God is Our Father

My dad at my first in-store book signing.

When I was growing up, my father was fond of nicknames, so he assigned one to each of us. Because I was tall, my first was "Giant." While some tall girls tried to shrink themselves, embarrassed because they towered over all the boys, I was proud. I pushed back my shoulders and owned my height. Being called Giant made me believe I stood above the fray. It empowered me to believe I was like the giants in the fairy tales I'd read...bigger than life, large-and-in-charge, potentially vulnerable, but invincible as long as I watched my back. Look at the power of a word, the power in a nickname assigned to me by my dad. 

Though today my confidence is in Jesus (Proverbs 3:26, Romans 8:28, Proverbs 3:5, Psalm 118:8, Philippians 1:6, Joshua 1:9), I still believe my childhood hype. I can do all things through Christ (Philippians 4:13). I am the head and not the tail (Deuteronomy 28:13). I don't believe evil reports...Surely, I can take the land that was promised to me. (Numbers 13:31-33). The scripture tells us, life and death is in the power of the tongue. (Proverbs 18:20) What do you call your children? What do you call yourself? What do you believe about who you are in Christ? Are you praying for husband's or ex's fatherhood? Praying for how God can use you to fill in the gaps?

Today is a day of sadness and disappointment for many, including my oldest child, whose father has never been around to say, "Good job, son", "Nice catch", "I love you", or even "Happy Birthday." I've watched the pain from that broken relationship tear at his heart, soul, and self-esteem at times. If this is your story, or you have one that's worse, a father who was present, but abusive or cruel, I encourage you, to take the scriptures I've shared above and plant them in your heart. Whatever you sow, will grow. Let not your heart be troubled (John 14:1). One of the greatest hindrances to walking in peace is broken-heartedness and disappointment in other people. The enemy would love it if your self-worth and self-esteem were crushed because of the failings of your natural father. I encourage you to not let the enemy have this territory in the landscape of your life. Besides, God has given you a nickname. He calls you His beloved. (1 John 3:1-3). 

As a final note, I'll add, while my father has always been there for me, the most important contribution he made to my life was to point me to my Father in heaven. I encourage you to not choose to live life as an orphan when you have access to a personal relationship with a perfect Father. Walk in God's gracious gift of His fatherhood. He said in Psalm 68:5, that He would be a father to the fatherless and in John 14:8, that we were not orphans. The only way to fill the gaping hole from fatherlessness is through relationship with our Living God. When you put Jesus in charge, you will be fatherless no more. 

I  honor my earthly father today. I've had 50 years of being a giant in his eyes and HE is certainly one in mine. I wish you peace on this Father's Day.

My prayer journal, Beloved  Daughter, was created with you in mind. Our Father in Heaven loves us more than know. We are made in His image and He wants us to esteem us.

Click Here To Buy

Beloved Daughter is a is a 60-day workbook and prayer journal designed to help you draw closer to God. Inspire your faith through topics like courage, honesty, faithfulness, thoughtfulness, gratitude, kindness, and many more. You’ll be drawn to record what’s in your heart and mind through carefully chosen scriptures, daily journaling, and prayer. Affirm your identity, claim the promises of God, and work through forgiveness in targeted steps over a 3 day period for each of the 20 character attributes introduced. This book was compiled to encourage women of God to live their lives to the fullest through intentional faith development. 

If you desire a closer walk with the Lord, Beloved Daughter is the book for you!

 

Week 3 of PRESS JUNE 2016 - Renewal

Our Prayer focus for this week is Renewal. Renewal is all about you!

Focus Scripture

 

 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. 

                    ~ Psalm 51:10

Today was one of those days where I woke up completely exhausted. Not just tired in my body, but heart-tired, emotionally-tired, and mentally-drained. I didn't even want to get out of bed.

But I have to PRESS. I have a child to take care of, a dog that only eats when I feed him, a small business to run, and people I’m connected with through this ministry. They are used to a morning prayer. After-all, we are in the middle of the 30-Day prayer challenge. I want to give of myself, but I am at the end. At the end of my strength. I begin to pray. This time I’m praying for myself, because I need renewal.

I don’t know about you, but I’m giving prayer-warrior. I pray for any and everyone and everything. I pray for a squirrel in the street. “Lord, let him not be roadkill today.” It’s that serious. But I tend to leave myself off the list. I’m not sure what that’s about. I think it’s some wrong teaching I picked up along the way. Perhaps a twist on the word…it’s better to give than to receive or some twisted kind of guilt I have over knowing how blessed I am and daring to ask God for another thing. Guilt doesn’t come from God, conviction does, so if I feel guilty, it’s not HIM.  Whatever the source, it catches up with me. On mornings like today when I want to bury my head under a blanket and cry. When I hear the Holy Spirit ask, “Are you okay?” And the answer isn’t immediately yes. I know that I have done myself an injustice. I have not practiced self-care. And I need to pray for me. No one knows my hopes, fears, sins, ambitions, and needs better than I do. 

Praying for ourselves empowers us to live the way God wants us to and grow to become more like Jesus along the way. Even Jesus prayed for Himself while He was on earth. The word tells us in Luke 5:16 that Jesus often withdrew from the crowds to pray.  I think one of the best examples of this is in Matthew 26:39 when Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane “saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt.” Jesus was praying for himself. 

The next time the enemy tries to make me feel guilty about putting my needs first I will fight back with the scriptures that tell me the truth. I will speak the word saying, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16

Do you struggle with praying for yourself? Why do you think that is? 

Here is a list of prayers to mediate on this week that will help you if you to pray for yourself and a few for those who may be like me…simply overwhelmed:

Matthew 7:7; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; Ephesians 1:17; Ephesians 6:1-12; Psalm 62:1-2; Psalm 73:26; 2 Corinthians 3:5-6

Be Renewed By His Word. PRESS ladies. Pray! We're nearly halfway through the month. 

PRESS June 2016 - Weekly Corporate Prayer #2

Week 2 of Press June 2016 – STAND

It’s said that it takes 21 days to develop a new habit. It’s day 6 for PRESS. I hope you’re hanging in here with me, but more importantly, that if you’re still with us, you’re feeling good about the commitment to this prayer challenge.

Last week was a short week and our theme was consistency. I talked about developing the habit of intentional prayer and using the journal during your prayer time. I shared a video in the Facebook Group about how to journal and why. And we prayed together two times a day and shared scriptures and testimonies in between. It has really been a blessing. This week we’ll continue to move through PRESS June 2016 with the theme of STAND. Standing means sticking it out. Standing means having courage. Standing as a Christian, means keeping the faith, no matter the circumstances. 

I’ve had a few inboxes and comments in the FacebookGroup about the timing of this event. The trials are great. The fire is hot. The storm in some of your lives is raging. You’ve got problems! You don’t have to tell me that, because I have them too. And even if you happen to be in a season in your life where you don’t have any problems, I’ll say it like my Aunt Mary used to say, “Keep on living.” I think Aunt Mary or whoever first spoke those words were quoting Jesus when he said, “In this world you will have trouble.” (John 16:33). Our spiritual seasons change the same way they change in nature, without warning, without indicators. We now go from spring to summer and summer to fall without clear demarcations of what the weather is going to be. The good news is that though the climate and daily weather forecasts are unreliable, we have a God who is. Jesus ended that passage of text in John 16:33 with “But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

What does Jesus having overcome the world mean to us in this present time, in our present situations, I mean other than that we have the gift of salvation? Don’t misunderstand me. I know salvation is big. It’s eternal, spiritual deliverance from sin. That’s huge. In the end, I think that’s what we all signed up for when we decided to choose this faith. But if you’re reading this blog post, that means you opened your eyes this morning. And I know for many of you that means you need a little help from Jesus in the here and right now.

One of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary definitions states salvation is something that saves someone or something from danger or a difficult situation. Another states, salvation means to deliver or protect. Although the Bible mostly refers to salvation as spiritual deliverance, there are many times when salvation is referred to in the temporal, physical deliverance context. And sometimes both are used in the same passage of scripture. Read the story of Paul and Silas to understand:

Acts 16:16-40 King James Version (KJV)

¹⁶ And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:

¹⁷ The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.

¹⁸ And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.

¹⁹ And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers,

²⁰ And brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city,

²¹ And teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans.

²² And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them.

²³ And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely:

²⁴ Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.

²⁵ And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.

²⁶ And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.

²⁷ And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.

²⁸ But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.

²⁹ Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,

³⁰ And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?

³¹ And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

³² And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.

³³ And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.

³⁴ And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.

³⁵ And when it was day, the magistrates sent the serjeants, saying, Let those men go.

³⁶ And the keeper of the prison told this saying to Paul, The magistrates have sent to let you go: now therefore depart, and go in peace.

³⁷ But Paul said unto them, They have beaten us openly uncondemned, being Romans, and have cast us into prison; and now do they thrust us out privily? nay verily; but let them come themselves and fetch us out.

³⁸ And the serjeants told these words unto the magistrates: and they feared, when they heard that they were Romans.

³⁹ And they came and besought them, and brought them out, and desired them to depart out of the city.

⁴⁰ And they went out of the prison, and entered into the house of Lydia: and when they had seen the brethren, they comforted them, and departed.

In verses 25-26, we see Paul and Silas being saved through their prayers and praise. Saved from their current situation, imprisonment, but then in verses 30 and 31, we see salvation of the jailer…his eternal soul and the souls of his family. 

God is always saving us. He has salvation for today and tomorrow and forever, all at the same time. But Jesus overcoming the world is not necessarily about a jailhouse delivery for all of us. Sometimes our salvation is the ability to walk through our trials victoriously. We have to withstand the weather in the seasons of life in the presence of God. How do we do this? We hold on to our peace and joy. 

John 16:33 is about peace and joy in the face of difficult situations. Jesus is soon to encounter his death. These are his final words to his disciples. In John 14:27 He speaks of peace with the words: 

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” 

Then in John 16:20, He speaks of joy:  

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.” 

Peace and joy are the two gifts Jesus has left for those of us that love Him. In the same way that he spoke of them, we must embrace them during tough times. We have to find our peace and keep our joy no matter what grave situations we encounter. Paul and Silas did it in prison. Jesus did it even into death. 

So, you’ve got problems, but take heart. He has overcome the world so that you could STAND. 

Walk in HIS Grace!

Press June 2016 - Weekly Corporate Prayer

Press June 2016 Portable Prayer Cards

In recent years, I've become a collector of Bibles. Not fancy or antique Bibles, just different translations for cross study. I've had an NIV Study Bible that's been my main Bible for more than twenty years. Recently, I went back to my older King James Bible and found a group of index cards tucked in pocket of Bible cover. They were my scripture cards. I'd been reading Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer in 1999 during a brief period of depression. I wrote the scriptures on the cards and carried them with me everywhere. I recall how desperate I was in those days for God to help me with my circumstances. I wrote hastily, crossed through errors, and used a simple rubber band to tie them together. That was all I had. When I removed the cards from the pocket, the rubber band was brittle and broken. It crumbled in my hands, but the words on the card remained vibrant and alive.

Those cards got me through a very difficult time in my life, which is why I've decided to make some for you.

Carry them with you or hang them on your own prayer/war room wall. Whatever you need to do to be reminded to Pray BIG and pray BOLD to the God of the universe. He hears you!

Download, print and cut them. You can laminate them to make them more durable. You can even punch a hole in the upper left hand corner and string them together with ribbon or a book ring or a simple rubber band. I'm a witness, rubber bands work. Do as little or as much as you want with them, but do make a set for a friend.

Refer to your prayer cards several times a day. Be reminded to pray consistently to your Father in heaven. He hears you!   Download Here

We Are Pressing!

Can I be honest for a moment? I'm thinking the answer is yes, so I'm going to go ahead and confess something. I need PRESS just as much as you. There... my secret is out. I may be leading this effort, but I am truly your sister in the trenches. I am gaining and growing in God on a daily basis. Those new mercies He gives us every morning (Lam. 3:23), I need them. I mean I NEED them because just like you, I'm a sinner saved by grace. I'm working out my salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:13) on a daily basis...make that hourly, or maybe even minute by minute. Can I get an amen?

Now that my secret is out. I can relax and do what I was called to do...Pray with my sisters. Find Renewal with my sisters. Examine my heart and my ways with my sisters. Study God's Word with my sisters. And finally I can Stand with my sisters. God is going to inspire, direct, order, and bless my life and the lives of those in my circle and the lives of the women completing this prayer challenge.

My instructions are simple. Take the time to pray. Use the template I provided. It is your guide to press in deeper with God during this month. It's not a long process. It really isn't. Today may take a few minutes longer than the other days, but that's just because you're getting used to the format. Don't skip any of the parts. Write a few words about how you Praise Him. Then take the time to Repent of your Sins. You are forgiven. Write them down and cast them into the sea of forgetfulness. Next is the easy part. You are thankful to God. I know you are, so take the time to think of at least three things you're grateful for. Next, your prayer request. Okay, so there aren't enough space for all that you need. I know it's true. Put the most pressing items on your list for today. Tomorrow there are more lines for more needs. Repeat the ones that are heaviest on your heart. Make your petitions known to Him in any way that you feel comfortable. These are your prayers and praying is simply talking to God.
Now comes the hard part. Listening. I confess, the first time I did this, I struggled. And I can't tell you how to listen to God, but I can tell you that if you figure it out, He will speak to you. I sat quietly, cleared my mind (that was a struggle) and then waited and waited. In the beginning I didn't feel like I heard anything, but by the second or third day, I felt the urge to take notes. God was speaking. I was listening. My prayer life was changed with this one final step.

Make sure to join us in the Facebook Group today where I'll share prayers and scriptures.

Please listen to my welcome podcast below.

     
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