Prayer Can Be Overwhelming. Pray Anyway.

The more we study and to try to practice the grace of intercession, the more we feel overwhelmed by its greatness and our weakness.
-- Andrew Murray

But He (The Lord) told me: “My kindness is all you need. My power is strongest when you are weak.” So I will brag even more about my weaknesses in order that Christ’s power will live in me.
-- The Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9 (GWT)

Prayer Can Be Overwhelming. Pray Anyway.
Grateful

Evil Will Not Conquer Us If We Pray Together!

Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil with good.
-- Romans 12:21 (GWT)

Do we really believe that good still overcomes evil? I sure pray that we believe it. There seems to be too much pessimism on the planet these days and sadly too many "Christians" seem to be buying the lies and biting the lures of the evil one hook-line-and-sinker. It's troubling. Let us repent of breaking what Reverend David Ring referred to as "The Eleventh Commandment" -- "Thou shalt not bellyache" or "Thou shalt not complain".

Has wickedness in our world really got so out-of-hand that the Blood of Jesus can no longer redeem it? No way! His Blood goes deeper still. I'll agree, many situations in this present century of ours are "seemingly" hopeless, but the key word is "seemingly". Friends, let's be encouraged because it is not possible for sin to go deeper, wider, or higher than the Love of God has already gone!

On Tuesday mornings, "I get to" meet with our men's dawn patrol prayer team at 6:10 a.m. Yesterday at our daybreak gathering, twenty-one men showed up to partner together in prayer. Take it from me, during that sacred and sweet hour of prayer each week, the atmosphere in the prayer room -- more often than not -- calls out loud and clear: "Our God's goodness still conquers the world's wickedness!"

So, if you think good no longer overrides evil, here's a sacred suggestion: Begin meeting regularly with a group of God-seekers for intercessory prayer for our "seemingly" hopeless world.

In my quiet time yesterday, these words written by Andrew Murray inspired my soul (and inspired my previous suggestion as well): "Meet together with other praying believers with the aim of strengthening each other in the grace of intercession."

Click here: Matt Redman - You Alone Can Rescue - YouTube

Let's not allow evil to conquer us! Let's pray together!
Grateful

Leave Me Not

But my eyes are toward You, O GOD, my Lord; in You I seek refuge; leave me not defenseless!
-- Psalm 141:8 (ESV)

Click here: I Will Not Forget Thee

Leave me not, my God!
Grateful

Wise Warnings

If you are foolishly bragging or planning something evil, then stop it now! -- Proverbs 30:32 (CEV)

Lord, Your Holy Word is full of wise warnings to those who will hear and heed them. Give us ears to hear and hearts to obey Your Holy Word. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Grateful

When You Can't Pray

A few years ago I was going through a dark season of life, so I called my praying mom on the phone and asked, "Mom, what do you do when you can't pray?" She said, "Son, that's the very best place to be, because when you can't pray, you simply trust."

Click here: TIS SO SWEET TO TRUST IN JESUS - YouTube

'Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, just to take Him at His Word...
Grateful

Don't Get Worked Up About Tomorrow

Give your attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes. -- Words of Jesus recorded in Matthew 6:34 The Message

LORD, HELP ME TO BE PRESENT IN THE PRESENT! I AM TOO BLESSED TODAY TO BE STRESSED ABOUT TOMORROW. LET ALL OF MY WORRY BE TRANSFORMED INTO YOUR WORSHIP! IN JESUS NAME! AMEN!

Your Name is Faithful and my name is...
...Grateful

Escape From Death

I helped conduct two funerals this week. Early in the week the Lord gave me this passage from Scripture. The words have been a great encouraement to my own soul:

(19) Thanks be to the Lord,who daily carries our burdens for us. God is our salvation. Selah (20) Our God is the God of victories. The Almighty Lord is our escape from death.
-- Psalm 68:19-20 (GWT)

Our Lord has overcome the grave. Give Him glory.
Grateful

A Renewed Vision

Where there is no vision, the people perish...
-- Proverbs 29:18a (KJV)

When our resources come to an end, a renewed vision of Who our God is -- as our Faithful Provider -- becomes very clear.

I've also heard it said that "scarcity brings clarity".

Click here: Ginny Owens - Be thou my vision - YouTube
(Ginny Owens is a completely blind singer from Mississippi)

Lord, be Thou my vision,
Grateful

A Blessing for Your Life

Grace, peace, and Godspeed to you...
May your life be totally full...
Of God's Spirit and His Love...
And all joy from above...
Grace, peace, and Godspeed to you.

Consider yourself blessed and be...
Grateful

All The Pieces

It's amazing what God can do with our broken lives if we will just give Him all the pieces.
-- Sheila Walsh

Click here: God is Faithful - Sheila Walsh - YouTube

Consider if all joy!
Grateful

Hungry For The Beauty of His Holiness

Indeed, the Beauty of God's Holiness is what I am hungry for, so I am feeding on these verses from The Holy Scriptures today:

Give to the Lord the glory His name deserves. Bring an offering, and come to Him. Worship the Lord in His holy splendor.
-- 1 Chronicles 16:29 (GWT)

Give to the Lord the glory His name deserves. Worship the Lord in His holy splendor.
-- Psalm 29:2 (GWT)

Worship the Lord in His holy splendor. Tremble in His presence, all the earth!
-- Psalm 96:9 (GWT)

Give to the Lord the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come before Him. Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!
-- 1 Chronicles 16:29 (NKJV)

Give unto the LORD the glory due to His name; Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
-- Psalm 29:2 (NKJV)

Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth.
-- Psalm 96:9 (NKJV)

Click here: Helen Baylor- Hunger For Holiness - YouTube

Holiness Unto The LORD!
Grateful

The Breath of God Breathing in Us

When we speak about the Holy Spirit, we speak about the breath of God, breathing in us. The Greek word for "spirit" is pneuma, which means "breath." We are seldom aware of our breathing. It is so essential for life that we only think about it when something is wrong with it.The Spirit of God is like our breath. God's Spirit is more intimate to us than we are to ourselves. We might not often be aware of it, but without it we cannot live a "spiritual life." It is the Holy Spirit of God who prays in us, who offers us the gifts of love, forgiveness, kindness, goodness, gentleness, peace, and joy. It is the Holy Spirit who offers us the life that death cannot destroy. Let us always pray: "Come, Holy Spirit, come."
-- Henri Nouwen

Inhale and exhale His Presence and be...
... Grateful

Our Suffering is Temporary

Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.
-- Helen Keller

Our suffering is light and temporary and is producing for us an eternal glory that is greater than anything we can imagine.
-- 2 Corinthians 4:17 (GWT)

Jesus, You are the Overseer of the overcomers.
Grateful

Whatever Happens

A dear sister of the Lord in our local church, Liz, told me this is her Scripture for 2012:

(16) Always be joyful. (17) Never stop praying. (18) Whatever happens, give thanks, because it is God’s will in Christ Jesus that you do this.
-- 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (GWT)

Whatever happens, let's keep looking to our loving Lord Jesus!
Grateful

Drugs are the Opposite of...

If you could say one thing to the next generation, what would it be?

Marijuana is a drug and it will mess you up. It’s far better to be present in the moment and to work on awareness. Drugs are the opposite of being alive. -- Kirstie Alley, actress

(19) Now, the effects of the corrupt nature are obvious: illicit sex, perversion, promiscuity, (20) idolatry, drug use, hatred, rivalry, jealousy, angry outbursts, selfish ambition, conflict, factions, (21) envy, drunkenness, wild partying, and things like that. I’ve told you in the past and I’m telling you again that people who do things like that will not inherit the kingdom of God. (22) But the spiritual nature produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, (23) gentleness, and self-control. There are no laws against things like that. (24) Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their corrupt nature along with its passions and desires. (25) If we live by our spiritual nature, then our lives need to conform to our spiritual nature.
-- Galatians 5:19-25 (GWT)

Lord have mercy.
Grateful

Opportunities to Get to Know God

Could it be that the whole thing we all know as a lifetime-on-planet-earth -- with all of its' joys and sorrows, conclusions and confusions, prizes and pains -- is simply but profoundly about nothing more, nothing less, and nothing else other than a time-frame extended to us by God so that we as human beings receive multiplied opportunities to get to know Holy God so that we won't be strangers to Him when time is up and eternity begins?

(8) Dear friends, don’t ignore this fact: One day with the Lord is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. (9) The Lord isn’t slow to do what He promised, as some people think. Rather, He is patient for your sake. He doesn’t want to destroy anyone but wants all people to have an opportunity to turn to Him and change the way they think and act.
-- 2 Peter 3:8-9 (GWT)

Lord, for the opportunties to get to know You, I am forever...
...Grateful

True Intercession

. . . men always ought to pray and not lose heart.

—Luke 18:1 (KJV)

You cannot truly intercede through prayer if you do not believe in the reality of redemption. Instead, you will simply be turning intercession into useless sympathy for others, which will serve only to increase the contentment they have for remaining out of touch with God. True intercession involves bringing the person, or the circumstance that seems to be crashing in on you, before God, until you are changed by His attitude toward that person or circumstance.

When we pray on the basis of redemption, God creates something He can create in no other way than through intercessory prayer.

-- Oswald Chambers

Pray all the time.

Grateful

Never Be Afraid to Trust

Precious Lord, on this Monday morning I pray that my faith in You will continue to grow stronger and stronger. Help me to trust You with unleashed abandon. The ancients were commended, even called "friends of God" because they believed in You and they believed Your words to be completely trustworthy. Help me to stand on Your promises and if this would be the day You return to earth, oh that You would find real faith alive in me. My Lord, I believe in You. May I never be fearful of trusting totally in You. Amen.

Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.
-- Corrie ten Boom (Quote sent to me by Keith Wiseman.)

By Faith! In Faith! (Hebrews 11)
Grateful

The Love of a Godly Mother

The closest thing to God's love is the love of a godly mother.
-- My Aunt Edith Willis Russell

I called my dear mom this morning to say "Happy Mother's Day". We shared tenderly our thoughts towards one another. Whatever the DNA of Heaven is, it surely was in the conversation we shared as mother and son. Indeed, the presence of God is in our relationship, and the presence of God is indeed the essence of Heaven.

Lord, if I can be half the man of God that my mother is as a lady of God, I will be spiritually successful. Let it be so for Your glory, Jesus. Amen.

This Youtube presents a song that reminds me of my Mother's presence in my life:

Click here: When You Come Home (Mother's Day) - Mark Shultz

God bless my precious mom and moms everywhere today, I pray.
Grateful

P.S. This link will take you to a previous blog post of mine where you can read "A Parable of a Mother": http://romanstenfifteen.blogspot.com/2011/01/parable-of-mother.html

On The Wings of Hummingbirds

One of my two daily devotional thought books for this year is a classic by Andrew Murray titled, "Teach Me to Pray". While it may sound crazy, sometimes the longer I walk with the Lord the less I seem to understand prayer. Could it be that the closer we get to Him the more mighty, marvelous, and mysterious He becomes? At the same time, the longer I walk with the Lord, the more desperate I realize I am for His Presence.

Yesterday was Friday, my regularly scheduled day off each week. It was a lovely day, so I placed a comfortable chair in our backyard underneath our Bradford Pear tree and just sat seeking the Lord's Presence. I whispered, "Lord, I am desperate for You." Within seconds of my near-silent plea, the first hummingbird of the season hovered right past my head to a feeder just feet from where I was sitting. Say I am crazy, but I knew it was the Lord.

A few minutes later I sent a message to my mentor, James Spruill, about my feeble prayer and God's hummingbird. Here was his immediate reply: I often see God in the small things. I wonder if you can't see Him in the small things if you can see Him in the big things?

Lord, thank you for Your patience as You moment-by-moment "Teach Me To Pray". Let me realize Your Presence as often as You desire and in any way You choose to manifest Yourself, even on, especially on, the wings of hummingbirds. I love You so much because You first loved me TOO MUCH. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

What God demands of us, He will work within us.
-- Andrew Murray

Come Holy Spirit, I Need Thee.
Come Sweet Spirit, I Pray.
Come in Thy Strength and Thy Power.
Come in Thine Own Gentle Way!

Grateful

There Will Be a Day!

Last night, as I was driving home on the interstate highway, in my human weariness this holy worship song suddenly began to play on the radio. It's not a new song, but it was new to me and it refreshed my soul in a new and much needed way.

Click here: "There Will Be A Day" Jeremy Camp - YouTube

I am pretty sure the song is based on verses in Revelation 21, especially verse 4 (GWT) -- He (God) will wipe every tear from their eyes. There won’t be any more death. There won’t be any grief, crying, or pain, because the first things have disappeared.

Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus!
Grateful

Blessed Be The Tie That Binds

This old hymn of the church came to my mind this morning.

Enjoy...
Click here: Blessed Be The Tie That Binds - YouTube

Blessed be the tie that binds
Our hearts in Christian love;
The fellowship of kindred minds
Is like that to that above.

Before our Father's throne
We pour our ardent prayers;
Our fears, our hopes, our aims are one
Our comforts and our cares.

We share each other's woes,
Our mutual burdens bear;
And often for each other flows
The sympathizing tear.

When we asunder part,
It gives us inward pain;
But we shall still be joined in heart,
And hope to meet again.

This glorious hope revives
Our courage by the way;
While each in expectation lives,
And longs to see the day.

From sorrow, toil and pain,
And sin, we shall be free,
And perfect love and friendship reign
Through all eternity.

One in the Spirit, One in the Lord!
Grateful

P.S. Click here: Sisters "Blest Be The Tie" from Doves Opening Ceremonies 2010

More Than a Holiness Theorist

When it comes to the holy life, I want to be more than a theorist, I want to be a practitioner, yes one who not only thinks and talks about holiness but one who actually participates in and proves holiness to be real. More than learning holiness, I want to live holiness.

...live holy lives, because if you don’t, you will not see the Lord.
-- Hebrews 12:14b (GWT)

Holiness Unto The LORD!
Grateful

Faith Never Knows Where... Only Who!

Faith led Abraham to obey when God called him to go to a place that he would receive as an inheritance. Abraham left his own country without knowing where he was going.
-- Hebrews 11:8 (GWT)

Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One Who is leading. It is a life of faith, not of intellect and reason, but a life of knowing the One who makes us "go". The root of faith is the knowledge of a person, and one of the biggest snares is the idea that God is sure to lead us to success.
-- Oswald Chambers

Click here: I know whom I have believed - YouTube

By Faith! In Faith! (Hebrews 11)
Grateful

A Grudge Paralyzes

A grudge is a weed with roots in yesterday that keeps us from living in the present.
-- Brian Charette

Unforgiveness brings paralysis.

Lord, forgive us... as we forgive... Amen.
Grateful

Compassion. Love. Mercy.

Everyone needs compassion...
A love thats never-ending...
Let mercy fall on me...

Click here: Lord, have mercy - Michael W Smith & Amy Grant

God knows. God cares.
Grateful

Nobody. Everybody. Somebody. Anybody.

"This is a story about four people, named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was asked to do it. Everybody was sure Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody's job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody, when Nobody did what Anybody could have done."

Billy Graham's brother testified:
"I'm just a nobody who wants to tell everybody that there's Somebody who can love anybody."

Let's Be a Blessing.
Grateful

Who's Your Healer?

(1) Hallelujah!
It is good to sing psalms to our God.
It is pleasant to sing His praise beautifully.
(2) The Lord is the builder of Jerusalem.
He is the one who gathers the outcasts of Israel together.
(3) He is the healer of the brokenhearted.
He is the one who bandages their wounds.
(4) He determines the number of stars.
He gives each one a name.
(5) Our Lord is great, and His power is great.
There is no limit to His understanding.
(6) The Lord gives relief to those who are oppressed.
He brings wicked people down to the ground.
-- Psalm 147:1-6 (GWT)

Click here: Jesus You Are My Healer - Don Moen

Hallelujah! There is Healing in the Name of our Lord Jesus!
Grateful

Both an Exit and an Entrance

Death, for the child of God, is not just an exit from this life, but also
an entrance into God's presence forever.
-- Pastor Margaret Michael

Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting?
-- 1 Corinthians 15:55 (GWT)

Grateful

Present & Most Pleasant

Sitting in the present chair we find it to be the most pleasant chair.
-- Grayson Willis Paraphrased

So don’t ever worry about tomorrow. After all, tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
-- Words of Jesus recorded in Matthew 6:34 (GWT)

Click here: I JUST WANT TO BE WHERE YOU ARE - DON MOEN

Oh to live daily in Your presence, Lord!
Grateful

All Your Plans

Author Henri Nouwen's mentor, Jean Vanier—who founded the L'Arch Communities for those with mental and physically handicaps and disabilities—gave this benediction blessing over Nouwen at his ordination service:

May all your expectations be frustrated.
May all your plans be thwarted.
May all your desires be withered into nothingness,
That you may experience the powerlessness and poverty of a child
and sing and dance in the love of God the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. Amen and Amen.

Lord, in our dreams may Your dreams come true.
Grateful