Prayer for Sanctification - Morph us!

Heavenly Father,

    How wonderful to know you are always listening, Lord. You are great not because nothing is too big for You.  You are great because nothing is too small for You. I know that Your compassion and caring is poured out on us throughout our days, and especially when we obey Your promptings.  It is a powerful thought to know that everyday when we open our eyes, we could find ourselves in the middle a miracle. The more we look and listen, the more we can act upon prayers because we expect an answer. We should be on the lookout for a miracle.  It's not just God moments, albeit they are significant.  It is life-changing, life-defining incidents that could only be by the hand of our mighty, saving God.   

     You know we are all dealing with significant changes, Lord. Rebecca is finishing her graduation work and already engaged in a job search.  Chip is job searching, too and already interviewing. (Thy Will be done in this week's interview!!) Marc and Alyssa are both in new positions and learning everyday.  We have come to know that change is hard, but change is good. Becoming too comfortable brings complacency and with complacency, often lax behavior and a sense of entitlement.  Father, I pray that none of us will ever take Your provision, protection and love for granted.  Spare us from ever behaving as if we are entitled.  It is only through what Christ did on the Cross for all mankind, that we can move and breath and have being; much less, authentic happiness.  Holy Spirit, keep us alert and live to Your promptings.  Some days, Spirit, nudge us into sharper alertness and focus us on being Christ-like.

    It isn't easy to use the word 'holy', but that is what we are to strive for: holiness. Christ was holy, so Christ-likeness means holiness.   Holiness is what happens when people become intensely serious about learning from Jesus how to arrange life. It happens any time we set our focus on learning to live as Jesus would live if He were in our place. The really big, complicated word for this way of life is sanctification.  It's not as scary as it sounds, is it?  Sanctification is simply accepting Christ's invitation to live life His way because it truly provides a life that is rich, balanced life that is in sync with You.

   I like how one of my favorite authors describes how possible it is for any man, woman or child to live in the presence and under Your power.  He says that life in Christ is 'not about getting into heaven when we die. It is about the glorious redemption of human life that is NOW.   It's about each of our lives and living for You and it's about ever awareness of morphing time!'  Morph us to be more like You, Lord -on everyday and in every way.  Morph us!  In Jesus' Name, I pray, Amen

 

 

We are all on the brink of big changes so get ready, my lovelies!  It's morphin' time and it's good!

 

Always and forever ~

Pray "Lord, Complicate Our Lives!"

Heavenly Father,

Admittedly, we feel closest to You when our prayer life is active and healthy.  Thank You for the ability to communicate with You all made possible through Jesus Christ and the Cross. It's interest that we strive to keep our bodies, the dwelling place of Your Holy Spirit, in good condition.  Yet, Your Spirit is released to be more fruitfully evident when we maintain persistent conversation with You.  I pray that my children will learn to pray hard and to pray through life. When we pray through, You never fail to come through as our wills align. 

 

Lord, thank You for honoring prayers of desperation equally to prayers that just check-in with You.  May we never question that You are always listening and at work for our good. May our prayers be sincere, but bold; audacious and acceptable; tenacious and truth-filled.  Most importantly, may our prayers be a lifeline to You, our source of strength and a sure refuge.  Thank You that prayer habits are to be cultivated and practiced.  The bigger the prayers, the bigger we dream and the harder we are to pray.

 

Forgive us for giving up praying to You when we cannot see tangible differences in our lives. Forgive us for allowing our circumstances to get between You and each of us when we should be putting You between us and our circumstances.  We are slow learners, Father.  When will we 'get it' that prayer is a no-lose proposition and no-lose means win-win! Prayer is a sure fire win-win; everything to gain and nothing to lose.  As Chip and Rebecca continue in job searches and Marc and Alyssa are settling into new positions, I pray they will pray hard and pray through to You.  The more opposition and challenges they face, may they prayer harder and know that You often wait until the very last moment to answer.  Could it be that You already know when we will quit bringing a certain issue to You?  Do You have full knowledge of when we will chicken out or resort to self-sufficiency by force fitting our own way? Yes and Yes! You are God and You know us completely!

 

Help us to grasp that really knowing You and Your heart, Father, is not independence. The goal is to be codependent on You.  It's the only codependent relationship we should allow! Our desire for self-sufficiency is a subtle expression of our sinful nature. Pride creeps in when, too - wanting what we want and when we want it.  All of us wrestle with a desire to get to a place where we don't need God, don't need faith and don't need to pray.  I pray we will each move through that wrestling season quickly. Forgive us for immaturely wanting  You to provide more so we need You less.  Truth is, our greatest need is to know more of You and all other needs come into healthy perspective through our defined relationship. 

 

Lord, keep putting us in situations to stretch our faith.  As our faith stretches, I pray our dreams will stretch, too.  Bigger and bigger dreams will move us closer to You and awaken us further to a personal need for Christ. I have come to realize that Your blessings can complicate life.  It is true! I think about health, education, marriage, careers, family, relationships, building a home, children....on and on....all blessings that complicate.  May we never cease to recognize our need for You. May we trust You enough to pray, "Lord complicate our lives". Because all things are possible with You, we can pray about complications and wait patiently to see Your Glory revealed in growth, nearness and blessing.  Only the one, true, living God could accomplish such miracles and You do it all in love.  Amazing!  In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen 

​Do you agree, Family? Do blessings complicate? He trusts us enough to make life complicated and in Him, all things come together.  Beautiful mystery, don't you think?!??

We are so blessed​!!   Always and forever ~

Thanks for Spring! Keep God as top priority!

Heavenly Father,

This morning is a great morning! Thank you for the beauty of Spring and the renewed spirit that bolsters us to get moving - to get busy tidying up after winter, to brighten up and refresh and renew.  I love the new perspective of Springtime and the spirit of perseverance that is reborn in us. 

 

Lord God, Holy Spirit, pour into our children a double portion of perseverance. As Chip and Rebecca are engaged in intense job searches, Marc is soaking up major data everyday in his new work and Alyssa is sorting out her career path, I pray for all of us to have Your powerful motivation to hang on and be faithful.  It is easy to fold and redirect when we don't get what we want or what we think we need and deserve. We often give up too easily and too soon. We quit praying and forget Your promises before the miracle happens.  Father, prayer is about being consistent and waiting for You to make things happen.  I pray that Bob nor I nor our children will forfeit a miracle that You have planned for any of us.  That would deny You Glory and provide a detour from the plans that You already determined for us, individually and as a family. It could possibly provide the means for the evil one to edge into our lives and alter Your plans.  That's what the evil one does, especially in a moment of vulnerability or when are bent on having our own way. Pride is Satan's greatest tool.

 

Because You are good and merciful, full of grace and everlasting kindness, I thank You in advance for the outcomes that are in the making.  May we all be thankful NOW for what is to come. Praise is primary. Praise goes before because You go before us, Lord.  Praise goes before problem and praise goes before an answer is revealed.

 

Lord, forgive us for impatience.  Forgive us for not waiting on You. When it appears You are not answering our prayers right away, we often try to answer them for You. We manipulate or deny what is unfolding. Even when we know You are omniscient,  we think we know more.  Sometimes facts are right before us and we turn a blind eye to truth You have revealed. It's pretty funny, Lord....often we think we are in control. We get overanxious and go into overdrive to take charge to make things happen. All along we shouldn't seek immediate answers as much as we should seek You. We should be praying, praying scripture and prayer journaling; gathering data and soliciting trust prayer partners to stand in the gap for us.  We should be praying individually and together. I think of Daniel and how three times a day he checked in with You to keep communication and direction open. Daniel waited for the miracle and while he waited, he prayed and went about a life of obedience.   I love what Batterson writes, Make sure you pray like everything depends on God. Prayer is the alpha and omega of planning.  Don't just brainstorm - PRAYSTORM! 

 

Top of mind is that You are infinitely - INFINITELY - bigger than our biggest challenge, our biggest problem, our biggest dream.  Bless You Lord that You are bigger than our greatest sin and our greatest weakness.  Nothing is bigger than our God.  Lord, one man said that a low view of You is the cause of a hundred lesser evils, but a high view of You is the solution to ten thousand temporal problems. May we all keep growing closer and closer to You in our prayer life, Father. May we all be intentional about growing spiritually; to keep stretching and going after dreams that are bigger than we are. I pray that we will not close our minds to options and ideas without first filtering every idea through a candid conversation(s) with You. Bless You, Lord that in Your amazing power to carry on, You provide strength to discern and walk through any challenge.  Thank You for taking responsibility off our shoulders and carrying us to Divine destinations.  We love you, Lord and pray all this in the powerful, all-knowing and healing name of Jesus, Amen. 

Always and forever ~​

Pray that God is in All We Do

Heavenly Father,

 

Thank You for Springtime! The green - the budding and blooming  - the chilly mornings and evidence that renewed life is all around us. Renewal is what You are all about. Thank You - You provided Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross of Calvary so that we may have guaranteed New Life NOW and throughout Eternity.  It is more than the human mind can grasp....so well-planned from the moment You said 'Let there be light' to this moment and forever - FOREVER! Then knowing that Your Master Plan for the universe includes every individual who calls you Lord & Savior is astounding and, again, more than we can grasp.  We can only say thank You, praise You and bless You, Lord.

 

As my precious children each work through Your plan, I pray they seek Your Will in every endeavor.  That sounds overwhelming, Lord, but it is freeing and comfortable to know that knowing You and living by Your precepts removes all doubt and fear of making wrong choices. In You, every option is an option.  Living for You means every move, every choice and every oppoortunity is of You, by You and for You.  You, alone, can work all things for our good when we are called according to Your purpose. Again, too much to understand, but all possible through our mighty Savior and the supernatural power given to us in the Holy Spirit.  

 

Batterson's words resound to me as I pray them for Bob, Chip and Rebecca, Marc and Alyssa.  May we all :

 

Do the best we can with what we have and where we are.   Success is not circumstantial.  Lord, Your primary concern is who we are becoming. When we pray, "Your Will be done," it's not about being in the right place or making the connection.  It is about being : being available - being the right person right now - being still to seize Your ordained moments of each day - being in the here and now vs. wishing or dreaming about the then and there or about the what ifs, wouldas, couldas, shouldas. Reality is the NOW.

 

Help us maximize our God-given potential.  Potential and purpose is why You made us, God.   Potential and purpose brings You Glory and doesn't point to any individual but to You!  Father, may all of us grow into our God-given giftedness and not force fit life into what we imagine or think we know about ourselves.  There is no way we can preplan what You have in store for us,Lord.  It is almost laughable to think we can orchestrate Your Master Plan when we are not The Master! Our purpose, our task, our calling, our obedience to align with You! 

 

Be most respected by the people who know us best.  May we treat each other well, Lord. We have learned over and over that when the dust settles from a life changing event or a crisis, in carefree and comfortable times; in suffering and sorrow; in celebration and good times, the last ones standing near us are family - faithful, devoted and true. Family, by Your standards, is to love unconditionally, sacrifice and live and speak truth in love; always looking forward to being together.  We are blessed to have one another and I know that this family doesn't give up but prays through any and all circumstances. Family that claims You as the core member, perseveres and consistently waits for miracles to happen.  Family prays big and dreams big for each other.  Family takes risks and knows that we have each other's backs because not taking the risk would mean forfeiting a miracle and denying You Glory. In Jesus' Name, Amen  

 

Dear Ones, enjoy today and give it your all! Expect something to happen and I pray you are open to opportunities, no matter how great or how small. 

 

Always and forever ~

Pray Boldly, Honestly, and Intentionally

Heavenly Father,

On this Sunday after Easter we claim victory over the grave through Jesus' resurrection. We claim His victory to be more than an Easter experience but a daily worship experience, a moment-by-moment prayer experience,  because our Savior lives!  We are bound together as His Body of believers who love our undying Savior with an undying love. It is Your undying love that leads us to love completely and sacrificially. Thank You, Lord.

 

Lord, You know that I am working on further development of my own prayer life.  As all my prayers - yes, ALL! - include my children and Bob, Mom's Prayers are naturally going to  focus on the spiritual discipline of prayer.  Thank You, Lord, for fresh perspectives from Mark Batterson. I am humbled to share them with our family.

 

I pray that all our family will pray boldly. Bold prayers honor God and God honors bold prayers. God isn't offended by our biggest dreams or boldest prayers. He is offended by anything less. If our prayers are not impossible for us, they are insulting to You. Why? Because then our prayers don't require Your Divine Intervention.  

​I pray that all our family will pray Your promises.  There is nothing You love more than keeping promises, answering prayers, and fulfilling dreams. That is who You are and what You do! May we remain diligent about knowing Your Word, being in worship and Christian community and allowing the power of the Holy Spirit to reign in each of us. I pray we will get over ourselves and get out of Your way so You can direct us, answer prayers and allow us to see Your greater good.

 

I pray that all our family will want to strengthen their prayer lives.  Who we become is determined by HOW we pray. Ultimately, the transcript of our prayers becomes the transcript of our lives. ​Thank You that it is never too late to start praying.  Forgive us for seasons that wax and wane, then flourish in inconsistency with the gift of prayer.

 

​I pray that all our family will learn to be honest in prayers. The greatest tragedy in life is the prayer that goes unanswered because it goes unasked when You are God and know every desire and intention in our hearts and minds.  It is absolutely foolish to think that You don't know our secret plan, agenda or mission when You have designed us with Your purpose and Your plan and Your mission....what is absolutely best suited for us and our heart's ultimate fulfillment.  May we yield to Your Will through our prayer life, Lord God. We pray out of ignorance, but You answer out of omniscience. We pray out of our impotence, but You answer out of Your omnipotence. You have the ability to answer the prayer we should have prayed but lacked the knowledge or ability to even ask.

 

Jesus, in Your Word, You asked "What do you want me to do for you?" May we pray in God-glorifying life goals, seeking Your face and yielding our wills to Your Will. You cannot answer vague prayers and the more faith we have, the more specific our prayers will be.  The more specific our prayers are, the more You receive.  It's all about You, Lord!!!  In Jesus' Name, Amen 

 

Family, let's pray! Now & forever ~