Not too long ago one of my fellow church members posted this prayer. It resonated with me strongly then, and still does now. It's simply too good not to share, so...here it is:
"Prayer: LORD, when it seems that You are slow to act or that You
will not come to my rescue in time, help
me have patience and faith,
trusting in Your unfailing love and the certainty of Your promises.
Circumstances may feel hopeless or be
overwhelming today, however, I
am grateful for Your assurance that they
will not remain that way. I
will rely upon Your promises because You
never fail to fulfill Your
word. In Jesus' name, Amen."
That's all I've got today. I think that's enough.
Let the DIALOGUE begin: Do you believe in the power of prayer?
Talk to me (and especially talk to God. He hears, and He answers...in His own time)!
Last night I joined in on a Kingdom Love Letter ministry call not knowing what to expect...not really sure if I was expecting anything...but simply to support my friend Tonia in her Ruth & Boaz in theMeantime Ministries as she was the guest.
In a nutshell, the call was about relationships, being single, and what to do while you are single yet desiring to be in a relationship. Simple answer: Seek and Serve God. Make HIM the priority...NOT the search for a partner.
The call went on for over an hour and I attentively listened, soaking up as much knowledge as I could. When it comes to relationships, I have failed at them ALL. Hence the reason why I am STILL SINGLE. Not by choice, because my desire is to be in a MARRIAGE blessed by God. However God is waiting for me to be obedient to Him and get myself together.
Although the majority of the callers were female, I was grateful for the one or two men who joined in. As a woman, I always welcome a man's viewpoint because it helps me understand where they're coming from. I think that's important for relationships as well as basic day-to-day interactions. We need to be able to understand each other.
So I listened, listened, and listened some more until just before the call ended and the host asked if anyone had any questions or comments. I finally spoke up, shared what was on my ever-so-heavy-heart, and in return received a prophetic word of encouragement.
The call ended and my spirit was lifted. I spent time processing what was said to me and asking God to reveal to me what it all means.
This morning, Tonia let me know that her brother (who was one of the men on the call...maybe the only man, I'm not 100% sure), was praying for me. WOW!
I can not begin to tell you how much that warmed my heart. To know that somewhere out there, aMAN is actually praying FOR ME. Although he doesn't know me personally, just from my brief comment on the call, he determined that I am special, valuable, precious to God.
He may be the ONLY man who has ever prayed for me. If not the only one in times past...he is most assuredly the ONLY one praying for me NOW. As much as I would love to have MANY men praying for me as their way of saying, "You are special. You are needed. You Matter," and would especially want the man who loves me (whenever he shows up in my life) to pray for me even moreso...at this moment in time, I am ever-so-grateful for the ONE. One man's prayers are exponentially greater than the prayers of NONE.
With that said, Let the DIALOGUE begin: For all the men out there...how many women are YOU praying for today? And do they know? I can assure you that it will absolutely put a smile on their faces to know that YOU are praying for THEM.
Some time last year I saw a fantastic movie called War Room about a woman's firm belief in the power of prayer. I won't spoil it if you haven't seen it yet, but I will say that I left that movie feeling inspired. My faith in prayer had been strengthened.
Unlike the woman in the movie who had an actual ROOM where she would write, and keep her prayer requests to God...I live in a teeny tiny apartment and there simply are no "extra" rooms. There's not even an "extra" closet.
Still...I wanted to do what the woman in the movie did. I wanted to WRITE my requests to God and be able to VISIBLY see them. This would serve two purposes. ONE...the requests would more easily stay at the forefront of my mind (especially for folks who I am praying on behalf of...it's so important for me to keep them at the forefront of my mind), and TWO...it allows me to easily see the prayers that God has answered. Y'all do know that He answers prayers, right?
After some thought I decided that the back of my bedroom door would be become my "War Space" where I would tape my prayers.
I did this for about a week and got oddly nervous. For some reason, I became uncomfortable about having my prayers "out there" in the open. Weird...I know. So I decided instead to write them down in a journal. So my "War Room", which had been downsized to a "War Space" was now a "War Journal." Ok. No, not ok.
Here's what happened.
I wrote prayers in my "War Journal" for a while, then stopped. Then I'd start. Then stop. There was no consistency, and I rarely looked back at the prayers I'd written down. Totally defeating the purpose!
Well...
Lately I've been having far more "talks with God" than usual. I am in an extremely difficult "season" right now and just don't feel like I hear Him, nor is He hearing me. I don't see Him "moving." THAT's gotta change!
So...last night, or should I say this morning since it was around 1:00 am...I was strongly compelled to write my petitions to God...each one on it's own piece of paper...and tape them to my bedroom WALL.
My pen was smokin'!
Prayer after prayer just started to flow. They weren't ALL requests. Some were prayers of THANKS. I even added some Scriptures as I was led to them. As a result...I now have a "War WALL." WOW!!! And since there are FOUR walls in my room, I just might fill 'em all up.
After I taped the last of last night's prayers I just sat, looked, and read them all. Again, I had another "talk with God" letting Him know that I have done my part by making my requests known. Now I wait in expectancy, KNOWING that I serve a God who can not fail, and is able to do abundantly above all that I can ask or think. In other words, God's Got This!
I woke up this morning, looked over at my wall, read my daily Word, then read each and every prayer. It felt great. I could feel a shift.
I now look forward to checking off those prayers as they are answered...one by one...not in my chronos time, but in His kairos time. His timing is always perfect.
Now Let the DIALOGUE begin: Is there something I can pray for on your behalf? I would be honored to add your request to my "War Wall."
"Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." - James 5:16
Yesterday morning I posted a pic of a "Facebook Memory" from 2 years ago that said, "Everything You Want is on the other side of FEAR." Hmmm.
Somehow, I think that must have resonated in my subconscious throughout the day. Later that evening I happened to come across an ad that said, "WritersWanted." I decided to read more about what type of writer was wanted and quickly realized that I fit the bill.
I hemmed and hawed for a bit and then decided to GO FOR IT, and responded to the ad.
After that I posted a pic that said, "If you want something you've never had, you've got to do something you've never done." Well...I had just done that. The only thing left to do at that point was PRAY and WAIT.
Well...God didn't make me wait for very long. He really gets me with that. There are some things I've prayed for and He STILL hasn't answered (at least not in the way that I had hoped.) And there are other things I pray for and He pretty much answers IMMEDIATELY.
In this particular case, not even 24 hours had passed and I received a FAVORABLE response...the response I had PRAYED for.
At 9:28am this morning, I received an email that said, "...Welcome to the project!"
Yes folks, I am now part of a WRITING project for a publication that will be coming out in December. I am beyond excited and completely overjoyed. FINALLY, my work will be PUBLISHED. Thank You Jesus!!!
My final submission is due in a couple months, so until then, I'll be writing, re-writing and writing some more. This is my opportunity to show THE WORLD what I am capable of. I want to be sure to show my BEST.
So on this day, "30 Days of THANKFULNESS: Day 17 - I am THANKFUL for FINALLY walking in FAITH and not FEAR.
The difference is AMAZING!
Now Let the DIALOGUE begin: What have you done recently that you were once fearful of doing? How did that work out for ya?
Today was another Sunday for me to visit a new church.
As you may recall, last week I visited a church that I thought was one that my co-worker attends. Service was great although I realized on Tuesday when she returned to work, that I had the right name, but wrong location. No worries.
So I decided to try again today.
I got it right this time!
Still didn't see my friend though. And that's okay. She may have attended the 9:00 service and I was at the 11:00. I'm still on public transportation so making service at 9:00 was a bit of a stretch. Those buses don't run as frequently on Sunday as they do the other days of the week. 11:00 was perfect.
Even though the churches that I have been visiting (and still plan to visit) are those that my friends attend, I don't visit with the intention of actually seeing them. If I do...great. If I don't...great.
Even though I know days in advance where I will be attending service, I never reach out to anyone and say, "Hey...I pulled your church's name out of my bowl...so I'll see ya on Sunday."
Nope. I never do that.
I want my visitation experiences to be as authentic as possible...with God in FULL control. At least on my FIRST visit. So I show up when I show up. Sometimes I see friends...most times I don't.
As with all of the other services that I have attended at previous churches, I enjoyed the experience. Just as with last week...I didn't know a single song during Praise and Worship because they sing Contemporary Christian songs (like you'd hear on The Fish 95.9) I am much more used to Gospel, which we sing at my church and pretty much every other church that I have visited.
This location was a bit more diverse than the one that I attended last Sunday. I was still just a sprinkle of pepper in a sea of salt, yet when we come together for God's glory, all HE sees are His children.
Today's message was #8 in a series titled, "Pray Like This." Basically forming our prayers as Jesus modeled for us in Matthew 6:9-13. In doing so, our prayers will be more effective.
In all that Pastor Larry mentioned during the message, one thing really hit home with me. He was talking about problems and how we often fail to correctly treat a particular problem because we deal with the "symptoms" instead of the "cause." As an example, he mentioned how he used to mow his lawn when he was a young boy and his Mom would ask if he had taken care of the dandelions (pretty as they may be...they're still a weed.) He assured his Mom that he had because he had "mowed" them down. She then corrected him and told him that mowing them down wasn't the same as "taking care of them"...and that they'd be back in two weeks. Why? Because in order to have truly "taken care of the dandelions," he needed to get down to the roots. He hadn't done that. So...as expected, they came back.
This is what so many of us do, and it is especially what I do. I deal with the "symptoms" of my issues, but rarely the "causes/roots." Now that I know better, I will do better.
So you see...for those who may question why I'm doing all this "church hopping"...I am doing it because (A) God instructed me to, and (B) because it has made my worship and learning experience FRESH again. By the way...I personally don't think that "visiting" is the same as "church hopping." I think "church hopping" is when you become a MEMBER here, then leave, then become a MEMBER there, then leave, and continue doing so. THAT, to me, is "church hopping." I'm sure that there are others who will disagree.
Yes...I love my home church. That is family for me. Yet I didn't feel that I was always giving God my best. I had fallen into a routine. God has done too much for me to give Him half-hearted praise, so I knew I needed to change. Now...I go into churches not knowing what to expect. Only knowing that it is a Christian church that is Bible-believing. Those are the only two things that I ever know going in. So far, I have come out better with each visit than when I went in. Learning things from a different perspective...and giving God my best.
With today being Father's Day, we gave praise and honor to God as we THANKED Him for being such a "Good Good Father" to us. Interestingly, I had never heard this song before until last Sunday. Today, I heard it again. It's so very fitting, as He definitely is a "Good Good Father". If you've never heard it before...please take a listen.
Oh, one more thing -- you're probably wondering where I visited for the past two Sundays (I can't remember if I mentioned it last week.) Well...last Sunday I attended Light and Life Church in Downey. Today, I attended Light and Life Christian Fellowship on Downey. BIG difference between those two words, in and on.
Oh, wait -- one more more thing -- on this day, "30 Days of THANKFULNESS: Day 6 - I am THANKFUL for God's LOVE. Love UNCONDITIONAL. I fail DAILY, and yet...He continues to LOVE me. I will NEVER be perfect, and He knows this. All I can do is my best to be BETTER today, than I was yesterday. This is my goal, each and EVERY day.
Now Let the DIALOGUE begin: Do you listen to Contemporary Christian music? If so, who are your favorite groups?
My goodness! There is so much going on lately. In my life, and in the lives of my friends. Just a whole lot going on, and not all of it good. As for me, I am still dealing with the ramifications of the car accident that I was in on April 29th (I'll be writing about that soon), and still have some family (and "other") issues that I am working through.
Nevertheless, I still have a reasonable portion of health and strength, so I can not, and will not complain.
Tonight's post will be short and simple. I am asking that you pray for me (in the name of Jesus) as I am praying for others as well (in the name of Jesus).
We serve a God who is able and there is absolutely NOTHING too hard for Him.
Although my prayers are NEVER the same, I have some areas that I try to cover. Not always, but most times.
I always begin with THANKS (although I can NEVER thank God enough for all that He has done, and continues to do).
Then I CONFESS my sins. Note that I did NOT say that I ask for forgiveness. You see...Christ shed His blood on the cross for our sins...ALL of them...past, present and future. In that sacrificial act, He forgave us. So there's no need to keep asking for what has already been granted. There is however, a constant need to CONFESS our sins. Not sugar coating them...but calling them what God calls them. And so...that's what I do.
Then, I present my requests before Him.
Just thought I'd throw that in.
Now Let the DIALOGUE begin: Do you prefer to pray in the morning, evening, or do you pray throughout the day?
Sad about the financial crunch that I'm in right now. Not understanding how a person who works everyday doesn't even make it from paycheck to paycheck. I make it from paycheck, to a week before the next paycheck, and my savings account carries me through that last week. Yes, I'm thankful for the savings account, but it hurts to watch it depleting, just so I can "live."
Sad at times because I miss my Mom. No, our relationship was not the best, but that doesn't negate the fact that she was my Mom, nor does it negate the fact that I love and miss her.
Sad over the fact that my Dad is really ready to finally get home after MONTHS of being in hospitals and rehab facilities, yet he's still at least 3 weeks away from being released.
Sad about my friend who I said I wouldn't write about anymore, yet the longer that time passes and she doesn't reach out to reconcile our relationship, the more I realize that our friendship didn't mean all that I thought it did to her. And for those who are coming in on the tail end, saying, "Well if it means that much to you then why don't YOU reach out?" I did. Three times. And for an offense that was not my own doing, I think that three times are sufficient.
And then of course, there's "Joe."
As I mentioned in earlier posts, he'd gone to Houston the Wednesday before last and I hadn't heard from him since. Had no idea if he'd gone for good and just didn't have the heart to tell me, or what? I hated not knowing.
So yeah...my heart was feeling a bit heavy.
Friday night, before I went to sleep, I changed the wallpaper on my phone. I changed it to the picture that's here in this post. It's a depiction of Psalm 56:8 which states:
"You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book."
That gave me comfort. Knowing that every tear I have cried -- God has bottled, because they mean something to Him.
So I changed my phone wallpaper and went to sleep.
Woke up yesterday morning, started on my weekend chores, and in the middle of all that, God made it very clear to me that He has heard my prayer, AND...He answered, at least one.
That was all I needed.
That was enough to assure me that my prayers are not in vain. God is hearing, and He is answering them in the time that He sees fit. Sometimes He makes me feel as though I am about to hit rock bottom, yet He never lets me get that low. I may get a foot away from the bottom, but He never lets me hit it. This is what I need to remember, because trials, heartaches, and sorrows will continue to come. But as long as I know that God is going to catching me...not matter how long or far down the fall seems, I will be okay.
Now Let the DIALOGUE begin: When was the last time God answered one of YOUR prayers?
Very recently, as I was sharing about all of the overwhelming things that are going on in my life, I mentioned prayer, and how there was ONE thing that I was heavily praying for. This ONE thing I wanted more than anything else.
Now I know that I lot of folks think that prayer is just a bunch of hocus pocus mumbo jumbo, and that there's no "Big Guy in the sky" who's hearing ANYTHING. I do agree with that, PARTIALLY. He's NOT "in the sky." He's EVERYWHERE.
For me however, as a follower of Christ, I wholeheartedly believe in the power of prayer. Sometimes (many times actually), prayer can be frustrating. In this "microwave age" that we live in, we've lost the patience that is required when waiting. We want everything NOW, or five minutes ago. WAITING? Nobody wants to do that. Certainly not I.
But OHHH...when a prayer is uttered, and very soon thereafter ANSWERED...it just adds another coal to the "belief furnace" and kicks one's faith up just a few notches higher.
That happened to me yesterday. I had been praying hard and heavy for something. Wrote it down in my prayer journal, and although it seemed to be a "lost cause", I continued to petition God for this thing that I so greatly wanted. Never in my prayers do I utter the words, "Lord, if you are ABLE..." But always, "Lord, if you are WILLING..." You see, as much as I know what I want, I had to come to a level of spiritual maturity to understand that God's will for me will ALWAYS trump my own...even when it hurts to think that He may not give me what I desire. That's how I felt about this particular situation. I just wasn't sure how it was gonna go.
Monday night I hit a low. Did something that I wasn't sure I should do, yet knew I had to. Wasn't sure what the result would be, I just knew that I had to do this particular thing.
As I prepared to settle in for bed much later that night, mentally and physically drained, I said my prayers for the last time that day and went to sleep.
Within hours, my prayer...the one I had so strongly been uttering for weeks, was answered, and I smiled the first GENUINE smile that I had smiled in WEEKS. All I could do was THANK GOD, because I knew that it was only He who orchestrated things in the manner that they unfolded.
So no...for me, prayer isn't a munch of hocus pocus mumbo jumbo. For me, prayer is MY way of COMMUNICATING with God. The Bible is HIS way of communicating with me. The communication MUST flow both ways in order for it to be effective.
As I write the words, I don't know how things will continue to develop with the prayer that God answered. But the moments of joy that I received as a result of what He did still have me flying high, and I feel that I can go on wee bit further. He knew I needed that. In His omniscience...of course He knew. And although He didn't have to grant me what He did...I am ever so thankful that He did.
Enough about me. How 'bout you? Let the DIALOGUE begin: When was the last time you said a prayer and very clearly knew that it had been answered?
Yesterday I had to do something that I didn't want to do, but knew that it had to be done. It was really the first of a few things that NEED to be done. Of course, I have been procrastinating because this process is a bit painful, but as I have prayed and asked for God's direction, I know that I have to be obedient and heed His instructions.
So as I was going through my phone, deleting photos and text messages, one of the steps in the process was to change the cover photo on my phone. I decided to replace what WAS with a nice serene photo of "My Place of Peace", or as most call it,"the beach."
Interestingly though, it had been sooo long since I last changed my phone's cover photo (maybe it's called the 'Home Screen'), I had to fiddle with the settings to find out how to do it.
As I was fiddling I made quite a discovery. This may seem small to most folks, but it was pretty HUGE to me. I discovered that in my "widgets", there is a FLASHLIGHT. What?!? Yes...a FLASHLIGHT. It's not an app that I downloaded to my phone...apparently it came WITH the phone.
Now I've had my phone for almost 2 years and never knew that it had a flashlight. Every night when I get ready to go to bed, I turn off the lights in the living room and press the button on my phone that lights up the screen just enough for me to see my way to the bedroom. For almost TWO YEARS I've been doing that! Now, thanks to my latest discovery, I won't have to do that anymore.
Now, most folks would just end the discovery there. Whoo hoo...found the flashlight on my phone...no big deal.
But y'all know me. I see lessons and messages from God in pretty much everything. This flashlight discovery was no different.
The lesson I learned last night was that sometimes we place our focus on something that is so much of a distraction that we are unable to see anything else. And it isn't until we remove the distraction that we can then see what else has been waiting to be seen, and or discovered.
Had I not decided to change the cover pic on my phone, who knows if I would have ever discovered the flashlight.
In the days, weeks, months, and years ahead, there are many more changes that I know I must make. Changes I don't want to make, yet changes I need to make...unless God directs me otherwise. At this point though, and in this particular situation, I have said...as I should have said long ago, "Not MY will, but THY will be done." Perhaps my prayers have gone against what God wants for me, and that is why I have ended up in this place. So I have decided to surrender to His will. As painful as that is for me, because I am afraid that His will may NOT match mine. Ultimately, I have to trust and believe that His will is best.
For those who believe and pray in the name of Jesus...please say a prayer for me if you will. And while you're at it, please say one for my Dad as well. We both need your prayers...for very different reasons, yet we both need them. Thank you in advance.
Now...with tear-filled eyes...Let the DIALOGUE begin: When was the last time YOU made an "accidental discovery?"
For some crazy reason, I still can't post pics to my blog. I'm gonna hafta look into that, but...I didn't want that to stop me from posting, so...here goes.
***
About a month ago I went to see the POWERFUL movie, "War Room". In a nutshell, this movie displayed the power of prayer in a way that really moved me.
Before seeing the movie, I was already one who prayed daily. In the morning, a prayer of thanks for watching over me through the night, and I may have thrown in a few other things before starting my day.
Then in the evening, I would pray again before bed, another prayer of thanks for getting me through the day, and I'd throw in a few other things before ending my day.
But one day...about a week ago...I was praying, and the Lord prompted me to WRITE MY PRAYERS DOWN. Hmmm. I had NEVER done THAT before. But I wanted to be obedient to how I was being led, and I wrote a couple of them down. That left me with wondering what to do with them.
Unlike the women in the movie, I live in an extremely tiny apartment, and have absolutely NO SPACE for anything that can be made into a prayer ROOM...or even a prayer CLOSET. I just don't have it. So I had to think. What do I have? And God showed me an area that had space enough for my prayers while allowing for privacy at the same time.
And so...my prayer WALL began.
I've gotta tell you...since beginning my prayer WALL, I have already felt my prayers growing stronger. They seem to be so much more purposeful. And some of them, even in this very short amount of time, have ALREADY been answered. You can shout HALLELUJAH with me over that!
Other prayers I am still waiting expectantly to see answered. I know that God can, and I know that He will...in His own time.
How 'bout you?
Let the DIALOGUE begin: Do believe in the power of prayer. If so, do you have a prayer CLOSET, ROOM or WALL? I'd love to hear about it.
One of the most difficult things for me to do is watch someone I love come apart at the seams...and not be able to help.
I have a friend who's struggling...big time. And I can tell that things are becoming overwhelming. I have provided as much help as my friend will take, and have offered more, but to no avail.
My friend doesn't know how to ask for or receive help. Maybe it's a pride thing. Who knows? All I know is that I am watching my friend fall apart little by little and as much as I try to be encouraging, supportive, and simply PRESENT...I can see that my friend is shutting down...and that troubles me...a LOT.
This evening while I was at my friend's house, I offered as many suggestions as I could...only to have each one rebutted with why my suggestions wouldn't work.
Finally, after a few hours, I bid my friend a good evening and left. Perhaps in the solitude my friend will come up with some ideas of how to turn things around...or maybe even give my suggestions a 2nd thought.
In all of this, I find myself angry. Angry at my friend's family for putting so much on him/her. It's just not right. They have him/her doing far more than one person should have to, or is capable of...yet I seem to be the only one who sees it.
I want so badly to just call up some of my friend's relatives (I know at least 3) and tell them how much their lack of support and assistance is wearing down on my friend.
Unfortunately, I know that doing such a thing will only result in them asking me who I think I am...and telling me that none of this is any of my business.
Well..my friend IS my business, and I hate seeing what's happening.
Just seems like everyone, except for my friend, is being utterly and completely SELFISH. And if you all know ANYTHING about me, you know how much I despise SELFISHNESS. I mean I absolutely DETEST it.
As for my friend...I just don't know what to do. I've been praying, but it doesn't seem as though my prayers are going any higher than the ceiling. So this is where YOU come in. I need as many "Bible believing-believers in Christ" to say a prayer for my friend. He/she needs them right now, more than you can imagine. I am trusting that even if God is not hearing ME...He WILL hear some of you.
No need to tell you my friend's name...God already knows. Just go to God in your own way and say whatever it is that you would say that may help him/her. On behalf of my friend...I thank you in advance.
Let the DIALOGUE begin: How often do you pray for others...especially people you don't even know?
Talk to me (actually...talk to God first, THEN talk to me)!
Here are ten words that you will NEVER hear me say:
"Pray how you are led and to whomever you will."
WHAT?!? NEVER!!!
Do you know how many evil, wicked, weird things some folks are praying to? Some are praying to inanimate objects. Some are prying to shrines and candles and incense. And some...are praying to the evil one himself. Why...why would anyone ever leave themselves open like that?
Anytime I ask for prayer I am VERY specific and ONLY request prayers that are said IN THE NAME OF JESUS. That's it. In MY life, His name is the ONLY name by which there is any prayer answering power.
A couple weeks ago I had an acquaintaince mention a situation that his Dad was going through. HE...specifically asked folks NOT to pray and instead just "mediate" and "think good thoughts". Seriously?!?
I couldn't do it.
I wouldn't do it.
If YOU are having a situation and I do what I can to help, if praying IN THE NAME OF JESUS is what I believe will help, then THAT'S what I'm going to do. No...you don't have to know that it's what I've done, but I'm sure as heck not gonna sit here and "meditate and think good thoughts". Where is the power in that? All this new age hocus-pocus mumbo jumbo...nope, you can miss me on that.
I don't even know if I want DIALOGUE on this one, but I'll open it up anyway...
Let the DIALOGUE begin: Have you confessed with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead? If not, I would encourage you to do so. Not later, but right now. This is my prayer for YOU, because I believe that it is what Jesus would want. Amen.
Tonight I finished a 9 week course in learning how to handle my finances "God's way" and ultimately become "debt-free". I found it a bit ironic that my LAST class would fall on my FIRST day of being unemployed.
It's kinda difficult to manage money when one has NO income...and I mean NO INCOME. I do not qualify for unemployment benefits so I am COMPLETELY on my own this time.
I wish I knew what to say but nothing I say will make sense to anyone so I simply haven't said anything at all, and probably won't. At this point all I can do is PRAY (I do believe that prayer works) and VERY ACTIVELY pursue new job opportunities.
Perhaps in a separate post I will write about how I arrived at this point, but for now, I am simply drained and just don't have the mental energy to type the words.
Am I afraid? Not yet.
Should I be? Probably.
But for now, I will pray, then lay my head down, go to sleep, and if the Lord sees fit to wake me in the morning, try again.
Let the DIALOGUE begin: How close are YOU to being debt-free?
Talk to me (and pray for me if you will...in the name of Jesus)!
Two days ago something life-changing happened. POSITIVELY life-changing. As you can probably guess...it involves "Joe". As if he didn't surprise me enough last Wednesday by making me dinner...this latest thing has even topped THAT.
No...we're not married (yet).
No...we're not engaged (yet).
But based on these latest events, I am prayerfully expecting those things to be just around the corner. At this very moment I am grinning ear-to-ear just thinking about it.
I will say this though...a few days ago I remember saying a prayer. A very SPECIFIC prayer. I now believe that what happened two days ago (which was the day AFTER I said my specific prayer), was God's answer to that prayer. And I am simply overjoyed.
Ok...enough about me.
Let the DIALOGUE begin: What specific prayer of yours has God answered lately?
This one's gonna be short and sweet tonight because my heart is simply too heavy for anything more. For those of you who pray IN THE NAME OF JESUS, please, if you will...say a prayer for me. No need for me to go into detail...God already knows. Please and Thank You.
Let the DIALOGUE begin: What can I pray for on your behalf?
In the name of Jesus, I come to you before all else to simply say Thank You. Thank You for all that You do and for all that You are.
Now Father God, I am also asking for Your help. Lord, I'm tired. I'm getting discouraged. And it's getting tough for me to hang on.
Lord, You know my heart. You know how greatly I desire to do a good work so that You may be glorified. Lord, I have tried and tried and tried to make things work, yet they continue to fall apart.
Father God, I have asked for WISDOM as Your Word instructs me to do in James 1:5, yet I am still confused. Father God, I feel that I know what you want me to do, yet the move is SO BOLD I'm afraid that if I do it, and this isn't REALLY what You wanted me to do, then I will be in even more of a mess. I trust You enough to make the move, I just need to be sure that I am moving according to Your will, and not mine. My will gets me into trouble. YOUR will is sovereign. Help me to know which way to go.
Lord, I am tired. I have chiseled away for so long and feel as though I've made NO PROGRESS. Friends have tried to help me,yet that has been to no avail. Bless them anyway for their efforts.
Whenever I follow up on an opportunity, after hearing the details I realize that the opportunity is not for me. It's so discouraging and I just don't know what to do.
So I am leaning and depending on You Lord. I have nothing else. I have no ONE else. You Lord are all I have, and You Lord are enough.
Help me PLEASE Lord, help me. Please move in a mighty way as only You can do. And while I am waiting, I will praise You, and Thank You in advance for my breakthrough.
These things I ask, according to Your will, in Jesus' name...amen.
Let the DIALOGUE begin: What are YOU praying for today?
So today is Monday, "Move Monday" from what I could tell based on my FB newsfeed. Unfortunately, I didn't move much. I moved a bit, but not enough to make up for all that I ate today.
Sometime SOON, I'm gonna have to find another way (besides food) to get over my "Monday Blues". I know, I know...most people have the "Monday Blues" and they don't eat their way through the day, so what makes me special. The answer...NOTHING.
Nothing makes me special. I just haven't found a way to overcome that which becomes worse and worse each week. I've said this a zillion times before, yet anytime I say anything that even remotely sounds like me complaining about my job, I make absolutely sure to say the following:
I appreciate my job.
I understand that THOUSANDS would love to have my job.
If I don't like my job, I should find another.
Yes, yes, and yes...I get all that. However, it doesn't negate what I feel. And so...today (as I do most days), I ate through my feelings of being ungratified, unfulfilled, and simply outside of my purpose. For me, it's a struggle. And although I am making efforts daily to change my situation, nothing has changed yet. So here we are.
Bottom line...if it wasn't tied down, I ate it. Yes, I feel awful because I know better, but I don't think about what I know at those moments. I just think about quelling the feeling. Chocolate (and lots of it) does that for me, at least until I find another method to cope.
Yes, there's prayer, and I pray often throughout the day. Most days, my prayer is simply, "Lord, please let me have ONE good day." I feel that if I can have just ONE good day with regard to food, then it's possible to have two, and then three, etc. Today though, wasn't that day.
So...back to "Move Monday". I moved some. I did 20 minutes of Zumba Express.
Yes, I understand that 20 minutes of Zumba can not out-do 23 hours and 40 minutes of bad eating.
Yes, I understand that weight loss is 80% what I eat and 20% excersice.
Yes, I understand that I can not out run my fork.
Yes, yes, yes...I get it. And until I "get my mind right" on Mondays, I fully understand that the cycle will simply continue.
So what's it gonna take for me to "get my mind right?" A new job...yes, please. Non-profit, Education, Social Service, Writing...YES, PLEASE!!! Are you listening out there? I sure hope so.
But until then...what?
At this moment, I really don't know. Prayer? Sure. Changing my attitude? Sure. Continuing to be grateful? Sure.
All of that sounds great until I pick up that phone and start telemarketing all over again. Then I'm right back where I started. So I guess as with all things...nothing will really change until I get sick and tired of what is. As much as I think I'm there, clearly, I'm not.
So...enough about me.
Let the DIALOGUE begin: What did you move today on "Move Monday"?
Something interesting happened to me at church this morning. I hope that I handled it well yet it troubled me enough that I felt the need to write about it.
At the end of each service, members in the congregation are invited to go up for prayer and have someone pray WITH them. I am among the group of women who prays with women who come down for prayer. We pray one on one lifting up the needs of those who come down.
This morning, a woman came down for prayer and I extended my hands, offering to pray with her. She shook her head and proceeded to walk toward the other two ladies who were standing beside me, taking each of their hands in hers and they began to pray.
That's never happened to me before and it left me feeling quite awkward. Being bypassed was a way of saying to me, "Your prayers aren't good enough. I'd rather have these two pray for me because THEIR prayers actually get to God." Mind you, the woman didn't SAY those words to me specifically but the action spoke volumes.
Now I know that I am not a well known "prayer warrior" as others are in my church, but I KNOW that my prayers are heard. My life is a vivid example of the fact that MY prayers ARE heard.
No, I may not know all of the "catchy phrases" to use when praying, but I pray from my HEART, and I pray IN THE NAME OF JESUS, and I believe that those two things are enough.
So I had to catch myself when that happened, and had to make sure that my face did not show the hurt that I was feeling at the time. I love my church family and over the past 18 years I've learned that sometimes your church family...yes, EVEN your church family...will hurt you. My hope is that what the woman did was not intentionally meant to hurt me, yet even if it was, my PRAYER is that God answers whatever it is that she stands in need of.
And if something in MY prayer life is lacking, then I ask that He help me to use the power that He has placed within me to strengthen any areas that are weak.
Let the DIALOGUE begin: Do you have a "prayer partner?" If so, what is it about that person that makes praying with them so effective?
It is my belief that as long as a person is alive, you can submit as many prayers for them as you'd like. As long as they are ALIVE...there is still hope that whatever you are praying for will be answered.
It is also my belief that once a person dies, the prayers for that person should cease. Once they are gone, there is NOTHING that can change that. Once they are gone, they are either WITH the LORD, or they are not. It's just that simple.
Many will argue against my belief and that's fine with me. BELIEF is personal. Although I'd love for yours to agree with mine I realize that any many cases, it won't be.
I believe that once a person dies, if prayer is going to continue, it should be for those who are left behind by the deceased. If there were children left behind, pray for those children. Pray that they are comforted and find peace in their loss. Pray for THEM while they are still here.
If it was a parent who lost their child...pray for that parent. Again, that they be comforted and find peace in their loss.
And for ANYONE LIVING who has not yet come to know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior...PRAY FOR THEM. As long as they are still breathing, it's not too late. Once that last breath is taken though...the prayers should shift.
Again...this is just MY belief.
Will they be "looking down" wondering why you're not praying for them? NO! There is no "looking down" once someone has made it to Heaven. Think about it. Heaven is the PERFECT place. What goes on down here on Earth is far from perfect. Why would anyone in Heaven ever want to look back at this mess? It just doesn't make sense.
I know...people feel comforted in thinking that their loved ones are "looking down" on them, and if that gives one comfort, then so be it.
As for me...I don't want my loved ones "looking down". I want them to experience the PERFECT Peace that comes only after one has finally "made it" to Heaven. I would not want them to shed a single tear over what they've left behind. Not a one.
So...as I said at the onset. I believe that prayers are for the living, and THOSE are who I pray for.
Let the DIALOGUE begin: Do you pray for people who've passed away?
While I was at home cleaning, a thought came to mind about a minister I know. I was thinking about how I've never heard him preach and wondered when and where he does because I'd like to hear him one day.
He's not a Pastor of a church, however he is a Reverend/Minister, so surely he preaches SOMEWHERE at least on occasion.
Well...I go to Bible Study last night and at the end of the evening as my Pastor was going over some announcements, guess what...
He told us that this coming Sunday, the minister who I had just been thinking about hours earlier, would be preaching at our church. Wow!
All I could do was smile.
I was smiling over the fact that God had answered my THOUGHT. Are you hearing what I'm saying?!?
Not only does God answer my PRAYERS, but this time He answered my THOUGHT!
I practically skipped out of Bible Study because I was so excited about what had just happened. God is AMAZING...simply AMAZING.
After realizing what had just taken place, Ephesians 3:20 popped into my head:
"Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,"
I can't remember the last time I simply had a THOUGHT, and God answered it, this may be the first time...or at least the first time that I was THIS aware of what had just happened.
This incident was just another reminder for me that He really is listening, and answering my every THOUGHT and PRAYER.
And I am so greatly looking forward to church this coming Sunday. I already know...it's gonna be a GREAT day!
Let the DIALOGUE begin: Have you ever had a THOUGHT answered by God?
Welcome to the "The Dialogue Den", a cozy little blog where I share my random thoughts and greatly welcome YOUR comments! This is a collaborative effort people, so don't make me do this all by myself :-)
I want to hear from YOU. I NEED to hear from YOU!
As for who I am...someone very recently described me by these words, "author, writer extraordinaire, poet, publisher, scholar, etc." I wholeheartedly agree with all of the above. Even though some of those descriptions have not yet come to fruition, I BELIEVE that one day they ALL will. I'm also a mother of 3, who loves to sing, spend time with my close friends and family, and serve those in need. I strongly believe that our greatest blessings come when we are a blessing to others. I will soon begin development of a non-profit organization that I have envisioned for years and look forward to sharing its progress with you here as well. My topics here aren't too deep (that's not what I do). They're all pretty random (which is totally me). I hope you visit often and are ready to be entertained, intrigued, enlightened, and who knows what else, here in "The Dialogue Den". Thanks for stoppin' by and please "LIKE" the page on Facebook!
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