A Whole Week Off, Prayer Requests and a Call to Prayer

Vacation {woot!}

At noon today I officially began a week of vacation.  Ten days, to be precise.  Ten days of book-slash-blog-writing, movie-watching, book-reading, cookie-making and just plain ol' hanging around doing nothing.  Maybe I can catch a nap or two.  God is good to bless us with a breather just when we need it. 

So what are your weekend plans?  Whatever they are, I hope you're blessed! 

Prayer Requests

Please leave a comment or email me with your prayer requests and I will be happy to pray for you.

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A Call to Prayer

This U.S. budget crisis looms over our heads as I write this.  I don't claim to be politically savvy, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know we're in a heap o' trouble right now if Congress can't come to a united conclusion here in the next few days. 

As we have pushed God out of our schools, government and lives slowly but surely over the last few decades, God has respected our wishes and left us alone.  And now our world seems to be crumbling down around us.  Long-established businesses are closing, jobs are being lost, mortgages are being foreclosed on at an alarming rate with the threat of property values plummeting further, and now our government may not be able to pay its own bills. 

We need God in every aspect of our lives more than ever.  I hope you'll join me in prayer over the next few days for our country, for our government, for our President and for all those who are making critical decisions about the way this country will be run financially. 

I pray that pride and reputations and politics will be set aside and a new posture of humble submission to the Lord will be adopted, both individually and collectively.  I pray that the men and women in Washington will come together, refocusing their attention as united citizens of this country instead of trying to win the game.  Right now no one's winning, and we're all losing.  All because people don't want God in their lives.

I pray that President Obama will set aside all pretense, all reputation, all politics in order to rise up and lead our Congressmen and women and our country to the One, True God in repentance for going our own way and seek His wisdom.

Jesus said that He is "THE Way, THE Truth, and THE Life; no one comes to the Father but by Me." {John 14:6}

Our country has been great, and we can be great again, if we will turn to God through the only way of salvation--His Son, Jesus Christ. I shudder to think what will happen if we continue to push God further and further away.  We must pray or watch our country continue to collapse. 

"For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the LORD." {1 Cor. 1:22-31}

We are of the called, by the will of God, to pray and to proclaim Jesus Christ. Let us set aside the ungodly things of this world--things that put distance between ourselves and the Lord--in order to get down to the business of calling on God, first, to ask for forgiveness for ourselves, and then that He will bring about a revival in the Name of Jesus Christ.

Let us pray that the enemy of God will be bound, that the hearts of men and women will be changed and turn toward Him for salvation and that our land and its people will be healed.  God holds the power to do great and might things and the prayers of the righteous--His children in Christ--can unleash that power and God's will for our country. 

God bless you!
Dorci

 

Prayer Requests

It's Friday, y'all, and I'm looking forward to the weekend.  I've been trying to see a documentary called Buck for a few weeks now.  It's the story of Buck Brannaman, a so-called horse whisperer who lived with a violent father until he and his brother were removed from the home and placed with a foster family.  As Buck grew up, he went on to be mentored by horsemen whom he respected and found a level of healing through caring for horses in a humane way.  He now tours the country holding workshops for "people who have horse problems and horses who have people problems."

Mini crises keep getting in my way, but this IS the weekend...I hope! 

But more importantly, if you have any prayer requests I'd love to lift them up!  

What are you planning for the weekend?

God bless!
Dorci

Walk Away From the Chain

Last time I talked about being freed from a chain of bondage. Chains of bondage come in all sizes, shapes and weights, but they all have one thing in common: they keep us from walking freely in Christ. Once those chains have been laid down, though, we can be tempted to pick them back up again.

The enemy of God will whisper to us that that person isn’t worth forgiving, that we need to go back to that drug or alcohol or a myriad of other forms of physical and spiritual bondage.  And our own flesh, that is our sinful nature, will give way to its weaknesses and after months or even years of carrying these chains we can become so accustomed to them that we pick them up again.  Just as the power of God transformed us at the cross, only His power can heal our hearts, mature our spirits and allow us to walk away from the chains that bind us. 

“For in that He Himself (Jesus Christ) has suffered, having been tempted, He is able to rescue those who are being tempted.” Hebrews 2:18

Although He didn’t sin, Jesus understands what it’s like to be tempted, and He understands our weaknesses. He desires to rescue us as many times as it takes. He is the Shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine to go after the one who is lost. He is the Father who waits with open arms until His prodigal son or daughter comes home.

If God has delivered you from a chain of bondage and you’ve picked it back up again, don’t give up. God loves you and He wants you to go to Him in faith and ask Him to help you again. Sometimes it takes a lot of prayer, a determination to be obedient and the renewing of our minds in Christ as we abide in Him before we will be completely free of certain things.

Years ago, I had to go through a months-long process of forgiving the man who raped me several times before I was finally, blessedly able to leave the chain of unforgiveness and walk beyond it. I didn’t feel like forgiving him, but I wanted to be obedient to the Lord. And I knew that unforgiveness would choke the spiritual life out of me if I didn’t let that chain go. After several months of telling God over and over that I was choosing to forgive, God met me in my obedience and the Spirit healed my heart.

God’s Word always tells us to put on a godly character to fill the void left by what we have put off so that we are less tempted to pick the chain up again.

“But now also put off all these things: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, shameful speech out of your mouth. Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender feelings of mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering, forbearing one another and forgiving yourselves, if anyone has a complaint against any. As Christ forgave you, so also you do. And above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfectness.” Colossians 3:8, 12-14

Continue to abide in Christ and in the truth He is teaching you. Allow the Holy Spirit to continue ministering to your heart and renewing your mind. Be careful to put your faith in the Lord alone and as you pray with a humble and sincere heart, He will meet you at the cross to demolish those strongholds.

“Faithful is He who called you, who also will do it.” 1 Thessalonians 5:24

Prayer Requests?

Taking your prayer request today.  Have a great weekend!

Dorci

Commentary

Hello Readers,

For those of you who have tried to leave a comment in the past and have found it difficult because they were moderated, I've turned off that feature.  Your comments will now be posted immediately.  I hope this helps generate discussion, questions and your (kind and courteous!) comments.  Thank you! 

Dorci

The Thud Heard 'Round the Universe

In the deepest recesses of hell, demons heard a thud last week. It was the thud of a thick chain of bondage falling from my soul and slamming to the ground. I could never have broken free of it myself in a million years, but God did. I won’t go into all the details (I’ll save it for my memoir!), but I will say that this chain was a way of thinking that I had from childhood as a result of painful circumstances and was reinforced over and over through the years.

The enemy’s plan was to slowly wrap the chain around my heart with each cruel word carelessly spoken and every evil act perpetrated against me, and suffocate the life out of me. And he nearly did.

I was saved 21 years ago, but this chain remained and even continued to wrap tighter. The funny thing is, I didn’t even realize it was there. Oh, I knew I had issues from my past to deal with and one by one I prayed about them over and over. Somehow, though, some things seemed to get worse instead of better. It’s like that in a storm sometimes.

The storm raged wildly within my heart. It became louder and more violent. Could He hear my cries above the wind and the waves? Did He care? I pleaded for mercy.

And suddenly, a new perspective occured to me.  God revealed the truth and the lie I had believed dissolved.  And the storm was gone. A chain I didn’t fully realize existed lay beside me and the only sounds left were the rattling of the foundations of hell and my heart rejoicing with the Lord's.   

God had heard my cries and He answered them in a way that only He can.

My friends, do you know that God is still in the miracle business? He loves us more than we can know and desires to bless us in ways that cannot come naturally, only supernaturally. But we must ask. Ironically, though, the times we need God the most can also be the most difficult times to go to Him.

Sometimes we think we can figure things out on our own. But we are powerless to resolve these issues ourselves. Sometimes the anger or bitterness in our heart makes us feel ashamed to face the Lord. But He knows what’s in our hearts already, and much better than we know ourselves. And sometimes we can just become so comfortable living with the chains that we begin to hang bells and whistles on them.

But God wants us to be free. He wants us to cry out to Him, to trust Him and put every ounce of faith in Him and Him alone. He knows that only He has the power to heal our broken hearts, our broken bodies and our broken lives.

“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” Luke 11:9-10

It usually doesn’t happen in our time or our way, but if you ask and keep on asking, seeking and knocking, God will do great things in His perfect time and far better than you can ever imagine.


Q: How can I pray for you and your miracle?

All for Him,
Dorci

Oh, Yes I Am!

"So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."  John 8:36

Q: What are you free to do today because of Jesus?

Forgiven For Little or Much?

"Moses said to the people, 'Remember this day which is the day that you came out of Egypt, out of the place you were slaves, because the LORD acted with power to bring you out of there.'" Exodus 13:3

I remember the day the Lord saved me. I remember the joy of being rescued from the world, from the curse of being a slave to sin and the darkness of it all to feeling my heart come alive with the Spirit of God. I was more thankful to the Lord for that than I had ever been for anything in my life. I had gone from utter darkness to pure Light.  It was a radical transformation because I was acutely aware that I had been saved from so much. My heart was on fire.

Jesus said about the woman who kissed His feet, washed them with her tears and anointed them with oil, “Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little." Luke 7:42

It is not that this woman was forgiven for more than others were, it is that she recognized how much she was forgiven.  We are all forgiven for sins. Not all transformations may seem as outwardly obvious as mine or the woman's, but we were all saved from the same spiritual blindness, the same emptiness of heart, the same hell. We were all sinful and we all needed a Savior. And for all of us the Lord acted with His power to bring us out of Egypt--out of the world, out of our sins and their eventual consequences of being separated from God for eternity.  

The more we recognize the depths from which we have been saved and the far-reaching love, grace, mercy and power of Jesus Christ that saved us, the more grateful we will be and the more we will love our Savior. And that gratefulness gives us, like the woman, a desire to be a blessing to the Lord, not to repay Him, because that gift can never be repaid, but to honor Him and join with Him in giving ourselves to the building up of the Kingdom of God.

After a while, though, we can forget the life we were rescued from and begin to take this new one for granted. The level of thankfulness we once had can be forgotten. We get caught up in the daily grind of our lives and forget that we were saved for a purpose: to bring glory to the Lord. Our service wanes, we set aside our spiritual gifts and we live lives that look much like they did before that day of salvation.

But if we purpose in our hearts to remember our day of salvation and all that we’ve been saved from we will be filled with love and we will desire a more intimate relationship with Christ.  We will be filled with thanksgiving, and the gratefulness we allow to penetrate our hearts will spur us on to good works.

Remember that we were taken out of the devil’s grasp by the power of God and by the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Remember how many sins we were forgiven for and how many we were saved from committing had we lived in our sins another day.

We have only a short time here on this earth.  We can waste it, or we can remember and be thankful, loving the Lord more each day, and allowing Him to do great things through us.

All for Him,
Dorci