February 5th

When You Don’t Know What to Pray

It says in 1 Thessalonians 5: 17 (message Bible) that we should “be cheerful no matter what; pray ALL THE TIME; thank God no matter what happens.

If we are supposed to pray all the time, what in the world are we supposed to pray about?  It is very easy to pray for something we need….”please help me remember what I am studying”, “please help me feel better”, “please let me play well today”….etc.  And it is easy to pray for other people – especially if you think they need a “touch” from God J.  “Lord please change their attitude and let them see I am right.”

Well, hopefully you don’t need to pray those kinds of prayers ALL THE TIME.  I have always struggled with what to pray until last summer when I went to a Bible study and the teacher gave some fantastic advice on how to pray effective prayers over your life and even prayers for other people.  The answer is very simple – use the Bible.

When you read the Word and find a verse that applies to you in any way, turn it into a prayer.  I find this much easier to do by writing it down.  That way you can use that same prayer over and over until you either add to it or replace it with another part of the Bible.  This is MUCH easier than it sounds, so let me give you an example. 

I really did just choose random verses from my journal, so it may not be the best verse, but here goes:   1 Chronicles 22: 11-13

And may God also give you discernment and understanding when he puts you in charge of Israel so that you will rule in reverent obedience under God’s revelation.  That’s what will make you successful, following the directions and doing the things that God commanded.

Prayer:  Dear Lord, I really need success in my life just like the success you promised David in 1 Chronicles 22.  Help your Word to reach my heart and grow my ability to discern right from wrong and give me a deeper understanding of your will for my life.  Make your directions clear to me God and give me the ability and courage to follow them each and every day.  I want to be obedient to you in all my decisions for the things I am in charge of.  Thank you God for your direction in my life, but I ask that you make it clear to me – let me know when I am not following the right path. 

That’s it!  So this, I am giving you two assignments.  Sorry – I miss homeschooling you so you will just have to bear with me. 

ONE – respond to this blog today and tell me what you think.

TWO – Spend some time in the Word – share a verse with us that you can turn into a prayer.  You don’t have to post your prayer, but if you could just share the verse you are turning into a prayer, that would be great!

February 12th

It’s like a ride

I hope that you found a good verse or verses to pray over your life!  When you do that, you set several things into motion.  offering up a pray to god will require you to rely on god in order to see an answer.

it can be frustrating!

most likely the journey to see an answer to a prayer in your life will be a path of frequent failures and frustrations.  however, failure is always followed by a growth spurt – one in which you will grow closer to god.  if you remain faithful through the failures of life, you will be able to look back and see that his had was guiding your path all along.

why does god allow us to have frustrations?  why does he ever want us to fail?

sometimes god allows the things of this world to frustrate us so much that it forces us to focus on him.  when everything in life is hunky dory and you have everything you want and need….it is very easy to lose sight of god.

god often has to temporarily “blind” us from everything else but him.  when we are blinded to distractions for long enough, our hearts will turn back to him. 

What does that really mean?

let’s say you pray to be successful in school.  at first, you are acing everything. so you have just assume god answered your prayer and you fall into bad study/homework habit because, after all god is taking care of it.  you lose focus on your part and your grades slip and you never seem to understand anything.  panic mode sets in. you try to figure out how to fix things, talk to teachers, cram to study…but it seems like it’s too late.  you’re overwhelmed and there is no way to catch up. the teachers don’t care and you just don’t have time to do everything you need to do to fix the situation.

when no one will help you, when you do not understand what you are reading, when there is no time to do everything you need to do – consider yourself struck blind!  god just blinded you to every earthly avenue to fix your failure. but remember – you can still rely on god.

tithe some time to him!!!  give some of your day to god.  renew your faith.  it will be uncanny how all of sudden assignments won’t take you as long. you will understand everything you read the first time. words for a paper will flow right out of your fingers.

think of a roller coaster. the cars fly down the hill all on their own.  going down is fast and thrilling.  the climb back up is slow, the gears click as they strain to pull the car up to the top. but without that engine and gears, the cars would be stuck down at the bottom. but those gears overcome the universal law of gravitational pull J.

working your way out of frustration is impossible unless you let god be those

February 19th

Brain Boot Camp

I know that last week’s blog was a bit longer than normal – so this week, I am going to be short and to the point. 

The message this week is simple.  Don’t get discouraged when prayers don’t seem to get answered.

TRAIN YOUR MIND TO HAVE FAITH IN GOD. ASK GOD TO KEEP YOU FROM NEGATIVE THOUGHTS. BE DETERMINED TO NOT GIVE UP.

How do you train your mind?  Time will be your trainer.  Time will teach you to wait on God.  Time makes you be patient. Time develops strength and endurance.

You cannot train for a marathon in a week.  It takes time.

Don’t let difficulty, stress, and frustration lead you down a path of worry and depression.  Train your mind to be STRONG and not go there.  Don’t be weak and just sit around and let negative thoughts control your mood.  TRAIN yourself to be a powerhouse of positive thoughts.

Difficulty, stress, and frustration and props on a stage.  God is about to pull you onto center stage for a battle that you will win.

If you want victory in your life, you have to wait for God to show up and lead you into each battle.  God is seldom in a hurry – but he is NEVER late.  Don’t jump the gun because you have let negative thoughts take over your behavior.

Remember – there are no heroes and not victories without a battle. 

So train your mind to remember that God is at work on the big picture of your life.  And for God’s sake... be strong enough in the Lord to not lose faith over a small detail.  You’re not a weakling...I promise you – you can handle it!

Romans 5: 3 – 6  There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next.  In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling short-changed. Quite the contrary – we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit.  Christ arrives right on time to make this happen.  He didn’t and doesn’t wait for us to get ready.

February 26th

Words From a Father to His Son

David made a lot of mistakes in his life.  Yet God loved David with all his heart.  He trusted David to lead his chosen people and gave David a son – Solomon – that was destined to build the temple of the Lord.

David knew when his time was up.  As an old man, he knew the secret to success.  So before he passed over his kingdom, he gave a “Valedictory Address” and left Solomon with some wise words to live by.

Let’s take them apart and see how they can become wise words for us too!

I Chronicles 28: 9 – 10

And you, Solomon my son, get to know well your father’s God. Serve Him with a whole heart and eager mind….

Acknowledge God!  Surrender each and every day to the Lord.  You have to make sure you purpose to do this because it certainly does not come naturally!

…for God examines every heart and see through every motive.

After you surrender your day to God, determine to give God your whole-hearted devotion.  Your uncut heart.  Learn God’s ways and only trust God with your hear.  If your heart is undivided, HE will keep you out of trouble.  Let your motives for your behavior come from God being in your heart.