Find Your Voice and Share It

I'm currently reading the devotional book, Draw The Circle by Mark Batterson.  This morning I read the chapter entitled "Get a Testimony".  I believe it's true when he says that people are encouraged by or drawn to God through other people's testimonies.

We can read about God, take Bible study after Bible study and still not be drawn as close to God as when we hear someone's first-hand account of how God has worked in their life.

A person's testimony reveals to us not just that God "can" but that He DOES.  And when we see that He "does" in someone else's life it spurs our hope that He "will" in our life. 

Mark also mentioned in his book something that really struck me.  He said "we get a testimony by being tested."  I know - it seems incredibly elementary seeing as how the word "test" is actually in "testimony" and yet this simple sentence gave me a whole new perspective on my trials.

We will have trials in life.  It's a given fact.  But what will we do with those trials?  Will we get through them and never speak of them again?  Does this mean all the pain was in vain?  Or will we use our trials as an opportunity to glorify God, encourage others, strengthen our faith and build someone else's?

Testimonies don't just occur through trials.  They also occur through the abundant blessings God lavishes on us.  What a shame we don't spread the riches and wonder of being a child of God.  People need to know that following God doesn't mean we're all tight-faced, grumpy rule followers.  People need to see by our testimonies that following God is a joyful experience.  How will they know if we don't tell them?

Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name;

make known among the nations what he has done, 

and proclaim that his name is exalted.

Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things;

let this be known to all the world.

Isaiah 12: 4-5

Find your testimony and share it.

Basking in His Delight

Praying The Scriptures

The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will rejoice over you with singing.  Zephaniah 3:17

Father, I thank you so much that you are forever with me.  You never leave my side even when I doubt - even when I'm frustrated - even when I throw a temper-tantrum.  My heart and my life belong to you and because of that your love for me is so strong and so complete that leaving me behind is not even an option.  Thank you for being better at loving than I am.  

And if that wasn't enough, your love leads you to take great delight in me.  To be honest - sometimes I can't imagine that because of my sin.  But - despite my sin you rejoice over me with singing because I have chosen you - I have chosen you to be my Lord, my Savior, my Redeemer!  And because of that - there is singing and dancing as you prepare a home for me.

Father, You not only have saved my soul and claimed it for eternity but you are my biggest defender here in this earthly life.  Sometimes I try to fight all the battles that come my way.  Some battles are just to big for me and some battles you never intended for me to fight.  Help me to let go and let you defend me. You are more than willing and I thank you.  I praise you for your power and might.

I love you, Father.  Thanks for loving me.  Amen.

Praying the Focused Life

Praying The Scriptures

"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you." declares the Lord.  Jeremiah 29:11-14

Gracious heavenly Father, I praise your holy name.  You are all-knowing.  You have a plan and gratefully, I am a part of it.  Your love knows no ends.  I know this verse can be misinterpreted to mean we will never have any troubles.  But I know and believe that when we truly seek you your plans for us will flourish.  Yes, we will have troubles in this earthly life but you are more concerned about the safety and well-being of our eternal soul.  With you - no harm will come to our soul.  Our future is bright and our destiny is secured.

Father, help me to be more diligent in seeking you.  Life has a way of distracting me with busyness and laziness.  Help me to focus my eyes and my heart on you.  When the direction of my eyes are set, the path I'm supposed to take will become more clear.  I love that the more we seek you the more you listen to us.  If we're not serious in having a relationship with you, you're not necessarily interested in listening to our empty words.  Help me to have a heart filled with you and a desire to live for you.

The more I am found by you, Father, the more others can find you in me.  May your glory be seen shining through me. Amen!

Praying the Worthy Life

Praying The Scriptures

I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.  Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.  (Eph. 4:1-6)

Dear heavenly Father, I want nothing more than to live a life worthy of the calling I have received.  A life that's pleasing to you - one that glorifies you and one where I truly live as a conduit passing your blessings on to other people.  I admit - sometimes I find confusion in the specific details of your calling but I pray that the details (or lack thereof) don't prevent me from recognizing the God-glorifying opportunities around me.

I pray that my attitude in service is always what it should be.  Just as there's a danger of me thinking more highly of myself than I should, there's also a danger of me thinking too lowly of myself.  In either case - the possibility of conflict can arise when serving with others.  Help me to keep a humble and gentle spirit and to be patient with others.  Help me to strive to keep the unity of the Spirit alive through the bond of peace.  Help me to focus on the goal.  

Father, I know we have enough battles to face in this world.  We don't need to allow ourselves to be distracted by fighting our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.  We are family and you are the Father of us all. You are in all - and through all.

May your love and patience abound in us. Amen.

Praying The Scriptures

Hi everyone.  Did you think I fell off the earth?  I was planning on taking a break but next thing I knew the whole month of January had passed.  What's up with that anyway?  Why does January go so fast?  Maybe the days are only 20 hours long and we don't notice because we're sleeping.  Anyhoo - that's a problem for someone else to solve.

One of the things I want to get into this year is praying the scriptures.  You may have caught on by now that I use this blog as motivation to get myself into a deeper and closer relationship with God.  I've been wanting to get serious about praying scriptures for over a year now but just haven't taken the time to do it.  So....I will let this blog be my accountability partner so to speak.

Every Sunday I hope to have a scripture praying post.  I figure it's a good way to start the week.  I hope you will enjoy the post but mostly I hope it will serve as encouragement for you to do some of your own scripture praying.

If you're wondering what I mean by praying scriptures it's this: taking the inspired Word of God - filled with it's promises, hope, love, wisdom and God's faithfulness and praying those truths back to God.  The best way to explain is simply to give an example.  So, here is my first post for the year:

Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit you way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him. Psalm 37:4-7

Father God, I delight myself in you. You are marvelous in all your ways and you never cease to amaze me.  I delight in watching you work in and around me.  Please don't ever stop. 

I, believe, Father that you will grant me the desires of my heart.  I may not even know fully what those are yet but they are in your hand and in your plan.

Help me to commit my way to you.  It's so easy for me to want to fight against you with my own plan.  Give me the strength to trust in you.  You have the best interest of everyone always on your mind.  I am just a piece of this ever changing puzzle.  

Sometimes I get beaten down by struggles or people around me but when all is said and done - the glory of your righteousness will shine bright and justice will prevail.  You've always got my back.

Give me peace, Lord, as I struggle waiting patiently before you.  Place deep in my soul and spirit the truth that your timing is, not only best, but divine.  

I love you, Father.  Thanks for loving me!  Amen.