Wednesday, December 7, 2022

Matthew 6; Luke 1:38 - "Kingdom"


Sometimes I catch myself praying selfish prayers. Ones like 'God, please let such and such happen...' or 'God, please put an obstacle in the way of...' when they are what I desire and not necessarily what God desires. We need to pray for His will at all time. If we follow the example of prayer He gives us in Matthew 6, we will pray for His will to be done, on earth as in heaven. When we walk in obedience to His will, the desires of our heart will align with the desires of His heart. Sometimes distractions come before us that take our focus off of Him. Distractions can be 'good' in the sense they can take the focus off of our own problems. They also can be 'bad' when we allow the enemy an open door to pull us away from God. The schedule/calendar is a perfect example of being a 'good' and 'bad distraction. When we are going through 'tough' days, filling up our time can help get through such time yet it also can stop us from focusing on what God desires of us. When we are stressed over life, God is the only way we will have victory. When it seems like life is overwhelming, He is the only way to walk in peace. When I was crafting Sunday's sermon, I was blessed with one point that says 'joy is trusting when you want to doubt.' We doubt in our humanness but we trust in our spiritualness. One of the things God brought out in the sermon is I don't have to do everything for everyone. It is not possible. What I do need to do is to allow Him to speak so I know what He desires of me. I also need to allow Him to take care of the 'heavy lifting' in situations. Trusting Him is key. Mary's words in Luke 1:38 are ones we all need to embrace. They read in The MessageI’m the Lord’s maid, ready to serve. Let it be with me just as you say. Trusting God may not seem 'easy' but it definitely is rewarding. When the emotions take over and the tears fall, He knows our humanness and is there to encourage us. He does that through His Word, people, songs, etc. Sometimes my emotional tank runs low and I am thankful for His filling. A walk out in nature, snuggles with one of my little friends watching a movie, hearing a song on the radio, and this time of year plugging in my Christmas tree to see the beauty of the lights are all ways my tank gets filled. I love a song Maverick City sings called "Kingdom"...

Thine is the Kingdom
The power the glory
Forever and ever
He finished my story
We're singing freedom
Our testimony
We'll be singing forever, amen
We'll be singing forever and ever, amen

Dear Jesus, Thank You for the blessings of yesterday and the ones ahead today! Thank You for filling up my emotional tank in so many ways! I am so blessed to have so many people in my life who truly care about me. Texts, calls, visits, hugs, etc. encourage me greatly. Father, I know I prayed for the doctor to give me prednisone to get the MS back to 'normal' but goodness my emotions are all over the place while on it. I pray against the side effects and continue to pray for healing. I look fine so no one understands what I am dealing with in my body but I am encouraged by those You put in my path. Cleanse me so You can fill me to overflowing with more of You. May You flow from my words, actions, attitude, and thoughts today. I pray for the Giving Project to touch many lives as we minister to the little ones. I also pray for strength for the ladies and I. I continue to pray for strength for my Momma. I pray the transfusion yesterday will help her with the weakness. I pray Your peace and joy over many going through 'tough' days. My sisters Linda, Sally, and Mary; my brother Richard; Ben and Colleen; Pete and Delores; Steve; Cait; Rhonda; Jack; Mike; Norma Hall; Sharon Sebolt and her parents; some young ladies with anxiety; a young man out of rehab who needs strength in his daily walk; Mary Lilley; a husband/father separated from his wife; Brooklyn; Kristen Batten; Amber; families in turmoil; Gay and Doug; Sherry; Serena and her husband; and many others. I also pray healing prayers over many who are dealing with 'c' and/or going through treatments...Chrissy's cousin; Shirley Jones; Preacher Bill Watts; Cait's friend with leukemia; my pastor friend with daily chemo; Little Ivy; Little Judson; Little Roselynn; a young girl in our community; a lady whose breast cancer has returned; a lady diagnosed with stage two breast cancer; a lady diagnosed with throat cancer; Sue Danhoff's husband Harv; Michele with breast cancer; and a young lady awaiting cancer testing. I pray for: Sherry and her family, Joyce and her family, the Long Family, Becky, Russ, a couple contemplating divorce and another couple having serious issues. Thank You for continued healing for: Pastor Tommy and Pam, Baby Henry, Kaye, and Darryle and his family. I pray for a father with a prodigal daughter to know You have not left him. I pray for Melinda and Todd with all they are going through. Lord, once again I pray today will be the day the MS tingling dissipates. Thank You for being My Will! Amen.

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