December 22, 2024

Anxiety

November 25, 2015 by

seekingHimthanksgivinggraphic

Do not be anxious about anything
but in everything
by prayer and petition with thanksgiving
present your requests to God.
Philippians 4:6

*  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *

Brethren, the essential cure for worry is prayer.  And here are the  following reasons… Through prayer

1) we renew our trust in the Lord’s faithfulness by casting all our anxieties and problems on Him who cares for us

 

…Casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.
1 Peter 5:7

Matthew 6:25 – 34

2) God’s peace comes to guard our hearts and minds as a result of our communion with Christ Jesus

Then God’s peace,
which goes far beyond anything we can imagine,
will guard your hearts and minds
in union with the Messiah Jesus.
Philippians 4:7

You keep him in perfect peace
    whose mind is stayed on You,
    because he trusts in You.
Isaiah 26:3

Colossians 3:15

3) God strengthens us to do all the things He desires of us

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
Philippians 4:13

4) we receive mercy grace and help in time of need

Therefore let us draw near with confidence
to the throne of grace,
so that we may receive mercy
and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 4:16

5) we are assured that in all things God works for our good

I am not saying this because I am in any need,
for I have learned to be content in whatever situation I am in.
Philippians 4:11

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good
to those who love God,
to those who are called according to His purpose.
Romans 8:28

Therefore, I urge each one of us not to murmur and worry when we face the  adversaries of this life.  Take it to God in prayer.  He is the Author and Finisher of our faith.  And there is nothing hard for him.  All things are possible.  Remember He has all the power to change any situation.  He was able to part the Red Sea for the Israelites to pass through; is it impossible for Him to take care of that problem you have?  He was able to calm the storms; do you think He can’t calm your storms?  Remember He never changes.  He is always the same… yesterday, today, and forever.  Whatever He says He will do, He will do it.  He said to cast all your cares to Me and I will take care of you.  And He will.

*  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *

Dear Lord, we bless You, we glorify Your Name for there is not any other God besides You.  You are the great I AM, the immortal, the  invisible, the One who is sovereign.  We bless You for You are God. We thank You for the everlasting love and mercy You shower upon us. We give You all the praise, Lord.  Thank You for Your Word that shows us Your lovingkindness for as long as You shall take care of our petitions; we see Your greatness, dear Lord. We thank You for taking care of our anxieties.  Help us, Lord, to trust You with our lives and everything about us more and more in Jesus’ name.  We give You all the praise and all the glory.  Thank You, Father, for answering our prayers.  In Jesus’ name I have prayed.  Amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Faithful Promises

October 5, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

Your eternal word, O Lord, stands firm in heaven.
Your faithfulness extends to every generation,
as enduring as the earth You created.
Psalms 119:89-90

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   * 

The thing I love about God’s Word is that no matter how I am feeling, no matter what is going on around me, no matter what other people say, and no matter what my mind or eyes see God’s promises take rank over all of it.

God’s promise is always true. Sometimes it is hard to see this, but it is true. You know, when bad things happen God does not cause them.  He is a good God, therefore, He is incapable of doing wrong or bad.  He can only do good. It is hard for us to understand because we, as humans, can do both. However, God is not like us in this aspect.  He can only do good.

Let me say it again, He can ONLY do good.

God’s word says that He has come to give us life and that He has come to give us that life abundantly (John 10:10).  Here are a few of my favorite promises:

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary
and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
Take My yoke upon you.
Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart
and you will find rest for your souls.”
Matthew 11:28-29

And this same God who takes care of me
will supply all your needs from His glorious riches,
which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:19

I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart.
And the peace I give is a gift the world can’t give.
So don’t be troubled or afraid.
John 14:27

Knowing God’s promises isn’t enough…we have to believe them no matter what.

Hebrews 10: 23 (my favorite verse) says,
“Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm,
for God can be trusted to keep His promise.”

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

We Have Already Won

October 2, 2015 by

encouragementbloggraphicromans15

So the people shouted, and the trumpets sounded.
When they heard the blast of the trumpet,
the people gave a great shout, and the wall collapsed.
The people advanced into the city, each man straight ahead,
and they captured the city.
Joshua 6:20

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

I am in awe of our God and His never-ending blessings.  He loves His children so much and He wants to bless each one of us…and He does.  As children, we are taught to tell the truth at all costs.  And if you have been around little children, you know that this is true. They tell the truth—even if it hurts!  But as we get older, we somehow lose bits and pieces of our honesty. One white lie leads to another and then we get used to our new way of telling the ‘truth.’  But God—He always tells the truth and He always keeps His promises.

Some of His promises are conditional, like “If you will ______ … then I will_____.”  This was the case in the Battle of Jericho (read the account here).  The Lord said, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, and its king and its fighting men.”  Can you imagine what Joshua thought? Maybe something like…”It doesn’t look like mine to me!” as he looked at the wall that he couldn’t get through!  But the Lord’s message was that the victory was already his but He wanted him to do a few things first.

Even today, God directs us in ways like this.  In the battles we face day to day, victory is already ours because of our position in Him.  But it may not be in our possession if He doesn’t get our full cooperation. See, God has already defeated the enemy by sending Jesus to die in our place…in sin’s place.  But some of the victories that we have are ours only if we take them.  We have to take that first step sometimes to show that we want it!  Here’s how:

Stay armed for battle — Joshua 6:3-9
God’s Word is a Sword. Our victories will never happen without it!

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.
Ephesians 6:17

~   ♥   ~

Always stay on course — Joshua 6:3,14
Never get tired of doing the right thing. Pray every day that God will give you direction and lead you on the right path and that you will never grow tired of trying.

Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses
surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight
and the sin that so easily ensnares us.
Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us….
Hebrews 12:1

~   ♥   ~

Always stay together with your army — Joshua 6:13
Surround yourselves with Jesus followers that will help you be the best you. The people that will lift you up out of the trenches and speak truth loudly over the enemy’s lies. Stay in the Church and serve with the body of believers so that the enemy cannot even get a toehold!

~   ♥   ~

Always stay awake and alert — Joshua 6:18
Always avoid the temptations that the enemy sends your way and keep your eyes on Him.  It is so easy to let your guard down and let our foot slip.  We start looking at our problems and we take the focus off of the Problem Solver. We lose hope.  Stay in the Word!  It’s the only way to keep your eyes always on the prize.

The things of this world look and smell and taste so good that sometimes we may slip into the enemies trap.  But God is bigger and He is mighty to save!  Psalm 13:8 says “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him.”

I am praying for each one of you to stay victorious!  We need to step out as His children and tell all who will listen that He is The Way!  And remember… you have already won!

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Let us pray: Dear God, thank You for loving us so much that You give us a endless supply of grace.  We confess that we don’t always stay close and we do take our eyes off of You and we need forgiveness.  Help us to stay in Your Word and really press into You so that the enemy cannot get through to us at all.  We love You and we praise You.  In Jesus; name, amen.

 

Filed Under: encouragement Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

God’s Promises

July 28, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
Those who know Your name will trust in You
for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You.
Psalms 9:9-10

Indeed, those who seek the Lord will never be forsaken; that is the promise of God to us.  He also said “Seek Ye first the kingdom of God and its righteousness and all these things shall be added unto You”.  God is not a man that He can lie nor the son of man that He would change his mind.  What He says…He shall do it.  Especially to His very own.

What is it to seek the Lord?  Seeking the Lord means seeking His presence…having access to Him.  The Bible repeatedly calls us to seek the Lord and to seek His presence continually.

Now set Your mind and heart to seek the Lord your God.
1 Chronicles 22:19

God has made these promises to those who seek Him:
• Deuteronomy 4:29  But if from there You seek the Lord your God, you will find Him if you look for Him with all Your heart and with all your soul.
• 2 Chronicles 7:14   If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
• Proverbs 8:17   I love those who love Me and those who seek Me find Me….
• Luke 11:9   So I say unto you, Ask and it will be given to you, seek you shall find, knock and the door will be opened to you.

In all things when we seek the Lord we may ask anything in Jesus’ name and He will do it (John 14:14).

And will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones
who cry unto Him day and night? Will He keep putting them off?
Luke 18:7

Let us seek the Lord where He may be found for the rewards are great. He promises and He will do it. He cannot lie.  I thank God for He has given us room to be found when we seek Him with all our hearts and souls.

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Father, we thank You for the wonderful Word at the right time.  Thank You for Your promises to Your chosen ones are YES and AMEN through Christ Jesus.  Thank You because You always stand by Your word and You perform it.  Your Word, dear Lord, does not go back to You the same.  As we seek You with all our hearts and souls in all areas of our lives, dear Lord, give us also the heart to wait to receive from You. We need grace to be patient in as much as we believe we have received whatsoever our hearts desired.  Forgive us of our unbelief in one way or the other. Be glorified always. Thank You for hearing and answering our prayers.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Faithful God

July 7, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

Know therefore that the Lord your God is God.
He is the faithful God,
keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations
of those who love Him and keep His commands.
Deuteronomy 7:9

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

We see God’s choice of Israel was motivated by His love for them. Moreover God promised to faithfully keep His covenant and show mercy to generation after generation of those who would love Him and obey Him.  Not only was God’s love contingent on their response of love and obedience but also they would receive prosperity, good health, and military success (verses 13-16).

It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity
that you are going in to take possession of their land,
but on the account of wickedness of these nations,
the Lord your God will drive them out before you to accomplish
what He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Deuteronomy 9:5

It shows God’s gracious gift based on His love and mercy for rewarding the Israelites with faithfulness.  Moses warned the Israelites that continued possession of the land would be contingent on their perseverance in faith and in obedience to God.  If the Israelites became wicked like the Canaanites they, too, would be dispossessed of the land.  In other words, His love and mercy in His giving of the land was not unconditional.  If the people turned away from the Lord and forgot His word they, too, would surely perish.

Therefore, brethren, inasmuch as God shows us His faithfulness, let us seek to obey Him the more. For we will get a reward at the end of the race.

Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God
failing to observe His commands, His laws, and His decrees
that I am giving you this day.
Deuteronomy 8:11

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Dear heavenly Father, we thank You for Your faithfulness and Your lovingkindness.  Thank You for Your mercy that is unconditional.  We pray for grace, Lord, to obey Your commands at all times.  Help us to do what You want us to do at the right time and in the right ways.  Direct our paths, Lord; in Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen!!

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Don’t Complain…Instead Know That I Am God

July 6, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

Know therefore that the Lord your God is God;
He is the faithful God,
keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations
of those who love Him and keep His commands.
Deuteronomy 7:9

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

The context surrounding this verse is speaking to the Israelites about the Promised Land—the Promised Land that took the Israelites five books in the Bible to get to.  It isn’t until Joshua that we finally see these travelers enter into the promise of God. Many are familiar with the story of the Israelites.  I’ve heard it said that the journey they took should have only taken 11 days.  However, their journey took them 40 years.

How does one take an 11 day journey and turn it into a 40 year journey?  Simple.  With God it’s all about timing…His timing. Deuteronomy 7:9 starts off, “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God…”.  God decides when we are ready for something. But often how we choose to look at our circumstances effects how long something takes.  The Israelites complained and complained and complained.  {They loved to do them some complaining!}

  • Numbers 11:1a says, “Now the people complained about their hardships…”
  • Exodus 15:24a says, “So the people grumbled…”
  • Exodus 16:2a says, “In the desert the whole community grumbled…”
  • Exodus 17:2a says, “So they quarreled…”

From all the complaining they did, one would have never guessed that God would free them from captivity.  I mean, that’s kind of big!  I myself have never been physically enslaved, but I would imagine it’s a horrible predicament to be in. Yet, and still, they complained.

Here’s the deal: God doesn’t forget His promises.  Solomon said it this way,

…O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like You in heaven or on earth –
You who keep Your covenant of love with Your servants
who continue wholeheartedly in Your way.
2 Chronicles 6:14

We don’t need to complain.  We do it because it is an easy habit to start.  However, complaining focuses on the negative while praise focuses on the positive.  Anytime we choose to complain, we just as easily could have chosen to praise.  Praising isn’t overlooking the bad or just ignoring it.  It’s simply focusing on the better things in life.  Just like complaining is simply focusing on the ‘worser’ things in life.  God has done so many things for us, why not focus on those things rather than the things that are wrong.  And pray.  Philippians 4:6 says,

Do not be anxious about anything,
but in everything,
by prayer and petition,
with thanksgiving,
present your requests to God.

Instead of the Israelites complaining about the fact that they had no water, they should have done as Moses did and prayed. Out of all of those people (a whole community), one person prayed.  One.  The nation had a negative focus.  God is faithful and follows through with His promises.

Trust Him.  
Do not complain, but pray.  
Then… wait.
And that doesn’t mean complain while you are waiting.
It means wait.

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Lord, help us to keep our eyes focused on You.  Let us not forget all the good that You have done for us.  I know that it is so easy to complain about the things that we don’t like in our lives or the things that are “wrong”, but this does not glorify You.  Why should we draw attention to the negative in our lives when drawing attention to You should be our number one goal? People aren’t going to be drawn to You by hearing about all we do not have…but rather hearing about all that You have done for us.  Thank You, Lord.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Sure As The Sun Will Rise

May 13, 2015 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

There is good news
There is good truth
That you could never change
No matter what you do
You are loved
More than you know
More than you could hope for
After everything you’ve done

As sure as the sun will rise
And takes away the night
His mercy will not end
His mercy will not end

There is good news
There’s a promise
That no matter where you go
You will never be alone
In the dark
In the doubting
When you can’t feel anything
Oh, His love remains the same

Even through the night
Silver stars will shine
Hope of glory’s light
That will wake us once again

singer/songwriter – Ellie Holcomb
*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *
The premise of this song is truly something we don’t ever worry about, right?  Oh, we have our worries about other things…I hear you!  But not this—not the rising of the sun.  We just KNOW it will be there when we awaken each and every morning.  And as assuredly as we stake our trust and confidence on God’s faithfulness to His plan for each new day, we should be equally as positive of His mercy and love.  Perhaps when we are ensnared in doubt we could remind ourselves, “See…look! The sun came up this morning! And just like that, God will faithfully provide mercy and lovingkindness today!”

Let us acknowledge the Lord;
let us press on to acknowledge Him.
As surely as the sun rises, He will appear;
He will come to us like the winter rains,
like the spring rains that water the earth.
Hosea 6:3

There is a promise in chapter 3 of the Book of Lamentations that I cling to every day of my life…may I share it with you?

But this I recall and therefore have I hope and expectation:
It is because of the Lord’s mercy and loving-kindness that we are not consumed,
because His [tender] compassions fail not.
They are new every morning; great and abundant is Your stability and faithfulness.
Verses 21-23

Some days it is difficult, seemingly near-to-impossible sometimes, to be hopeful and have joyful expectations.  The world we live in is full of things that snatch away our dreams and desires; tempting us to feel futile and overwhelmed.  But, Jesus assured His disciples (and us!) of the peace and hope we have been given.  And so we endeavor to hold this Truth firm in our thinking knowing that Jesus spoke it and so it IS the Truth.

“I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace.
In this world you will have trouble.
But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33

At times when my heart is needful of being reminded that “as sure as the sun will rise and take away the night…” I confess the following promises made by our faithful, loving, compassionate, merciful Father (recorded in Jeremiah chapter 29).  And I recite it like this…

For I know the thoughts and plans that <You> have for <me>…thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give <me> hope in <the> final outcome.
Then <i> will call upon <You>, and <i> will come and pray to <You>, and <You> will hear and heed <me>.
Then <i> will seek <You>, inquire for, and require <You> and find <You> when <i> search for <You> with all <my> heart.
<You> will be found by <me>….

Jeremiah 29:11-14 AMP (pronouns changed)

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Here are some additional verses from the Scriptures to persistently hang onto. I pray that you will be encouraged by each one of them as You remember Who has made the promises—the same One Who causes the sun to rise each and every morning—Almighty God, our heavenly Father.

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.
Hebrews10:23

I wait for the Lord, I expectantly wait, and in His word do I hope.
Psalm 130:5

God is not human, that He should lie,
not a human being, that He should change His mind.
Does He speak and then not act?
Does He promise and not fulfill?
Numbers 23:19

Be strong and courageous.
Do not be afraid or terrified because of them,
for the Lord your God goes with you;
He will never leave you nor forsake you.
The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you;
He will never leave you nor forsake you.
Do not be afraid; do not  be discouraged.
Deuteronomy 31:6 and 8

Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of His purpose
very clear to the heirs of what was promised,
He confirmed it with an oath.
God did this so that,
by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie,
we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us
may be greatly encouraged.
We have this hope as an anchor for the soul….
Hebrews 6:17-19

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Remembering and Deciding

April 13, 2015 by

 

Many of you have gone on Spring Break or are anticipating taking a vacation this summer. It is a time to refresh spirit, soul, and body. Over the next couple of weeks, our faithful bloggers will be taking a ‘spring break’ from writing so that they can come back to us refreshed and freshly anointed.
However, Girlfriends’ Coffee Hour website won’t ‘go black’! We will be revisiting some of our favorite blogs and daily devotions which have blessed us in the past. We pray that each of you, our faithful friends and readers, will continue to start your day meditating on the devotionals and songblogs, and be encouraged and blessed.

Let’s give each of our bloggers a big round of applause, a hug, and the rest they so deserve.
God bless you, ladies!

 

SeekingHimLogo

Remember Your word to Your servant,
for You have given me hope.
My comfort in my suffering is this:
Your promise preserves my life.
Psalms 119:49-50

Remember in the Disney movie, The Jungle Book, Mowgli meets the youngest elephant of a herd.  The leader of the herd, the young elephant’s father, proclaims that an elephant never forgets.  However, as the herd is leaving, the elephant’s mother ends up reminding the father that he is “forgetting” their son who is still talking to Mowgli.

Yet, we have a heavenly Father Who does not forget about us.  He brings us hope and love in the midst a life of sin and temptation.  He never leaves our side.  We can call out to Him, and He will answer us in the way that He thinks is best for us.

For the wages of sin is death
but the free gift of God
is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23

Yet we can find comfort in our Father who does not forget about us or His promises to us.  Remember John 3:16?  God gave us His Son so we would not perish if we believed in Him.  God sent His one and only Son here to die for our sins.  Jesus wiped away our penalty—death—for sinning against God.  Our punishment for sinning is death. However, if we believe in Jesus and proclaim Him as our Savior, our penalty has been paid.  We look forward to eternity in Heaven with God.

God’s promise of eternal life for acceptance of His Son as our Savior is very powerful. The war for our souls has been won once we repent and allow Jesus to come into our heart.  It is free.  All we have to do is make the decision and open our hearts.  God’s promise preserves our life and brings comfort to our weary life.  He brings healing and love to our broken hearts.  It is a comfort that we have such a wonderful Father.

*  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *

Dear Heavenly Father: Thank You for remembering us—Your children.  You created us and know every thought and move before we do.  Your love has saved us from eternal condemnation and pain.  You bring us comfort, love, and healing. Thank You…in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Remembering and Deciding

October 14, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

Remember Your word to Your servant,
for You have given me hope.
My comfort in my suffering is this:
Your promise preserves my life.
Psalms 119:49-50

Remember in the Disney movie, The Jungle Book, Mowgli meets the youngest elephant of a herd.  The leader of the herd, the young elephant’s father, proclaims that an elephant never forgets.  However, as the herd is leaving, the elephant’s mother ends up reminding the father that he is “forgetting” their son who is still talking to Mowgli.

Yet, we have a heavenly Father Who does not forget about us.  He brings us hope and love in the midst a life of sin and temptation.  He never leaves our side.  We can call out to Him, and He will answer us in the way that He thinks is best for us.

For the wages of sin is death
but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23

Yet we can find comfort in our Father who does not forget about us or His promises to us.  Remember John 3:16?  God gave us His Son so we would not perish if we believed in Him.  God sent His one and only Son here to die for our sins.  Jesus wiped away our penalty—death—for sinning against God.  Our punishment for sinning is death. However, if we believe in Jesus and proclaim Him as our Savior, our penalty has been paid.  We look forward to eternity in Heaven with God.

God’s promise of eternal life for acceptance of His Son as our Savior is very powerful. The war for our souls has been won once we repent and allow Jesus to come into heart.  It is free.  All we have to do is make the decision and open our hearts.  God’s promise preserves our life and brings comfort to our weary life.  He brings healing and love to our broken hearts.  It is a comfort that we have such a wonderful Father.

*  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *

Dear Heavenly Father: Thank You for remembering us—Your children. You created us and know every thought and move before we do. Your love has saved us from eternal condemnation and pain. You bring us comfort, love, and healing. Thank You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Drawing Circles

October 10, 2014 by

encouragementbloggraphicromans15

And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.
Matthew 21:22 ESV

I remember looking in my cabinets and truly wondering how was I going to feed them today.  ‘Empty‘ not only described the pantry and refrigerator…but it also described me.  “How could God just allow this?  I have been His for so long.  I pray and I read my devotions. What else can I do?” I thought.

My prayer life had always been important to me.  I remember when I was growing up, I would talk to Him all day long.  As I got older, married with kids, my prayers were more like “God is great, God is good” and “Now I lay me down to sleep.”  Not that those are  wrong prayers, they just weren’t enough to move the mountains that were before me.

I decided to do a prayer walk.  I made a route in the shape of a big circle and visualized my problems being in the center.  I made a prayer circle.  Every day I walked that circle and talked with Him and prayed to Him and asked Him to do the impossible—to miraculously provide.  And He did!  It didn’t happen overnight but, little by little, He creatively gave us our daily bread and manna.  Then it hit me: God knew what I needed…He wanted to make sure I knew what I wanted!  He wanted specific prayers, asking for specific things.  He didn’t want just the superficial.  He wanted me to ask Him for the impossible!  Anything less, really, is insulting to Him.  Why?  Because those prayers really don’t require divine intervention.  Our God likes to part Red Seas and make suns stand still and drop manna from Heaven.  That is what He loves to do for us.  (Isn’t He amazing?)

God loves keeping His promises to us and He loves doing impossible things for us.  And the bigger the miracle, the better because God gets more recognition and glory.

What promise are you needing today?  I encourage you to get a piece of paper or a prayer journal and draw a big circle.  Write the big impossible thing that you need in your life right now in the middle of the circle.  Then pray every day for a whole month about this circle and see what God can do.  It may take more than a month because He is not on a time limit.  God does things in His time.  But be patient!  He will answer!  God is for you! He wants the greatest things for your life.  And He wants all the glory so that all those around you will see His hand in your life and want what You have!

I don’t know your circumstances today.  Maybe you have been praying specifically for something and it feels like it is never going to happen.  I encourage you to fast.  Some things only come through prayer and fasting.  Look up all the different fasts that you can do and choose one that works for you. And always remember to thank Him—even before the miracle—showing that you have  faith that He is going to come through.

He loves you!  He wants so much for your life. He wants your biggest requests! Your life will be so full of Him. And remember, who you become is determined by how you pray.

When I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days.
And I was fasting and praying before the God in Heaven.
Nehemiah 1:4

Let us pray:  Dear God, You are awesome. You are kind, just, and faithful.  And You love us so much.  You have the power to move mountains.  Thank You for loving us and for hearing us when we pray.  Help us to be specific, and not to be afraid to ask You for those big things that we need right now.  Nothing is too much for You.  Help us to be faithful and to persevere even when it seems like You don’t hear us. We love You. We believe You can…and will…part the Red Seas in our lives.  And when You do, we will give You all the credit and all the glory for, without You, we are nothing.  And for those who are not quite all believing, I pray that You give them the courage to give it all to You.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

Filed Under: encouragement Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,
Next Page »