inspirations

Surrendering

The longer I walk with the Lord, the more I realize how distracting the world is and how often we try to control our own lives without first seeking His will. I read this today and thought I would share it here. Enjoy.

   “Sometimes God asks us to abandon happiness for what appears to be loneliness.  Sometimes He asks us to abandon physical comfort for physical pain or torture. Why does God require this of us?  Because God requires death before He brings forth life.  The Bible says, “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain” (John 12:24).  Abandonment sometimes leads to the death of our pleasure . . . or our comfort . . . or out immediate happiness.
            But God doesn’t leave us in a state of turmoil when we abandon ourselves to His will.  When we abandon our desires to pursue those of God, we turn from our feelings of self-love and self-protection and move toward divine love and divine worship.  It is then that we get a new desire for living.  It’s in that transformation that we find a new desire to worship God.  When we die to our selfish plans, we become like the wheat that dies in the soil.  Through death to self, we slowly begin to grow and become fruit unto the glory of God.
            When we pray, “not our will, but Yours,” we are talking about surrendering our wills, not destroying them.  Our will represents our power to make decisions in life.  When we eradicate our wills, we become like pieces of paper blown down and empty alley that follow the dictates of the wind, with no backbone . . . no determination . . . no purpose in life.
            The prayer of abandonment must always lead to the prayer of transformation: “Lord, I give my life to You.  Now transform me into the image of Jesus Christ.”  This only occurs when we move beyond abandonment and are transformed to love and obey God.”  How to Pray When You Don’t Know What to Say pp 102, 103 by Elmer L. Towns, Regal from Gospel Light

 
 

A New Chapter.

Sometimes life feels like a book: there is a beginning, an ending and lots of chapters in between. I'm one of those book-readers who loves to read the last page of the book before I even begin chapter one. Yes, I know, that's partly ruining the whole entire experience of the book but it allows me to "see" where I'm headed and how everything turns out in the end!

In His wisdom, God never allows us to see the last chapter in our personal lives ahead of time, but as far as the over-all big picture in life goes, I'm glad I can open up the bible, flip to the very last page and see that GOD WINS!

Well, if my life were likened to a book at the moment, I've just ended a huge chapter in life and it's so very bitter-sweet. I love it and I hate it all at the same time. Yes, I'm speaking of my oldest child graduating from High School this past week. And in two more years, our youngest will do the same thing, ending yet another chapter and not only that, an entire "Act" (you know, those big fat books that have chapters divided into "Acts" because there is a lifespan or two involved in the book?).

This past year we've lived the "last of everything" experience with Tori: the last concert at high school; shopping for the last dress for high school banquets; the last lunch mom will every make for her in a lunch bag. Those of you that are moms out there, you know what I'm talking about. It's a very emotional time for parents yet it's also coupled with moments of sheer joy. Tears of sadness and tears of happiness.

Letting go is a process, and a very difficult one at that. But I have a point to this blog entry and it's quite simply this: everything in life is an opportunity for us to draw into a deeper and closer walk with God. As a familiy transitions with major changes in the lives of each family member, we can hold onto the knowledge that God NEVER changes; He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow (Hebrews 13:8).

Change in life is challenging, exciting and difficult all rolled up into one big experience. I'm usually very good with change, but this new chapter is frankly a bit harder for me than I expected. The emotions of it all have been so overwhelming, yet I have found great comfort in the book of Proverbs and Psalms this past week.

To all parents who are also ending this chapter in life, or who will be in the near future, remember to seek the great peace that comes from knowing our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He is the Great Comforter and I'm so very thankful for that.

Congratulations to our sweet, beautiful Tori.

 
 

Back from a Long Break

It's been a very long time since I've entered a post on this journal/blog. Though I've been absent from writing here in the past year, I felt impressed to keep the blog "live" in case one day, some day, I felt compelled to share again. Life got busy and this little blog fell by the wayside, but here I am. Again.

Finding Peace.

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:28,29

I once had a conversation with a non-Christian who told me "I don't get the whole Christian-thing. Every Christian I've ever met STILL has problems, issues and stress in their lives".

EXACTLY.

Live without stress and burdens and issues is called...death. Only when we die are we completely free from trials, stresses, burdens and the issues of life.

One of the greatest things I've learned as a Christian (and am still learning) is that peace in the Lord has more to do with how I handle stress, tragedies, burdens and the issues of life than with the issues themselves!

Peace comes from a deep, real relationship with God and the knowledge that He promises us that He is IN the situation with us and that He will never forsake us.

As a Christian, I have learned that no matter what the difficulty is going on in my life, God is in control. At any given moment He can change my situation. Knowing this gives me peace IN the situation I am facing. The fact that He doesn't change it? That's where faith comes in. And faith brings peace. And peace, joy.

I used to hear Christians talk about the "peace of God" and never really understood it. Until...I started seeking it. I set out to really understand it, find it, experience it. Little bit by little bit, I am learning that the real peace that the Lord talks about comes about when we spend significant amounts of time with Him each and every day.

The more I look at the world...the more I am IN the world. The more I look at God...the more I am IN the presence of God and the more peace, joy and love I experience!

By "looking at God", I simply mean this: filling my mind, my heart, my ears, my life with the things that cause me to remember Him, think about Him, pray and talk with Him. Obviously this means reading the Bible and praying. But the more I replace worldly influences through media sources, music choices, conversations and people with Godly influences through these same sources, the more my life and character starts to resemble the things of God and this...brings peace into my life.

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 (How can you learn to better claim these promises? What attitudes, choices and/or actions are holding you back?)

Seek Him...know Him...love Him...find peace.

"Dear God: I want to know the joy of peace in my life more and more. Please lead me into a deeper relationship with You and help me to understand Your ways and Your will for my life. I truly want to seek You more diligently. Help me to overcome the worldly obstacles that take up my time away from You. Amen."

Happy Mother's Day to all mothers today...especially my very own mommy. "...her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her...charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised." Proverbs 31:28,30

The Fruit of the Spirit is PEACE.

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you: not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27

I love the above scripture. It plainly states and reminds me that there is a difference in my life when I look to God for peace versus looking to the world for peace.

God's peace is everlasting---it's sustaining. The Bible tells me that no matter what is happening in my life, I am assured of a deep sense of security and peace in knowing that God is always on my side, in control and unconditionally in love with my soul.

Everyone wants to be loved. Everyone seeks joy. And everyone wants a sense of peace and security.

The bookstores are filled with rows and rows of books on how to be filled with peace; how to pull out of depression; how to be anxiety-free. The doctors are ready and willing to prescribe a pill for everything under the sun from stress, anxiety, depression, sleeplessness, etc.

But God says plainly that all we need is Him...He IS love. He IS joy. And He IS peace.

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1

In Romans 5 versus 1 through 11, I believe the crucial point is this: Jesus died for my sins. I believe He is the risen Christ. Therefore, I am saved.

As Christians, that alone gives us a deep sense of peace in knowing that we are reconciled to the Almighty God and have everlasting life because of His plan for our salvation! The more I get to know my Lord, the closer I draw to Him and the deeper I fall in love with Him which breeds true joy and in turn breeds genuine and real peace in my life.

Each of the fruits of the Spirit are all connected...they all reveal the true Character of God and draw us into a deeper relationship with Him. The closer we draw to Him through a daily walk with Him, the more evident these fruits are in our own lives.

Peace. It's the opposite of anxiety and stress, worry and fear. It's what the world wants but never finds...until falling at the foot of the cross.

Great peace have those who love Your law. And nothing causes them to stumble. Psalm 119:165

"Lord, thank you for reminding me each and every day that You are my peace and my joy. Please help me to share this with others in my life so that they, too, can experience the great peace that only You offer. Amen."

JOY that lasts.

By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin. Hebrews 11;24, 25

Being a Christian is not easy---in fact, it's challenging at times. Being a Christian is all about finding Jesus IN the trials. Seeking Him IN the struggles. And then praising Him and not forgetting Him IN the good times.

Moses' decision to give up the throne of Egypt was definitely not "politically correct". He very well could have decided to stay in Egypt and become the next Pharaoh. He could have rationalized that God could do His will through Him in the luxury of Egypt. After all, it's not that hard to rationalize things like that because there are so many good "reasons" to make a wrong decision.

Being a committed Christian comes with no promise of fame, fortune and wealth. It does, however, come with the assurance of lasting joy. Joy comes when we are in the presence of and within the will of God.

In the end, our hope, our salvation, our joy, our everything, has to depend on something greater than this world. No matter what our circumstances, we need to turn from thinking about ourselves and instead dwell on what Jesus has done for us...this is where our true inward joy comes from!

"Lord, lead me into a deep knowledge of what You have done for me; turn my thoughts away from my own circumstances and provide me with opportunities to serve You and Honor Your name today. Bless me with Your joy. Amen."

 

JOY in tough times.

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the wold you will have tribulations; but be of good cheer (have joy!), I have overcome the world'. Jesus in John 16:33

Okay...consider this...the possibility that many believers don't experience joy simply because they are self-centered.

Regardless of our situation, there will always be others around us in need. By focusing on our own problems, we only make them worse in our own minds. The reality is this: we DO have reason to rejoice no matter what the circumstances...not in ourselves, but in GOD!

If our true security is in Jesus, we would reach out to someone else in our times of trouble knowing that self-pity can be turned into deep joy by the simple act of the will towards someone else. It is a reality that turning our thoughts, acts and will towards someone else fills us with unexplained joy..."And the Lord restored Job's losses when he prayed for his friends." Job 42:10.

No matter what our trials are, no matter what our situation is, God calls us to give of ourselves to others. In this giving of our time, love and acts of kindness, God replenishes us with His joy. It works. Try it.

"Lord, please fill me with a desire to give of myself today. You intimately know my struggles and circumstances; help me to rise above them and give of myself to a needy person today. Provide me this opportunity and bless me with Your joy. Amen."

Fruit of the Spirit is JOY

These things I have spoken to you that My Joy may remain in you and your joy may be full. John 15:11

Joy and happiness are two different things: Happiness is the result of favorable experiences and situations. Happiness can be here today, gone tomorrow; it's fleeting! True joy, which is inward joy, is the result of a deep relationship with God and is a constant, even through trials and tribulations.

Our joy can be robbed by life circumstances if we don't have a daily and personal relationship with the Lord---and Satan works overtime at distracting us in every way possible. If we are too busy to spend devotions with the Lord we are robbed of the joy of this relationship. Relationships are cultivated and deepened when we spend time with the very person we want to get to know better!

Pursuing a deep and personal relationship with Jesus through daily prayer, daily time in scriptures and a daily pursuit of His presence results in a deeper knowledge of Him. A deeper knowledge of Him results in true, inward joy.

Inward joy defeats discouragement; happiness covers it up. Inward joy is lasting; happiness is temporary.

The world says happiness is the result of material gain, status and beauty. God tells us that real joy is a result of simply being in His very presence: You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy." Psalm 16:11

There is evidence everywhere that the world is lying about what can bring us joy...the wealthiest of people experience depression, divorce and pain. Fame and Fortune isn't the answer either: Hollywood is full of immorality, suicide and drugs to medicate empty lives. People that pursue the world's definition of happiness and joy come up empty-handed even in the presence of wealth and success.

We can't always rejoice in our circumstances or people because we can't always control these things and they can be unpredictable. But we can rejoice in the Lord, because He is always good, and He never changes! God loves; God saves; God IS!

Rejoice in the Lord always,. Again I will say, rejoice! Philippians 4:4

"Lord, thank You for the promise of full joy! I pray that You will draw me closer to You daily, that my joy can be complete in Your presence. Teach me how to rise above the circumstances of my life and experience the joy You have promised me. Let my joy be full and let it flow through me to all that I connect with today and always. Amen

 
 
  
 

LOVE in action

"For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect." word of Jesus in Matthew 5:46-48

Consider these words:

"I was hungry, and you formed a humanities club to discuss it. I was imprisoned, but you complained about the crime rate. I was naked, and you debated the morality of my appearance. I was sick, and you thanked God for your health. I was homeless and you preached to me about the shelter of God's love. You seem so holy and so close to God; but I'm still hungry, lonely, cold and in pain. Does it matter?"

This is love in action:

>Feeding the homeless with the Word of God by having small bibles handy in our cars, together with protein bars and water bottles, ready to hand-out to them as we see them begging. This is an act of love---it's a time investment. What we invest in with our time shows where our treasures are. The very act of buying these items is an act of love and it will raise our level of awareness of the need for sharing the gospel with the homeless; we will "see" them everywhere on the streets and have something that is life-altering to give to them.

>Praying for the man that cut us off on the freeway and maybe even displayed an obscene gesture: "Lord, please forgive me for my moment of anger; I pray that you will bless that man with an overwhelming sense of peace and joy; let him get to where he is going safely. Fill his heart with a gentleness and put someone or something in his path today that will cause him to consider You and hunger to pursue You. Amen."

>Choosing meekness in place of always needing to be right in our conversations with those we love. The world says meekness is weakness; God says meekness is STRENGTH because it involves self-control which is another fruit of the Spirit! Allowing someone to be right and letting go of our "need" to prove our point is choosing LOVE. Besides, the need to always be right is pride...God hates pride.

>Letting go of our selfish nature in always needing to be "first": first in line; first in everything; racing ahead of the other cars in the parking lot to get "the parking spot". Practice "giving up" that parking spot...practice putting othersrs first...choose to be last in line at pot luck or at the movies. Give someone else the best...choose the least. This is true love in action.

>Standing up for the Gospel of Jesus Christ even in a situation where we are all alone in our belief. Sharing His name, His story, His plan of redemption with someone that may condemn and persecute us for it.

>Praying for the very people that hurt someone we love. Praying for their very salvation and conversion to Christ or a deeper walk with Christ. Prayers for those that hurt us, persecute us, hate us or in any way harm us actually TRANSFORM our lives! Praying in this way is choosing LOVE and obeying God in His commandment to love our neighbors!

TRUE LOVE IS DYING TO SELF and putting others ahead of ourselves. TRUE LOVE IS unconditional---it isn't based on someone else loving us back. TRUE LOVE is praying for our enemies---praying for them transforms us!

"Lord, please give me opportunities to love others today. Teach me to choose love and to share love. Show me how to put everyone else first; give me a humble heart and bless those around me, through me! I can't do it without Your help and I admit that my own nature is selfish; please transform me into Your likeness. Love others through me. Amen."

NEXT TIME (this weekend): FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT---JOY

LOVE: The Test of love

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust" words of Jesus in Matthew 5:43-45

What's the main point that Jesus is telling us in this scripture?

That God loves EVERYONE---even those that reject Him! He calls us to do the same. We are to see people as He sees people and love them as He loves them: unconditionally. This is the REAL test of love.

Loving someone that curses us? Doing good to those that hate us? And praying for those who use us and call out against us?

Yes. All of that. IF we are obeying God's command.

And often, it isn't just the guy who cuts us off on the freeway or the person at work who is rude and unthoughtful...it could be someone in our very own household, family, church or circle of friends!

The enemy that Jesus referred to isn't limited to someone who could threaten our life or a stranger in the world...it could be anyone in our lives that causes us enough frustration and anger that we are tempted to retaliate.

God call us to choose love in all circumstances of life. And this is very, very difficult left to our own strength. It's for this very reason that we MUST die to self each and every day and ask God to soften our hearts and transform our minds. It has to be a daily prayer.

Real love is...unconditional and above our human nature. Real love requires a daily relationship with our Lord and Savior!

"Lord, please give me a new heart today...fill me with your love for all people in my life. Teach me how to love unconditionally. Show me how to love, how to really love. Amen."

NEXT TIME (friday am): Love in Action

LOVE: What it does/doesn't do

"Love suffers long and is kind...thinks no evil...rejoices in the truth...bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails." 1Cor:13:4-8)

WHAT LOVE DOES DO:

Love suffers. It suffers through the pain of giving up self for the benefit of others.

Love is kind: Doing unto others as we want others to do unto us.

Love rejoices in the truth: Speaking the truth (not lying) as well as sharing the truth (the truth being the gospel of Jesus Christ)! 

Love bears all things: no matter the pain or cost, always putting others ahead of self, bearing the weight and pain that comes with unconditional love.

Love believes all things: all things spoken and written by God; believes and recognizes the truth of Christ.

Love hopes all things: never letting go of the hope that is in Christ Jesus. He IS our hope!

Love endures all things: enduring the rejection, pain, rudeness, hate from others.

WHAT LOVE DOES NOT DO:

Love does not envy: rather, it rejoices in others joys, increases and successes.

Love does not parade itself: rather, it is meek and humble; a gentle spirit.

Love is not puffed up: it is lowly of mind, again, humble and gentle.

Love is not rude: rather, it is kind.

Love does not seek its own: rather, it puts others first.

Love is not easily provoked: rather, it is self-controlled.

Love thinks no evil: it doesn't even think an evil thought, let alone speak an evil thought, of anyone else. Rather, Love is good and kind.

Love does not rejoice in iniquity: rather, it rejoices in obedience and truth.

"Lord, please give me a love that surpasses my own human heart. Cause me to endure all suffering in the name of love; give me a mind of purity that things no evil; help me to rejoice for others and love them with uplifting and edifying words; help me to believe and hope in all things that are good and Godly; cause my love and heart to increase and not fail; help me to choose love. Lord, with You, all things are possible and I thank You for loving me as much as You do that I can love others as You love me. Amen."

NEXT TIME (wednesday am): The Test of Love

Fruit of the Sirit is LOVE

"Jesus said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and the great commandment. And the second is like it: you shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" Matthew 22:37-39

In the world, the word "love" is used loosely: "I love my watch"; "I love your outfit!"; "I love going to the lake"; "I love the color blue". The very definition of love is so watered down in our society that it's hard to grasp the real meaning of it!

But the bible says that "GOD IS LOVE" (1 John 4:16). God's very character is love!

"He who abides in love abides in God, and God in him" (1 John 4:16 continued)

Love is what motivated God to create us, to sustain us, to save us. Love is what motivated God to REDEEM us through His Son Jesus Christ: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16 

God loves us, and commands us to love others as we love ourselves. I find this to be the most difficult of all commands because of the very meaning of it.

Loving my husband? My children? My family? My friends? Easy.

Loving a nice person or acquaintance? Easy...in a rather surface sort of way.

Loving the person who just cut me off on the freeway? Loving the person who hurt my child? Love someone who intentionally sabotaged my work or goals? Loving my enemies? Honestly? Impossible. Not at all within the realm of my thinking.

But...

God says "your neighbors". That doesn't mean the people that live next door to me. That means all people, all people, that cross my path. The good. The bad. The ugly.

Without the Holy Spirit, this is, in  my own flesh, impossible. I can be easily angered, frustrated or otherwise irritated with...people! The very fact that there is such a thing called "road rage" supports the fact that our society is very much in need of a good dose of this particular fruit of the Spirit.

We are to pursue this fruit with a passion. We need to pray every single day that God will replace all traces of hate, malice, and anger toward our fellow man with love. His love. The kind of love that can only come from knowing our Maker and pursuing a daily walk with Him.

"Lord Jesus, fill my heart with your love. Search my heart, Lord, and where ever you find hate, malice, anger or hardness, soften it with your sweet, overwhelming love. Give me Your Spirit of love...please, through me, love my family, my friends, my neighbors, the drivers on the freeway, all strangers you cause to cross my path this day.Be my strength and source of love. Amen."

 

NEXT TIME (monday am): What love does/doesn't do.

 

Fruits of the Spirit.

By their fruits you shall know them. Matthew 7:20

God is the only one who knows our inner-most thoughts...our hearts (he even knows us better than we know ourselves!). So while we can't read each other's minds or see into each other's hearts, God told us that we can know something about a person (or, ourselves) by...our fruits.

THE FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT:

Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Goodness. Faithfulness. Meekness. Self-Control.

When we fill our lives with the things that turn our thoughts toward God (being very selective with what we view through our eyes and listen to with our ears together with the activities we participate in and the people we choose to hang around with and call friends), "who we are" starts to be reflected by evidence of the above nine characteristics in our lives.

To start this series on my blog about the fruits of the Spirit, I invite you pray this prayer with me...

"Lord, please fill me with Your fruits of the Spirit, so that I can glorify You in every aspect of my life. Search my heart and wherever there is hate, replace it with love; wherever there is sadness or depression, replace it with Your joy; when I am anxiety-ridden, replace it with peace; overcome my irritability and impatience with patience; replace any mean thoughts I may have with acts of kindness; where I might choose to be unlike you in any way, cause me to choose goodness; replace any doubts I may have with faithfulness; break my pride and fill me with a gentle and meek spirit; and give me self-control over any lusts of the flesh or eyes. Amen".

(click image below to see enlarged)

 

Praying as long as I Breathe.

I love the Lord because He hears my prayers and answers them. Because He bends down and listens, I will pray as long as I breathe! Psalm 116: 1-2

Well...it's been 30 days (actually, 34) of prayers for our children. I started this with a commitment to post a prayer-a-day that dedicates the lives of our children to the Lord. I pray that it has been a blessing to you.

I have prayed for those of you that have been using it as a daily inspiration---that you will continue praying for your children each day. An easy way to do this is to select a scripture from the bible that speaks to your heart each morning, and turn it into a prayer for your children. Psalms and Proverbs are great books for this.

I will be adding prayers continually to this blog as well.

For the next few weeks I am going to be sharing a very special bible study that I am in the midst of on the fruits of the Spirit. I have been so blessed by this study and am completely inspired to share it here on my blog over the next few days or weeks...however long the Holy Spirit inspires me to do so.

I will be breaking each fruit down individually and sharing and exploring the many amazing wonders of each. They are, after all, the make-up of God's own personality!

Stay tuned...

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. Galatians 5:22-26

 

These adorable litte note cards (above) are created by and available at Helen Read Brushstrokes  

God's Armor

Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Ephesians 6:11

Don't be deceived...the devil is real and is out to conquer your soul. Jesus has already won the war but you must fight daily temptations until He comes again. You can't do this on your own! You must prepare for each battle by wearing Christ's righteousness, holding the shield of faith, and taking in the Word of God EVERY SINGLE DAY.

"Invincible God, clothe my children with Your armor so that they may withstand the wiles of the devil. Be their shield...plant a seed of desire in their hearts so that each morning when they rise, they desire to soak up Your Word and begin the first fruits of their day with You. Amen."

Diligent in Time with the Lord.

You have commanded Your precepts to be kept diligently. Psalm 119:4

Dentists remind us to diligently brush our teeth to prevent tooth decay. Similarly, to prevent spiritual decay we must come clean before the Lord, diligently confessing our disobedience and meeting Him daily in prayer and scripture. A good parent teaches his children to brush daily; a Godly parent teaches his children to confess, pray and read the Bible daily. 

"Excite my children to diligently obey You, O Lord, and stir up a passion to meet You in Your Word and in prayer each day. Amen."

 

 

from prayers/yaeger

Eager to Serve.

Feed the flock of God, care for it willingly, not grudgingly; not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve the Lord. 1 Peter 5:2

People eager to serve others have learned the lesson that it is more blessed to give than to receive. Taking care of God's people brings great joy when it is done willingly and with eagerness to serve God. Do your children know the joy of serving the Lord by caring for others? It's never too late to learn...

"Lord, create in my children and eagerness to serve You with a willing heart by caring for Your flock. Amen."

 

 

from prayers/yaeger

Shine.

In the same way let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works, and give glory to your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16

If you love Jesus, let your conversations, choices and actions exemplify a life in Christ. Take a stand for  Jesus in your home, community and beyond. Actively share your faith with your children and those you come into contact with each day in every facet of your life so that glory can be given to your Father in heaven.

"Lord, Let my children's light so shine before all people so that all may see their good works and give glory to You. Amen."

 

from Prayers/Yaeger

Prayer Request...Please.

I believe in the POWER of prayer. It is the breath of the soul.

Again, I tell you, that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it willbe done for you by My Father in heave. For where tow or three come together in My name, there I am with them. Matthew 18:19,20 NIV

I am reaching out and asking for a very special prayer for Mr. S, a very gentle and special teacher at our school, who is very ill and in a coma as of this afternoon. Please say a prayer that God's healing power will intervene and be ministered to Mr. S. All prayers are greatly appreciated and may God bless you for your time in prayer for someone you may never meet.

Teri

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints. Ephesians 6:18