Pray Network Forum

“I only ask to be free. The butterflies are free.” (Charles Dickens)

When we’re exhausted, we can seek God’s strength and glide gracefully on eagle’s wings. That is not to say it will be easy—we may have trouble envisioning such beauty,and it may be all we can do just to get to our feet. But if we take God’s hand, He promises to help us fly high above the mediocre world below. On His wings of proven love and absolute truth, our Lord pilots us above gloomy clouds of despair. Spirit Wind aerodynamics lift our spirit to altitudes exceeding loftiest earthbound ambitions.

When we’re disenchanted, if we dare take a seat in the cockpit of grace God will carry us on an unforgettable sortie. We’ll do more than merely survive; eagle-like, we will soar!

When our mortal wings tire, we should try His.

When our flight is turbulent, we can trust the Pilot.

When we’re a little nervous about His flight plan, if we listen carefully we’ll hear heaven’s reassuring message—Relax and enjoy the flight.

“You know how I brought you to myself and carried you on eagle’s wings.” (Exodus 19:4 NLT)

Johnny R. Almond

Christian preacher and writer

Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity

[This devotion based on Day 48 of Gentle Whispers from Eternity]

Read blog at http://GentleWhispersFromEternity-ScripturePersonalized.com/

Prayer is not the seasoning for the real meat of Bible study. It is not a necessary additive to the real work of the church. It is not something we do briefly before we begin to worship. It is not to be a perfunctory way of opening to a sermon. I think it might better be thought of as the marinade that must saturate every aspect of Bible study. Prayer is the fire that cooks real spiritual meat; that warms the fellowship; that empowers discipleship; that prepares everything we do for and by God on the earth.

My nephew once told me a story from the church in China. A traveling evangelist was introducing the gospel to two remote mountain villages. He was very much afraid he would not be able to return to these new believers for many months. So he devised a plan to disciple them in his absence. He painted scriptures on small rocks and gave them to individuals in the villages. He told each person to memorize the verse and pray over it all day every day for a month. Then they were to share with the church what God told them in their verses. The man needed to leave before any believers were at all mature in the faith. And sure enough he was away even longer than he expected. Years had gone by before he was finally able to make his was back. He feared he would not find anyone remaining faithful. But when he arrived he found the churches thriving with many strong leaders in their midst.

What would God do in your life if you memorized a single scripture and prayed and meditated over it day and night for a month?

http: //watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/

http://daveswatch.com/

“The collapse of the Wall is proof that dreams come true, and continues to offer hope wherever freedom and human rights are threatened or trampled on.” (German Chancellor Angel Merkel)

Sunday, March 9^th, marked the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the event that heralded the collapse of the communist system. More than 300,000 participated in the celebration. Eight thousand helium balloons stretching across nine miles where the Wall had been were released into the night sky. Tributes were given to the 138 people who were killed over the years trying to cross the Wall and about 1,000 more who died attempting to cross the 856-mile border between what were then East and West Germany.

The Wall, which had not only divided Berlin but also symbolized the "iron curtain" imposed by Communism on the countries where it was the rule of government and society, had stood for 28 years. The Eastern Bloc claimed that the Wall was erected to protect its population from fascist elements conspiring to prevent the “will of the people” in building a socialist state in East Germany. In reality, the Wall prevented emigration and defection from East Germany and the communist Eastern Bloc during the post-World War II period. Eventually, because so many people were fleeing East Germany by crossing into West Berlin, the Soviets had the Wall built.

In the closed state of East Germany, the Stasi (secret police) became one of the most hated and feared institutions of the communist government. Infiltrating every strata of society, they developed a system where children spied on parents, pupils on teachers, friends on friends, and spouses on spouses. Informers betrayed neighbors, employers, lovers, and pastors. Jurgen Fuchs, the writer, described his country as "a landscape of lies." The extent of those lies and was discovered in the Stasi files in Berlin after the Wall came down.

In 1989, as Communism was collapsing in the East, communist authorities gave in to mounting pressure and opened the gates of the Wall, relaxing travel restrictions. The Wall was removed in November 1989.

Berliners and other people around the world were surprised by the fall of the Wall. Most had thought of it as a permanent barrier enforced by Soviet might. When the above picture of the Brandenburg Gate was taken in June 1989, most people did not expect the Wall to fall in their lifetime. Only five months later, people were dancing on it.

Evil has often seemed to overwhelm much of the world…but it is good to remember that God sets limits to human injustice. The despicable beheadings carried out by ISIS are only faint echoes of the heinous wrongs of the 20th century—Stalin’s rule of terror resulting in the death of millions of his own citizens, the genocide of the Armenians under the Turks, the holocaust under Nazism. Someday the Almighty will balance the books—evil will be punished, oppression ended. This may not happen in our lifetime, but we can rest assured God will keep His Word. Heaven on earth is more than a dream—it is a divine promise that will come true.   

When time is over, man’s inhumanity to man will give way to God’s goodness in eternity. There’ll be dancing in the streets of the new Jerusalem.

“When you hear the priests give one long blast on the rams’ horns, have all the people shout as loud as they can. Then the walls of the town will collapse.” [Joshua 6:5 NLT]

Johnny R. Almond

Christian preacher and writer

Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity

Read blog at http://GentleWhispersFromEternity-ScripturePersonalized

The following is from my upcoming book, One-Minute Devotions on Prayer:

“And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they’ll be heard because of their many words.” (Matthew 6:7)

When teaching about prayer, Jesus instructs us to keep prayer simple. But how easy it is to complicate! We worry about placing the “right” words in the “right” places, saying holy statements that sound good, not praying for too long or too short—oh my, what’s the right amount of time?

And as a result, we stress about prayer like we’re being judged by our performance. But all along, Jesus wants us to keep our prayers simple. He’s not impressed by bigger words, longer prayers, or professional-sounding speech. And he’s not turned off by our ums, uhs or stutters. Why?

Because Jesus is more interested in you! When I’m with my children, I’m not judging their speech or critiquing the conversation. Instead, I’m listening to them and enjoying my time with them.

Did you ever notice that the better you get to know someone, the simpler the conversation gets? We tend to be more formal with strangers and less formal with our friends and family. Jesus says it’s the pagans—those who don’t know

Jesus—who babble on. But the ones who know him—those he calls family—have no need for complexity.

Let’s pray: “Jesus, thank you that we’re family and prayer can be simple. Help me to relax when I pray and know that most of all, you’re interested in me.”

A nine minute audio teaching from Eddie Smith

CLICK HERE

Hosea 11:4 has a marvelous phrase describing God's love.

He comes to us "Like one who takes the yoke off our necks." You can almost feel the comfort of the donkey when his master removes the yoke, rubs him down and fills his feed bag.

It is a great blessing to have a purpose given by God. It is crucial to the sense of significance in life to hear our Lord say, "Take my yoke upon you." But He also comes to us as the one who lifts the yoke from our shoulders and satisfies our souls.

I can be overwhelmed by the needs God has allowed me to see and to tackle. But when we come to Him in prayer we trust Him to do what we could never do. We rest in His power. I find myself regularly strengthening my faith by praying, "I am trusting this to You. You are God Almighty."

I also come to Him for solace. I find the comfort of His love in the embrace of prayer. I take a weekly Sabbath from writing, my primary occupation in these days. I occasionally find this difficult. I am anxious to complete something, or my mind is bubbling over with ideas. It is an act of faith to allow my Heavenly Father to remove the yoke. He who owns the field is in charge of the plow He has yoked to my heart. Are you resting in prayer?

 

http://daveswatch.com/

http://watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/

What are your Thanksgiving Traditions? 

Thanksgiving is a good time to encourage our grandchildren to be thankful for the many things they experience. Help them make a list of their home, food, clothing, school, friends, church, toys and the opportunities they enjoy for which they can be thankful. Gratitude always improves ones attitude. Send them a Thanksgiving card or call them to let them know you thank God for them and you are thankful they are your grandchildren and you are praying for them.  

Our Thanksgiving Tradition

At our family Thanksgiving dinner, when we have our dessert we place a candle that clips on everyone’s dessert plate. Then we light the candle and go around the table sharing from the youngest to the oldest, for what we are thankful. After each one shares, they blow out their candle. It has become a tradition and a meaningful family experience.  

Will you please share your Thanksgiving ideas and traditions in the comments?

Let’s make Thanksgiving a meaningful experience for our families.

By Lillian Penner

“Gratitude is from the same root word as grace, signifying the free and boundless mercy of God. Thanksgiving is from the same root word as think, so to think is to thank.” (Willis P. King)

Thanksgiving is more than a holiday on the calendar; it is an attitude of heart that praises our Creator and Savior every day we live.

Surely our greatest blessing is the mercy of God—preserving our lives, forgiving our sins, restoring our hope. If we would only think more, we would thank more.

God’s goodness and mercy pursue us all the days of our life (Psalm 23:6). Even when we’re having “one of those days”—when nothing seems to go right, and everything nailed down is coming loose—God’s unfailing love enables us to declare, “This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24).

We may not always live on Easy Street; but whatever our address, God is with us so we can find a reason to be thankful. No situation, however desperate, is God-forsaken. So bellyaching is inexcusable. Being humbly grateful is better than being grumbly hateful.  

If we concern ourselves with God’s kingdom, He promises to concern Himself with our needs. There’s no need to fret about tomorrow’s grocery shopping—we can just push our cart down the aisle of our current circumstances and our Father will see to it that it is filled with whatever we need.

Faith’s dusk dinners and hope’s dawn breakfasts are hors d’oeuvres to whet our appetite for the heavenly banquet of love. Realizing who set our table, we bow our head and say grace.  

We should do more than give thanks—we should live thanks.

“In the evening you will have meat to eat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.” (Exodus 16:12 NLT).

Johnny R. Almond

Christian preacher and writer

Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity

[This devotion based on Day 47 of Gentle Whispers from Eternity]

Read blog at http://GentleWhispersFromEternity-ScripturePersonalized

“What is objectionable, what is dangerous about extremists is not that they are extreme, but that they are intolerant. The evil is not what they say about their cause, but what they say about their opponents.” (Robert F. Kennedy, The Pursuit of Justice, 1964)

The evil of violent religion was graphically illustrated again this morning when 47 people were killed and 79 wounded in a bombing outside a school in northern Nigeria. An attacker disguised as a student set off the explosion in a government boarding school, where students had gathered outside the principal’s office for a daily speech. Police suspect that Boko Haram is behind this terrorist act.

Boko Haram (“Western education is forbidden”) is a militant Islamic movement that has carried out several deadly attacks on schools teaching a Western curriculum. They have murdered more than 5,000 civilians since 2009. They have abducted more than 500 women and children, including the kidnapping of schoolgirls last April. They kill people who engage in practices they view as un-Islamic. They offer no breathing room to anyone not adhering to their strict religious code.

The group’s aim is to establish an Islamic state ruled by Sharia law. This law, which they see as deriving from the Koran, covers public behavior, private behavior, and private beliefs. Of all legal systems, it is the most intrusive and strict, especially against women. A woman can have one husband, but a man can have up to four wives; a man can unilaterally divorce his wife but a woman needs her husband's consent to divorce; a man can beat his wife for insubordination; a woman who has been raped cannot testify in court against her rapist(s); a woman's testimony in court, allowed only in property cases, carries half the weight of a man's; a female heir inherits half of what a male heir inherits; a woman cannot drive a car, as it leads to “upheaval”; a woman cannot speak alone to a man who is not her husband or relative. Theft is punishable by amputation of the right hand. Several infractions are punishable by death—criticizing any part of the Koran; denying Muhammad is a prophet; a Muslim becoming a non-Muslim; a non-Muslim leading a Muslim away from Islam; a non-Muslim man marrying a Muslim woman. The oppressive list goes on.

Pascal, in Thoughts, points out that the law which governed Jews is the most ancient law in the world, and that Greek and Roman legislators borrowed from it their principal laws. He also comments that this law was the severest and strictest of all, imposing on the Jews “a thousand peculiar and painful observances, on pain of death.” What is astonishing, he says, is that this law was preserved unchanged through many centuries, while other states changed their laws though they were far more lenient.

The apostle Paul, who faultlessly observed the Jewish law and harshly persecuted the church before he was converted to Christ, writes that “those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under his curse, for the Scriptures say, ‘Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in God’s Book of the Law.’ So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say, ‘It is through faith that a righteous person has life.’ Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing.” (Galatians 3:10-13 NLT).

All Christians have not always practiced religious tolerance, as sadly demonstrated by the Inquisition. But though such historical atrocities and current religious fanatical acts are heinous, we should do some personal soul-searching to see how willing we are to admit we do not have all the answers and we are not holier than others.  

At heart we believe religious freedom is the God-given right of all people. At the same time, we place all our hope in the Son of God to save us from sin. We rest in Jesus Christ, who has answered the demand of law through His perfect life and vicarious death. He is our personal peace, and the ultimate hope for universal peace. The last word is not law—it is grace.

Johnny R. Almond

Christian preacher and writer

Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity

Read blog http://GentleWhispersFromEternity-ScripturePersonalized

Our grandchildren are growing up in a self-absorbed, “ME” generation, thinking mostly of themselves and what they want or benefits them.

One way we can teach them to do good deeds is for them to participate in the Operation Christmas Child Shoe Boxes, a project of Samaritan’s Purse. Millions of boys and girls around the globe live in difficult circumstances and are in desperate need of hope. It is an excellent way to expose our grandchildren to do something for children who are less fortunate and make a difference in another child’s life.

Saturday, I had the privilege to take my three youngest granddaughters on a fun shopping trip to fill the shoeboxes with items for a girl their own age. Their enthusiasm blessed me and gave me an opportunity to talk with them about those less fortunate.

I hope you will have the opportunity to do this great activity with your grandchildren. Many churches are participating in this event.

You may be able to get the needed information on the shoebox ministry at your church, or go to their website at samaritanspurse.org. The shoeboxes need to be left at a drop off location by Nov. 17-24.

By Lillian Penner

This is a big week for politics in America. I need to say I am not sympathetic with believers who put their hope in politics. However hopeful or cynical you may be about the election this week, it is crucial that believers join together in prayer for those who govern our country. In his first letter to Timothy Paul admonished us to pray for them.

“I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”

Do you pray every day for our president? Are you praying for God’s hand on individuals in Congress?

The reason the scripture gives for this is so we may live peaceful quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. It is important to understand that government affects our lives as much today as it did in the Roman Empire where Paul urged Timothy to lead people to pray for their ungodly leaders. For many of us the complexities of politics are too complicated to unravel. But they are not too complicated for God. I read a review in Books & Culture this week of a book called The Myth of Persecution. The book disputed the stories of persecution in the early church. The author made the pedantic distinction between persecution and prosecution. She said it was not persecution if Rome was simply prosecuting Christians for shaking up the fragile stability of the empire. I suspect the same distinction could be made about much 21^st century persecution.

Government effects our lives even if it is not necessarily aimed at persecuting Christians. We are living in days when Christian values are no longer a major influence upon the thinking of those who make the laws and determine the values of our culture. Make no mistake, spiritual and cosmic issues are involved in politics. But we pray to the God who is sovereign over the Kings and governors of the earth.

https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6442271770732162232#editor/target=post;postID=5304160384738360370

God has given us a gift of intercessory prayer. An intercessor is one who intercedes in prayer on behalf of others.

“Pray for each other so that you may be healed.” James 5:15b

Next week we will be celebrating Veteran’s Day so I would l

ike to give you some suggestions of how to pray for Military personnel and their families. Do you know someone in the military from your family, your church or your community you can pray for by name? Ask your

grandchildren if they have friends whose parents are in the military. If they do, encourage them to pray and reach out to their friends and their friend’s families with kindness. We are all part of the family of God. We are to share each other’s troubles and problems by being intercessors.

How to Pray for Military Personnel and their Families

¥ Pray for grandparents of the children left behind by deployed parents to provide spiritual covering, encouragement, and an intentional ministry of hope in Christ to their grandchildren. 

¥ Pray the grandparents will be able to give the support these children need during this difficult time in their lives, especially the teenagers. 

¥ Pray for the grandparents to be strong as they face the uncertainty and anxiety of their sons, daughters, and possibly grandchildren in potential danger daily. 

¥ Pray the grandparents to have wisdom and direction as they support the spouses and grandchildren left behind. 

¥ Pray for peace for the families as their soldiers face both physical and spiritual warfare in these foreign and hostile environments. 

¥ Pray for comfort and consolation for those who have lost their loved ones or have wounded loved ones coming home. 

Taken from the book, Grandparenting with a Purpose: Effective Ways to Pray for your Grandchildren by Lillian Penner

Father, please be in control of the elections across our country tomorrow.  Stand with those who are going to vote, and protect them from any danger, discrimination, or harassment.  Keep our polling places and vote counts honest and accurate.  Protect this wonderful process from all evil and from any attempts to thwart your will.

Where we have men and women leading us in righteousness, integrity, and servanthood, please grant them continuation in office.  Where this is a need, please raise up new leaders who will lead from servant's hearts, who will seek your wisdom, and who will stand up with courage for what is right.

Purge our system of any pockets of greed, immorality, and corruption.  Replace these with compassion for those in need, wisdom to make good decisions, and discernment regarding direction and the future of our country, from the national level to the local level.  Raise up leaders who will cooperate together across party lines for the good of those whom they serve.

May your Church find favor in your sight and may your people find favor in all the ways in which they participate in our electoral process.  Make of your church a prophetic yet compassionate voice, a light that points the way to you.  

In all of this, Lord God, we acknowledge that politics does not hold the ultimate answer.  We rejoice that you are in charge and that you are powerful and sovereign to bring your will about - either through or in spite of the efforts of people.  We look not to our leaders but to you for our hope and our future.  At the same time, we rejoice when men and women of integrity and righteousness are raised up to leadership, so we ask you to do that - for the sake of your people, for the sake of our country, and ultimately for the sake of your own great Name.

In Jesus' Name,

Amen.

I recently participated in the National Prayer Assembly hosted by America’s National Prayer Committee and was asked to lead prayer for emerging leaders. I think of an emerging leader as one whom God is lining up to lead. It’s not a distinction of chronological age, but rather the work of God–children and youth can be emerging leaders as well as older people. It depends on whom God is in the midst of preparing to release into leadership.

We must be praying for these people now. Here are seven things to pray for emerging leaders:

Pray that emerging leaders will have strong relationships with God that produce supernatural work far exceeding what the leaders can accomplish by their own giftedness.
Leaders’ authority and ability to lead comes primarily from a vibrant relationship with God, not from talent, knowledge, or spiritual gifting. Leaders partner with God to accomplish the impossible and aren’t satisfied doing even amazing work that comes from their own hands. They exceed their natural potential by working together with God in accordance with his will. Most of the amazing work done in our world was done on natural ability alone, so imagine what’s possible when we partner with God.

Pray that emerging leaders will be students of God’s word so they can discern God’s will, stay free from deception, and not be swayed by cultural shifts.
The leader is a student of the Bible who studies it often to stay grounded in God’s ways. Without a firm foundation, the leader can be deceived and in turn deceive followers. Therefore, the leader is committed to being shaped by God’s word so he can discern God’s will. As the culture continues to shift away from biblical values, it’s vital to stay grounded in God’s word.

Pray that emerging leaders will value character more than results.
The leader has a deep, godly character and good reputation. The fruit of the Spirit is evident in his life. He values the development of character over the attainment of results. He is beyond accusation of immoral behavior and surrounds himself with accountable relationships to protect personal integrity. It’s an easy temptation for leaders to value what they’re doing more than who they’re becoming.

Pray that emerging leaders will be devoted to personal and corporate prayer.
Not just giving lip service to prayer, the leader is devoted to personal and corporate prayer. He prays through decisions to seek God’s guidance and friendship and prays with others on a regular basis. Prayer is not practiced as an “obligation” or “best practice,” but as a passionate desire of a sincere heart. Prayer is the root of your relationship with God, so a strong prayer life will yield a strong life in God.

Pray that emerging leaders will be committed to marriage and family before work and ministry.
If leaders are married and have children, they’re committed to building strong marriages and families before work and ministry. Their spouses feel like they’re the most important person in their life. They raise children to love God. And they encourage others to do the same. Disintegration of marriage and family is a battle that leaders must overcome.

Pray that emerging leaders will be able to lead from faith and sight.
Leaders are called to live by faith, which is what they don’t yet see manifested. At the same time, they have to work from sight, which is the current manifested reality. They motivate others to see the future vision, but work well with what they have now. Leaders can lead from both realms. We need leaders who can see by faith, but practically can lead until what was faith becomes sight.

Pray that emerging leaders will build a successful team and use technology well.
Leaders who can build successful teams accomplish better work than on their own. They know their strengths and weaknesses and enlist others to fill in the gaps. Leaders aren’t just interested in finishing the project, but building up the people involved. They also have a good handle on technology and rather than being mastered by it, can master it. As online accessibility, information, and technology increases, an independent spirit in leaders can stifle teamwork.

Our street evangelism ministry was failing. For the third week, no one showed up for the weekend outreach, and in the dim glow of the streetlights, I asked God to continue his work. A few months later, Jeff and I had dinner. The next summer we started praying for Lansing, MI. once a week in his basement. Eight months later, after training and consulting our pastors, we walked into the porn stores and dark, sweaty bars in downtown Lansing, MI on a blustery February Friday evening. We introduced ourselves to our new congregation.

We met the owners, employees and bar tenders on Michigan Ave. and promised we would be their pastors. After 4 years of weekly ministry and constant prayer, two bars closed, one of the porn stores burned down, and a few dancers and workers attended our church. Within two more years, the blocks we adopted as our ‘church’ were purchased by a local Christian business association. The entire area was razed, and replaced with a new civic arena, and a family friendly AAA ball park.God is Good. He did exceedingly above anything we could ask, or think.

Prayer that moves God’s heart isn’t about running through a laundry list of my needs, wants, and desires. Prayer isn’t about what I think is important, or the Top 10 on my Spiritual To-Do List. Prayer isn’t:

• A cosmic gumball machine, into which I insert my prayers and get what I want back.
• An exercise to earn God’s love, favor, love or attention.
• Unloading my cares and burdens on God, on the run.

Real prayer is much deeper, and much more costly. Maybe that’s why, in our instant and digital generation, our prayers are so ineffective. Prayer is communing with God and spending time with a Father that loves and longs to meet with us. Intimacy like that takes time. Prayer is spending time listening to, and talking with the One who knows you thoroughly and loves you deeply. Prayer is:

• Setting your heart on what is important to God before pursuing what is important to me.
• Connecting your heart, mind, soul and spirit to God’s voice, love and will for you.
• Letting God work in you, so that later, that he can work through you.

Here are a few scriptures to help move you toward life changing, heart rending, world shaking prayer.

• Real prayer is Emotional – read Ps 137 and pay attention to the way the writer pours out his raw feelings to his God.
• Real Prayer is Honest – Read aloud Ps 41 and 42, and consider times when you were burdened, happy, worn out, and trusting. Did you feel free to express these things to your Father?
• Real prayer isn’t instant. In Dan 9.24ff, Daniel read a promise from God written by Jeremiah nearly a hundred years earlier. He approached God on the basis of this promise, and asks God to keep his promise to release Israel from captivity. According to Dan 10. 1-14, he fasted and prayed for three more weeks before receiving God’s response.

I pray for a list of extended family members each night after I lie down in bed. I have specific scriptures memorized that I pray over for some family members. I have prayed for some of the children on my list every day of their lives.  Of course I sometimes fall asleep before I finish the list. There are worse ways to go to sleep. And since I pray for them in a certain order, I am able to pick up the prayer in the morning as far as I remember praying the night before.

I have done this for years. So I don't remember how I came up with the order. To some extent, I think I developed the list simply by repetition. I do not know how long it takes me to get through the list. In fact, no two nights are quite the same.

I do this each night because of continuing needs in my family. My grandchild has a need this week. My nephew will probably face a crisis tomorrow. And several family members seem to have ongoing problems. But I suspect the primary benefit, like most prayer, is in what God does and will do in me. I believe going to sleep in prayer may help saturate every aspect of my life in the presence of God.

http://watchinginprayer.com/

http://davewatch.com/

As I was thinking about Halloween at the end of this week, I started thinking of jack-o-lanterns, costumes, masks, etc. Children always have a good time deciding who they are going to be and what they will wear as they go trick or treating and of course eating their treats.

            It reminded me of how some times we as grandparents tend to hide, conceal or disguise how we really feel about ourselves or who God designed us to be. Paul writes in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” God created us to be genuine, authentic, sincere, and truthful, pleasing Him with doing good works for Him. Wearing a mask to cover up who God designed us to be will not bring us fulfillment.

Let’s ask ourselves:

• Do I really believe God is who He says He is?
• Do I really believe I am who God says I am?
• Do my grandchildren see that Jesus Christ is the focal point of my life?
• On the other hand, do my grandchildren think I am wearing a spiritual mask?

            During this Halloween season, let us encourage our grandchildren to be real and honest and not wear masks in their relationship with Jesus Christ, their families and at school.

“A truthful witness saves lives, but a false witness is deceitful”

(Proverbs 14:25 NIV).

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By Lillian Penner

 “You’re not free until you’ve been made captive by supreme belief.” (Marianne Moore, “Spenser’s Ireland,” 1951)

Between the Devil and the deep blue sea, we may feel we have no other choice than to run or engage in mortal combat. If we audaciously take on an evil army as a solo warrior, we set our self up for flat-on-our face defeat. If we deny the gravity of our situation, we do not alter reality. Feeling trapped with no way out, we may panic. There are many situations we cannot handle, but handling impossible situations is God’s everyday business.

When we’re apprehensive because of future concerns, we should not repeat the Israelites’ mistake of despairing. Recounting God’s faithfulness, we will stop shaking at bad prospects. Listening to a drumbeat outside the world’s hearing range, we have marched out of slavery under Higher Guidance. Listening to the cadence of the Holy Spirit, we stay in step. In threatening circumstances, we are serene in trusting inner-stances. In the fog of war, we rely on supernatural direction. In battlefield chaos, we follow heaven’s flag draped with battle streamers commemorating past wins. Standing still, we watch God do His work.

God enlightens pockets of fear and darkens arrogance. God illumines doubt daring to trust and muddles conceit presuming to oppose Truth. God tranquilizes scared believers and terrifies self-confident atheists. God focuses heaven’s light to defend us from hell’s marshaled fiends. God rescues believing souls from floods of judgment and drowns haughty souls in torrents of justice. God commands invisible troops with strategies defying human wisdom. God guarantees ultimate triumph even in the face of impending defeat. God walls surging currents right and left on exit ramps to joyful freedom.

Human instinct limits options to flight or fight. But relying on God’s front-line Presence teaches us a third option—FAITH.

“Don’t be afraid. Just stand where you are and watch the Lord rescue you. The Lord himself with fight for you. You won’t have to lift a finger in your defense!” (Exodus 14:13-14 NLT)

Johnny R. Almond

Christian preacher and writer

Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity

[This devotion based on Day 46 of Gentle Whispers from Eternity]

Read blog at http://GentleWhispersFromEternity-ScripturePersonalized