Tag: Holy Spirit

What God Does Not Promise

Posted on by Dorci

As we journey through life and all its twists and turns, it’s encouraging to be reminded of the promises of God, but it’s also good to remember what God does not promise. 

Jesus sat with His disciples as they ate together for the last time. He’d washed their feet, including Judas’s, showing them how they were treat one another.

Once Judas left them, He began to prepare them for what would come. 

Over and over He tells them He must go away, that He was going back to the Father, but they would see Him again. In the meantime, He would send the Comforter to be with them forever.

Then He began to prepare them for what would lay ahead – the world’s hatred, persecution, even their murders. But again He reminds them that the Spirit of truth will come and guide them.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

There are some who believe, and some who even teach, that after we’re saved our lives will be perfect, that God will keep us from going through any hardships. But that’s not what Jesus taught. 

He did not promise a life with no trouble. 

The word for trouble here is thlipsis, which means afflicted, anguish, burdened, persecution, tribulation.

Now, that we live in a world with trouble might seem obvious, but when we’re in the middle of the affliction, the tribulation, the persecution, the anguish, we can be tempted to wonder where God is. 

Why is He allowing this? Is He angry with me? Does He hear me? Has He forgotten me? And there may even be times we wonder if we were ever saved at all. 

Jesus explicitly said these things because He knew where our minds could be tempted to go when we’re hurting, and He didn’t want us to believe those lies.

We live in a sinful world full of heartache and suffering. He did not promise to take it away, but to be with us in the middle of it. 

If you’ve ever sat with a child who’s in some kind of pain, whether emotional, physical, or spiritual, no matter how young or old they are, you know you hurt at least as much as they do, maybe more. 

You pray for them, you cry with them, you ache for them. 

If we do this with our own children, how much more will our Heavenly Father, who sent His only Son to die for us and sent us His Holy Spirit, who loves us with an everlasting love, do this with us? 

Yes, we will have trouble, but Jesus said

“…take heart! I have overcome the world.”

It’s a done deal. He’s conquered this sin-filled world and all the pain that comes along with it. He already has the victory, and in Him we have it, too. 

He will be with us through all things. And even more, He will strengthen us with courage and hope and even joy as we go through it. He will grow our faith, give us wisdom and a testimony of His grace and mercy, and prepare us for the life to come when we see our Savior face to face. 

“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” Psalm 30:5b

***

Heavenly Father, help us keep our eyes on you, especially when we’re going through the storms of life. We ask for your strength, courage and hope through the power of your Holy Spirit as we walk through our trials with you. Don’t let us believe in the lies of the enemy, but instead walk in faith, believing in your constant love and presence with us and your promise to prepare a home for us and take us to be with you forever. We pray in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, amen. 

 

Photo credit: 21326550 / Storm © Pictureguy66 | Dreamstime.com

Sunday Praise and a Prayer to Live Unafraid

Posted on by Dorci

Dear Heavenly Father, we praise your most holy name. We praise you for your faithfulness and goodness. We praise you for your love and for the plans you have that are so great, so glorious, so miraculous, that we cannot even begin to conceive of them. 

Father, when your servants, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were faithful to you and trusted you even in the furnace, you protected them, and because they chose to live unafraid, even King Nebuchadnezzar praised your name.  

Lord, we ask that you would give all of us who believe in Christ the kind of courage and strength and conviction to live unafraid and that the world will see your faithfulness in and through us and have no choice but to praise your name. 

No matter what we’re going through, whether it’s physical, emotional, financial, or even persecution for our faith in you, may we live unafraid, filled with the sure hope we have because of what Christ did for us on the cross and because the Holy Spirit indwells us, knowing that you are an ever-present help in time of need and that you promise to be with us and love us to the end.  

Thank you for giving us all we need to walk victoriously. May we daily avail ourselves of all the riches of your glory in Christ Jesus. It’s in His blessed name we pray, amen. 

God Promises a New Heaven and a New Earth

Posted on by Dorci

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. 

A Wake-Up Call and a Prayer in Light of the Events in Afghanistan

Posted on by Dorci

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. 

Sunday Praise and a Prayer to Walk in the Spirit

Posted on by Dorci
People photo created by jcomp – www.freepik.com

Dear Heavenly Father, we praise you, and we are so grateful you’ve called us to walk the journey of life with you. 

Thank you for knowing what this week holds and already making a way for us through it. We pray you would remind us to be intentional every moment of every day to walk through it, not in our flesh, but in your Spirit and His power. 

Help us remember to think with the mind of Christ, to see others with His eyes, and to love, forgive, and show grace and mercy with His heart. 

We are yours. “If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.” 

May all we do, say, and think glorify and magnify the Name above all names, until we meet you face to face. 

In Jesus’ holy and precious name we pray, amen. 

***

Please let me know if I can pray for you in any way. 

For Him,

Sunday Praise and a Prayer to Remove the Boundaries of Our Minds

Posted on by Dorci

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. 

***

Please let me know if I can pray for you in any way.  Lord bless you!

God Promises A Feast

Posted on by Dorci

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”
Psalm 23:5

In our suffering, our grief, our trials, our pains, no matter what form they take, and no matter what the enemy tries to whisper in our ear, we can yield to God’s will – the death of our flesh and the deepening of our faith, and feast on the power of the Holy Spirit within us giving us strength and courage and boldness and faith and peace.

And as He shapes us into the image of Christ, we will magnify and glorify Him, and we become witnesses to the world of the faithfulness, righteousness, holiness, and goodness of Jesus Christ.

 

 

Sunday Praise and a Prayer for True Freedom

Posted on by Dorci

Dear Heavenly Father, we praise your holy and precious name. Lord, we are forever grateful for this free nation you’ve given us. Thank you for giving those who founded it a desire to have a land where we have a right to freedoms, including a right to freely seek you, and that their vision was based on their belief in you and your word. 

Thank you for blessing us so abundantly. 

Father, all these years later, as a nation we’ve forgotten you. What’s right is wrong, and what’s wrong is right. We’ve removed you from schools and courts and in many cases, churches. We humbly ask for your forgiveness, and we beseech you, on your great mercies by the blood of Jesus Christ and by the power of your Holy Spirit, we pray for revival. 

We pray you would pour out your Spirit for an awakening to our sin leading to repentance. We pray you would come against the forces of darkness at work among us, that you would bind the hand of the enemy, pour out your grace, and heal our land.

We pray for churches that are led by unsaved people that you would bring salvation. We pray for churches that are led by people who have forgotten you that they would turn back to you and allow you to lead them. And we pray for churches that are led by those faithful to you, that are led by your Holy Spirit, that you would strengthen them and give them boldness and courage to continue teaching your word and praying with boldness.

Father, I ask for forgiveness for my own sins. Where there is sin hiding in my heart, please reveal it to me and help me confess it before you and walk uprightly, and be holy – set apart for you and your work. May you use the struggles in our lives to draw us ever closer to you and make us more faithful and more useful in your hands. 

We pray for those who love you but have been hurt by the church and have left it. Please heal their hearts and lead them to a church that is Spirit-led where they can be loved and grow. 

In all this, we pray you would strengthen the church to become a beacon of your light and holiness, examples of love in all we do to a lost and dying world that needs you so much.

Thank you for the true and lasting freedom you give us in Jesus Christ, and we pray you would move upon countless hearts to desire that same freedom, and through the salvation of many, our land would be free from hatred and violence, free to serve a Holy and loving God, and live with you, and one another, in peace. 

We give you our hearts, Lord, and pray your perfect will is done. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen. 


If you need prayer, please feel free to contact me.  

The Full Armor of God

Posted on by Dorci

After the LORD reminded me, I wanted to remind you to put on and keep on the full armor of God. Not one or two pieces. All of it. We never know when the enemy will come, and we can’t afford to get lazy or be found unprepared, caught up in the world. 

And once we’re outfitted and ready for battle, we must pray in the Spirit.

Just as we’re called to now walk in the Spirit, by the renewed hearts and minds given to us by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that we might obey Him and do all things in His power, so we are called to pray in the Spirit, asking Him to reveal to us the will of the Father, and then pray. Because without Him we can do nothing, but in Him we can do all things.

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of Him.” 1 John 5:14-15


“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 

Stand firm then, with the

belt of truth buckled around your waist, 

with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 

and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 

In addition to all this,

take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 

Take the helmet of salvation 

and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” Ephesians 6:10-18 

 

 

Sunday Praise and a Father’s Day Prayer

Posted on by Dorci

Dear Heavenly Father, we praise and glorify you. Thank you for the blessing of calling us to be not only worshippers, not only your kingdom and your church, but your own sons and daughters. Help us grasp even more of the magnitude of what that means not just eternally but in our lives every day. 

Help us daily remember that you are our Heavenly Father and you desire to be and do all a good Father does in the life of His child, so that we never hesitate to call on you for every need, big and small. 

For those who might have had a difficult or even non-existent relationship with their fathers, please show them you are not like that. You are always full of love and forgiveness and compassion and faithfulness, and that you desired a relationship with us so much that you sent your own Son to bridge the gap between us through His death and resurrection. 

Lord, we lift up our fathers to you. First, we pray for those who know you, that they would know the joy of abiding in you and being filled with the knowledge and wisdom that fathers need for their children. Please teach them how to be the dad you’ve called them to be so that they bless each of their children in the way they need. 

Second, we pray for the fathers who have yet to know you. Lord, we ask that you would pour out your Holy Spirit to draw fathers into a saving relationship with you, so you can heal hearts and break the chains of generations of sin, beginning new and godly relationships between dads and their children. 

We are immensely grateful, Heavenly Father, for all you’ve done and all you will do. May we glorify you today and every day. In Jesus’ holy name we pray, amen.