"I prayed for you"

"I prayed for you."

Do you know the power of those words?

Have you been personally touched by someone saying them to you?

Have you touched someone else by letting them know that you prayed for them?

I hope you have.

On Sunday, a dear sister-in-Christ told me that she had prayed for me that morning. Hearing that brought tears to my eyes. This woman just became Mama to four little boys, ages 6 and under, who lost their parents in a very difficult situation. (She and her husband already have four grown children.) I can't imagine how busy she is and how much time she is spending on her knees for her family but she still found the time to pray for me. Wow.

I am so humbled and blessed by the fact that she did that. Not because she has some super powers but because the One she is praying to does and He delights in answering our prayers!

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." Ephesians 6:18

"If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." Matthew 21:22

"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." Romans 12:12

"The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel's hand." Revelation 8:4

"The LORD is far from the wicked
but he hears the prayer of the righteous." Proverbs 15:29

"Pray without ceasing..." 1 Thessalonians 5:17

So, the next time the Lord puts it on your heart to prayer for someone, tell them that you did. Not for your own praise but so that they might be encouraged and blessed. And know that as I typed this, I prayed for each of you that will read this post. I don't know your every need and struggle but God does and He is faithful!

Peacemaking In Marriage, Pt. 3

First of all, let me apologize for the delay in finishing up the series. We have had a couple of busy weeks here, so blogging has not been a priority. That being said, let’s continue to learn about peacemaking in marriage.

In the last post, we talked about the danger of idols in our lives and how to discover them. As I mentioned, idols are often the cause of conflict but ultimately the root cause is sin. It’s important for us to start resolving conflicts by acknowledging and correcting our part in the conflict. One of the steps to do this that we talked about is confession. I want to revisit that for a bit to explain what true confession should look like. When you go to someone in order to confess, make sure your confession includes:

The Seven “A”s of Confession
*Address ALL involved- talk to each person who was hurt in the situation
*Avoid saying “if, but, maybe” (i.e. “If you hadn’t…”, “I’m sorry but…”)
*Admit specifically what you did wrong
*Apologize
*Accept the consequences
*Alter your behavior- part of confession includes turning from that sin with God’s help
*Ask for forgiveness and allow time- it can take just seconds to hurt someone but it may take them longer to forgive you

Not every conflict comes as a result of our sin, the fault may lay in the sin of the other person involved but we are responsible for our actions and our repentance. Even if we have not caused the conflict, in the midst of it we often sin as well. This is why we need to start resolving the conflict by examining ourselves and not just with our eyes but through the eyes of Scripture.

Now, on to this week's topic.

We know that God has a purpose for all things, so what is His purpose in ordaining conflict? There is no way to fully know His every purpose in a situation but there are two things that we know He is doing, 1) glorifying His name and drawing attention to His power and presence and 2) strengthening and refining our character. So look at your conflict with those two things in mind and ask yourself how God is using this situation to do those things.

Four Ways to Resolve Conflicts

1) Glorify God! In resolving conflict glorifying God should be our ultimate goal because we exist to bring glory to His name.

“…bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth- everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made." Isaiah 43:6-7

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all for the glory of God.”
1 Corinthains 10:31 NIV

2) Remove the log from my own eye. We already talked about this in the last post and in the beginning of this post.

“Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” Matthew 7:4-5

3) Go and show your brother his faults. Don’t revel and delight in this opportunity and do not make this a rant session about all the things your spouse has done wrong over the course of your marriage, etc. Go with a humble heart and the intention of loving your spouse.

"If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone…” Matthew 18:15

When to overlook an offense:
*If the offense did not dishonor God
*If the offense did not permanently damage a relationship
*If it has not hurt others
*If the offense is not hurting the offender himself/herself

“Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” Colossians 3:13

4) Go and be reconciled. For true reconciliation/forgiveness you must resolve not to think about the situation, not to bring up the situation again, not to talk to others about the situation, and not to allow this to stand between you and your spouse or to hinder your personal relationship. There may be situations where you both agree to make an exception to one of these things. For example, to help another couple in a similar situation, it may be necessary to talk about the conflict again.

"First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift." Matthew 5:24

Peacemaking In Marriage, Pt. 2

So, did you do your homework? Did you think about how you would answer the questions from last week's post?

Most conflicts come from unmet expectations and the disappointment and frustrations that result. Expectations are far too often idols. So, let's start by determining what the idols are in our lives and see if those are also areas of conflict with our spouses.

*What am I preoccupied with?
*"If only ___________, then I would feel happy, safe and secure."
*What do I want to preserve or avoid?
*Where do I put my trust?
*What do I fear?
*Is there something I want so much that I am willing to hurt others in order to obtain it?
*How am I judging those who don't fulfill my desires?
*How am I punishing those who don't fulfill my desires?

Idols are those things (material or not) that we put before the Lord. Things that we look to for happiness and fulfillment. True happiness and fulfillment can only come from God and idols will inevitably leave us broken and hungering.

"And they did wicked things, provoking the LORD to anger, and they served idols, of which the LORD had said to them, 'You shall not do this.'" 2 Kings 17:11-12


"They served their idols, which became a snare to them." Psalm 106:36


"Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love." Jonah 2:8

"Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry." 1 Cor. 10:14

"Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality,
impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry." Col. 3:5

Once we discover idols in our lives what do we do with that information? In 1 John 1:9 we read, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Confronting idols is done in 3 steps:

1) Identify- how did you answer the questions above? What expectations are idols in your life?

2) Confess- confess these things first to the Lord and then to anyone whom you've hurt in pursuit of these things.

3) Ask for forgiveness- again, first from the Lord and then from anyone you've hurt as a result of this idolatry.

So, look at the areas of conflict between you and your spouse, are any of them a result of idols in your heart? Pray and ask the Lord to reveal any idols in your life. In resolving conflicts and peacemaking, we must first start with ourselves.

Come back for the third (and possibly final) installment in this series next week.

Tragedy.

John Piper has written another powerful blog post on the horrific tragedy of abortion. His description of an 8 week old fetus again broke my heart for the unborn who are being murdered by the thousands each day.

"[An 8 week old fetus] with beating heart, EKG, brain waves,
thumb-sucking,pain sensitivity, finger-grasping,
and genetic humanity..."

That IS a human being; just as much as I am a human being and just as much as you are a human being. You can read Piper's post here. I pray that these words and these deaths break your heart as well.




"For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

Your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be."

Psalm 139:13-16

Bad days

I have a love/hate relationship with bad days. I hate having bad days, I hate feeling low or frustrated or angry [insert your emotion here] but then at the same time I love the fact that bad days draw me to the Bible and bring me to my knees in prayer. It's a paradox. Today was a bad day but I am planning to read my Bible and pray like I do most everyday (with God's help) and I know that He will grant me the grace to overcome this day.

What an awesome God we serve!

"Cast all your anxieties on Him because He cares for you."
1 Peter 5:7

Answered prayer

I woke up this morning with pain that started in my lower back and went all the way up to my temples. I couldn't function and felt exhausted. I prayed that God would give me relief and our amazing, generous Lord answered. I am still feeling a whisper of pain but it is a sweet reminder of His faithfulness. God is good even if He had not seen fit to take the pain away but I am thankful He did.

"Before they call I will answer;
while they are yet speaking I will hear."
Isaiah 65:24

Romans 8:26-27

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.

I am always amazed at how God points me right to the verse or passage I most need. What comfort there is in these promises as I struggle with knowing what to pray. My Spirit is groaning even if my mind cannot find the words. Praise His Holy Name!

If only we all did this more...

"What I tell you in to dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the rooftops!" Matt. 10:27

...now I'm off to find the access door to the roof.

A new definition for a new life...

Love.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." 1 Cor 13:4-8a

"Let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." 1 John 3:18

"Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you." Psalm 63:3

"Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law." Romans 13:8

In being born again, I have learned the true meaning of the word "love." A word that in our culture is thrown around, devalued and defaced everyday. It's preciousness was unknown to me until I surrendered to Christ's love. Everyday for nearly two years, I have been learning how to love and growing in my love for our great Creator. Though I am undeserving, He has given me His unconditional love. I could not ask for more but He gives in abundance beyond our imagination's small abilities. God has given me Sean's love and filled me with love for Sean. I am humbled by this blessing and humbled by the magnitude of His love for me, for us, for everyone. God is good and His love is all I need, He provides!