3:54AM...The Lord woke me to pray for many people to be encouraged. Some, like my Momma, I know why He would have me pray for them. She is going through tough days in her physical body which causes discouragement. I prayed for Him to put people in her path who would encourage her with His love. After I prayed for her I asked Him who else He wanted me to pray for. He promptly put Brooke and Chad on my heart to pray they will be encouraged by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the upcoming Encounter they will lead. From there He led me to pray for Dan Bohi and his team as they continue to be led by the Holy Spirit to touch many lives. I am so looking forward to seeing Dan and Craig when they come to Summerville in February. I prayed for them to feel the encouragement of prayers sent up by many who prayer for them. I prayed for Jim and Judy to walk in the Spirit and be encouraged as they begin the new year touching lives in Illinois Sunday and Monday. I prayed for Rob and Cindy as they are in Texas the rest of the month opening up the door for people to go into a deeper walk with the Holy Spirit. He had me pray for Ketchums as they prepare for the trip to Israel this spring. He also had me pray for pastors who are discouraged to have someone come along beside them to give them not only encouragement but also wisdom with their situation. I prayed the two Momma's Mike shared about yesterday having some major needs would be encouraged by His people. I also prayed for those going through health issues that need encouraged. I slept another hour and the Lord woke me with a song Josh Baldwin sings going through my mind... 'Cause my fear doesn't stand a chance When I stand in Your love My fear doesn't stand a chance When I stand in Your love My fear doesn't stand a chance When I stand in Your love! Discouragement can lead to fear. Fear can lead to disbelief that God loves us or is with us. We are told in the scriptures over and over about how God never leaves us. We do not have to fear that He will. He is there to help us in trying times (Hebrews 13:6). He fights for us in a personal way through disappointing and difficult days (Deuteronomy 5:5). His Spirit will dwell in us when we allow Him to. This is a gift given to all who accept Him (Romans 8:15). When we live in Him, we have His peace through times of discouragement. When we give the enemy an open door, discouragement will not allow that peace (John 14:27). God did not make us to be fearful but He made us with power, love and self-control (II Timothy 1:7). I love the words of I John 4:18...
"Perfect love" is God's love. Woo hoo! We have nothing to fear when we have His love. Times of discouragement will come but He will provide during them. He will answer our prayers. He will use others to encourage us with their words and actions. He will love us through tough days and strengthen our faith as we allow Him. He will direct our path when we have no idea what to do ourselves. His "perfect love" is the key to living in the Spirit. Dear Jesus, Thank You for the opportunity to pray for many during the night. Thank You for the reminder that Your love is the key to life. Thank You for answering two major prayers yesterday. Thank You for continuing to encourage me with my path toward ordination. Lord, cleanse me so You can fill me to overflowing with more of You. I desire to be filled with more of Your Holy Spirit so people will see and hear You through me. Father, go before me today wherever You lead me. Thank You Jesus for being My Perfect Love. Amen.
3:44AM...my eyes popped opened with an urgency to pray for my Momma. I prayed for physical, mental, emotional, financial, and spiritual strength. She is going through some tough days with so much unknown. Over the last week there was a point where she was ready to go see Jesus and then there was a point where she felt like she wasn't ready yet. There was a point where she thought she was staying in the hospital and then she was abruptly discharged. She has been on a roller coaster ride that has not been fun. I am thankful she has the Lord. I don't know how people get through such things in life without Him. After I prayed for her, the Lord had me pray for a family whose son committed suicide. I don't know who this family is but He impressed upon me to pray for them to not blame themselves but instead to draw closer to Him for strength. Last night there were so many prayer requests from the children that brought hurt to my heart. I'm so glad they have the Tuesday night group to rely on. One of the older teens got to come for the first time in several weeks due to working. When one of the younger teens heard what she said he said, "When I get old enough to have a job, I'm going to request Tuesday nights off!" Oh how I love my Tuesday nights. I was so tired last night by the end of the evening and my legs were hurting so bad but I felt blessed. This morning I woke up to the song "Legacy" and thought about how I desire to leave a "Legacy" to all I meet but especially to children who do not have a Christian role model in their home and to my own children and grandchildren. I want to leave a legacy, how will they remember me? Did I choose to love? Did I point to you enough To make a mark on things? I want to leave an offering A child of mercy and grace who blessed your name Unapologetically and leave that kind of legacy I don't have to look too far or too long awhile To make a lengthly list of all that I enjoy It's an accumulating trinket and a treasure pile Where moth and rust, thieves and such will soon enough destroy I don't want to be remembered for all the 'stuff' I have accumulated on this earth. I would rather be remembered for all the times I shared God's love with others. Things are not what are important but instead the love of Christ is. The song continues with... Not well traveled, not well read Not well-to-do or well bred I just want to hear instead "Well done good and faithful one"
Shouldn't that be the goal for everyone? Shouldn't we who believe and live for the Lord share Him every opportunity He puts before us? Shouldn't we strive to hear those words when we get to the pearly gates? I know I do and I pray for more people to also. Dear Jesus, Thank You for Your love, mercy, and grace that enables me to live today. Thank You for cleansing me so You can fill me to overflowing with more of You. Father, go before me today and open doors that need opened and close doors that need closed. I do not want to miss anything You have for me. I want to be a sponge soaking more of You in. I desire to be completely focused on You just as I talked about with the children last night. I pray for children in schools today to not only be safe but to feel the safety of Your arms wrapped around them. I also pray You will enable me to plant seeds today so I will leave a legacy when my time comes to meet You. Thank You Jesus for being My Goal! Amen.
I cannot even begin to imagine what it would have been like to have Jesus in the flesh teaching and encouraging me. As I read Matthew 22 this morning, I imagined sitting along a hillside outside the city of Jerusalem listening to Him. Perhaps we would be sitting under one of the huge olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemane as He taught. I loved walking where He walked. I loved being baptized in the Jordan River where John baptized Jesus. One of my favorite times in Israel was when I stood by the Sea of Galilee thinking of Peter's story and the Lord spoke to me about my own story. Today's reading of Matthew 22 with Jesus' response to the question of the Pharisees as to what the greatest commandment is touched me greatly when I read verses thirty-seven in The Message. "Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence." Wow, God! I am to love Him with all my passion...prayer...intelligence. That means I am to love Him with every ounce of my being. He is to be the Only One that should be directing my life. His life should be what I desire to mirror. His love should flow from every part of my words, actions, and attitude. He will live in and through me as I allow Him to. He will be my Peace in the midst of the storms of life as I allow Him to be. He will not push Himself upon me but He will be there for me at all time, 24/7. The key to such a relationship is to live in Him 24/7. That means allowing Him to be the One in control of my thoughts and actions. It means not only hearing His voice but listening to it and walking in obedience. "passion...prayer...intelligence." Those are some interesting words. "Passion" is what I desire to have in my life for Him. I strive to stay in a constant state of "prayer." I also strive to keep my mind ("intelligence") focused on Him even when the enemy tries to get me off track. In verse forty in The Message it reads that this commandment and the commandment to love others "...are pegs; everything in God's Law and the Prophets hands from them." If we do not follow these two commandments, we cannot be grounded in life. If we are not grounded in Him in our life on this earth, we cannot expect to spend eternity with Him. This morning I was feeling lazy and laid in bed for a bit. I was feeling guilty for laying there when my friend Elizabeth asked me to join an on-line Bible study with her. That study led me to Matthew 22 and I am so grateful for the reminders of this passage. I desire to live as Jesus desires of me. There are times when I start to get crabby over things and have to stop myself. I am the only one who has the capability of asking Jesus to get me through crazy schedules, tough times in my physical body, health issues of loved ones, financial difficulties, etc. He is the Only One that has the answers. I do not need to worry over things I have no control over. God already has things under control, I don't need to have control over anything. Dear Jesus, Thank You for my friend Elizabeth who You used to take me to Matthew 22 this morning. Thank You for a successful procedure to put a stint in Sally's heart yesterday; my Momma being released from the hospital; and encouraging blood work for Dale. I continue to pray for Little Natalie, Little Malachi, and Little Richie as they battle their diseases; many who are battling disease in their physical bodies; Mary Ellen and Ellen as they regain their strength; Becky and her family as they go through calling hours and the funeral of her uncle; and most of all for those who need to commit their life to You. Father, calm my apprehension about the next eighteen weeks with school. I pray for open doors for all the particulars to work out in Your way. Father, I pray I will not try to manipulate any aspect of this situation. Cleanse me so You can fill me so I will have no doubt You are in the planning. I pray for more of You and less of me. Thank You Jesus for being My Filler. Amen.
Over the last week I have thought a few times my Momma was leaving this earth. It has been hard but it also has been joyous. Watching her gasping for breath and crying out "Oh God, help me!" was probably one of the hardest things I have gone through. But knowing she knows where she will live for eternity comforts me. Every one of the medical workers who walk in her room get the same question. "Do you go to church?" I heard one say that they use to but don't any longer. She didn't stop the conversation there but instead asked them 'why?' When they told her the church they were going to didn't have programs for their children, she invited them to her church. Not only did she invite them but she told them to call her and she would meet them there. When another one was asked the same question, he told her he did and had a relationship with the Lord. From that time on he told her he was praying for her every time he would come in to do a treatment. She has a Bible laying out on her stand where all could see. She is being a witness for the Lord even when her days on earth may be dwindling. She told her doctor yesterday she was at peace and ready to go to be with the Lord but she is in hopes of that time not being yet because she has more work to do. My Momma has not had an easy life in the world's view but she has been enriched through her great faith and trust in the Lord. She has seen many miracles throughout her life time. Some physical, some emotional, and some spiritual. If you were to ask her which ones she liked the most, I'm sure it would be the spiritual ones. She loves to see people be drawn to the Lord. She loves to see them healed from their spiritual battles. Last night I was exhausted and just wanted to climb into my own bed and go to sleep. God had other plans. For four hours I laid awake praying and begging Him to let me go to sleep. After an hour of prayer He told me to read Psalm 49. I asked Him if I could read it this morning but He said I needed to read it then. So I did. I read it in different versions and pondered upon the words David wrote. The last few verses speak how we, as believers, do not have any reason to fear death. It also speaks of how we, as believers, may see the lives of those around us who do not live for the Lord as being great when in fact it is not. The ways of this world are not what we need to follow. Jesus Christ is the only Way to get to heaven. He is our Intercessor with our Heavenly Father. Matthew Henry wrote about these part of scripture: Those that are rich in the graces and comforts of the Spirit, have something of which death cannot strip them, nay, which death will improve; but as for worldly possessions, as we brought nothing into the world, so it is certain that we shall carry nothing out; we must leave all to others. My Momma came to this realization over the last few days. Her earthly possessions are just 'stuff' which will not be going with her to heaven. She kept telling people "I won't be taking a u-haul with me when I leave this earth." She understands the point everyone needs to about life. This world is not our home. It is not where we will spend eternity. We all have a choice to make as to where our eternal home will be. My Momma has chosen heaven. She wants to make sure she takes every opportunity to share that with others so they can have the same opportunity. She is bold in her witness. I desire to be the same. Saturday night God had me praying for pastors to have boldness in their preaching. Pastors are not the only ones that need to be bold. All believers need boldness in their witness. I believe time on this earth as we know it is drawing closer to being over. I believe Jesus' return will be soon. I do not want Him to ask me why I did not share Him when He gave me an opportunity to do so. I desire to have a clean slate with Him. The only way to do that is for me to live in His presence where I not only hear His voice but I walk in obedience to Him. Dear Jesus, Thank You for the intimate time we had together last night. Thank You for providing for me to have a few days with my Momma. Thank You for delaying my flight so I was there to talk with the doctor and then have communion with my Momma. Father, I pray Your will for her. I pray if she is to stay for rehab, the insurance will agree to it. If she is to go home, I pray You will be her strength not only physically but emotionally, mentally, and especially spiritually. I pray for my sister as she is in a heart cath right now. Guide the doctors and give them wisdom. I pray for my brother who needs a spiritual healing. Lord, cleanse me so You can fill me. Give me boldness in my witness greater than ever before. Lord, I will admit as I read the syllabus last night for these next four months I was overwhelmed. Guide me as I grasp all involved. Provide me with the mentoring coach You have appointed. Thank You Jesus for being My Past, Present, and Future! Amen.
I woke up this morning to the words of a song Hillsong sings called "Who You Say I Am" and was so blessed. God loves me so greatly. He desires for me to live my life surrendered to His will. He desires for everyone to live such a life.
Who the Son sets free Oh is free indeed I’m a child of God Yes I am In my Father’s house There’s a place for me I’m a child of God Yes I am
Wow, God! The freedom You give me is awesome. It is only through You that such freedom comes. John 8 is full of Jesus' words when He was teaching on the Mount of Olives. Specifically, He spoke in verses thirty-one through forty-seven about freedom through Him. He said in verse thirty-one and thirty-two, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." Woo hoo! No one has to be a slave to sin. We all have the choice to make between sin and Him. Sin separates us from Him. In verse thirty-four He said, "Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin." There is bondage in sin. No one has to stay in such a state. There is freedom through Christ (vs. 36). When we accept Christ, we allow Him into our heart. As we live for Him, He will speak and we will sometimes be able to hear Him but it is not until we completely surrender to Him that we will not only hear Him but desire to walk in His will. In verse forty-seven He said, "Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God." The desire in my heart is to not only have Him in my heart but to be sold out to Him so I hear His voice and walk in obedience to Him. Then, and only then, am I at peace with my eternity. I don't have to question whether I will spend it with Him. I am confident I will. "In my Father's house, There's a place for me." I know this to be true. Woo hoo! Oh how I pray for more people to accept Him into their heart. I also pray for more believers to surrender totally to Him and walk the road of obedience in His will. Dear Jesus, Thank You for all the ways You protected me yesterday. Thank You for the way You gave me wisdom and recollection. Thank You for loving on me so greatly and waking me with this song today. Father, I praise Your Holy Name for the knowledge that I will spend eternity with You. I praise You for the way You speak to me and the desire of my heart is to walk in obedience to Your will. Father, cleanse me so You can fill me today. There are so many things going on in my little world. Give me clear thinking, Your direction, and peace through all. I continue to pray for my Momma's health, Billie's pain, Dale's health, Little Richie, Little Natalie, and so many others who are struggling in their physical bodies. May You be their Healer and their Peace. Thank You Jesus for being My Eternity! Amen.
God woke me up in the middle of the night with these words. "Study to shew thyself approved unto God" (II Timothy 2:15 KJV). I immediately thought this meant I needed to be studying His Word more or in a different way. As I read all of chapter two of II Timothy in different versions this morning, I realized Paul was writing about how we are to live for God. In The Message the beginning of verse fifteen reads, "Concentrate on doing your best for God." NIV reads, "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved..." Paul tells Timothy to persevere through all that comes his way as He proclaims the Gospel (vs 1-7). He encourages Timothy to stay faithful in his walk with the Lord (vs 8-13) and to be careful that the words out of his mouth are to be useful for furthering God's Kingdom (vs 14-21). In the last few verses (vs 22-26), Paul charges Timothy to be zealous in his ministry but to do so with the right spirit and without error. Paul didn't just say these words but he lived them. He was careful in all he said and did. He desired to be a living example for God. We, today, need to have Paul's attitude. Everything we do needs to be done with God's approval. If we decide to do something or say something and it is not from Him, we are making a grave mistake. He must be our Focus and the One to direct us. He must be the One we look to at all hours of the day. We cannot allow the ways of this world to pull us away from God. Instead we must be strong in our faith so He can work in and through us. That is the only way we will spend eternity with Him. I like how Matthew Henry states it. "If we are dead to this world, its pleasures, profits, and honours, we shall be for ever with Christ in a better world." My goal is to spend eternity with Him. If I am not living in His presence, that goal will not be attainable. Yesterday as I was trying to make a difficult decision I prayed but I was not getting a 'quick' answer as I desired. I started to make a decision based upon my emotions and He stopped me. I asked for wisdom but it just seemed like I was getting no where with the situation. Several hours later I put a fleece out and I received my answer. I was at peace and thankful He had not just given me the answer hours before. The day was filled with seeking His will in this situation. Had I been given the answer in the beginning I may have missed His presence so greatly throughout the day. I was not holed up in my room praying all day. Instead I was functioning, having a normal day with interaction with others. But throughout the entire day I was praying and seeking His will. It is days such as yesterday that make me realize the importance of being willing to do whatever God desires. Sometimes He will reveal things to us instantly but other times it takes time. No matter how long the process is, He desires to love on us with His love. He desires to direct our path as we serve Him. All we have to do in live in His presence so we will be able to hear Him. I love the way verses twenty and twenty-one read in The Message.
The desire of my heart is to be usable to God in whatever way He desires. I think of our son Ben who is an ordained pastor. God called him out of full-time church ministry to minister through a non-profit organization. Is he still in ministry? Definitely. Is God using him? Definitely. He may be ministering to more now in this position than he was as a pastor of a church. God uses those who are willing to do things that may seem impossible or 'crazy.' He uses people who are willing to be 'crystal goblets' and those who are willing to be 'waste cans.' The key is knowing how He wants to use you and then walking in the path He puts before you. The only way to receiving this 'key' is by living in His presence where His will is heard and the desire to walk in it is there. This time with Him this morning did not turn out as I thought it would. I thought He was going to teach me about studying but instead He taught me about being more usable to Him. Woo hoo! I love my time with Him to start my days. There are definitely times of surprise from time to time. Dear Jesus, Thank You for the way You bring Your Word alive. Thank You for showing me this morning the need to be more usable for You. Father, I pray continued blessings upon Ben and his ministry. I pray You will continue to bless him and his family as they seek more of You. Lord, I pray the same for Doc and I. Cleanse us so You can fill us to overflowing with more of You. Father, whether You want to use us as 'crystal goblets' or whether You want to use us as 'waste cans' today, Your will be done. Lord, I also pray for healing in my Momma. I pray for deep breaths to flow in her and Your peace to come down upon her body. I pray for Little Natalie who will be having a test to determine what is going on in her little body. I also pray for the pain Billie is experienced to subside through Your supernatural empowerment. Thank You Jesus for being My Guide. Amen.
2019...wow! There were days where I never thought I would ever see this year. 2018 was one of such blessings through many challenges. I'm sure 2019 will be much the same as I continue to seek God's will for my life. Yesterday Ecclesiastes 3 came to my mind several times. Verse one reads, "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens." This chapter continues...
"a time to be born and a time to die"(vs 2a) - 2018 saw many births and deaths in the physical sense but most importantly there were births and deaths in the spiritual sense. My prayer for 2019 is there will be more spiritual births and deaths.
"a time to plant and a time to uproot" (vs 2b) - Many seeds were planted in 2018 along with times of 'uprooting' when the Lord told me to "move on" from people. My prayer for 2019 is that I will plant more seeds and continue to listen to Him and walk in obedience to His will.
"a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build" (vs 3) - 2018 brought some challenges where things or people had to be let go so healing could occur in my emotional and spiritual bodies. My prayer for 2019 is that I will continue to heal from these situations and my faith will grow through the process.
"a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance" (vs 4) - 2018 was a year of many tears. Some were for hurts and some were for joy. My prayer for 2019 is that I will remember that God gives us tears for cleansing.
"a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing" (vs 5) - There were times in 2018 where I followed God's direction on when to speak to people and when to walk away from them but I know I probably missed some opportunities. My prayer for 2019 is to not miss any opportunity He puts before me with people.
"a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away" (vs 6) - 2018 was a year of evaluation of my life. There were practices that I had to rid from my daily life in order to live in the manner God desired. My prayer for 2019 is that I will be honest with myself on what I need to rid of whether it be materially or in my spiritual life.
"a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak" (vs 7) - 2018 was a time of seeking direction on an issue I have in a particular relationship but the issue has not been resolved. I've prayed and tried things to no avail. My prayer for 2019 is that it will be resolved as I continue to seek God's direction in the situation.
"a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace" (vs 8) - I do not like the word 'hate' because of how negative it is but I realize it is ok to 'hate' the sin but not the sinner. I also know there has to be times of 'war' in order to have the outcome of 'peace' but once again I do not like how strong the word 'war' is. But I did see God's love give peace in many situations in 2018. My prayer for 2019 is it will bring more of His love and peace in situations where the enemy is involved so greatly.
God has a plan for my life for 2019. All I have to do is trust Him and have faith that He knows what is best for me. He will direct my steps as I allow Him. He will be my words, actions, and attitude as I allow Him. 2019 is in His hands as I allow Him. I have a choice to give Him that privilege. As I make that choice and walk in obedience to Him, 2019 will be exactly what He chooses it to be for me. Woo hoo! I do not have to fret over decisions when He is the One to make them. I do not have to wonder if I am doing the 'right thing' when He is the One to direct me in everything. Praise His Holy Name!
Dear Jesus,
Thank You for another year that is ahead for me. Father, I 'know' of some things that appear to be ahead but there are a lot more that I don't know of. May You go before me and have Your love flow from me in abundance. I pray You will cleanse me so You can fill me. May You be my words, actions, and attitude in a mighty way. May You be greater than me. May You be in total control of every aspect of my life. Thank You for good results from my colonoscopy yesterday. I'm sorry I fell apart when they took me in. With it being the first one since the breast cancer I was very emotional but I know You were in control. Thank You Jesus for being My Past, Present and Future! Amen.
