Welcome Readers!


"Hello" to all my regular readers and those who are here for the first time!
I hope that this blog enlightens and encourages those who read it but I also hope that it will wake up those who have been asleep to the clock that is ticking within our beautiful nation and within the body of Christ. It is my goal to glorify our Lord and share the Truth with anyone who will listen!
I pray that the Lord will give you strength and courage each day to do His will and to glorify Him. It seems to be getting harder and harder these days to keep our heads above water, but He does promise us that He will not allow the waters to overtake us! Praise Him for that promise!

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Prayer...the last resort?

How many times have you heard or even used yourself, the phrase; "All we can do is pray"? Well, I too used to say this more than I care to admit. Many times we don't really mean that prayer is the last resort, but it sure sounds like it when we put it that way. The other day my husband and I were talking about prayer and discussing a couple we know who are new to the Christian faith. They don't know many other Christians and we realized that we weren't praying for them very consistently. In fact not near often enough. It occurred to us that we may be the only ones praying for them at all! What an eye-opener that was; to think that if we were the only ones, we weren't doing a very good job of it!

As we reflected on our own lives and the work that was accomplished through the power of prayer, we were reminded of just how privileged we are to pray for others and that it is also a responsibility that is far too overlooked. Prayer is not at all "the last resort" but should be the very first thing that we do...daily! And not just for ourselves, but for others. In fact, prayer for others should be at the top of our list.

Another common occurrence is to say "I'll pray for you" when in reality it may never cross our mind again. I am guilty of this offence as well! I caught myself doing this regularly and because God impressed upon me that what I was doing was lying, I have made a decent effort to do as I promise. Is either of these scenarios familiar in your life? If not, kudos to you! But if so, then take a few minutes to reflect on God's Word and the emphasis God places on prayer. Look up the following verses to see what He has to say regarding prayer. James 5:13-18, Matthew 7:7-11, Ephesians 6:18, 2nd Chronicles 30:27, Ezra 8:23, 1st Thessalonians 5:17 and all of Jonah 2. These are only a few of the verses that will be listed in a concordance but they will give you an idea of just what prayer means to God...and should mean to us!

Prayer shouldn't feel like a burden; it should be something that we desire and look forward to. It is conversation with the Lord and King of the universe. That should be exciting! On top of that, we get to bring our requests to Him and our concerns. He tells us that He will not only hear our prayers, but answer them too! Not according to our will but His and that is even better because we can depend on His will being perfect. I don't know about you, but I have learned over the years that my will is NOT perfect! Prayer can lead to physical healing, spiritual healing and God's imparted wisdom. It doesn't get much better than that. So, I hope that you have a fresh view of prayer and the work that can be accomplished by it through the power of God Almighty!

NOTE: A very good book on prayer is: Effective Prayer Life written by Chuck Smith. It is a quick read and one of those books that should be read every year or so to refresh your perspective on prayer. You can visit his web site at www.twft.com  (twft=The Word for Today)  



Monday, July 5, 2010

You can lead a horse to water...

Isn't it frustrating when you try to get someone to do something and they just won't do it? Maybe you want your husband to rub your feet without being asked, or maybe your wife is never able to have dinner ready when you get home from work. Do your kids pick up their rooms right away when you ask them to? Probably not! This is the way of life it seems as we struggle every day with things that are out of our control. The saying, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink" is SO true! Are you trying to make your spouse, child, family member or close friend drink of the living water of Jesus and they are having no part of it? Well, welcome to the club! Funny part is, the leading IS our job, the drinking part is God's!

When I think of leading a horse, I think of a nice easy walk where the horse is willingly walking along side of me and there is no struggle involved. Is that how our leading of others to Christ looks and feels? If you are like me then probably not. A lot of the time, my leading feels more like I am pulling and tugging and straining to get them to just take one step! God tells us in His Word that many times, words are not even involved in the leading; that it is through our actions, our gentleness and our love, that others will walk with us to meet with the Lord. What an encouragement it is to know that it shouldn't be a lot of frustrating work to lead others to Him. Then, once we do get them to the brook of Living Water, it isn't our job to pour the Water down their throat! God will take it from there.

So, if you are living with a non-believer, or you have a loved one who hasn't yet trusted in the blood of Jesus for their forgiveness of sins, take heart! It is when we are obedient to the Lord in our leading, that He will refresh the one led to Him with what he needs. We can stand at the water's edge all day long trying to get those we've led there to drink, but that will most likely only frustrate us and cause the one on the bank to dig their heels in even harder. My husband shared with me after he came to know the Lord, that had I pushed him or tried to force my faith on him, he would have resisted; it was through the changes that were taking place in me and the patience that I exhibited, that he was comfortable in taking the walk at his own pace. But, it was only through God's power that I was able to be patient and to make those changes.

Who are you pulling towards the Lord? Are you really making any headway? What do you need to do to allow them to comfortably walk at their pace and in God's timing? Do you force God's Word on them through your words? Or, do you use God's Word to intrigue them and instill curiosity? If your leading others feels like work, then you are trying too hard! Be obedient and do as God asks you to do but then trust God to do the hard labor and quench their thirst.

1 Timothy 4:12-16 and 1 Peter 3:1-4