Prayer Request

People always pass around the comment, "Will you pray for me?"

Often times we say we will, but why don't we pray for them right when they ask? Are we too embarrassed, too busy or honestly believe by the end of the day we might remember? I wonder if it isn't a ploy by the enemy to keep us so distracted and busy, that opportunities to unleash the power of prayer is wasted by the busyness of this world.

Prayer has so much potential we don't even see, that when we simply stop and do it, it changes everything we may not see happening. Perhaps it is providing for protection for our loved ones on their travels to work or home. Perhaps it is to give them discernment regarding a decision that may not be what God wants in their life. Perhaps it is the reinforcements that are called to action in the spiritual realm that all they need is that one quick prayer to change the outcome in someone's life or offer that miracle we all seek to have.

The Bible is clear that the prayers of the saints, are keeping in a golden bowl in heaven. Not one is wasted. So why mention this unless prayer has a lot more power than we ever hoped to believe it does. Sometimes I believe our prayers are half-hearted, like we simply don't believe anything will change so our hearts lack the faith to believe that prayer will change anything. Perhaps you've been praying for the salvation of someone, a miracle from healing of cancer, or a thousand things I can't even think of, why do you doubt your prayer has any affect? Is it because you don't see those changes you want to happen right now, like praying for that person who has battled back cancer only to have it come back worse than ever? So why bother praying for it?

I know that God will always answer prayer in one of three ways, Yes! No. Or wait. We all hate the word No, from the time we were infants to even now, the word No is not one we want to accept. Yes is always the favored response, but then again God is not our genie in a bottle just waiting around for our wishes to be requested. Wait is even harder than No. At least with No, you can move on, but we all want to know just how long we will have to wait for that Yes or No. Sometimes it's til the end of the day, or for others it may not be until the other side of heaven for us to see, but one thing the Bible tells us is to not give up praying.

My pastor said it best when asked to pray for a dying man. While the family wanted a miracle, our pastor asked if he was saved. Not knowing the absolute answer to that question, he simply asked God for an opportunity to be able to share the gospel with this man before he died. Now that might seem harsh since that isn't what the family asked for, but we have to understand and know this, that nothing that robs us of the physical body transfers over to heaven, if we are saved through our faith in Christ. It stays behind in that physical suit we've been wearing called our body. But it is the condition of our souls that is the most important. Where we will be spending an eternity that matters most!!! So that should always be our first response to pray for the soul, then the body. We want to know when we breathe our last breath here, that our next breath will be in heaven free from everything that held us back on earth, like cancer, a permanent disability, age, you name it.

I'm asking for you to pray for two very important people, women I've never met, but know them through Facebook, and both going through difficult times, I wouldn't wish on anyone. Pray for my dear friend Sharon, who has been given news that her husband is not expected to live through the week. Also pray for my dear friend Lyndee who is to undergo surgery on March 20 for her heart, and that fear that always accompanies the unknown. I also ask for prayer for my dear friend Niki, who is undergoing her fourth battle against cancer and is going through chemo again. I pray that she will not suffer through any of the complications from chemo and that she will be strengthen to win this battle once and for all.

Lord, we pray for these three wonderful women who have been challenged to face their own challenges in this world in very different ways. We pray for them first of all that You would make Yourself very present in their lives right now. I ask for unprecedented favor in both their lives, for strength to get them through the day physical and not give up. I pray for protection against the enemy, that you would surround them with spiritual protection from thoughts that betray Your plans for them, to cast fear, worry and doubt aside. I ask that friends and family be rallied to help them in any physical way to act as Your hands and feet today. I ask for the peace that surpasses all understanding to fill them from the inside out with a warmth, every single time someone joins in agreement to pray for them. Fortify them in your strength and power Lord. Let them know that You love them so much during their difficulties and You stand ready with them through every single step. Let their faith best tested, so that it will be a faith that is trusted Lord and may their worries cease when they call on Your name for help, in Jesus Name, AMEN!!

If you have need of prayer, and would like us to pray for you, please leave a comment below and will be praying for you and your needs.

Struggling With Finding Answers

Do you ever have someone going through a difficult time and you want to give them just the right answer to whatever they're going through? From a mom struggling with cancer for the 4th time who has to deal with her own health issues but also parent a teen and a working husband, while trying to remain in control. Or what about the husband who feels like he is ready to throw in the towel because the work environment has changed so much that he is being tasked beyond what one man can take? Or how can you grow your own business in a highly competitive market where everyone it seems is selling what you have and for a lot less?

And of course, it's all happening simultaneously!

Yet isn't that life? A struggle of challenges to face, and often times all at the same time.

So how do you hold it all together, where does your help come from?

In any and all of these, it has to first be from God because in an instant He can and has the power to change any of these situations in a flash. So prayer is my first answer. It will also feel like perhaps nothing has changed immediately, even though that is what the flesh wants us to believe. Like praying about that changed anything, right? Well I believe it does. It unleashes something within the throne room of God to set things in place to affect each of these areas. We may not see it right away, but something has changed.

We did the right thing, right away. Now we just need to keep on praying. Just because it seems like nothing has changed, we need to keep praying about it. Perhaps praying for strength to face cancer one more day when you physically want to give up. Perhaps it is praying for wisdom to sort through the challenges of being overwhelmed so you can find clarity in the midst of confusion, or perhaps it is saying,"Hey God, this business is yours and if you mean for me to sell a few things, can you move in the hearts of the person you have in mind to buy this item?"

Everyday you have the power to change things through prayer. Not just a half-hearted, like it's going to change things anyway prayer, but really dig deep into the specifics of what you need. Like an itemized shopping list of specific things, like strength, protection, wisdom, grace, mercy, hope, compassion. Let these be a part of your prayers and believe above all, that while you are not seeing an immediate response to your prayers, things are happening and one day we will see how it all was connected along the way.

But above all it needs to begin with prayer.

Cancer Sucks!

What do you do when you hear news that your best friend has cancer?

As a believer, the first thing I do more than ever anymore is pray first. I open up the communication hotline with the only wireless provider in the world and ask for His help and guidance. Why now? What plans do He have in this? How can I help? Then the most important part of that prayer, "Please God, there isn't anything You can't do and she has already fought this battle twice before. Not again. Please remove this cup from her. Please! You are the only one who can help."

Yet it was the same thing I told her today when she asked, "Why?" Because she is exactly where she is supposed to be on God's timeline. It is where her and God's timeline met today. It certainly didn't come as a surprise to Him as it did for her. Yet God knew that even though this battle feels like it is hers, it is His. He has already won this battle and I am confident that He will do it again. She only needs to follow in His footsteps one day at a time. And today is a pretty bad day.

Oh how you want so much to be able to do something. Offer a cure. Pop a pill and simply wake up and hope this was all a really bad dream. But that is not how life is for anyone, even a great Christian wife, mom and sister in Christ. We still have to deal with things like cancer. Even three times if need be. Yet we have hope. We have hope in a God in whom anything is possible. He takes the impossible, and makes it "I'M possible." The Great I AM! Nothing is a stretch for Him and as far as the CT pictures proved there is something there, He can simply remove it.

I pray that that will be the case. Until then, you sit in the present. Crying with her if that is what is takes. I told her she can cry today. Today is that official pity party of crying, sobs and everything else that happens when the worse possible news smacks us in our otherwise normal days. You stand by them. You assure them, they will NOT go through this alone. You find ways to keep them busy. Busy starting up her home business that we believe God has blessed her with. You continue to make plans for her daughter's wedding in January. You keep moving forward.

But what about tomorrow?

You don't dwell there. As believers, God has promised His provisions for us to meet our daily needs and He has asked us not to dwell into tomorrow's worries because it robs of us of our blessings today. Sure you might ask, well how is cancer a blessing? I don't have the answer, but I know God does and while that answer might not sit well with others, I know God is still on the throne and still in control. We all need to continue to pray for this amazing woman of God in whom I know there is a Jesus because she has shown Him to me in what she says and does. Her life is that perfect mirror of what Jesus looks like. Even while crying and wiping away our tears. So please pray with me, that God will walk through this journey with her and remove this from her as of 4:11pm today. I still believe in miracles and if anyone deserves one it is this woman.

Please feel free to include her in your prayer groups, prayers and prayer chains. We know prayer works and will keep you updated on how it goes. Tomorrow she will have more answers than today and would appreciate you continuing to lift her up in prayer tomorrow for strength, clarity and above all the best peace she could possibly ask for.

For now... the best thing you can do is bring her some flowers and let her know she is not alone!

Life Sucks!

Sometimes I think that being a Christian can be a whole lot more difficult than it is to simply be part of the world. When tragic things happen, people expect us to act and behave a certain way. They often look to us to see how we will weather the storms of life that truly seek not only to drown us but to overtake and kill us.

Just this week, while browsing my growing Facebook feed, trust me it takes awhile, I notice two very significant prayer requests. One was from a blogging friend I met a few years ago who is still struggling with the loss of her husband just a few months ago, and the other from a woman facing a cancer scare.

Both are Christians.

Both are dealing with something most of us pray never crosses our path.

Both are struggling and finding it beyond difficult some days to even catch a breath.

It feels like someone has let all the air out of their balloon or worse has popped it. 

And life sucks for them. It sucks because no other words seems to justify how they can feel during this time.

They don't always feel that way. It's just the way it is today!

But why as Christians, believers in Jesus Christ, who know that one day, none of these things will matter. Death will no longer be an issue. We will never have to attend a funeral or cry over anything in life again. Cancer will be defeated once and for all and we will be forever healthy.

Perfectly!

Forever!

Because we are still living in a sin-filled world, dealing with the effects of sin, grief, emotions, loneliness, pain, fear, insecurity, depression, while still believing in God.

Being a Christian doesn't mean we won't have to deal with these or even walk through them multiple times.

The things that bother me, is people often times want to band aid things. They tell us stuff like it will be okay, in time, things will get easier; that what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger; that God must have a purpose in all of this; God wanted to take this person home; or my favorite, they are another angel in heaven now.

Scripturally that last one doesn't even wash. Angels are beings created by God and when we die, we don't get wings and join the flock.

We, as believers in Jesus, will join all the other believers who have died and will step into God's presence in Heaven. No wings for us.

Yet, as believers, we know all the other statements, but at those low points, we don't want to hear them. We want people to understand we have need to grieve, to fear, to worry, and at times when no words will do, cry til there is literally nothing left inside of us. We may have those days quite a bit, and there might be days where everything is fine and then we relapse again.

We need to be able to vent what we are feeling and to be able to say, this sucks! It's not fair! Why me?!!!

We aren't looking for explanations, it's just a part of dealing with these things. We will get better at handling them at some point in the future, however long that may be. It will never be the same for everyone.

What I believe we need to understand is that we can pray for them. We can pray for comfort, for people to give up their time, and if they can let them know they are not alone. To run errands, send cards, help out around the house, bring things like their favorite dessert or coffee, just to let them know they are NOT alone in this life, even if they feel like the walls are closing in. Like they are out of strength to try to hold on any longer.

Prayer is the thing that we need to employ more than ever in this life. It is definitely more powerful than you think and the last thing the enemy wants us to do. So will you do me a favor today and add these two very admirable and strong women who are dealing with the worst life has to offer? Pray for encouragement, courage to get through this day, to find joy in the small things and for God to reveal to them in mighty ways, that they are NOT alone in this struggle. We all need friends and neighbors who can come alongside us and help us get through these dark days.

Let us help them find ways to put air back into their balloon or better yet buy them a bunch!

Proverbs 11:25, "He who refreshes others will himself be refreshed."

Red Envelope Campaign

I don't know how many of you feel but I honestly believe that our current government, is making decisions regarding funding for abortions and stem cell research and is asking tax payers to pay for it.

I have been researching stem cell research and nothing has been proven that anything science has done to this date has any reasonable data shows that stem cell has cured anything. Nothing. Yet science keeps pushing the current administration to allow further testing of stem cells of adults and really wants the stem cells of embryos to cure things like Parkinson's, diabetes, cancers, and a list of other things. Nothing has provided any solid findings to show that any further research will provide the answers people are desperately seeking for.

I applaud former President George W Bush's policy to ban stem cell research. You don't need to sacrifice a life to save a life. This is where I believe that science has overstepped it's boundaries and the current President doesn't care.

I am asking those of you that believe that abortion is wrong to join with me in the Red Envelope campaign scheduled for March 31, 2009. It asks that everyone address a red envelope to President Barack Obama for every baby that has been aborted. You are to leave the contents empty as it symbolizes a life that has been wasted and the fact that Obama believes that we should pay for these services. Never has the need for our voices to be heard than now. As professing Christians, I believe it's our right to stand up for the voices that can't be heard and to show people that Christians have beliefs we are willing to stand up for.

Please click on the link above for more information including what to write on the envelope, where to mail it, as well as where you can purchase red envelopes to mail out. It's a non violent response to something I am passionate about. Won't you join me to send a voice out for the ones that can't speak for themselves? I believe life begins at conception!