WWHIYP With Me Through July?

Today is the last day of our 40-day prayer challenge. It been great. I'm learning a lot about prayer. But here's my question to you: What would happen if you prayed and read Faith to Pray through July? I don't know about you, but I feel as if I'm just getting started. And some days, I forgot to read my scripture book (and that's embarrassing). So, I want to give more time and effort to this worthwhile prayer endeavor.

Since we've begun our WWHIYP challenge, I have been praying more at work with one-minute prayers. Tuesday morning prayer at my church has been more interesting. Last week I joined my friend's prayer time, that was so good for me. A co-worker and I have begun praying together at work. I can't stop now; this is just the beginning. There is so much going on with the people around me, on my job, in this state, in this country, and in the world. I have to continue until I see answers to my prayers.

There is an example in scripture of someone who stopped short of victory.

¹⁸ Then he said, “Take the arrows”; so he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground”; so he struck three times, and stopped. ¹⁹ And the man of God was angry with him, and said, “You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck Syria till you had destroyed it! But now you will strike Syria only three times.” 2 Kings 13:18-19 NKJV

The king had gone to the prophet of God for help because Syria was attacking them. They had few horses and chariots left. The prophet told him to strike the ground with his arrows. Now the king was so close. If he would have simply struck the ground two or three more times, it would have meant victory. How much effort does it take to hit the ground with arrows? It was no big deal, but it represented a big deal spiritually and it represented a big deal for his army. This simple act would have saved many lives.

Maybe it is like that for us in prayer at times – a simple act of obedience and continuing instead of stopping could mean the difference between defeat and victory for us. If you have not seen victory yet, I suggest you continue to search for the answer to what would happen if you prayed.

To be honest, I knew a couple of weeks ago that I would not be ready to end this prayer challenge at the end of the month. I have so much more I want to learn and write about prayer.

My heavenly Father, thank You for blessing me with friends who want to pray and learn more about prayer. I love them. They enrich my life and encourage. I'm so tired of negativity. Please forgive me for being a part of it. Help me to not be a producer of it. Thank You for blessing me with people who love You and who have good things to say. You have surrounded me with people who want to do what's right in Your eyes. They challenge me and motivate me and I can't thank You enough for that.

Thank You for blessing my friends to pray with me and read the scriptures with me through these 40 days. I have no doubt that You are going to continue to bless their lives. Help those who are to continue to find out what would happened if they prayed to strike the ground a few more times. Help my brothers and sisters to not stop short of their victory, but to press in to see Your kingdom come and Your will being done on earth as it is in Heaven. Thank You for all of the victories we have seen so far. Thank You that I can come and pray to You in the name of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

WWHIYP The Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi

In April at work, we heard that people were going to be laid off. At the same time, we were preparing for a possible government shut down if congress did not pass a budget or a continuing resolution of last year's budget. As you can imagine, there was a lot of stress in the workplace. I was trusting God, but not everyone was.

I wondered how I could help people through this. I didn't feel that I had the words of comfort to speak to them. What could I do? I remembered these words: Lord make me an instrument of Your peace. . .

I had heard a prayer like that. That was what I wanted and still want. I want to be an instrument of God's peace.

Blessed are the peacemakers,
   for they will be called children of God. Matthew 5:9 NKJV

I Internet searched "make me an instrument of your peace." I found that this begina the prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi. Didn't know who he was, but I liked the prayer and printed it to lay on my desk so I could pray it at work. A little research found that St. Francis lived in the late 12th to early 13th century. This prayer was written on the backs of cards with his picture on the front. He did not write the prayer, however.

History aside, I like the prayer. But I think the peace that they are talking about is the opposite of war. But I was thinking about peace as in the opposite of anxiety and stress.

Peace is peace.

So the question is of course WWHIYP? What would happen if you prayed the prayer of St. Francis regularly?

Pray out loud with me with the help of and in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

Where there is sadness, joy;

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;

To be understood as to understand;

To be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

WWHIYP To Replace Negative Thoughts

Recently, I noticed something was bothering me. I kept thinking about something that annoyed me and it was bringing me down. I was thinking about something that someone had done. It was nothing personal, but it was offensive and it happened weeks ago. Suddenly it was bothering me.

I'm building a culture of prayer so I have to ask myself: what would happen if you prayed instead of continuing to think about something annoying?

2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV tells us:

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Negative thoughts go against the nature of God in me. So I have to arrest that thought and make it obedient to Christ. Instead of allowing a memory to annoy me, I began to pray for the person involved. I asked God to bless the offender to see Truth. And I have to pray that with pure motives. I pray for that person to be blessed, not for my sake but for their sake.

Pray with me:

Father, You know our hearts and You know our ways. Bless me to be pure in my heart to be a blessing to others. Help me to not be easily offended, but to be a blessing. Help me not to react, but to respond with Your love. Let me not worry over perceived offenses, but to capture every negative thought and make it obedient to the will of Christ Jesus. It is in His name that I pray. Thank You for victorious thoughts. Amen.

WWHIYP The Lord's Prayer

On Thursday, I downloaded some podcasts on prayer. I want to learn about prayer and I like to hear what others have to say. Well, I found a two-part teaching on the Lord's Prayer. And since I had just written about it two days before, I thought it would be good to listen to. When I heard it, I thought it might be good to share, but I wanted to pray about it.

The message is Damon Thompson from The Ramp ministry in Hamilton, AL. I've heard friends speak of him, but I had never heard him. He says some things that I thought about but I did not mention in my post Lord, Teach Us to Pray. I forgot to mention that we can use the Lord's Prayer/Disciples' Prayer as a pattern, but we can also pray that prayer. Damon says that back in the day, rabbis gave people short prayers to pray. Praying the same prayer promoted unity.

There are many good truths in Damon's teaching that can help your prayer life. There may be parts in it that we don't understand or agree with, and that's okay. Use the parts that you can. I pray that it will bless you.

There is one part in which he uses the analogy of having a fitness trainer help him plan his workout routine. Damon says how much time he could waste having access to all of the gym equipment, but not knowing how to use it. His trainer came in and wrote down the order of the machines to use, the amount of weight, and the number of repetitions. This program gave Damon's workout infrastructure. The prayer Jesus gave us also gives infrastructure to our prayer life. That's a cool way to explain it.

What would happen if you prayed the Lord's Prayer? Some days you may try to pray, but you won't know how to begin. Or you may begin and not know where to go next. What would happen if we just prayed the words that Jesus said? Or what would happen if we used those words as a model or infrastructure for our prayer?

The Lord’s Prayer (Part 1)

At the end of part 2, Damon explains how to pray each part of the Lord's Prayer for five minutes so that you have a 30-minute prayer time.

The Lord’s Prayer (Part 2)

The Lord's Prayer in five-minute sections

  I. Our Father in Heaven (approach God as Father)

     Pray:

¹⁴ For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. ¹⁵ For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” ¹⁶ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. Romans 8:14-17 NKJV

⁴ But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, ⁵ to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
⁶ And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” ⁷ Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Galatians 4:4-7 NKJV

⁴ just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, ⁵ having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, ⁶ to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. ⁷ In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. Ephesians 1:4-7 NKJV

 II. Hallowed be Your name (pray the names of God)

III. Your kingdom come; Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven

for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. Philippians 2:13 NIV

IV. Give us day by day, our daily bread.

a.     Ask for provision for the day for our families.

b.     Our bread – ask for provision for the community

c.     Ask for provision for those in need

V. Forgive us our sins as we forgive everyone who is indebted to us.

a.     Specific repentance.

b.     Releasing those who have wronged us.

VI. Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Pray out loud with me:

      Our Father in heaven,
      Hallowed be Your name.
       ¹⁰ Your kingdom come.
      Your will be done
      On earth as it is in heaven.
       ¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread.
       ¹² And forgive us our debts,
      As we forgive our debtors.
       ¹³ And do not lead us into temptation,
      But deliver us from the evil one.
      For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Don't Stop Now . . . You're Doing Good

I have a box of teeth whitening strips. I've had it for years. I've used some of them. They promise whiter teeth in 14 days. Sadly, I just couldn't make that kind of commitment.

Is it just me or does anyone else have difficulty sticking with a good habit at times? The diet? The exercise routine? I understand. I know I'm not the only one who struggles with these commitments because now they make 10-day whitening strips and even a 5-day kit.

God understands too and sends us a word of encouragement:

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9 NIV

Reading the entire Faith to Pray scripture booklet for 40 days is a commitment. But when you really want change in your life, you do what you have to do. If you want to make yourself available to be a blessing to others, you do what you have to do.

You're doing good. Yes, to be grammatical correct it seems like I should say, "you're doing well." But that's not what I mean. You're doing good things by reading the word and praying. Don't give up, cave in, or quit. Don't get tired and think it's not working. It's definitely going to produce the fruit of change in your life. Scripture tells us that we will reap a harvest. We will see answers to our prayers. We will see the hand of God moving in our lives and in the lives of the people we're praying for.

The statements two verses above lead us into the promise of verse 9:

⁷ Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. ⁸ Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Galatians 6:7-8 NIV

I think of it like this: Don't let anybody fool you. God knows what you're doing and no one can fool Him. Whatever seeds you plant, that's the kind of plants you're going to grow. If you plant seeds of evil and selfishness you will harvest ruin and destruction. But if you plant seeds related to God's goodness, you will reap the blessings from God including eternal life.

And for these reasons . . . Let us not become weary of doing good . . .

You're planting the Word and prayer in your heart, my friend. God knows. There's no way you won't be blessed. You're going to have a harvest of blessing—no doubt. There's no way you're going to plant watermelon seeds and end up with a garden full of brussel sprouts. Be encouraged, at the end of the season, you're going to see the full results. Don't stop; you're doing good.

Lord, Teach Us To Pray

Even though I've been praying for years and I've seen results, I still say, "Lord, teach me to pray." There are times when I feel so inadequate—like I just don't what to pray about some situations. Or I wonder if I am praying the right thing. I believe God is okay with that. I've never gotten the impression that He would be upset by us asking for help.

¹ Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”
² So He said to them, “When you pray, say:
      Our Father in heaven,
      Hallowed be Your name.
      Your kingdom come.
      Your will be done
      On earth as it is in heaven.
       ³ Give us day by day our daily bread.
       ⁴ And forgive us our sins,
      For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
      And do not lead us into temptation,
      But deliver us from the evil one.”  Luke 11:1-4 NKJV

The disciples had seen Jesus pray . . . many times I'm sure. One day one of them asked that He teach them to pray. Jesus didn't say, "Really? . . . . You don't know how to pray by now?" No, He gave them/us an example of how to pray. His example, which some call The Lord's Prayer or the Disciples' Prayer, is simple instead of some long oration.

Matthew records it like this:

⁹ In this manner, therefore, pray:

      Our Father in heaven,

      Hallowed be Your name.

       ¹⁰ Your kingdom come.

      Your will be done

      On earth as it is in heaven.

       ¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread.

       ¹² And forgive us our debts,

      As we forgive our debtors.

       ¹³ And do not lead us into temptation,

      But deliver us from the evil one.

      For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.      Matthew 6:9-13 NKJV

If we use this as our sample, and we should, prayer begins with acknowledging God as Father and how holy He is. Then we pray that His kingdom and will is accomplished on earth (as opposed to our plans for the world.) We ask for what we need. This can include more than food. What else do we need today? Wisdom, joy, peace, the Word for the day. He will provide. Then we ask for forgiveness as we forgive others. We ask God for spiritual strength to stand faithfully obeying His Word, no matter what. Finally we end our prayer again acknowledging who God is. That's my take on Jesus' prayer example.

I know how to pray most of this. The part that especially comes in handy is "Your kingdom come.

Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

I pray this when I don't know how to pray for a specific situation. We know by the Word, what the will of God is. It is God's will that no one die in sin, but that everyone repents and knows Him. 2 Peter 3:9 It is His will that we are healthy. Matthew 8:16-17, etc.

But what about the details of our lives like where should I work? Where should I live? Whom should I marry? We can pray, "Let Your kingdom come and Your will be done in my life."

I like to sing Jason Upton's Teach Me How To Pray.

The lyrics that I can relate to are:

Not my will or my plans or
the way I want it
I’m so tired of my hands in the way

That last line makes me think of a story that my spiritual pop, Ron Haynes, would tell. He talked about buttoning his son's shirt, when his son was young. The little boy wanted to help. So Haynes said they would end of up with 20 fingers on one little button. Of course, that slowed progress. You know how little kids are; they like to say, "I do it myself."  When I hear this song, I imagine myself drawing my hands back and saying to Daddy God, I'll let You do it. And just like the button story, we accomplish the task faster with only Daddy's hands . . . when I say, "let Your will be done."

Pray out loud with me:

My heavenly Father, not only are You holy, but Your name is holy and to be spoken with love and respect; not to be used carelessly. Reign in my life. I want Your will for my life, which is better than my own plans. My knowledge is so limited. You know what's best for me. You know everything I will need today—physically, emotionally, spiritually, mentally, and financially. So give me wisdom for this day and joy in this day. Please give me the right words to say. And thank You for meeting every other need that I have for today. Forgive me of whatever I've done that was not part of Your will including my wrong thoughts and motivations and especially saying what I didn't need to say. Because You are so gracious and merciful to forgive me, I have no right to hold anything against anyone. I will not hold grudges or feel like someone owes me. I'm going to need Your help with that. Grant me spiritual strength. You know what I can and cannot handle well. Help me to hear Your voice so I will not wander into something that I don't need to be in. Help me to hang around people who are a good influence and support my spiritual growth. You know what's best for me. You are God and You reign. You deserve all praise, glory and honor. Thank you for Jesus teaching us how to pray and that we can pray in His name. Amen.

WWHIYP Out Loud

Sometimes we pray silently. God knows what we're thinking. He can answer silent prayers. 

But. . .

what would happen if you prayed out loud?

Listen to some of the phrases used for prayer:

Call to Me . . . Jeremiah 33:3

I cried out to him with my mouth;
his praise was on my tongue. Psalm 66:17 NIV

. . . . You are to name him Ishmael (which means ‘God hears’), for the Lord has heard your cry of distress. Genesis 16:11 NLT

When we cried out to the LORD, He heard our voice and sent the Angel and brought us up out of Egypt; Numbers 20:16 NKJV

Give heed to the voice of my cry,

My King and my God,

For to You I will pray. Psalm 5:2 NKJV

My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD;

In the morning I will direct it to You,  …  Psalm 5:3 NKJV

Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, And He shall hear my voice. Psalm 55:17 NKJV

I cry aloud to the LORD . . . Psalm 142:1

And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? . . . Luke 18:7 NIV

And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Matthew 6:7 NIV

Ok, I think I've made my point that prayer is vocal. Again, God can hear our silent prayers and our thoughts.

You know when I sit and when I rise;

   you perceive my thoughts from afar. Psalm 139:2 NIV

Whenever possible, prayer should be audible.

Praying out loud is biblical; that point was made above.

Praying out loud is humbling. If you have not prayed out loud, find out what would happen if you do. God is great and awesome. When we approach Him, our approach should be with humble hearts. For some people, it may be humbling to pray out loud. If you have never opened your mouth to pray, maybe pride or fear has stopped you. Decide that because it's God's will that you pray with your voice, you're going to pray out loud. God will honor your faith and obedience.  

God resists the proud,
      But gives grace to the humble. James 4:6b NKJV

Praying out loud can bring an emotional release. Sometimes your mouth is like a radiator cap; it can keep pressure in or can release pressure. One day my friend told me something that she had never said out loud—she had only thought about it. After she said it, she covered her mouth. When what she was thinking came through her lips, it caused her to laugh and she thought she wouldn't stop. Laughter was bottled up within that thought. She was surprised and I thought it was funny. When we voice our prayers to God, we can relieve ourselves of some of the pressure and emotion that comes with the situations we are praying about. You know how it feels when you say, "I'm glad I got that off my chest"? Tell God about it. He is ready to listen.

Praying out loud helps us stay focused. When I pray silently, my thoughts can and will wander. But when I pray out loud, I can't usually think of anything other than what I'm saying. I heard a preacher give an interesting example. Try this: Count silently. Now continue to count and say "hallelujah" and "thank You, Jesus." When you talk out loud, your counting was interrupted. When you pray out loud, your unfocused thoughts are interrupted and you can stay focused on talking to God.

Pray out loud with me:

Father, thank You that Your word gives me examples of how to pray. You not only show me how to pray, but You give promises that you hear me. God, Your are my help. So please help me to pray out loud. Help me to trust You and not be afraid to pray with my voice. At times, it is necessary to cry out to You. So where there is fear, please remove it. Where pride tries to stop me, I will humble myself. I have nothing to prove to anyone. I want to pray out loud because that's how You want me to pray. Thank You for meeting me where I am and helping me to grow. Thank You for increasing my prayer life and my communication with You. I love getting to know You better and it's all because Jesus has made the way. So I pray in His name. Amen.

Happy Father's Day, God

You created a place. You designed a planet. Not too close too the sun and not too far.

A place with oxygen and water.

Then you formed a man out of the dust of the ground.

You breathed into him and he became a living soul.

From the man, You created a woman—the man's suitable partner.

You put them in a garden that You had prepared. You gave them everything they needed.

When they disobeyed, you moved them, but You still took care of them.

You told Abram to leave his father so You could make him a father to many nations.

You promised him with a child and named the promise "he laughs."

You taught the father of many nations what it's like to lose his only son – but he didn't. 

Jehovah-Jireh.

You blessed the family until they grew to many or "too many."

When their enemies enslaved them, you still fathered them.

You brought them out with miracles, rejoicing, shouts of joy, silver, gold, and good health to a place to learn how to not be slaves.

You gave them food every morning.

You made drinkable water flow from a rock.

You made Yourself known to them and taught them how to live.

You defeated their enemies; their name struck fear in the hearts of the people.

You took them to their promised land.

You built up a kingdom.

You promised them a Savior.

He was a miracle.

He came as a humble, ordinary baby; but He is the King.

He grew up to teach the people of the Father's love.

Then You did what would not allow Abraham to do.

You let the only Son suffer for what we do.

You permitted the perfect Son to be punished for our wrongdoing.

You turned away as He took our sin.

You poured out Your love with every drop of blood.

You let them bury Him in a borrowed tomb.

You kept EVERY promise You made.

The Son conquered death!

He gives us power to live victoriously.

You sent the Helper.

You do not leave us comfortless.

You are our strength, hope, faith, salvation, deliverance, peace, joy, health, treasure, friend, and Father!

You have a place for us in Your house.

You will take away all our tears.

At Your house, we won't need the sun because You are our light.

You are AWESOME!

And I love you!

Straight from the Word Part 3

In a home Bible study in St. Louis years ago, I recall sitting on the floor one night as we discussed Psalm 1.

         Blessed is the man
         Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
         Nor stands in the path of sinners,
         Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;     Psalm 1:1 NKJV

As we discussed the first verse, I could picture the person who is not "blessed" following a progression. This person is the opposite of who we want to be. First the "not blessed" person walks with and listens to the ungodly, but at least he is still moving so he has a chance to change directions. Then he stops moving and stands in the way that sinners go. But at least he's still standing, he can easily start walking again. But instead, he finally gets comfortable and takes a seat with people of bad attitudes.

The light came on as we read this passage. I was like "wow, where'd that come from?"

I had been praying Ephesians 1:17-20. I have written about praying this scripture before when I shared the ridiculous story of me wearing sunglasses. (I hoped we had laid that one to rest.)

In the prayer in Ephesians, Paul is asking God to bless his friends at Ephesus with understanding of who He is and who they themselves are in Him.

¹⁷ that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, ¹⁸ the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, ¹⁹ and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power ²⁰ which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, Ephesians 1:17-20 NKJV

That was the version that I used when I would pray those scriptures – in the days before the New Living Translation:

¹⁷ asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. ¹⁸ I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.

 ¹⁹ I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power ²⁰ that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 1:17-20 NLT

God honors this prayer. Remember what 1 John 5:14-15 NLT tells us:

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

God's Word is His will. His will is that we know Him and we know the power we have in Him. Because I prayed this prayer so often, like daily, God honored it. I began to understand His word. This doesn't mean I know everything, but verses that I have read before, at times seem new. I have a new understanding of them.

In May, I had my last class in Bible Study Fellowship on the book of Isaiah. The study began in September. We would read one or more chapter weekly and answer questions. I was amazed at how I saw the scriptures in a new light. I would just read them and gain new understanding of them.

God gives me understanding of the Word in another way. Sometimes I have questions about a scripture, any scripture and I'll go to a church that same day or a few days after and the preacher will explain it—without knowing I had that question. If you think that is coincidence . . . well, it not! There are more than 31,000 verses in the Bible. How many coincidences can I have where I'm thinking of a scripture or asking God what it means and someone explains THAT scripture the same day or a couple of days later?

Thank God that He answers prayer. He wants us to understand. More proof:

 ⁴⁴ He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”

 ⁴⁵ Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. Luke 24:44-45 NIV

Jesus gave His disciples understanding in the scriptures above.

Pray with me for yourself and others:

Father, I pray that You will give me the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of who You are, the eyes of my understanding being enlightened; that I may know what is the hope of Your calling, what are the riches of the glory of Your inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of Your power toward us who believe, according to the working of Your mighty power which You worked in Christ when You raised Him from the dead and seated Him at Your right hand in the heavenly places,   from Ephesians 1:17-20 NKJV

And for the more modern pray-ers:

I am asking You, God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give me spiritual wisdom and insight so that I might grow in my knowledge of You.  I pray that my heart will be flooded with light so that I can understand the confident hope You have given to those You called—Your holy people who are Your rich and glorious inheritance.

I also pray that I will understand the incredible greatness of Your power for us who believe You. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at Your right hand in the heavenly realms. -from Ephesians 1:17-20 NLT

Moving Day or 'God Help Me'

On April 4, some of us from our building at work became temporary refugees in a different building because our building had a small flood the Saturday before. In the new building, I ended up in a nice corner where I was pretty well hidden. I didn't have a lot of traffic coming by or people stopping to talk. I was happy about this new spot because it was larger than my usual cubicle and people did not bother me much there. Or as my friend would say, I didn't bother anyone else. I will not deny that.

I was so comfortable in my new spot that I didn't want to go back to the old. We spent two months in the other building. One day, some of coworkers said they had called facilities to tell them we were ready to move back. I told them that I "depreciate" (a Denise word for "don't appreciate") that. I wanted to stay. 

Well the move date came up for May 25. I knew I would return to the other building via my usual form of transportation – kicking and screaming, figuratively speaking of course. I wasn't ready to move back and I had a bad attitude about it.

Jesus said, "You are the light of the world." in Matthew 5:14

Now how am I going to be light if I have a bad attitude? We had just begun the prayer challenge and I was working on creating a lifestyle of prayer by praying about everything. So the morning of the 25th I began to pray about moving. I was talking to my mom on the phone as I approached my workplace. I told her that I needed to hang up so I could pray about this move back. I hung up with her. Then my daughter, who was driving me, started talking. After a minute or so I told her that I needed to pray. I was almost at my building. You might ask, "what's the big deal?" For me it was a big deal because of my stinky attitude. I don't want to have a bad attitude. I want to represent God well.

So I prayed the rest of the way in. I entered my cozy cube and began to put a few items in the moving crate. Then I sat down at my computer. After about an hour, I received an email with the subject "New Move Date."

YAHOOOOOOO! Thank You, Jesus! You are God who answers prayer.

I had a three-week reprieve. Surely I could have a better attitude by then.

So today was the day. I didn't kick, nor did I scream. I was okay with it. I had time to prepare. We've been praying together in this prayer challenge for a few weeks. God is helping me. When I arrived at work, my chair and my moving crate were already back at my old, smaller, less private cube. (Can't you hear my attitude?) BUT my computer was still at the other building. Yes, I could have used the laptop, but why should I when I had an excuse to spend another hour or so in the comfy cube?

The computer guy came in a couple of hours. I walked back over to my original cubicle. As I walked, I prayed: God help me to have a good attitude and to not say anything about wishing I was still at the other building. Help me to not even refer to that other building.

When I arrived at my cube, I didn't say a thing about the old building  . . . for about two minutes. Then my coworker yelled over the cube wall at me – the other reason why I liked being in the other building. She was out of hollering range in the other building. but back home, she hollers and I walk back to see what she wants thinking that one day she'll get a clue. I think I'll have to wrap a clue up in big pretty box and maybe she'll get one then. HAHAHA.

Anyway, I walked back to her after she shouted my name. I told her in a calm, quiet voice, "I thought we gave up that hollering when we were in the other building."

Did anyone time that? How long was it before I referred to the other building? Didn't God answer my prayer? Oh you know as well as I do that that is not the question. The question is didn't I let God answer my prayer. Nope! I made a decision to mention the other building. For a split second I thought, "don’t say anything." (God trying to assist me.) And then I did it anyway.

God is still working on me. I'll be a better person one day. During the transition, love me anyway. :-)

Pray with me:

Gracious Father, You are good. You are the one who answers prayer. Thank You for answering the big requests and the small requests. In Philippians 4:6 New Living Translation You tell us:

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

Thank you for allowing me to pray about everything – nothing is insignificant to You if it concerns us. Please make me more cognizant of praying about everything so that prayer is part of my culture. Thank You for showing  me the results as I learn what would happen if I prayed. Thank You for allowing me to pray to You in Jesus' name. Amen.

God Asks Us; We Ask Ourselves

God asks today just as He asked Jeremiah:

I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me? Jeremiah 32:27 NIV

The obvious answer is "no." There is nothing too hard for God—no thing. NO THING.

When we know that no thing is too hard for God, we should have faith in Him. Now let's go back and ask ourselves, knowing that we serve God who can do anything, "what would happen if I prayed?"

If you missed it before, here is it again with a few extras.

What would happen if I prayed . . .

·      for my family, friends, neighbors?

·      with my family, friends, neighbors?

·      to start my day?

·      to end my day?

·      about my job/work environment?

·      for my physical/emotional/mental health?

·      for the physical/emotional/mental health of others?

·      for my spouse?

·      with my spouse?

·      for a spouse? *wink*

·      five minutes longer?

·      the will of God?

·      for God's best in my life?

·      about my purpose in life?

·      to understand who God is?

·      for wisdom and understanding?

·      without doubt or fear?

·      without giving up?

·      for local/state/national leaders?

·      instead of complained?

·      for my church?

·      for my supervisors/employer/company?

·      for my employees/coworkers/repairman?

·      with thanksgiving in my heart?

·      about my business/business idea?

·      for my enemy?

·      about my finances or lack there of?

·      about the big things in my life?

·      about the little things in my life?

·      to break a bad habit?

·      to begin a good habit?

·      before I make a decision?

·      about some problem I think I can never overcome?

·      for the success of an event/speech/presentation/project?

·      to rid myself of fear/doubt/worry/anxiety/grief/depression?

·      and then listened?

·      out loud?

·      in faith?

·      Spirit-led prayers?

·      with all my heart?

·      until I see the answer?

·      in Jesus' name?

Pray with me:

Father, You are God for whom nothing is too hard. You can do anything and everything good. I praise Your awesomeness. Because of who You are, I have faith in You. Because of who You are, I trust You. But I want to know You better. Thank You because when I pray, You and I are learning more about each other. Since You already know me so well, help me to look into my life and ask myself what would happen if I prayed. You know what's important to me. Help me to grasp hold of the possibilities of a culture of prayer. You know what motivates me. I open the door for You to enter and show me how important it is to pray and why I should pray. Change my attitude where it needs to be changed. Reveal to me the necessity of prayer in my life. Reveal to me the necessity of knowing You. Thank You for the great things that You are doing in my life –things that I could not even imagine. It's all because of what Jesus has done for me and in His name. Amen.

How Goes the Challenge?

Our challenge for these 40 days (16 days remaining) is to answer the question: what would happen if you prayed? How's it going? The word "challenge" suggests that we're doing something that offers a degree of difficulty. For some of us, it may be a challenge to read the scripture booklet in its entirety, daily. For others it may be to pray . . . at all. Or maybe you've never prayed out loud or this much or this regularly. But I hope that you are doing something different so that you will see results.

One of my friends was excited about the challenge because for the last few years, June has traditionally been a painful month for her to endure. For her, joining us in prayer has itself been a challenge. She's had to pray in spite of the history of the month. But she knows someone is praying with her. As a result, she said June "does not appear so intimidating." Praise God!

Another friend who is taking the challenge has begun reading a biography entitled Rees Howells, Intercessor (download from this page). God used Howells in the ministry of praying for others in early 20^th century Europe. A man looking for Howells went to his town but didn't know his name so he asked for the "man with the Holy Ghost." He was sent to the right place. (I would love to have such a reputation.) So by reading this book, my friend is being inspired, amazed, challenged, and convicted.

A friend who is part of a ministry to young people has called the rest of their ministry team to meet weekly to pray for their spiritual sons and daughters as well as other matters. How cool is that?

As for me, I am practicing praying about everything. I pray for the friends who are taking this challenge with me, regularly. I so enjoy praying for you. I have a little list with your names on it. I also have another list of things I would like to see change for others. I've been praying my one-minute prayers and focusing on God throughout the day. I may miss an hour here and there, but I feel as if I am establishing a habit. The other day, I prayed about shopping. If you know how I feel about shopping, you wouldn't be surprised. I had to buy certain clothing items. I prayed that I would be in and out while finding what I needed at a good price and do it all in 15 minutes. Well, it took a little longer than 15 minutes, but I still made good time and bought three dresses for less than 60 bucks. I was satisfied. Then I wanted a new blouse. I prayed that I would find something cute, it had be silver/gray/platinum-ish and at a good price. I found what I liked. It was the only one. I hoped the size would work for me since it was the only one. It was hanging on the 30% off rack. I took it and another top that I didn't like as well to the counter. I told the clerk that the one I really wanted was on the 30% off rack but I was hoping it was 50% off. She scanned the price. It was 50% off. Yippee! (Should have told her I hoped it was 70% off.) HA! Next, I hoped it would fit because I was not going to try it on in the store. Oh happy day! It worked for me.

God cares about us. He wants us to pray instead of worry. He wants to help us. He wants to accomplish His will on the earth. He does this as His people pray.

Like Jesus said,

You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.  John 15:16 NKJV

Pray with me (out loud):

Father, thank You for choosing me to accomplish Your will on earth as it is in Heaven. Thank You for teaching me how to pray about everything. Please show me what more I can do during this prayer challenge. Help me to remember to read the scriptures daily and to not give up. Sometimes I don't feel like reading the scriptures, but I've made a commitment and I want to keep my word. I know there is great benefit from reading Your Word. My faith is increasing. I am trusting You more and believing that You really will answer me when I pray in the name of Jesus. It' a promise and You always keep Your Word. Praise You Father

Persistence Brings Results

On Saturday, a lady from my church shared how years ago she became suddenly single. She had children and no job and was living away from her family. Her sister in Alabama told her that there was a house across the street from her that was for sale.  After a couple of months she came to see the house and knew she wanted it. She began to pray and ask God for the house. She prayed for at least a few months. She said, "I thought God must be tired of hearing me pray for this." The house went into foreclosure and someone contacted the sister about it. (I dare not try to share to many details or I'll have to start inventing them. I'll just tell the parts I remember.) The lien holders (or someone) said that all she needed was $600 for the house. This woman still did not have a job and hadn't worked for almost 20 years. She put down $600 for the house and they told her the first payment wouldn't be for a couple of months. After she had packed her belonging and was leaving for the last time, she went back in once more to be sure they were leaving nothing behind. The phone rang and someone offered to pay for land of hers that they were using. It was enough money that she could pay ahead on her house payment for a couple of months until she found a job. Praise God!

This woman did what the Word says,

ALSO [Jesus] told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not to turn coward (faint, lose heart, and give up). Luke 18:1 AMP

Sometimes we pray persistently because God is working things out in the background. During the time the woman in my story above began praying for that house, something happened that caused the house to go into foreclosure. Do you think God didn't know that was going to happen? Of course He did. Meanwhile, someone else decided that needed to pay for the property that the lady owned. God was working all of this out as she prayed. He was putting the pieces in place.

Look at a case in scripture where things were happening in the background.

¹² Then he said, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer. ¹³ But for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the archangels, came to help me, and I left him there with the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia. ¹⁴ Now I am here to explain what will happen to your people in the future, for this vision concerns a time yet to come.” Daniel 10:12-14 NLT

Daniel had a vision they he did not understand. He fasted for 21 days to seek the meaning of the vision. In earlier chapters in Daniel, we learn that he had a habit of praying three times a day. Now after he had been fasting an angel came to him and said God heard you since the first day you prayed and I have come in response to your prayer. He went on to explain that an evil spirit delayed him for 21 days. As Daniel persisted in prayer, these spirits were at war. Finally, with the help of Michael an archangel, the messenger with Daniel's answer prevailed.

For whatever reason, your response may be delayed when you pray. But don't give up, don't lose courage, don't back down. God is working things in the background to bring your answer.

Pray with me:

Father, thank You for answering Your people when they cry out to You. You have taught us through Your Word and through examples that we should pray and not give up. You are a wise father. I know that as I pray persistently, You are working things out and arranging things. You are putting the pieces in place like a grand game of chess. You are strategic in what You do. You see the big picture and I only see a tiny part. That's why I trust You – I know You know what's best. I know You know what You're doing. You are even working things out in me to prepare me for Your blessing. As I pray, my heart becomes more tender to hear Your voice and to obey Your Word. As I continue to read the scriptures concerning prayer, my faith to pray is increasing. You and I are changing situations in my sphere of influence through prayer. I am glad to be Your partner in change and in blessing others. In Jesus' name. Amen.