Jesus Has Followers in Iraq and Afghanistan

When you said, "Seek My Face", my heart said to you, "Your Face, O Lord, I will seek."

Have you ever considered the fact that God has sent thousands of Christians into Muslim countries that are opening hostile to Christianity?  Believers in Christ are openly working in Iraq and Afghanistan through the military to influence the people and government alike with a new way of honoring God and showing passion for their faith.  Most of the time our faithful military members must rely on their life of compassion and protection rather than words to convey that we in the U.S. feel their pain and understand their entrapment.  While most of us cannot physically be in Iraq and Afghanistan, we can participate in the spiritual battle for these countries by praying for our military members and the Muslim people. 

I believe there are many in these countries who are seeking the way of love to honor God, so we can ask God to give them courage and hope as they fight under the terrible curse of twisted religious ways. God loves the people of these dark countries and He wants to free them from the destructive and cursed ways of worshiping a perverted version of Himself. 

Father,

We know you long to free the people of Iraq and Afghanistan from the dark and destructive practicee of their religion.  We see the spiritual battle heating up to boiling over and know that the outcome for the common people may not be good.  Father, we ask that you protect our military members from attacks and ambushes.  Hide them in the shadow of your wings if danger approaches.  I pray that military believers are able to witness to their team members who do not know you and that many understand your calling and turn to a lasting faith in Christ.  Please allow our military to continue the task of proving the compassion the U.S. has for the people of these countries despite the horrendous crimes that have been committed by those who practice evil in the name of god.  Father, we ask in the name of Jesus, that you would not give up the spiritual battle for the people of these countries, even if it means our military has to be on foreign soil, because we know it is your will that all people can be free to choose to know you in truth. 

Help us to know how to pray further for this situation and share it with each other as we support our military and the people of Iraq and Afghanistan.  

In Your Sons Name.  

Blessings. 

Pray for the Military



When you said "Seek my face", my heart said to you, "Your face, O Lord, I will seek."

 
          With Memorial Day coming up, my mind has been on the highest offices of our military, the Joint Chiefs of Staff who advise the President on issues related to military actions and security of the U.S. around the world.  Let's lift these men up before the Lord asking God to give them a desire for wisdom that can only come from Him. 

Admiral Mike Mullen , Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Norton Schwartz –  Chief of Staff of the U. S. Air Force

Martin Dempsey – Chief of Staff of the Army

Gary Roughead – Chief of Naval Operations

Father,
We offer up prayers on behalf of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the U.S.  Please soften their hearts toward You so that they desire your wisdom and direction.  We pray that their focus will be on the security of our country and for the welfare of the troops under them.  We ask that you will work through them to advise the President and his Cabinet wisely on military matters.  Protect them and use them according to your will. 

Blessings.

Seek God's Face

When you said, "Seek My Face", my heart said to you, "Your Face, O Lord, I shall seek.."  Psalm 27: 8

 For the word of God is living and active.  Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.  Hebrews 4:12



Beautiful Spring is arriving in the Rocky Mountains and it is time to begin our prayer blogging once more.  We have taken a short unannounced hiatus to evaluate the future of this ministry and God is ever faithful to meet us when we seek Him for his will. God is faithful to provide not only the insight but the fortitude to continue on the earthly journey before we come to our final rest with Him. 

The Lord has given clear direction in reference to Elohim Prayer Bead ministry and we will continue our blogs and the sales of our prayer beads for specific needs and points of prayer.  Thank you to all of you who have asked about the status of the ministry.  Your input has been greatly appreciated.  We are privileged to walk the path of Christ with you. 

Father ~ Thank you that your Spirit opens new insights through your Word.  Your Word is powerful and truthful, able to lead us to honesty with ourselves and to know your heart for us.  Thank you for calling us to a relationship with you.  Give us hearts that desire you more than the attractions of this world.  Give us strength and courage for the journey and hearts that love you and others with the compassion of Christ.  We bring our needs to you Lord. 

Praise be to God. 

     



God sings over you!

Happy Monday, pray-ers. As we kick off another work week, I'd like to remind you of one of God's sweetest promises. This comes at a dark and frightening time for much of the world with the people of Japan struggling to survive amid continuous aftershocks and tsunami threats. The instability affects the entire world economically, environmentally, and physically.

Your situation might not be as newsworthy as a tsunami or a 9.0 earthquake and it might not impact tens of thousands, but it might feel just as terrifying to you. Each life is valuable to God. Each person's trauma breaks His heart. As you read the following Scripture and the prayer that follows, take time to meditate on it. Allow His promise to soak into your heart and change your outlook.

"The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing." Zephaniah 3:17

Dear Father in heaven, thank you for your promises. Please save us. Show us how you delight in us and rejoice over us. We need the quiet that comes only from you. Draw us close in these unsettling days. May we return your love and faithfulness. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Praying for you all,
Shelley

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

February challenge results - Pray daily

Happy Monday, dear readers. It's nearly the middle of March, and we're about to finish our segment on praying The Lord's Prayer. We were ambitious in scheduling such an important and rich piece of Scripture to one month. As we know, all Scripture is God breathed (2 Timothy 3:16), but the Lord's Prayer quite literally came from His mouth. It deserves more attention than I normally give it.

Our challenge this month was to pray daily. How did that go for you? Remember, we're still using prayer journals, and this is a very effective way to record each prayer and how God answers it. Adding a daily prayer seems like a small task compared to the prayer journal, doesn't it?

I found in my own effort to take on this challenge that praying daily does SEEM like a small task. What an arrogant creature I am. <half laughing> Prayer should never be a small thing. We should never approach the throne of the Almighty God as if we deserve access. We are allowed there because He loves us and desires a relationship with us.

As a mom with two toddlers, much of my praying seems to happen on the fly. Changing diapers, making cereal or sandwiches, grocery shopping, endless errands - it all gets lumped together and my prayers often go up while I do those things. The Bible says to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17), but it also talks about being reverent. Jesus Himself showed reverence. "During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission" (Hebrews 5:7). We're also told in 1 Peter 1:17 to live out our time on earth in reverent fear of the Father who judges each person's work impartially.

Do I show reverence in my prayer life?

It means a feeling or attitude of deep respect tinged with awe (definition courtesy of dictionary.com). I'm afraid I run before the throne of grace in a hurry, toss my petitions before Him, perhaps bow once if I remember, and rush out to accomplish the next task on my list. My own challenge has become to go before Him with a feeling and an attitude of deep respect tinged with awe. To show reverence, and to be thankful that He asked me to come in at all.

How did this month's challenge go for you? Let us know in the comment section or in an email to elohimprayer@gmail.com. We love to hear from you!

Praying for you today,
Shelley

Tempting or testing?

"And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." Matthew 6:13

The final section of the Lord's Prayer seems to imply that God would indeed tempt us. As we pray these words, our understanding of the word 'temptation' conflicts with our understanding of God's nature.

The Bible says God is our Creator (Genesis 1:27, 2:7). He is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, forgiving and just (Exodus 34:6, 7). Jesus called God "Abba, Father" (Mark 14:36). Nowhere does it say God is a tempter. That distinction is left for Satan.

While God will not tempt us, He will test us. "The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether or not you love Him with all your heart and with all your soul" (Deuteronomy 13:3). King David understood this. He prayed at the beginning of the building of the temple for the Lord, "I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity" (1 Chronicles 29:17).

So God will not lead us into temptation, but He will allow us to be tested. Indeed, He is often the One testing us.

These tests are meant to strengthen us, but Satan often tries to use them as a doorway to temptation. After Jesus' baptism, as He walked in the wilderness for forty days, "The tempter came to Him and said, 'If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread'" (Matthew 4:3). Our Lord was tempted by the evil one, and so will we be tempted. "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation" (Matthew 26:41). Satan's strategies include suspicion, envy, jealousy, resentment, judgment, and all things that are against God. His most subtle tool is to trick us into believing God is not all that He says He is - that He does not have all the power, and He does not want to give us every good thing.

The other important thing to note in this piece of the Lord's Prayer is that Jesus was specific about the evil one. He didn't pray, "Deliver us from evil." That overall thought is certainly captured in the words, but Jesus pointed to an actual being. There is one who embodies evil. He is a thief, coming only to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). Jesus teaches us to pray against this evil one, and to trust that God will deliver us from him and his tricks.

We'll be talking about our monthly challenge results in the next post or two. Stay tuned for that. Also come back for a day where we focus on praying the Lord's Prayer as a community of believers. There is unspeakable power when we gather for prayer. Let's come together and experience it!

Father God, thank you for your Word. Thank you for sending your Son into the world to be the light and our salvation. Please continue to speak to us through your word and through your Spirit. We pray that when the time of testing comes, we would not become tempted. Rescue us from the evil one and help us to trust you in all things. Amen.

Praying a blessing over you,
Shelley