30 Days of Prayer and Praise--30!

I will praise you, LORD, with all my heart; before the “gods” I will sing your praise. I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your unfailing love and your faithfulness, for you have so exalted your solemn decree that it surpasses your fame. When I called, you answered me; you greatly emboldened me. May all the kings of the earth praise you, LORD, when they hear what you have decreed. May they sing of the ways of the LORD, for the glory of the LORD is great. Though the LORD is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly; though lofty, he sees them from afar. Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life. You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes; with your right hand you save me. The LORD will vindicate me; your love, LORD, endures forever— do not abandon the works of your hands. Psalm 138 NIV

Day Thirty!

Lord Jesus,

You have kept us focused on the prize in our obedience to praising You. You have given us boldness, courage, stamina and insight with wisdom from above to keep moving forward, daily exercising our gifts in giving You praise.

Lord, thank You for continuing to pour into us knowledge and wisdom and desire to know truth and to always speak truth about all things. Daily, we'll lift our hearts and sing praises unto You for there is no other like You worthy of our praise!

Thank You for always quickening our spirits when dismayed and providing us with a circle of others who love You to keep us encouraged. Thank You for keeping our thoughts from straying as we continue to work to seek justice for all and to right wrongs perpetuated against others.

Thank You for being a beacon of light in the darkness of a world filled with hate and giving us boldness to speak love, dispelling the darkness in the hearts of those who do not know You, anointing them with Your love.

Thank You for being in the chambers of the Senate and House--speaking a word of encouragement to the hearts of those who stand up and speak out for those whose voices are not heard through their own attempts to speak loudly. Thank You for giving all elected representatives hearts of flesh and not of stone so they'll be moved with compassion and put country before party.

Lord, our Lord--who is mighty in battle and a conqueror never defeated--thank You for pouring into us Your spirit so we too can keep fighting the good fight of faith and are strengthened by the love You have for us in doing what is right for all people.

Blessed is the name of the Lord and blessed are those who obey Him in all things. Blessed are we who love You, O Lord that we might be a blessing to others and all who do not know You will come to know You through our living example of The Word.

In Jesus' name we pray and thank You, Amen!

30 Days of Prayer and Praise--7!

Praise the LORD, all you servants of the LORD who minister by night in the house of the LORD. Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the LORD. May the LORD bless you from Zion, he who is the Maker of heaven and earth. Psalm 134 NIV

Day Seven

Lord,

As You look upon us today and see our challenges, encourage our hearts O Lord, to keep looking to You, the Author and Finisher of our faith.

As we look to You for direction, feed us O Lord with wisdom from on high--wisdom only You can give and only those filled with Holy Spirit can discern and share with others.

Lord, we are Your children and we know You only give good gifts as any loving Father would do. When Your children are starving, You will not give us stones. When Your children are lost, You will not lead them down paths of destruction. When Your children desire wisdom, You will not give them foolishness. When Your children desire truth, You will not give them lies for we know how much You hate a liar.

Lord, we know and recognize all the attributes You have and when they are present in those who claim to love You.

You, O Lord are as transparent as clear glass and there is nothing hidden about You unless people have chosen to live in darkness and never acknowledge who You are.

You, O Lord are light that dispels the darkness and brings every hidden thing into the light for all to see.

You, O Lord are love and do nothing out of hatred and neither will You encourage Your children to hate.

You, O Lord are the God of peace, not chaos; stability and not unrest; unity and not divisiveness and those who love You, demonstrate who You are in like manner.

You, O Lord are our banner of strength and courage and You give us boldness to keep marching forward, doing all You put on our hearts to do no matter what the enemy does.

You, O Lord are the gift that keeps giving and never allows any of Your children to suffer from lack.

You, O Lord know our thoughts before we ever think them and You speak to our hearts to keep us on the path of righteousness.

You, O Lord have quickened our spirits to always stay in the battle--defending the rights of the poor and needy when they have no voice or strength to fight on their own.

You, O Lord remind us daily that You and You alone are God, You are the only One who has heaven and hell--prepared for those who obey or disobey.

You, O Lord have given us right examples in what our attitude should be in all situations, as Peter and other apostles realized in the face of certain death, "We must obey God rather than human beings." (Acts 5:29 NIV)

Lord, we pray that everyone who has a heart for You, will remember that obedience to You is better than sacrifice and whatever You have promised when we obey, will be ours.

Lord, we thank You for searing the hearts of all who would attempt to deter and manipulate others from hearing You, out of greed for riches, status, and power. Show them their end if they refuse to hear You.

Lord, we thank You for giving most of us--an ear and heart to hear--both naturally and spiritually--all You are saying and for giving us a mind to please You and no one else.

For all You have done, are doing and will do in the lives of those who love You and obey, we give You praise and glory for You are the only one worthy of it.

Thank You for hearing and answering our prayers this day and always. In Jesus' name, Amen!

Strength For The Battle!

Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD.Hear my voice when I call, LORD; be merciful to me and answer me. My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, LORD, I will seek.Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, God my Savior. Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me.Teach me your way, LORD; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors. Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, spouting malicious accusations. I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. Psalm 27:6-14 NIV

Sometimes, appearances can be deceiving,

Sometimes, when right, we simply keep believing,

The wrongs that need correction

Lord, guide us with Your direction

Speaking to hearts along the way,

Never giving up, by night or day.

Enlarge our hearts and our space,

Reaching others to seek Your face,

Never in fear, but always with love,

Knowing true wisdom comes from above.

Help us in this battle to remain strong,

Bold, and fearless while correcting this wrong,

Brought by manipulation and deception

Turned and righted for Your reception,

Of us into Your Presence.

Though the journey to seeing a wrong turned right,

Gets weary, never forget, we are precious in His sight,

Press on, mighty soldiers of valor and integrity,

Fight on with honor, strength, and dignity.

For the battle is The Lord's and not ours,

When weak, we're strengthened in His power,

To stay the course, never veering from the path,

Of victory that is before us, the win--in the math,

As God calculates it.

While we wait to see the victory,

Be strong, determined to make unprecedented history,

Remember God knows and truth will reveal

The tricks and lies used in attempts to steal,

Joy and happiness found only in Him.

The Joy of The Lord Is Our Strength!

Forgiven and Healed!

Of David. Praise the LORD, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. Psalm 103:1-5 NIV

Lord, You are great and greatly to be praised. There is no one else like You in the whole wide world. We could climb the highest mountain, or sink to the depths of the sea, explore the earth from east to west and north to south and still would discover, You alone are God!

With a heavy heart, but a determined faith, I am standing in the gap for a friend who has just been told she has breast cancer. She does not understand how great God is or His loving mercy so I'm praying on her behalf. I'm praying that God will reveal Himself to her greatly, that she'll receive His love and mercy and commit to living for Him, and that God will heal her body and all traces of cancer will be eradicated. I'm also praying for strength and wisdom in knowing how to be a friend to her without overwhelming her.

I know The Lord as Savior, redeemer, friend and healer, provider of all my needs. I pray that I have truly pleased Him and that He'll hear and answer my prayers for this woman and for all who are facing the challenge of fighting cancer.

We never know who or when this diagnosis will be presented to anyone, so I encourage all to pray with me during this time that if--we ever hear it--we'll be strengthened by the knowledge of a loving-God who never abandons His children and that He will heal us of all diseases.

Father, prompt Holy Spirit to rise in all who love You and impart strength and wisdom to those who are battling disease and those who are praying for them. Help us to endure to the end--to see the victory that can only come from above. In Jesus' name I pray and thank You, Amen!

Practicing Contentment In The Midst of Need!

"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength." (Philippians 4:12,13 NIV)

In this letter to the church at Philippi, Paul encourages those who are trying do what is right for all concerned. In the midst of their own challenges, they sought to provide him with those things he needed while he was imprisoned. Remember this, when people were imprisoned in those days, they were dependent upon others for food since their jailers were not necessarily interested in attending their needs. But Paul, understanding their own plight and needs, encourages them by telling them how he's learned to be content in whatever situation he's found himself because of Jesus.

Whenever we find ourselves in situations that cause us to cringe and perhaps re-think what we're doing because everything is not coming together we way we expected it to  come together, pause and think about others who are in situations worse than ours and be grateful for what we have.

With every negative event occurring in America right now and the exposure of corruption at every level of government and --we can still exercise our right to vote by getting our feet moving in the right direction without fear of being persecuted for daring to vote.

Though some criticize Believers for their faith in God, we still have the right to worship Him, whenever we want to do so.

Even though there are hundreds of people starving everyday--in America--most of us still exercise "choice" in what we eat and how often we eat.

In spite of the "oversight" of government through surveillance at every corner, it's all for our good.

Though we may not have the car of our dreams, if we're driving anything that moves, we should be content.

If children are not wearing the most expensive gym shoes or the latest designer clothes, if they have clothes on their back and shoes on their feet that protect them from the elements, they should be content.

If we have not arrived at the place of success we desire, we learn to be content with what we have and in His strength, keep moving forward, keeping our eyes on the prize.

When life does not provide us with all we want, we should practice contentment and joy in the strength of the Lord so when we continue our journey, we are ready for all we will receive.

If we are bitter through the times of lack, we'll not be better when we have more than enough; we'll just grumble over not having more.

With whatever we have--we should learn to be content--still looking to Jesus, expecting His best in our lives--and praising Him while we wait. As long as we're alive, breathing on our own, we yet have opportunity to do good--for others and teach them by example how to wait to see the promises of God.

Instead of crying the blues over everything that doesn't go our way and being bitter, let's be better and sing songs of praise, seeking His wisdom, assuring ourselves that we will have a great day, every day!

It All Comes From Him!

"Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all."(I Chronicles 29:12 NIV)

If we think about where everything we have comes from, we have to realize it all comes from Him! He is the Creator of all things and without Him, nothing was created.

The jobs or careers we have or had--inspired ideas given to those willing to hear and do.
From the jobs or careers we have opportunity to make money. With the money we make we have opportunity to amass things or wealth. From the wealth we attain we have opportunity to help others. By helping others, we help ourselves to become who He wants us to be. Our help indeed comes from the Lord, streaming to and through us to assist others.

Without Him, we have nothing and are able to do nothing for self or others. Without Him and His guidance, we wander through life, lost and confused.

With Him, we have direction and access to sound counsel--leading to our ability to do great things and all to His glory.

All of the greatness we think we have attained is through Him. All of the power and strength we have to do what needs to be done, comes through Him.

If we really think about what we can do--in our own abilities, without Him, we'd understand that we are nothing and can do nothing great--without Him.

It is to You, O Lord, we give the glory! It is to You O Lord we give the praise. For You have so much for us and we will bless Your Holy Name! There is no one like You! No one who cares about us the way You do! None who loves us like You do! None who can lead us into greatness like You can! None who can speak to our hearts and lead us to those who need assistance like You! There is none who is willing to sacrifice self like You did so we might abundant life! O God--all thanks and praise are Yours alone!

We thank You for loving us, leading and guiding us, forgiving us, and restoring us--creating the path for wealth and honor like only You can and providing us with wisdom to do all things well, to Your glory!
When we really think about all we have--we have to know--it all comes from Him!

Be Strong!

"But now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ declares the LORD. ‘Be strong, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the LORD, ‘and work. For I am with you,’ declares the LORD Almighty" (Haggai 2:4 NIV).

"But now" in spite of all the negativity, in spite of all the violence, in spite of all the naysayers, in spite of all the works of the devil that are so evident in the environment, God is saying--"Be strong" and continue to do the works He has devised in our hearts, because He is with us and we have no need to fear.

Strong people--keep pushing to overcome obstacles.

Strong people--know how to think through any development before doing anything.

Strong people--know how to step back and re-think a situation before moving on, not out of fear, but wisdom motivating them.

Strong people--understand that a temporary setback does not mean it's time to surrender.  

Strong people--find reasons to keep going and never make excuses that lead to failure.

Strong people--know how to block out thoughts that would defeat them and replace them with thoughts of confidence and certainty of the victory that is theirs.

Strong people--draw other strong people and their unifying efforts--keeps them victorious in all things.

Strong people--never give up and will not accept defeat as a viable option.

Strong people--continue to hope and faith in God, even when the situation "seems" hopeless.

Strong people--remember that the joy of the Lord is their strength!

Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might! Never fear what the enemy has planted in the minds of weak people because the enemy has already been defeated, and he just needs to be reminded of that--the blood shed on the cross through Jesus Christ established Satan's defeat for all times--for those who are strong in their faith in what God is doing and has done and will do.  Be Strong!

With the mind of Christ--always hearing and obeying the Father--we have no need to fear the tactics of the enemy because perfect love (unconditional) casts out fear and we can move forward in this spiritual battle--knowing victory is ours! Be Strong!

What we accomplish in the spirit realm (acknowledging God's control and praising Him for it), God will accomplish in the natural realm of the earth. Move self out of the way--depend on the Spirit of the Lord to direct us in all things and obey Him. We just have to keep fighting the good fight of faith and be strong in the Lord! Be Strong!

Father, in the name of Jesus, help us to remain strong--never giving into defeat, no matter what the enemy does! Help us to remember--that victory is ours, the enemy has already been defeated and in the end--we win!

Stay Strong!

"Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in The Lord" (Psalm 31:24 NIV)

Staying strong in the face of adversity, persecution, and ridicule takes courage.  And courageous people are stronger than those who are full of pride and arrogant.  How do we know?  Those who are arrogant--so full of themselves that think rules don't apply to them--or think they know everything--eventually discover the end of themselves when they realize--the rules do apply and they don't know everything.  Those who are full of pride--who think they do not need anyone but them or are too ashamed to ask for help--eventually fall under the pressure of their pride.

But those who dare to stand up--to the bullies, to injustice, to fight for the rights of others, to withstand the ridicule of fools (for The Word says,"the fool has said in his heart, there is no God"), who face enduring illness with determination, who will maintain their faith in God, no matter what--those are the strong.

Think about your reaction to life--the good and bad things that occur almost on a daily basis; are you the strong?  Take heart!  If you are willing to keep your focus on the hope you have in Christ Jesus, your determination will strengthen you and you will know--the hope of glory!