In my last blog, I talked a bit about how important it is to have a good relationship with God if we want a successful prayer life. Another aspect of that relationship involves us knowing who God is. Of course, He is so vast, we can never fully comprehend Him, but we can know of Him through scripture, the testimony of others, and by our own experience.

He longs for us to spend time with Him. I believe the more we know of His character and His love for us, the easier it is to trust Him. Scripture is full of references to God being our Heavenly Father. This is a very close relationship. While many of us may not have had a good and trustworthy father, our Heavenly Father is everything we could ever want in a Dad! We can trust in Him completely.

(Mat 7:9-11 NLT)  "You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask Him.

For a successful prayer life, it is important to have faith in God. There is really no point in asking Him for anything if we don't believe He hears and answers, right? Faith pleases God. As parents, we want our children to believe in what we say, and God feels the same. We want our children to trust us. God wants us to trust Him.

If we want to get something from the store, we need to use money. If we expect to get anything from God, we need FAITH! My husband likes to say that faith is the currency of Heaven.

(Heb 11:6 NLT) And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him.

A relationship of trust is so important when it comes to prayer. We need to know when we pray that God hears. Even if the answer is not what we desired or expected, we still trust Him. We need to know He loves us, and if we did not receive what we asked for, there is a good reason. He promised to supply our needs, so if we don't have it, we must not need it!

When I was younger, my prayer life was much different, but now, after knowing God for many years, I feel I am more in tune with His will and His plan. I have seen Him do amazing things -- mountain moving things! I know better now not to ask for selfish, silly stuff. Looking back, I have to say I am really, REALLY glad I did not get some of the things I ask for!

I love this verse from Zephaniah. (Zep 3:17 NLT)  "For the LORD your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With His love, He will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs." I love knowing I can be at rest in His love for me. I love knowing that when I pray, I can pray with a confident heart knowing that my Father hears and will answer in just the right way, and at just the right time. It's also cool to think of Him singing songs to me! I used to sing to my children all the time, and I really like the thought that God sings to me. When I come close to Him, I can hear it in my heart. Really. It's so peaceful --- like liquid love pouring over my soul.

Do you trust Him?

We have been doing a week of prayer at our church, and I think I would like to do a few posts on prayer. Please add comments if you can. I learn a lot from you folks!
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Sometimes I know I take prayer for granted. It is such a part of my life that I don't always think about what an awesome thing it is to actually communicate with the Creator of the whole universe! It is incredible to know that every single minute He is available and ready to listen. During the day I often find I am asking Him something or listening to my heart to see what He thinks of what I am doing.

I think there are some important elements we need to consider about prayer. I know hundreds of books have been written on the topic. It's important! So, let's think about prayer! Today let's consider RELATIONSHIP. God will always hear the prayer of His children, but we need to be aware of certain things. Having a good relationship with God is a key element.

(Psalm 24:3-5 NLT)  Who may climb the mountain of the LORD? Who may stand in His holy place? Only those whose hands and hearts are pure, who do not worship idols and never tell lies. They will receive the LORD's blessing and have a right relationship with God their savior.

We need to keep our heart right. We need to understand that God is holy. He is not a fan of sin. Of course, we all struggle with sin, so we need to be sensitive to where we have allowed it to influence us, and we need to confess it quickly so that our prayers are not hindered.

(1Jn 2:1 NLT)  My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the One who is truly righteous.

"If the Christian does not allow prayer to drive sin out of his life, sin will drive prayer out of his life. Like light and darkness,the two cannot dwell together."  M.E.Andross

(Isa 59:2 NLT)  It's your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, He has turned away and will not listen anymore.

We see from this verse how important it is to live a clean life. Although this is an OT verse, we know that God never changes. He is long suffering and merciful, but sin is not negotiable, and will separate us from God! I try not to tell other people how to live their Christian life. I think that is between them and God. But, I will say that I am surprised by what I see sometimes. I see Christians who seem to be OK with doing things my conscience would never allow, and I wonder how God feels about that. I wonder if it hinders their relationship with Him.

When my girls were little, I could usually tell when they had done something wrong, because they would act kinda "funny" and would not look me in the eye. It was clear they were hiding something! I was thankful that their hearts were tender and that they were not comfortable when they knew they had done wrong.

(Psalm 34:5 NLT)  Those who look to Him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces.

If we maintain a right relationship with the Lord, we will not have anything to be ashamed of. Relationship is important! If we want to have a great prayer life, we need to do all we can to keep our hearts right!

When we pray, we often ask God to bless us. There is certainly nothing wrong with that! God encourages us to tell Him our needs, and just as we love to give to our own children, He loves to give to us. In the model of the Lord's prayer, we are instructed to pray for God's provision and protection.

But what is the purpose of being blessed? Is it just to make us happy? Is it so we can "get ahead" and feel good? Does He bless us so the world will see we are His people, or does He bless us just because He loves us?

Probably a bit of all these things! But, I think the biggest reason we are blessed is so that we can be a blessing! It is not just so we can have more and more and more. We are called to let God's blessings flow through us and out to others, not to greedily hoard it and get bigger, better junk. We are to focus on building the Kingdom of God, not our own!

(Psalm 62:10b NLT)"... And if your wealth increases, don't make it the center of your life."

I understand that in this economy, there are not many of us who have extra money, but there are other ways to be a blessing, too. If you planted a garden that did well, be a blessing and share some tomatoes! If your child has clothes they have outgrown, pass them on to another family. If you have a strong back and some extra time, be available to help someone move, or to do other household chores. My son in law's youth group help the older folks with their gardens and other odd jobs. I think that is GREAT! I believe in doing this, we are God's hands and feet to the world.

I love the idea of random acts of kindness, too. I get a thrill out of doing something to bless someone anonymously. I remember once when we were eating out and were ready to pay, the waitress told us someone had already taken care of our bill! WOW! We were SO blessed! We never did find out who did that, but it was incredible, and it made us want to do the same for someone else.

When we bless others, we get blessed as well! When God sees we are willing to be one who will let blessings flow through us, He will send more along! When He does, we should be faithful.

Blessings can be big or small. Offer to take someone who doesn't drive to do errands. It can be so helpful, and it doesn't cost you much. Buying some soap, canned goods, etc. for a homeless shelter can touch lives, too. Offer to babysit so a mom can shop with out the children. (Every mom knows how great this is!) Trim your neighbor's hedge when you trim yours. Bake a cake for someone. Pray and ask God to open your eyes and heart to ways you can be a blessing.

(James 4:3 NLT)  And even when you ask, you don't get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.

The important thing to remember is that we need to have an attitude of gratitude for all God has given us. Maybe one of the reasons some of us do not experience many blessings from God is because He knows we will just sit on them!

We are blessed to be a blessing!

Most of the jobs I have worked had a formal job description. I think it is good to know what is expected of you. When I was a Children's Pastor, I wrote a job description for all the volunteer positions, too. It helps to avoid misunderstandings about what a person's role is.

Today I was thinking about what the job description of a Christian might look like. But, I am not going to make the list. I want to know what YOU think! So... for all who are willing and have the time, please share one or two things you think should be the "work" of the believer. If you want to back it up with scripture, that would be great! I really want to know your thoughts on this.

Hope you all are having a great weekend! We are almost ready to leave for a wedding! I love weddings!

Blessings!

Mistakes. You know what I'm talking about. Mail delivered to you that is not yours. An error in the bill when you get it from the phone company. Something that was promised to arrive on such and such a date, didn't happen. Flying to Rochester while your bags head on off to Chicago. Oh! It can be so irritating!

What do you do when these things happen? Hopefully, you just gripe a bit, take a deep breath and work it out. Hopefully, you don't need anger management classes!   The idea that someone always has to "pay" when mistakes happen troubles me. If I trip on the sidewalk outside someone's store, that is my own, clumsy fault. I would never think of suing someone for it! If I burn my mouth sipping hot coffee, it is my own fault for being impatient. Sure, some mistakes are due to negligence, and then, someone needs to do something, but most of the time, it is just our humanity showing, and we need to let it go.

The truth is, we all make mistakes. We are prone to it. We are human. We need to cut ourselves (and other people) some slack. We need to practice mercy and grace. Maybe we don't make the same mistakes other people make, but we sure make our share... like the time I came home from work and found the milk in the cupboard and the cereal in the frig. Or, the day I was heading out to get in the car, looked down and realized my skirt was still in the house on the ironing board. Hmmm... I could go on!

I do think it helps to have a sense of humor. It also helps to not take yourself too seriously. Instead of getting "all huffy" and defensive when your mistakes are pointed out to you, isn't it better to just smile and say, "Yup! I did that. I'm sorry. I will fix it."?

I often think of that verse from the Sermon on the Mount. Do you remember what Jesus said about mercy? (Matthew 5:7 NLT) "God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy." Basically, we need to have some mercy "in the bank" for the times we need it, and the way we do that is to show mercy to others.

When I was hurrying through the grocery store one day, I was a bit irritated by an elderly lady who was totally blocking the aisle with her cart. Then, I heard my Heavenly Father gently remind me that I would be that elderly lady some day, and then I would appreciate it if someone showed me kindness.

(Psalm 18:30 NIV) As for God, His way is perfect: The LORD's word is flawless; He shields all who take refuge in Him.

The best thing about making mistakes is that God knows how to fix them. Also, He NEVER makes mistakes. He never gives up. His love never fails. Isn't it good to know that with all the human failure around us there is One we can totally trust?

(Lam 3:22-23 NLT)  The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning.

One last thought about mistakes --- I realize that I have probably learned MORE from the mistakes I have made then from any other method! I mean, if a kid touches an electric fence and ends up sitting on his bottom with a stinging hand, he probably thinks, "Well, I am never doing THAT again!"  LEARN from your mistakes. It makes them worth something!

Mistakes happen.

Growing up in our little country church, we used to sing this old hymn by Ralph E. Hudson. The chorus goes like this:
’Tis a glorious church without spot or wrinkle,

In my younger days, I really struggled with worry and fear. I have shared this before, but I feel led to share it again. I came by the problem naturally, as my grandmom was a HUGE worrier. I could get myself all tied up in knots just by letting my mind go off with all kinds of "imaginings."

It was not healthy. In fact, it was bondage for me. That fear kept me from doing things I wanted to do. It kept me awake at night, and it also transferred itself to my children in many ways. I made them afraid, and it broke my heart.

I knew I was a Christian, but I simply could not get rid of this. I knew the Bible. I went to church, but the fear went right along with me. It made me feel worthless and small. I was weighed down and I was sinking.

Well, Jesus set me free. Just in time. I honestly thought I was going to crack from the pressure. I was so desperate! I won't describe the whole process to you, but basically mature, trustworthy Christian leaders prayed for me and broke this stronghold of fear in my life. A stronghold is something that has a STRONG HOLD on you. It can be anger, or unforgiveness. It can be lying, jealousy or bitterness. It is something you just REACT to. It is like you have no control over it. IT controls YOU.

Counseling and therapy may help, but you need the power of God to be totally set free. I am a completely different person from the scared little mouse I used to be . No, I am not perfect, but the chains that held me in fear are gone. I can trust God. I don't have to run and hide because I worry that He may require something of me I am too scared to do!

SHACKLES  by Mary Mary 
Take the shackles off my feet so I can dance
I just wanna praise you. I just wanna praise you
You broke the chains now I can lift my hands
And I'm gonna praise you. I'm gonna praise you

In the corners of mind I just can't seem to find a reason to believe
That I can break free cause you see I have been down for so long
Feel like the hope is gone. But as I lift my hands, I understand
That I should praise you through my circumstance

Take the shackles off my feet so I can dance
I just wanna praise you I just wanna praise you
You broke the chains now I can lift my hands
And I'm gonna praise you. I'm gonna praise you

Everything that could go wrong all went wrong at one time
So much pressure fell on me I thought I was gonna lose my mind
But I know you wanna see if I will hold on through these trials
But I need you to lift this load cause I can't take it anymore

Take the shackles off my feet so I can dance
I just wanna praise you. I just wanna praise you
You broke the chains now I can lift my hands
And I'm gonna praise you. I'm gonna praise you

Love this song by Mary Mary. I love being FREE!

The will is a very interesting part of our human make up. It is a blessing, and a burden! At least, I think so! It seems like there are times when I am always fighting with it. I know what I should do, but a lot of the time, I DON'T WANNA DO IT!

We hold those sweet little babies, and we know the day will come when they will assert themselves! "NO!" is a word they learn pretty quickly, isn't it? But, we work with them. Hopefully, we teach them acceptable boundaries, and give them good reasons to make the right choices.

There is a term used in educational circles for rebellious children. It is Oppositional Defiance Syndrome. How about that! Now being super naughty is a syndrome! When I was a kid, my parents called it something else! I think a lot of the time, this term defines children who have never been taught any boundaries. Their will has developed to gigantic, scary proportions.

Because of our will, it is often hard to let God lead us. We know we are supposed to trust Him, but we have this idea that we know what should be done without "bothering" God. How arrogant is that? I mean, think about it. Are we really saying that we know better than GOD? Silly us!

Sometimes, I think we worry that God is going to ask us to do something we don't want to do. Sometimes He does! But, if so, it is for our good. Really. Our will does not agree, though. The will wants what it wants when it wants it. The will does not like to listen to the voice of reason. The will is very good at manipulating and rationalizing.

When God asked me to move to Denmark, my will was not a bit happy. I did not want to move to Denmark, but I also knew that saying no to God never turns out well. So, I gave in. I think I was in shock a lot of the time we were preparing for the move. When we arrived here, I cried for the first couple of months. Oh, I was REALLY spiritual, I was!  But you know, it has been good. Not easy, but good. God knew it would be. He loves me. He never intended to hurt me. I have learned so much. I have grown so much. I love it now. I just feel bad that I went into it kicking and screaming!

There is such reward in learning to submit our will to the will of God! When we pray what we refer to as The Lord's Prayer, we are asking God for HIS will to be done. I wonder how often we say these words without really thinking about what they personally mean! (Mat 6:9-10 NIV) "This, then, is how you should pray: "'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."'

If you are satisfied with living a mediocre Christian life, than you can let your will lead. But, if you are serious about serving God, you have to let Him take over. Yes, it's a battle. But it is worth it. When we make choices that please Him, we are blessed. When we listen and obey, there is such joy and peace!

(Psalm 143:10 NLT)  Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God. May Your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing.

There are many things in life that motivate us. Some of them are selfish and empty. Some of them are worthwhile and rewarding. I want to be motivated by the will of God. I want to get to the place where I actually DELIGHT in doing His will. Without question. Without argument. Without kicking and screaming!

I love America, but I hate politics. I hate the conniving and the lying and the putting other people down that seems to be the "style" for most campaigning. Sometimes it seems more about trying to smear someone's reputation than it is about truth and integrity. I am not very smart about these things, but I still think if people would stick with the issues and do what is good for America, it would be great.

Lately, I have been so disturbed by all the negativity of fellow Christians toward President Obama. I get it. You don't like him. I didn't vote for him either, but he is our president now, and the following scripture applies, don't you think?

(1Ti 2:1-4 NLT)  I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.

It is my  humble opinion, that if Christians spent less time criticizing our leaders and more time praying for them, we would see a change in our nation. We cannot fight a spiritual battle with our flesh. Anger and accusation do not exalt a nation, righteousness does.We need to ask God to influence our leaders to lift up a righteous standard. We need to bring our president to God in prayer and ask that God will help him.

(2Ch 7:14 NLT)  "Then if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land."

I realize it's a lot easier to quote scripture, than it is to live it!

I do not support  abortion. I feel life is a sacred gift and we need to handle our ability to procreate with reverence, respect and responsibility. I have heard all the arguments pro and con, so please don't "go there" with me!. Abortion is a hot topic for many Christians when it comes to this election. But, I honestly believe that if legislation were to make it illegal, it would not stop it, because it is a spiritual issue -- a heart issue, and legislation cannot change a heart. Only God can do that. I also feel that if a given candidate says he is against abortion, but has no integrity in other areas, how can we be sure he means what he says? We need to hear from God.

Should Christians get involved with politics? Of course! Voting is our responsibility. Should a Christian run for office? I think that it is between you and God, don't you? If you feel His call, you should say yes! If you can maintain your integrity and run an honest campaign, that would be wonderful! I would love to see SOMEONE with righteousness and real integrity I could vote for!

(Psalm 75:7 NIV)  It is God who judges: He brings one down, he exalts another.

I will not allow this post will not turn into a forum for people to rant. I will just take it down if that happens. All I really wanted to say is let us, as Christians, pray for our leaders. Let us love our enemies. Let us NOT bash politicians we disagree with. Instead, let us behave in a way that is scriptural and God honoring. Trust me, I am praying HARD about who I should cast my vote for.

I have never written my devotionals to gain readers or to be "popular." It has been something I have felt the Lord wanted me to do. I have been grateful to have a platform on which to share my thoughts, hopes and opinions. I have been so blessed to make many great friends here on Xanga, and I pray for many of you.

Lately I have been feeling like it is harder to write. I feel like I am repeating myself. Maybe I have hit a dry spell? I wonder if I am having any affect with what I do. I have no leading to stop Xanga, but I may not be on as much, or I may be doing more picture posts. I don't know. Thoughts? Suggestions?

And now today's devotion......
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Have you noticed that it seems to be getting harder and harder in many places to get good service? It seems like many, instead of giving their best, try to do as little as possible. This really "irks my tater." My Dad taught me to always do my best, and even a little extra. He taught me to do a job I could be proud of.

I think especially when it comes to being a Christian, we need to do our best in all things. We are representatives of the Lord, and we need to be people of integrity.

We also need to teach our children to have a good work ethic, too.

(Col 3:23 NLT)  Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.

It can be so tempting to just do the minimum, can't it? My oldest daughter worked a lot of minimum wage jobs in high school and college. She had been raised to give 100% and do her best. It used to bother her when other kids showed up late, or without a uniform, or never showed up at all!  We were so proud of the way she handled herself, and her managers noticed, too. She was honored and given more responsibility.

(Philippians 2:13-15 NLT)  For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him. Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.

Sometimes doing the right thing can get you in trouble. Isn't that silly? Sometimes, by doing the right thing, you make other people look bad, and they may resent you and give you a hard time. We live in a sin-sick world, but we are not citizens here, so don't let it bother you too much! We are citizens of Heaven, and there is only ONE we should want to please above all else.

(Philippians 2:3-5 NLT)  Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

We must have the same attitude Jesus had. I don't know about you, but I find that difficult sometimes! But I am working on it. How about you?