We need to go to work!

I’m not sure if you have heard me say it, but when God has a message for you, he will repeat the message until you “get it”.  This happens to me all the time because I guess I normally don’t get it!  Haha.  The message that he has been repeating to me this week is that I need to pray more.  Multiple messages, from multiple people, all speaking of the importance of prayer.  It’s not a coincidence; it is God. 

On Sunday, my pastor spoke of how as a church we need to pray more.  His message started with Ephesians 6:18; where we need to pray at all times.  He also said that as a generation, we have gotten so busy with things; that we don’t have time to pray or even get into the word of God as we should.  The things aren't necessarily bad, but they are taking our time away from God. Its so sad, but so true and I am so guilty of this.  We need to be lifting our church up in prayer; for the leaders, teachers and members.  We need to pray that we be beacons in our community that lead people to Jesus because that is our main calling. 

Then, that afternoon, I saw a tweet from Beth Moore that said “What happens in our church services was never meant to be up to our pastors, worship teams and leaders alone.  We members are not spectators.”  “God forbid we’d sit back, eat a donut hole and sure hope church is good today.  Let’s get off our spectating rear ends & pray.”  “Let’s pray hindrances down.  For God’s word to be effectual in every hearer.  For salvation/transformation.  Relationships healed.”  You’ve gotta love 140 characters, but the message is the same.  We are not to sit on the sidelines and let the leaders be the main "praye-rs".  We need to take control of our prayer life and use it to bring others closer to God!

Well, then on facebook last night, someone shared a blog post of Beth Moore.  I thought it was a continuation of her tweet, but the blog post was from February 4, 2015.  So it was posted a year earlier, but with the same message.  Colossians 4:2 – Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.  I thought I would summarize her post but thought this would be more powerful.  (I am hearing it in my head, the way she is saying/yelling it, like she does during her messages.)  Here it is straight from her post, in it’s ALL CAPS…

“WE’VE GOT TO PRAY.

WE’VE GOT TO BECOME PEOPLE OF PRAYER.

WE’VE GOT TO PRESS IN MUCH FURTHER AND BELIEVE GOD TO BE MUCH BIGGER.

WE’VE GOT TO CEASE LETTING PRAYER BE OUR WEAKEST SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE.

WE’VE GOT TO STEP IT UP AND WIELD THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT IN RELENTLESS INTERCESSION.

WE’VE GOT TO GO FURTHER THAN WE’VE GONE BEFORE IN PRAYER. PRESS HARDER. THINK HIGHER. DIG OUR KNEES IN DEEPER.

WE WILL NOT LIVE BOLDER THAN WE PRAY.

THERE ARE PARTS OF OUR CALLINGS, WORKS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, AND DEFEATS OF THE DARKNESS THAT WILL COME NO OTHER WAY THAN FURIOUS, FERVENT, FAITH-FILLED, UNCEASING PRAYER.”

Ya’ll, we have to pray now more than ever.  Pray for loved ones, pray for those who are hurting and especially pray for those that don’t know Jesus.  My pastor asked us to pray for 15 minutes every day, for our church, for lost loved ones and for each other.  We need it now more than ever.  I hope this speaks to someone, like it has spoken to me.  My weakest spiritual discipline has been prayer and I want to change that.  I want to become more powerful in prayer.  It’s what God wants us to do and one big benefit is that he loves to answer our prayers.  We just have to go to work!!  Thank you Jesus!

I prayed to the Lord and he answered me, freeing me from all my fears.  Psalm 34:4

He seeks me and finds me.

Yesterday, I could not overlook the fact that God is ever present.  I am continually amazed at how he watches over us and provides ways to comfort us, encourage us and to let us know he’s walking with us.  As I sit here jobless, with no solid prospects in sight, I can rest in the knowledge that God knows what is going to happen.  He hasn’t revealed anything specific to me, but he has comforted me with many messages of hope. 

Yesterday in my bible study, there was a reminder from 2 Corinthians 4:9; that we are not forsaken or not destroyed because God’s promises endure.  During a Periscope with Beth Moore yesterday (you know, the 24-hour thing), she spoke about dread being the lack of faith in God.  I’ve never thought of it that way but it is so true.  I find myself starting to panic about all the worries and grown up things we have to deal with, and I have to make myself stop…its a vicious cycle.  But Beth spoke the verses Psalm 112:6-8, Isaiah 26:3-4 and Proverbs 3:1-8 and that gives me hope.  Hope that God knows the innermost desires of my heart and he will work it out for my good.  It may not be how I thought it would turn out, or even what I thought it would look like, but God knows.  Then today during my bible study, we were asked to personalize bible verses to make them more applicable to us.  The list included Deuteronomy31:8, Romans 15:18, Micah 7:7 and my favorite verse of all time, Jeremiah 29:11-13.  Jeremiah 29:11-13 has been my go to verse since 2004 when I graduated from college.  It has helped me have hope through some of the roughest times in my life, but today I looked at it in wonder all over again.  When I personalized verse 13 “HEATHER will seek me and find me when SHE seeks me with all her heart.”  WOW!  I have definitely been seeking God more lately and I have found him and that gives me so much hope!  I’m so thankful that a word written so long ago, still applies to me today.  It’s so amazing!

This morning, I realized that I would have never left my job intentionally because I pretty much loved my job.  Everyone was a joy to work with and it was a place where people helped one another to get things accomplished.  But knowing that, God must have something better in store for me, and I have no idea how that will turn out.  It’s scary and suffocating to an introvert like myself, having to start over, having to prove myself to other people…it’s the worst for my analytical planning self.  But God is bringing me to it, and I know he’ll bring me through it.  Man, he’s such an awesome God.  Thank you Jesus, for choosing me, a lowly sinner, saved by grace.  Praying many blessings to you.

“But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.”  Micah 7:7

He's always there.

God is so awesome and he blows me away with the thought and care that he has for us.  Right now, God is so apparent in my life and I love it!  The only downside is that I am now jobless.  For every major season in my life, God has provided a way for me to come close to him so I will know that he is there.  It sounds weird, but it is so true.

 

The beginning of this year, my sister-in-law asked me to do an online bible study with her through Proverbs31 Ministries.  It is called Becoming more than a good Bible study girl and it was set to start January 24^th.  I ordered the book as soon as I signed up and started reading because with my crazy life I wasn’t sure I would have enough time during the study to keep up.  The book (the 3-4 chapters I read beforehand) basically summed up what I have been lacking in my walk with Christ:  spending more time with God and when I seek him, finding peace with him. 

Fast forward to January 24^th, my boss requested a meeting where he told me due to budget reductions, I would have to be let go.  Of course I was devastated, but I have had a sense of peace about it because my eyes were open to see that God had this in his hands since the beginning of time.  My first5 devotional for that day was “Whatever battle you’re facing today, the victory can be yours in Christ.”  The message from the bible study was John 15:9-12:  “As the father has loved me, so I have loved you.  Now remain in my love.  If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my father’s commands and remain in his love.  I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.  My command is this:  Love each other as I have loved you.”  And at the end of that week it was 1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”  I mean, how straightforward can that be?! 

All of this has been echoed in sermons at church, podcasts in the car, retweets from different people…the list goes on and on.  It’s hard for us on earth to realize that God is always there but he’s the song on the radio, the “random” word from a friend; the message we hear over and over again.  It’s not a coincidence it’s God.  He has our best interest at heart and he’s always there, even when we don’t realize it.  I can’t say how thankful I am right now that he is with me.  He cares for us so much.  I pray you have a blessed week.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.  Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.  Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.  His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT)