin my thanksgiving and petitions.

Time has taught me to write this stuff down which allows me to see how God has worked over time. If you don’t have some type of prayer journal or place where you write down your request to God, start now. It will build your faith as He shows you His faithfulness. Record each prayer, so you will remember what you pray for. Sometimes God answers prayers you forgot you prayed.

Every morning I remind myself of His grace in His provision for me. I thank Him. He has brought me a mighty long way.

I pray for people. Family. Friends. Acquaintances. Every person on my list, God has placed there and usually for specific purposes. And they don’t move off the list until God moves them. [I review the list every quarter. If I feel God has answered the prayer, I move the person off the list. But if it is not time for them to go, sure enough, I will get a call or email from the person. It gives me a giggle.]  My list is several pages, so I am sensitive to the amount of time it takes to pray for all these folks.

The first list is about God’s vision for my life, my calling and His instructions. I need to make sure I am doing what He wants, when and where He wants.

The second list consists of people I plan on praying for the rest of my life (or theirs). These people are dear to my heart and have affected my life in some profound way.  I have watched the Lord work in their lives and am proud to be one of His prayer warriors on their behalf.

On the third list are people who are there for a season. For some reason God has called me to pray for them for a season. My BSF sisters are included in this group. This list is the most fluid and the reason why I review it every quarter.

The fourth list is for salvation. It is by far the most important list because it is asking that God reach into their lives and save them for all eternity.  FYI if you are a member of my family by blood or marriage your name is on this list. My daily prayer is that not one of us will be left behind and my God is faithful.

The fifth list is over my work, projects and alliances. He has taught me powerfully about who you align yourself with.

The Lord has taught me that prayer is an effective tool to communicate with Him. He has taught me that prayer should cover your whole life. For me, writing down my prayer requests and His answers to them continues to build my faith. He allows me to be a part of His plan by seeing His work in other people’s lives and praying for them.

Meeting with Jesus daily, prepares me for the day and for this life. He taught me all I need to do is ASK.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlIKWwc3e3U

Changing

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I left the house in a rush this morning, and there is not a lot of light in my room. I was at my fourth stop of running errands. I was walking across a parking lot to a public building when something didn’t feel right. I looked down and saw that I had on 2 left flip flops. (my toes were cute and freshly painted) But I had on a brown flip flop for the left foot and a navy flip flop for the left. I knew I could not walk into the building like that.

Fortunately for me, I keep a pair of sneakers in my car. It was back to the car for a quick change. This cracked me up. I can’t believe I had not felt anything before that. You know sometimes that was my prayer life.

This week things have changed.

I watched the video I am sharing with you. Francis Chan blows my mind. He makes me think about things I have never thought about before. God gives us all these great examples of how to love Him and what faith looks like. Francis Chan says things that draw me closer to God.

One of my walk aways from this video is Revelation 4.  He challenged me to think about who I am praying to. When I pray now this image is before me on the throne.  He is no longer a better me in human form, but He is the image described in Revelation.  Let me tell you, that changes your approach completely as you imagine Him in the appearance of jasper and flashing lightning and pearls of thunder sitting above you on a throne.

Since I have changed my praying habits, things have changed in my life. My prayers have been very effective this week, as have been my study time. I love the idea of asking God to create new experiences in my life. If you ask, He really does it. (remember, I walked around in two left flip flops) He has a great sense of humor.