PRAYING HANDS

Praying Hands

1. Your thumb is nearest to you, so begin your prayers by praying for those closest to you. They are the easiest ones to remember. To pray for our loved ones is, as C.S. Lewis once said, a "sweet duty."
   
2. The next finger is the pointing finger. Pray for those who teach, instruct and heal. This includes teachers, doctors, and ministers. They need support and wisdom for pointing others in the right direction.
   
3. The next finger is the tallest finger. It reminds us of our leaders. Pray for the President, leaders in business and industry, and administrators. These people shape our nation and guide public opinion. They need God's guidance.
   
4. The fourth finger is the ring finger. Surprising to many is the fact that this is our weakest finger, as any piano teacher will testify. It should remind us to pray for those who are weak, in trouble or pain. They need our prayers day and night.
   
5. And, lastly, comes our little finger; the smallest finger. This is where we should place ourselves in relation to God and others. Your pinkie should remind you to pray for yourself. By the time you have prayed for the other four groups, your own needs will be put into proper perspective, and you will be able to pray for yourself more effectively.

(Author unknown.)

Prayer

my garden flowers by: P.A.T.C.

Here is a powerful lesson on prayer, I know it opened my eyes to the truth of what the purpose of prayer is. I had many questions as to why pray if God knows my needs already, what was the point of praying ? Another eye opener is the Purpose of God and what His will really is. Jesus to be all in all, everything that happens in the earth and in our lives is for one reason and one reason only That Gods will be done in heaven and on earth. What is the Will of God? “That… He might gather together in one all things in Christ.” God only has one need, one desire, one thing He wants to accomplish, and once we see this we will find everything else is peripheral to this one thing. What does God wish to accomplish? God’s ultimate will and desire is to sum up everything into Christ, so that Christ is All in All.
And all along I thought it was my will and that my life go  as smoothly as I would have it to be........silly me, how foolish  and naive I have been .If I be honest with myself, and you be honest with yourself as well, my prayers have for the most part been for 'my' needs, 'my' desires , 'my' hopes , I have been so very wrong and selfish. No wonder things don't go as I would choose them to be. God forgive me for this sin of 'selfishness'. God your will be done in me, so that Christ would truly be All in All amen!



When You Pray
by Chip Brogden
http://theschoolofchrist.org/articles/when-you-pray.html

"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites... but when you pray, enter into your closet and pray in secret... and when you pray, do not use vain repetitions... after this manner therefore, pray... (Matthew 6:5-9ff)."

For too long we have practiced and preached prayer as a means towards our own ends. I am thinking of several popular teachings and books on the market today which make prayer out to be a ritual through which we can induce God to give us what we want. This philosophy gives us the illusion of a manageable deity, a "god" who is under our control, having no choice but to respond to a prayer properly worded or recited. A person of average intelligence should be able to see that this is a ridiculous caricature of God - it is a misrepresentation and a deception. The widespread popularity and success of these teachings should make us at least a little suspicious as to the spirit which prompts men to perpetuate it. It cannot be the Holy Spirit.

Jesus takes it for granted that His disciples will pray. This is why four times in a row He says, "WHEN you pray" and not "IF you pray." But from these brief excerpts of Scripture we learn that there are at least two classes of prayer. One is unacceptable to God, and the other is well-pleasing to Him. One is of hypocrites, the other is of a pure heart. One is done openly to be seen of men, the other is hidden to be seen of God alone. One is nothing more than vain repetition to accomplish my own ends, and the other accomplishes God's purpose.

Now if we pray the prayer of the hypocrite we are wasting our time. God will not respond, He will not move, He will not listen to such praying. That is not to say that someone (something?) will not answer this self-centered prayer: but the answer, when and if it comes, will not come from the Father in heaven. Much praying is done in vain because the one praying has never gone to the Word to investigate the kind of prayer that is well-pleasing to God. Just as there is a worship that is "spirit-and-truth" and there is a worship which is fleshly and vain, so there is a "spirit-and-truth" sort of praying and a flesh-and-blood praying which is done in vanity.

So by the grace of God we would like to look to the Lord to teach us to pray. Let us ask Him to show us the sort of praying that is acceptable to Him.


HOW NOT TO PRAY

"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners that they may be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have already received their reward (Matthew 6:5)."

What makes a prayer hypocritical? It is a prayer which is done in public to be seen of men. It is an outward show to make one appear spiritual to others. It calls attention to one's self through loud volume, lengthy discourse, or spiritual-sounding vocabulary. It is primarily done for ceremonial benefit only, for the listening ear of men, and not for God. We want to be seen and heard and observed. We wish to be known as "prayer warriors" so we prefer to do our praying in public, by the altar, in church, or at the prayer meeting, so everyone can see us. We would have people know us as watchmen, prophets, and intercessors. But what matters most is not how people perceive us, but how we truly are before God.

Hypocrites typically use public praying to preach or make demands upon others. I was in a meeting once when a newcomer was asked to pray. Before long he began talking about his financial needs as if he were talking to the Lord, but it should have been obvious that he was merely letting it be known to all present that he expected a monetary gift. He even said, "I pray that someone will give me the money I need." And of course, after the meeting, someone did. But neither the one who prayed nor the one who "answered" his prayer were in the Spirit. This man should have been rebuked, but no one rose to the occasion, including myself. So we all missed the Spirit, but we learned a lesson. And we never heard from the man again.

Preachers are equally guilty of hypocritical long-windedness. It is interesting to observe how differently someone prays when standing upon a platform before others compared to how they pray in other places. They seem to believe that the spotlight calls for certain words and phrases to be used that they would not otherwise use. This, too, is done for the benefit of the listeners. "Oh, he can pray such powerful prayers!" they exclaim. But this does not mean they are necessarily powerful with God.

Particularly in a day when prayer meetings, prayer gatherings, prayer retreats, and prayer warfare is being emphasized, it is important to understand what the Lord is looking for so we do not fall into a trap of vanity. The experience of many saints seems to indicate that the more we pray in private, the less we will pray in public. The words will be fewer, but they will be far more weighty and valuable. One brother was so broken before God privately that whenever he stepped into the pulpit to pray publicly, all he could do was fall over the lectern and weep, "Oh God!" That is the proper spirit, and how I wish we had more of this kind of prayer.

"But when you pray, enter into your closet, and after you have shut the door, pray to your Father in secret; and your Father, Who sees what is done secretly, will reward you openly (Matthew 6:6)."

Why does the Lord prefer secret prayer to prayer done in the synagogue (or in the church building)? Prayer which is most valuable to God is done in secret, in the prayer closet, in the inner chamber where no man's eyes can see and no man's ears can hear what is said and done. Thus, everything said and done in secret is for the Lord's sake. Most public praying is done to be seen of men; hence, it has virtually no worth. An abundance of public prayer cannot make up for a lack of secret prayer.

As a child I took this Scripture literally. I would go into a closet and close the door, praying to the Lord in secret. When I got older I would climb to the top of a tree to pray and read. Or I would sneak out while it was still dark so I could pray. As I look back on my life these are the sweetest times of prayer and communion I have ever experienced.

It does not matter whether your closet is a literal closet or not. The issue is the sort of prayer that is offered, whether it is done to be seen of men or if it is done to be seen of God. If we are praying to the Lord for the Lord's sake then we will want to keep holy things holy, private things private, and sacred things sacred. We will not easily repeat to others the intimate details of these encounters with God. It would seem almost sacrilegious to do so.

Is prayer and worship a lifestyle, or is it an event? If it is an event, if most of our praying is done once a week when we gather together, then we will be lacking spiritually. We will sense this lack when we try to flip a switch and become spiritual enough to pray. But our corporate prayers have their basis in our secret prayers. The real value is not what is seen outwardly, but what we are inwardly, beneath the surface, as we minister to the Lord in secret.

"But when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do: for they think they will be heard for their much speaking (Matthew 6:7)."

The Greek word for "vain" here is interesting. It comes from the base of another word which means "to handle or squeeze" and implies manipulation, as someone would manipulate clay to make it into something like a bowl or a vase. It is used by Jesus in another context, Matthew 15:7-9:

"You hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, 'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me, for in vain do they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.'"

There is such a thing as vain prayer and vain worship. There is such a thing as a sacrifice acceptable to God and a sacrifice unacceptable to God (see the story of Cain and Abel in Genesis 4). We know exactly what God seeks, and that is, "Spirit and Truth." We also know what He considers to be vanity, manipulation, a waste of time, and self-centered. Vanity includes drawing near to Him with our mouth and honoring Him with our lips while our heart is far from Him. It includes teaching the things of man as if they were the things of God. It includes repeating the same prayers over and over again with a view towards manipulating God. It includes 95% of all that is said and done in a typical church service on Sunday morning. Continually asking God to bless our unacceptable worship every single week is an example of vanity. "In vain do they worship Me."

It may come as a shock and a surprise to most people to learn that much of what they are doing, even the spiritual things (especially the spiritual things), are vanity. People have been taught that so long as they attend church and pray the right prayers for protection, blessings, power or anointing then everything will be well with them. People who relate to God in this way are behaving like heathens - Jesus says so. Heathen people are not irreligious. They worship! They pray! Hypocrites give! Hypocrites fast! Hypocrites do mighty works in the Name of Jesus! But according to Jesus, it counts for nothing. It is all in vain. They do not really KNOW Him, and He does not "know" them either.

"Do not be like [the heathen], for your Father knows the things you need before you ask Him (Matthew 6:8)."

Here is something interesting! Jesus says not to pray as if we would be heard for our much speaking or grandiose speech, because the Father knows what we need before we ask Him. Well then! What is the point of praying? If God knows what I need before I ask, why ask at all? If prayer is nothing more than making my needs known to God then perhaps we can stop praying, since He already knows what they are. But perhaps prayer, as Jesus teaches it, has very little to do with making requests to the Lord for my own needs to be met. If so, then to continue praying on the basis of my needs is vanity. Vanity is not only futility, but it is self-centeredness. Thus, "Do not be like the heathen, who vainly repeat the same prayers with a view towards getting their own needs met."

Jesus does not say that since the Father knows what we need, we do not HAVE to pray - but if He already knows what we need then it should definitely change the WAY we pray. When we do pray we should not behave like a hypocrite or a heathen, obsessed with ourselves. Our needs are already known to the Lord. So it is not as though we have to go to God and inform Him as to the details of our situation in order to fully appraise Him of what is happening. We might give our doctor such detailed information so a proper diagnosis can be made, but the Lord does not need any assistance from us in order to help Him figure out the problem. Nor does He need us to tell Him what needs to be done, as if we know what is called for and He does not.

What if prayer is something deeper than rehearsing my needs to the Lord? What if prayer is a means toward a higher end than getting my circumstances and my surroundings in order? In other words, what if prayer is not about my needs, my desires, my wants, my requests, or my situation at all? What if prayer is meant to meet the LORD'S need? What if, instead of coming to the Lord with OUR expectation as to the outcome, we come to the Lord, interested in knowing what HIS expectation is? What if prayer is not about giving voice to MY will at all, but is about giving voice to HIS will?

This concept may be too radical for some, because it will require a further death to their Self. But since the Father knows what we have need of before we ask, prayer must not be primarily concerned with telling Him what He already knows. Since we are to pray, and since the Lord knows our needs already, does this not indicate a higher calling and a deeper work to be done in prayer than merely voicing my personal prayer requests? To the heathen and the hypocrite, who are so absorbed with Self, vanity (futility and self-centeredness) is evident everywhere, and in their praying in particular. According to the Scriptures, it appears that Jesus is bringing us to a deeper understanding of prayer. So after what manner SHOULD we pray then? Jesus makes it very plain.

HOW TO PRAY

"Pray after this manner: 'Our Father in heaven, may Your Name be hallowed, may Your Kingdom come, may Your Will be done: as in heaven, so in earth (Matthew 6:9,10).'"

Now that we know the kind of prayer which is not acceptable to the Lord, it is time for us to look at the kind of prayer which is acceptable. The Lord Jesus is not giving us a prayer to repeat word for word, for that would be contrary to everything He has told us up to this point (observe how we still cling to it ritualistically anyway). Instead, He gives us a pattern, a prototype, a foundation of all prayer by saying, "Pray after this manner", or, "Pray along these lines."

At once we are lifted up from the earthly situation and are made to focus upon a heavenly Father, a heavenly Kingdom, and a heavenly Will. I believe it is so important for us to see this. Prayer does not begin on the earth, it begins in the heavens. It does not begin with man, it begins with the Father. It does not begin with man's need, but with God's will. Our praying is ineffectual because we pray as earthly men with an earthly perspective concerning earthly things. See how far and above this manner of praying is when compared to the hypocrite, praying in public to be seen of men! Prayer ought to bring us up into the heavenlies, not bring us down deeper into the earth. It ought to focus our vision on the Father, not on man, or the problems of man. Spiritual prayer begins in the Spirit; heavenly prayer begins in the heavenlies.

When we pray "after this manner" we are transported and elevated beyond flesh-and-blood, beyond the natural, beyond the earthly, beyond the seen-and-felt universe in which we live. We are at once brought into alignment with Someone larger than ourselves, Someone higher, Someone greater. This Someone has an agenda, and is working all things together in one accord towards this agenda. What is the agenda? It is the Will and the Kingdom. So what is the Will and the Kingdom? The Will is "all things in Christ" and the Kingdom is the fulfillment of that Will, when Christ has the preeminence. All of God's movements are towards this End.

So the chief objective of prayer is to bring us into cooperation with the Father so that we are harmonious with Him - with respect to our love relationship as well as our working relationship. Much time and effort in prayer is spent trying to get God involved with OUR agenda, with OUR plans, with OUR goals, with OUR cause, with OUR needs, real or imagined. But after all, who is the Master? Who is the servant? Whose will are we seeking anyway: ours, or His? If we have not touched upon the Will and the Kingdom in our praying then we are praying in vain, because God cannot contradict Himself, and cannot answer such prayer. If our agenda is not harmonious with His then our agenda has to go. Most of our prayers are simply too small, too narrow-minded, and too constricted. We do not see anything beyond our present surroundings. We have not seen the big picture. We do not have a heavenly perspective. So to begin with we must empty ourselves of all preconceived ideas and seek the Lord's Will and the Lord's Kingdom when we pray, for this truly hallows the Father.

"Give us today's bread again as usual; and as we have forgiven others their sins, so forgive us our sins (Matthew 6:11,12).'"

The Lord does not tell us NOT to make our requests known to Him. It is appropriate to thankfully acknowledge Him on a daily basis as our Provider and the One Who forgives. The difference is this. When we pray the Will and the Kingdom, when we lose ourselves and our agenda, when we come to the Lord to meet His need, then we will find our needs are met: but even if they are not met, we will not care. Our desire is for Him, and so long as we are in His Will and in His Kingdom, the issue of whether or not my personal needs are met becomes of secondary importance. Prayer is not the vehicle whereby I get my needs met. It is the means through which God's Need is met. Now that I am praying on behalf of God's Will and God's Kingdom, now that I am praying in alignment with God's desire for the ages, He will be sure to supply me with what I need (indeed, nothing can prevent it, for nothing has been able to prevent it for billions of years). As I have sought first the Kingdom, all that is required will be added to me. Not for my sake, you see, but for His sake. As I have vested myself into His Kingdom, He has vested Himself into my well-being. How could it be otherwise?

For after all, where is the Kingdom? Here, or there, in the future, in the past? No, the Kingdom is within you (Luke 17:21). When we pray God's Will and God's Kingdom, are we not asking for Christ to increase and for us to decrease? Are we not asking for Christ to have the greater preeminence in us individually as disciples? For the moment, forget about bringing the Church together or getting everyone to see the same thing. If each of us prayed this with no greater goal but for ourselves, would this not by extension include the entire Church, of which we are members? So we are praying for Christ to have the preeminence in us individually as disciples; in the Church corporately; and in all of creation collectively. We are aligning ourselves with some very powerful forces, all working together towards God's Ultimate Purpose.

Now whether or not you consider the bread to be physical or spiritual (or both), it is provided daily. And, on a daily basis, forgiveness of sins is provided. Bread speaks to our Life, and forgiveness of sins speaks to our walk. Daily we require Life in order to live. Daily we offend others, and daily we offend God. So daily we have need of forgiveness. Quite frankly, whatever else we may think we need is summed up into these two things. Everything else is good to have, and God may be pleased to grant them, but they are not absolutely necessary. No one has a Scriptural "right" to make demands upon the Father for whatever they want, no more than my children should expect me to give them everything they ask for.

Since we are already blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ (Ephesians 1:3), the bulk of our prayers ought to be centered on God's Will and not our wants. UNLESS - and here is where it gets interesting and powerful - UNLESS what WE want is what HE wants. God will deny no prayer that is in agreement with what He Himself wants to do. In fact, He is the One Who makes His Will known to us, so we can voice our agreement to it in prayer, so it will come to pass. Conformity to Christ includes wanting what He wants, and if this is taking place in us, the first place it will manifest itself is in our praying, for this is where the exchange of His Life for my life is taking place. And by now we should already know that God only wants ONE THING. Eventually, that is all we will want, and that is all we will be able to pray. The easiest way to get your wants met in prayer is to only want ONE THING.

"Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: for the Kingdom is Yours, the Power is Yours, and the Glory is Yours. May it be so forever. (Matthew 6:13).'"

As we begin with the Kingdom, so we end with the Kingdom. On what basis may we claim deliverance from evil? On the basis that the Kingdom is of God, the Power is of God, and the Glory is of God.

What is evil? All that is of Antichrist is evil. Antichrist resists God's movement towards Christ as All in All. Whether or not this culminates in a last days dictator is beside the point. Antichrist has been with us from the beginning. The spirit of Antichrist has always resisted the preeminence of Christ, from Lucifer's rebellion to the sins of your flesh. A thing does not have to be bad to be evil. It could be as an angel of light. Of course, bad things are evil, but even seemingly good things are evil if they are not bringing us further into Christ as All in All. So if God's Highest Good is Christ, then anything less than Christ or apart from Christ is evil.

So many are under the impression that the devil has a kingdom, but a search of the Scriptures fails to produce a single shred of evidence to suggest this. "Thine is the Kingdom." The Kingdom belongs to God. God never gave anything to the devil. Even in the Old Testament, before Jesus walked the earth, it is said, "The earth is the LORD'S, and the fullness thereof: the world, and they that dwell therein (Psalms 24:1)." Again, many are obsessed with the alleged "power" of darkness, and anyone who has the ability to deceive another has the ability to control them, but here we are told "Thine is the Power." There is no intrinsic power of darkness, there is only power over individuals gained through deception. The True Power is not held by darkness, but by God, through Jesus Christ, in heaven as well as in earth (Matthew 28:18). Finally, "Thine is the Glory." It is this Glory of Christ as He in fact is that manifests to us by revelation, and this Glory is indeed manifested in the heavens as well as in the whole earth (Psalms 8).

Now if we carefully look at these three items - the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory - we see that it is as much for earth as it is for heaven. It truly represents all that "as in heaven, so in earth" means. Yet there is, on the earth, something which seems to challenge the preeminence of Christ, as if to say that there is another Kingdom, another Power, and another Glory, whether it be of men or of satan (Luke 4:5,6). To pray in this manner is to declare otherwise. It is to stand upon the earth and give testimony that there is only One Kingdom, One Power, and One Glory, and these belong to the Father and to His Christ. Of course, we must see this and believe it in order to pray it. But this, essentially, is the Testimony of Jesus and the ministry of the overcomers.

The thing which hampers our praying the most is the smallness of our vision. Prayer is only a means to an End, and the End is to see Christ established as the Preeminent One on the earth as in heaven. Prayer aligns us with the heart of God so that we only desire the One Thing that He desires.

We cannot, we should not, have faith in prayer itself. How easy it is to put our confidence in a method or a technique for praying and begin relating to God like a heathen. How easy it is to put our confidence in man and begin relating to God like a hypocrite. It is interesting to see that as powerful as "the Lord's Prayer" is, it is nevertheless done behind closed doors, and in secret. We are not told that we must go to strategic points on the globe in order to exercise our authority. We are not given the names of demons or principalities with which we must engage ourselves. Not at all. In our prayer closet, once the door is shut, we merely pray in this manner to the Father, and He will reward us openly.

And lest we forget, Christ is our reward. We seek not His things, but Him. We seek not our Kingdom, but His. We rely not in our power, but in His. And as we are decreased, He is increased, and His glory is revealed and made manifest in us and through us. This is true prayer, provided we are willing to leave our ground and come onto His ground, praying His Will and not ours.

O Father, reveal Your Son in us. Teach us to pray. Your Name be sanctified. We stand for your Kingdom and for Your Will in the earth. May Your Kingdom come - in us. May Your Will be done - in us. As in heaven, so in earth. We thank you that as we seek first Your Kingdom, everything we need is provided. Deliver us from all that is Antichrist, from all that is natural, from all that is flesh-and-blood, from all that is carnal, from all that is earthly, and establish us in the Kingdom of Your Dear Son. We recognize no kingdom but Yours, no power but Yours, no glory but Yours. May it be so forever. Amen.


I am your brother,


Chip Brogden
http://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org

A DISCERNING PRAYER

 Sometimes we don't know whether it is Satan hindering us or the Spirit of God saying no not now, or whether the pain in your body is because of something you did, or satan laying something on you, it is best that no matter what the case that we lean on Christ for all things in all areas of our life. Here is a short prayer that might keep your mind in the right place. It should never be considered as some incantation or formula but an attitude of submission to God in all things.
We should cultivate an attitude of prayer that says, in effect,

 “Lord, forgive me if I have sinned against you. If I have violated some natural law, show me what it is and I will set it right. If this is from Your hand I accept it, for You do all things well. I will submit to Your dealings with me. Nevertheless, I steadfastly resist anything and everything pertaining to the enemy.”

In this way we are not committing ourselves to one particular interpretation of the event. On the one hand we are willing to submit to the dealings of the Lord in our environment, and on the other hand we firmly maintain our ground against the adversary. This sort of prayer closes all the loopholes. It is most pleasing to God, for it is humble towards Him yet firm towards the enemy.  It is a prayer towards a  heart-attitude towards the will of God , which must be nurtured.
SHALOM IN CHRIST

LIVING WITH DISABLITY AND PAIN, My Prayer

Gracious God and Yahshua my Lord, in whom I live and move and have my being, as I learn to live with this chronic pain and disability, it is my desire to  be open to your presence and mercy. God of Mercy, grant me eyes to see and ears to hear, that I may recognize your presence   Christ the Messiah through every hard passage, as I live with this illness. In the deep distress of living with this pain, may I know that You behold every moment of my pain and fear. May I know that You are with me. Surely, you behold  my trouble and misery.You see it and take it into your own hand.Lord as I live with a body that is full of pain and stiffness ,my ability to walk and do daily, what needs to be done is becoming harder and harder to do.I have discovered that my need of others and my need of knowing You and Your presence in my life grows more and more each day. But I know somehow that there is a  gift in all this as I  discover this need, though it may be completely disconcerting, I know that you are in this with me each moment of every day and I will bless You LORD at all times; and Your praise shall ever be in my mouth.This day, I ask Your blessing on those who live with the pain,disease and  illness  .I ask Your blessing on the researchers who create medicines and treatments that allow all of us  to live with pain ,disease and illness. And remember especially those who have no access to medical care Lord keep them in Your love and mercy and grace. 

Gracious God of Life and Mercy, grant me the awareness of others who live with illness ,pain and disabilities too, help me remember to lift them up in prayer when sleep evades me, when pain and discomfort awakens me in the wee hours of the night ,help me use this time to bless others in their need. Teach me to pray for those who care and tend the sick. And may my prayers bless You as well. In all this I have come to realize the brevity of human life and the awesome gift that you have given me in this very life I now have.I realize from the perspective of eternity, from the eternal now , our lives here are all to brief. But you Lord have given me the medicine of remembering that my life is short and uncertain, contingent and interdependent , living with this pain is helping me to  remember those truths.

Gentle Messiah, you brought me into being and sustain my earthly life.   I know that my days are numbered and that they are sustained by Your love and I will be received into Your arms of mercy at my end. Thank you Lord for the wisdom, insight and common sense that You have  awakened in me as a result of living with this condition and illness.Lord I thank you for the knowledge ,that I have a sacred personhood in You, Christ my Messiah, and may all Your dear ones who now are living with illness and pain, who, knowing that death may be very close, may all of them come to  know that they too have a sacred personhood in You as well.  I give You thanks, most gracious God, for those who have helped me along the way.   And I give You thanks for leading me to see the varieties of life I have known through this illness.
Ever gentle Christ, my heart is sore and heavy with all that this illness has brought into my life. Be with me in my daily life; And Lord be with all who live with pain,disabilities and chronic illness. My God and Lord , in You alone my soul  waits. Christ help me remember and realize that You dwell  in me and I dwell in  You . Grant me, gracious God,  in this moment to rest in You, to know your presence in silence and in pain and to know your love that makes me, keeps me and receives me. Lord I desire to dwell in   steadfast love of  Your own house, to seek shelter under Your gentle wing of mercy. Merciful and loving Christ, help me to know You as You are. Grant me a sure sense of Your presence and guidance, that as I walk with this illness, I may know that Your love is steadfast. In this pain and in my life I choose to  take refuge in You.Thank You Gracious Lord   my Savior for my earth angel ,My Husband Mike, for in and through him I see Your love in action for me and I am so grateful for You in him , so in closing, I lift Mike up to You ,may he see You in me, may he realize your presence, my he come to know You in a sure way , Lord have mercy on him and heal him of the pain he has been going through. Lord in all honesty we both need You in a big way in our lives, May You become a living presence in both of us. Thank You for Your gift of life and the forgiveness of our sins, thank You  for Your sacrifice ,love and mercy Amen.





 

LEARN TO PRAY/FLIGHT OF THE WILD GOOSE

Picture taken of geese in the skies near Denver Co.in winter of 08
The following articles really helped me, and I would like to share them with you they come from an awesome website:http:www.hcna.us/articles.htm

Flight of the Wild Goose

by
Bill Tenny-Brittian

One of the most delightful things I experienced at the National House Church Conference in Denver was a taste of Celtic Christianity. The Celtic Christians, led by St. Patrick, stood in stark contrast to their Roman Catholic counterparts (although Celtic Christianity was a part of Roman Catholicism, their ways were significantly different. For one, the Celtic Christians were more a “Do as I do” tribe rather than a “Do as I teach” group. This meant that those outside of the Christian faith saw the Celtic Christians living the Christian life and were both amazed and interested in becoming a part of the faith. Conversely, when you think of Christians you know, which of their lives is so attractive that you just can’t stand to not be like them?
Where is that kind of life?
Which brings me to the wild goose. The Celts looked at nature and saw God revealed in all His glory and they understood God best when they took symbols from what they experienced. The Holy Spirit was symbolized by the wild goose. Doves were docile and delicate, but the wild goose was untamable, free, and unpredictable. Instead of a soft coo, the wild goose was noisy and raucous. And it seemed always to be on the move—on a pilgrimage ordained by the Lord Himself.
Jesus said that those Christians who were led by the Spirit were like the wind—you don’t know where it comes from and you don’t know where it’s going. A Christian who follows the wild goose is wild and free themselves. They have lives that are less than predictable. They live life to the full (John 10:10). They are wild and free, untamable either by society that would bind them with lies or by religion that would chain them with duty and obligation.
A life following in the tailwind of the wild goose. That’s the kind of life that calls to our innermost being and awakens the lethargic longings within. The problem is, we know few—if any—Christians who have discovered the flight path.
I wish I could tell you that there were seven simple steps to achieving that life, but the truth is, that isn’t so. Learning to fly with the Holy Spirit is to learn a different kind of life. It’s learning faith and trust and how to let go. It’s letting God explore the nooks and crannies of your heart—not with a candle, but with a miner’s light so He can crawl down into those hidden caverns beneath our shame to excavate and alleviate the wounds. It’s healing those hidden wounds and realizing they’re not shameful, but that they’re scars worthy of a Purple Heart, because we got those wounds doing battle for our soul. They’re only shameful in the dark. In the light of day they are what make us strong.
There is much to learn and much to experience before we can fly with the wild goose. However, doing nothing is the guarantee that we’ll never even leave the ground—like so many Christians we know. To get a running start, here are a few things I’ve learned that may help.
1.Learn to pray. Most of us don’t know how, so it becomes either something we avoid and try not to think about, or else something we do from a sense of duty and obligation. Prayer creates the fronts that drive the wind, but the wind won’t fill our sails or lift our wings if we don’t take the time on our knees.

2.Learn to listen in prayer. Even fewer of us know how to do this. Mostly we’re taught to pray some litany of requests and a few thank-yous, and then we’re finished. But how can we follow the wild goose if we don’t listen to where the Spirit is going? How can we learn Jesus’ will and wishes for our lives if we can’t hear? I think it’s incredibly sad that so many Christians admit they’ve never heard Jesus speak to them. He does speak and, if you’ve tuned in your heart to the Spirit’s frequency, you too can hear.

3.Commit to obey what you hear. Here’s the rub. We don’t fly with the wild goose because all too often we refuse to flap our heart’s wings and go where He’s going. Jesus said, “These signs will follow those who are my disciples.” He didn’t say they would precede us—the signs don’t show up until after we do. That means taking a risk, opening our mouths, turning our footsteps, and following in faith.

4.Discover the desires of your heart. When I was young I struggled with the notion of being a Christian minister because I was sure God would tell me I had to go to Africa. Now I look back and wonder why I had such a terrible impression about my God? The Lord has yet to ask me to invest my life in anything that hasn’t brought me unspeakable joy. The Scriptures say that the Lord wants to give us the desires of our hearts, but we so often find ourselves desiring false-wants. Instead of wanting the true desires, we find ourselves “settling” for something less or something counterfeit. It may take some praying (see #1 and #2) to discern what your heart really wants, but when you find that…there is nothing more freeing and more invigorating than chasing that desire.

I could go on, but that’s a start. If you really want to live life to its fullest—to live a life that follows the wild goose, I’d invite you to begin talking about this very thing in your House Churches. Share your desires. Learn to pray and to listen together. And commit to following wherever the wild goose flies.

This next section excerpt comes from:
Five Things I Wish Every House Church Pastor Knew

(and did something about!)
by Bill Tenny-Brittian

....We read in the Scriptures that prayer:


•Enables or incites God to raise up and send workers for the harvest (Luke 10:2).

•Is a conduit for the power of God in healing and deliverance (Mark 9:29; James 5:15-16)).

•Bolsters the strength and resolve of those we pray for (Luke 22:32).

•Enables or incites God to demonstrate His power (Acts 4:31-32).

•Releases the Holy Spirit upon those being prayed for (Acts 8:15-17).

•Consecrates what we pray for, setting it apart for holy use (1 Timothy 4:4-5).

In each of these cases, the inverse seems also to be true. If we don’t pray, we shouldn’t expect God to act. I don’t know how it works, I only know that prayer does work and that when we pray we should expect to see incredible results.

 Prayer, for whatever reason, becomes more effective and more powerful when praying people join together in agreement to pray. Not just bowing their heads and marking time, but really offering their own personal “spark” to the prayer time in earnest. When that happens, the power of the Lord rolls in like a mighty, mighty wave.

PRAYER CHANGES US

                 BLOSSOMS OF A ROSE OF SHARON
                                in my garden
"To say that "prayer changes things" is not as close to the truth as saying, "Prayer changes me and then I change things." God has established things so that prayer, on the basis of redemption, changes the way a person looks at things. Prayer is not a matter of changing things externally, but one of working miracles in a person’s inner nature." Oswald Chambers

I have heard many 'theories' on just what is prayer and what is it's purpose, especially since God supposedly knows our needs before we ask of Him, then why bother ? But what I am learning is that prayer is vital nutrients and food for our spirits, it is what feeds the God in us which is Christ. I use to think it was through much bible study that did this but I am learning that it is by prayer and communion with our God that feeds our spiritual selves. I am not saying bible study is not necessary but that it is not what feeds our souls, it is our communion with God that does, which is why we need to pray. It is by and through prayer that we begin to know God, and I thought for many years it was right doctrine and lots of bible study that did the trick, now with much bible study under my built I no more know God than when I first began. The bible can and will lead us to God, but communion in prayer will bring us in contact with God and therefore in the process of knowing God...........this is what I desire, and seek. I had pursued spiritual knowledge and understanding through study and  intellectual pursuit, but I was heading no where towards my true goal, that of knowing God. My knowledge of God is achieved by obedience to the light I am given each day, as I walk in that light I gain knowledge and communion with the God of Creation that I seek.
Prayer and obedience go hand in hand, if I am in the spiritual dark about something, there is a good chance that I have not obeyed in some area of my life, and by setting time alone with God in prayer I am more likely to hear what it is I am doing or not doing in my life at that time to cause this darkness in my life.

"Oh that I might know you God, and my Lord Jesus/Yahshua my Messiah, show me how this life in You is all about. Show me you , oh that I might truly know You and the power of your resurrection in me , today!"

My devotion and prayer today

Psalm 139:7-12 TNIV
7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,"
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.

Are we really aware that Our God is everywhere! We don't need to go anywhere to search for our Maker, for He is everywhere we are. Where ever I go You Lord are there!
Is that nothing but awesome! We go on our daily search to find God, and there He is in all the Creation! For the Creation , the Mountains, the Seas, the Deserts, the Valleys all declare the glory of our Maker, our Divine Parent who visited us in the lowly form of a man and we call His name Jesus/Yeshua, the Messiah , Christ, and we need not look no further than Him to understand the love, the compassion, the mercy, the forgiveness, the reconciliation of man to God, and it was all done through the life,crucifixion ,death, and power of the resurrection!
Jesus Christ IS the clearest way to grow , and the only way to be in the presence of God and to be in a personal relationship with God.It is done by the very power of His Spirit who resides within the believer who has accepted the gift of the Grace of God given to us by none other than our Lord Jesus Christ. Oh the power of this knowledge.

Can I join in song with Mary the Mother of Jesus and adore Him!
Mary's Song in Luke1:46-53
46 And Mary said:
"My soul glorifies the Lord
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
50 His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.

I join with Her, for Mary represents to me How I too have been given from the Holy Spirit of the Most High, Jesus Christ within me, who is being formed in me so that when He comes again that I too will be like HIM.Mary , to me represents how we submit and humbly accept His spirit in us so that it will grow and come to full maturity in us. Oh the thought of that.

Psalm 51:1-3 TNIV.
1 Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
9 Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
17 My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise

As God the lover of my very Soul, cleanses me I can be assured that He is ever with me where ever I may go.

Psalm 23 TNIV
1 The LORD is (truly) my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name's sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.

Let me rest, 0h God, in the thought that all that matters is that I should rejoice to be thy daughter, a child who can never fall out of your loving care, and let me be willing to follow the pathway of Your will in each circumstance that arises without chafing to be here or there or to do this or that.
So, I pray to you My God, bring me to the end of this day without dishonor and to my journey's end in Shalom . Hear me now as I make Intercession for:

FOR President Obama, his wife, and his family.
For those who are working for the peace/shalom of the world.
For all who serve in the Cabinet and in the Senate and House of Representatives.
For all who hold positions of responsibility in universities and colleges.
For all who teach in schools.
For all ministers of the gospel.
For all fathers and mothers and guardians of children.
For all whose written words in books and newspapers influence the thoughts and actions of others.
All who bear responsibility. All who contribute to either peace /shalom or strife.
Grant, 0 Lord, that their influence may be used always to bring peace/shalom to the world, peace/shalom within the
Church, peace/shalom in the life of the home, and peace/shalom in the hearts of men.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Amen.

DECEPTION THE MIND GAME/WAR

is your garden kept well? or is it weedy?

The biggest, the hardest and by far the longest battle we all face in this life, will be fought in the space between our 2 ears , our minds, and our thoughts! The Spirit of the adversary's only weapon is Deception, and lies, that is it, but it is a doosey of a weapon because it will trip you up every time if we are not constantly alert to his tactics.

How many times does this happen to you, you are in a good spot right now, nothing is going on in your life that you can't handle, you feel good, your relationships are good, and oh boy the sun is shinning , it is a beautiful day..............but. Without warning you begin to feel saddened, you begin to have these thoughts that are down right depressing, you go about your day, but your thoughts do not match your circumstances. Now if you are a discerning Child of God, you will begin to realize that the spirit of heaviness has invaded you mind space!!!!What do we do when we realize the enemy has gotten in? Here is a suggestion from the Scriptures in various translations for Isaiah 61:3 which says in the NLT translation"the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness" and in the (New International Version)3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor."

Now in the (Amplified Bible)
3To grant [consolation and joy] to those who mourn in Zion--to give them an ornament (a garland or diadem) of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, the garment [expressive] of praise instead of a heavy, burdened, and failing spirit--that they may be called oaks of righteousness [lofty, strong, and magnificent, distinguished for uprightness, justice, and right standing with God], the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.

Now in the (Contemporary English Version)3especially in Jerusalem. He sent me to give them flowers in place of their sorrow, olive oil in place of tears, and joyous praise in place of broken hearts.They will be called "Trees of Justice," planted by the LORD to honor his name.

So here we have a remedy for the spirit of heaviness,despair,heavy burdens,failing spirit,and broken hearts! So we see that there is a 'spirit' that can cause all these things to spring up like weeds into the gardens of our minds!! How do we pull out these pesky weeds from our fertile gardens of our minds? PRAISE!

As a child of the Most High we have been given the AUTHORITY to rule our kingdoms our garden which is our minds and we can choose what goes in and what stays in there, although we may not have full control as to what goes into our minds, we do have the means to keep alot of these thoughts out by what we choose to put in there, by what we read, watch and where we choose to go, but many times weeds ,the spirits of discontent, and depression, an hopelessness sometimes finds a way in. We can take control of our thinking by standing against the enemy of our souls by taking every thought captive 2Cor.10:5. We do not have to entertain these thoughts if we do not want to, who really wants these kinds of thoughts anyway, they can wreck havoc in our lives, although like a few weeds in our gardens, if not pulled out before long these thoughts can go to seed, and then all we have are weeds in our gardens! The best remedy for a beautifully tended garden and mind is to start taking control and pulling the dang weeds of despair, and heaviness, and doubts, etc. as they come up!!!

If we are tormented by certain negative thoughts that keep playing over and over in our minds , please know that this is not of God, and He is not giving you that revelation for your life!!!!It is the enemy of your souls, using the only weapon he's got to take control of your mind!!!

One of the best tactics of our enemy is to try to steal the Word of God from you, how does he do that? By getting us to question God's Word just as he did in the Garden of Eden. When these questioning doubts sprang up , know that you are being set up.........if it does not ring true from the perspective of the Bible then you can trust that it is not true.

We are told to in Philippians 2:5 (Amplified Bible)
"5Let this same attitude and purpose and [humble] mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus: [Let Him be your example in humility:]"

Every 'sin' begins from a thought, in Mark 7:21,22
Amplified Bible (AMP)
"21For from within, [that is] out of the hearts of men, come base and wicked thoughts, sexual immorality, stealing, murder, adultery"

Our God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, when we fill our minds with the word about the WORD, we will not leave room for the enemy of our souls to come in and make himself at home in our minds.

Think on things that are pure, good, loving, positive, do not dwell on the negative , to habitually dwell on the negative and the untrue, we give place and honor to the enemy! We do not have to go with the crowd, we can rise above all the negativity and false hood, in Ephesians 4:17
TNIV it tells us " So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. "

The most powerful weapon of all time is not the bomb! it is the word of the Living God, and we as faithful believers in our Lord and Savior Jesus the Messiah has given US you and I the authority over the Adversary!

Learn the word, memorize the scripture promises that speak of the area you have need of help in. The Word of God is extremely powerful and knowing it makes your prayers more effective. Listen to what the Lord says: "So shall My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it." (Isaiah 55:11) God honors his word. He wants us to remind him of his promises and call on him to perform what he has declared.

In order to pray the Word you have to know what's in there so you'll need to be reading the Bible and meditating on His word every day. And more than just read it, you need to slow down and really think about what you are reading,contemplate it, chew on it over and over until it fills your soul with gladness and ask the Lord to bring it alive for you. As you learn more of it you can begin praying it.I have found that once I have read the word and meditated on it, that later on down the road of life, the Holy Spirit is able to bring the word back up into my remembrance when I have a need for its promise in my life! There is no circumstance you will ever be in where the Word of God will not have something to say and to pray for you. Begin today to pray God's Word and see your prayer life flourish like a perennial flower garden that grows lusher year by year.

Jesus our Messiah paid the complete price for your freedom and for your victory over sin and for restoration of fellowship with your heavenly Father. But you have to appropriate or assign everything he did for you. Throughout your life Satan will be fighting tooth and nail to prevent you from taking possession of your spiritual inheritance. Don't worry; you win. It's a lifelong battle but don't be discouraged by that; be excited and be prepared.God wants us to win every single skirmish and he has provided all the equipment we need to do so.

Hey no one wants to live in a continual battle, we all hate to be at war all the time, but you know, that is just the way it is, this life is a battle ground, like it or not, and the war wages in our minds 24/7 , we may not like it, but we must accept it because even if you don't want to do battle, Satan does, we are forced into this conflict and we must contend for the faith.Can you accept that this battle is inevitable and lifelong? Then if you have been whining and complaining and having a pity party over the hard places in your life, stop right now and do something constructive instead. By the way, I confess I can't even count the number of times I've done those things; that's why I can tell you plainly it is a waste of time as far as strategy for winning any battle you are in. So folks we are in battle, so lets get the right weapons and strategy to win the battle and this blasted war!

Prayer is Your Assault Weapon in Spiritual Warfare so lets put on the full armor of God."be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power." (vs. 10) Nothing can correct your battle attitude better than remembering this critical truth. You are to fight in God's strength and power, not your own. Your weakness is actually to your advantage. Elsewhere in scripture God says; "My strength is made perfect in weakness." (I Corinthians 12:9) Many people unnecessarily give up because they see that the attack is too much for them. Come to the conclusion sooner rather than later that it is too much for you so that God's strength can take over.

In spiritual battle you must operate with both a good defense AND a good offense. Ephesians 6 . First, truth will be your belt. It's what holds you up so let the truth of God encircle everything in your life.
Next is the breastplate of righteousness. It covers your heart which should be clean from any sin. If you have received Jesus into your heart you have his righteousness to rely on. Just make sure all sin is confessed and dealt with before entering into spiritual warfare. On your feet you will wear shoes of peace so that everywhere you walk you can spread the good news of God's peace and of his kingdom. Satan's kingdom is chaotic, warlike, treacherous and menacing and the peace you carry will be a great contrast, easy for people to see and feel.
Now pick up in your hand the shield of faith; be ready to turn it in any direction to "quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one." Some of those fiery darts are doubts, unbelief, discouragement, and hopelessness. With your shield of faith you can prevent them from reaching the innermost parts of your soul. Next is the helmet of salvation. A helmet is covering for your head where all the mind games are going on. Which is our major battle ground, so remember it well, You are in Christ, and it is His Righteousness that has cleansed you of all wrong doing, so when your mind is covered in salvation winning the battle is all but inevitable.
Much of this armor is protecting you from assault but the last item is your offensive weapon: Here is your power weapon! it is the "sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." Remember that Jesus used the word of God to counter the temptations of Satan before he started his public ministry. He kept saying to Satan; "It is written…" and then resisted the devil's invitation to sin with scripture. (See Matthew Chapter 4) The better you know the word of God the better equipped you are to wield it like a sword. Therefore you should be reading and studying scripture every day. When Satan comes with a lie, you counter with the truth.
Do not be surprised or shaken by the intensity of the battle that will present itself at times in your life. You and I were destined to be great warriors in God's kingdom. Every war has an objective; each side is fighting over something. The greater the value of the prize to each side; the harder they fight. In spiritual warfare, we are battling over eternal things. The devil is trying desperately to hold on to every inch of ground, both in your life and on the earth. It is our job as God's warriors to make him give up everything he is holding illegally and establish the kingdom of God everywhere in our life and all over the earth. Join the battle. Pray smart. Don't pray naked.

PRAYING THE WORD

I continually ask God to fill me with the knowledge of HIS will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that I may live a life worthy of the Lord and please HIM in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to HIS glorious might so that I may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified me to share in the inheritance of HIS people in the kingdom of light. I will continue to ask that the God of my Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give me the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that I may know HIM better. I pray that the eyes of my heart may be enlightened in order that I may know the hope to which HE has called me, the riches of HIS glorious inheritance in HIS people, and HIS incomparably great power for me because I believe. I ask that out of HIS glorious riches that HE may strengthen me with power through HIS Spirit in my inner being, so that Christ may dwell in my hearts through faith. And I ask that I be rooted and established in love, and that I have power, together with all the Lord's people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that I may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

And this is my prayer: that my love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that I may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.