Month: April 2012

by

Amazed By His Love

Amazed by His love for me.

…God-so rich is He in His mercy! Because of and in order to satisfy the great and wonderful and intense love with which He loved us… Ephesians 2:4 (Amplified)

For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son… John 3:16 (Amplified)

But God shows and clearly proves His [own] love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for us. Romans 5:8 (Amplified)

Amazed by His love in me.

…the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. Romans 5:5 (KJV)

And I have revealed you to them and will keep on revealing you. I will do this so that your love for me may be in them and I in them. John 17:26 (NLT)

And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. 1 John 4:16 (KJV)

Amazed by His love through me.

Above all things have intense and unfailing love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins [forgives and disregards the offenses of others]. 1 Peter 4:8 (Amplified)

Love is patient, love is kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance… love will last forever.  1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (NLT)

…Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you… Matthew 5:44 (KJV)

I am amazed by His love for me. I am amazed by His love in me. I am amazed by His love through me. My prayer is that as others interact with me, that they too may experience His love and be amazed by His love for them.

Jesus replied… Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father… John 14:9 (Amplified)

by

What I Ought To Be

Yesterday, I wrote about a recent prayer time with a friend. She and I pray weekly for our nation. Every week we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit within our hearts as to how and what to pray. Every week our prayer time is different from the last. We never know what to expect except that it will always be from a place of love for God, love for all people, and love for this nation.

I’d like to continue where I left off yesterday. I shared yesterday that the Holy Spirit led us to pray for our “enemies”. Today I’d like to share one thing in particular that He had us pray.

Now may the God of peace… Strengthen (complete, perfect) and make you what you ought to be and equip you with everything good that you may carry out His will; [while He Himself] works in you and accomplishes that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ…Amen. Hebrews 13:20,21 (Amplified)

My husband and I have been married for 20 years. We have a very good marriage, thank You God, however, it has not been without its ‘moments’. In those moments I would go to God in prayer and instead of praying for God to change my husband in some way, I would pray for God to make me what I ought to be as a wife. I prayed this way, because the Holy Spirit led me to pray this way. This is a prayer from a place of love and not selfishness. He always leads us to pray in love. Faith works by love (Galatians 5:6).

So the other day as my friend and I prayed for this nation by praying for our “enemies” this is how we prayed. Make us what we ought to be to those who hate us.

As we continued in our prayer we prayed, Father, Make us what we ought to be to this nation. Make us what we ought to be in our own homes.

We prayed that God would make us, not just my friend and I, but us the church, the Body of Christ, what we ought to be to this world that is in need of the Savior.

Make us what we ought to be.

You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world… Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Matthew 5:13,14,16 (KJV)

by

Heal Our Land

A few days ago I sat across from a friend and she and I prayed for our nation. This nation (USA) is in the middle of economic troubles. This nation is going through a deep struggle as seeds of division are sown by many and it is bearing its ugly fruit in the heart of this nation. Many have said that what we do now will determine if this nation survives as one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

How do you pray for such things?

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14 (KJV)

…the Spirit intercedes and pleads [before God] in behalf of the saints according to and in harmony with God’s will. Romans 8:27 (Amplified)

We sat and followed the leading of God’s Holy Spirit in our hearts. And where did He lead us? We found ourselves earnestly praying for our “enemies”. We prayed for the souls of those who don’t know Him as love and are doing everything to tear this nation apart and bring her down.

But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you. Matthew 5:44 (KJV)

…God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. James 4:6 (NKJV)

It takes humility to pray for your enemies and to admit before God your own shortcomings. But if we humble ourselves and pray… He will heal our land.