Desert Prayer ~Psalm 63

Psalm 63 NIV

You, God, are my God,

earnestly I seek you;

I thirst for you,

my whole being longs for you,

in a dry and parched land

where there is no water.

I have seen you in the sanctuary

and beheld your power and your glory.

Because your love is better than life,

my lips will glorify you.

I will praise you as long as I live,

and in your name I will lift up my hands.

I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;

with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

On my bed I remember you;

I think of you through the watches of the night.

Because you are my help,

I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I cling to you;

your right hand upholds me.

Those who want to kill me will be destroyed;

they will go down to the depths of the earth.

They will be given over to the sword

and become food for jackals.

But the king will rejoice in God;

all who swear by God will glory in him,

while the mouths of liars will be silenced.

Blessings,
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Thank You For Praying!

Matthew 18:19-20 NIV
 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

Canadian Rockies

Thank you to all of you who were praying for the family and I as we were at my husband's aunts funeral. It was a very sad time that had an amazing, unexpected twist that could only be from God.

Sometimes we pray and pray and we see no results for years and then all of a sudden God answers prayer and we are left totally amazed and in awe. My husband and I have been praying for his family for about 15 years now and just recently, 3 years ago, we joined a prayer group that prays for the unsaved. So, there has been a lot of prayer going into his family with ZERO results and only hardened hearts towards anything about Jesus.

Well, we had a 10 hr drive and arrived on Friday night late, so we really didn't have much of a chance to help with the preparations for Saturday's funeral but Harold's brother B helped with most of the arrangements. Uncle J is not religious and really had no preference to who gave the funeral service so Harold's brother B took charge and since no one in the family cared, he decided to go with our faith and got an evangelical preacher to give the service.

Saturday, before the funeral service, my husband had a chance to speak with the preacher and tell him the family does not have a belief in Jesus and asked him if he could give a salvation message. The preacher said it was not custom to present the Gospel to unbelievers at a funeral BUT the Lord had given him a salvation message to share and he was like, 'really Father? They are not believers and this isn't the way it should be done.' Still, the Lord pressed very heavy on his heart to preach salvation and all the Scripture verses he received were ones that you share with the lost. He wrote them down but he really didn't have any intention of bringing on a full force salvation message until he spoke to my husband. :) My husband was so thrilled and encouraged to hear that God prepared the pastor and he told him to bring it on and hold nothing back. He said I will take full responsibility for any lash back you receive but the pastor said no I will stand with you on this. :))

The pastor gave a beautiful service, honouring Aunty O and beseeching the listeners to give their lives to Jesus. You could have heard a pin drop while he preached. It was beautiful!! The pastor was so anointed, not offensive and his words were filled with the Spirit of God! That whole family sat in silence as this man of God told them if they didn't receive Jesus as their Savior they will be lost in hell forever.

To add to the whole beautiful service, the pastor joined us for lunch and he had a chance to talk to Uncle J and made a promise to meet up with him in the near future to spend time ministering to him. He also made an effort to make an appointment meet up with my husband's father to talk and share why my father in law hates the church. It was sweet!! This also opened up for my family and I to buy a Bible for Uncle J and we were able to present it to him and spend a bit of time praying with him. He is so hurt and lost that his heart is very ready to hear what Father had given us to tell him. God is so good!!

Seeds folks!! Seeds were planted! 

Praise GOD! 

Thank you for praying! I know that your prayers helped in all of this to happen at this time of sorrow and sadness. We  now have more hope than we did before and an open door to discuss the funeral message of salvation with the family members as the opportunities arise. :)

Canadian Rockies

Romans 12:12 NIV
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Blessings in Jesus,
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The LORD

Psalm 29 NIV

Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings,

ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name;

worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness.

The voice of the Lord is over the waters;

the God of glory thunders,

the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.

The voice of the Lord is powerful;

the voice of the Lord is majestic.

The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;

the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.

He makes Lebanon leap like a calf,

Sirion like a young wild ox.

The voice of the Lord strikes

with flashes of lightning.

The voice of the Lord shakes the desert;

the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh.

The voice of the Lord twists the oaks

and strips the forests bare.

And in His temple all cry, “Glory!”

The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;

the Lord is enthroned as King forever.

The Lord gives strength to His people;

the Lord blesses His people with peace.

There is power in the Word of God. What the Lord says He will do you can be assured that He will do it. 

When we ascribe to Him glory and strength and we worship Him in the splendor of His holiness then we can be assured that the Lord will bless us, watch over us and fight for us. 

What an amazing God we have! Praise the Name of the LORD Jesus Christ forever!!

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Where There Is Life there Is Hope

Psalm 77:1-4 NIV
I cried out to God for help;

I cried out to God to hear me.
When I was in distress, I sought the Lord;

at night I stretched out untiring hands,

and I would not be comforted.
I remembered you, God, and I groaned;

I meditated, and my spirit grew faint.

You kept my eyes from closing;

I was too troubled to speak.

My husband's aunt went into the hospital yesterday with a massive heart attack. They placed her on life support without much hope for revival. :'( This morning I received the call that she has been taken off of life support.

My heart is breaking in two because as far as I know, she does not know the Lord. :'( There is nothing worse than this, nothing. My only hope is that she gave her life to Jesus sometime in the recent past or that right now, as her life is ebbing away, Jesus would meet her and ask her the most important question ever; Will you let Me in? And that her answer would be yes, Lord Jesus, please come in!!

Please lift Aunt O up to the Lord and intercede for her salvation. Thank you!!

Matthew 5:3-12 NIV
 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,

for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,

for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,

for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,

for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Unless the Lord intervenes in a miraculous way, my family and I will be attending a funeral. My husband's side of the family are unbelievers. Please pray the Holy Spirit will go before us and we will have the opportunity to witness to them in a  powerful way. We have been praying many, many years for their salvation only to be met with cold resistance when we present the Gospel.

Blessings,
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Will You Make It?

I have some pretty amazing on line friends that inspire and encourage me. :) This post was inspired by Lisa at My Heart's Home. She wrote an amazing raw post on Friends talking about forgiveness and that got me to do some pretty serious thinking.

Luke 21:34-36 NIV
“Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”

According to the above Scripture we see that in the lat days one can be weighed down by multiple things one being the anxieties of life. From listening to and taking part of conversations I am realizing that more and more people, as time moves on, are being weighed down by the anxieties of life. Could this be caused by making merry with lots of strong drink? Maybe, or it maybe the fact that as we grow closer to the time of Jesus' return, Satan is throwing the concerns of life at us.

2 Timothy 3:1-5 NIV

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.

That is a very hard word to take to heart. Friends, I am seeing this. Me, who lives a lot in solitude am seeing this in the few people that I associate with. I am seeing a bitterness and a hardening of heart weave into the church, into people who I knew to be kind, loving and very forgiving. I see the affect of a selfish world penetrate into God's people. We truly need to be diligent in seeking after the heart of God, turning the other cheek to those who lash out at us. We need to keep our focus on God and His love seeking after a forgiving heart even when others hurt us.

A really good example for me comes in the form of driving. ;P I use to be a transport truck driver and I drove all over Canada and the United States. I consider myself a very good, professional driver who obeys the rules of the road and the unspoken common courtesy, like not driving in the left hand lane except to pass. Here, Satan can really get under my skin and my temper can rise when I see arrogant, foolish people doing 10 K or more under the speed limit sitting in the passing lane. This is a form of selfishness and it is on the increase here in Canada. Where the rule of thumb, even in Toronto on the 401, use to be always keep the left hand lane clear, is now being filled up with those who do not follow these rules. I know this is minor and really not a huge issue but it is one that shows the underlying heart of a person.

Brothers and sisters, we need to walk the talk. How can we be sure that we will go to heaven if we do not do what we are told to do?

QUESTION: If Jesus raptured His church today are you sure you would go? 

This is something I am really thinking on and examining my heart over. Am I living in sin? The sin of anger and unforgiving of that person in the left lane clogging up the traffic.

No, we are not perfect and we will continue to sin, but are we holding on to that sin and wallowing in it like a pig wallows in a mud hole?

Galatians 5:13-26 NIV

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.
So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

The more times I read this above passage the more I am understanding that walking in the Spirit goes against our 'feelings'. We may feel anger and hatred but we are not to act in anger and hatred but we are to act in love and forgiveness and the more we act in love and forgiveness the feelings of anger and hatred will dissolve. The more we love and forgive the easier it will be to spread this and hopefully show others the Spirit of God and allow them another chance to see who God is and hopefully they will consider Him and give their lives to Christ. After all that is the biggest concern for the Christian, to win others to Christ through our actions. :)

Blessings in Christ Jesus,
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Prayer For Pastor Saeed

Source

Prayer for Pastor Saeed. Here is the latest request from his facebook page Pray For Pastor Saeed Abedini. 

Saeed's condition and health have worsened. His bleeding continues internally and he is now suffering kidney problems. Saeed was taken to solitary confinement where we know the beatings are more intense and brutal. He is no longer allowed visits from his family. We are calling on you to join with us and pray to the only one who can provide hope and conquer. Please join us in praying, sharing Saeed's story, making some noise! We need you to be louder than ever. Please pray and share this post! Thank you!

 2 Corinthians 4:7-12 NIV

 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

Please, let's join together and pray for this dear man of God who is being beaten and abused for Jesus.

Blessings,
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Phoebe

Phoebe is on her way to recovery but is still in need of prayer over a few issues. Here is a snippet from her blog An Atypical Miracle

...Phoebe has been feeling great and often comes to sit in her lawn chair and watch me in the garden. Her stamina still isn’t 100%, but she is making progress. Her feet often hurt because of the way she walks these days. She lost quite a bit of muscle in her legs during her sepsis episode and it has caused her to have knock-knees and over pronate. In other words, she puts her weight on the inside (arch) of her foot and it causes a lot of discomfort. We are looking into getting her another pair of orthotics that fit lower on the ankle but address her over-pronating. 

Her kidneys are still dumping potassium and her liver still sustains some damage, so please pray for those two things. Life is sweet these days, busy and full of activity and all of the things we usually take for granted. Joy is in the small things that make up a life and we are soaking it all in.

Thank you all for praying for Phoebe and continuing to ask after her,

Romans 8:26 ESV 
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

Thanks for continuing to pray for these precious children.

Blessings,
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Some Updates udated with 2nd part

Lucy:

All is fine for Lucy. :) There is a pretty amazing video that was done on Lucy's Story, part 1. You can 2 3 Kids, a Mini Van and a Mortgage Part 2 should be up shortly. Since I don't have permission to show it on my blog, you can see it on their blog.

Here is the link to part 2 found at 2 3 Kids, a Mini Van and a Mortgage. 

 

 Easton:

This facebook page was removed but just today I found another page up and running and I was

thrilled!! Easton had a trach placement and he seems to be doing really well. Please keep him in your prayers as this child has such a fight in front of him. 

           2 Corinthians 1:20 NIV

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.

Please continue to pray and pray for these dear, sweet children. Thanks!!!
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Wrestling With God

Genesis 32:22-30 NIV

That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two female servants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”

But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

The man asked him, “What is your name?”

“Jacob,” he answered.

Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”

Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.”

But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there.

So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”

Wrestling as defined by dictionary.com 

noun 1. a sport in which two opponents struggle hand to hand in order to pin or press each other's shoulders to the mat or ground, with the style, rules, and regulations differing widely in amateur and professional matches. 

verb (used without object)

1. to engage in wrestling.

2. to contend, as in a struggle for mastery; grapple: to wrestle with one's conscience.

verb (used with object)

3. to contend with in wrestling.

4. to force by or as if by wrestling.

5. to throw (a calf or other animal) for branding.

noun

6. an act of or a bout at wrestling.

7. a struggle.

Wrestling brings to mind the thought of force into our prayers. We need to pray aggressively and wrestle with stubborn issues that the enemy has brought into our lives. We also need to wrestle with God for the blessings we desire. God will give them to us if they line up with His perfect will. 

Seek, Ask & Knock.

Wrestling is an orderly sport and our God is orderly in manner so that would bring us to believe that our prayers should be orderly. What is this order we are to follow, or the rules we are to follow? First we need to acknowledge that God is Creator and Jesus is His Son, then we need to repent of our sins or we will not be heard. 

Acts 3:19 NIV 
Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,

Obey the Lord!! We need to obey the voice of the Lord and do as He asks us.

Deuteronomy 30:10 NLT 
The LORD your God will delight in you if you obey his voice and keep the commands and decrees written in this Book of Instruction, and if you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and soul.

We need to pray all kinds of prayers in all kinds of ways. A wrestler has many different moves he can make in a match, yet often he is prone to a specific style or group of moves that works for him, but if he is wise and well trained he will throw in a move that is not of his routine in order to throw off his opponent. So with that thought, routine is important for us in praying and what good athlete can get by without training? None. We need to pray and pray building our spiritual discipline focusing on God's Word and what He desires of His children. 

 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV 
Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

 Ephesians 6:18 NIV 
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people.

Are you wrestling with God over things? I encourage you to keep on pressing in and don't give up. If you are not receiving an answer make sure your heart is in alignment with God's will and then maybe what is needed is a change of prayer pattern from the stalemate you are in.

Blessings,
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