Because Of Who You Are

“Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker” Psalm 95:6

For the past couple of days the song ‘Because of who you are’ keeps coming up in my heart and I just have to start singing it. Many of you know this song and for those that don’t, there’s a video at the end of this posting of Martha Munizzi singing it.

The lyrics are very simple but when I enter into God’s presence by faith, completely surrendered with an attitude of reverence and adoration singing the lyrics in spirit and in truth, I will feel the Holy Spirit’s presence in a mighty way.

This song reminds me that we need to worship God daily just because He is God and worthy of our praise. We must learn to be people of praise and worship, giving glory to God because He is our Provider, our Strength, our Comfort, our source of Peace, our Healer, the Lover of our Soul, the One who never leaves or forsakes us. He is everything to us, but most of all He is our Salvation. He has done many wonderful things in and around us. The things he planned for us no one can recount to Him, were we to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare. Therefore, we should rejoice in all that we have accomplished through Christ Jesus because the Lord our God has blessed us. (Psalm 40:5, Deut. 12:7)

“Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshipping Him with holy fear and awe.” Hebrews 12:28

Lift up holy hands, bow down before Him, get on your face and humble yourself in the presence of The Most High God paying homage to Him. Recognize who He is and have a reverential fear for your Creator. Don’t hold back words of adoration and worship. He is worthy of all of our praise. We need to worship God so that our minds are kept on Him and all that He has done, rejecting any pride that would try to creep in and make us think that we have reason to boast in anything other than Christ Jesus. Let us pay tribute to the Lord at all times and constantly speak His praises and boast only in Him. (Psalm 34:1-2)

“Honor the Lord, for the glory of His name. Worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness.” Psalm 29:2

Because of the blood of Jesus we are cleansed and given the privilege of entering into God’s presence to seek His face and to give Him our sacrifice of praise. Go to a private place, put on some good worship music, ask the Holy Spirit to guide you as you prepare your mind and heart to enter into God’s presence, and then open your mouth and begin to worship Him because of who He is. Praise Him for all that He has done and is doing in your life. Confess your love and trust for Him. Worship Him in spirit and in truth. You will be filled with the fullness of joy and peace that comes from being in His presence and meditating on Him. (Psalm 16:11)

I leave you with the song, ‘Because of Who You Are’ by Martha Munizzi. I pray that it will help bring you into His presence as you sing the words.

“It is good to praise the LORD and make music to your name, O Most High, to proclaim your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night,” Psalm 92:1-2

"All I Can Do Is Pray"

Why is it that when situations get extremely difficult, or seem hopeless, or out of our control do many of us respond by telling ourselves and others, “All I can do is pray.” What do we really mean anyways? What are we really saying? Is it a statement of faith? I don’t think so..It’s almost like when say that it’s as if prayer is our last resort to our tiresome efforts of trying to resolve our own problems. In some cases some of us have made prayer exactly that..our last resort. This statement, “ALL I CAN DO IS PRAY..” usually follows a statement like this:

“I’ve tried everything I can think of to change or fix this situation now..”
“My hands are tied. It’s out of my control now...”
“I just don’t know what else to do...”

Seeking God’s will and direction for our problems, concerns, and decisions should be our very first reaction. We should pray and never give up. Prayer should not be the last resort. Just think of how many times we have only made our circumstances worse by moving ahead with our own ideas of how to resolve our situation without seeking God’s face, without praying first. (1 Thessalonians 5:17, Luke 18:1, Proverbs 16:25)

When we are facing troubles or when we are at a fork in the road that is when we need to tune our ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding even more. We need to cry out for insight and ask the Lord for help. We need to recognize and remember immediately that our hope should always be in the Lord. Our hope is in knowing that He leads us down the right path for our lives. He is our lamp. He lights up our darkness. He does not leave us or forsake us in our troubles. He is the answer to every situation. He gives us wisdom and counsel. We don’t have to fix everything on our own and we definitely should not make important decisions in our lives without praying and even fasting first. (Proverbs 2:2-3, Jeremiah 17:7-8, Psalm 23:3, Psalm 18:28)

“If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask Him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.” (James 1:5-6)

I love how Queen Ester handled the horrific news that was brought to her via messenger from her mentor and cousin Mordecai. She was told that there had been a decree of death pronounced by the king and his prime minister, Haman. They planned to kill millions of people-including women and children. Mordecai directed her to go before the king and beg for mercy and to plead for her people. They both knew that if anyone appeared before the king in his inner court without being invited they were doomed to die unless the king held out his gold scepter. Even the queen had to be summoned. This was a terrible dilemma, but she was determined to lay down her life if she needed to, but first she determined to seek God’s will and direction. Queen Ester proclaimed a three day fast for her and her people. They all got on their faces before the Lord asking for God’s help and favor. They prayed for the queen and for their own lives to be spared. (Ester 4)

After those three days and nights of fasting and prayer she got up, cleaned up, and put on her royal robes. She was prepared to go before the king prayed up and trusting the Lord to go before her. Many of you know the story. The Lord gave her great wisdom as to how to tactfully approach the situation. The outcome was that the truth of the plot against her people was revealed to the king and their enemies were defeated. It’s an awesome story! (Ester 5-9)

“The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” James 5:16

With every situation that presents it’s self we need to go boldly into the throne room giving thanks immediately to our Lord for the answer and direction that He will provide, because He WILL direct our steps, we just need to seek his face. We don’t have to be afraid or over burdened with troublesome feelings or emotions, confusion, or fear over our circumstances. We need to rise up with the Spirit of power and love, trusting Him and immediately drawing close to the Lord knowing that He will draw close to us.

Let us be determined to seek God first, His will, and His way of handling this life’s troubles. May prayer be our first reaction instead of our last resort. In Jesus name amen…

You And Your Household Will Be Saved!

“Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.” Acts 16:31

I have seen this scripture come to pass in my family. Glory be to God! Over the past year and a half my husband and I have seen many of our family members come down to the altar and receive Christ Jesus as their Lord and Savior. When we decided to jump off the fence and really surrender our lives to the Lord everything changed. We began going to church consistently and inviting everyone to come with us. We were praying and interceding that when that altar call was made that the Holy Spirit would touch their hearts and that they would repent of their sins and turn to God for salvation and many did!

The first of all of them, which was the least that we thought would ever surrender to God was my brother in law Mike. He seemed to be the farthest away from God lost in self indulgent sins that were destroying him and his family, but the Lord heard our prayers and saved his lost soul. Glory be to God who is faithful to redeem the lost. Today he is on fire for Jesus and full of the Spirit of God. Thank you Jesus! Then by Easter 08 my father in law who had a terrible agonistic spirit had a Damascus road experience with Jesus and got the answers that he was looking for. He overcame cancer through the healing power of the Holy Spirit. Today He seeks our Lord’s face daily searching for his specific calling.

The total so far is ten friends and family members that have given their lives to Christ and this past Easter five more were added to that. YAY!! I am telling you this to encourage you to keep praying for your friends and family. You don’t have to preach at them all the time. Sometimes family are the hardest ones to minister to. They may not immediately believe what the Lord has done in us. They may not receive that we are new creations right away because they remember the old us. So be patient and loving. Be on fire for the Lord, but don’t condemn your family to the fiery pits of hell. Allow your new life in Christ Jesus to be the testimony that speaks to them. Most often actions speak louder than words. The Lord can use a quiet and gentle spirit to win people over, so be careful with using many words. Use wisdom, common sense, patience, and most of all love which conquerors all to bring your loved ones to the Lord. (1 Peter 3:2, 1 Corinthians 2:1-6)

If they ask you why you believe in Christ Jesus or where your faith lies then be prepared to tell them without arguing. Share the Gospel with them and allow the Holy Spirit to work on their hearts. Between what you share verbally and the example that you set by the way that you live your life they will be won over. Invite them to church. If they say no say ok, but then invite them again the following week. They will come eventually. You’ll see.. (1 Peter 3:15)

For those with prodigal children keep looking out for them. Don’t stop watching for their return. The Lord has seen your tears and heard every one of your prayers. He will bring them home. You just continue to cover them with your prayers. The Lord has not forsaken your children. He is being patient with them and allowing them to come to the end of themselves. I believe with all of my heart the Lord is bringing His remnant to your children even as I write this. He has prepared a way of escape for them. He has put a fork in the road that will lead them back to Him. Be patient and trust Him. Don’t give up just yet. You and your household will be saved!! In Jesus name!!! AMEN!!

Pray For Me Please

"I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. " 1 Timothy 2:1

To all Consecrated to Him readers please forgive me for not posting as frequently lately. I have been inundated with our other ministries WeUsed2bu and Out of the Miry Clay. Between them and of my course my number #1 ministry my family, I have been busy. I have been praying for our Lord to help me manage my time and not allow me to feel overwhelmed. Thankfully I don’t feel completely overwhelmed because our Lord has brought gifted and capable men and women to help fulfill the visions for these ministries. I hoping to start posting regularly again within in the new couple of weeks.

My request to each of you is that you would cover me in prayer. Also pray for these ministries. Our Lord is doing an awesome work with all of them. We have seen God’s hand moving ever so clearly and His favor and blessings are undeniable. Glory be to God!

I have talked about these ministries before but here’s a recap. WeUsed2bu is a Girl Advice site. I co-founded this ministry with two of my closest friends almost one year ago. The Lord laid it on our hearts to reach out to girls on MySpace. We were to let them know that they are not alone in their cares, concerns, questions, insecurities, troubles, and in so many other things. We wanted them to know that we used to be just like them in so many different ways. We may have even experienced similar circumstances, thus the name WeUsed2bu.

Growing up we never had some where we could turn and really receive true godly advice. Had we have been given godly counsel and direction perhaps we could have made better choices. Today we know the Word of God changes and renews our mind and gives us direction for daily living. We decided that we wanted to give these girls a place to go where they can seek godly advice for their questions and problems.

We began friend requesting and encouraging the girls to contact us if they needed advice or encouragement. We then created a separate blog site where the girls could go to seek advice anonymously since on Myspace we could see who they were. The girls responded immediately. They were so receptive to the idea and the concept. Just as the Holy Spirit showed us they did need some where to turn where they could ask questions without fear of judgment, where they talk honestly and most importantly anonymously.

Almost a year later we have approximately 750 friends and we receive questions almost daily. We are counseling these girls with the Word of God. WeUsed2bu is planting and sowing many seeds into these young women’s lives. Glory be to God.

Our Lord is now leading us to officially incorporate WeUsed2bu ministries and has expanded the vision. We are in the process of partnering with Calvary Chapel Ft.Lauderdale. We are planning to start a magazine and will be publishing our first book hopefully before Christmas. There will be conferences and so much more!! It’s exciting!! So PLEASE pray for WeUsed2bu Ministries.

Now about Out of the Miry Clay.. This ministry has a great big peace of my heart. Out of the Miry Clay is a ministry formed by ex-offenders for ex-offenders. We realized that our Lord was merciful and lifted us up out of our horrible mess, out of the miry clay. He has established our lives in Christ Jesus, changed us, and blessed us above and beyond what we thought He ever would. We want other ex-offenders and those who are still incarcerated to know this. We want them to know that God is no respecter of persons. What He has done for us He will do for them.

We have a monthly support group for ex-offenders. When we come to together there is godly fellowship, accountability, encouragement, and edification. The Holy Spirit is present in those meetings. It’s amazing!!

For Christmas we had the privilege of going into a juvenile center along side of Prison Fellowship to minister and fellowship these children and their families. We shared our testimonies and lives were changed. We are still reaping blessings from that event. Now our Lord is showing us that He wants to expand our territory. In fact that He already has. So you can imagine that that we are full of joyful expectation.

This why I am asking each of you to please commit to praying for me, WeUsed2bu, and Out of the Miry Clay. We have many battles ahead as a ministry and as individuals. But we know that our Lord has equipped us with every spiritual gift, authority, and weapon to overcome and persevere through Christ Jesus.

I thank you in advance for your prayers..Blessings to all of you in Christ Jesus name.

Ephesians 6:18 "Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere."

For more information on these ministries or to make a donation please click the buttons below. Thank you again..

Sincerely,

Lisa aka Trophy of Grace

It'll Be Ok!!

“Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7

It’ll be ok I promise. Sometimes we allow ourselves to get so caught up in trying to figure things out; contemplating all the what ifs, that we lose our peace and joy. We begin to meditate on the dilemma so much that we have forgotten to take it to our Lord in prayer. If we get into trying to fix our problems on our own in our own strength we most certainly will complicate things even further. We have to learn to instinctively run to the throne room full of humility and a willingness to listen and obey. Then we can make our supplications known to God, lay down our will at His feet and accept His Wisdom thankfully. Then His peace will most certainly guard our minds and hearts from worry, fear, and anxiety as we meditate and trust in His Word, Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

James 1:5-8 says “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask Him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.”

Our Lord is our source of wisdom and direction. Through prayer and reading of the Word the Holy Spirit reveals which way to go. He is always going to be faithful to lead us down the right path when we ask Him for direction. However, we must be willing to accept His divine counsel. It is foolish to seek God’s face and present our problems to Him to only do the exact opposite of what He has shown us to do. Don’t allow fear, doubt, confusion, and especially compromise to deter you from following the Lord’s will and way.

I have learned that sometimes our Lord’s response is far from what I expected and then others time it is confirming and clarifying the vision that He has already given me. However, when His response is totally opposite of what I thought and most certainly not the way the world would handle my situation I remember the words in Isaiah 55:8-9. It says:

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts, says the Lord. And My ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts higher than your thoughts.”

Let us remember that our Lord is faithful and He always works everything out for our good because He loves us so much. He is our Faithful Father carefully watching over us guiding and protecting because He has promised to. Our hope and faith has to be so devoted to Him that we trust Him at His Word. We have to trust him with all of our hearts, and not depend on our own understanding. If we seek His will in all that we do, He will show us which way to go. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Remember that you do not have to be under the yoke of worry or confusion. Get on your face before God and give your burdens to the Lord, and He will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall. (Psalm 55:22)

Trust Him and it’ll be ok!!!!

Starting Your Day Off Right

“I rise early, before the sun is up; I cry out for help and put my hope in Your words.” Psalm 119:147

Good morning! Today you may be off to work or school, or perhaps it’s your day off. Maybe you’re a stay at home my like me or perhaps you are searching for a job. Whatever your situation today you will be faced with scheduled tasks, unforeseen or unexpected events, different personalities, opportunities to share your faith, persecution, blessings, and so on. How did you prepare for today’s events?

Our Lord Jesus would wake up before daybreak and go to an isolated place to pray and spend time with the Father. This is how He prepared for His day and this is the example that we too should follow. We have to be prayed up and have a fresh intake of the Word early in the morning if we want to have a truly fruitful day in Christ Jesus. (Mark 1:35)

Jesus said, “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” Matthew 6:34

Everyday has its own troubles and obstacles. Don’t be in such a hurry to start your day. Take time early in the morning to prepare for the day ahead of you. Sacrifice and present the first hour of the day to the Lord, this is your first fruit offering. Set your alarm an hour earlier and go to bed an hour earlier if you need to. This will help you remember that each day is a day that the Lord has made and you are alive and here in this world for such a time as this for His plans and purpose.

Here is a prayer I found it says:

“Dear God…So far today, I’ve done ok. I haven’t gossiped or lost my temper. I haven’t been greedy, crabby, mean, nasty, selfish, or overindulgent. And I’m very grateful for that. But dear God, in a few minutes I’m gonna get out of bed, and then probably gonna need a lot more help. Amen..

When I first read this I thought it was funny but I also knew that it is so true. It’s all good while we’re still in bed and haven’t faced the world. If you are starting your day off without seeking God’s face in prayer and without a word of encouragement and instruction from the Word of God then do not be surprised when your attitude is not right or you feel like your day is a little off. You will also find that you will be more susceptible for an attack from our enemy whom we know is roaming around like a lion seeking who he may devour. Don’t forget that you are a soldier in the army of God. We are in battle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. So we have to start our day of seeking counsel and direction from The Commander of our army Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 6:12)

“Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly. Psalm 5:3

“The Sovereign Lord has given me His words of wisdom, so that I know how to comfort the weary. Morning by morning He wakens me and opens my understanding to His will.” Isaiah 50:4

If we wake up and commit the first hour of our day to praying, reading the Word, and worshipping Him we will be better prepared to face our day. He wants to have that time with us. He wants us to give Him our concerns, worries, and burdens first thing in the morning so that we don’t have to carry them around all day. The only thing he wants us to carry on us is the armor of God that Paul talks about in Ephesians 6. Our Lord just wants you to know and remember that He is waiting daily each morning to talk to you and help you through each day. So seek His face early in the morning.

p.s.

I would just like to add that during the writing of this article my 22 month old twins are the crankiest they have been in weeks. They have been screaming and fighting like crazy for the past hour. You can imagine what it’s like. If I had not gotten up early prayed, exercised, and done this study I would have already lost my mind and it is only 8:39am…lol O and did I mention that my two dogs escaped out the back door again! Lol..Have a good day!!

From The Archives: Pray Much For Others

Our prayer life should not consist solely of seeking God on behalf our own needs. It is our responsibility to compassionately pray and intercede on behalf of the needs of others as well. Look at Paul’s instructions to Timothy regarding interceding for others.

“Here are my directions: Pray much for others; plead for God’s mercy upon them; give thanks for all He is going to do for them. Pray in this way for kings and all others who are in authority over us, or are in places of high responsibility, so that we can live in peace and quietness, spending our time in godly living and thinking much about the Lord. This is good and pleases God our Savior, for he longs for all to be saved and to understand this truth; That God is on one side and all the people on the other side, and Christ Jesus, himself man, is between them to bring them together, by giving his life for all mankind. ” (1 Timothy 2:1-6)

We are called to be intercessors praying for the salvation of the lost, for those in authority over us and in positions of great responsibility, and also for other Christians. (Ephesians 6:18) Our prayers guided by the Holy Spirit and full of faith will make a difference in the lives of others and in the world.

James 5:16-18 says, “The prayers of a righteous man has great power and wonderful results. Elijah was as completely human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for the next three and one half years! Then he prayed again, this time that it would rain, and down it poured and the grass turned green and the gardens began to grow again.” (1 Kings 17:1-7, 18:36-39)

The Lord wants to use us to intercede on behalf of others who have not yet come to know Him. Our prayer should be for God to have mercy on them and for those satanic blinders to be removed from their eyes so that they can see how much God truly loves them and wants to save them. We should pray for them to realize that they are sinners in need of a Savior and that God’s kindness to them has been meant to lead them to repentance.

It is in our best interest to pray for our president and our government. We want to be governed wisely and for God’s will to be done in our country. Praying for those directly in authority over us such as our managers, bosses, and owners is vital to the condition of our daily work environment. Your prayers for the company and its employees will help prosper everyone there spiritually and financially.

Someone right now needs us to stand in the gap for them. Maybe it’s our friend who lost faith, our boss who is going through a divorce and is losing their children, or our widowed landlady who is full of bitterness. Let’s allow the Holy Spirit to use us to intercede of behalf of whoever God puts on our heart.

Lord thank you for the privilege we have to come before you not only for our own needs but on behalf of the needs of others. Fill our hearts with compassion and confidence to pray for those around us and in authority over us. We know that our faith filled prayers will help change people’s lives now and forever. Thank you for the power of prayer. In Jesus name..Amen.

Stop!! Be Still..

Do you realize that our Lord wants to talk with you? Yes, He has something to say. He has understanding and wisdom to bestow on you. He wants to give you a revelation of how much He truly loves you and thinks about you daily. But how will you ever know what He has to say if don’t sit still?

Stop moving all around. Stop cleaning. Stop cooking. Stop working, Just be still and be alone in His presence and know that He is God. He is longing for intimate time with you. Just you and your Heavenly Father enjoying each other. Your small daily prayers and talks on the way to and from work are great..but He longs for more of you. He wants you to long for more of Him too.

Go to the room and shut the door. You need this more than you know. You will be renewed, revived, and replenished in His presence. His Spirit will give you peace, joy, and strength as you meditate on His loving kindness and mercy towards you. His praises will come out of your mouth when you stop and be still long enough to see that He has always been there listening and protecting you all the days of your life. It could have been worse for you, but it’s not. You’re alive and He is not done with you yet. You will fulfill your purpose but you must stop and be still in His presence so that He can renew your strength and heal you.

The answers that you need are there. The comfort that you are longing for are there. Run as fast as you can. Close the door behind you. Close your eyes and lift up your arms ask the Holy Spirit to fill you up so that you may overflow with His power and strength. Run into His arms so that you may find rest for your weary soul.

He has been waiting for this moment. This is the time of day that He longs for. This is the time you set aside everything else, all the cares of this world and sit at His feet waiting to receive all that He has to give. Open His Word and expect to hear from God. The answers are there. Wisdom and freedom will be given to you in His presence.

The Spirit of the Lord says, “Be Still and Know that I AM God!”

"You will show me the path of life; In Your Presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore." (Psalm 16:11)

"Surely the righteous shall give thaks to Your namel The upright shall dwell in Your presence." (Psalm 140:13)

"But know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the LORD will hear when I call unto him. Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah. Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD." (Psalm 4:3-5)

Prayer Hindrances

The Lord longs for us to pray and to seek his face. He wants us to cast all of our cares on Him because He cares for us. He has told us that what ever we ask in His name we will receive. He assures us that if we seek we will find and if we knock the door will be opened. He tells us that our heavenly Father will most certainly give good gifts to those who ask him for them. So we can be confident that when we pray that he hears our prayers and He will be faithful to answer them. (John 16:24, Matthew 6:7-12)

But do you ever feel like your prayers are not being answered or God can not hear them? What if there is something blocking our prayers from reaching the throne room? What if our prayer line was clogged or contaminated? Is that possible? Yes..there are hindrances that can creep into our lives and clog or block the communication lines with God keeping our prayers from being heard and answered. Prayer hindrances. The bible speaks clearly of these prayer blockers. So what are they?

Ø Iniquity and unconfessed sin (Isaiah 59:2, Psalm 66:18)
Ø Unforgiveness (Matthew 18:23-35, Matthew 6:14-15)
Ø Selfish prayers & prayers with wrong motives (James 4:3, Luke 22:42)
Ø Husband and wives mistreating each other (1 Peter 3:7, Ephesians 5:22-24)
Ø Wrongs not made right (Matthew 5:24-24)
Ø Unpaid tithe and offering (Malachi 3:7-9)
Ø Disobedience and rebellion (1 Samuel 15:23, Deuteronomy 1:41-45)

All of these will hinder our prayers and our relationship with the Lord because they keep us from God’s will.

When we go into the presence of the Almighty God we must remember that He is holy and righteous. Therefore we should enter into his presence with thanksgiving, praying with holy hands lifted up to God, free from sin, anger, resentment, and asking forgiveness for our hidden faults and deliberate wrongs. (2 Timothy 2:8, Psalm 19:12-14)

“But how can I ever know what sins are lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults. And keep me from deliberate wrongs; help me to stop doing them. Only then can I be free from guilt and innocent of some great crime.” (Psalm 19:12-13)

“Who may climb the mountain of the Lord and enter where he lives? Who may stand before the Lord? Only those with pure hands and hearts” (Psalm 24:4)

The Word of God and the Holy Spirit work as our filter system helping us to keep our prayer lines clean. These prayer hindrances do not need to have a stronghold on us. With the power of the Holy Spirit, the truth of God’s Word, with daily repentance and confession of our sins we can be free from any prayer hindrances. (1 John 1:9, Psalm 51)

Lord, we thank you for your Word because we know it is true and teaches us what is right, helps us realize what is wrong in our lives, it straightens us out, and helps us to do what is right. Show us if there is anything hindering our prayers. We long to come into your presence free from any obstructions or distractions. In Jesus name..Amen.

Praying for Believers

Paul prayed constantly for believers and he said that he never stopped giving thanks for them. He had great love for all of the saints and desired for them to grow in the knowledge of our Savior. He wanted them to be prepared for service and to bring glory to the Lord with all that they did, so he not only taught them but he interceded on their behalf.

Ephesians 1:15-23 and Colossians 1:9-13 tells us what he prayed. Let us be faithful to pray on behalf of the saints also. When interceding on behalf of one another let us remember Paul’s example.

He prayed for:

Ø Them to have wisdom- Wisdom to see clearly and really understand who Christ is and all that he has done for them. For God to make them wise about spiritual things. (Ephesians 1:17, Colossians 1:9)
Ø That the eyes of their understanding be opened- To know..
1) What is the hope of their calling in Christ and for God to help them understand what He wants them to do.
2) That God has been made rich because we who are Christ’s have been given to him.
3) How incredibly great His power is to help those who believe in Him. It’s the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead! (Ephesians 1:18-19, Colossians 1:9)
Ø Them to live to please the Lord- That the way they lived their daily lives would always please the Lord and honor him. That they would always be doing good, kind things for others, while all the same time learning to know God better and better. (Colossians 1:10)
Ø Them to be filled with His mighty glorious strength – So that they will be able to be long suffering and patient, to keep going no matter what happens. (Colossians 1:11)
Ø To be full of joy and thankful- To always be full of the joy of the Lord and always thankful to the Father who has made us fit to share all the wonderful things that belong to those who live in the Kingdom of light. (Colossians 1:12)

We may not know others specific situations or needs but we know that we all have the same basic needs. This is an excellent guide to follow when praying for others.

Lord, thank you for giving us a blueprint that we can use when we pray on behalf of other believers. When we come into your presence interceding give us the Words to speak and remind us of the examples that you have given us in your Word. Thank you for your Holy Spirit that puts the desire on our heart to pray for others. In Jesus name..Amen.

Pray Much For Others

Our prayer life should not consist solely of seeking God on behalf our own needs. It is our responsibility to compassionately pray and intercede on behalf of the needs of others as well. Look at Paul’s instructions to Timothy regarding interceding for others.

“Here are my directions: Pray much for others; plead for God’s mercy upon them; give thanks for all He is going to do for them. Pray in this way for kings and all others who are in authority over us, or are in places of high responsibility, so that we can live in peace and quietness, spending our time in godly living and thinking much about the Lord. This is good and pleases God our Savior, for he longs for all to be saved and to understand this truth; That God is on one side and all the people on the other side, and Christ Jesus, himself man, is between them to bring them together, by giving his life for all mankind. ” (2 Timothy 2:1-6)

We are called to be intercessors praying for the salvation of the lost, for those in authority over us and in positions of great responsibility, and also for other Christians. (Ephesians 6:18) Our prayers guided by the Holy Spirit and full of faith will make a difference in the lives of others and in the world.

James 5:16-18 says, “The prayers of a righteous man has great power and wonderful results. Elijah was as completely human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for the next three and one half years! Then he prayed again, this time that it would rain, and down it poured and the grass turned green and the gardens began to grow again.” (1 Kings 17:1-7, 18:36-39)

The Lord wants to use us to intercede on behalf of others who have not yet come to know Him. Our prayer should be for God to have mercy on them and for those satanic blinders to be removed from their eyes so that they can see how much God truly loves them and wants to save them. We should pray for them to realize that they are sinners in need of a Savior and that God’s kindness to them has been meant to lead them to repentance.

It is in our best interest to pray for our president and our government. We want to be governed wisely and for God’s will to be done in our country. Praying for those directly in authority over us such as our managers, bosses, and owners is vital to the condition of our daily work environment. Your prayers for the company and its employees will help prosper everyone there spiritually and financially.

Someone right now needs us to stand in the gap for them. Maybe it’s our friend who lost faith, our boss who is going through a divorce and is losing their children, or our widowed landlady who is full of bitterness. Let’s allow the Holy Spirit to use us to intercede of behalf of whoever God puts on our heart.

Lord thank you for the privilege we have to come before you not only for our own needs but on behalf of the needs of others. Fill our hearts with compassion and confidence to pray for those around us and in authority over us. We know that our faith filled prayers will help change people’s lives now and forever. Thank you for the power of prayer. In Jesus name..Amen.

The Model Prayer

Continued From Instructions on How to Pray

After giving us instructions on how to pray Jesus then gives us an example of what to pray. We know this prayer as the Lord’s Prayer.

Matthew 6: 9-13 “In this manner, therefore pray:

"Father in Heaven, Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”

Jesus tells us in verse nine to pray along these lines. This is our model prayer so we must meditate on what Jesus prayed and learn to apply the principles in our own prayer lives.

Vs 9 “Father in Heaven, Hallowed be Your name.”

We should enter into God’s presence knowing that He is our loving Heavenly Father acknowledging that He is Holy and to be revered. We are to enter into his presence with thanksgiving and praise: being thankful to him, and blessing his name. (Psalm 100:4)

Vs 10 “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it as in heaven.”

One day Jesus will set up His kingdom here on earth and His will be done here on earth just as it is in heaven. (Rev. 20) As believers we know that we are already part of God’s kingdom. We should pray that God’s will be done in all areas of our lives. We should long to be ruled by His kingdom now and not this world’s kingdom, or our own kingdom.

Vs 11 “Give us this day our daily bread”

We need to acknowledge that our Lord is the One who provides for our daily needs. We should always trust Him to meet every one of our needs and thank Him in advance for providing for us.

Vs 12 “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors”

We are new creations in Christ Jesus, however we will still sin because we are living in these sinful bodies and fallen world, therefore we need to ask forgiveness for our sins daily. Just like our merciful God forgives us when we sin against Him, we also need to forgive those who have sinned against us. Jesus warns us that if we refuse to forgive those who have sinned against us our Heavenly Father will not forgive us either. So we must choose to forgive daily and then ask God to forgive us also.

Vs 13 “And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.”

Jesus is not saying that God leads us into temptation, but for God not to allow the enemy to lead us into temptation. This is a reminder that this is not a battle with flesh and blood but with principalities and spiritual rulers in high places. We need to ask the Lord to give us a discerning spirit, wisdom to see when a trap is being set for us, and for Him to provide a way of escape. We must remember that our enemy is real and he prowls around seeing who he may attack and devour. (Ephesians 6:12, 1 Peter 5:8)

Vs 13 “For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

We know that no weapon formed against us will prosper because our God who lives in us is greater than he who lives in this world. We need to praise God for the His power and His Holy Spirit in our lives. He deserves all the glory now and forever. So let us always close our prayers with words of praise and worship. (1 John 4:4, Isaiah 54:17)

Lord, thank you for setting the example for us to follow. You are Amazing and All Knowing, preparing and equipping us in advance to bring glory to your Son. Remind us of how Jesus prayed when we set ourselves to seek your face in our prayer time. In Jesus name..Amen.

Instructions on How to Pray

Jesus gives us clear instruction on how to pray in Matthew 6: 5-8. He says..

Vs 5 “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.”

 He does not want us be like the religious men of that day who prayed out in the open because they wanted everyone to see them and think that they were so holy and righteous. The only reward they would get would be the praises of the people who thought much of them. Their prayers were hindered because they came from a selfish and insincere heart.

There are times for public prayer, but we must remember that our prayer is to God, not to please those around us. We must always pray from a sincere heart seeking God’s face, not the praises of men.

Vs 6 “ But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”

 Prayer can be done anytime and anywhere, however we should set aside a time daily where we can be alone with the Lord away from any distractions. We should do just as Jesus has said. Go into our room or somewhere where we won’t be disturbed. Then worship, pray, and praise our Lord without any hindrances. We need this intimate time alone with the Lord. We will be blessed by being in God’s presence with peace, love, and faith. These are just some of the rewards.

Vs 7 “And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.”

 There are many religions that use incantations or repeat the same prayers over and over again thinking that God will hear them. We are not to pray in this manner. It’s foolishness. We have been given access to the throne of grace because of Jesus Christ. So we can now go boldly before God with our sincere and heartfelt prayers so that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:15-16)

Vs 8 “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.”

 The Lord knows our needs before we ask, but He wants us to ask anyways. He wants us to be confident in Him, knowing that when we pray that He hears our prayer and answers. “Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.” (1 John 3:21-22)

Lord, thank you for giving us counsel on how to pray. Your words are full of wisdom and power. Let us receive your instruction and incorporate them in our lives. In Jesus name..Amen..

Pray Without Ceasing

The Lord has laid it on my heart to study and teach on prayer. This is the first of a series of postings on prayer. May Our Lord teach us what we need to help us with where we’re at on our journey. In Jesus name...Amen!

Prayer is a vital part of our Christian lives. Prayer is simply talking with God. He wants nothing more than for us to spend time talking and listening to Him just like we do with anyone we love. The more time we spend talking with God the more we will learn to know Him, love Him, and recognize His voice. Our faith, confidence, and trust in Him will grow as we see our prayers being answered. Just knowing that He hears our prayers and cares about every detail of our lives should cause us to want to spend more time talking with Him.

“But certainly God has heard me; He has given heed to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, Who has not rejected my prayer nor removed His mercy and loving –kindness from being [as it always is] with me.” Psalm 66:19-20

We are to be in a constant state of prayer; praying without ceasing. (1 Thessalonians 5:17) I don’t mean walking around looking like a crazy person. I mean we need to be aware that we are not ever alone. His Holy Spirit is with us all the time. The Lord has given us His Spirit to guide and leads us all the days of our lives. He is there when we wake up, when we are driving to work or school, while we are going through our day, and when we come home. He is always with us not only protecting us and watching over us; He is there wanting to be the first one we call if we just want to talk or are going through something.

Psalm 139:7 “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?”

Joshua 1:5, 9 The Lord said, “I will not leave you nor forsake you.” “The Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Almighty God is our Heavenly Father who cares about everything that goes on with us. He wants to provide for ALL our needs. That’s why He says, “Do NOT fret or have any anxiety about ANYTHING, but in EVERY circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God.” (Philippians 4:6) This scripture should give us confidence that we can talk to Him about everything and anything. We can talk to Him about our jobs, our bosses, our enemies, our friends, our spouses, and children. We can ask Him to give us more patience, understanding, wisdom, and compassion. We can request direction and guidance for our lives. There is nothing that we can not talk to our loving God about.

Prayer keeps us dependant on Him. He doesn’t want us to fret, worry, or have anxiety. He wants us to cast all of our cares on Him through prayer, trusting Him to care for our needs. Prayer is our stress relief because once we have prayed and spent time in his presence the peace of God which surpasses all understand will guard our minds and our hearts as we trust Him. Then we can begin to mediate on the fact that He has always been faithful to answer our prayers in the past and we can rejoice and praise Him for His faithfulness and mercy. (Philippians 4:7)

Lord, you are an Awesome God that loves us so much that you long to talk to us and spend time with us through prayer. Remind us that you are always there ready to listen and answer our prayers. Thank you for your Son who as given us full access to your throne room. In Jesus name..Amen

Hear My Prayer Lord!

The other night I prayed this prayer for my aunt and I. Today Lord I pray this prayer for all of my readers.

Dear Heavenly Father,

We come before you in Jesus name..You are an Awesome God! You are Faithful and Merciful! We come to you knowing that we can find comfort and hope in our times of need. As we draw close to You we know that You are drawing closer to us! You are the Answer to all of our problems and situations. We trust you, your Word, and your promises because they are infallible and everlasting.

Your Word says that if we acknowledge you in all of our ways that you will direct our path. Lord we are your handmaidens and servants. We serve you with all of our hearts and long to bring glory to your name. We love you and long to please you. Hear our cry dear Jesus!

Answer our prayers and heal our pain. We need your direction and protection in all that we do. You are our only hope and answer.

Give us the strength and the courage to face whatever obstacles present themselves. We trust you to give us hinds feet to jump from precept to precept on these mountain that have not moved YET! Please give us revelation and wisdom so that we make proper decisions. We have the mind of Christ and we will be lead by your Holy Spirit.

Everything is your hands Lord and we have seen you do great things. You have delivered us before and you will deliver us once again. The battle is yours Lord! We trust and we will praise you until the walls come down!

In Jesus Name...

Amen!!!

One Child's Prayer

I just had to share this. Some of you may have already seen it. It is just so beautiful. Please continue to pass this on. Someone may need to hear this.

Prayer Requests

All though we may not know each other's specific needs Paul set the example for us in Colossians 1:9-14 on how to pray for our brothers and sisters in the Lord. Therefore I will prayer just as Paul did:

• For our God to give you complete knowledge of his will


• To give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.


• I will also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need.


• I will pray that you may you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father.

Please pray for me in this way also.

If you have any specific prayer requests please submit them here.

Sincerely His,

Trophy of Grace

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Pray For Them & Leave It in God's Hands

Sometimes we want to take things into our own hands when someone has hurt or offended us or someone we love. But the Lord says vengeance is His. We are called to pray for our enemies. Enemy seems like a strong word but an enemy is a person who feels hatred for, fosters harmful designs against, or engages in antagonistic activities against another; an adversary or opponent.

There are those that definitely try to antagonize me. I have learned and I am still learning to leave these types of people in God hands. If my God is for me who can be against me. I know that man can not do anything to me that God does not allow. I feel sorry for those who attack the children of God because he promises to crush our enemies. He also says that he prepares a table for us in the presences of our enemies. He will put them under our feet.

We must pray for our enemies and learn to forgive them quickly. Unforgiveness in our hearts will only turn into bitterness and resentment. It is ok to be angry and not sin. We will reap what we sow so remember that we are only hurting ourselves when we try to look for ways to get back at someone. It is best to allow God to deal with these individuals personally. All we have to do is talk to God about the hurt and the offense and trust Him to handle the situation.

As we begin to pray for those that persecute us God will begin to change our hearts towards these people. We will to learn to react in love towards them and we will have peace knowing that God protects us.

Matthew 5:44-48, Psalm 44:4-7, Psalm 23:5,

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Slow Down

Life can get so busy. We have so much responsibility. It seems like there is never enough time in the day to complete all the things that need to be done. I know that personally my life can get chaotic if I allow it to. It is not easy raising 5 children and caring for a household of 8. There is always a never ending laundry pile and cleaning to do. My children and husband always need my attention and care.

I have been asked on several different occasions how do I do it. My answer is prayer, praising, and reading or listening to the Word. No matter how busy our lives get we have got to slow down and allow for personal time with the Lord. When we learn to stand still we will know God.

For some it will be early in the morning. For others like me it will be in the evening when the children have gone to sleep. For others it will be on your long drive through traffic on the way to and from work. We all need to spend private time with the Lord. Jesus went off alone to spend time with our Father. He had to separate himself from the group and have that alone time with God. It is in these personal moments that we will receive direction, confirmation, encouragement, and visions from the Holy Spirit. When we slow down and spend quality time with God we will learn to know Him better. It is in His presence that we find joy and we are changed.

Psalm 16:11, Lamentations 3:25, Hebrews 11:6

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