Carol's Prayer Challenge Results - Pray Daily



Prayer brings peace and quietness of heart

 
"The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, 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 minds in Christ Jesus."
      Philippians 4: 5-7

February was a month of anxiety for me.  My prayers were short and lacked the intimacy needed to really put my mind at peace.  By the end of the month I was quite sick, asthma is affected by stress and worry, and I was in full-swing with my lungs bearing the weight of my worry.  I didn't realize that worry was the cause for my lack of oxygen until Shelley and I joined in prayer and ask the Lord for insight into my breathing issues.  I must say at this point, I am convinced that Satan is alive and working hard to stress believers to their maximum capacity and keep them distracted from their personal time with God.  But we have a powerful weapon against worry and distraction, the Word. 

Romans 8:28 tells us that God uses all things in a believers life to work together for good.  We know and can be sure that what Satan intends to use for evil, God redeems by utilizing our struggles to cause growth and dependence upon Him.   2 Corinthians 4: 7-8 says, We are hard pressed on every side but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.  Our assurance from Philippians is that when we take our needs to God and sit in His presence, the peace which surpasses all understanding will faithfully fall from heaven so we can resume our lives with the knowledge that God loves us and has heard our prayers. 

This month, my list of prayer needs has grown tremendously as I add those in need of healing from spiritual and emotional bondage, drug and alcohol addictions, and physical needs.  God is faithful and no amount of worrying that I indulge in will affect any of those things; only by prayer will my burden be lifted and lives healed.  Do not bear your burdens alone, the Lord is near.  Reach out to the Heavenly Father for your peace and hope, reach out for a needy world, reach out for yourself. 

May the peace of God fill your hearts and minds in Chris Jesus. 
Blessings,
Carol

What will you do with the burden?

I surrendered my vehicle yesterday. So long, Freedom. Good knowing you, Independence. And Pride? You'll be on the back burner for awhile.

This is just one of many consequences of mistakes I've made over many years. It's tough, and sometimes I want to shake my fist at God and ask why He didn't do something. Provide more income so I could literally pay my dues. Stop me from making some of those wayward choices. Make me wiser so I didn't make those choices in the first place.

He could change this situation, but it's unlikely. More likely that He wants to change my heart.

It occurs to me that while God does many things for me, He will never take over my brain or my body and force me to do His will. That's another choice I can make - with assuredly better results. As for today, He promised to give me wisdom when I ask for it (James 1:5). I know that all things work together for good for those that love the Lord and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

The Scriptures say He will never give me more than I can bear (1 Corinthians 10:13). And God promised to be my Comfort (Isaiah 51:12) and Peace (Ephesians 2:14) and a constant Presence (Psalm 139:7). My choice today is to focus on the good that He is working through my mistakes, and to turn to Him for comfort, peace, and strength.

Are you struggling with consequences from your mistakes? What will you do with the burden?

"I, even I, am He who comforts you." Isaiah 51:12

Father God, thank you for your loving comfort and for your unending grace. Thank you for the promises you've recorded in Scripture to help us through difficult times. May we always recognize the way out of temptation, and may we continually seek your escape. Work the painful situations of each person here for good in our lives and in the kingdom. Give your children the strength to withstand, to turn to you in our pain, and to give you the glory. Give us wisdom to make choices that honor you. We pray these things in your holy name, Amen.

Monday Prayer - My Light and My Salvation

“The Lord is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear.  The Lord is the strength of my life - of whom shall I be afraid.”  Psalm 27:1

I have prayed this verse many times since I first memorized Psalm 27 in my bible study group a number of years ago.  The Lord – MY light – yes, without him there is only darkness and fear inside of me.  The Lord – MY salvation – I have chosen Jesus the author and perfector of my faith!   YES, He is my hope and my life and I am especially confident of this fact when I live in these truths which dispel my fear and doubt. 

Whom shall I fear when the God of the Universe and His expression of love to the world in Jesus chooses to act in kindness towards me?  Human beings harbor many fears and I don’t know about you but when I dwell on my fears rather than on the proven truth in the Bible, my thoughts can easily turn my feelings to those of hopelessness. (Proven?  Yes, proven!!)    

The Lord is the strength of my life – when I am weak, then I am strong because HE is my strength for whatever lies ahead.  God works for the good of his people even during times that are difficult to bear.  I am still confident of this; I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.  Be strong and take heart, wait for the Lord

“Hear my voice when I call, O Lord, be merciful to me and answer me.   My heart says of you seek His face, your face Lord will I seek.”  Psalm 27:7-8

Father,
Please give hope to those of us who are struggling with fear and doubt in this earthly life. Help us to grasp your divine love and understand that your intentions toward us are for good.  Father, may we earnestly seek you in prayer to express our devotion and needs offering them as a fragrant sacrifice to You.  May we seek You in your Word asking for confidence in your character and for the increase of our faith unto strength. 
The world offers many options for relief from our pain and fear but we have proven time and again that they provide only a momentary hush from the voices within. Father you are proven to offer a peace that quiets all voices and all lies bringing us a hope that the world cannot experience outside of you.  May we seek you for a path and a peace we so desperately desire.
Father, I pray for those who either don’t know you or are afraid to seek you, that you gently draw them to yourself and show them your love and your mercy.  May their hearts soften towards you so that your work may begin. 
In your precious Son’s name,
Amen

Prosperity is more than we think

I didn't want to write this post today. As Carol said yesterday, prosperity is a tricky subject in the church. It invites scorn and skepticism. But in an effort to be transparent and give God the glory, it seemed important to share just some of our story and my reasons for bringing this subject to the blog at all.

I ask that mercy would triumph judgment as you learn more about me.

* * *

I press the End button on my cell phone with shaking hands. Bile rises in my throat and I grit my teeth against it.

"O God. I'm going to throw up."

That's not the voice of faith. Take heart, child.

"Take heart? Your Word says the righteous shall not beg. Your Word says You will supply our every need. Your Word says ask anything in Jesus' name and it will be done by my Father in heaven. How can this be happening in light of what Your Word says, God?"

Silence. Of course. Like a patient parent, He waits out my temper tantrum. Or is He, like I do when my toddler throws a fit, thinking of a suitable punishment for my insolence?

I draw a deep breath and swallow. This is the Almighty I'm talking to. Maybe I should dial down the attitude a bit.

"Is this what's it's come to, then? Two years of clawing and fighting to stay out of the pit, and we have to file for bankruptcy anyway? Where is our abundance? Where is the prosperity You promised?"

I know your needs before you ask. Have I not clothed the lilies of the valley and fed the birds of the air? Will I not do this and much more for you?

"Oh, good. I'll just tell those creditors that God knows all our needs and He'll bail us out soon."

More silence, and I wonder what people would say if I really did bring God into our conversation about money. Somehow, I doubt it will change the bottom line.

God doesn't promise a bailout of governmental proportions. I made mistakes in handling my finances, and I have to pay the consequences. If that means bankruptcy or working two jobs or selling everything we own, maybe it will teach me about good stewardship in the future.

I feel a prodding of the sovereign sort. He does not judge me as I judge myself or as the world judges me, and He is quick to forgive. He rescues His children as a father with limitless resources would.

Rescue is still possible. Prosperity is still possible.

But what is prosperity? When I pray for that specific blessing, what am I really asking for? Let me explain in wholly personal terms as I believe this differs for everyone.

For me, prosperity means paying - and paying off - my bills. It means going to the grocery store and not debating about a bar of soap or a package of dinner meat. Prosperity to me is taking a weekend to play with my husband and kids without worrying about the lost income from two days off. I'd like to have enough in savings to pay for a trip to the dentist or car repairs. Enough to give back to the community and the people that have helped us so much in our time of need.

Even more than money, prosperity is the ability to get up in the morning and look forward to the day. To have sufficient rest and abundant peace and joy. To be able to ward off spiritual attacks that threaten to derail my progress in the Lord. To have direction and energy and organization.

That's prosperous living to me. That's what rescue looks like to me.

I know we are not unique in our situation. Millions of people in our country face circumstances like ours. May we all turn to God, "who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask or think, according to the power that works in us" (Ephesians 3:20).


I feel, rather than hear, the Lord's voice. Fear not, child. I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

To have the God of the universe taking care of me and holding me up as I go through this life gives me pause. It surely does not get more prosperous than that.

I pray prosperity and abundance on us all,
Shelley

Praying for Prosperity

Happy Tuesday, Pray-ers! As always, last week slipped by when I wasn't looking, and the weekend... Well, I'm pretty sure it didn't happen. Here's hoping you all had a good few days.

And here's praying we all have a great week!

Do you ever pray for prosperity? I do. It's more biblical than some would think (see Joshua 1:7, 1 Kings 2:3, and 3 John 1:2 for a few examples), but it took a long time for me to recognize that my idea of prosperity is not necessarily God's idea. In fact, I think He has a much bigger plan for it than I do. I usually pray for financial income - especially in the wake of losing my job and my husband working too many 14-hour days to make up for it. Sometimes I'll ask for God to prosper us in another way, like joy or understanding, but mostly I just want money. Lol.

I think God wants more for us than that.

The Word says that our expectation comes from Him (Psalm 62:5), and that His plans for us are for good, for a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11). That sounds like even more than financial prosperity to me. His idea is for us to have peace, joy, hope, and fullness of Spirit. The enemy can not gain a foothold and steal our prosperity if we're seeking and living in the Spirit of Christ. And money doesn't compare when I'm full of joy and hope. When I have these things, when I'm living in Jesus, I can do all things - even earn financial income.

How do you pray for prosperity? What does it look like to you? Share with us, and let's pray for each other!

Many blessings to you today,
Shelley