God

5 Random Thoughts

  1. On this Valentine’s Day with snow falling in unforeseen places, I imagine God is reminding us He is in charge, we need to Imageslow down or he will slow us down, and we need to love Him as He loves us. And His love is real, unconditional, and limitless.
  2. Rocky relationships. When one person falls out of love, the other person knows the relationship needs repair or it’s over. Often times one person, him or her, holds on without trying to mend the crack, heal the wound, take a look in the mirror, hear and listen. Meanwhile, the other person’s heart has to be strong enough to say good-bye, knowing God will mend the crack, heal the wound, change what you see in the mirror, and open your ears.
  3. When God tells us to obey, should we obey the commands that make us feel good, or the ones that stretch and mold us or should we obey all his commands even when they seem unreasonable?
  4. Steve Harvey is a funny man, but he’s letting God use him in a mighty way. Steve is raising the bar for relationships. For ladies: Be ready to walk away if you’re not getting what you want. Sometimes change is inevitable, if the person is that important. Know that when you walk away, he wasn’t the one and God has something better. For men: Take your wife out to dinner, surprise her, write her a letter, help out around the house. If she’s not your wife, well “put a ring on it” and make that change. Be careful, you’re not dating out of your league. Simply speaking Steve is spilling male secrets, and it’s contagious.
  5. When God specifically puts up roadblocks, why do we keep trying to create a detour or another plan?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10 Things That Happen When You Say, “Change Me, Lord”

  1. ImageGod hears you.
  2. Change is hard.
  3. Change hurts.
  4. A restless spirit abounds, and you are no longer comfortable doing and living the old way.
  5. When you attempt to live the old way, agitation sets in and you consider, “Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into fresh bottles, and both are preserved” (Matthew 9:17 ASV).
  6. Desires of your heart changes; what you once wanted—relationships and things— no longer seems desirable or appealing.
  7. Continually pray; change is hard; change hurts.
  8. Two steps forward, one step backwards. Change takes time.
  9. Change feels good.
  10. You can’t believe you were that person, who did those things, said those words, believed the hype.

12 Lessons Learned on the 30 Day Prayer Journey

  1. When you think someone needs to change, it’s usually you that needs to change.
  2. Even when you love someone, sometimes you have to let him or her go; this is a result of change.
  3. God wants complete obedience, not hollow obedience.
  4. The Holy Spirit connects the Family of God on all corners of the earth.
  5. Walking by faith means you will fall and stumble and makeImage bad choices; if you trust God, when he picks you up your vision will be clearer and you will stumble less and grow stronger.
  6. When you trust God, He will request the unreasonable, despite the consequences. Here you must return to # 3.
  7. You can’t have a relationship with God if you don’t spend time with Him in worship, read His Word, pray, fellowship with his people. Let’s face it; you can’t have a healthy relationship with anyone if you don’t spend time with him or her.
  8. Not everyone wants to hear about God and his goodness, so you must heed Jesus’s advice “…quietly withdraw. Don’t make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and be on your way; in other words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet” (Matthew 10:12-14 NIV and The Message).
  9. God is waiting for us, all we have to do: ask, seek & knock. Perhaps, a glance at #3, 6, and 7.
  10. You can’t embark on the faithwalk without adversity and suffering. God is testing us. Do we only love Him when it’s all good and rosy? Do we scowl and pout, turn our back when stuff gets tough and makes us uncomfortable?
  11. Be thankful for everything.
  12. Wake up everyday and look for the smallest miracles; be grateful. Thank God for the ups and the downs.

Day 30 of 30 Days of Prayer

Lord, what a journey this has been. Some days I was overjoyed to pray. Other days I was saddened. My heart cried knowing we as a people often push you aside, doubt your Word, grow weary waiting. Thank you for pressing into me on this journey, knowing that prayer, prayer changes everything and everybody. When we pray as a group, as a people, a family of God with sincerity in our hearts not malice or vanity, dark moments brighten, mountains move, fear dissipates, love abounds, compassion flourishes. Lord, I cannot list all the FB, Twitter, Linked In, and WordPress followers who prayed on this journey, but you know each one. You sent a few face to face—in the mall, on special assignment. Thank you for using me to intercede on their behalf. I pray a mighty miracle in their lives. This prayer is Gideon’s fleece—a sign to be sure it was really God’s voice he was hearing and that he understood His directions—a sign that will show everyone that you exist, that you have not forgotten them, that you hear their cries, understand their hopes, and desire them to keep on asking to receive, seeking to find, and knocking until you open doors. And for those who don’t need a sign give them heroic strength and courage to win more souls for You.  We have the victory in Christ. Amen.

Day 18 of 30 Days of Prayer

Dear God, I pray that this faith we have common keeps showing up in the good things that we do, and that people recognize Christ in all of it, that Your love makes them feel good, and that faith and hope outweighs unbelief and despair. Lord, I pray all that I do reflects all that you’ve done for me — a living, walking, breathing sinner, who tripped and stumbled but did not give up trusting you. Amen.

(Philemon 1:4-10)

Day 16 of 30 Days of Prayer

Dear God,

Thank you for the beauty of the day. Friends to laugh with. Family to love. Thank you for the air I breathe. The eyes to see, the ears to hear, a heart of desire. Thank you for dreams, turning dreams into reality, squashing dreams that are worthless. Thank you for carrying me through the storms when things look ugly, I can not laugh, I can not see pass my angst, my heart is broken, and I dream no more. Thank you Father for creating and loving me. Amen.

Day 14 of 30 Days of Prayer

Good Lord, it is the last day of 2013. Only a few hours left in this old year before the new one comes rushing in and I begin to make resolutions that I haven’t even resolved in the old year. Where have the past twelve months gone? Please, God, in the 2014 help me to look at me first before talking about how others should change. Help me to not be so hard on myself for not shedding those extra pounds, forgetting to organize my closet, overspending my budget, eating that pack of cookies, or bag of chips when no one was looking, and for speeding through that red light. Help me to help others, remove the focus from myself and know it’s not all about me. Help me to make the change in this New Year. Amen.