Prayer Closet

Many of us have a “prayer closet.” And I have even said that my car is my prayer closet…I do a lot of praying in there. But, really, our bodies should be our prayer closets!

We should be “praying continuously.” No matter what we are doing or where we are – we have an “open line” to our Father…and He has an “open line” to us!

I am learning how to enter into the “secret place” of being alone with Him – no matter where I am or what is going on around me….

**I first posted the above message on Facebook in 2012. As I read it again, the line “and He has an open line to us!” jumped out at me.

I would tweak that statement now to read – and He SHOULD have an open line to us.

Brothers & Sisters, I hope as we enter into prayer, we remember that prayer is a two way conversation. We bring our needs, hopes, and desires to the Lord…and then we pause expectantly waiting to hear from Him.

He DOES want to speak with us. Are we positioning ourselves by giving Him the time and attention to actively hear from Him?

We need to lean in and draw near to the Lord! He’s waiting and ready to respond!

LOVE!

I was walking across the room and picked up a church bulletin and the words on the front stopped me in my tracks. It was John 15:12…

I have read/heard this many times – but now…today…the Lord got my attention.


We know that we are to love one another….BUT, we are to love others JUST AS JESUS HAS LOVED US!

That puts our love for others at an entirely different level. It is not a watered down, sporadic, if I feel like it kind of love. It is not a love dependent on if you love me or if you treat me nicely.

“For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? …
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭46‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

“But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭44‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

If we love others as Jesus has loved us, we will love sacrificially. We may not physically die for someone (although there are those who have).

But, we may find times when we sacrifice our way and our wants for another. We may need to sacrifice our self-consciousness for God-consciousness.

Lord, help me to get my mind off of ME and onto YOU!! May Your love flow in me and through me. May I love as You love. May my heart align with Yours. Lord, may I lean into You so closely that I feel your heartbeat. May my heart beat as one with Yours. Help me to love as You love…

BE THE LIGHT!

Do not be conformed to this world!

The Greek word for “conform” is syschematizo and means “to be molded according to a pattern” or “to conform one’s self (i.e. one’s mind and character) to another’s pattern.”

Brothers & Sisters! Who do we want to conform our mind and character after – those that we see in the world or Jesus Christ Himself?

May we choose to model and conform our minds and character to those of Jesus!! We are in the world, but we want to influence the world for Jesus…and not let the world influence us away from Him….

Stand strong and BE THE LIGHT!!!

💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥

In Him…

Today I have a lot of washing, cleaning, and organizing to accomplish. To be honest I am not looking forward to it.

The first thing I did was to put on my worship music! As I center myself on Jesus…everything else becomes so much easier.

I am raising my voice in worship…drawing closer to what truly matters. Anything I am doing is surrounded by my giving glory to God!!

The cleaning, washing, and everything else is just a background to my positioning myself in Him. ❤️

Whatever we are doing, may we remember to let it flow from our connection to our precious Lord.

For in him we live and move and have our being…
‭‭Acts‬ ‭17‬:‭28‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Where is Your Focus?

It’s important what we focus on each day! Do we focus on everything that we think is “wrong” in our life? Or do we focus on what is good? One choice brings anxiety, fear and helplessness. And one brings joy, peace, and strength. Everyday is a new day! What do you choose to focus on today?

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I AM THANKFUL!

I am thankful!! I had a confrontation with my bathroom wall at 3:00am Tuesday morning. Immediately after, the swelling was as big as a tennis ball! Kinda scary… but the swelling went down quickly with the application of ice several times.

I am thankful! No bones broken around my eye…no damage to my eye itself…and my nose was not hit! (Those of you that know my “nose history” understand the relief).

I am thankful! The swelling is almost gone completely this morning. The Lord is using this to squeeze out more of my preoccupation with my appearance. I had a decision to make – sit at home and wait out the healing of the bruising – which I have heard could take many weeks. OR, continue with my daily commitments and get my mind off of myself and back on where it belongs – on the Lord and His kingdom purposes. ❤️

I am thankful! Lord, continue to mold and shape me into the vessel that You can use in love and power in Your kingdom. Continue to call me up higher…and not be overwhelmed with earthly things.

Thank You, Lord!!