Prayers of My Heart

Happy Thanksgiving, friends!

One of the things I love about the change in seasons is it’s such a reminder that whatever we’re experiencing or whatever we’re going through, it is just that – a season. It doesn’t mean that things are always going to stay that way. We must never feel stuck. 

I’d like to invite you to join me in a Thanksgiving blessing. Regardless of where we are – alone or with family and friends, whatever our circumstance, Psalm 136:1-9 points out the things for which we can be thankful. 

In this Psalm, after each statement of thanksgiving, we’re invited to join in a chorus and say, “For His lovingkindness is ever lasting.” So please join me after each statement and say, “For His lovingkindness is ever lasting.”

Psalm 136:1-9

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,

For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

Give thanks to the God of gods,

For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

Give thanks to the Lord of lords,

For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

To Him who alone does great wonders,

For His lovingkindness is everlasting;

To Him who made the heavens with skill,

For His lovingkindness is everlasting;

To Him who spread out the earth above the waters,

For His lovingkindness is everlasting;

To Him who made the great lights,

For His lovingkindness is everlasting:

The sun to rule by day,

For His lovingkindness is everlasting,

The moon and stars to rule by night,

For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

What a great truth from the Lord for us to remember during this Thanksgiving season when we may not have much else for which we can say, “I’m so thankful for this.” There are many things for which we may not be thankful. But for the things we just read as well as many other things, we can say, “Give thanks to the Lord for….”

During this Thanksgiving season, I invite you to join me in focusing our minds, hearts, spirits, and souls on that for which we can be thankful. 

We have a wonderful God who made the heavens and earth, who brings us the seasons that are a reminder that just as the seasons change, things in our life change. We can always know that God is constant, faithful, and above all rulers and all authorities. We we will one day see Him, and it will make this time on earth a blink in light of eternity. 

So, sweet friends, give yourself a hug from me and tell your Heavenly Father thank you for His loving kindness that is everlasting. 

God bless you and Happy Thanksgiving. 

LISTEN

LISTEN

“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 attribute 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 heart. 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.

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Do you ever save a note someone has written you? I have a special one that my daughter wrote to me when she was five. It says, “Have fun with God and practicing BSF, ” a Bible Study I taught at that time. Lauren associated me having fun teaching a Bible study in the same way she had fun at her dance class. It raises a good question. Do we have fun with God? No doubt the disciples did when followed Jesus’s advice and threw their fishing net where He showed them. They had so many fish they could barely haul them to shore! Although life has hard and sorrowful times, as believers we should also know the joy of the Lord, as Galatians 5:22 explains. How can you experience more joy? Daily record ways God is working in your life and those for whom you pray. You’ll experience an increase in joy when you do. Get more tips for a joy-filled life.

Have you ever been driving and keeping your eyes on the road before you when suddenly a car came up too fast behind you? If so, do you remember the startling feeling? Do you remember hoping the driver would slow down rather than rear-end you? Often, we speak of the Lord leading us, but Isaiah 52:12 also speaks of the Lord as watching out for our back.

... the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your REAR GUARD.

In this verse God is referred to as a rearguard when the Israelites escaped Egyptian bondage. God is also our rear guard. He watches over us, leads us, and not until heaven will we know how many times He’s protected us from encroaching evil and danger. Just as it was important for Moses and the Israelites to pay attention to and follow God’s instructions, it’s important for us to pay attention and follow His instructions. How do His warnings and instructions come to us? In the Bible and the Holy Spirit’s promptings. How well are we paying attention with a grateful heart?

Lord, thank You for being our REAR GUARD and for all the ways You watch over us and protect us. Help us be ever sensitive to Your promptings. We love You so much. 

Do you ever find something to be beyond difficult? If so, I can relate. I’ve often found myself in “over my head.” I wanted to quit. Many of the things we find difficult are not those we can or should give up on. Our marriage, parenting, families, job, health, church, and friendships all require commitment. When we find them to be difficult, we can remember what Jeremiah 32:17 says, that with God NOTHING IS TOO DIFFICULT.

Ah LORD GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! NOTHING IS TOO DIFFICULT FOR YOU.

Isn’t that a great verse? I hope it makes you smile. It does me. God wants us to know “He’s got this.” It’s an incredible reminder that instead of cratering when we’re under pressure, we can call on God who “made the heavens and earth by His great power and outstretched arm.” He can help us with whatever we’re facing. He wants to help us! Call on Him now. Then, prayerfully record in Prayers of My Heart the things weighing you down. Ask God for wisdom for how to handle them. Then, be sure and record how He guides you in the “Meditations, Notes, and Prayer” section of your journal. Date and record your thanks to Him as He walks you through each day.

LORD, NOTHING IS TOO DIFFICULT FOR YOU! Thank You for Your presence, Your power, and You’re provision. We love you!  

Jesus came to earth as a baby so He might grow into a man, but not just any man. He came from heaven as our MESSIAH. Andrew heard John the Baptist announce that Jesus was the Lamb of God who had come to take away the sins of the world. Andrew followed Jesus and after spending time with Him, he told his brother, Simon Peter, “We have found the MESSIAH,” John 1:41.  Andrew was intentional about his search for the Messiah and after finding Him was intentional about telling others. In what ways can we be more intentional about sharing Christ with others? We can begin by praying for the unsaved to turn to Christ. I label the last column in the Week at a Glance section of Prayers of My Heart: “Unsaved.” What can we pray for those who do not know Christ as Messiah? Here are 8 suggestions.

Jesus Christ, MESSIAH, You are love, forgiveness, hope, peace, and joy! Help us be as Andrew – intentional about following You and telling others about You.

Are you a sourpuss? You know, grumpy, negative, never satisfied? If so, take your thoughts CAPTIVE to Christ. Pay attention to what you’re thinking. Why? Our thoughts make us who we are. An example: After God opened a way for the Israelites to miracuously cross the Red Sea on dry land to escape the Egyptian army, Moses could have said, “Boy, that was close! I don’t know why God let that happen! He about got us killed.” Yes, Moses could have complained. Instead, he chose to sing praises to God. Listen to his words:

Your right hand, O LORD, is MAJESTIC in power, Your right hand, O LORD, shatters the enemy,” Exodus 15:6. Who is like You among the gods, O Lord? Who is like You, MAJESTIC in holiness, Awesome in praises, working wonders?  Exodus 15:11

So, yes, we can look at our day and circumstances and complain. Or, we can choose as Moses did to see the deliverances God has brought us through and how He’s empowered us when we’ve been weak. If we’re a sourpuss and tend to focus on the negative, we’re not doing ourselves or anyone a favor, including God. As a matter of fact, we’re being a bad showcase of our Majestic Lord. Isn’t it time we change?  If you want to take your thoughts captive to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5), do it now. Go to God’s throne room and examine your thoughts in the light of His glory. Remember, Moses isn’t the only one who has a God who is MAJESTIC in power and holiness. We do, too. Isn’t it time we align our thinking to Philippians 4:8?

If you have Prayers of My Heart, join me in turning to the Meditations, Notes, and Prayers section today. Write words of praise to your Heavenly Father. Do you need prompts? He’s saved us. He forgives our bad behavior and careless words. His Word straightens our wayward thoughts. His Spirit is our downpayment and security of heaven. His grace is new every morning. Do you have family or friends, a roof over your head, clean water, food, a bed to sleep in at night? Write words of thanks to Him now. Practice gratefulness.

You, O LORD, are MAJESTIC in HOLINESS and POWER! We sing Your praises for all the things You’ve done, are doing, and will do. Help us showcase You by examining our thoughts and being people of praise .  

Would you like to experience some magnificence? Our Heavenly Father would like for you to, also. He never intended our lives to be filled with angst, anxiety, and the consequences of sin. He created Adam and Eve in His image and placed them in the magnificent Garden of Eden. He created them to share life in and with Him, to live by His divine nature and experience His MAGNIFICENT GLORY. But now? We live in a sin-sick world that is experiencing the consequences of sin and of shutting Him out. But as believers, our hope is not lost. Rather, our hope is firm in Christ Jesus. After turning from sin and confessing Jesus as Lord and Savior, we can daily meditate on God’s Word. We can be emotionally, mentally, and spiritually grounded in God’s magnificent truths.  Second Peter 1:4  tells us that God…

 “has granted to us His precious and MAGNIFICIENT promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.”

Stop. Let that sink in. PARTAKER. Of the. DIVINE NATURE. Friends, corruption is not our eternal destiny, but neither is it to be our daily experience. Rather, Christ’s magnificence is to be our daily moment by moment experience. It can be IF we study and grasp what Peter is telling us. We can escape worldly entrapments of despair, hopelessness, powerlessness and so much more by means of Christ’s divine nature in us operating in accordance with God’s promises. In other words, believers have the joy and privilege of learning God’s Kingdom ways and experiencing them through Christ’s Divine Spirit who is in us. Never let the unbelieving world’s despair, anxiety, and hopelessness infiltrate your soul. Begin each day welcoming your Heavenly Father and Spirit’s presence, praying,

“Heavenly Father, thank You for this day. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit, Your divine nature. Help me be increasingly sensitive to Your voice. Overflow in and through me. Help me be increasingly sensitive to Your voice.

The Father, Son, Holy Spirit, and Bible, all MAGNIFICENT, are ours through the gift of salvation. Immerse your mind with the Father’s ways. Bath your heart in His truths and promises. Walk by His MAGNIFICENT divine nature/Spirit. Learn more with “How to Live by the Divine Nature,” my Bible study on 2 Peter.

LORD, You are MAGNIFICENT and Your promises are MAGNIFICENT. Thank You for salvation by which we become partakers of the divine nature. Help us walk out Your magnificent, divine promises so others see and believe.

Record your praise to God that He is “Magnificent” in Prayers of My Heart.  Pray for yourself and intercede for your family and others that they live by God’s magnificent nature and promises.