Quote from Beth Moore

Don't assume that God will always work in your life the way He always has. A sunset is proof that God colors outside the lines. He has no status quo. Even the laws of nature are His to interrupt. As many times as you've prayed before, today may be the day when God sends the answer so swiftly-so divinely-that you're windburned.

~Beth Moore

Book Review: The Circle Maker

I was given The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson as a Christmas present from my husband. He knew it was a book that I would want to read because his dad read it…and I always want to read what he is reading. He loves to read too, and I like to keep up with his book recommendations  This particular book is about prayer-how important it is, how powerful it is, and how necessary it is for believers to go to God with our prayer requests...HE HEARS US!

Some excellent quotes in the book:

"Bold prayers honor God, and God honors bold prayers. God isn't offended by your biggest dreams or boldest prayers. He is offended by anything less. If your prayers aren't impossible to you, they are insulting to God. Why? because they don't require divine intervention."

"Who you become is determined by how you pray."

"The author, pastor of one of the largest churches in Seoul, Korea, wrote, 'God does not answer vague prayers.' When I read that statement,  I was immediately convicted by how vague my prayers were. Some of them were so vague that there was no way of knowing whether God had answered them or not."

"When you pray regularly, you never know when God will show up or speak up. Today could be the day. When you live in prayer mode, you live with holy anticipation. you know that coincidences are Providences."

"Praying hard is hard because you can't just pray like it depends on God; you also have to work like it depends on you. You can't just be willing to pray about it; you also have to be willing to do something about it. And this is where many of us get stuck spiritually. We're willing to pray right up to the point of discomfort, but no further. We're willing to pray right up to the point of inconvenience, but no further. Praying hard is uncomfortable and inconvenient, but that is when you know you're getting close to a miracle!"

My Thoughts:

After reading this I am not the same Christian. It has challenged me to pray specifically for things. I don't need to be general in what I ask of God, I must be specific. God answers specific prayers. I think I'm all too often afraid to ask God for specific things because I'm afraid He won't answer me or do them for me. I have thought, "Maybe I'm not worthy enough of that specific request."  Or maybe He'll think I'm stupid or ungrateful or asking too much. But that is simply not true. I have had a distorted perspective of God as my Father. He wants to bless my life. He wants and needs me to be open and honest with him. He wants me to have a vision for things and ask specifically for them. He wants to use me and move through me. I have had to grow in my faith and believe these things of God. It has challenged me to get a bigger perspective of who God is.  By the way, I've learned He's much bigger than I've made Him out to be. I have been stirred to seek God. I'm seeking His vision and purpose for my life at this time and specifically praying for those things to come to pass. 

The Circle Maker is filled with encouraging stories and testimonies of how God has answered prayer in Matt's life and those he knows. I needed to read this book. It has fanned the flame of prayer in my life in a powerful way. I pray it does the same for you!

St. Francis of Assisi Prayer

“Lord make me an

instrument of your peace!

Where there is hatred,

let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,

Grant that I may not

So much seek to be consoled

as to console;

to be understood

as to understand;

to be loved

as to love;

for it is in giving

that we receive;

it is in pardoning

that we are pardoned

and it is in dying

that we are born to Eternal Life.”

-St. Francis of Assisi

Book Review : A Hunger for God

A Hunger for God

 (Desiring God through Fasting and Prayer) By John Piper

Awhile back, the ladies in my church wanted to start a book club so we could read books that would encourage our spiritual growth. We would then talk about them together. The big question was, “What book should we read first?” Well, the book, A Hunger for God by John Piper, was suggested and I was not looking forward to reading about fasting and prayer. Honestly, I really love food! I confess if I don’t eat it changes my mood, and I get really grumpy.
              I don’t like dying to myself. But, I have to say this has become one of my favorite books. I learned so much about fasting and having an appetite for God that I would highly recommend this book to every Christian believer. 

Overview:
     John Piper shares different aspects of prayer and fasting throughout the book. He talks about the example of Jesus, and  how prayer and fasting have changed the course of history. In addition, he shares that we fast "to express the hunger of our hearts for the coming of our King." The conclusion on why God rewards fasting is very encouraging, and I love the appendix with amazing quotes from various people on fasting.

*Fasting is not about starving your body of food. It’s about starving our flesh of sin.
*Fasting is not something we do to earn points with God or demonstrate good works. It is about yearning and longing to be close to the One who saved, rescued, delivered, healed and loves us.
*Fasting is not about what gifts we can get from God. It is about getting more of the heart, character, and mind of God.
*Fasting is not about withholding yourself only from food. It is about stopping something for a time that you personally have to do or have all the time (ie. sweets, going on the computer, watch TV or movies, play games, read books, coffee, music, etc).

Few Quotes:

“The greatest adversary of love to God is not his enemies but his gifts. And the most deadly appetites are not for the poison of evil, but for the simple pleasures of earth. For when these replace an appetite for God himself, the idolatry is scarcely recognizable, and almost incurable.”

John Piper quotes Richard Foster in the book, “Anger, bitterness, jealousy, strife, fear-if they are within us, they will surface during fasting. At first, we will rationalize that our anger is due to our hunger. And then, we know that we are angry because a spirit of anger is within us. We can rejoice in this knowledge because we know that healing is available through the power of Christ.”

“…we owe our salvation, in some measure (not to overstate it), to the fasting of Jesus. This is a remarkable tribute to fasting…Think on it. Jesus began his ministry with fasting. And he triumphed over his enemy through fasting. And our salvation was accomplished through perseverance by fasting.”

“…God rewards fasting because fasting expresses the cry of the heart that nothing on the earth can satisfy our souls besides God. God must reward this cry because God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.”

Application:  I set aside a day of prayer and fasting while reading this book (I wanted to apply what I was reading). The following is what I wrote in my journal during this time. It was the most profound time of fasting I have experienced.

These were my goals:

• I want to do this because I long for more of God; I need fresh anointing, power and revelation.
• I know there is anger in my heart that needs to be cast out (removed).
• I need to hope in God, fix my eyes on Jesus and trust wholly in Him.

I went about my day seeking what I could learn about myself and my heart condition. Here is what I learned and wrote down:

•  Hard for me to be at peace when there are problems or issues around me-I want everything under control
• When I see a problem I want to deal with it immediately-hard for me to wait, to work through it, or to let God work it out 
•  Knowing or seeing a mess literally in my house or spiritually-I have to let go and enjoy life anyways
• I’ve been ungrateful (self-indulgence and self-discipline issues)
• I have a hard time letting people grow where they are at
•  I expect a lot out of people
• I think I know best about a lot of situations

My thoughts:   According to John Piper, how you react to life when you are fasting signifies what is going on in your heart. It isn’t easy to see. It gets covered up with distractions and deception. The times I go into a fast are so much different now. Fasting is a good thing. It is a necessity for me to take those times periodically and see what sin I am struggling with, what sin I need to starve, and what I can learn about Jesus. I am so grateful for John Piper’s book on hungering for more of God. I ask myself, “If I am not hungering after God, what am I hungering for?”

Book Review: Creative Family Prayer Times

Creative Family Prayer Times

(52 Fun Ways to Pray Together)

By: Mike and Amy Nappa

Best For:  Families that want to have fun praying together, moms who would like to include it in their devotions or Bible time, Sunday School teachers who would appreciate a lesson or theme on prayer for their class

Overview: Mike and Amy Nappa do a wonderful job organizing and presenting a handful of  ideas for praying with your family and/or kids. The book covers an extensive list of daily prayer activities, as well as weekly, monthly, yearly and special occasion ideas. There's even a monthly prayer calendar at the back of the book with something to pray for each day of the month.

Application: We have done a few of the activities described in this book as a family, after dinner on different nights.

M&M Prayer Time

This is a treat! 

• After dinner we put the M&Ms in a bowl and passed it around without telling the kids what they were for, except NOT TO EAT the small handful they were allowed to take!  
•  We laid out the cards on the kitchen table and explained each color represented a group of people we were going to pray for. 
• They could pray for whoever came to their mind in that category. 
• We prayed through one color at a time. 
• At the end of their prayers for that color, then they could eat them.
• We continued until we were all done. 

*Sidenote: start out with a "small" handful...could take a very long time if you don't!

Ever played 4 corners in school?

The object of this activity is to learn the four areas we should include in our personal prayer time. 

• We set up four different pieces of paper that are properly labeled in each corner of a room. 
• We explained to everyone what each corner represents and what we were doing in each corner. 
• We divided up and went to the different corners. 
• We set the timer for how long we wanted to pray in that corner (I suggest keeping it the same for them all). 
• We hit the start button and began praying!
• We rotated until we had all gone to each corner.
•  We talked about what they experienced in each of the corners and which one they liked best.

 

Thoughts: We all had a fun time with these activities. My husband and kids really liked them. I believe this book helps me pray with my children. Prayer is a blessing and privilege. My goal is to make it special with my kids and at their level. Hopefully my kids will remember the 4 areas of prayer when they play four corners at church or with their friends. Hopefully my kids will remember there are other people to pray for besides our family and themselves each time they see a pack of M&Ms. I love to hear my children pray-that really blesses me as their mom!

I want more practical reminders to pray with my kids. If you have any ideas or suggestions, I would love to hear them.

Inspirational Poem by Unknown Confederate Soldier

I asked God for strength that I might achieve.
I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey.
I asked for health that I might do greater things.
I was given infirmity that I might do better things.
I asked for riches that I might be happy.
I was given poverty that I might be wise.
I asked for power that I might have the praise of men.
I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God.
I asked for all things that I might enjoy life.
I was given life that I might enjoy all things.
I got nothing that I asked for, but everything I hoped for.
Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.
I am, among all men, most richly blessed.

Written by: Unknown Confederate Soldier, aka The Creed for the Disabled

Quote from E.M. Bounds

E.M. Bounds

"Just as God has commanded us to pray always, to pray everywhere, and to pray in everything, so he will answer always, everywhere, and in everything."

The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie OMartian

               

The main point of this book is that prayer is powerful. What is prayer? Prayer is talking to God from your heart-being honest, open, and humble in your own words you speak to Him. Prayer is not something formal, it's casual. It's sharing your heart with God. One of the many amazing things about God is that He always delights to hear us talk to Him.
Stormie says in the beginning of her book that prayer is “relying on God’s power to transform you, your husband, your circumstances, and your marriage.” The greatest thing I can do as a wife is pray for myself and my husband. Stormie clearly lays out a plan for praying for 30 specific areas (first one being you the wife) to pray for.  When I first saw the book, I thought wow there are so many areas I can pray for my husband that I never thought about. Thankfully, I have been enlightened!

Stormie sets about to pray for one specific area per chapter, but first starts out each chapter by talking about a personal story or example or words of wisdom from the Bible that God has shown her about that area.

Here’s a list of specific areas Stormie addresses:

1.       His Wife

2.       His Work

3.       His Finances

4.       His Sexuality

5.       His Affection

6.       His Temptations

7.       His Mind

8.       His Fears

9.       His Purpose

10.    His Choices

11.    His Health

12.    His Protection

13.    His Trials

14.    His Integrity

15.    His Reputation

16.    His Priorities

17.    His Relationships

18.    His Fatherhood

19.    His Past

20.    His Attitude

21.    His Marriage

22.    His Emotions

23.    His Walk

24.    His Talk

25.    His Repentance

26.    His Deliverance

27.    His Obedience

28.    His Self-Image

29.    His Faith

30.    His Future

I personally wanted to continue to pray for these areas for my husband, so I typed them out and made it into a bookmark in my Bible. So, when I would spend my time with God reading and praying, I would see the list and continue to go through it praying one each day.

Also, I didn’t feel I had to word my prayers exactly as Stormie did verbatim when praying for my husband, but I’m thankful she offers that in her book as a launching pad for my own prayers. It’s not about saying a specific prayer over and over again exactly the same way. It’s about having a right heart about what I’m praying for and trusting God to move in those areas.

A wise word someone shared with me going along with this is, “Don’t pray for others what you cannot pray for yourself!” i.e. Deliver them from pride…I must be willing to pray that for myself.

Stormie is very encouraging when she says, “There is a time to speak and a time not to speak, and happy is the man whose wife can discern between the two.” Sometimes it’s better to be quiet and pray about it!
Happy Praying!