Some wise words from Anne Graham Lotz.
“For you are all sons (those who inherit) of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’ Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.”
Galatians 3:26, 4:6-7
“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
1 Corinthians 15:58
There are times when the Lord allows us to see the fruits of our labor in Him, but there will also be periods of time when we see no immediate outcome from our service to the Lord, and we might be temped to fall into despair.
Paul reminds us, as he reminded the church in Corinth, that our labor – our toil, our pains, our trouble, our weariness – in the Lord is not in vain.
We know because when we work in the Lord, abiding in Christ through prayer, obedience, walking in the Spirit, adhering to the truth, we have faith that God is working in and through us.
And the work the Lord does, no one can tear down.
Though we don’t always see its fruit, the Lord does. He is doing things in the hearts and minds of others we will never see until we’re before the King, our work withstands the fire, and we receive a reward.
So if something, or someone, is trying to move you, to discourage you, to lie and make you believe your work in the Lord is in vain, stand fast. Stand on the immoveable Rock that is Christ and in His promises, and let Him lead you on to victory.
Dear Heavenly Father, we praise you. You, Lord, are our Rock, and on you we stand. We declare that as we stand upon You, the Rock of our salvation, we will not be shaken; we will not be moved. You are our Mighty Fortress, our Protector, and we will not fear.
You are our Strength, our Courage, our sure Hope. No matter what storms rage around us, you are our Peace, and our Light in the darkness.
You are our Sustenance, our Fountain of living water.
As we stand upon you and walk in faith, may our lives be a reflection of your great love and grace, and may all we go through magnify and glorify the holy and precious name of Jesus Christ.
In His name we pray, amen.
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If you would like prayer, please feel free to contact me.
For His glory, 
Our minds may be spinning right about now because of all that’s going on in the world.
God’s word tells us that we “must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, ‘Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.'” 2 Peter 3:3-4
The word for “scoffers” translates as false teachers. They can be within a church, or outside it, but the Bible says they’ll follow their own evil desires, and they’ll try to get as many to follow them as they can.
Even now there are voices trying to instill despair and fear, moving our attention away from the LORD, away from our hope, away from abiding in Christ and walking in the Spirit, away from growing in spiritual maturity, from praying in faith, from our calling to be a light, to spread the good news of Jesus Christ and make disciples.
But we must remain steadfast and true in our purpose as the sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father.
“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.
Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.
That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.
So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.
Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.
Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position.
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever! Amen.”
2 Peter 3:10-18
As long as this life might seem, it is short. Let us use the time we have for the glory of the Lord, living in faith, receiving His peace, and looking forward to the joy set before us.
Yes, it’s good to read God’s Word. Yes, it’s good to receive it into our hearts, to think on its wisdom, to love its statutes, its precepts, its commandments, its decrees, its principles, and especially the God who gave them.
Then, as we allow them to take root in our hearts and grow as we put them into practice, live our lives by them, walking with Him by faith, the seeds of sin will be choked out and its shame and guilt with them, leaving room for the full bloom of the peace of God.
As I read the news about what’s going on in Afghanistan, I’m repeatedly being reminded of prophetic scripture.
“And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” Revelation 20:4
“So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.” Matthew 24:15-16
Not that what we see happening is the specific fulfillment of these scriptures, but we can see it coming. The birth pains are getting more frequent and more painful.
As we lift up in prayer those in danger in Afghanistan, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ who are a particular target, let’s remember we cannot give way to fear. Fear leads to weakness and that’s exactly what the enemy wants.
We must set aside our fear, remember whose we are – the chosen children of our Heavenly Father, redeemed by Christ, filled with His Holy Spirit, and given an eternal promise.
Let’s pray, believing. Believing in His love, in His strength, in His power, we can pray with confidence, knowing that He hears us, He is on the throne, and in full control.
I believe the events we see happening should be a wake up call to waste no more time. Now is the time to make sure we are right with the Lord, to “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” Hebrews 12:1b-2a
“Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.” 1 Cor. 3:16-17
“Therefore, ‘Come out from among them (unbelievers) and be separated’ says the Lord, ‘and do not touch the unclean thing. And I will receive you and I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters,’ says the Lord Almighty.” 2 Cor. 6:17
“I am the LORD who sanctifies you.” Lev 20:8
Heavenly Father, we come to you in the name of Jesus Christ, your only begotten Son, and the only name under heaven given by which anyone can be saved.
We pray for the pouring out of your Holy Spirit for the revival of hearts that are cold or lukewarm, and for the salvation of countless more souls.
We pray you would strengthen the love and faith of your Church, that you would “strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, He will come with vengeance; with divine retribution He will come to save you.” (Isaiah 35:3-4)
We pray we would be found being about your business, walking in your Spirit, serving boldly in the gifts you have so graciously given to us, building up one another and making disciples, that you might be glorified and magnified through us.
We pray you would fill our brothers and sisters in Afghanistan with your peace that surpasses all understanding and with a fresh boldness to continue in hopeful, faithful prayer and to stand firm in their faith. We pray their witness would lead many to Christ. May they feel our prayers through the powerful presence of your Holy Spirit.
We pray you would be with our soldiers and with all those they are charged with bringing home, that every one would arrive safely. We pray our president and all those who oversee our country would turn to you in humble reverence and repentance, receive you as Lord, and be filled with your wisdom, praying that you would intervene. Please bind the the work of the enemy, Almighty God.
May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Dear Heavenly Father, we praise you today and glorify your holy name. Lord, we confess that we can, even unintentionally, limit how or for what we pray because of the boundaries of our own human minds and the limitations we can place on you.
Father we ask that you would give us great faith and boldness in our prayers. Help us pray not just big prayers, but “impossible” prayers. Remind us to enter into prayer by acknowledging your greatness and praying in the power of your limitless Holy Spirit.
Father, lead us in the kind of prayer that would change us, empower us, embolden us, enlarge the territory of what you desire to do in and through us.
With Paul we say “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.”
And we also know your word says “…you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.”
Father, thank you that in Christ we have every spiritual blessing. We pray that none of those blessings goes unrealized in our lives because we fail to ask for it, or we ask amiss.
We humbly pray that in Christ you would pour out your blessings, your gifts, your wisdom, your light, your love, so that we can build up the kingdom and see many come to Christ.
We thank you in advance for what you’re going to do. In Jesus’ holy name we pray, amen.
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Please let me know if I can pray for you in any way. Lord bless you!
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.” 1 Peter 1:3-9
“And therefore you now have sorrow. But I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.” John 16:22
God Will Lift Up Your Head
by Jars of Clay
Give to the wind your fear
Hope and be undismayed
God hears your sighs and counts your tears
God will lift up
God will lift up
Lift up your head
God will lift up your head
God will lift up your head
God will lift up your head
He will lift up, lift up your head
Leave to His sovereign way
To choose and to command
Then shall we wandering on His way
Know how wise and how strong
How wise and how strong
God will lift up your head
God will lift up your head
God will lift up your head
He will lift up, lift up your head
Through waves and clouds and storms,
He gently clears the way
Wait because in His time, so shall this night
Soon end in joy,
Soon end in joy
Soon end in joy,
Soon end in joy.
God will lift up your head
God will lift up your head
God will lift up your head
He will lift up, lift up your head
Dear Heavenly Father, we praise your holy name. You are the Creator of heaven and earth. You give life, physically and spiritually, and you are the Provider of all good things.
Your word tells us that godliness with contentment is great gain. Lord, we confess we can get caught up in this world and all it says we need to have for happiness. But those are only traps to keep us from what this life is meant to be.
We pray that as we walk in the Spirit we would be content with where you have us today. You’ve ordered our lives according to your purpose, and we know you’ll provide anything we need.
And we do pray for those in need right now. We know you see each of your children and you hear their prayers. We ask that you would meet all their needs according to the riches of your glory in Christ.
As we rest in your provision, help us take our eyes off ourselves, off the temporary trials we may find ourselves in, knowing that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.
We ask for your vision to see our lives here as you see them – very short periods of time we have to know you, to cling to you so we can grow up in spiritual maturity, being transformed into the image of Christ with ever-increasing glory, that we may be fully ready for the eternal life you’re preparing for us now.
Give us boldness, Father, as we look for the opportunities you give us to magnify and glorify the Name of Jesus, that many will come to know Him as Lord and Savior, and that we might fulfill Christ’s command to make disciples of all nations.
Help us to not waste this time on things that don’t matter, but to use it according to your perfect will and plan for our lives. And as we do, we know we won’t miss out one bit on any fleeting moment of superficial happiness in the world, but instead we’ll be filled with the depth of joy and peace that only comes from knowing you.
Thank you, Father. It’s in Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
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As always, if you have a prayer request, please feel free to leave a comment, email me, or message me on my Facebook or Twitter pages. I’d be honored to pray for you.
For Him,
Dorci
“Not only so,
but we also glory
in our sufferings,
because we know that suffering
produces perseverance;
perseverance, character;
and character, hope.”
Romans 5:3-4