By Cheri Bunch
“And in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God” (Romans 8:26-27 NASV).
I had a feeling . . . a very bad feeling about home.
My husband and I were in Scotland. Our youngest son Josiah was with us. The rest of my children were at home in the USA.
My dad had died only a month before and my mom and brother were still in deep despair because of his sudden and unexpected death.
Who was in trouble? I didn’t know! The heaviness intensified . . . something was really, really wrong! I began to pray. I didn’t know how to pray. I had to pray in the Spirit. He knew what was wrong. He was quickening me in this moment to pray . . . to earnestly pray.
I didn’t feel that I could call to find out what was going on. We were staying with a family to whom we had just been introduced and I didn’t know the cost of the call. Since I knew that overseas calls could mount up to an exorbitant cost quickly, I shut the door on a little room of our host’s house and began to sob and intercede, for what, I really didn’t know. I prayed for whatever urgent matter was on the heart of my God.
I was not able to get in touch with anyone from home for several more days. I called my mother as soon as I was able to get to a phone with reasonable rates for international calling. The first thing she said was, “Did you know that Caleb and Luke wrecked the truck?”
No, I hadn’t known. Caleb and Luke are also my sons. They were driving to a Christian concert that was a long distance from home. They headed into some road construction that was poorly marked. Wrecks were happening in the very spot where they had their mishap almost daily. In nearly every wreck that happened at this location there had been a death. I believe the tow truck man told us that there had been at least one death in every wreck that had happened in that particular spot.
When we returned home, we contacted the garage where the truck had been towed. The truck was totaled. The boys had to leave it behind.
“Do your boys believe in God?” the man who had towed the truck to his garage asked my husband.
“Yes, they do,” my husband replied.
“Well, they should, because they should be dead. Their truck is totally destroyed and those boys came away from that crash with nary a scratch. Yes, sir, if they didn’t believe in God before the crash, they should now. They escaped the worst kind of disaster!” The man seemed shaken by this fact.
Who can understand why the Lord lets us be a part of intercession? Scotty and I were so far away. . . yet the message to my heart was clear! “Pray--pray in the Spirit! I will pray through you!” So I responded to the burden with tears, empowered to pray with most holy faith.
The hour that I was burdened to pray was the exact hour that my boys were in trouble.
I used to waste much of my life in a state of worry, but I am learning that when there is something serious going on, the Lord can lead me to a place of intercession. The Holy Spirit doesn’t worry; He pleads with the Father, who is in heaven, and miracles happen. As we surrender to His leading, He will help us to have an active role in the bringing miracles to pass that will testify to the power and faithfulness of our God.
There is a tow truck man somewhere in Illinois that will tell you that my words are true.
Blessings to all!
Monday, December 7, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
Discerment or Suspicion?
By Cheri Bunch
Our son walked in the front door and began to walk into the kitchen when I heard the Lord speak. I said to him, “What is that book under your shirt?”
My husband looked up from eating his lunch with a puzzled look on his face. Josh, our son, had on a loose-fitting shirt with a jacket over it. The book hidden beneath was not visible outwardly, but I knew that it was there.
Josh pulled the book from underneath his shirt and handed it to me. “I want to read it, Mom. I knew you wouldn’t like it, so I hid it from you.”
The Lord wanted Josh to know that He can see the hidden things and He can disclose our secrets to others.
The Lord was also teaching me . . . teaching me to trust Him.
It is so easy to slip from discernment into suspicion. Many times I have been suspicious of what the kids were doing, what my husband’s intentions were or even about what my friends were thinking. My suspicious mind can conjure up just about anything!
I have found that it is so much better for everyone that I walk in discernment rather than in suspicion. (It’s also much more peaceful for me and those around me!) I have learned to ask the Lord for discernment and I am learning to trust Him to give it to me.
Discernment is an act of faith. Suspicion is a fruit of fear. Which one have you chosen to walk in?
Take it to prayer, friend. The Lord will equip you for every good work, including the work of discernment.
Ecclesiastes 8:5b “ . . . for a wise heart knows the proper time and procedure” (NASV).
Our son walked in the front door and began to walk into the kitchen when I heard the Lord speak. I said to him, “What is that book under your shirt?”
My husband looked up from eating his lunch with a puzzled look on his face. Josh, our son, had on a loose-fitting shirt with a jacket over it. The book hidden beneath was not visible outwardly, but I knew that it was there.
Josh pulled the book from underneath his shirt and handed it to me. “I want to read it, Mom. I knew you wouldn’t like it, so I hid it from you.”
The Lord wanted Josh to know that He can see the hidden things and He can disclose our secrets to others.
The Lord was also teaching me . . . teaching me to trust Him.
It is so easy to slip from discernment into suspicion. Many times I have been suspicious of what the kids were doing, what my husband’s intentions were or even about what my friends were thinking. My suspicious mind can conjure up just about anything!
I have found that it is so much better for everyone that I walk in discernment rather than in suspicion. (It’s also much more peaceful for me and those around me!) I have learned to ask the Lord for discernment and I am learning to trust Him to give it to me.
Discernment is an act of faith. Suspicion is a fruit of fear. Which one have you chosen to walk in?
Take it to prayer, friend. The Lord will equip you for every good work, including the work of discernment.
Ecclesiastes 8:5b “ . . . for a wise heart knows the proper time and procedure” (NASV).
Friday, November 6, 2009
Burdened to Pray
By Cheri Bunch
Hudson Taylor, the great missionary to China, grew up in a strong Christian home. As a child he was very determined to be a missionary and take the gospel into China, but he began to stray from the faith in his teen years. I would like to share a bit of his testimony taken from a book entitled Hudson Taylor and Maria: A Match Made in Heaven by John Pollock (Christian Focus, 1996). I love the way the Lord used Hudson’s mother illustrated in the excerpt below:
“A year later, in June 1849, his mother was away. One warm afternoon Amelia [his sister] was out and Hudson had nothing to do on a half-holiday. He looked idly over his father’s books and rummaged in a basket of popular ‘Gospel tracts.’ He picked one out, intending to read the story and skip the moral. He went into the barn behind the house and shop, curled up comfortably and began ‘in utterly unconcerned state of mind, with a distinct intention to put away the tract as soon as it should seem prosy.’
As he read, one sentence gripped him. Suddenly he realized that he approached religion from the wrong angle. He believed Christianity to be a dreary struggle to pay off bad deeds by good. He had long abandoned this struggle. He owed too much. He had gone into spiritual bankruptcy, paying a small dividend to his Divine Creditor in the shape of chapel attendance and of prayers rattled off at night, but with no hope of discharge; like most bankrupts he had sought to have a good time.
One sentence in the tract broke open his mind to a sudden certainty that Christ by His death upon the cross had already discharged this debt of sins. ‘And with this dawned the joyful conviction, as light was flashed into my soul by the Holy Spirit, that there was nothing in the world to be done but to fall down on one’s knees and accepting this Savior and His Salvation, to praise Him forevermore.’
No Luther, Bunyan or Wesley had a more complete sense of the rolling away of his burden, of light dismissing darkness, of rebirth and the close friendship of Christ, than Hudson Taylor on that June afternoon of 1849 at the age of seventeen.
Several days passed before he shyly told Amelia under seal of secrecy. At the return of his mother ten days afterwards he ran to the door ‘to tell her I had such glad news to give’. She replied as she hugged him, ‘I know, my boy. I have been rejoicing for a fortnight in the glad tidings you have to tell me.’ Hudson was amazed. Had Amelia blabbed? His mother denied it. She said that eighty miles away, on the very day of the incident in the barn, she had felt such an overwhelming desire to pray for Hudson that she spent hours on her knees, and had arisen with the unshakeable conviction that her prayers were answered. ‘It was perhaps natural,’ Hudson wrote years later, ‘that from the commencement of my Christian life I was led to feel that prayer was in sober matter of fact transacting business with God.’ ”
What a testimony! I hope it encourages you as it has me!
Hudson Taylor, the great missionary to China, grew up in a strong Christian home. As a child he was very determined to be a missionary and take the gospel into China, but he began to stray from the faith in his teen years. I would like to share a bit of his testimony taken from a book entitled Hudson Taylor and Maria: A Match Made in Heaven by John Pollock (Christian Focus, 1996). I love the way the Lord used Hudson’s mother illustrated in the excerpt below:
“A year later, in June 1849, his mother was away. One warm afternoon Amelia [his sister] was out and Hudson had nothing to do on a half-holiday. He looked idly over his father’s books and rummaged in a basket of popular ‘Gospel tracts.’ He picked one out, intending to read the story and skip the moral. He went into the barn behind the house and shop, curled up comfortably and began ‘in utterly unconcerned state of mind, with a distinct intention to put away the tract as soon as it should seem prosy.’
As he read, one sentence gripped him. Suddenly he realized that he approached religion from the wrong angle. He believed Christianity to be a dreary struggle to pay off bad deeds by good. He had long abandoned this struggle. He owed too much. He had gone into spiritual bankruptcy, paying a small dividend to his Divine Creditor in the shape of chapel attendance and of prayers rattled off at night, but with no hope of discharge; like most bankrupts he had sought to have a good time.
One sentence in the tract broke open his mind to a sudden certainty that Christ by His death upon the cross had already discharged this debt of sins. ‘And with this dawned the joyful conviction, as light was flashed into my soul by the Holy Spirit, that there was nothing in the world to be done but to fall down on one’s knees and accepting this Savior and His Salvation, to praise Him forevermore.’
No Luther, Bunyan or Wesley had a more complete sense of the rolling away of his burden, of light dismissing darkness, of rebirth and the close friendship of Christ, than Hudson Taylor on that June afternoon of 1849 at the age of seventeen.
Several days passed before he shyly told Amelia under seal of secrecy. At the return of his mother ten days afterwards he ran to the door ‘to tell her I had such glad news to give’. She replied as she hugged him, ‘I know, my boy. I have been rejoicing for a fortnight in the glad tidings you have to tell me.’ Hudson was amazed. Had Amelia blabbed? His mother denied it. She said that eighty miles away, on the very day of the incident in the barn, she had felt such an overwhelming desire to pray for Hudson that she spent hours on her knees, and had arisen with the unshakeable conviction that her prayers were answered. ‘It was perhaps natural,’ Hudson wrote years later, ‘that from the commencement of my Christian life I was led to feel that prayer was in sober matter of fact transacting business with God.’ ”
What a testimony! I hope it encourages you as it has me!
Thursday, October 22, 2009
The Weight of the Past
By Cheri Bunch
“… let us strip off every weight that slows us down …” Hebrews 12:1 (NLT).
Past failures had gripped my heart with a stranglehold.
I couldn’t find relief.
My spiritual life seemed to be suffocating from the grip my past failures had upon me.
I had made mistakes. Now my children were making mistakes. It was a result of my failure, wasn’t it?
I wanted my guilt to cradle me with comfort, but I only felt a steely coldness from its gaze.
My help was not in my guilt.
My help was in my God.
Finally I took hold of grace and let go of my guilt.
Instead of asking the Lord for the “ump-teenth” time to forgive me, I began to pray a proactive prayer.
“Lord, I have made huge mistakes as a parent. My heart is breaking with regret. I lay my regret and my guilt at Your feet, Jesus. I trust that You have forgiven me. Now will you please take my mistakes and turn them into something beautiful? Touch the cracks in the foundations of my children’s lives that are present because of my inadequacies and bring restoration and healing. I am deciding at this moment to trade the yoke of my guilt for the yoke of Your forgiveness. I believe that change will come. There will be freedom in my heart and restoration in my children’s lives. Thank you for Your great love for us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
I was restored and given a spiritual “second wind,” so that I was able to run and complete this race.
Now my gaze is fixed, not on my past, but on my Savior’s face!
At last . . . liberty!
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith,” Hebrews 12:1-2a (NLT).
“… let us strip off every weight that slows us down …” Hebrews 12:1 (NLT).
Past failures had gripped my heart with a stranglehold.
I couldn’t find relief.
My spiritual life seemed to be suffocating from the grip my past failures had upon me.
I had made mistakes. Now my children were making mistakes. It was a result of my failure, wasn’t it?
I wanted my guilt to cradle me with comfort, but I only felt a steely coldness from its gaze.
My help was not in my guilt.
My help was in my God.
Finally I took hold of grace and let go of my guilt.
Instead of asking the Lord for the “ump-teenth” time to forgive me, I began to pray a proactive prayer.
“Lord, I have made huge mistakes as a parent. My heart is breaking with regret. I lay my regret and my guilt at Your feet, Jesus. I trust that You have forgiven me. Now will you please take my mistakes and turn them into something beautiful? Touch the cracks in the foundations of my children’s lives that are present because of my inadequacies and bring restoration and healing. I am deciding at this moment to trade the yoke of my guilt for the yoke of Your forgiveness. I believe that change will come. There will be freedom in my heart and restoration in my children’s lives. Thank you for Your great love for us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
I was restored and given a spiritual “second wind,” so that I was able to run and complete this race.
Now my gaze is fixed, not on my past, but on my Savior’s face!
At last . . . liberty!
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith,” Hebrews 12:1-2a (NLT).
Thursday, October 8, 2009
The Whole House
By Cheri Bunch
Cheri Bunch believes that W. A. R. (Wisdom And Revelation; see Ephesians 1:17) are what we as parents need to successfully prepare our children for the future. We need to be well equipped to fight against the enemy’s schemes to destroy the home and the next generation.
In order for Satan’s battle plan to be thwarted, we must be seekers of God, listening to and waiting for the guidance He is generous to provide. We must lay aside our carnal weapons and pick up the weapons of the Spirit that are mighty and will prevail on the spiritual battleground.
We must have faith! We must join in agreement for the next generation! We can be confident that this is the will of God! When we know that we have His vision for the next generation, we can be confident that the Lord will be our Commander in Chief and that we can defeat the enemy and win the war!
Cheri has been married to Scotty for thirty years. They have raised five wonderful children; Joshua, Ashli, Caleb, Luke, and Josiah. They have been on the frontlines of battle for this generation for many years. The Bunches live in Chanute, KS.
"The Whole House"
Isaiah 59:1: “Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear” (NKJV).
Is everyone in your family saved? How does that make you feel? If they are I imagine you are jumping up and down and praising the Lord right now!
I have a feeling that someone reading this devotion has a family member that has not made a decision to come into the Kingdom yet. Is your heart heavy with intercession for them?
How do you pray for your lost loved ones? I would be very interested in finding out. Please leave me a comment below if the Holy Spirit has taught you a way to pray for your lost family members and friends.
There are at least four ways that I pray for lost souls:
1. Pray for the Household. I pray that the whole household will be saved. Acts 10:24 says that Cornelius had called together his relatives and close friends to hear Peter preach. While Peter was preaching the Holy Spirit fell in that house and they were all saved and baptized with the Spirit and with water. Also, in Acts 16:31-33 (NKJV), Paul tells the jailer to “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” And they were! I don’t know about you, but I get excited when one soul finds Jesus, but what about the whole house? Can we believe for that? I think that we need to start asking for whole households to be saved!
2. Make Haste. Many times in the Psalms David would ask the Lord to make haste. Let me paraphrase, “Lord, please hurry!” When it comes to souls, I think there is nothing that the Lord would like to do more than move upon men’s hearts and draw them into the Kingdom. The sooner the better. Ask Him for souls today!
3. “Get ‘em, God!” One prayer that I pray does not sound very spiritual. Many times I have prayed, “Get ‘em, God!” This means “God, please go after them with tenacity!” Believe it or not, this is a prayer that the Lord has answered many times.
4. Praying Pertinent Scriptures. Many times I find a Scripture that pertains to lost loved ones. Most often I ask the Holy Spirit to highlight a verse for me to pray and other times He just puts His finger on a verse for me. A verse that I pray for my children is from Isaiah 59:21: “As for Me,” says the LORD, “this is My covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants’ descendants,” says the LORD, “from this time and forevermore” (NKJV).
I want this to be true of my family for generations to come. I ask the Lord to make this verse true for us.
Pray and believe with me and may the Lord save whole households!
Cheri Bunch believes that W. A. R. (Wisdom And Revelation; see Ephesians 1:17) are what we as parents need to successfully prepare our children for the future. We need to be well equipped to fight against the enemy’s schemes to destroy the home and the next generation.
In order for Satan’s battle plan to be thwarted, we must be seekers of God, listening to and waiting for the guidance He is generous to provide. We must lay aside our carnal weapons and pick up the weapons of the Spirit that are mighty and will prevail on the spiritual battleground.
We must have faith! We must join in agreement for the next generation! We can be confident that this is the will of God! When we know that we have His vision for the next generation, we can be confident that the Lord will be our Commander in Chief and that we can defeat the enemy and win the war!
Cheri has been married to Scotty for thirty years. They have raised five wonderful children; Joshua, Ashli, Caleb, Luke, and Josiah. They have been on the frontlines of battle for this generation for many years. The Bunches live in Chanute, KS.
"The Whole House"
Isaiah 59:1: “Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear” (NKJV).
Is everyone in your family saved? How does that make you feel? If they are I imagine you are jumping up and down and praising the Lord right now!
I have a feeling that someone reading this devotion has a family member that has not made a decision to come into the Kingdom yet. Is your heart heavy with intercession for them?
How do you pray for your lost loved ones? I would be very interested in finding out. Please leave me a comment below if the Holy Spirit has taught you a way to pray for your lost family members and friends.
There are at least four ways that I pray for lost souls:
1. Pray for the Household. I pray that the whole household will be saved. Acts 10:24 says that Cornelius had called together his relatives and close friends to hear Peter preach. While Peter was preaching the Holy Spirit fell in that house and they were all saved and baptized with the Spirit and with water. Also, in Acts 16:31-33 (NKJV), Paul tells the jailer to “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” And they were! I don’t know about you, but I get excited when one soul finds Jesus, but what about the whole house? Can we believe for that? I think that we need to start asking for whole households to be saved!
2. Make Haste. Many times in the Psalms David would ask the Lord to make haste. Let me paraphrase, “Lord, please hurry!” When it comes to souls, I think there is nothing that the Lord would like to do more than move upon men’s hearts and draw them into the Kingdom. The sooner the better. Ask Him for souls today!
3. “Get ‘em, God!” One prayer that I pray does not sound very spiritual. Many times I have prayed, “Get ‘em, God!” This means “God, please go after them with tenacity!” Believe it or not, this is a prayer that the Lord has answered many times.
4. Praying Pertinent Scriptures. Many times I find a Scripture that pertains to lost loved ones. Most often I ask the Holy Spirit to highlight a verse for me to pray and other times He just puts His finger on a verse for me. A verse that I pray for my children is from Isaiah 59:21: “As for Me,” says the LORD, “this is My covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants’ descendants,” says the LORD, “from this time and forevermore” (NKJV).
I want this to be true of my family for generations to come. I ask the Lord to make this verse true for us.
Pray and believe with me and may the Lord save whole households!
Friday, October 2, 2009
What If?
By Cheri Bunch
“What ifs” wear me out and wear me down. They steal my joy and my hope. Thoughts of “what ifs” want to control my life. It is totally up to me whether they have their way with me or not. The Lord gives me the authority to say “NO” to them, but I don’t have to. I can welcome “What If” thoughts into my mind, entertain them, let them multiply, and allow them to make me miserable.
What-if thoughts are prudent with their timing knocking at the door of my mind:
When my child is on his motorcycle and is late returning home.
When I have a writing assignment due and the words will not come.
When my child is sick, fighting a high fever.
When the money is short and the month is long.
When I don’t know what to fix for dinner!
And the list goes on and on into oblivion!
Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 10:5 empower me. “We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (NASB).
The Message says it this way, “We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ.”
Do what-if thoughts try to take over your life and steal your hope? Join me in asking the Lord to make you aware of them, and ask Him for the grace to help you take them captive at the door of your mind. We have authority, friend, to take those thoughts captive before they destroy our hope and faith. What do you say, let’s pull out our “God-tools” and get busy “smashing”!
“What ifs” wear me out and wear me down. They steal my joy and my hope. Thoughts of “what ifs” want to control my life. It is totally up to me whether they have their way with me or not. The Lord gives me the authority to say “NO” to them, but I don’t have to. I can welcome “What If” thoughts into my mind, entertain them, let them multiply, and allow them to make me miserable.
What-if thoughts are prudent with their timing knocking at the door of my mind:
When my child is on his motorcycle and is late returning home.
When I have a writing assignment due and the words will not come.
When my child is sick, fighting a high fever.
When the money is short and the month is long.
When I don’t know what to fix for dinner!
And the list goes on and on into oblivion!
Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 10:5 empower me. “We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (NASB).
The Message says it this way, “We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ.”
Do what-if thoughts try to take over your life and steal your hope? Join me in asking the Lord to make you aware of them, and ask Him for the grace to help you take them captive at the door of your mind. We have authority, friend, to take those thoughts captive before they destroy our hope and faith. What do you say, let’s pull out our “God-tools” and get busy “smashing”!
Friday, September 25, 2009
Just a Minute
By Cheri Bunch
When my children were little, it seemed like I was always replying with those three words to one of my kids.
My son, Luke, age 4 at the time, once replied back, “Mom, do you mean your minute or my minute?”
Our minutes were different. My minute was very long to him. Do you know that child got my attention and I tended to his needs right away?
Have you noticed that the Lord says “Just a minute” sometimes? He does not seem to get in a hurry. I think He desires to be known as the God of “just in the nick of time!” He desires to get all the glory for His work. When it is just in time, it testifies to the world that it had to be Him. So, sometimes we must wait.
Sometimes when I am waiting on the Lord for an answer to prayer, I just want to say, “Lord, I know you said to wait just a minute, but is it Your minute or my minute we are talking about here?” His minutes seem so much longer to me. Sometimes His minutes test my heart. Sometimes His minutes are necessary to carry out a bigger plan. But sometimes I begin to wonder if He doesn’t delight in watching me sweat a bit! (Big smile.)
Several times David prayed: “Make haste, O Lord, make haste!” Please allow me to paraphrase, “Hurry up, Lord! Now would be a good time! This minute! My minute, Lord!”
If the man after God’s own heart can petition for the Lord to expedite the situation, then I think we can as well.
Below are some petitions that were intended to speed up the Lord’s intervention.
Psalm 38:22 “Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation” (NKJV). (My paraphrase is, “Remember, Lord, You are my Savior!”)
Psalm 40:13 “Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me; O Lord, make haste to help me!” (NKJV).
Psalm 141:1 “Lord, I cry out to You, Make haste to me! Give ear to my voice when I cry to You” (NKJV).
Have you been praying for a situation for a very long time? Perhaps the Spirit is prompting you to ask for the Lord to hurry things up a bit.
Let’s pray together: Lord, we have been waiting to witness Your mighty arm of deliverance. Would You please come quickly and do Your work as only You can? We trust You, Lord. Your timing is perfect. We know our times are in Your hand. Your children wait for You. All love to you, Sweet Jesus! Amen.
When my children were little, it seemed like I was always replying with those three words to one of my kids.
My son, Luke, age 4 at the time, once replied back, “Mom, do you mean your minute or my minute?”
Our minutes were different. My minute was very long to him. Do you know that child got my attention and I tended to his needs right away?
Have you noticed that the Lord says “Just a minute” sometimes? He does not seem to get in a hurry. I think He desires to be known as the God of “just in the nick of time!” He desires to get all the glory for His work. When it is just in time, it testifies to the world that it had to be Him. So, sometimes we must wait.
Sometimes when I am waiting on the Lord for an answer to prayer, I just want to say, “Lord, I know you said to wait just a minute, but is it Your minute or my minute we are talking about here?” His minutes seem so much longer to me. Sometimes His minutes test my heart. Sometimes His minutes are necessary to carry out a bigger plan. But sometimes I begin to wonder if He doesn’t delight in watching me sweat a bit! (Big smile.)
Several times David prayed: “Make haste, O Lord, make haste!” Please allow me to paraphrase, “Hurry up, Lord! Now would be a good time! This minute! My minute, Lord!”
If the man after God’s own heart can petition for the Lord to expedite the situation, then I think we can as well.
Below are some petitions that were intended to speed up the Lord’s intervention.
Psalm 38:22 “Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation” (NKJV). (My paraphrase is, “Remember, Lord, You are my Savior!”)
Psalm 40:13 “Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me; O Lord, make haste to help me!” (NKJV).
Psalm 141:1 “Lord, I cry out to You, Make haste to me! Give ear to my voice when I cry to You” (NKJV).
Have you been praying for a situation for a very long time? Perhaps the Spirit is prompting you to ask for the Lord to hurry things up a bit.
Let’s pray together: Lord, we have been waiting to witness Your mighty arm of deliverance. Would You please come quickly and do Your work as only You can? We trust You, Lord. Your timing is perfect. We know our times are in Your hand. Your children wait for You. All love to you, Sweet Jesus! Amen.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
A Bigger Reason
By Cheri Bunch
Going out for football for the first time in your senior year of high school is probably not the best idea. If you want to get to play at all, that is. A lot of people were encouraging our son, Josiah (a senior), that he should play. He is a big guy and would surely be an asset to the team. He likes football, so he decided to give it a shot.
He was picked to play defense on the second string, which means he doesn’t get to play much, if at all. Day after day, Josiah goes to practice, runs extra laps if the team is punished for penalties, works hard and comes home knowing that he probably will stand on the sidelines at game time, watching his team win or lose.
It is hard, even mundane. He would rather be out there playing every minute of the game, or if not every minute, he would settle even for a couple of minutes of playing time.
He wears a shroud of heaviness after a game. I try to break the silence with positive comments like, “I am so proud of you! It is hard to stay in there when you don’t get to play. Your commitment to the team will pay off.”
Taking the field under the big lights on Friday nights would be a high for Josiah, but he has a bigger reason for playing football. He wants to go into the Navy and become a Seal. He knows that it will be tough and he must physically prepare himself for the application tests. Football is a great way to get into shape.
To persevere spiritually when all is going well and we are in the limelight, with everyone watching and applauding our success, proves beneficial. Persevering when no one is watching, or at least noticing, or calling us out to “perform,” reveals to us and to the Lord that we have a higher purpose, a greater cause, an eternal reason beyond the glory of the spotlight.
I have a plaque hanging above the shower head in my shower that reads: “A person’s true character is revealed by what he does when he thinks no one is watching.”
There will be moments of spotlighted glory for a few of us, but the majority of our days on this eternal journey will be spent serving the Lord and our families during the mundane, hidden hours of life. For this reason, it is imperative that we have a bigger, eternal purpose and recognize that serving is the higher calling and perseverance will be rewarded.
For me, I am finding it difficult to watch Josiah wait on the sidelines at the football games hoping that he will get to play. I want him to get to go in and show his stuff! But I have to keep in mind there is a bigger purpose, a more important goal, something greater to be gained from his experience. His dedication will not be without reward. He will gain endurance, he will grow in perseverance, he will be disciplined, and he will grow in compassion. So I am choosing to rejoice in what will be gained and realize a larger purpose is being fulfilled.
2 Timothy 4:7-8 (The Message)
“This is the only race worth running. I’ve run hard right to the finish, believed all the way. All that’s left now is the shouting--God’s applause! Depend on it, he’s an honest judge. He’ll do right not only by me, but by everyone eager for his coming.”
Going out for football for the first time in your senior year of high school is probably not the best idea. If you want to get to play at all, that is. A lot of people were encouraging our son, Josiah (a senior), that he should play. He is a big guy and would surely be an asset to the team. He likes football, so he decided to give it a shot.
He was picked to play defense on the second string, which means he doesn’t get to play much, if at all. Day after day, Josiah goes to practice, runs extra laps if the team is punished for penalties, works hard and comes home knowing that he probably will stand on the sidelines at game time, watching his team win or lose.
It is hard, even mundane. He would rather be out there playing every minute of the game, or if not every minute, he would settle even for a couple of minutes of playing time.
He wears a shroud of heaviness after a game. I try to break the silence with positive comments like, “I am so proud of you! It is hard to stay in there when you don’t get to play. Your commitment to the team will pay off.”
Taking the field under the big lights on Friday nights would be a high for Josiah, but he has a bigger reason for playing football. He wants to go into the Navy and become a Seal. He knows that it will be tough and he must physically prepare himself for the application tests. Football is a great way to get into shape.
To persevere spiritually when all is going well and we are in the limelight, with everyone watching and applauding our success, proves beneficial. Persevering when no one is watching, or at least noticing, or calling us out to “perform,” reveals to us and to the Lord that we have a higher purpose, a greater cause, an eternal reason beyond the glory of the spotlight.
I have a plaque hanging above the shower head in my shower that reads: “A person’s true character is revealed by what he does when he thinks no one is watching.”
There will be moments of spotlighted glory for a few of us, but the majority of our days on this eternal journey will be spent serving the Lord and our families during the mundane, hidden hours of life. For this reason, it is imperative that we have a bigger, eternal purpose and recognize that serving is the higher calling and perseverance will be rewarded.
For me, I am finding it difficult to watch Josiah wait on the sidelines at the football games hoping that he will get to play. I want him to get to go in and show his stuff! But I have to keep in mind there is a bigger purpose, a more important goal, something greater to be gained from his experience. His dedication will not be without reward. He will gain endurance, he will grow in perseverance, he will be disciplined, and he will grow in compassion. So I am choosing to rejoice in what will be gained and realize a larger purpose is being fulfilled.
2 Timothy 4:7-8 (The Message)
“This is the only race worth running. I’ve run hard right to the finish, believed all the way. All that’s left now is the shouting--God’s applause! Depend on it, he’s an honest judge. He’ll do right not only by me, but by everyone eager for his coming.”
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Hair
By Cheri Bunch
As parents, we should choose our battles wisely . . . especially when it comes to hair!
Our son Caleb has long hair. Everywhere that he goes, people think that he looks like Jesus. The truth is that he resembles the Hollywood version of Jesus. He has beautiful piercing blue eyes that seem to see right into your inner most being. He has a gentle spirit, very loving, so kind and compassionate. Most of the time, Caleb acts like Jesus!
Caleb was called to the mission field at a very young age and has served many places in the world. One of his favorite mission sites is in Brazil.
One day Caleb was waiting for a bus in Brazil. A family was sitting on the ground also waiting for a bus, but they were having a supper of cheese and crackers as they waited. A little girl in the family noticed Caleb and began to beckon him, “Come, come, you must come and eat with us!”
The little girl’s daddy frowned at her, but his look of disdain did not deter her. “Please, oh, won’t you please come and eat with us. We want to share with you!” The little girl’s daddy shook his head “No.”
She would not stop, “Hey, come here and eat with my family!”
Her daddy finally spoke, “Honey, we cannot feed every stranger that comes along!”
She replied, “Daddy, he can make more!”
She thought Caleb was Jesus.
When Caleb was in high school, there were battles over his hair. Board meetings were held at the Christian school, meetings that went late into the night, to determine if his sideburns were too long.
I was wondering what you might think of this. Do we, as Christians, major on minors? Do we make a big deal out of hair, clothes, rules, etc., and totally miss the point?
Caleb is getting married in October. His hair will be long. I would love for him to get it cut for the wedding. That is what I want. But you know, there might be someone at the wedding that needs a visual of Jesus . . . to be reminded!
What are your thoughts?
As parents, we should choose our battles wisely . . . especially when it comes to hair!
Our son Caleb has long hair. Everywhere that he goes, people think that he looks like Jesus. The truth is that he resembles the Hollywood version of Jesus. He has beautiful piercing blue eyes that seem to see right into your inner most being. He has a gentle spirit, very loving, so kind and compassionate. Most of the time, Caleb acts like Jesus!
Caleb was called to the mission field at a very young age and has served many places in the world. One of his favorite mission sites is in Brazil.
One day Caleb was waiting for a bus in Brazil. A family was sitting on the ground also waiting for a bus, but they were having a supper of cheese and crackers as they waited. A little girl in the family noticed Caleb and began to beckon him, “Come, come, you must come and eat with us!”
The little girl’s daddy frowned at her, but his look of disdain did not deter her. “Please, oh, won’t you please come and eat with us. We want to share with you!” The little girl’s daddy shook his head “No.”
She would not stop, “Hey, come here and eat with my family!”
Her daddy finally spoke, “Honey, we cannot feed every stranger that comes along!”
She replied, “Daddy, he can make more!”
She thought Caleb was Jesus.
When Caleb was in high school, there were battles over his hair. Board meetings were held at the Christian school, meetings that went late into the night, to determine if his sideburns were too long.
I was wondering what you might think of this. Do we, as Christians, major on minors? Do we make a big deal out of hair, clothes, rules, etc., and totally miss the point?
Caleb is getting married in October. His hair will be long. I would love for him to get it cut for the wedding. That is what I want. But you know, there might be someone at the wedding that needs a visual of Jesus . . . to be reminded!
What are your thoughts?
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Possibility
By Cheri Bunch
There is one word that the enemy hates. When we use the word “possible” it is like holding a firey shield in his face. When he launches his firey darts at our shields of faith he can hardly see to shoot straight. His flaming darts are extinguished when they hit the shields of our faith.
However, he thrives on the word “impossible.” He would love to get this powerful word launched from his arsenal into our minds so that it could begin to douse our shield of faith until the fire no longer remains and our shield loses its power against him.
After the word impossible has taken root in our minds, then he can launch the words “unable,” “loser,” “too weak,” “hopeless,” “I can’t,” etc. We must remember the words of Jesus and not let these despairing words take over our thoughts.
Let’s meditate on these words of Jesus:
“But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26, NKJV).
“Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes” (Mark 9:23, NKJV).
“And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will” (Mark 14:36, NKJV).
Even before Jesus went to the Cross, He reminded the Father that with Him all things are possible. All things!
How is your shield of faith doing? Is it glowing bright hurting the enemy’s eyes, discouraging his aim? Is your mind filled with thoughts that “all things are possible with God”?
It is so easy to lose hope and let despair take over when our marriage is being threatened, when a child wanders, when illness afflicts, when conflict arises, when finances are shaken. Our minds can easily slip into fearful mode. Our faith wanes and we begin to wonder . . .
“Can our marriage survive?”
“Will my child come back to faith?”
“Can there be healing?”
“Can this relationship possibly be restored?”
“Will God provide?”
It is such a challenge because the enemy does not want us to have faith! He keeps launching his favorite word “impossible” at us. We don’t have to embrace that word! We can refuse to let it in by refusing to think it, say it, and especially believe it! Launch your favorite word back at him by saying, “It IS possible!” Say it, pray it, sing it, think it and believe it!.
Our enemy gets weary when challenged by this kind of faith. Let’s not allow him to wear us down! Let’s be on the offense and wear him down. Let’s keep these words ringing in our minds: “with God all things are possible!”
There is one word that the enemy hates. When we use the word “possible” it is like holding a firey shield in his face. When he launches his firey darts at our shields of faith he can hardly see to shoot straight. His flaming darts are extinguished when they hit the shields of our faith.
However, he thrives on the word “impossible.” He would love to get this powerful word launched from his arsenal into our minds so that it could begin to douse our shield of faith until the fire no longer remains and our shield loses its power against him.
After the word impossible has taken root in our minds, then he can launch the words “unable,” “loser,” “too weak,” “hopeless,” “I can’t,” etc. We must remember the words of Jesus and not let these despairing words take over our thoughts.
Let’s meditate on these words of Jesus:
“But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26, NKJV).
“Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes” (Mark 9:23, NKJV).
“And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will” (Mark 14:36, NKJV).
Even before Jesus went to the Cross, He reminded the Father that with Him all things are possible. All things!
How is your shield of faith doing? Is it glowing bright hurting the enemy’s eyes, discouraging his aim? Is your mind filled with thoughts that “all things are possible with God”?
It is so easy to lose hope and let despair take over when our marriage is being threatened, when a child wanders, when illness afflicts, when conflict arises, when finances are shaken. Our minds can easily slip into fearful mode. Our faith wanes and we begin to wonder . . .
“Can our marriage survive?”
“Will my child come back to faith?”
“Can there be healing?”
“Can this relationship possibly be restored?”
“Will God provide?”
It is such a challenge because the enemy does not want us to have faith! He keeps launching his favorite word “impossible” at us. We don’t have to embrace that word! We can refuse to let it in by refusing to think it, say it, and especially believe it! Launch your favorite word back at him by saying, “It IS possible!” Say it, pray it, sing it, think it and believe it!.
Our enemy gets weary when challenged by this kind of faith. Let’s not allow him to wear us down! Let’s be on the offense and wear him down. Let’s keep these words ringing in our minds: “with God all things are possible!”
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
God is with You as You Fight
By Cheri Bunch
Believing God is a powerful weapon against our enemy. The Lord has given us many promises in His Word, but we must combine our faith with them and BELIEVE that they are true. We must believe that His promises are for us.
When our faith rises in the enemy’s face, it is exhausting for him. He can see that our shield of faith is in place and all of his darts of fire are going to be extinguished. He gets weary of launching weapons that fail. His tenacity begins to wane. His plans will fail, because he becomes discouraged by our persistence.
Sometimes there is a wrestling match involved in our fight. The enemy does not just instantly let go, because he wants us to wear us down and wear out. We have to speak words that make our faith rise up. We must sing songs throughout the day, songs that have words of power, to make our faith rise up. We have to pray to make our faith rise up. We must have the fellowship of other believers to give us a boost by believing with us, agreeing in prayer with us and encouraging us with the Word.
We are in a war and are called to be soldiers. We cannot let down and ask Satan for détente so we can relax and ease the fight. We have to fight through until we see the victory. When victory comes, we must never let that shield of faith down, even for a moment. Why? Because our enemy is always looking for opportunities of weakness.
What have you believed God for? What battle have you wrestled through until the end? When we are fighting the good fight of faith, our God is fighting with us. Isn’t that good news? God is with us when we are fighting a good fight.
I have a word for some of you, “Rise up sister; take up your shield, believe God and fight a good fight!”
Believe until you see, then rejoice and praise your God for giving you the grace to believe!
Believing God is a powerful weapon against our enemy. The Lord has given us many promises in His Word, but we must combine our faith with them and BELIEVE that they are true. We must believe that His promises are for us.
When our faith rises in the enemy’s face, it is exhausting for him. He can see that our shield of faith is in place and all of his darts of fire are going to be extinguished. He gets weary of launching weapons that fail. His tenacity begins to wane. His plans will fail, because he becomes discouraged by our persistence.
Sometimes there is a wrestling match involved in our fight. The enemy does not just instantly let go, because he wants us to wear us down and wear out. We have to speak words that make our faith rise up. We must sing songs throughout the day, songs that have words of power, to make our faith rise up. We have to pray to make our faith rise up. We must have the fellowship of other believers to give us a boost by believing with us, agreeing in prayer with us and encouraging us with the Word.
We are in a war and are called to be soldiers. We cannot let down and ask Satan for détente so we can relax and ease the fight. We have to fight through until we see the victory. When victory comes, we must never let that shield of faith down, even for a moment. Why? Because our enemy is always looking for opportunities of weakness.
What have you believed God for? What battle have you wrestled through until the end? When we are fighting the good fight of faith, our God is fighting with us. Isn’t that good news? God is with us when we are fighting a good fight.
I have a word for some of you, “Rise up sister; take up your shield, believe God and fight a good fight!”
Believe until you see, then rejoice and praise your God for giving you the grace to believe!
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
24/7
By Cheri Bunch
“Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the LORD; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart ” (Jeremiah 24:7, NKJV).
Someone out there has a prodigal. Are you discouraged? Have you lost hope? Are you worn down, worn out and tired of waiting? I have a word of hope for you.
Jeremiah 24:7 says, “Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the Lord; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart.”
Will YOU believe this for your child?
Please do not tuck this Word away in your pocket, or in your Bible, or even under your pillow. Deposit this Word into your heart. Do not stop believing that your child will come home. Ask for grace to be like the Prodigal Son’s father who waited by the open door of his house waiting for his son to return. Why did he wait? He was expecting his son to come home. He knew that he would return! He was going to be ready for him. The welcome mat was out and his arms were open. He waited until he saw that for which he had believed.
The Lord gave this word to the prophet Jeremiah to speak to His rebellious children. Ask Him to give it to you for your rebellious child. If we will join forces with Him and His Word, we will be well equipped to fight a good fight, defeat our enemy and see our child come back home to the Lord.
My word of hope for you is 24/7. Put Jeremiah 24:7 in your heart today and let it empower you with faith to believe for your child’s return.
“Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the LORD; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart ” (Jeremiah 24:7, NKJV).
Someone out there has a prodigal. Are you discouraged? Have you lost hope? Are you worn down, worn out and tired of waiting? I have a word of hope for you.
Jeremiah 24:7 says, “Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the Lord; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart.”
Will YOU believe this for your child?
Please do not tuck this Word away in your pocket, or in your Bible, or even under your pillow. Deposit this Word into your heart. Do not stop believing that your child will come home. Ask for grace to be like the Prodigal Son’s father who waited by the open door of his house waiting for his son to return. Why did he wait? He was expecting his son to come home. He knew that he would return! He was going to be ready for him. The welcome mat was out and his arms were open. He waited until he saw that for which he had believed.
The Lord gave this word to the prophet Jeremiah to speak to His rebellious children. Ask Him to give it to you for your rebellious child. If we will join forces with Him and His Word, we will be well equipped to fight a good fight, defeat our enemy and see our child come back home to the Lord.
My word of hope for you is 24/7. Put Jeremiah 24:7 in your heart today and let it empower you with faith to believe for your child’s return.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Be Anxious for Nothing
By Kandace Rather
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6,7 NKJV).
I have a confession. It took me some time to arrive at a place in my prayer life at which I was able to pray from a posture of faith rather than fear. More often than not I would end my prayer time without any peace and no sense of resolution in my heart about the situation for which I was praying. Most of my prayers were centered around what I was "feeling" and "seeing" in the natural, rather than the truth in His Word. Even now, I have to catch myself if I begin to feel anxious about circumstances that I see coming, or situations I find myself in with one of my children.
It's no surprise that the enemy has even found a way to distort our prayer times. He knows if he can get us fearful and anxious that we will lack the confidence we need to come to His throne room boldly and seek grace in our time of need.
As the Holy Spirit began to reveal to me the truth about praying the Word of God over my children, my confidence grew and my prayers were filled with faith; the result was walking in His peace that surpassed all my natural understanding. Taking His Word and turning it into intercession has become my primary prayer language!
Yes, I do still have times where I just fall of my knees and pour my heart out to Him about how I am “feeling,” but even in those times, I make it my aim to declare, even as David did at the conclusion of Psalm 42:5,
“Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him
For the help of His countenance” (NKJV).
David begins this verse with the confession that his soul is disturbed--he is not in denial about how he feels; however, he quickly tells his soul what to do in the face of despair
. . . to hope in God! We can have hope when we come to God in prayer, with thanksgiving in our heart as we make our requests known to Him. Our hope is rooted and grounded in His love for us and for our children. As we spend time in His Word, sitting at His feet and quieting our soul, peace will come. We can then have a confident resolve in our hearts that He hears us, He cares and He will move in response to our intercession.
I encourage you to take some time this week and ask the Holy Spirit to give you specific Scriptures to begin praying over your children. He will be faithful to show you what is on His heart, revealing those things to you for which Jesus is already making intercession for your family. When we come into agreement with His will, we have to only wait to see the fulfillment that will soon come to pass.
PRAYER: Father, thank You for teaching us how to pray. We choose to turn to Your Word for hope and not merely rely on our feelings or what we see in the natural. Your tender love for us and our children gives us hope even in the darkest times. May this week be filled with a peace that passes all understanding as we come before You in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving in our hearts! In Jesus’ name, Amen.
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6,7 NKJV).
I have a confession. It took me some time to arrive at a place in my prayer life at which I was able to pray from a posture of faith rather than fear. More often than not I would end my prayer time without any peace and no sense of resolution in my heart about the situation for which I was praying. Most of my prayers were centered around what I was "feeling" and "seeing" in the natural, rather than the truth in His Word. Even now, I have to catch myself if I begin to feel anxious about circumstances that I see coming, or situations I find myself in with one of my children.
It's no surprise that the enemy has even found a way to distort our prayer times. He knows if he can get us fearful and anxious that we will lack the confidence we need to come to His throne room boldly and seek grace in our time of need.
As the Holy Spirit began to reveal to me the truth about praying the Word of God over my children, my confidence grew and my prayers were filled with faith; the result was walking in His peace that surpassed all my natural understanding. Taking His Word and turning it into intercession has become my primary prayer language!
Yes, I do still have times where I just fall of my knees and pour my heart out to Him about how I am “feeling,” but even in those times, I make it my aim to declare, even as David did at the conclusion of Psalm 42:5,
“Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him
For the help of His countenance” (NKJV).
David begins this verse with the confession that his soul is disturbed--he is not in denial about how he feels; however, he quickly tells his soul what to do in the face of despair
. . . to hope in God! We can have hope when we come to God in prayer, with thanksgiving in our heart as we make our requests known to Him. Our hope is rooted and grounded in His love for us and for our children. As we spend time in His Word, sitting at His feet and quieting our soul, peace will come. We can then have a confident resolve in our hearts that He hears us, He cares and He will move in response to our intercession.
I encourage you to take some time this week and ask the Holy Spirit to give you specific Scriptures to begin praying over your children. He will be faithful to show you what is on His heart, revealing those things to you for which Jesus is already making intercession for your family. When we come into agreement with His will, we have to only wait to see the fulfillment that will soon come to pass.
PRAYER: Father, thank You for teaching us how to pray. We choose to turn to Your Word for hope and not merely rely on our feelings or what we see in the natural. Your tender love for us and our children gives us hope even in the darkest times. May this week be filled with a peace that passes all understanding as we come before You in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving in our hearts! In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Intercessory Prayer Moves The Heart of God
By Kandace Rather
"Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart" (Galatians 6:7-9, NKJV).
You know what I think is interesting about these verses? God, in all His wisdom and authority, gave us free will by giving us the power to choose because He is seeking our voluntary love for Him. He does not force us to sow good seed, nor does He stop us from sowing bad seed. Yet, through intercession we can move the heart of God and move His hand to turn someone's heart. When the heart is turned, the will follows.
We are told in Proverbs 21:1 that "The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes" (NKJV). Although we do not have the power to come against someone's free will, we do have influence with the One who can turn their heart. In this, we find great insight into the power of intercessory prayer. Intercessory prayer is another strategic weapon God has given us as we war in the Spirit for a child or loved one. When someone's heart is in rebellion toward God, the current that is flowing in that person’s heart is working against God's will for his or her life. Instead of that person "flowing" in the will of God, he or she is swimming against the current of who and what He has designed them to be.
Remember, we are all God's creation. However, it's only those who repent of their sin and confess Him as Savior and Lord that are given the invitation to be at the marriage supper of the Lamb and reign with Him in eternity. Those who do not receive His free gift of salvation become destined as children of wrath who will spend eternity separated from God. Sounds heavy, huh? Yet it's this very truth that has many times caused me to burn the midnight oil, coming before the King and asking for mercy for a child or loved one. It's the very truth that has led me to cry out to Him day and night for the destiny of one who is sowing seeds to the flesh and turning his or her will against God.
The questions I want to ask you are, “Do you believe that you have influence with the King?” and “Do you believe your heart of faith and sincerity can move His heart to change the current of water flowing in a child who is in rebellion?” We only have to look to Esther to see that God is moved by our entreaties and our acts of faith no matter what the cost. For me, the cost has been seasons of little sleep; for Queen Esther, it potentially was her life.
"Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them" (Hebrews 7:25, NKJV). Intercessory prayer is what Jesus is doing even as I write this devotional blog! One definition of intercession is "to plead with a person on behalf of another." We are also told in Ezekiel 22:30 that God was searching for a man that would stand in the gap (or intercede) so that He (the Lord) would not destroy the land. Jesus is now the great Intercessor who stands before His Father and prays for the saints according to the will of God. Not only that, He invites us to join Him!
I will share more next week about intercessory prayer, but I want to conclude this week's blog by reminding you that your prayers for your children are powerful! May we not grow weary in doing good as we intercede for our children . . . let’s be persistent! God is a good Judge and is ready and willing to hear our case and move on our behalf. We are His Bride, not merely persistent widows! (See Luke 18:1-8.)
PRAYER: Father, we exalt Your name this day and honor You for Your perfect leadership over our lives. We ask You now to teach us, show us and move us to intercession for our children. Renew our faith and hope in Your Word and the power of prayer. We believe Your promise that we will see a harvest of good fruit if we do not lose heart. Strengthen our hearts today, Lord! We choose to believe once again what You have to say rather than the whispers of the enemy or the opinions of man. We love you, Father! In Jesus Name, Amen.
"Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart" (Galatians 6:7-9, NKJV).
You know what I think is interesting about these verses? God, in all His wisdom and authority, gave us free will by giving us the power to choose because He is seeking our voluntary love for Him. He does not force us to sow good seed, nor does He stop us from sowing bad seed. Yet, through intercession we can move the heart of God and move His hand to turn someone's heart. When the heart is turned, the will follows.
We are told in Proverbs 21:1 that "The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes" (NKJV). Although we do not have the power to come against someone's free will, we do have influence with the One who can turn their heart. In this, we find great insight into the power of intercessory prayer. Intercessory prayer is another strategic weapon God has given us as we war in the Spirit for a child or loved one. When someone's heart is in rebellion toward God, the current that is flowing in that person’s heart is working against God's will for his or her life. Instead of that person "flowing" in the will of God, he or she is swimming against the current of who and what He has designed them to be.
Remember, we are all God's creation. However, it's only those who repent of their sin and confess Him as Savior and Lord that are given the invitation to be at the marriage supper of the Lamb and reign with Him in eternity. Those who do not receive His free gift of salvation become destined as children of wrath who will spend eternity separated from God. Sounds heavy, huh? Yet it's this very truth that has many times caused me to burn the midnight oil, coming before the King and asking for mercy for a child or loved one. It's the very truth that has led me to cry out to Him day and night for the destiny of one who is sowing seeds to the flesh and turning his or her will against God.
The questions I want to ask you are, “Do you believe that you have influence with the King?” and “Do you believe your heart of faith and sincerity can move His heart to change the current of water flowing in a child who is in rebellion?” We only have to look to Esther to see that God is moved by our entreaties and our acts of faith no matter what the cost. For me, the cost has been seasons of little sleep; for Queen Esther, it potentially was her life.
"Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them" (Hebrews 7:25, NKJV). Intercessory prayer is what Jesus is doing even as I write this devotional blog! One definition of intercession is "to plead with a person on behalf of another." We are also told in Ezekiel 22:30 that God was searching for a man that would stand in the gap (or intercede) so that He (the Lord) would not destroy the land. Jesus is now the great Intercessor who stands before His Father and prays for the saints according to the will of God. Not only that, He invites us to join Him!
I will share more next week about intercessory prayer, but I want to conclude this week's blog by reminding you that your prayers for your children are powerful! May we not grow weary in doing good as we intercede for our children . . . let’s be persistent! God is a good Judge and is ready and willing to hear our case and move on our behalf. We are His Bride, not merely persistent widows! (See Luke 18:1-8.)
PRAYER: Father, we exalt Your name this day and honor You for Your perfect leadership over our lives. We ask You now to teach us, show us and move us to intercession for our children. Renew our faith and hope in Your Word and the power of prayer. We believe Your promise that we will see a harvest of good fruit if we do not lose heart. Strengthen our hearts today, Lord! We choose to believe once again what You have to say rather than the whispers of the enemy or the opinions of man. We love you, Father! In Jesus Name, Amen.
Monday, July 27, 2009
We Do Not War According to the Flesh
By Kandace Rather
“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for the pulling down of strongholds " (2 Corinthians 10:3, 4, NKJV).
“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for the pulling down of strongholds " (2 Corinthians 10:3, 4, NKJV).
Today's the day! As the first Moms at W.A.R. devotional blog entry is placed online, my heart is leaping with joy for what He has in store in the days ahead. The above verse conveys a few things: one, we are in a war, and two, He has given us weapons, mighty weapons! The Word of God is full of wisdom, insights, glimpses, commands and strategies to live the abundant life Jesus came to give us. His Word is our most powerful weapon, for it is the very foundation upon which our faith is established.
Spiritual warfare is not for the faint-hearted. The enemy has been rehearsing his tactics for thousands of years, and the only thing that will keep us on the winning side is knowing the Lord and His Word. Jesus came and destroyed the works of the enemy; this means He cut off the power source that would cause us to be defeated. His Word is the "outlet" that our lives must be plugged into if we are going to manifest Jesus' power over the enemy in our personal lives and the lives of our families.
Several years ago, I was in heavy intercession for the destiny of one of my own children. It was His Word that went before me and gave me a hopeful expectation that victory was ours; I learned that I should not entertain thoughts that would say otherwise. God's desire for our children to walk out their destinies is even greater than ours. He is fully committed to pursue them and He is moved by our intercession for them. As I saw God woo my child's whole heart back to Him, all I could do was worship Him! A life of intercession is a life of worship. As we intercede in faith using the words He has already spoken, we are merely coming into agreement with His will, and we know that when we pray according to His will, we have what we ask for!
Are you contending for the destiny of your children . . . of someone else's children? Does it look like it's going to take a miracle? I encourage you to bathe yourself in His Word. Your faith will be born out of the relationship you build with Your Father in heaven. As you come to know His heart and seek Him through His Word, your faith will grow. The Holy Spirit will begin to convince your heart that there is nothing (not one thing!) that is too difficult for God. You will begin to declare the truths of His Word with confident humility and you will see His light break forth where darkness once had a grip. I am standing with you in faith and expectation for the fulfillment of His Word over the lives of all your children.
PRAYER: Father, Holy is Your Name! Your works, Your ways and Your Word are always good. Will you burn a deeper hunger in our hearts for Your Word? We desire to love Your Word more than life itself. Unless we build our lives on Your Word, we know our homes are on shaky ground. We choose today to believe what you say over the opinion of man and the whispers of the enemy. Greater are You, Lord, and the work of Your spirit in us than he who is already defeated in the world. In Jesus Name, Amen.
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