PRAYER

PRAYER

Between posts and devotional readings, and listening to some teachers on the Moody Bible radio station on the way to and from the VA Med Ctr in Bay Pines to refill a prescription . . . and in addition to some things I felt led to share with a friend in crisis, the most important focus for me spiritually has been prayer.

Prayer is the medium we use to connect with the Lord.  Because God answers prayer, it is also a powerful spiritual weapon, especially when we pray according to God's will.  Prayer and fasting is one of the most powerful way to intercede for someone.  Praying with scripture and praying as we feel led by the Holy Spirit -- and agreeing with the Holy Spirit for all He is praying before the Throne of Grace is very important.

At the same time prayer is not just a one-way street where we petition the Lord for what we want for ourselves and those we love or feel led to pray for as we live out our lives in the Spirit.  Through prayer and contemplation, as well as through reading the Bible, Christian devotional and inspirational books, through listening to teachings and sermons, the Holy Spirit leads us, guides us and directs us.  He reveals Jesus to us and helps us allow ourselves to be drawn closer and closer to God's loving heart. 

Beyond that, when we humble ourselves before the Lord and pray, the Lord is able to give us a deeper knowledge of what life in the Spirit means.  And the more we pray, the more the Holy Spirit helps us to be able to be sanctified and lead a life based in holiness, joy, peace and love.

The more we pray, the better we get to know the Lord and the more we are able to understand some of the ways the Lord works in the world.  God is so good and so faithful. 

Do you have a desire to learn more about prayer?  Have you been frustrated when your prayers are not answered and you don't know why?  Do you understand that prayer is a two-way street  . . . that the Lord has given us the ability to pray and to hear His voice in our hearts?

My prayer for you is that each time you feel led to pray or decide deliberately to pray and to open up your heart to hear His voice and to seek His will, that you will find a deeper peace and the special knowledge of God's great love for you and His presence in your life.

GOD LOVES YOU

Good morning, Beloved.  Today is the Sabbath, a time set aside to rest and to spend time aside with God Who is Love and with the people you love in your life.  Jesus tells us that eternal lifeis knowing God and knowing Him.  That eternal life begins now while we are on earth.  when we are able to receive it and move from mere existence into the abundant vibrant life in the Spirit, we know that we are completely,absolutely, eternally and specifically loved.  We then have peace, joy, security,and arelationship with the Fullness of Love that will never end.

There is something that is always trying to keep us from God Who is Love, and always trying to destroy the lovin, fruitful, nurturing relationships of our lives.  But that evil that harasses us and tries to interfere with us and continually attempts to steal our peace and draw us away from the Lord has already been defeated.  Whatever types of trials and tribulations we go through, they are primarily on a spiritual level and the battle belongs to the Lord. He already has the victory and we need only to rest in Him and trust Him.

When we are harassed or tempted we only have to turn our backs on what is happening and turn to the Lord.  He will always protect us,deliver us and keep us in His grace, peace and joy.  No matter what happens, He knows about it.  He has always known us and has always known about everything that would happen in our lives.  He is able to do so much more than we can even think to ask, but sometimes we forget that.  Sometimes we think we have to go it alone and that we can only count on ourselves.  That is not true.

The Lord is always there, always loving us, always able to take care of us and provide for us. 

Whatever is going on with you in your life, the Lord knows all about it and has good plans for you.  No matter what kind of struggle, sorrow, problem, disappointment or problems you have, the Lord will help you. He loves you and will always love you no matter what you do and no matter what happens. 

There are so many things in the world that tell us we have to make it on our own.  In our society and in the world there are many people and many prevailing ideas that come against us and try to keep us from believing in God's love and salvation in Jesus Christ.  There are many lies believed by people and perpetuated by the prevailing social norms of our society that work to tear down our faith and to lead us astray.

The Lord knows all about all of that and He has sent His Holy Spirit to help us, to accompany us through our lives, and to reveal Jesus Christ to us.

God is always with you, always finding ways to bless you and help you, always working to help you be able to believe, and always hoping that you will seek His face and respond to the love He has for you. Jesus says that the two greatest commandments on which the other precepts that have been set down by the Lord to help us live lives of peace, love,joy and abundance are based are to love God and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.

From the time I was little, I couldn't understand what difference it would make to God if I loved Him or not.  I didn't understand what love really is.  God IS love, and the way He loves us comes from the fact that He created us to love us and bless us.  We have a choice whether or not to return His love, just as we have been given free will to decide what we believe and to do whatever we want to do. 

The love that God has for you and for each person on earth is not dependent on anything you or anyone else does.  But the choices you make in your life affect what happens in your life.  What you believe matters because it determines how you act, how you look at your self and how you relate to other people.  No matter what happens in your life, how you choose to look at the circumstances and people in your life and how you respond to them is affected by what you believe.

When we believe that God loves us, protects us, provides for us, and has good plans for us, we live our lives in a very different way than when we think that we are alone and have to take care of ourselves.  When we believe in God in Christ Jesus we know that whatever happens, the Lord is with us, takes care of us, goes before us, and will always use everything for good.

If you have never been able to experience the kind of vibrant life that I am writing about, I hope you will open your heart to God and give Him the chance to show you what living in the fullness of love is like.  Once you do, you will understand the difference between just existing and really living.  My prayer is always that you will come to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and discover the love and abundant life God offers to you.

If you are already a believer, my prayer is that you will continually take time aside with the Lord so that he will continue to reveal Himself to you in deeper ways and that you will allow Him to draw you closer to His heart.

May the Lord continue to bless and keep you and all those you love.  In Jesus' Name I pray.

Alleluia!  Amen.