Prayer and Obedience

2 Chronicles 15:4-7 KJV

4 But when they in their trouble did turn unto the LORD God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them. . . . 7 Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded.

Christians often say that if God's people would just pray more, then He would hear and answer their prayers. At times, I have even thought that more prayer was the answer; however, the more I read and study my Bible, I see there is more needed than just prayer.

Here we see that the people are toldto seek God. This is usually done through study and prayer. What we also see is that just a few verses later it says that "your work will be rewarded." What work is this talking about? Wouldn't this workbe the doing of what God calls us to do? Our obedience?

You see, just praying and asking God for help won't always be enough. We have to be obedient and comply with what He has called us to do.

If we go back a few chapters to 2 Chronicles 7:14, we see that not only are we called to pray and seek, but also, humble ourselves and turn from our wickedness. These are not just suggestions! We need to be obedient.

While I agree that God's people need to pray more (prayer is often a last resort instead of a first line of defense), I also believe we need to be more obeident.

More prayer and more obedience!

Time With God Survey

I would appreciate it if you would take a few moments to answer just a few questions about your time with God. If you have more comments after completing the survey,  you can comment on this post or go to Facebook and comment there.

Time With God

Thank you, in advance, for your participation!

I Offer Up Today

Marriage Moment Monday

Don't be so busy doing things that you don't have time to pray! Prayer is the most important thing you can do for your marriage.

Pray, Gird, Prepare

Nehemiah 4:10-23 KJV

10 And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall. 11 And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come in the midst among them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease. 12 And it came to pass, that when the Jews which dwelt by them came, they said unto us ten times, From all places whence ye shall return unto us they will be upon you. 13 Therefore set I in the lower places behind the wall, and on the higher places, I even set the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows. 14 And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses. 15 And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known unto us, and God had brought their counsel to nought, that we returned all of us to the wall, every one unto his work. 16 And it came to pass from that time forth, that the half of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held both the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the habergeons; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah. 17 They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon. 18 For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so builded. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me. 19 And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, The work is great and large, and we are separated upon the wall, one far from another. 20 In what place therefore ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither unto us: our God shall fight for us. 21 So we laboured in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared. 22 Likewise at the same time said I unto the people, Let every one with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and labour on the day. 23 So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard which followed me, none of us put off our clothes, saving that every one put them off for washing.

The enemies of the Israelites did not give up! The Jews were starting to get discouraged and scared, but Nehemiah didn't let them stop working. Instead, he set some on guard and all the workers were equipped with weapons. Nehemiah also encouraged them.

Nehemiah reminded them about how great God is (14) and also how God would fight for them (20). He also was right there alongside them and was ready to go into the heat of the battle and fight with them. He never gave up on God's work.

He also made sure they were always read to fight if needed by the fact that they were always dressed and ready for battle if need be. They only took off their clothes to wash them.

When you are faced with challenges, how do you react? Do you go to God in prayer, gird up and prepare? Are you always on guard and ready to defend yourself? Nehemiah sets a good example for us to follow.

A Format for Prayer

Nehemiah 1:5-11 KJV

5 And said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments: 6 Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father's house have sinned. 7 We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses. 8 Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations: 9 But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there. 10 Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand. 11 O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king's cupbearer.

 Nehemiah was greatly troubled for his nation-the nation of Israel. He prayed on behalf of the nation and I believe we can learn much from his prayer.

He began in praise of God. Then he asked God to hear him. He confessed his sins as well as the sins of the nation. Then he restated what he knew about God and stood on those promises. He knew God would not be slack in keeping His promises. The final thing he asked for was for God to be with him as he moved forward in something he felt God calling him to do.

We would be wise to follow this format in our own prayers. He did not make a long prayer filled with eloquent words. He stated facts of who God was (praise) and what He had already promised. He didn't try to sugar-coat the extent of their sins, but confessed openly and truthfully. Finally he finished with another plea for God to stand by him as he went about his work.

Nehemiah's humility really stands out to me here. May I remain humble before my God as well.

A Prayer for My Children

Whenever I come to the book of Philippians in my bible, I am reminded of praying Philippians 1:9-11 for my children (I have marked in my bible that it is a prayer for my children).

It has been a while since I have been in Philippians, but I don't want to wait so long in between praying this prayer for them, so I created a printable that I am going to hang on my "War" wall (I don't have space for war room so I have a wall in my bedroom).

I am sharing it with you in case you would like to do the same.

You can save this image and then print or save the pdf file found here.

Are You Afflicted for Others?

Nehemiah 1:1-4 KJV

1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace, 2 That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. 3 And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. 4 And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,

I am struck at Nehemiah's response to hearing the news of his people. He was truly afflicted himself right along with them. He wept for days. He fasted and prayed.

Shouldn't this be our response to hearing of atrocities? Shouldn't the massive numbers of abortions every day cause us to weep, fast, and pray? When fellow brothers and sisters in Christ are under persecution, shouldn't we stop, weep, fast, and pray? When we hear/know of marriages that are falling apart, shouldn't we weep, fast, and pray?

I know I am guilty of not being burdened for those less fortunate enough to draw me to my knees in prayer. Why am I not? I feel ashamed of myself for slacking in this.

I would love for you to share your thoughts on this topic.

The Goal of Prayer

Throw Back Thursday

I haven't done a Throw Back Thursday in a few weeks, but I occasionally go back and read old posts and this one spoke to me. I have been struggling with taking the time to pray. Yes, of course I will pray throughout the day and for others, but I hadn't taken time to spend in just prayer-speaking with and listening to God. I felt like I was being lazy if I took a 1/2 hour in the morning just to pray, but I have to remember that it isn't "just" praying. I need that communication to keep my relationship with God strong.

I thought you might be encouraged as well.

Taking the Time to Pray

Fasting

Matthew 6:16-18 KJV

16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

The purpose of fasting is to spend more time with God and to draw closer to Him.

You take the time you normally would spend eating (or doing an activity) and spend it in prayer. You would strive to hear what God is saying to you. If this is your true purpose (as it should be), then it wouldn't matter if anyone else could tell that you were fasting. If you are striving for others to give you recognition for participating in a "holy" act, then you aren't truly striving to draw closer to God. You will receive praise from men, but not from God.

How to Pray

Matthew 6:8-15 KJV

8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. 9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. 14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Jesus models for us how we are to pray.

We are to give honor and glory to God first. We are to seek God's will over our own. We are to go to God to fill our needs. We must remember that our needs can be met daily and we need to wait on His timing. Of course, we must be repentant, but we must also realize we must forgive others if we expect forgiveness from God. We can ask God to keep us from harm-physical and spiritual and for Him to help us when we fall into evil. We then return to praising Him for His power and all He does.

I love how scripture is a textbook for life!

Do So Quietly

Matthew 6:1-7 KJV

1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. 2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: 4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. 5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. 7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

When we do something good for others, we are to do so quietly because we are supposed to do it out of love and not for recognition. If we make a big deal about it, then the recognition of men is our reward and we will miss out on the  blessing from God.

The same is true of our prayer life. We pray to communicate with God. Even if we do pray in a group setting, our goal is communication, not expectation that others will compliment our prayers. We need to make sure that we do what we do out of love and relationship and not because we are expecting some kind of earthly reward.

Transformation of the Heart

Pray for Marriage

I was awoken last night just after having a dream where I was standing in the road trying to warn people of danger ahead. I was trying to get them to slow down and be careful through the treacherous road that laid before them. When I woke, I asked God of what danger I was warning people. Immediately, a few couples came to mind. These couples are all having difficulties in their marriages.

Marriage is a sacred union. Most people enter marriage with the traditional wedding vows which are:

Do you promise to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health and forsaking all others, be faithful only to him so long as you both shall live?

Even if couples vary from the above vows, they hold many of the same thoughts. Let's look at these vows.

"Love him"-Love is a choice which is why you promise to do it. If it was just a feeling you could fall in and out of, there isn't any way you could promise to always do it. It isn't always going to be easy, but you need to make the choice to love your spouse.

"honor him"-Again, choosing to honor isn't always going to be easy, but you promise to do it on your wedding day. How does honor look? Well, it could be by not saying negative things about your spouse to others. It could be choosing his likes over your own. It definitely is submitting to his authority and God-given role in your marriage.

"for better or worse"-Life isn't always going to be a breeze and your marriage won't survive if you only love and honor in the best of times. Again, those are choices that you have to make and make them even when times are tough. The tough times won't always stay. In fact, the tough times don't seem so tough when you do choose to love and honor and work together as a team.

"for richer or poorer, in sickness and health"- Again, life isn't always going to be easy, but we need to stand with our spouses. We need to be there for them in the good and bad times. It is easier to endure trials with the support and love of another person. "For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up."~Ecclesiastes 4:10

"forsaking all others, be faithful only to him"-Most people only think of this in terms of adultery, but it is much more than just a physical relationship with someone other than your spouse. There is what people call emotional adultery where you seek comfort or emotional intimacy with someone other than your spouse. Also, there doesn't necessarily need to be a physical relationship as just talking with someone else and fantasizing about someone else can be just as detrimental.

In addition to these vows, most people begin their marriages with a wedding where they stand in a church and vow before God to keep these vows. When you do that, you are entering a covenant with God so you aren't just promising your spouse, but God as well.

Satan hates anything that God loves which means that he hates marriage and is going to do all that he can to destroy it. He will use any of the areas mentioned above to attack. We need to be in constant prayer for not only our marriages, but the marriages of those around us. We need to stand and fight the attacks of the devil and we know that defeating him can only be done in the strength of Christ.

Please join me today praying for your marriage, praying for the marriages of your friends and
families, praying for the marriages of those who follow this blog, and for marriages in general. If you know of people who are struggling in their marriages, pray for them. If you know people who seem to have a strong marriage, still pray as they may not actually have a strong marriage or they may have some rough roads ahead. Pray that couples will lean on Christ for strength and seek to draw closer together by drawing closer to Him.

God tells us that where two or three are gathered, He will be in the midst of them. Let us join together and pray!

Dear Heavenly Father, You created the institute of marriage and made it holy. I pray for all couples. I pray they seek You personally and seek Your strength and wisdom to help them in their marriages. I pray they will make You the center of their marriages. I pray they love one another. I pray wives honor their husbands. I pray they endure through the hard times as much as they enjoy the good times. I pray for faithfulness not only to their spouses physically and emotionally, but also faithfulness to You. I pray for openness of feelings and thoughts. I pray for unity in each marriage. I pray for communication. I pray for intimacy-both physical and emotional. I pray for my own marriage in all these areas as well. Lord, may You strengthen and encourage couples in their walk with You and each other. May You be glorified in relationships that are healed and restored. I also pray that if we can be of help in any way to the marriages around us that You would show us how best to do that. Help us be the people who stand and warn others of the dangers ahead. Help us know how to advise them through the potholes they will encounter. You are a good and faithful God who only desires the best for His children and You love each and every one of us. In the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.

My Prayer Today . . .

Pastor Appreciation

Here are some links to ideas for Pastor Appreciation Month:

31 Day Prayer Calendar for praying for your pastor

Activities for Pastor Appreciation Month

How to pray for your pastor

Serving your pastor

A Chosen Vessel

Acts 9:1-31 KJV

1 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, 2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. 3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: 4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. 6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. 7 And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man. 8 And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus. 9 And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink. 10 And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord. 11 And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth, 12 And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight. 13 Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem: 14 And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name. 15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: 16 For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake. 17 And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. 18 And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized. 19 And when he had received meat, he was strengthened. Then was Saul certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus. 20 And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God. 21 But all that heard him were amazed, and said; Is not this he that destroyed them which called on this name in Jerusalem, and came hither for that intent, that he might bring them bound unto the chief priests? 22 But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ. 23 And after that many days were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel to kill him: 24 But their laying await was known of Saul. And they watched the gates day and night to kill him. 25 Then the disciples took him by night, and let him down by the wall in a basket. 26 And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. 28 And he was with them coming in and going out at Jerusalem. 29 And he spake boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus, and disputed against the Grecians: but they went about to slay him. 30 Which when the brethren knew, they brought him down to Caesarea, and sent him forth to Tarsus. 31 Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied.

I was reading about Paul's conversion and it made me think about people who have drastic conversions now. Aren't we usually pretty skeptical when we hear of someone who either persecuted Christians or who lived in a way in total opposition to God's commands when they say they have given their lives to Christ? Even the disciples were skeptical of Paul's conversion. I know that sometimes a conversion is a lie, but sometimes it is a true conversion.

I pray God grants me the wisdom to know when it is His hand at work. For Christ said to Ananias when He sent him to Saul,

I am also encouraged to pray the more heartily for those who currently persecute Christians. They, too, may be a chosen vessel of God some day.

Will you join me in prayer for people to experience a true conversion to knowing Christ and His power?

Pray Before You Speak

Nehemiah 2 

 4 Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.

The king asked Nehemiah a question and before Nehemiah answered the king, he went to the King of kings in prayer. Nehemiah knew he needed to seek God's wisdom before he opened his mouth.

This is an example of how to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

Nehemiah went to the lord whenever he needed His wisdom. He didn't wait until his scheduled time with God; he went at the very moment he needed to seek Him. Nehemiah didn't just spout off an answer; he was of the mindset to seek God first.

A common saying is "think before you speak", but maybe a better saying would be "pray before you speak."

Adult Coloring and Prayer

I have been enjoying coloring while praying. Usually I choose an adult coloring page that has scripture or a faith saying and then meditate on that while praying. I have also joined a coloring group on facebook that suggests challenges so I have been using those and still praying while coloring.

Currently I am using colored pencils that my daughter brought back from Romania for me. I like colored pencils the best and these pencils color very nicely.

Heart Mandala from a challenge. I prayed about God's love for me and that I would share His love with others. I used the colors of the rainbow since the rainbow is a symbol of His great love for all of mankind.

I colored this for my husband. I prayed for him while I colored.

As I have mentioned before, this is my verse for 2016. I framed this and hung it on my bedroom wall.

This was from another facebook group and part of a devotional that I did before Christmas. I enjoyed reminding myself of the true reason for celebrating Christmas.

Do you enjoy coloring? If so, what do you color? What do you use to color?