Prayers of My Heart
If You’re Wondering What to Do About Something
Are you at your wit’s end? Do you need someone to talk to who can help you sort out your concerns, problems, and worries? God understands. Our Heavenly Father is the original COUNSELOR. And, Isaiah 9:6 says this about Jesus. Not only is He our Counselor, but He is also a “Wonderful Counselor.” Our Heavenly Father and Jesus are wonderful counselors because they are excellent listeners and know us inside and out. We can talk to them and know they hear us, and when we quiet ourselves in their presence, we can hear them. Talk to your Wonderful Counselor, then follow His counsel. I record what God prompts me to do in my journal, Prayers of My Heart. It helps me follow through because I can reread what I’ve recorded that He put on my heart. What do God’s prompts sound like? His prompt might be, “Open your Bible and read a Psalm.” It might be, “Stop procrastinating and tackle what is before you.” His prompt might be, “Instead of wondering about someone, call them.” Or, “Do _____ today.” A wise Christian will both talk things out with their Wonderful Counselor and follow how the Wonderful Counselor prompts them. Are we wise?
LORD, You are the WONDERFUL COUNSELOR. Increase our sensitivity to Your Voice. Help us take seriously Your counsel and follow through on what You lead us to do.
Please join me for Acts, Part 2. New teachings each week. Learn more HERE.
Your “Appointment” Pop Quiz
True or False: God is interested in our lives, relationships, families. True or False: God assigns individuals to particular tasks. True or False: God has set times in history. If you said true to all three you are absolutely correct. Do you have Scriptures to back up your answers? If not, meditate on the following in terms of your life. Let the reality of God’s hand in individual lives, relationships, times, places encourage you.
“So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the APPOINTED time of which God had spoken to him,” Genesis 21:2.
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have APPOINTED you a prophet to the nations,” Jeremy 1:5.
“Son of man, I have appointed you a watchman to the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from My mouth, warn them from Me.” Ezekiel 3:17
And the LORD APPOINTED a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights,” Jonah 1:17.
“So the LORD God APPOINTED a plant and it grew up over Jonah to be a shade over his head to deliver him from his discomfort. And Jonah was extremely happy about the plant,” Jonah 4:6.
“He (Jesus) APPOINTED twelve, so that they would be with Him and that He could send them out to preach, Mark 3:14.
“Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the APPOINTED time will come,” Mark 13:33.
“And inasmuch as it is APPOINTED for men to die once and after this comes judgment,” Hebrews 9:27.
Yes, God appoints times, people, places, events, and more. What has He appointed you to do? Join me for Acts, Part 2 that begins January 25, and find out! In person or by watching on YouTube.
LORD GOD, You APPOINT people, places, times, and events. How exciting! I want to be a part! Appoint me.
Finger Pointing, Rock Slinging Reversal
Peace between people. Is it possible? It appears not to be. Why? Because although we aren’t perfect, we expect others to be perfect. Remember when the Jews were itching to stone a woman caught in adultery? The rocks were in their hands. Their self-righteous arms were wound for the throw. But when Jesus confronted them, when He invited the one who was sin free to pellet her, the self-righteous slunk away. What did Jesus then do? If you said, stone her because she was guilty and deserving of punishment, you’re both right and wrong. You’re correct in saying she was deserving of death according to the Law. You are incorrect about Jesus’s response. He told her He didn’t condemn her and for her to go and sin no more. Amazing! Jesus extends the same grace to us.
My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 1 John 2:1
There it is. We are not to sin, but when we do, we can be mindfully grateful that Jesus is our Advocate just as He was for the adulterous woman.
Lord Jesus, we praise You, our Advocate. Quicken our hearts to take seriously Your command to sin no more in response to Your grace.
Record Jesus’s description, advocate, in Prayers of My Heart and praise Him for acting on Your behalf so you are not condemned for your sin.
Friends, you’re invited to a study of Acts, Part 2 that I’m teaching. Learn more HERE.
Happy New Year
Happy New Year! By the way, who was it that decided time would be marked by years? Hmmm – have you ever thought about that and when we celebrate a new year, we are celebrating what our Almighty Creator established? Yes, Genesis 1:14 states that at creation, God said,
Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years.
“Year” and “years” are mentioned over 800 times in the Bible. The Bible records the number of years people lived, the years people were in captivity, the number of years rulers reigned, and on and on. In God’s eyes, the first day of a new year is not simply another day. It has past, present, and future value. Consider a sampling of how God keeps note of years:
Genesis 7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day all the fountains of the great deep burst open, and the floodgates of the sky were opened.
Genesis 18:14 Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”
Leviticus 27:24 ‘In the year of jubilee the field shall return to the one from whom he bought it,
Numbers 10:11 Now in the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth of the month, the cloud was lifted from over the tabernacle of the testimony
2 Kings 25:27 Now it came about in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah
1 Samuel 27:7 The number of days that David lived in the country of the Philistines was a year and four months.
Isaiah 6:1 In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, …with the train of His robe filling the temple.
Years have significance to our Heavenly Father. He ordains events for certain years. He marks them. He takes note of them and uses people who are sensitive to His call. Rather than letting today come and go with passing thoughts of resolutions, let’s pray to our Heavenly Father with anticipation about what He has in store for this year and how we can be a part of what He is accomplishing.
Heavenly Father, how exciting that You, Creator God, establish years, months, and days in which to accomplish Your will. Use us! Let us be a part of the unfolding of Your eternal plan.
God of Joy and Love
It’s a new day, but let me ask you something. Are you short on joy today? It can happen. We race toward special days or live expectantly of something and then it comes and goes. Or, things don’t go as we expected or wanted. What do we do when that happens? We have a choice. We can get down and discouraged. We can dwell on the negative. Or, we can go into God’s presence and talk things over with Him. We can be mindful of Jesus’s love for us and how He longs to fill us and be our companion. I encourage you today to choose to see life today through His eyes and that every day is a gift. Use today to express gratefulness to Him for every single blessing before you: a place to live, family, work, the blessing of a ministry, friends, and your health. Thank God for the freedom to live in a country where you can worship with other believers…if that is the case. I know some of you who receive this worship under oppressive circumstances. Thank God for those partnering with you and the protection God has given you to continue the work you do. In whatever circumstance you find yourself, ask God to fill you with His Spirit and joy. Yield to His divine direction throughout the day. Be a Christian who is known by your love and joy. Meditate on and live by the following:
You (God) will make known to me the path of life;
*In Your presence is fullness of joy*; In Your right hand there are
pleasures forever. Psalm 61:11By this all people will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one another. John 13:35
Prayers of My Heart journal can help. I speak from experience. The habit, the discipline of beginning every day focusing my mind on what I’m grateful for that God did the day before is a powerful mind and thought shaper. It begins my day thinking on the positive and God’s powerful sway in my day and life. Writing is a proven brain changer. There is no reason to go into the next year with the same old negative thought patterns when God tells us what to not do – be anxious and what to do – be thankful and to think on whatever is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good report, excellent, and worthy of praise. Philippians 4:8
Your “Appointment” Pop Quiz
True or False: God is interested in our lives, relationships, families. True or False: God assigns individuals to particular tasks? True or False: God has set times in history. If you said true to all three you are absolutely correct. Do you have Scriptures to back up your answers? If not, meditate on the following in terms of your life. Let the reality of God’s hand in individual lives, relationships, times, places encourage you.
“So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the APPOINTED time of which God had spoken to him,” Gen 21:2.
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have APPOINTED you a prophet to the nations,” Jer 1:5.
“Son of man, I have appointed you a watchman to the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from My mouth, warn them from Me.” Ezekiel 3:17
And the LORD APPOINTED a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights,” Jonah 1:17.
“So the LORD God APPOINTED a plant and it grew up over Jonah to be a shade over his head to deliver him from his discomfort. And Jonah was extremely happy about the plant,” Jonah 4:6.
“He (Jesus) APPOINTED twelve, so that they would be with Him and that He could send them out to preach, Mark 3:14.
“Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the APPOINTED time will come,” Mark 13:33.
“And inasmuch as it is APPOINTED for men to die once and after this comes judgment,” Hebrews 9:27.
Yes, God appoints times, people, places, events, and more. What has He appointed you to do? Join me for Acts, Part 2 that begins January 25 and find out! In person or by watching on YouTube.
LORD GOD, You APPOINT people, places, times, and events. How exciting! I want to be a part! Appoint me.
Let’s Get This Right
Have you ever considered that because Christ paid for your sins you are worthy of heaven? Say that a few times to yourself and let it sink in. “I am worthy of heaven.” Believers are found worthy of heaven ONLY because Christ is worthy and exchanged His righteousness for our sins. He gave us His righteousness. Colossians 1:10 reminds us of the implication – “so that YOU will walk in a manner WORTHY of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;” In other words, we’re to walk in a manner worthy of or “suitably” for our Lord. We may have a hazy understanding of what it means to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, but we know what it means to be suitable. A child who puts on dirty clothes for school is told to put on something suitable, something clean for school. In the same manner, we are to walk worthily (suitably) of the Lord. Let’s get this right this year.
JOURNALING TIP: I wrote in the Meditations section of my journal, “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord,” Colossians 1:10. It’s a verse I want to put to memory. Writing and reviewing it helps keep me focused on this important calling.
Lord, thank You for making us worthy of Your presence and of heaven. Help us walk worthily of You!
Excerpt from If God is In Control, Why Am I a Basket Case?
Save
If You’re Wondering What to Do About Something
Are you at your wit’s end? Do you need someone to talk to who can help you sort out your concerns, problems, and worries? God understands. Our Heavenly Father is the original COUNSELOR. And, Isaiah 9:6 says this about Jesus. Not only is He our Counselor, but He is also a “Wonderful Counselor.” Our Heavenly Father and Jesus are wonderful counselors because they are excellent listeners and know us inside and out. We can talk to them and know they hear us, and when we quiet ourselves in their presence, we can hear them. Talk to your Wonderful Counselor, then follow His counsel. I record what God prompts me to do in my journal, Prayers of My Heart. It helps me follow through because I can reread what I’ve recorded that He put on my heart. What do God’s prompts sound like? His prompt might be, “Open your Bible and read a Psalm.” It might be, “Stop procrastinating and tackle what is before you.” His prompt might be, “Instead of wondering about someone, call them.” Or, “Do _____ today.” A wise Christian will both talk things out with their Wonderful Counselor and follow how the Wonderful Counselor prompts them. Are we wise?
LORD, You are the WONDERFUL COUNSELOR. Increase our sensitivity to Your Voice. Help us take seriously Your counsel and follow through on what You lead us to do.
Who Can You Believe?
Do you ever wonder who you can believe? One person says one thing and another claims the opposite. Yes, it can sometimes be difficult to know who to believe, but not in the case of Jesus’s words. Revelation 1:5 describes Jesus Christ as “the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood-” Jesus is a faithful witness. A witness of what? He witnessed to us about heaven, His Father, angels, crowns of righteousness awaiting believers, resurrection bodies, thrones, powers, kingdoms, the judgment seat, forgiveness, redemption, His Father’s house, and about Satan. Jesus testified about the fact that Abraham, Noah, Moses, and Jonah were real people and that the Old Testament is true. Our confidence in the Bible and its teachings solidly rests on Christ because He is a faithful witness to us that they are true.
Lord Jesus, we praise You, the faithful WITNESS! Thank You for the confidence we have in the Bible and You because of Your word.
Our GIFT to YOU or your Christmas gift to someone: Prayers of My Heart Journal with any donation of $20 or more. WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING about PRAYERS OF MY HEART JOURNAL.
I Don’t Know What to Do
“I don’t know what to do.” How many times have you said or thought that? Perhaps you’re trying to figure out your finances. Maybe you’re at a crossroads in life and trying to figure out God’s will. Or maybe there’s a personal or business relationship that’s troubling you that needs to be handled in the wisest of ways. Whether you’re wondering whether to take your child to the doctor or your question is of another nature, look to Jesus. Why? We’ve seen in other Scriptures how Jesus is a treasure that we have within us. But Colossians 2:2b-3 gives us more insight. It says that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Jesus. Ponder what that means for you. Talk to Jesus. Look to Him. Listen to Jesus. Record what He tells you to do. Follow up on His instructions. Walk in the wisdom and knowledge you have in Jesus. It’s an incredible blessing that would be a shame to miss and can help prevent future heartbreaks.
TIP: Each morning after recording God’s attributes in the first column of Prayers of My Heart and interceding for others, I record God’s “prayer prompt” of what He wants me to do in the ‘Meditations, Notes, and Prayers’ section. Yes, God has things for us to do. When we pause with pen in hand, we’re positioned to listen to God and do what He places on our hearts. Returning to celebrate the wisdom of Christ’s ways increases the joy in our hearts. Walk daily by the Treasury of Wisdom you have in Christ Jesus.
Prayers of My Heart is a meaningful gift for family, friends, teachers, and
Bible study group members.
Friends, you’re invited to a study of Acts that I’m teaching. Learn more HERE.