For whom do you pray?
- Yourself?
- Family members?
- Friends?
- Coworkers?
- Government officials?
- What about those who are antagonistic toward you or seeking to injure you?
TRANSFORMING PRAYER
Being Grateful During Difficulties
I was distracted.
Shortly before I sat down at the computer to write we received news that a family member has entered the active dying phase.
Instead of writing a post for this blog what I really wanted to do was mindlessly play a card game on my computer or watch a movie where I did not have to think much about the plot line but just enjoy the scenery, clothing, or humor.
But instead, I texted friends who I knew I could ask to pray for the situation.
Each of them responded to me with a short prayer and encouragement.
I then opened my planning schedule to see what verse of scripture I had planned to work on today and read these words:
Continue reading “Being Grateful During Difficulties”CONSTANTLY DEVOTED
- What relationship in your life would you describe as constantly devoted?
- What other words would you use to describe the relationship in addition to constantly devoted?
- Persistent?
- Faithful?
- Loyal?
- Others?
- What elements of the relationship make it one that is constantly devoted?
- Are you someone else’s constantly devoted relationship?
- What does Romans 12:12 have to do with being constantly devoted in relationship?
FLASH FLOODING
This past week has had five straight days of rain in my area.
Flash flooding alerts were prevalent.
Power outages occurred from the flash flooding in some cases.
In addition to the literal flash flooding of the past week there has been emotional flash flooding in my extended family.
- What flash flooding have you been dealing with recently?
- Emotional, spiritual, physical, or mental flash flooding?
- Maybe several flash floods are occurring in your life or someone you know simultaneously?
- How can Psalm 69 help us with the flash flooding that occurs in our lives?
BALCONY TIME
This morning included some balcony time.
The weather was just cool enough with an occasional breeze to be able to enjoy while simply being.
Balcony time is precious to me.
Whether shared with my husband, canine(s), others, or just the Lord it is a therapeutic place for me.
At times the just me and the Lord time on the balcony is critically needed.
It is a time of solitude and isolation from all the pressures I face throughout a day, week, month, year and so on.
In other words, a place to hideout and be refreshed by the Lord.
Kind David in the Old Testament expresses in his many psalms a need to have an audience with the Lord.
Today we will look specifically at Psalm 54.
Continue reading “BALCONY TIME”EFFECTIVENESS IN PRAYER
Several years ago, my husband hung a large birdfeed er from a tree limb in our yard.
We were eager to see what birds would find their way to this bountiful buffet of seeds.
Yes, we got birds, but we also got squirrels.
These squirrels, and possibly one specific rodent, were quite effective at getting seed from the feeder even though it had a rounded dome on top that was meant to deter them.
They were quick to figure out that if they simply chewed through the wire that the feeder was hanging on it would drop to the ground causing the domed lid to come off and spill all the seed on the ground.
My husband even hung the feeder with a stainless-steel cable that they chewed through before trying an 6- gauge copper wire.
This last wire was looking good for a while. But then we noticed that a squirrel was trying to chew through it too.
What does the effective tenacity of these squirrels have to do with effectiveness in prayer as discussed in James 5:16?
Continue reading “EFFECTIVENESS IN PRAYER”What Does it Take to Succeed in Prayer?
Have you ever watched a chickadee learn to land on a feeder?
One morning when I looked out our window to check the status of our bird feeder, I had the opportunity to see baby chickadees attempting to master this exact skill.
They would sit on the tree branch nearby and ruffle their feathers several times before making each attempt to land on the feeder.
Mostly that day they kept missing the mark, skidding, and fluttering down to the ground.
But then, after a moment to compose themselves, they would swoop back up to the tree branch and try again.
Yes, at times they would miss the tree branch too!
I marveled at their tenacity and resilience to keep trying.
Even more amazing, by the next morning these tiny creatures had mastered this new skill.
It was astonishing to see them zipping from branch to feeder to branch to ground and back again looking like total experts at what just the day before was filled with so much failure.
What can we learn from the example of the chickadees above and Matthew 21:22 to succeed in prayer?
Continue reading “What Does it Take to Succeed in Prayer?”THE CHALLENGE OF RECIPROCITY
Last week we looked at the importance of reciprocity as found in Matthew 6:14 where Jesus elaborates on one of the petitions within the sample prayer we refer to as the Lord’s prayer. (See Matthew 6:12.)
After concluding the sample prayer, Jesus confirms with Matthew 6:14 that the Lord to whom one should pray will forgive us as we forgive others.
Then comes the “but” or what I’m referring to as the challenge of reciprocity found in Matthew 6:15.
Continue reading “THE CHALLENGE OF RECIPROCITY”You Shall Not Eat 4
A moment of decision arrives for Eve in Genesis 3:6. Will Eve eat or not?
ESV Genesis 3:6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
Having discussed the one and only command provided to her and Adam by God due to the serpent’s questions that raised uncertainty and doubt about God’s character and provisions for Eve, how does she now assess the prohibited tree?
- Eve saw that the tree was good for food
- Eve saw it was a delight to the eyes
- Eve saw that the tree was to be desired to make one wise
How would you describe what is happening in Eve’s mind and heart as she gazes at the forbidden fruit tree?
Fixating on the forbidden attractive delectable fruit with the idea that it is the path to gaining wisdom, Eve decides to partake and gives some to Adam as well, who willingly partakes.
Have you ever found yourself in a similar situation as Eve and Adam? Fixated on something you have been told you can’t have?
Personally, I recall many times in my life where I’ve been told I couldn’t do, be or have something and my immediate response was “watch me, I’ll prove you wrong!” Sometimes that type of attitude is appropriate when interacting with our fellow humans.
But when it comes to our creator’s commands it is always the path to shame, guilt and negative consequences rather than a path to being wise if we have the “watch me, I’ll prove you wrong!” attitude.
What things can you do each day to keep your focus on God’s abundant provision for you no matter your current circumstance today?
Send me your thoughts!
Blessings,
Barbara Lynn
You Shall Not Eat 3
In Genesis 3:1 the serpent appears to be seeking clarification from Eve about what God had commanded regarding eating the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. After Eve’s failure to quote God accurately the serpent reveals a more sinister motive:
ESV Genesis 3:4-5 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Look again at what God had commanded:
ESV Genesis 2:16-17 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
When striking up the conversation with Eve initially, the serpent had turned the abundance of fruit trees God provided for consumption into a complete ban of all fruit trees. (See 3:1). Now the serpent contradicts God by negating the consequences of eating from this one banned tree.
God warns “you shall surely die”. Eve interpreted this to the softer statement of “lest you die”. The serpent discounts both God and Eve saying, “you will not surely die”.
The serpent goes even further in discrediting God’s character by implying that the reason this tree’s fruit has been banned for consumption is that it will open Eve’s eyes to become like God.
Consider what is said though about the creation of man:
ESV Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
Notice that mankind was already created in God’s likeness. Further, mankind was created to have authority over animals. But here in Genesis 3, it is the serpent, an animal, who is challenging God’s authority and integrity.
Next time we’ll study how Eve responds to this new challenge by the serpent.
Meanwhile, what else do you see in these verses that I haven’t mentioned? Send me your observations! I love to hear from my readers.
Blessings,
Barbara Lynn