24/7 Prayer

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John 4:23-24 

"Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth."

Kimberly over at Mining for Diamonds asked me "how you manage your prayer times. Do you pray for everyone on your list all at once? Do you pray as the Lord lays them on your heart? Do you remain in an attitude of prayer all day? I've found myself praying in my sleep before!!! There are so many different "styles" of prayer...quiet reflective prayer, loud travailing prayers...would love your thoughts and testimonies!"

Thanks for these questions Kimberly. This is something I have been meaning to post on so here we go!!

One of dictionary.com descriptions for the word pray is ...to enter into spiritual communion with God or an object of worship through prayer. Another word for communion is relationship. Christianity is built on Jesus Christ as the foundation and cornerstone and this is a relationship not a religion. There is no other belief that calls for an ongoing relationship like Christianity does.

How does my prayer life look like with the Creator of the world? Kind of like a typical conversation with your very best friend. Give and take. Talk and listen. God wants to have a friendship with us. He doesn't want us to come to Him once or twice a day and throw all these needs at Him and then leave without even waiting for Him to respond. You wouldn't do that to your best friend so it isn't right for us to do this with God either. Jesus wants to have fellowship with us, an ongoing relationship where we talk back and forth, or just sit in each other's presence. He really like us and wants to hang out with us in everything we do and He really does talk to us, we just need to learn how to listen.

Ok, so how do I talk with someone I do not see? By dedicating everything I do to Him and trust that He will lead where He wants me to go. If God has promised us that He will never leave or abandon us and we know that the Holy Spirit lives inside of us then it is only right to include Him in our thought process with the goal of handing over our complete self and thinking patterns to His control and way. This is an ongoing process and I have to keep reminding myself that He is always listening therefore I should always include Him in all of my conversations. Sometimes I do tend to forget to include Him but He gently reminds me, usually with an impression, that He is there.

My 24/7 prayer life is really an active relationship with the Holy Spirit who lives inside me and He will prompt me to pray. Names will pop into my mind or I will receive a very strong impression or series of pictures of someone or something and then I will just start praying. I converse with God instead of talking or thinking to myself, after all He is always listening and it is just me that loses focus on Him for He doesn't move away it is I who walks away from Him. This does take time and practice and my mind tends to wander. This, I find, is where fasting really helps as it turns my thoughts off of myself and onto God. When I am hungry I remember God and feed my spirit with the Word of God or worship and focus on Him. It is a discipline that needs to be trained like learning another language or musical instrument. You have to practice it and if you leave it for a bit you tend to get rusty or maybe even forget some things.

My conversations with God change from day to day with the different circumstances in my life. Sometimes I have a very quiet reflective prayer time or robust! There are times when I just sit in His presence or cry to Him. My prayers can be very emotional and loud and I can be overcome with laughter. The best way that I love to pray is in dance but I am not free to dance all the time so I will dance before my King in my mind. Sometimes He dances with me but most often I dance in His presence with angels. I love to worship God in tongues but I only do this when I feel prompted and usually it is for a very desperate cry out to the Lord or for a release in the Spiritual world. I guess you would say that I pray as the Spirit leads.

The pleasure and wholeness of living as one with the Holy Spirit far surpasses any worldly bliss we could imagine. It doesn't matter if you are poor, beaten or in prison for the joy of the Holy Spirit transforms you into understanding the pureness and delight of the heavenly kingdom in which one day the children of God will all be living together in. This was the joy that Stephen, the first martyr, had on his face while he was being stoned to death.  

So, when I say I pray 24/7 I am really just in a relationship with Jesus, walking beside Him, loving Him, complaining and crying my heart out to Him and just enjoying His wonderful company in all circumstances that come my way. By no means do I have this perfected, I fail a ton of times but I pick myself up, brush off the dirt and keep on keeping on as the Spirit leads.

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 2 Corinthians 13:11-14 NIV

Finally, brothers and sister, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. Great one another with a holy kiss. All God's people here send their greetings. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. 

NEWS ALERT & UPDATE

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Vilisi, Island Musings, has asked for prayer. Her island in Fuji is in the danger of Cyclone Wilma which is now up graded to Hurricane Wilma. Please pray that the blue alert does not go on into a red alert. Blue alert has been lifted! Praise our God!!!!

Joanne, The Simple Wife, is breathing on her own! Praise God!! She is being woken up for the induced coma and is showing promising signs. She is giving the thumbs up, squeezing Toben's hand and moving both sides of her body. Please continue to pray for this lady. Pray for complete healing with no side affects from this stroke!

Samuel, Finding Joy, has been diagnosed with Celiac Disease. Please pray that he is out of danger soon as he is back at the Children's hospital. Pray also for Rachel that she doesn't worry too much.

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Thank you for all of your prayer for you are all a blessing!

God Bless,
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The Father's Heart

John 8:36 NIV
                                   So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

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Crystal Mary

                                                                                                            
Our sweet sister Crystal Mary is in need of prayer. She has a condition of the heart that is known as left Bundle Branch Blockage. Will you join me in praying against this condition?

Crystal Mary is a joy to be around. Just take a look around her blog and see how powerful the Holy Spirit is in her.

God Bless and thank you all!
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How does your garden grow?

Man's garden

This past week has been a week full of prayer for people in need and there have been times that I felt I wasn't praying enough or in the right way; I felt inadequate. Yesterday I was at a loss and was feeling very overwhelmed by the weight of my brothers and sisters who are suffering. To top it off I was having a few family issues to deal with and as I prayed my mind was flying from one prayer request to another without even completing the previous. Seriously, I was stopping mid word to only start praying for someone else. I cannot say that I felt the responsibility of the weight on my shoulders, no; it is on God's shoulders but I just didn't feel like I was praying properly.

God is so faithful and He reminded me that it was the Spirit of God leading me in prayer for those He loves and cares about. Romans 8:26-27 NIV

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God's people in accordance with the will of God. 

Really how could I forget this?! Satan and his sneaky ways came in and aimed his fiery arrows at the right spot in me to make me question myself. He made me feel inadequate with myself in prayer so I would give up and focus on me and feel bad about myself! But, God is in control and He showed me that this was His leading and His Spirit took up where I left off and jumped into another urgent prayer. I have been in prayer groups where the Spirit is thick and when I start praying He will lead me all over the map and someone who is a bystander would think me a little more than scattered brained but God knows exactly what I  am saying for He is the one directing.

God's garden

Abandoning ourselves to God can be a very scary thing as we let go of control and give it to Him. I love how Paul Young, author of 'The Shack' likens it to a wildflower garden planted by God as opposed to a flower garden planted by man. This image, for me, is very powerful in trying to understand how God directs and leads. People like to have things organized in straight lines and patterns but God doesn't do things the way man does. Just look at nature and you see the wild beauty of God. God likes to come in and dig up man's garden, which by the way really can hurt, then when the soil is well worked He throws a handful of flower seeds everywhere. When they take root and grow the beauty that beholds the eye far surpasses the beauty of a well planned, organized garden. The wildness of God's garden is thrilling yet scary at the same time.

I am so thankful that God cares enough about us that when we are willing to give control to Him, He will step in, tear up our lives and plant His seeds. If we are patient and willing to leave the control in His hands then the garden that grows will be unique and all together exotically beautiful beyond belief.

God Bless,
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                                     Photo courtesy of Nikon Sniper: Mount St. Helen's

Pray for Samuel

Please hold Samuel up in prayer as Rachel is at the children's hospital with him. Pray for wisdom and doctor's who are willing to persue answers.

PRAISE OUR GOD!!

Everybody who has been so faithful in praying for Summer please head over to her blog and read some awesome news on how our God is healing her!!

Summer is on her way into remission and I am so happy for this sweet lady really deserves it! Please drop her a line of encouragement and rejoice with her in this delightful news.

Please continue to pray for Summer for she still has a way to go. Pray that she has 100% remission and her body returns to normal.                                             Google Image

God Bless,
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Prayer Warriors Needed

Barbie over at My Freshly Brewed Life has asked for people to pray for 3 women who are going through some really tough times right now and one of the women is in a fight for her life.

Joanne: the Simple Wife: Has suffered a severe stroke and right now is in need of intercessory prayer as she fights for her life. 

Penny: Living Above the Ministries: Has recently lost her husband in a hunting accident. 
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Eddie: Life in Grace: Has recently lost their home and all their belongings to a fire. Praise God nobody was hurt, not even the animals!! 

It would be great if we could start a prayer chain for these ladies so if you can pass the word around that would be awesome.

1 Kings 8:28 NIV "Yet give attention to your servant's prayer and his plea for mercy, Lord my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that Your servant is praying in Your presence this day."

God Bless,
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Humility Grown out of Love and Obedience to God

In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,

                                                              

                                                                "God opposes the proud

                                                           but shows favour to the humble."

1 Peter 5:5 NIV

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This verse clashes with our society. Few of the younger generation wish to submit themselves to the older generation. The older becomes prideful, resentful and the younger fill up with arrogance and self-importance. Satan wants to divide generations and families and God wants harmony and humbleness.

Sad, really, as I see this not only in secular families but strong Christian families as well. We live in a rebellious time; children rebel against parents, wives against husbands, husbands against employers, employers against the government and the government against God. God stands firm on what is right and wrong and the rebellion continues to swirl. This is a vicious circle, a chasing of the tail. How does it stop? Humility grown out of love and obedience for God can be the only solution to this age old blight.

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.
1 Peter 5:6-7 NIV

Humbling yourself and waiting for God to vindicate you can be tough. I have been there and either pride gets in the way before God defends me or my sharp tongue and anger lets loose. Every time I wait on God He steps in and resolves things in a way I couldn't even imagine. When we cover ourselves in pride then Satan has a foothold into our lives and the vicious circle becomes bigger and similar loops of unruly feelings develop until we are swamped by anger, hatred and self righteousness. This has to stop and the only way is through humbleness.

There are many definitions for humble in dictionary.com and the one I like is the verb...to destroy the independence, power, or will of. Humbleness does not mean you think lowly of yourself no that would be what Satan wants. God wants you to know who you are in Him, a child of the King co-heir along side of Jesus. When we realize who we are in Christ Jesus then the vicious circle of pride and rebelliousness will stop and security in knowing we are children of the Most High King floods in.

When conflict arises someone needs to make the first move in maturity and it should be the older generation, humbling themselves for they have more wisdom and experience and then the younger should submit in humbleness to the authority of the older if what they say lines up with the word of God.

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Jesus is an amazing teacher for He humbled Himself for all generations by giving up the kingdom for us. What an awesome leader we have, now we just need to walk in His footsteps.

God Bless,
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Pray away the floods!

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I was sitting here today going through blog posts and came to thinking about Crystal Mary and the situation in Australia with all the flooding. I spent some time in prayer and God led me to a conversation between Pharaoh and Moses Exodus 9:28-30 NIV  "Pray to the Lord, for we have had enough thunder and hail. I will let you go; you don't have to stay any longer." Moses replied, "When I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands in prayer to the Lord. The thunder will stop and there will be no more hail, so you may know that the earth is the Lord's. But I know that you and your officials still do not fear the Lord God."

I don't really know the political situation in Australia or even if this beautiful country is a God fearing country, but I do know that I have 3 sisters in Christ living there, Lisa, Kaz and Crystal Mary. I do know that God loves these children of His very much and He asks us to act together as one body in Christ Jesus. So I am stepping forth for my sisters and asking God to control the rain so the flood waters may recede. Will you join your heart with mine and pray for this country?

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

I am seeking God and asking if a fast is required. I will let you all know when He lets me know. In the mean time let's pray the flood waters back.
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Miracles Do Happen

Faith and obedience to prayer saved this man's life. This is the type of obedience we need towards God and He will answer.
May God bless you richly as you watch this really cool video.
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Urgent Prayer Request RIGHT NOW

                                          Bitterlings

I opened my dashboard to do some reading and this notice was up for urgent prayer. A c-section is scheduled for 12:30 I think eastern standard time. So if you are able please pray for this lady and her baby. You can read their story by clicking on Bitterlings.

Thank you and God bless to you prayer warriors!
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Kim Walker; Jesus Culture

Oh how He loves us!! Oh how He loves!
Kim Walker says it just right. I love her music and this really brings me into His Spirit and I want to dance before our King!
Revelation 1:5 NIV ...and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the first born from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood.

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FOOLISH?

For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the cleverness of the clever I will set aside." Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 

1 Corinthians 1:18-25 NASB      Google Image

Happy New Year!

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2010 is on the way out and here we are to welcome in 2011! I read a great devotional this morning, Our Daily Bread. It talks about looking in the rear view mirror. Kind of backward to what we normally hear, "don't look where you have been but where you are going", but this one focus' on looking at how God has moved in your life; watching His hand directing and orchestrating our lives. Hebrews 13:5-6 NIV Keep your lives free of the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?"
This past year I have seen God's mighty hand move in my life and the lives of those I know, either in person or through blog land. When I look back over 2010 and the foggy places of my life when I didn't know what to do, I see that God was there the whole time directing me, guiding my footsteps. Yes, I was scared because at the time I couldn't see, I didn't know what was in front of me or around the next corner, but as I trusted Him to not run me into a wall or into falling off a cliff, I see that I wasn't blind I just had a whole lot of sin in my life clouding my vision. Worry, control, anger, insecurity and the such, these things were in my way but as soon as I rebuked them and ask God to forgive me for entertaining them, my vision cleared up and I could see just what God was doing. God is good all of the time and the best thing He gave us, a side from Jesus, is prayer.

Prayer is powerful and I have learned this from Grandpa D and Grandma L. These two sweet people are very powerful prayer warriors and they have taught me a lot on the power of prayer. When they pray you can feel the presence of the Holy Spirit in the room. Their faith in God amazes me and has made me crave that type of relationship with our Creator. I have seen miracles because these two people have abandoned their lives to God. I really want to see more of this and I know I will because this is God's heart, to see people becoming His children.

2011 has a lot to offer and I am very excited to see what God is going to do this year.

God's Blessings on you,
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The Day of the LORD

1 Thessalonians 5:1-6 NASB

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Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. While they are saying, "Peace and safety!" then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night. But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him. Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.

Have you thought about the end times? I was thinking on such as I was looking through an e-news article on Iran and the possibility of a nuclear bomb and how Israel is reacting to it and I started wondering about if there will be a rapture or not. The Bible is not really clear on this and I am curious to know what you all think about it. I use to be pretty sure there was going to be a rapture before the tribulation, but now, after searching Scripture I cannot say that this will definitely happen.
If you are interested in sharing I would love to hear your thoughts and if you can, please back them up with Scripture.

God Bless,
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