Archive

October 2020

Browsing

PRAY WITH EXPECTATION

Mark 11:23
23 “Truly[a] I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.
John 15:7
If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
Matthew 21:22
22 
If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”
Matthew 7:7
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
Philippians 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Luke 11:13
13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Recently I was talking to God, and I asked for something, not knowing whether it would actually happen or not.  It was just my desire and I shared it with God.  A few days later my prayer was answered with a yes.

Now we all know that yes is not always God’s answer, but it was this time, and for me it was huge!  Although it was something simple, it is going to make a big difference in my life. What I learned from this, is that we don’t know what
God’s answer will be when we ask for something, our job is simply to ask.  He takes care of the answer, as well as the when where, and how.  So many times we come to God tiptoeing and fearful, or just sharing our hearts honestly and asking for what we really need or want.  Remember, He already knows what we need before asking.  He loves for us to come to Him and ask because when we ask it is an act of faith.  It is saying that we know that He has the power and the ability to meet our needs and our desires.  When we ask we are also saying that we believe and trust Him.

When a child goes to his/her father and asks for something, there is never a doubt about whether or not they will receive what they ask for.  They ask fully expecting to receive, exactly what they ask for. They believe and they trust.  It is no wonder that God says that unless you come to Him as a child, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.  It is their innocence and their ability to trust and believe without question, that pleases the heart of God.  We must trust and have that same type of faith, and expectation that a child has when we pray.  When we bring our petitions to God, we must remember that He is our Father, and just as our earthly fathers want to bless us with good things, so does our Heavenly Father.

If you do not have a consistent prayer life, I encourage you to make a decision today, to start communicating with God.  It will truly change your life for the better!

Here are a few things to consider when praying:

1.  We must ask.  It’s never too small or insignificant to come to God in prayer over.  If it matters to you, it matters to God.

2.  No problem or concern is too small or large for God.  In a crisis remember, that God is far bigger than any problem that you or I could ever have.

3.  Don’t assume that God won’t answer your prayers. Every prayer is always answered in one of three ways. The answer may be waiting, or yes, or even no. Have faith and know, that even a no is what’s best for you. God will only do what is best for you.

4.  Trust that God’s timing will be what’s best for you. He is always right on time.

5.  Trust God’s judgment on how He chooses to answer your prayers.  Answers don’t always come in the ways that we expect, but again they will be what is best.

6.  Make praying a daily habit.  Talk to God regularly throughout your day.   He is your best friend and He loves to hear from you.

Have a prayerful and joyful day!

 

Kindness Makes All The Difference

 Proverbs 19:17
17 Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.
Colossians 3:12
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
Galatians 6:10
10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
Acts 28:2
The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold.
Romans 12:10
10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.

Twenty-six years ago this past August my husband and I moved to the town that we currently live in.   Our move came with mixed emotions.  We were excited because this move was due to a promotion that my husband
had received, and we had prayed and prayed for this.  It would mean more money for our family, and since I was seven months pregnant with our first and only child it would definitely come in handy.  We had decided beforehand that when and if, we were blessed with a child, that I would stay home to care for our little one.

Although the promotion was what we had prayed for, we really missed our church family in Texas that we loved so dearly.   We had so many wonderful friends there, that we actually grieved being away from them.   These were established friendships that we had enjoyed for several years.  Our church family was such a big part of our life.  We not only went to church with these people, we did life with them outside of the church as well.

When my husband and I moved we knew that we had to get plugged into a church immediately.   One Sunday night after visiting a church here in town for a few weeks, a couple came over to us and said that their Life Group was going to be stopping by a local Braums for ice cream.  They asked if we wanted to join them.  Well, they had us at ice cream, so of course, we agreed to join them.  This was our first invite to anything, and we were excited to make new friends.

When we arrived at the restaurant, my husband sat with the guys and I sat with the ladies and visited.  Everyone was so kind to us.  That night they also invited us to come one Sunday evening to check out their Life Group Bible Study.  We joined them the following week, and we decided that it was the perfect group for us.  We didn’t have to look a bit further.

Until this day, twenty-six years later we are still friends with the people who were in that Life Group.  All of this started with one simple act of kindness.

Many times we go through life rushed and in a zone, focusing only on ourselves and our own agenda, and we fail to look around at the opportunities to extend a little kindness and joy to someone else.  You never know what your one act of kindness can mean to someone else’s life.

I encourage you to seek opportunities to extend kindness to someone each and every day.  By doing this, you become the difference-maker in their life.  Sometimes the smallest things can make the biggest difference to others.

That simple invitation to have ice cream that Sunday night, has blessed my family over and over again.  Who will you choose to be kind to this week?    I know that we are all having to practice social distancing right now due to Covid,
but we can make phone calls, we can zoom and we can send sweet cards in the mail.  Why not make a list of the many things that you can do, that will not require physical contact during this strange season that we all find ourselves in right now.   When you see an opportunity your list will be ready, for you to select the appropriate act of kindness for that particular situation.

Remember, the wonderful thing about spreading kindness is that you can’t bless others without being blessed yourself.  Have a great week spreading kindness everywhere you go!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Honor God With Your Best

Colossians 3:23
23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,

Colossians 3:17
17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Galatians 1:10
10 Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Honor God With Your Best

There are times when we are called to do things that we may not particularly care to do, or feel like doing, but we have to do them.   During those times our attitudes may not be the best, simply because our heart is not in it.

I remember several years ago attending a Women’s Bible Study, where each Tuesday evening they had a different speaker come in and speak.  On Tuesday night a lady who owned a Cookware store came and spoke to
our class.  Her presentation made me totally re-evaluate the way I considered meal preparation for my family.  It was as though she had been peeking through my windows.  You see I had become very tired of the same old routine, of working all day and then having to figure out what I was going to prepare for dinner.  Knowing that I would have to go through the same thing again the next day, and the day after that didn’t help the situation.  It had become a boring routine for me.

After hearing her speak, I realized that I had the wrong attitude.  I was not honoring God in the way that I was handling this situation.    The speaker explained what a blessing it is to have an opportunity, first of all, to serve our families. Secondly, she explained the opportunity we have to nourish our families physically, as well as to nourish them spiritually over a meal.   My eyes were opened to the importance of this daily intimate gathering.

She explained that when we prepare each meal with thoughtful planning and love, we are truly serving our families, and most importantly we are serving God…  Even though this may seem routine, when we do our very best, we are bringing honor to God.  God simply wants us to work wholeheartedly at whatever we do.  Yes, even cooking!  Remember, as the scripture says we are doing it unto Him not unto humans.

I must say that it is amazing how things change when we see them from a different perspective.  That evening I went home with a different attitude about preparing meals for my family, I got my excitement back, and I take joy in knowing that my family truly enjoys and appreciates every meal that I prepare for them.

Whether we are on our jobs, or home cooking or cleaning, or even doing work for our church, we are to do it wholeheartedly.   When we do things wholeheartedly, it means that we care. It means that those who will benefit from
it will receive our best.

There are times when we may not want to do something for someone for whatever reason.  If we can just remember during those times, to do it as unto God, because we desire to please Him, it will help us to align our will with His. This will also help us to quickly adjust our attitude, and to our surprise, we will be blessed with great joy, because honoring God, and knowing that we are pleasing Him brings us not only peace of mind but joy.

My prayer for you today is that as you continue to serve Him by serving others you will experience a joy-filled life!