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Posts Tagged ‘prayer’

Low Battery

Posted in Devotional, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , , , , on October 18, 2016| 1 Comment »

low-batteryMy tablet gave me a soft beep-beep. A warning came on the screen. Low battery. Time to plug it into the charger. If only our spirits came with such a warning…perhaps they do.

I hate for my phone or my tablet’s battery to get low. What if it dies just when I need it most? So I have made a habit of plugging them in when I get home each night. Usually. I forgot last night, and got the warning signal today. Oops.

Like my tablet, there are signs that indicate when I am running low on faith.  Perhaps I just don’t feel a s forgiving of others today, or as tolerant of their behavior. Personalities rub me wrong, like a towel dried without softener.  Frustration bubbles into my throat and a sense of anxiety nibbles at my psyche. I find my teeth keep clenching.

Faith, like energy, needs to be replenished. It is used all the time, sometimes more days than others if we are honest,  and I think it can run out if it is not continually renewed. Of course we have an initial faith in God, which prompted us to accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, and that I am sure it never runs completely dry once we have the Holy Spirit alive in us.

Am I as diligent about plugging into God as I am plugging in my phone?

I know there are times, like my tablet or phone, I have felt as if I was running on empty.  Dragging through my emptyday, zombie-like, and not due to lack of sleep, I felt drained of energy.  At times like these, I can almost hear a small beep-beep sounding in my soul. “Come back to the charger. Return to my Word. Fill up on my promises and love. Renew your strength. Pray.”

God taps my shoulder in many ways. If you have been reading this blog a while, or have read my book, Experiencing the Present of His Presence, you know His message can come to me in something I’ve spotted in nature, in a household item, a verse in Scripture, words to a hymn…His ways to communicate with us are endless.  I have learned those taps are like the beeps on my tablet. Time to plug back in to the Source. I need God’s power to fill me up again and fuel my faith. Through prayer and study of Scripture, I need to reconnect to the Almighty.

You, God, are awesome in your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people. Praise be to God! Psalm 68:35

Prudence dictates I should never let my faith run low, because I don’t know what tomorrow brings. I made need all of the spiritual energy I have inside to make it through that day. But God knows.  As He prompted Joseph in Egypt to store up grain, before the famine hits in the form of an unforeseen tragedy, illness or stressful event, I need to store up my spiritual energy and keep it full, day by day. That comes through reading His Word and prayer.

—the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel…   Colossians 1:5

If you are run down, anxious, easily irritated, or short tempered as of late, perhaps the Holy Spirit is prompting you to re-connect to the Word of God. Maybe you need more prayer time to refuel your faith and energize your spiritual life.

After dedicating several hours of God-and-me time to read, reflect and pray in order to to fill you up,  you can stay full if you return to the charger each day. As little as a half hour a day can help to keep that indicator near full.

So go ahead. Plug in.

 

 

 

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Arrgh – Cats

Posted in Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , on June 22, 2016| 5 Comments »

Okay- I admit it. My cats are driving me NUTS! But God taught me a vital lesson through them.

12359888_1173304076020731_5338883072486770344_nOne is a gorger. He starved as a stray and the Vet thinks his “no longer hungry” switch permanently turned off.  He will eat and eat until he pops…or hack it up.

The other is a grazer. The runt, he always has been passive and easily bullied out of his portion.  He would prefer I guard his bowl for two hours each meal so he can slurp two or three bites, walk away and return later. In the meantime, gorger hovers close by, licking his chops. If I turn my head, he starts to chomp the grazer’s portion down.

The Vet says to pick up the grazer’s bowl after twenty minutes. The cat is just not getting the message, so he meows and meows for me to give him back his food. It breaks my heart.  The gorger cowers when I raise my voice and tell him no, but is not deterred. We are talking about cats after all… Tough love is,well, tough.

I have prayed for over a year for God to change them. I’d love to put food down and they eat when it is presented so we can all go about our day. I would love to be able to go out of town without burdening a close friend or relative with this cat bowl guard duty. Today, God interrupted my prayer. He told me, “Pray for your attitude to change, and leave the rest to me.”

How often do our prayers concentrate on changing someone else?

Perhaps a spouse who seems distant or a child who is headed down the wrong path. A coworker that grates on our nerves or a friend who has wounded us with their selfishness.  We tearfully wear out our knees in pleas. Our tummies knot. We pray again, and again. It is always on the forefront of our minds and we mull over it like a cow chewing on cud. It is the last thought that whirls in our brains before we sleep. God, aren’t you listening? Do something. The anxiousness builds.

Here is truth: It is our attitude we are in charge of changing, not anyone else’s. Be not anxious about your life…Matthew 6:25.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  Philippians 4:6

We cannot will anyone to change. Yes, we can pray for them and leave our concerns at the foot of the cross, and we should.  But perhaps our Lord is calling us to change our attitude about the situation and to give it to Him in exchange for His peace. I read that stress is not trusting God to be in control. I have been stressing over my furry beasts and I am sure they are picking up on my angst.  My kitties are my joy- when did I forget that? When did they become my pain instead? When was the last time I thanked God for them?

Tonight, I will change my prayer.  Is there one you should change as well?

 

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I Want to Be a Cypress

Posted in Devotional, Nature, tagged , , , , , , , on December 10, 2015| 3 Comments »

Our riverThat person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields it fruit in season and whose leaf does nto wither; whatever they do prospers. (Psalm 1:3)

I spent my summers as a youth at my grandfather’s cabin on the Guadalupe River in the Texas Hill Country. It’s still my favorite place to visit. I always find God’s peaceful presence during a stroll along the riverfront.

Ancient cypress trees line the banks, their roots shooting deep into the river. Their bows tower overhead, a celestial highway for squirrels and a welcome shade from the Texas summer heat. Some of the cypress are bent towards the river in skewed angles, ravished by centuries of pounding floodwaters. Yet, they stand, produce plump fragrant cypress balls, and each spring burst into an array of green which casts dancing shadows along the riverbank. Their trunks expand in circumference and their roots spread to hug the bank in sturdy strength.

When I look at these cypress trees, they bring to mind a strong, firm faith in God that is solidly founded and deeply rooted in His Word, the Living Water. May my faith be that way. When life floods in and pressures me, I might bend, but I won’t break because of the sturdiness of my faith. I want the fruit of my labor to be as fragrant as those cypress balls, and my prayers a sheltering for others from the harshness of this world–just as the cypress limbs are a shade from the hot rays of the summer sun.

However, my circumference, like the cypress tree’s trunk, also seems to be growing with age…that I’d rather not emulate.

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Hunger Pains

Posted in Devotional, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , , on June 12, 2015| 3 Comments »

I was in the zone…typing away, editing as I went, the plot moving along. In the background the washer swished and the dryer tumbled. I’d break to feed a mewing cat, or refill my tumbler with water, and then scoot my chair back to the keyboard.

After a while, a slight wooziness waved over me. I blinked to refocus, only to be interrupted by a deep gurgle in the pit of my torso. Like Seymour the man eating plant, my stomach growled, “Feed me.”  I sighed, pushed back my chair and opened the fridge. Door opened with the frigid air blanketing my face, indecision clouded my brain. I knew not to grab anything junky.  I snatched a carton of fat-free Greek yogurt. Quick, easy to down, no cooking or mess to clean. I spooned it past my lips as I typed. That staved off the hunger for a while, but the sensation returned within a few hours.

Isn’t this often true of our spiritual lives? We are in such a rush, our concentration focuses on the “doing” mode. We forget that, like our bodies, our souls need regular nourishment in order to function.  A deep hunger for God niggles us. At first we ignore it, but it doesn’t  go away. We know a snack such as a faith based show won’t satisfy us. Not even a few Facebook scrolls from Christian friends.

ID-10087293But what to feed it? We flip through a few highlighted verses in our Bibles, scan our bookshelves filled with devotionals and inspirational guides, even stare at the Biblical saying plaques on our walls. We turn on Christian music. Still, the deep aching isn’t quite satisfied.  We need real God-time. And Sunday is days away.

But any time can be stop and pray time. Regular moments with our Father in Heaven can fulfill us and sustain us as we move through our day. From the half hour spent with hands folded, we receive enough strengthening to carry us through whatever we need to accomplish. Our gas tank refills, so to speak.

Reading our Bibles is wonderful. Christian music is great.  But in order to fully digest what we see and hear, we need to take it to the Father and let His Spirit help us absorb it in order to feed our faith in the way we need the most, just as our bodies assimilate the food we swallow.

Spend quality time with God today. Don’t snack now and the as you keep on “doing.” Instead, sit down, relax and devour the full-plated goodness God wishes to provide.That’s the full meal deal. Talk about soul food!

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Matthew 5:6

for tips, trials and triumph consider getting Squeeze More God-Time Into Your Day.Squeeze cover

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There’s an App for That

Posted in Christian, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , on April 28, 2015| Leave a Comment »

On my e-reader tablet is a cool app. It is a landscape that changes as the weather does. That is according to a national weather forecasting service. It isn’t always accurate.It is a forecast, a prediction of a likely occurrence. It lets me know when there is a “good chance” of rain or sun or snow, etc in my area of Texas. Click on the link below to view it.

storm-clouds-2-134981298598261vguA few days ago  a tornado watch, then warning was issued. There was one sighted about 50 miles south of my location moving directly east, so I wasn’t in danger. It is hard to predict if and when one will strike. That is why these siren-activated announcements are called watches and warnings.

OH, IF ONLY LIFE WAS THIS WAY.  There is a 50% chance you will be in a car accident. this afternoon, so watch out! Today will be mild and sunny, so anything you worried about will dissipate. Tonight, there is an 80% likelihood you will come down with a cold, so stock up on tissues and meds. BEEP… BEEP….BEEP: This is a warning. You are about to receive a call concerning a death in the family, so prepare yourself now.

Well, perhaps some of us would prefer not to know in advance. It would activate our worry mode. And, these broadcasts are not guarantees.Nor are they 100% accurate. They only give the probabilities of it possibly happening.

However, unlike the weather service, we do have a 100% reliable source. Our Heavenly Father. No need to predict- He already knows. Whatever we go through, whatever is coming, He is there to guide us, shelter us, comfort us or rejoice with us.

That’s an app we can count on each and every day. It’s called trustful prayer.Woman Meditating

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Why New?

Posted in Biblical, Devotional, tagged , , , , , on October 16, 2014| 2 Comments »

???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? In looking over the Psalm assigned to be read for this Sunday, the first verse caught my attention:

             O Sing unto the Lord a new song; sing unto the Lord, all the whole earth.  (96:1)

 

Why should we sing unto the Lord a NEW song?   I doubt if it means to sing Contemporary (CCM) over the old familiar hymns.  Actually, neither existed when David penned this verse thousands of years ago,  He wrote many of the psalms, and they were all “new” at one time.

Perhaps it is because the birds rise and sing with the sun. Maybe David took that as a hint that we should arise and praise God as well.

Another nugget of Scripture popped into my head-

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
    for his compassions never fail.
 They are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.    Lamentations 3:22-24

Okay, Biblical scholars, I realize Lamentations was written centuries after David’s Psalms, but that to me is one of the proofs that the Bible is alive and God-breathed, as it states in Paul’s second letter to Timothy. So follow me here…

If God’s mercies are NEW every morning, and if we do as is suggested — not to let the sun set on our anger but rather pray it out before retiring so we can sleep  in peace — then we can sing a new song every morning. Each day can be a fresh start. No need to carry over yesterday’s angst, regrets and sins.

I am going to personally renew the commitment to end each day wiping the slate clean with my Lord,  just before my eyes close, by asking Him to give me a new morning when my eyes pop open again.

And I know He will. Because, great is His faithfulness.

Lord, may I be as faithful to You.

 

 

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From Carried to Walking

Posted in Biblical, Devotional, tagged , , , , , , on February 15, 2014| Leave a Comment »

http://www.freebibleimages.org/i“Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralytic man was lying on.” Mark 2:3-4

Has anything ever spiritually paralyzed you? An unexpected death, a job loss, an unfaithful spouse, your own inner insecurities? Maybe it is anger– at God, at someone else, at the world. Is it a guilty conscience that pushes you to try to hide, the way Adam and Eve did in the Garden? Or, perhaps it is just too many “life happens” happening all at once. I have been there. Yet during that time when all was fogged and my mind would not connect to my heart,  when it took all my effort to drag through the day, I felt carried by others’ prayers and concerns.

Jesus is always willing to meet us where we are. But there are times when too many things in our lives have built up like bricks. They form walls that block us from Him. We encase Him in a room deep inside of us, lock the door and then put a “Do Not Enter” sign on it. We hammer in the nails to secure it even more. I don’t want to deal with it now. Wham. I don’t want you to know what I did. Wham.  I don’t want to change. Wham.  I am too ashamed. Wham. I am not sure I believe anymore. Wham, wham. And the biggest nail  – If you really loved me, you wouldn’t have let this happen.

These nails hurt Him more than the ones they drove through his hands and feet on the cross. Yet, He stays cloistered in this room, stands at the door and knocks…Open up. Let me back into your life, my child.

Not yet, Jesus. I just can’t.I don’t have it in me. It hurts too much to try.

We see evidence of Him healing and blessing others – and that paralyzes us even more. Why do I have to suffer? Why can’t I skip and run in a field of faith with the sun beaming down and the widlflowers waving in the breeze?  Why do I have to be burdened with this?

The negative feelings crowd in and keep us from reaching our Lord’s side. Their clamor and clatter can drown out His whisper to draw near and give Him our burdens. That seems beyond our capabilities at the moment. We need other people to carry us through the barriers, even dig through the mess if necessary. Their spiritual strength can make a hole in whatever it is that blocks us from being laid at His feet for healing.

How can people lift us up, dig though our circumstances, and lower us down into the deep place inside us where Jesus lives? Through prayer, through kindness, through tough love. And the cool thing is this: inside the walls we have built, Jesus is not being inactive. His love for us is so strong, His desire for us to be with Him so great, that He empowers our friends with strength and direction. “That’s right. This is the way in. Here is how you can get him or her to me.”

There will come a time in your life when something will block you from Jesus. When life cuts the legs out from under you and you can’t move, call out to Him. He will send armies of angels, true and trusted friends, and prayer warriors to your aide. Through His Holy Spirit, Jesus will give them the tools they need to help you. Let them carry you to Him. 

Once there at His feet, He will shower you with forgiveness and mercy. Then obey His words as He touches to heal you – pick up your pallet, and once again walk. First you may have to hobble by the assistance of others, but eventually you will be strong enough to carry someone else when they have lost the use of their faith-legs. After all, you’ve been there. You know the way into that room, and how to walk out.

Will you find God today in the prayers of others, or in the call to pray for others?

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Wrapped in Prayer

Posted in Christian, Devotional, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , , on December 9, 2013| Leave a Comment »

buster on blankieIt’s been bitter cold for Texas. Schools have been closed. Icy roads and parking lots that resemble skating rinks have kept holiday shoppers at bay. Large tree limbs and power lines have cracked and tumbled from the weight of the ice. Facebook is littered with ice and snow pictures.

Even churches shut down for Sunday services and told their congregations to stay home and stay safe. They posted their lessons and sermons online so their flocks could cyberspace worship.

Our thin,Texas blood, designed for 100 plus F temps in the summer, is not insulating us very well from the sub-freezing digits that have settled over the state.Fleece sweat pants, knobby sweaters and gallons of hot tea and cocoa are not sufficient to keep the chill off the back of our necks.

Same for our pets! But they are smart. My cat decided the left hand side of my desk was optimal for catching the blast of warmth from the central heating vent. But he was still cold. So, I took my prayer shawl, which always hangs on my desk chair ready for use, and folded it for him to lie upon. He slept peacefully and allowed me to get my praying, writing, and Bible study done. And yes, check my email and Facebook, and bank online, too.

And of course, God decided to use my cat nestled in my prayer shawl as a lesson. That is where I found Him today. He showed me (again) that —

Prayer is our insulator. When life bears down on us and the world seems harsh and cold, the warmth of God’s love can envelope us like a towel fresh from the dryer. All we need to do is to wrap ourselves in His peace, settle in and rest.

But instead, how often do I try other ways to “stay warm”? Do I dash for chocolate and carbs, or veg out on a favorite TV show that allows me to escape the things on my mind, or indulge in a computer game with superficial cyber-friends?

Prayer can cushion us from the icy stares of others, from the slippery paths that tempt us, and the cold harshness that those without faith call reality.

But instead, how often do I turn to other sources or people for advice, direction and protection?

Prayer can soften the hard, frigid surfaces of our lives and bring us comfort.

But instead, how often do I seek comfort in other ways?

Lord God, blanket me in Your love today. Let me feel the warmth of Your Holy Spirit wrapped around me. Cushion me for the world and comfort me with your inestimable love. Let me seek you first, and not the things of this world. And in all things, let me ever praise You and seek Your blessings in all that happens. I choose to nestle in You and not in the things that fade. I pray this through Your Son who hung on the cross for my sake.  Amen.

 

 

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From a Praise Prayer

Posted in Christian, Devotional, tagged , , , , , , , on July 1, 2013| 2 Comments »

reblogged from Steve Rebus- iChristian  http://steverebus.com/2013/07/01/praise-god/#like-3600

What a great prayer to start off the day- every day!

Praise God for: mountains and oceans, planets and starsman in praise
Praise God for big things
Praise God for: seeds and spiders, petals and drops of dew
Praise God for small things
Praise God for: rolling thunder and the crashing waves
Praise God for loud things
Praise God for: a breath of wind and a whispered prayer
Praise God for quiet things
Praise God for: soaring eagles and hairy gorillas
Praise God for strong things
Praise God for: snowflakes and cobwebs – a tiny baby
Praise God for fragile things
Praise God for: the flash of lightening and a humming bird’s wings
Praise God for fast things
Praise God for: the growth of a tree and the erosion of cliffs
Praise God for slow things
Praise God for: the moon, the sun, other worlds
Praise God for far away things
Praise God for: the person sitting next to me, my own heartbeat
Praise God for close-by things

Thank you that though you are so big, 
you become small enough to meet us here on earth 
though you are so strong, you show your love in gentleness
though you are loud as thunder, you speak to us in the sound of silence.
Thank you that though you could be faster than the speed of light
You choose to walk at our pace and to hold our hand.

Amen!

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In a thought…or two

Posted in Christian, tagged , , , , , , on June 22, 2013| Leave a Comment »

“Prayer is a conversation, not a declaration.”    –  Barbara Maybee Good News Daily

“Do remember you are there to fuddle him. From the way some of you young fiends talk, anyone would suppose it was our job to teach!”         Screwtape’s first letter to Wormwood, a newbie devil, about how to handle his human.  –  C.S. Lewis

Before you get off your knees, take time to be still…and listen to His  response! Don’t hang up and stand up or you may miss an   important lesson,  a new insight, or a whisper of love.

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