by His grace

diving into ice water

a famous quote by Queen Victoria: "One takes a bath once a month, whether one needs it or not".

People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,  without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good,  treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. 2 Timothy 3:2-5 (NIV)

Meeting with a few people from NHC to pray this morning…something that happen once a month whether it’s needed to or not. Rather like Queen Victoria’s bathing ritual, in my opinion…but who am I to judge.

The prayer requests and conversation turned to recent events where the congregation was asked to spend time in prayer and study the Word.  We were told some were angered by this suggestion and informed the pastor they didn’t WANT to be pressured to read the Word or pray…that wasn’t why they came to church. !!!

Me, being me, jumped on that with vigor.  “That kind of thinking comes from the enemy, and we need to pray for protection and guidance for them!”   

Never in all of my Christian walk have I felt such rejection!  The room suddenly turned ice cold.  Those people looked at me as if I had suggested we stop and hold an orgy then and there!  They were offended by the very idea. 

Rather than pursue the thought, I deferred to the pastor; he is, after all, the leader and head of the group.  But my prayers for NHC and for many of the members will be quietly kept to myself from this point on.  I don’t believe we’re to go diving into ice water to rescue those who do NOT want to be rescued.

listen…

Let us hear what the Lord will speak for he will speak to his people.  Open our ears that we may be in your presence fully.

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

Today I’m in a place I never expected to be again…visiting with a friend I thought was lost to me forever. It’s been five years, and a lot of water has gone down the creek, but here we are.

I’ve carried a deep sorrow in my heart for all those years we were separated. This morning I read: “ Experiences of deep sorrow can spread a shadow over the face of our lives. The darkness of grief and pain can leave us feeling spiritually paralyzed and virtually unable to pray.  Our minds and hearts are consumed, and we don’t even know what we ought to pray.”

In this case I had a pretty good idea what I ought to be praying.  I knew I needed to forgive, and ask for forgiveness.  But, as is so often the case in broken relationships, taking that first step takes courage, especially when you know you’ve been, at least partially, wrong. 

Maybe the old homily, “time heals all wounds” is true. I know from experience before there can truly be healing, even with time, there must be forgiveness. But I honestly believe forgiveness does not happen by itself. Before there can be healing forgiveness there must also be prayer.

The quote continues: “What a comfort to know that the Holy Spirit can interpret perfectly even the groanings of our souls. When sorrow builds up in your heart and words stick in your throat, even your sighs and groanings become, with the Spirit’s help, eloquent prayers offered to your heavenly Father.”

Romans 8:26-28 says,”…the Holy Spirit helps us with our distress. For we don’t even know what we should pray.  But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

Prayer works.  And the Father never intended for his kids to live in deep sorrow or unforgiveness. He hears and answers my prayers.  Because he bends down and listens.  I will pray as long as I have breath!

expect the best

“This is what God’s servants can expect.
   I’ll see to it that everything works out for the best.”

Today, during our prayer time, we received some GOOD news for our local congregation…The scriptures from today’s prayer request list are: John 17:15; Isaiah 54:17; 2 Corinthians 2:11; 1 Peter 3:12; Psalms 9:9-10 & 91:9-11.

As we read them and asked God for guidance in requesting prayer support for protection from the evil plots of Satan against our local church body, our Pastors, our Elders, and all of our community members these verses from Isaiah leapt off the screen and seared into my spirit and my soul.

Isaiah 54:17 (The Message)

11-17"Afflicted city, storm-battered, unpitied:
   I’m about to rebuild you with stones of turquoise,
Lay your foundations with sapphires,
   construct your towers with rubies,
Your gates with jewels,
   and all your walls with precious stones.
All your children will have God for their teacher—
   what a mentor for your children!
You’ll be built solid, grounded in righteousness,
   far from any trouble—nothing to fear!
   far from terror—it won’t even come close!
If anyone attacks you,
   don’t for a moment suppose that I sent them,
And if any should attack,
   nothing will come of it.
I create the blacksmith
   who fires up his forge
   and makes a weapon designed to kill.
I also create the destroyer—
   but no weapon that can hurt you has ever been forged.
Any accuser who takes you to court
   will be dismissed as a liar.
This is what God’s servants can expect.
   I’ll see to it that everything works out for the best."
         God’s Decree.

PLEASE, agree with us, that as a community, we can accept these promises from God’s Word as a word for us today. Please agree with us that God can and will rebuild our church upon the solid foundation of His precious Word; that no weapon formed against us can hurt us and that the attacks of the past are just that – past.

Dear prayer partners, I believe God means what He says here – for us – now, in this hour. I believe God will see to it that everything works out for the best IF we can continue to agree together in prayer.

We thank God. He always watches over His Word to perform it.

words, words, words

Someone wrote, “God may allow me to choose my own way, but He does not allow me to choose the consequences of the way I choose.  He does that!

Another call from Arizona.  Pictures of another house that could be “our new home.”

A cozy foursome for dinner.  A “surf & turf” fondue, cheesecake and conversations about what God is doing at New Hope Church, in our lives and in our ministry.

An urgent sense of division and discontent within the group that is left…50 or so out of what was at one time well over 1,000 members.  This congregation is being torn apart from within.  Made an appointment to meet Sue at the building and pray over the structure and the leadership.  D. says there’s no point.  The building is sold and so now responsibility for the structure falls to that pastor and his congregation; the leadership of New Hope is not interested in fighting against the powers and principalities aligned against them. There is nothing we can do.

love & confession

 

Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. Elijah, for instance, human just like us, prayed hard that it wouldn’t rain, and it didn’t—not a drop for three and a half years. Then he prayed that it would rain, and it did. The showers came and everything started growing again.
James 5:16-18 (The Message)

I have a life-long friend who approaches Holidays and Birthdays with the acronym FFF (Forced Family Fun).  I’d never thought of family gatherings in exactly that way until she laughingly shared her viewpoint with me. But I know exactly what she’s talking about. Ours is the poster-child for the dysfunctional family!

On the other hand – God made a way for us, His human family, to live together whole and healed. Today we are asking God to show us where we might need to approach others, in love, and if we were wrong – confess.

James says our prayers are something powerful…something to be reckoned with. I believe if we put any and all past wrongs behind us, covered by the Blood of the Lamb, the showers WILL come and everything will start growing again.

Today, I’m asking God to protect every one of us from bitterness.

Hebrews 12:15 says  “make sure that everyone has kindness from God so that bitterness doesn’t take root and grow up to cause trouble.”

I pray that bitterness cannot corrupt any of us. And if anyone does feel bitterness over past criticism or discord,  God will reveal the root and destroy it, right now. We pray God will make sure no one gets left out of His generosity. And that He will cause us to keep a sharp eye out for weeds of bitter discontent. A thistle or two gone to seed can ruin a whole garden in no time.

Today we’ll ask God to protect all of our families from bitterness – past, present and in the days and months to come. We’ll ask God to protect hearts and minds in Christ Jesus and teach them how to guard themselves as well.

^{Proverbs 23-27 The Message} 
Keep vigilant watch over your heart;
   that’s where life starts.
Don’t talk out of both sides of your mouth;
   avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip.
Keep your eyes straight ahead;
   ignore all sideshow distractions.
Watch your step,
   and the road will stretch out smooth before you.
Look neither right nor left;
   leave evil in the dust.

just words?

 

“And in the morning, long before daylight, He [Jesus] got up and went out to a deserted place, and there He prayed.”
Mark 1:35

The Bible teaches us that Jesus stayed in constant communication with God the Father. Today we are asking for a personal, Christ-like, walk with God the Father for each of our leaders, and for each and every one of us.

In his second letter to Timothy, Paul wrote, “Repeat these basic essentials over and over to God’s people. Warn them before God against pious nitpicking, which chips away at the faith. It just wears everyone out. Concentrate on doing your best for God, work you won’t be ashamed of, laying out the truth plain and simple. Stay clear of pious talk that is only talk. Words are not mere words, you know. If they’re not backed by a godly life, they accumulate as poison in the soul. … 2 Timothy 2:15-16 The Message

Our prayer is that God will guide us, as a Christian nation, to do our very best for God every day. And, if up until today, our faith has been just words – not plain and simple truth – we ask Jesus to heal our poisoned souls and renew our calloused minds. We ask the Holy Spirit to direct all of us into an honest and godly way of life.

Today we will be holding all believers before God and asking Him specifically to nourish their spirits through His word. We’ll ask the Holy Spirit to draw them closer to the Word of God – that they will spend more time with Him than in reading Christian books and articles. We are also asking God to renew their souls; strengthen them, giving them peace and joy in their personal life, far beyond their highest expectations.

For all of our nation’s Christian leaders, we ask God specifically to give them a hunger for His Word and for a restorative personal quite time with the Holy Spirit each day. We ask that where they are tired they be refreshed; where they are discouraged, they be encouraged, where they have lack they receive abundance; where they are sick or wounded – in spirit, soul or body – they be healed by the finished work of Christ on the cross.

We thank God for what He is doing. He always watches over His Word to perform it.

love & a pure heart

 

Paul wrote to the young pastor Timothy, “…the object and purpose of our instruction and charge is love, which springs from a pure heart and a good (clear) conscience and sincere (unfeigned) faith.” 1 Tim 1:5 AMP

Writing to the church at Ephesus, Paul said, “A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil; for we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:10-12

Today we studied of this passage of Ephesians, D and I learned the Greek term “put on” literally means to be clothed in. It suggests God’s armor should be worn continually; never taken off and laid aside. Picture a snail living inside its protective shell and you’ll get the idea.

Today we are praying that we (every Christian leader in our great country and Christian every member of every hamlet, village and city) would take our instructions from the Holy Spirit, walking in love that springs from a pure heart, a clear conscience and an honest faith. And, that we would all wear God’s protective armor continually, just the way a snail lives inside his protective shell.

We are asking the Holy Spirit to give all of our leaders encouragement and the desire to devote themselves to prayer, with alert minds and thankful hearts.

“Pray for all of us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ. Pray that we will proclaim this message as clearly as we should. Help each of us to live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let our conversation be gracious and attractive so that we will have the right response for everyone.” Colossians 4:2-6

Thank God – He always watches over His Word to perform it. Jere. 1:12 NIV