Sunday, July 20, 2008
power of prayer
Effective prayer is offered in faith.
When we're in a threatening situation, the normal tendency is to panic.
Many stories could be told of fear being replaced by calm through the power of prayer.
If we remain calm, placing faith in God and believing that we'll receive God's direction,
we'll eventually find the answer to our problem.
We all face challenges in life - physical, emotional and relationship challenges,
and at times we go through great pains.
But if you have confidence that God is in control, in charge of your life,
and that He'll help you through,
then your relationship with God is your strength.
And that relationship is grounded in prayer, if you are praying always with all prayer
and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance.
Sometimes we try so hard to solve the problems of our health, our children, our business,
or our future that we become agitated or depressed.
psalm46:10: "Be still, and know that I am God."
Prayer is more than a plea; it's a place where we must spend time if we are to learn its power.
As we face problems and personal suffering
, we must not forget that our prayers are subject to His will.
This takes the burden off us and gives it to the Lord.
His will is the best for us.
The difficulty is knowing the will of God.
We cannot find true peace outside the will of God.
Prayers that are selfish, vengeful, or mean are not in the will of God.
The answer from God can be yes or no or wait.
God'll not let us down in the hour of our need,
but God'll answer our prayer in His own way and time.
Most of the times, God does not give us what we ask for,
because God has a better plan which we do not know.
How are we to pray, in what manner? We can follow Jesus's pattern.
How did Jesus pray?
Jesus frequently prayed alone, setting Himself away from every distraction. So must we.
Jesus prayed with great earnestness, always seeking to do the Father's will.
His prayer was heard because of His godly fear.(Hebrews 5:7),
because of the submissive attitude of His heart.
He fully yielded His life to the Father's will. He always set His heart to obey the Father's wiill.
God also reads our hearts as we pray.
Jesus entered prayer with godly fear and reverent submission toward God's will.
God desires to reveal Himself to us and give us more and more of His presence and power
to bring about His plans and purposes earth.
The devil desires to keep us from having God's presence and power
actively at work in us to accomplish God's goals for mankind.
The devil knows the effectiveness of a righteous person who is praying with faith.
He'll send little thoughts into our minds to get us off track.
He does not want you to trust God's word in all situations.
He'll keep you busy or distracted so you don't pray or meditate on God's Word;
so that you'll become more anxious about things, more fearful of things,
some of which are unknown, making you think wrong thoughts;
so that you become a burden bearer, and because the responsibily is so great,
you don't want to be responsible for anything at all.
People with a heavy heart, experience weariness, too weary even to read the bible or pray,
no energy to get up, get dressed and go to church;
he is in a state of weakness; and the weaker he becomes,
the more he focus on himself...his needs, his failures.
In a weak state, it's easier for the fiery arrows to hit you.
A person strong in faith has great joy;
joy in turn produces great spiritual strength...the joy of theLord is my strength.
The person who prays has renewed energy and a zest for living.
Such a person feels strong and is eager to take on life's challenges.
Prayer helps one to trust the Father, to claim the promises of God,
to listen to God, and receive His wisdom.
Praying in the Spirit includes praying in tongues.
It means to pray under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
It means to be sensitive to His promptings about what to pray, how to pray.
It means to obey the promptings to speak or act in specific ways at specific times.
Pray about those situations beyond the horizon of your life or the lives of others.
Pray for God to redeem them, change them and bless them.
As you pray in the face of a spiritual attack, set your mind on the vastness of God's power.
In the face of fear, God gives us boldness.
Through prayer, we have better understanding of God's word, greater discernment,
greater awareness of sin, and greater energy and strength.
if My people will humble themselves...
"if My people will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face,
and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven,
and will forgive their sin and heal their land."
psalm51:1-6,10-11,16-17
1: Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your loving kindness;
according to the multitude of Your tender mercies,
blot out my transgressions.
2: Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin.
3: For I acknowledge my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
4: Against You have I sinned and done evil.
5: I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin, my mother conceived me.
6: You desire truth in the inward parts,
and in the hidden part You will make me to know You.
10: Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11: Do not cast me away from Your presence,
and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
16: For You do not desire sacrifice.
17: The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
a broken and a contrite heart....
these, O God, You will not despise.
Revelation3:16,18-21
16: Because you're lukewarm, I will vomit you out.
18: I counsel you to buy from Me GOLD refined in the FIRE, that you may be rich;
and white garments, that you may be clothed,
that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed;
and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.
19: As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten.
Therefore be zealous and repent.
20: Behold, I stand at the door and knock.
If anyone hears My voice and opens the door,
I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
21: To him who overcomes, I will grant to sit with Me on My throne,
as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His Throne.
The Lord is saying to you....
Know that I, the Lord your God, is indeed the Almighty God,
who created the heavens and the earth.
Repent from your old ways, and sin no more.
Obey the Holy Spirit and be convicted of your wrong doings.
Open your heart and ears to My still small voice in you,
because I am always speaking. Do not shut Me off.
Do not take My mercy and grace for granted. Do not test Me.
But repent before My presence, and humble yourself.
Go down on your knees and pray earnestly.
Straighten things out, if you've hurt someone else.
Know that I know your thoughts and your future.
Let not your mind be the devil's workshop,
but instead occupy yourself with righteous and holy acivities.
Do not look down on others, even your loved ones,
even though you think you're better.
But be more loving, more thoughtful...
among family members, church members and other people.
Remember no one is perfect; therefore judge not other people and find fault,
but be forgiving, merciful and gracious to one another.
Be slow to anger and judgement, or judgement shall come upon you.
Fear the Lord, your God, for I'm a jealous God.
And do not murmur or complain or chase after earthly things.
Be an overcomer over earthly things. How?
Pray and seek Me everyday.
Repent before the Lord, and be humble and be patient.
Know that I am always with you, through the storms and hardships.
Think positive; hope for good things. Stay holy and righteous.
Make sure there's peace and unity, even your own families.
Be after My heart.
Make sure your heart is clean, that I may dwell in you.
Do things not according to your heart's desire, but do things with My love.
The time is near. The last days are coming; be prepared.
Therefore guard your heart, that your name is in the Book of Life. ,
Do not let Me grieve over your sins.
Do not go astray; repent with My help and strength.
For I will never desert you.
And I'll not ask you of something you're not able to do.
Without true humility of heart and compassion and love in our characters,
all our worship and the preaching of the Word are in vain.
There's too much pride in our hearts; and we cannot see our own pride.
"anoint your eyes with eye salve that you may see."
Repentance is more than just saying, "sorry". It also means, "I want to change for eternity."
Through our prayers and supplications, and submission and obedience in the midst of suffering,
with passionate cries and tears, and with godly fear, we shall be made perfect.
We shall be changed and shaped to God's will and purpose,
so that God can accomplish His redemptive through us.
We're to be made for greater works.
wait on the Lord
But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not be faint.
God renews the strength of those are weary and exhausted, and who look to Him.
If we rely on God and exercise our faith, God can make us into people who're resilient.
There'll come times when we're too weak to run, walk or even too weak to crawl.
But the Spirit of God can give us wings of faith to help us fly.
Yes, you can fly, because the Spirit will carry and sustain you.
The Spirit has become the wind beneath your wings.
Yes we're running the race in order to win the prize.
We're running the marathon race; yet we're to remain calm.
We're moving and doing; yet we're to be still and know that He's Lord.
We're to stay still in the presence of God.
We're running with speed; yet our breathing remains calm, our focus steady.
If we're running the marathon, we cannot afford to get too excited,
because the anxiety will cut off the wind.
So we've to be calm, steady our course, get rid of our fears,
dwell not on the past or worry about the future.
And we lift up our heads,look ahead at Jesus and run with endurance.
And we'll find the wind of God's breath beneath our wings,
and we'll soar like an eagle beyond our own expectations.
We're to run with endurance, in a calm and steadfast way.
We relax in the midst of stress, as we run.
It is by faith. Faith gives power under control,
so that we can relax in the midst of all the stressful situations in life.
If we're to see victory, then our strength must be harnessed,
our vision must be focussed,
and our stride be steady.
do not be overloaded
Overloaded people fail.
Like an airplane, we can only carry a certain amount of weight. Or else how can we soar like the eagle? We all make mistakes in life; we all have regrets, but we must move beyond them. We must trim off the excesses, get rid of things and habits that hinder us. For many, their bags are too heavy, but they won't let them go.
Too often, our actions are dictated, not by our own sense of true purpose in life, but are dictated by a misguided need to please other people. We want to make others happy, and will do anything to win their approvals. We care so much about what others think. Although it's good to be concerned for others, if you're always looking for approval, you're not looking where you're going...you're going in the wrong direction.
Acts 5:29 : "We ought to obey God rather than men"
Therefore learn to let go, so that you can fly. Release yourself from the past, trim off the excess load, know your calling...your goal and purpose in life.
to love even though it's impossible n looks stupid to do so
Love thy neighbor as you love yourself.
This is the second greatest commandment Jesus gave.
Yes, the Lord hears your cries...cry for help, cry for grace, cry for justice.
He knows what you are going through
and He wants you to know that you are not in this alone.
The Lord is always good to us,
though many times circumstances show otherwise.
But take a look at Job, take a look at Paul,
take a look at all those who had stayed faithful to God.
They were persecuted when they were doing the right thing.
They were tortured because of their faith.
Jesus was crucified because of His love for us.
All the great men and women in the bible have something in common.
Their love for God's people outweighs any suffering they had to go through.
What gave them this determination is their love for others.
It's difficult to love those who had done wrong to us,
It's difficult to look past that ugly face to see the lost soul inside our enemies.
But that is what Jesus is calling us to do,
to love even though it's impossible and stupid to do so.
As Christians, we are fools in the eyes of men
but what matters most is that God is pleased and happy with us.
Jesus came to this Earth as a man, so that He could die for you and me.
He was God, who became a servant.
He was God, who died a convict's death.
But God is saying to us today that "it is finished."
We don't have to suffer anymore to save ourselves.
It is already done!
All that is left to do is believe.
Everything in this world belongs to God
and we as His children have everything too!
"For all things are yours: whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death,
or things present or things to come - all are yours. And you are Christ's, and Christ is God's."
(1Corinthians 3: 21-23 )
Victory is ours since the moment you believed that Jesus is the Son of God.
We no longer have to fight this battle as the battle is already won!
No, despite all these things,
overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. (Romans 8 : 37 )
It is difficult to believe in things that seem so unreal and impossible.
But that is what faith is about, believing without the presence of doubt.
So, take this step of faith.
Tell God that you are hopeless and helpless without Him.
Tell God how afraid you are,
how angry and frustrated you are with life,
how worried you are about the future,
practically just how tired you are with life right now.
Just close your eyes and start pouring out to God
until you feel the weight on your shoulder is lighter.
Let the tears, all the hurts and pains pour out from your heart.
It is between you and God, no one else.
There's no pretense, no hiding, no holding back.
Be transparent in front of Jesus, laying all your junks and burden at His feet,
for it is not for us to carry all these burden in life.
It had never meant to be ours to bear.
Imagine an empty cross, where Jesus was once hung.
Just think about His sacrifice and love for you.
All Jesus ever cared about was you;
nothing else mattered to Him but you.
He loves you so much that His heart aches whenever He sees yours aching.
Jesus loves us dearly.
We are the world to Him.
Don't you think He would have a great future for us?
Don't you think He would provide us with our every need?
Don't you think He loves us too much to let us suffer?
All our bond ages had been broken when Jesus took our place at the cross.
It is we today who bound ourselves to chains
when the key to these chains is all this while in our hands.
Therefore let's make Jesus' death worth while.
Go back to the basics; go back to your first love.
Go back to the roots to why you call yourself a Christian today.
Going back to basics is always the best move to make when you are lost.
Go back to your Abba Father.
poems
the bitter autumn rain
letting my tears wash away my pain,
my horrifying pain that I want it to go away.
the rain n wind gets harder blowing me to the side
knowing I am cracking and breaking inside.
empty and alone, trying to hide.
the rain is beating hard,
as i feel the beat of my broken heart
that is slowly falling apart.
can i find solace in the rain
taking away my pain.
i see the reflection of me,
in the broken pool of waters
the tears i cry i can hardly see.
my eyes are red,
my hair blowing in the wind,
the scars on my face, slowly are
disappearing without a trace.
walking around, there is nothing
not even the smallest thing to make
as I look down, staring at my feet.
the feelings of self doubt,
feelings of lost within a crowd.
feeling empty and alone.
trapped in this world.
the wind blows through my hair,
as the rain rushes down,
making me feel free for a moment
putting me at ease, at peace for now.
as i start to breathe again....
taken from "rain", "breathe" by Sarah
What has the autumn done to us?
That endless wind, that heavy rain...
My eyes with tears and bitter pain.
It's over now, the autumn's game
though it hurts a lot
We could be happy, but we're not
Why is life so cruel and sad?
It's stolen happiness we've had
when heartache appears in our lives
we are forced to face bittersweet truths
we are reminded that within each challenge
there is always a higher offering
although hidden from our view
we must raise our thinking, open our hearts
and recognize that we are being called to a new stage in life,
a higher calling, a new dimension in life
unfamiliarity can be frightening
and new paths look uncertain.
but what is life, if not a journey into the wondrous unknown?
look around...grace and beauty can still be found within pain.
the only lock,keeping us trapped or blind or stuck is fear.
the only cage is the condition of our minds.
Can we change the past?
No. It’s as hard as granite, as immovable as a mountain.
Cold Mountain Movie says,
“You can grieve endlessly for the loss of time and damage done.
For many things that happened.
You can grieve on and on.
You can grieve your heart out,
And in the end, you’re still where you are.”
All your grief has not change a thing.
What you have lost will not be returned to you.
It will always be lost.
You are left with only scars.
All you can choose to do is go on or not.
But if you go on, it’s knowing you carry your scars with you.”
Grief and bitterness can only keep you a prisoner of the past.
What’s done is done.
Regret cannot change what has already happened.
No matter how many times we say “if only.”
No matter how bitterly we blame and accuse.
bitterness can only ruin us.
We will become prisoners in our own dark souls,
Suffocated by our own brooding thoughts.
You reap your own thoughts
Yes, we must learn to move on,
No matter the past.
We cannot change what has happened.
We do have one power…we can trust God to redeem the past.
If we let Him.
God can use the evil of what has happened
And transforms it into something good.
Do right and don’t go against your conscience.
Sometimes you doubt yourself.
Have peace in your heart; hold on to the things you believe in.
Put your trust in God
For He’ll never leave you.
He’s ever faithful, the One who created you.
Don’t let others pull you down.
Don’t let others talk you out of things.
People may not understand you, but God understands.
If you believe, you can touch the supernatural.
You can see miracles in your life.
It’s not easy to put the past behind.
But look what the future holds for you.
With God’s help, you can almost do anything
Including overcoming your fears and pain.
Everybody deserves a second chance.
Hatred in your heart'll only bring death.
Be slow to anger and judgment,
or judgment shall come upon you.
Always care for one another.
Love others as you would love yourselves.
Have a caring and loving heart,
just like Jesus and reach out to others.
Be compassionate towards others.
Don't judge a person by the looks.
Go and preach the Gospel,
and in wisdom,
because you must be wise
in everything you do.
Be hot for Christ.
Don't take things for granted;
be united,
and don't be easily offended,
but always give and take with one another.
And have love in your own family,
and also in the church.
In your hour of need,
always run to the Lord for help;
cry out to Him; have faith in Him.
The Lord has given everyone a gift
to hear His voice.
He shall speak to you if you're willing to hear.
God is always speaking.
Hear the Lord's voice in your heart,
and He shall guide you through it.
Have faith and believe His words.
Don't be proud and think
that you're full of knowledge.
Obey His words and commandments.
Obey His commandment
to keep the sabbath holy.
Don't be just be a Sunday Christian,
but take notice of people
around you in your church,
and in other nations.
Many people are suffering.
So count your blessings.
The road to heaven is narrow;
so you have to lean onto God.
Allow the Holy Spirit to
guide you in whatever you do.
............................................................................................................
you are not alone
Your voice, Your spirit always gives me courage to face the world
I am not alone.
thank You Lord, I will never be alone.
1John 16:7-13(paraphrased):
I will not leave you alone. I will send the Helper, the Holy Spirit to you .
And when He has come, the Spirit of truth, He will guide you into all truth.
My Love for you will never fail.
Trust in Me, and I shall straighten your path.
Have faith and hope in Me.
Everyday is a new day and a new start.
Put the past behind you, and work your future.
Do not feel despaired, but instead rejoice
For the I shall return, and My children will return to Me,
And they will be with Me for eternity.
Work your way to heaven.
It’s a narrow and bumpy road,
But never give up.
Cling on to My Word;
Let the My Word be printed in your heart.
Enjoy the life that I’ve blessed you with.
You’re here for a purpose and a reason;
It’s not by accident you’re here.
Never let men pull you down,
Or tell you who you are,
Because you’ve a father that’s almighty,
The creator of the heavens and the earth;
So who shall you fear?
Seek the Kingdom of God,
And everything shall be added unto you
God is in our midst in our everyday life.
Supernatural things do happen,
but with our naked eyes we can’t see it.
It’s only through the spirit that things are revealed to us.
It’s only in times of desperation
that we would turn to a higher power for help,
for we know that with our own strength
we can do nothing about it.
But just imagine spending your whole life
with that person of great authority
and having His favor over you….
you would be able to do things
you thought were impossible.
Many things happen we find hard to understand,
and as unique and special we may be,
creation can never out beat the Creator.
We are only part and parcel of the His masterpiece.
As small as we are, we are part of this great art piece,
for every one of us could be a history maker,
with the potential to be.
It’s all determined by the choices we make
and the life we choose to live.
The light is there but we don’t see it because we are blind.
But you can see through our hearts,
and feel the presence of God around you;
and feel His love too.
But unless we have the desire and passion we won’t get it.
Everyone of is imperfect but God is flawless and perfect.
And we are made righteous through Him so we can be like Him.
All it requires is great faith.
Faith can move mountains.
The clock is ticking and time flies
So capture the moment and make it a fresh start
UNTIL YOU ARE TRUE TO YOURSELF
until you are true to yourself
it's difficult for God to help u.
The Lord loves you.
Indeed He is by your side this very second.
Just feel His presence
feel that warmth
feel that love flowing from Him.
Take in His goodness n His glory.
Read His Word for it will give u strength.
Always lean on His grace n mercy
for we r nothing without Him.
Seek His mercy n grace.
Trust God with your life
for He is never wrong
He never will ever forsake u.
Just know that He is your heavenly Father
who will hear all your problems
n embrace n comfort u.
It is the only time
when u can be yourself
when u can be honest
n truthful with yourself
for there is nothing to hide from God.
Until u r true to yourself
until u realize your weaknesses
until acknowledge your need for God's strength,
God can do nothing.
God will do His best when u do your best.
It needs your commitment together with God's promise.
Then u will see results
that go beyond your expectation.
With God, dream big
for your Father in heaven is a big God;
He is indeed the King of all kings.
Believe in yourself.
Give all glory n praises to God.
Trust in Him for guidance in your life.
Let Him love u.
Renew your love
with the One who first loved u.