Situation Vacant!

The above image comes courtesy of Pixabay.com

SPIRITUAL WARRIOR/INTERCESSOR

The KINGDOM OF GOD is an international organisation with current opportunities all over the world. Having been established in the realm of miraculous intervention since year dot, the founder now seeks to deploy discreet and discerning men and women all over the globe for the above position.

Candidate Profile

• Must have a BA (Born-Again) degree
• Will have 0-many years of experience in prayer
• Should be proficient in “God-speak”
• Must either be competent in using spiritual warfare weaponry, or be willing to learn
• Will ideally demonstrate a caring and compassionate personality

If you are willing to accept various prayer missions and work anonymously behind the scenes of other people’s lives, please don’t hesitate to apply.

INTERESTED APPLICANTS SHOULD CONTACT: Yeshua’s Prayer Headquarters, Prayer Warriors’ Walk, United Kingdom of Intercessors (UKI).

Kindly note these roles are voluntary!

CLOSING DATE: Due to the ongoing requirement of these roles, there is no closing date

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The earnest prayer of a righteous man [or woman] has great power and wonderful results. (James 5:16 The Living Bible)

Best wishes,

Carol E. Hind – Author/Blogger/Prayer Advocate

A Volunteer In His Kingdom

RELATED POST: A Spiritual Gauntlet

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Dear reader, your visit is appreciated. Would you be so kind as to share your response to this post in a comment box below? And if you know anyone who could benefit from its message, please don’t hesitate to share it. Thank you.

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Are you looking for a resource that will help you to draw closer to God and develop a consistent and confident prayer life? Then please don’t hesitate to check out the links below.

AMAZON UK https://amzn.to/3ciUt1q

AMAZON US https://amzn.to/3bj6gM1

__________________

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NEW YEAR BLESSINGS

Friends and followers of Women of Warfare! I’m grateful for your support. I appreciate your visits and your engagement with me regarding my posts. My particular thanks to those of you who recognise and have endorsed my calling.

A blogger friend of mine (Jacquie) introduced me to the concept of speaking a blessing over others. If you are interested in reading a free resource relating to this, please click here.

Meanwhile, I’d like to pray the following blessing over you all.

The Lord bless you and keep you;

The Lord make His face shine upon you,

And be gracious to you;

The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,

And give you peace.

(Numbers 6:24-26 NKJV)

Furthermore, throughout 2024 I bless you with the following:

• Amazing encounters in God’s presence as you take time to fellowship with Him;
• An all-pervading Peace within your mind and inner being, irrespective of circumstances;
• Clarity of thought and an ability to draw upon godly wisdom when making important decisions;
• Full assurance of God’s unconditional love and daily mercies;
• Genuine, loving and mutually beneficial relationships;
• Miraculous answers to prayer;
• The capacity to walk consistently as a victorious overcomer.

Now I’m expectant that God will honour the above, so do come back and share with me in a comment box below, any breakthroughs or blessings you experience throughout this year, so others can be encouraged and so we may celebrate God’s goodness with you.

Wishing you all God’s best for 2024.

With love,

Carol E. Hind

Author/Blogger/Prayer Advocate

An Attitude of Gratitude

THANKFUL THURSDAY: (A Day of Thanks!)

Dangerous Prayers!

As a young, zealous babe in Christ I often prayed what I’d now describe as “dangerous prayers” and I meant them with all my heart.

These prayers went as follows:

• Change my heart O Lord…
• Not my will but your will be done…
• I choose to decrease that Christ [the Anointed One and his anointing], may increase in me
• I want to know him [Christ]… and the fellowship of his sufferings…
• Take my life and let it be consecrated Lord to thee…
• I surrender all…

How God must have smiled!

And how the Enemy must have rejoiced and rubbed his hands together with glee.

But how could I have known what such prayers would entail?

Ignorant Bliss

I didn’t realise the cost I’d have to pay. So, I merrily prayed these types of prayers regularly and felt quite spiritual doing so. In praying such prayers, I hoped to arrive at an elevated spiritual dimension in my life. I believed I’d soon be on a spiritual par with the likes of Moses, or Elisha, or the apostle Paul.

I loved God and I was determined to be an exemplary disciple of Christ. I wanted to be the best Christian I could be. I wanted everything God’s Word indicated I could have and everything His Word indicated I could be. I wanted to experience the reality of his promises and I wanted to operate in his power.

I did not want to be a nominal Christian. I did not want to be a Sunday-only believer. I did not want to live below the standard of a dynamic, faith-filled, and joyful life. I wanted to experience the miraculous and I wanted God to use me to preach powerful, life-changing messages. I wanted to please God. I wanted to be effective in the service of his kingdom. I felt that after all my Father God and Jesus had done for me, it was the least I could do. And so, not realising the cost, I continued to pray these dangerous prayers.

Now whilst experiencing the awesome presence of God during meetings, or enjoying sweet fellowship during my devotional sessions, I felt ready and happy to pay the price. I felt certain I was willing to pay the cost. But I had no idea what I’d been praying, or for what I was signing up. I had no way of knowing the extent of personal suffering involved, no conception of the significant price I’d be asked to pay.

A Painful Price

In my case, the price was unrelenting persecution. The cost was death to me, myself, and I. Death to my personal confidence. Death to my reputation. Death to my self-esteem. Not just for a week or so. Not merely for a month or so. Not even for a year or so. The price to be paid seemed never ending and required me to continue picking up that cross, despite my bleeding wounded soul.

I tried to follow the path laid out for me, albeit reluctantly, and at times bitterly but after a while, in the day-to-day grind of daily life, I baulked. I struggled. There were even instances when I lay down beneath the weight of my cross too angry, too crushed, and too past caring, to pick it up and move on. I no longer wanted to pay that price. It was too painful, too demeaning.

At this point my attitude became less than sweet and compliant to God’s will. I no longer wanted to “decrease so that Christ, the Anointed One, could increase in me”. I wanted out! I saw myself as a victim and became incensed with both God and man. How dare they treat me this way! Do they not know I am a child of God?  

My prayers became: Lord, why are you allowing this to happen? Why don’t you do something? When are you going to take vengeance against my enemies?

It took many years for it to happen but eventually, the penny dropped. I put two and two together and realised my sufferings were a response to my fervent declarations, my zealous vows of commitment. So, what did I do? I stopped praying these types of prayers. I felt I couldn’t take another dose of persecution. I couldn’t stomach another season of rejection.

What Does It Mean to Carry One’s Cross?

Carrying one’s cross is a necessary part of our Christian journey. In doing so, we identify with the Lord’s experience of rejection, pain, and shame. In doing so, the ugliness within our character, the weakness of our faith and the fickleness of our self-confessed devotion comes to light. In doing so, we are transformed from one level of glory to another and shaped into the image of God’s Son.

In my case, fears and trepidation regarding what else God would demand of me, turned into resignation (in for a penny / in for a pound!) and finally into humble acceptance, adoration, and dutiful submission. I resumed praying my dangerous prayers, but this time with an understanding of what this could entail.

Are you someone currently experiencing the pain and indignities of cross-carrying? Then my heart goes out to you! May I encourage you today? Please don’t give up! Listen to what God has promised:

When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you.

When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown!

When you walk through the fire of oppression,

You will not be burned up—the flames will not consume you.

(Isaiah 43: 2 The Living Bible)

Dear reader, carrying one’s cross requires us to die to ourselves, to the fleshly carnal part of our beings that is at odds with God’s Word, His will, and his specially designed programme for honing our characters, and cultivating spiritual resilience. We may quibble and squirm, flinch and fret, as much as we like but as delegates of his ‘Conforming to the Image of Christ Program’ there is no getting away from the course requirements of our Father God.

My dear friend in Christ, it is imperative that you establish and maintain a strong relationship with the Lord… that you pursue a meaningful and consistent prayer life, so that whatever lies ahead, you will not only survive, you will thrive… you will not only cope, but you will also maintain biblical hope, for your future.

I can honestly bear witness to the fact that a sound knowledge of God’s Word and ongoing communication with the three Godhead members through prayer, will guarantee that you emerge as a victorious overcomer.

Wishing you all a blessed and peaceful weekend.

With compassionate love,

Carol E. Hind

Author/Blogger/Prayer Advocate

FURTHER READING: for a related post see Pick Up Your Cross!

Dear reader, your visit is appreciated. Would you be so kind as to share your response to this post in a comment box below? And if you know anyone who could benefit from its message, please don’t hesitate to share it. Thank you.

Have You Heard?

Elijah became almost suicidal (1 Kings 19:4).

Epaphroditus became so ill he was practically at death’s door (Philippians 2:25-30).

Daniel was so overcome with heaviness by God’s revelations of future events (which wouldn’t even affect him), he couldn’t eat or drink (Daniel 10:2-3).

Even Jesus, having reached the end of his tether in the Garden of Gethsemane, felt so overwhelmed that his sweat became as drops of blood.

I say all the above, to bring your attention to the fact that prayer warriors are human, can become discouraged, sick, or overwhelmed by their zeal for God’s kingdom, by the weight of responsibilities, by the endless prayer needs they see around them.

So, my question to you today dear friend is this: Are you pulling your weight?

Abraham did his best to negotiate with God, in a bid to save any righteous people left in Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18:22-33). And Epaphras, a fellow-prisoner with the Apostle Paul, was described as one who laboured fervently in prayer (Philemon 1:23; Colossians 4:12). You’d think he’d be too busy having a pity party!

When 1 Thessalonians 5:17 asks that we “pray without ceasing”, this request seems burdensome, even impossible. But the apostle Paul was not asking us to pray ad infinitum (without a break). He was giving the exact same instruction as Jesus had given but expressed in different words.

Jesus said we always ought to pray and not faint (i.e., become disheartened, weary, or give up). Easier said than done – right?

To be a prayer warrior, an intercessor, can often seem like a never-ending task, at times an onerous responsibility.

Take recent events involving Israel and the brutal invasion of HAMAS. Prior to this was the invasion of Ukraine by the Russians.

My dear Christian friend, how have you been responding to these issues? Are you hearing God’s clarion call to enter the spiritual battlefield in prayer? Can you appreciate the need for more volunteers to take their place on the intercessory frontline, to lessen the burden on others and provide more firepower against our Enemy?

I believe that since the appearance of Covid19 which upended normal life for everyone, right across the globe, plus the escalation of needless destruction and violence in the two regions of conflict mentioned above, it is clear we are moving towards (if not into) a season of perilous times.

I may be wrong, but if I am not and this is the case, will your relationship with the Lord and your current prayer life be up to the challenge?

Dear follower of Christ, if you know it will not, or if you are unsure, may I kindly suggest that you take stock now (not tomorrow, not when it seems more convenient), but NOW and get your prayer life in order?

Today, if you will hear His voice,

Do not harden your hearts…

(Hebrews 3:15 NKJV)

Understand my dear friend that I am not seeking to alarm you or be a harbinger of doom. I am just acting on what I sense in my spirit and what I believe the Lord would have me say, as a spiritual watchman.

So, as Jesus said to the various church communities in Revelation (paraphrased): Let him/her that has ears to hear, listen to what the Spirit is saying. And to the Lord’s warning, I would add this: hear NOW, act TODAY!

With love and deep concern,

Carol

Author, Blogger and Prayer Advocate

Dear reader, your visit is appreciated. Would you be so kind as to share your response to this post in a comment box below? And if you know anyone who could benefit from its message, please don’t hesitate to share it. Thank you.

Are you looking for a resource that will help you to draw closer to God and develop a consistent and confident prayer life? Then please don’t hesitate to check out the links below.

AMAZON UK https://amzn.to/3ciUt1q

AMAZON US https://amzn.to/3bj6gM1

Are you a bruised reed?

Hello my dear friends,

I have a question for you today: Are you a bruised reed?

What do you mean? (I hear you ask)

Allow me to explain.

I am meaning someone who has been crushed by life’s circumstances. Someone who has had the wind knocked out of their spiritual sails. Someone who feels at the end of their tether. Someone who has begun to question whether God will ever show up in their life and the lives of their loved ones, as deliverer, healer, restorer, and vindicator?

Are you that person?

Has tragedy struck your household?

Has the wheel of misfortune devastated your prospects?

Has a prolonged season of adversity blunted your faith?

Spiritually speaking, do you feel like a reed? Do you feel helpless against the vicissitudes of life? Do you feel as if your faith has been shaken? If so, believe me when I say, I can understand. I’ve been there!

So, what do you do when your faith has taken a knock? When beliefs you’ve held onto for years, decades even, suddenly seem foolish? Where do you go when the foundation on which you have built your life suddenly feels unstable?

You do what Job did. You praise and worship God. You refuse to move away from the hope of the gospel.

You do what David did. And trust Father God regardless of how things look, or how you feel.

You do not do what Elijah did and despair of life itself.

You look towards Jesus, who is the author and finisher (perfector or completer) of your faith.

I mentioned a moment ago that I’ve been in that place of spiritual despair. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit (to whom I appealed), helped me and gently hauled me out of my pit of despondency. He led me back towards the loving arms of Jesus – the Good Shephard and Overseer of my soul.

And Jesus ushered me into his beautiful, green, and pleasant pastures of renewed hope. Steering me away from the path of disillusionment, my precious Lord settled me besides his still, quiet waters of spiritual refreshment. I am grateful.

You see, when my sister died earlier this year, I was devastated. She was not just my sister. She was a dear close friend. We spent decades of our lives together, sharing dreams and experiences, shopping, discussing our likes, dislikes, and opinions – on fashion, home décor, gardening, those in the public eye whom we admired, and much more. We holidayed and socialised together. We fought and fell out at times, but we truly loved one another and had a deep connection.

So, when she died, I felt like Naomi. I felt angry and disappointed with God. Why had he not heard and answered her prayers? Why had he not heard and answered my prayers? Why was there this ever-increasing sense of spiritual dissonance between my faith-motivated expectations and the subsequent results of my experiences, in comparison to the miraculous accounts in God’s Word?

Why? Why? Why?

Now such honest questions need to be asked and I don’t believe God is offended when we do. After all, throughout Psalms we see similar questions being asked. However, we do need to watch out that the Enemy of our souls does not ride in upon the tide of our discouragement and add his evil, disingenuous suggestions to the mix…

• If God loves you, why did he allow her to die, knowing what a big hole her absence would bring to your life?
• Didn’t God say: You shall pray for the sick and they will recover? Why didn’t she recover?
• Where is that miracle-working power in which you so firmly believe? Where is it when you need it?

…because once you start listening to Satan’s goading, designed to make you doubt God and the veracity of his Word, he then turns his faith-poisoning darts upon you.

Perhaps you are just not spiritual enough. Perhaps…  Perhaps… Perhaps…

And if you allow this kind of mental dialogue to continue, then it won’t be long before (as Elijah did), you feel so despondent you want to throw in the towel… you want to bow out (i.e., commit spiritual suicide!). You feel tempted to abandon your beliefs, dismiss your faith and give up your hard-fought ground of spiritual territory.

If that’s you my beloved friend and sister in Christ, and you feel like a crushed or broken reed, God wants to encourage you today. Refuse to listen to the lies and taunts of the Enemy against yourself. Refuse to consider the false accusations he is levelling against the Lord. Ignore your feelings and lift that shield of faith today (and every day), to quench Satan’s fiery darts of doubt and fear.

Listen my friend, Jesus can relate to every situation you might go through. He lost a close family member in the most horrendous fashion (His cousin John the Baptist was decapitated). He was sensitive to Simon Peter’s complete lack of spiritual confidence, after denying that he knew Jesus. And the fact of Peter’s denial seems even more awful once you realise that Jesus was his half-brother (Matthew 13:55).

Although Jesus had re-named him from Simon “a reed”, to Peter “a stone”, I can imagine that at this point (following his betrayal), Peter saw himself more as a reed – and a crushed one at that!

God’s Word tells us that that Jesus is so loving and compassionate, he will not crush an already bruised reed (see Isaiah 42:3). In the same way Jesus reached out to and restored Peter after his crisis of spiritual confidence, he will reach out to you.

And so today, my heart goes out to all broken, crushed, or shaken reeds (past, present, and future). I pray your faith will not fail. I pray God will meet you where you are at and minister to your deepest hurts and cries.

PRAYER:

Loving Father and Faithful Friend,

I ask that you reach out right now and touch the heart and soul of any reader who fits the description of a bruised reed, regardless of how they arrived at this situation. Let not the deception and plan of the Enemy prevail within these precious lives.

Holy Spirit, hover over and minister to each one until they experience healing from their hurts and fresh hope to face their future.

In Jesus’s name I pray. Amen.

Have a wonderfully blessed and victorious week!

With love,

Carol E. Hind

Author/Blogger/Prayer Advocate

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Dear reader, your visit is appreciated. Would you be so kind as to share your response to this post in a comment box below? And if you know anyone who could benefit from its message, please don’t hesitate to share it. Thank you.

Are you looking for a resource that will help you to draw closer to God and develop a consistent and confident prayer life? Then please don’t hesitate to check out the links below.

AMAZON UK https://amzn.to/3ciUt1q

AMAZON US https://amzn.to/3bj6gM1

__________________

Ritual, Routine or Remembrance?

Have you lost your spiritual verve? Has your Christian life become somewhat humdrum? Discover the secret to a vibrant and victorious spiritual life, through Holy Communion.

Ritual, Routine Or Remembrance?: A Candid Look at Christ’s Communion Table: Amazon.co.uk: Hind, Carol E.: 9781912287024: Books

Ritual, Routine Or Remembrance?: A Candid Look at Christ’s Communion Table: Hind, Carol E.: 9781912287024: Amazon.com: Books

Missing!

Hello dear friends and followers,

I trust you are keeping well. I have missed connecting with you all.

I know – I’ve been away for a long time but now I’ve returned and am eager to get back into the blogging saddle.

First off, let me wish you all a happy September! May you flourish in your ongoing relationship with God both in terms of your prayer life and in walking out your faith as a victorious overcomer.

It has been a difficult time for me. I am not really someone who divulges their personal business to others, but I’m learning to be transparent, and I have no wish to appear to this community as though I’m someone who is always on a spiritual high, and for whom everything in the garden is forever rosy. Anyone who has lived long enough to experience life in all its varying colours, will know that this is just not so.

The observant ones among you will have noted that I generally sign off my posts with “prayer advocate” in the signature line.

What do I mean by a prayer advocate?

I mean someone who champions the discipline of prayer, who vouches for the benefits of prayer, who enjoys and seeks to maintain an active prayer life, who believes wholeheartedly in the God to whom we address our prayers and who is convinced that prayer (an ongoing dialogue with God), is essential for spiritual growth and well-being.

As such, I take prayer and intercession seriously. I am not one who sees prayer as boring, or a duty, or who struggles with maintaining a meaningful prayer life. I suspect that my commitment to prayer comes across in my blog posts, since during my time here as a blogger, I’ve been approached by several blogging acquaintances, seeking my prayer support, which I gladly gave.

I have over the many years of walking with the Lord experienced wonderful answers to prayer. There are however instances where the answer is either long delayed, or a “no”.

Tragedy struck our family when a young relative was murdered by an ex-girlfriend. I wondered whether I was guilty of not praying sufficiently or fervently enough to prevent such a terrible thing happening. Was I guilty of neglect?

Following a stressful court case this year, the culprit was sentenced to a total of 30 years imprisonment. Justice had been served – a definite answer to prayer, for which I am thankful. Still, I wondered could this needless death of a 19yr old man have been averted?

Added to this loss, has been the unexpected deaths of two other family members, one a dear sister, with whom I was very close. As I write these words, I still cannot believe she is no longer around. In this instance, I believe I did everything I possibly could, yet God did not answer my prayers as expected.

The above blog post title (Missing), refers to both those who are no longer a part of our family circle and to myself, absent from the blogosphere whilst endeavouring to support my loved ones during our time of crisis with my presence and my prayers… whilst tussling with my disappointment and despair over the unexpected demise of our loved ones… whilst absorbed with the finer details of funeral arrangements. I’ve struggled with disappointment with God, even anger towards him, feeling he could have, and should have, prevented these devastating events from occurring.

Dear reader, I have been amazed about how patient, gentle and gracious the Holy Godhead members have been with me, given my petulant accusations, my declared frustration over the huge gap between my faith’s expectations and the actual results. I’ve questioned why when it came to certain situations (both long-standing and recent), I’m not experiencing the miracle-working God showcased by Jesus in the gospels and demonstrated by the apostles in the book of Acts.

I’m so glad I keep devotional journals, which bear record to the countless times God has answered my prayers, intervened in situations, and showed up as God in my life and in the lives of my loved ones. And, I have been astounded by just how humble, gracious, and loving God has been to me during my spiritual wobbles.

As King David has expressed in so many of his psalms, on one hand I felt God had let me down, yet on the other hand, I could not deny his God-ness. I could not deny the reality of his awesome being. I could not deny the measure of his amazing love and mercy towards me. And if I could not deny these things, then I cannot deny that God is sovereign and does all things according to his own counsel and will. I cannot deny that he sees the bigger picture and his ways and thoughts are exceedingly higher than my own.

I may not understand why things happened as they did. I have certainly not experienced anything like the trials of Job, who challenges me with his utter commitment to God, expressed in this vow:

Though He slay me, yet will I trust him.

(Job 13:15 NKJV)

I can say that I still love the Lord and continue to desire to love him the way he demands and deserves (with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength). And I can hand-on-my-heart truthfully say that I am still a prayer advocate.

With lots of love,

Carol

Author, Blogger and Prayer Advocate

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Dear reader, your visit is appreciated. Has anything I said in this post resonated with you? Please share your response in a comment box below. And if you know anyone who could benefit from its message, then please don’t hesitate to share it. Thank you.

7 Prayer Points to Revitalise Your Spiritual Life (Part 2)

Without further ado, I’ll just launch into the second part of my post shared yesterday. If you missed Part 1 of this message, you may access it here.

• Engage the Help of the Holy Spirit and Use Your God-Given Authority!

Do you have what seems like an insurmountable problem in your life? Is there a recurring issue that has been troubling you for longer than you care to admit? These are what the Bible refers to as “mountains”. Maybe your problem is that you are trying to scale, or climb over them in your own strength. BIG MISTAKE! In Mark 11:22-23, Jesus says that we are to speak to them! So, adopt the same attitude as Zerubbabel (see Zechariah 4:6-7) and speak words of faith (i.e., scripture) to your mountains.

Don’t know what to do, or how to pray about an issue? Then ask the Holy Spirit to help you. Invite the Holy Spirit to strengthen you internally, so that you have the necessary resilience to go the distance. Ask him to give you wisdom and to help you pray appropriately and effectively, then turn the matter over to the Holy Spirit, allowing him to pray with, for, and through you, using your spiritual prayer language. I can assure you from personal experience that 10-15mins praying in tongues, yields better results (i.e. quicker breakthroughs) than hours of agonising in your native tongue.

• Pray for Others

Don’t subscribe to the me-myself-and-mine philosophy. Have a generous heart and demonstrate concern and compassion for others. Jesus modelled this whilst here on this earth and even now, after all he has done to secure our salvation, he is still engaged in intercession for us.

The New Testament has many prayers that the apostle Paul prayed for fellow believers, which we can use in our own prayer life to support other Christians. And, in Colossians 4:12, one of Paul’s helpers, Epaphras, is brought to our attention as someone who was “always labouring fervently” in prayer for his brothers and sisters in Christ.

As someone who values prayer highly and considers it to be the most precious gift of time that anyone could bless me with, I’d be thrilled to know that there’s an “Epaphras” somewhere out there amongst my acquaintances, wouldn’t you?

• Embark on a love journey with Jesus

How would you feel if the only time your family members, friends or significant other contacted you, was when they wanted something?

Jesus is looking for a bride for himself and accordingly seeks to woo you into a loving, committed relationship.

Are you too busy, working for Him? Or too self-absorbed by your own life, to care about Jesus’ desires?

Perhaps you have focused your prayer life on relating solely to Father-God. Why not bring some spiritual romance into your devotional life and pursue a love relationship with His Son, Jesus?

Be like the Shulamite woman in Song of Solomon and respond to his affectionate attentions. Listen out for His gentle knocking upon the door of your heart. Open without reservation, allow him to come in and bless you from his banqueting table of love.

Enable this lover of your soul, to sing songs of deliverance over you, to soothe and tenderise your heart with his attentions. Submit yourself to him so he may transform you from a tortured or complacent individual to a contented, spirit-kissed soul. Then you will be able to join in with the chorus of those who passionately yearn, seek out and discover the fragrance of his abiding presence.

I sleep, but my heart is awake;

It is the voice of my beloved!

He knocks, saying

“Open for me, my sister, my love,

My dove, my perfect one […]

(Song of Solomon 5:2 (NKJV)

• “Pray” is a verb – so do it!

“I don’t know what to say!”

Do you give this as your reason for not praying? Then let’s explore this further.

Is this because you are intimidated by who God is? Or is this because you feel you need to have a certain type of language to speak to him? Or is it because you really don’t want to, and this serves as a useful excuse?

I was brought up in a family where children were to be seen but not heard. We were not allowed to watch TV in case we were corrupted by what was being shown. I was therefore unable to communicate with other children about Popeye, or other characters of children shows, because I’d not seen them. I grew up feeling awkward and strange, not used to articulating my opinions or feelings.

By the time I became an adult, I had to learn how to make general conversation with people outside of my immediate family. I’d agonise about whether I was interesting, or intelligent, or saying things in the right way.  I learned how to keep a conversation going simply by listening to the general chit-chat of work colleagues.

If you really don’t know how to pray, get with someone who does. And if you don’t know anyone or are too shy to ask, listen to those online who do pray and even offer a prayer ministry to others. Grace for Purpose is one such ministry that I highly recommend. Check them out on YouTube. I include a short video below for those interested.

For further assistance, read your Bible and read books on prayer. My own book, Petitions From My Heart, (see purchasing details below), offers you a prayer chart and gives you a whole range of ready-made prayers you can use. In this age of information technology and global reach, there is simply no justifiable excuse.

Finally, ask the Holy Spirit to teach you. He is right there within you and his assignment is to come alongside you and help.

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To those who stuck with me through both parts of this blog post, I thank you for your patience and for blessing me with your time and attention. And to those who have a true desire to upgrade their prayer lives, may God use these two posts to convict, challenge or inspire you.

Wishing you a tremendously blessed year of spiritual growth, victory, and peace!

With love,

Carol E. Hind – Author/Blogger/Prayer Advocate

The effectual, fervent prayer avails much!

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Dear reader, your visit is appreciated. Would you be so kind as to share your response to this post in a comment box below? And if you know anyone who could benefit from its message, please don’t hesitate to share it. Thank you.

__________________

Are you looking for a resource that will help you to draw closer to God and develop a consistent and confident prayer life? Then please don’t hesitate to check out the links below.

AMAZON UK https://amzn.to/3ciUt1q

AMAZON US https://amzn.to/3bj6gM1

__________________

Have you lost your spiritual verve? Has your Christian life become somewhat humdrum? Discover the secret to a vibrant and victorious spiritual life, through Holy Communion.

AMAZON UK: https://tinyurl.com/yz78s6su

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7 Prayer Points to Revitalise Your Spiritual Life (Part 1)

Greetings my dear friends, fellow-bloggers, and followers!

I wish you a tremendously blessed year of spiritual growth, victory, and peace!

I’m interested in your prayer life.

Why?

Because I agree with Charles Spurgeon, an eminent man of God, who said:

Prayer is the vessel that trades with heaven and comes home from the celestial country laden with treasures of far greater worth than [any] Spanish galleon brought from the land of gold.

Isn’t that a beautiful picture? Does it not elevate the perception of prayer as a boring, dry, or dutiful exercise?

As ‘born-again’ believers, God invites us to trade our anxieties for his supernatural peace. In Isaiah 55, He invites us to buy wine (intoxicating joy) and milk (spiritual sustenance) without price and encourages us to delight our souls in abundance.

In terms of genuine spiritual experience, are you there dear friend? Are you at peace? Are you truly joyful, irrespective of whatever is going on in your life? Are you enjoying a rich life of fulfilment?

Does your prayer life look like Spurgeon’s description above, or would you more describe it as a small dinghy that has capsized in an ocean of troubles, or is forever circling within a river of discontent?

If you are aware that your prayer life is just not where it should be and you would like to do something about it, allow me to share the following suggestions, which I trust will move you towards that desired result. 

• Observe Heavenly Protocol (click here to read a related in-depth post)

Psalm 100:1-4 lets us know that there’s a prescribed protocol for coming into God’s presence. That protocol is thanksgiving followed by praise. So don’t just turn up with a wish list or spew out bitter complaints.

Recognise that you are approaching an awesome and holy God. Treat him with the same honour and respect that you would give to any earthly dignitary. If you are not sure how to, or run out of fresh ideas, the psalms are littered with tributes and paeans, which you can borrow to express your heart.

• Come In Faith and With an Expectant Heart

As human beings, we are generally people-pleasers. We want to get along with those within our acquaintance circle. Whether the boss or our colleagues, friends, family, or neighbours, we can spend a lot of our time either appeasing or pleasing them.

There are those who worship false gods and because they have only a one-sided relationship with these ‘gods’, they are often in the position of trying to appease them or hoping to gain their favour.

Not so with God! He is not only accessible and approachable, he is favourably disposed towards you. He has your best interests and welfare as a primary concern, upon his heart. He does however require you to have faith in and trust Him. If you want to please God, then have faith in his Word, in his promises, in his ability to help you whatever the problem (see Hebrews 11:6).

Perhaps we find it difficult putting complete trust in a God we cannot see. Yet, when it comes to our everyday life, we will often place our confidence and trust in people we’ve never seen and know nothing about their character or background. Take for example, an aircraft pilot. How many times have you run a background check on him/her before flying? My guess is: never! We put our trust in the airline that has employed him/her and we take it for granted that this person has passed the necessary tests, has the necessary experience, and will not do anything to endanger passengers.

Dear friend, the God who created this universe, who upholds and runs its entire existence merely by the power of his word, the one who knew you before you were even conceived in your mother’s womb, the one who came up with his ingenious plan of salvation, the one who knows the end from the beginning, the one who is able to cause all things that happen in our lives to work together for our good, is surely worthy of our trust. He has proved his character and ability again, and again, and again.

If you have been a Christian for any length of time, you know that God is good, loving, kind, capable and has an unimpeachable character. You know it from reading His Word, and you know it from personal experience. Do you know anyone who’d sacrifice their beloved child to die for someone else (whether good or bad), let alone for the entire world? Again, my guess is: probably not!

In Romans 8:32, we are told that:

He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

Based on this verse of scripture alone, I believe God has fully earned our trust – don’t you?

• Invite the Lord to search your heart

As a commuter travelling into work 5 days a week by public transport, when it came to my face cleansing routine, I noticed a big difference at weekends – there was less grime! And travelling at close quarters with other commuters meant that if there were colds or flu going around, there was a fair chance I’d catch it.

As fellow citizens in this world (yet not of it!), our journey in life means that the same susceptibility to absorbing grime (sinful attitudes) or catching undesirable infections (ungodly thoughts or desires) applies to us. Relationships with others demand that we rub-up against them, so we are certainly not immune to contagious germs such as anger, pride, strife, or temptation.

1 John 3:21 tells us that if our heart does not condemn us then we can have confidence toward God. Since we are often blind to our own faults and shortcomings, asking the Lord to search our hearts should be a necessary feature of our prayer lives.

A good prayer to use from God’s Word is the one King David penned:

Search me, O God, and know my heart;

Try me, and know my anxieties;

And see if there is any wicked way in me,

And lead me in the way everlasting.

(Psalm 139: 23-24 NKJV)

To be continued…

I realise this is a long read, so to anyone who stuck with me to the end, I thank you for your patience and for honouring me with your time and attention. I do hope you will join me for Part 2.

With love,

Carol E. Hind – Author/Blogger/Prayer Advocate

The effectual, fervent prayer avails much!

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Dear reader, your visit is appreciated. Would you be so kind as to share your response to this post in a comment box below? And if you know anyone who could benefit from its message, please don’t hesitate to share it. Thank you.

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Are you looking for a resource that will help you to draw closer to God and develop a consistent and confident prayer life? Then please don’t hesitate to check out the links below.

AMAZON UK https://amzn.to/3ciUt1q

AMAZON US https://amzn.to/3bj6gM1

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Have you lost your spiritual verve? Has your Christian life become somewhat humdrum? Discover the secret to a vibrant and victorious spiritual life, through Holy Communion.

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Have a Happy & Victorious New Year

Your love is like a flooding river

Overflowing its banks with kindness.

God, everyone sees your goodness,

For your tender love is blended

Into everything you do.

(Psalm 145:8b-9 TPT)

Dear friends, followers, and prayer-warriors,

Once again, we come to that time at the beginning of a new year when we look back at the year gone by and look forward to the year ahead.

May I take this opportunity to thank everyone who has kindly supported me throughout 2022 with their “likes”, comments, and purchase of my books.

I’d like to say a special “thank you” to those who have gone the extra mile and left me a review. Thank you also to those who’ve reached out to me through email with your encouragement. I sincerely appreciate you!

My prayer for you is that throughout 2023, God will bless and empower you to rein in your circumstances, to walk victoriously day-by-day in his awesome grace and favour. May he envelop you in the security of his abiding peace, and may you ever experience the fragrance of his steadfast love and mercy.

With love and best wishes,

Carol E. Hind

Author/Blogger/Prayer Advocate

Do You See Bars, or Stars?

Two inmates looked out of the window of their prison cell.

One saw bars and the other saw stars!

My dear friend, blog follower or visitor,

As you negotiate your life’s journey, what do you see ahead – prison bars, or celestial stars?

Do you feel imprisoned by your past history or current circumstances? Do you wonder whether you will ever be free of that emotional cycle of depression, or rejection, or low self-esteem? Or do you feel you will never be one of those fortunate people who makes that quantum leap out of life’s debilitating set-backs?

May I tell you something?

And when I do, will you believe me… will you accept the life-saving branch of hope that I’m holding out to you?

There is Hope for Tomorrow

My dear friend, this is my heart-felt message of encouragement and hope. You can break free of your past and experience joyous freedom and liberty.

Yes. You. Can!

You can see the beauty of life, rather than the devouring beast of wretchedness.

You can see beyond the bars of perplexity and reach for the stars of possibility.

You can put victimhood behind you and walk on in life, as a victorious overcomer.

Yes. You. Can!

Why am I so sure?

Because it has happened for me. It has happened for others.

Grab Hold of God’s Goodness

God is no respecter of persons. That means, the same opportunities for breakthrough, deliverance and freedom promised in his Word, are available to you, as well as to me. Isn’t that good great news?

Dear reader, I have even more great news for you. Jesus has already done the ground work for you. And God is committed to helping you. You are not doing life on your own.

Listen to what your Heavenly Father has done for you, as relayed to us in The Passion Translation:

You are so intimately aware of me, Lord. […] You know every step I will take before my journey even begins. You’ve gone into my future to prepare the way, and in kindness you follow behind me to spare me from the harm of my past.

(Psalm 139:3-5)

Learn from inspirational stories

A few years ago, I watched a YouTube video that deeply affected me… in fact, it totally inspired me.

It was about a man who’d been imprisoned for 30 years (28 of which were spent on death row), for a crime he did not commit!

When I looked into the face of this man and heard him speak (he was being interviewed by Oprah), there was not a trace of anger, bitterness, hatred, resentment, or self-pity. Not a single trace!

If there was, then he hid it well. I’m not saying there never has been, at least in the beginning. In fact, I’d be very surprised if there wasn’t. However, by the time he walked free from prison, this man had not only made lemonade from the sour lemons life had served him, but he also sought to serve others around him with the sweet beverage of encouragement.

What this man had endured at the hands of America’s justice system, put all that I have “suffered” into perspective. I may not have been unduly incarcerated in a literal prison, but I had certainly allowed myself to become imprisoned within the confines of victimhood.

Now, when I think of how I allowed a few people to make me deeply unhappy for years… how I allowed them to make me a victim… make me feel like I was a nobody, and when I consider how I allowed that cycle of negativity to affect me for years and years, I feel ashamed.

The truth of the matter is, people may have provided the materials, but I was the one who took those materials (the malice, rejection, scorn and ridicule), and shaped myself into that victim.

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. (Eleanor Roosevelt)
http://www.womenofwarfare.wordpress.com

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Christ’s Cross or Satan’s Constraints – which will you choose?

In comparison to this man, what I’ve been through is nothing. And I’m so grateful to God that I did not have to carry that particular cross.

Every follower of Christ has to carry their own cross of suffering, pain and shame, and God knows exactly what type of cross we can carry, and how much we can bear. He knows just what it is we need to hone our character, strengthen us emotionally, psychologically and spiritually.

I do not believe I could carry the cross of a Joseph, who was also unjustly accused and imprisoned (see Genesis 39:1-20). And I hope I am never put to the test of those individuals who find themselves incarcerated, or placed on Death Row, for a crime they did not commit.

I salute this man – Anthony Ray Hinton.  I salute his mother, who single-handedly looked after him and 9 other kids, after his father developed mental health problems when Anthony was only 4 years old. I salute Anthony’s friend, who went to visit him every single week over those 30 years! What an amazing friendship! What an incredible show of loyalty and commitment!  And, I also salute the lawyer, who battled for 16 years to set Anthony free.

I am challenged in terms of my Christian conduct when I consider this man’s story. I am challenged in terms of my thought life and self-mastery. I am challenged that this man endured what he did for 30 years, yet managed to walk out of prison resentment-free, write about his experience and have his story published. In my book, this man is an exemplary Christian, an amazing and most wonderful figure of inspiration.

If Anthony Hinton can walk free from captivity without the stench of bitterness hanging around him, if he can walk out of prison after 30 years, without the stamp of anger and hatred imprinted upon his face, or the seal of victimhood branded upon his soul, then regardless of what we face, or have suffered, you and I can also walk forward into our future as victorious overcomers. If Hinton can take his terrible ordeal and use it to encourage, motivate or fight for others, then so can you and I.

Aim for the Stars!

So my challenge to you this week dear reader is this – when you consider the difficulties of your past or present circumstances, when you view them through the murky windows of remembrance, do you see bars, or do you see stars?

Wishing you a stress-free and victorious week.

With love,

Carol E. Hind – Author, Blogger & Prayer Advocate

The effectual, fervent prayer avails much!

Related Reading/Resources:

Listen to this moving video (11mins) about Anthony Hinton’s experience.

Blog post: Underdog or Overcomer

May I also recommend a book by a dear blogger friend of mine (Shell Vera) who travelled the paths of victimhood and emerged a victor? I have also written a review on this book, which you might like to read. If so, please click here.

 You may pick up a copy from Amazon.

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Dear reader, your visit is appreciated. Would you be so kind as to share your response to this post in a comment box below? And if you know anyone who could benefit from its message, please don’t hesitate to share it. Thank you.

My Celebration & Thanks

PRAISE the Lord!

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!

For His mercy endures forever.

(Psalm 106:1)

Have you ever blessed someone but your gift was met with indifference, or plain ingratitude?

It just doesn’t feel good – does it?

Now, I don’t know about you but if someone does that to me, I am less likely to want to bestow any further blessings upon that person again. And I’m sure I speak for most people when I say that we all like our gifts or our service to others, to be recognised and appreciated.

Well, you know what dear friend? God is no different!

He loves it when we acknowledge his goodness, his provision, his protection and his power.

That’s why today I am publicly giving thanks to Him.

You see, I’m celebrating a significant achievement. I have recently published my second book – Yay! Double Yay!

Of course I can’t take all the credit for myself.

Major thanks goes to my creative partnership – the illustrious Holy Godhead! I could not have done it without the enabling grace of my loving Heavenly Father, or the intercession of Jesus, my faithful High Priest, or the inspiration and guidance of the Holy Spirit.

And because I also appreciate two fellow bloggers who kindly supported me with their prayers, I’d like to give a shout out to Jacquie and Holly. A big heartfelt “thank you” my dear friends and sisters in Christ.

Friends and followers, please do take the time to visit their blogs, read a post or two and bless them with your ‘likes’ and comments.

Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.
(William Arthur Ward)

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And now, without further ado, here’s the reason for my gratitude and appreciation.

Won’t you celebrate with me?

Have a great weekend!

With love,

Carol

The effectual, fervent prayer avails much!

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Dear reader, your visit is appreciated.

Would you be so kind as to share your response to this post in a comment box below? And please don’t hesitate to share it with your social network. It would be so much appreciated. Thank you!

Compassion Fatigue? Not On Our Watch!

The following is an intro to a previous post, which I’d like to draw to the attention of new followers in particular. However, those who have faithfully followed me from around 2016 when this post was originally written, may also wish to read and refresh their memories.

Whilst I am happy to re-purpose old material, my main desire is to stir up your hearts and galvanise you into action with regards to prayer and intercession.

Given the condition of our world following Covid-19, the implementation of lockdown measures, and the threat of virus variants, I am sure you’ll agree with me that the call to prayer, the call to seek God’s urgent and merciful intervention, is sorely needed.

Do read and please act. Send Jesus your kneemail today!

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Que Sera Sera?

Have you ever looked at this world in despair?

I can relate!

It is a rare event when media reports on current events raise a smile from me, or a sense of belief that all is well with the world. I think I can honestly say that most times after listening to a news channel, or reading a newspaper, I feel disgusted, disquieted or depressed. And sometimes I can even feel ashamed to admit that I belong to the human race – in fact, somebody stop the world – I wanna get off!

To read the rest of this post please visit HERE

Have a blessed week!

With love,

Carol (aka Lady Cee)

The effectual, fervent prayer avails much!

If you are looking for a resource that will help you to draw closer to God and develop a consistent and confident prayer life, please don’t hesitate to check out the links below.

AMAZON UK https://amzn.to/3ciUt1q

AMAZON US https://amzn.to/3bj6gM1

The call to prayer, the call to seek God’s urgent and merciful intervention, is sorely needed. Send Jesus your knee-mail today!

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Bold, Brave, but Bleeding

I’ve ‘known’ Shell Vera for a number of years now as a fellow-blogger and recall her being one of the very first to engage with me in a meaningful manner, regarding one of my posts. As a newbie blogger, I appreciated this so much. To date, Shell Vera is still a regular reader and commenter at my blogs, so I had no hesitation about supporting this publication of her creative endeavours.

BOOK REVIEW: When I Stopped Remembering Tomorrow

Hang on I thought, how can someone remember tomorrow – let alone stop remembering it?

I was intrigued from the get go!

Apart from my curiosity over the title, it’s not often we have the pleasure of having a personal insight into the lives and hearts of people we know. Granted, I only ‘know’ Shell Vera as a fellow blogger but it’s still somebody I know a lot better than most authors I’ve read, whether famous or otherwise.

I bought the book.

I loved the book!

And now I’m sharing my response to Shell Vera’s powerful, poetic pieces.

I don’t know about you but when I don’t really know the author, I hardly ever read the front matter, unless it is pertinent to my understanding of the book. Now that I’m a published author and when I’m reading books from fellow bloggers, I peruse these pages with eager anticipation.

I was happy to see a dedication to fellow warriors and overcomers. Well that includes me! So from the short distance of the title to the dedication page, already my attention has been piqued.

But then I felt slightly put off after reading a comment regarding the church, which seemed harsh and unfair, and to which I could not relate  – was I going to like this book after all? Is there more of this kind of thing to come?

I read on.

The long and the short of it is that Shell Vera fell in love, met her true self for the first time and in doing so “truly met God.”

I like the framework.

Part 1 shares poetic pieces about her yesterdays followed by a separate prose section in Part 2, providing background information, or explaining what Shell had sought to convey in those pieces, or providing encouragement to hurting souls who have suffered similar abuse, and feel their dreams are impossible.

Often, we readers interpret poems according to our own, or vicarious experiences, according to literary evaluations, personal perceptions and conclusions, which usually differ to what the author originally meant or intended. It is therefore nice to actually know what the writer had intended to convey.

And now for my assessment of Shell Vera’s creative endeavours (bearing in mind the fact that I am not a poetry expert). I discuss in terms of my personal reactions to her work.

Heartfelt compassion stirs the heart of the reader, and contrasts with the cold uncompromising truth of the writer’s experience in pieces like Alone and Detached (1992): Here’s an example:

This girl has given up hope for the future,

She’s only living still because when she knocked,

Death refused to open the door for her.

Powerful pieces like The Final Nightmare (1999) will haunt you.

And in her poem The Dance (1999), Shell Vera’s beautiful and clever depiction of the dance of life, reminds us that either we ourselves, or the people with whom we tango, can become catalysts of change, for the good.

Her poems make you think. Force you to consider what it is you believe, how you interpret the gospel and how you embrace it within your own life.  After reading Wandering (2012), I wonder, how many of us need to take Jesus down from the cross of our limited imaginations and actually invite him to be a living breathing being in our day-to-day lives?

When you think of warriors, you tend to picture someone strong, staunch and solid, someone tough and triumphant, despite the odds. We think of people like Hercules, or Alexander the Great, or even King David, who was known to have slain his 10,000s.

But in our normal every-day life, particularly as a Christian where there is often pressure to present a false ‘super-spiritual’ picture, a true warrior is someone who faces the rigours and injustices of life and survives. They are warriors because they live to tell the tale. They are victorious overcomers because instead of remaining as downtrodden victims, they drag themselves up from the dust and mire of catastrophe or rejection, and push forward through the doors of hope.

Women of Warfare friends and followers, only when you have truly met and committed your life to the Lord, only when you have engaged in prayer warfare and entrusted your well-being into the hands of your Creator-God, will those negative circumstances of life become a spiritual launching pad, enabling you to soar as victorious overcomers.

So, if you are guilty of doing this, stop wasting your life yearning for tomorrow.

Start living in the present, praying in earnest, and yearning for meaningful spiritual encounters with the God who holds your tomorrow.

Meanwhile, I’d encourage you to buy the book!

Order here

You may visit Shell Vera at her website and blog  

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Start living in the present, praying in earnest, and yearning for meaningful spiritual encounters with the God who holds your tomorrow.

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Self-Care During Lent

I realise this is the season of Lent and whether or not you have jumped on board with the whole denying-self routine, here are a few things I’d like you to consider, as part of your journey as a victorious overcomer.

How about denying yourself the “luxury” of thinking about yourself in negative terms?

How about taking the time to meditate on those scriptures which build your confidence about who you are in Christ?

How about you making a quality decision to oust from your consciousness, the malignant lies of the Enemy?

Proverbs 23:7 tells us in no uncertain terms that as a person thinks (habitually) in their heart, so that is who they will eventually become.

Are your predominant thoughts and habitual thinking focused on what other people think about you?

If so, how is that serving you, particularly if most of the time those thoughts and opinions undermine, rather than raise your self-esteem?

Why not take this season of Lent to minister some spiritual self-care and love?

Begin with how you perceive yourself!

Have you ever been treated as if you are a person of no value?

How did you respond?

It is easy to take on board the negative opinions of others (e.g. ageist, racist, sexist) but I am here to tell you today that there are only two opinions in this world that counts – God’s and yours!

Now if God feels you are worthy enough for him to send his Son to this earth to die for you, then who are you, in fact, who is anyone else, to think or say otherwise?

My dear friend, you are of value!

Stop dwelling on the unkind behaviour or negative opinion of others, which are (or were) designed to undermine you.

The Bible is FULL of God’s positive thoughts and ideas, towards and about you.

Here are just a few thought seeds to sow in the garden of your heart:

I AM created by God with infinite care and love

(Psalm 139:13-18)

I AM loved by God with a love which never changes!

(Jeremiah 31:3)

I AM chosen by God and precious ­

(1 Peter 2:4)

I AM so loved by God that he has adopted me into his family

(1 John 3:1)

God has so many wonderful thoughts about me they cannot even be counted

(Psalm 40:5; Psalm 139:17-18)

God’s innumerable thoughts towards me are thoughts of peace, and they give me hope for my final outcome

(Jeremiah 29:11)

There is a banner of love over my life, which speaks of Christ’s undying love for, and commitment to me.

(Song of Solomon 2:4)

Consider this.

Just before Jesus was driven into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil, he received God’s ringing endorsement:

This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.

(Matthew 3:16-17)

Child of God, you are much loved.

Believe it. Accept it. Declare it.

You are loved and you are valued. End of!

With love,

Carol (aka Lady Cee)

A God-Seeker in His Secret Place (Psalm 91:1)

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SELF-SCRUTINY

• On a scale of 1-10 (with 1 being the lowest and 10 the highest), how valuable do you feel in terms of God’s economy?
• What steps will you take to raise that value (presuming you have not scored yourself a 10!)?

Dear reader, your visit is appreciated. Would you be so kind as to share your response to this post in a comment box below? And, if you know someone who could benefit from its message, please don’t hesitate to share it. Thank you.

Are you looking for a resource that will help you to draw closer to God and develop a consistent and confident prayer life? Then please don’t hesitate to check out the links below.

AMAZON UK https://amzn.to/3ciUt1q

AMAZON US https://amzn.to/3bj6gM1

Come Celebrate With Me!

Hello dear friends and followers.

I’m celebrating the publication of a guest post, which has been published by a good friend (Holly) at her blog site, Wholeness Haven.

Whoo hoo!

Could you help me celebrate by visiting her site and supporting her? I don’t think you’ll be disappointed! She’s done a sterling job with the presentation of my message, and I feel so honoured and proud to be featured there.

My post has been set out in two parts and the links to these are as follows:

Part 1: God’s Master Key to Wholeness | Wholeness Haven

Part 2: God’s Master Key to Wholeness (part 2) | Wholeness Haven

Please don’t forget to leave your likes and comments and also share with your social networks. Many thanks dear ones.

Have a blessed weekend!

With love,

Carol (aka Lady Cee)

The effectual, fervent prayer avails much!

Are you looking for a resource that will help you to draw closer to God and develop a consistent and confident prayer life? Then please don’t hesitate to check out the links below.

AMAZON UK https://amzn.to/3ciUt1q

AMAZON US https://amzn.to/3bj6gM1

Don’t Worry – Be Happy!

Hello Women of Warfare followers and visitors. A belated welcome to a brand new year!

When the clock struck midnight this year and Happy New Year wishes rang around the globe, how did you feel? How did you respond?

Did those words ring hollow in your ears?

I do hope not!

I do trust that you were able to give and receive such greetings with a genuinely positive heart.

The word “happy” seemed to stand out for me today, as I was thinking about what to write. On checking my mini Oxford dictionary, I saw that Happy is defined as:

• Pleased
• Contented
• Fortunate

I wonder, do any of these words describe how you felt throughout 2020? And how are you feeling this year?

For myself, I can say that I am pleased to be alive. Thousands of people have lost their lives to the Covid-19 virus. It grieves my heart to know that so many people met with an untimely death and I cannot help but wonder, where are they now?

Did they have a chance to hear the gospel? If they had been given the opportunity, what did they do with it? Did they reject, or accept Christ? Or did they postpone to a more convenient time, which never came?

Dear reader, if you are reading this post and you have not committed your life to Christ, then you are in a precarious position. Please take some time to read my outreach post which informs you why ignoring God’s free gift of salvation could put you at your peril. Believe me, I am not scaremongering. I am merely concerned for your spiritual well-being.

And now back to my message for this post.

As previously mentioned, I am pleased to be alive. I am also learning to be content.

It is not always easy in this world of have more, give more, do more and be more. And it is all too easy to get pulled into the secular world’s never-ending cycle of competition and covetousness. As the Bible says, the eye is never satisfied (Ecclesiastes 1:8).

For a long time (even after I became a Christian), I entertained the idea that my life was blighted with misfortune. Today, I am glad to say that my mind-set has radically changed. I have become way more positive. I believe the fact that God has adopted me into his family… that I have a wonderful relationship with him… that he has promised never to leave me, to protect and provide for me, makes me a fortunate person indeed.

In the United Kingdom, polls have been taken to see which area of our nation happens to be the happiest. As children of God, I think we should be the happiest people on earth, period! Unfortunately, I realise that is not always the case.

Perhaps assessing our happiness status should be something we do for ourselves every now and again. When last have you checked?

Why not take some time out this weekend, or as soon as practicable, to assess for yourself? Not in order to make yourself miserable, or to crow inwardly with ungodly pride but to give you something meaningful to come before God and be thankful for.

After all, if not for the Grace of God, who knows where you would be, or even if you would have made it to see 2021!

Have a blessed weekend.

With love,

Carol (aka Lady Cee)

The effectual, fervent prayer avails much!

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Do you want to draw closer to God and develop a consistent and confident prayer life? Then Petitions From My Heart could be just what you need. Please don’t hesitate to check out the links below.

AMAZON UK https://amzn.to/3ciUt1q

AMAZON US https://amzn.to/3bj6gM1

Dear reader, your visit is appreciated. Would you be so kind as to share your response to this post in a comment box below?

If you know anyone who would benefit from its message, don’t hesitate to share it. Thank you.

5 Snippets on Prayer

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If you want to know about prayer, examine the life of Jesus:

1. He prayed when the pressures of life increased.
2. He prayed when important decisions had to be made.

It’s when you think you don’t have time to pray, that you need to pray most. Spending time with God is the secret to having power with Him.

UCB Word For Today* (Excerpt from Devotional 26 June 2017)

In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success.

(Proverbs 3:6 – The Living Bible)

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(2)

Whether placing stars or healing scars, no situation is too big or too small to get the attention of our loving God. To understand God’s healing expertise, look at the life of Job. No one in history lost more than Job did, yet God brought him through it all.

…Are you sad and heavy-hearted today? Do what Jesus did. Take time to pray about it.

UCB Word For Today* (Excerpt from Devotional 27 June 2017)

He heals the brokenhearted, binding up their wounds. He counts the stars and calls them all by name. How great he is! His power is absolute! His understanding is unlimited.

(Psalms 147: 3-5 – The Living Bible)

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Prayer shouldn’t be your last resort, it should be your first response. Prayer takes the situation out of your hands and puts it into God’s. #Christian #Prayer #SaturdayThoughts

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(3)

Jesus prayed when the pressures and expectations of others threatened to derail God’s plan for His Life.

…When you’re prayer-less you get careless. God has a plan for your life, and a schedule. To stay in sync with both you must pray regularly. Jesus realised He had only enough time to do what His Father wanted done, and that gave Him the ability to say no to other things.

UCB Word For Today* (Excerpt from Devotional 28 June 2017)

To everything there is a season,

A time for every purpose under heaven:

(Ecclesiastes 3:1 – NKJV)

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(4)

Jesus prayed when He was concerned about the people He loved.

…Prayer shouldn’t be your last resort, it should be your first response. Prayer takes the situation out of your hands and puts it into God’s.

…Invite God into the situation, then stand back and allow Him to work.

UCB Word For Today* (Excerpt from Devotional 29 June 2017)

Be unceasing in prayer [praying perseveringly].

(1 Thessalonians 5:17 – The Amplified Bible)

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(5)

Jesus didn’t wait until the hour of His greatest crisis before he prayed. For three and a half years during His early ministry, He had built a life of prayer.

…Jesus had such an intimate relationship with His Father that in times of pressure and pain He could go to God, confident He would receive His sustaining grace. Can you do that?

UCB Word For Today* (Excerpt from Devotional 30 June 2017)

…Men ought always to pray, and not to faint…

 (Luke 18:1 – KJV)

Wishing you a peaceful and prayerful weekend.

With love,

Carol (aka Lady Cee)

A Student in His Secret Place (Psalm 91:1)

*Free postal copies of UCB Word For Today (UK and Republic of Ireland only) are available from: FREEPOST RLTX-ABUL-GRAR, United Christian Broadcasters, Westport Road, Stoke-on-Trent, ST6 4JF

For the online version click here:

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Are you looking for a resource that will help and encourage you to develop a consistent and confident prayer life? If so, don’t hesitate to check out the links below.

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What’s your response to this post? Please share your thoughts in a comment box below. Do you know someone who could benefit from its message? Then please don’t hesitate to share it. Thank you.

The Red Carpet of Welcome

God’s Red Carpet of Welcome

It’s Not Nice!

Ever walked into a room and realised you’ve just interrupted a conversation, where you were the subject of discussion?

It’s happened to me quite a few times!

The chief culprits were ex work colleagues. Not a nice feeling is it?

Especially when you realise that whatever was being said about you, was not complimentary.

During such times, you sense the tension in the air as the culprits desperately try to cover up by changing the subject. Sometimes the conversation would just cease abruptly, yet a strong signal is silently communicated: You are not welcome!

Why have I mentioned this?

Well, it’s not because I want to drag up the past. And it’s not because I want to share a story designed to make you feel sorry for me. As far as I’m concerned, it’s all in my past and that’s the best place for it!

However, I mention it because I want to use the scenario to highlight a complete contrast. A contrast between those who make you feel unwelcome and my Father-God, who fully embraces and welcomes you into His presence.  I want to remind you that our Father-God, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, has pulled out all the stops, to signal their sincere love and acceptance, for me and for you.

An Attitude of Gratitude

This week, I’ve been experiencing some wonderful times in God’s presence. I am always grateful and regularly express my gratitude to him for accepting me into his family, for welcoming me into the awesome, holy presence of his throne room. And whenever I’m reminded that God’s acceptance and welcome was not always available to me, I am even more grateful.

After all, as a Gentile, I had no covenant with God and was alienated from his mercy, love and favour. But now, my wonderful Father-God, who previously couldn’t even be approached by his own people (the Jews), unless they observed the correct protocol, now operates an “open door” policy to all and sundry.

God’s Wholesale Welcome -v- Man’s Routine Rejection

Christ’s sacrificial and vicarious death upon the cross, means I can come into God’s presence without a prior appointment. I can come without the need of a third party to announce me, or enquire whether he’s free. I can come at any time of the day and night and I can come to him as many times in the day (or night), as I wish, or feel I need to. And each time I come, I am welcome. I know it. I experience it. And it’s a beautiful, warm feeling.

Now, there are people in this world (whether ordinary folk, celebrities, the great and the good), who would not necessarily welcome me into their midst. And, let’s face it, there are those whom I would not necessarily welcome into my orbit!

In all areas of life, society operates on a pre-determined level of acceptance, such that I could find myself excluded from potential opportunities, on the basis of skin colour, gender, class, or a myriad of other reasons.

And yet, the one who is Supreme, the one who is most High and Holy, the one who is Mighty, the one who has every right to reject me on the grounds of unworthiness, has seen fit to make it possible for me to come and fellowship with him at any time, for as long, and as often as I desire.

A Royal Invite – A Red Carpet Experience

As mentioned, lately I’ve been enjoying God’s company whilst he rolls out the red carpet of acceptance and hospitality. In fact, I’m experiencing richer, deeper levels of relationship with the three members of the Godhead. And because I’ve been so, so, blessed by these special periods of intimacy with God & Co, I’d like to encourage all my readers and visitors to make a special effort to develop a deeper, richer relationship with Him. Father-God promises in his Word that when you make the effort to move closer to him, he will draw closer to you. (James 4:8).

We are moving rapidly towards the end of this year, a year which I’m sure many of you will agree, brought unwelcome changes into our lives. Changes which have forced upon us a “new normal”. Changes which have thrust upon us unexpected instability, uncertainties and insecurities about what the future may hold.

Whilst for many of us, these changes came out of the blue, our omniscient God was not surprised. He was not caught out unawares. It therefore behoves us to draw as close as we can to the one who is unchanging… to the one whose thoughts and intentions towards us, are for our best interests, whether we see it or not, whether we believe it or not… to the one who is able to cause all things (even this pandemic crisis), to work together for our good. (Romans 8:28).

Unsavoury media reports may be unwelcome. Politicians and international policies may confuse, and even make us feel unwelcome. Racists, or religious fanatics may commit reprehensible acts, in a bid to show us we are not welcome. And, contrary to Christ’s message of inclusiveness, Christian cliques may signal to those of us outside their circle that we are unwelcome.

But our God, who is unchanging and ever dependable, will never change the rules or move the goal posts when it comes to his criteria for acceptance.

Fellowship – Your Spiritual Key to a Victorious End of Year

Jesus has already paid the price for our inclusion! He has made the way open for anyone (Male or Female, Jew or Gentile, Black or White), to come into God’s presence and to come without fear, guilt, condemnation or any sense of inferiority.

So my dear friend, don’t waste precious time or opportunity. Spend quality time in God’s presence through prayer, praise, thanksgiving and worship. He will welcome you with open arms!

Women of Warfare friends and followers, I encourage you to end this year and make preparation for the next, by choosing to develop your God-connection and increase your spiritual awareness, so you can confidently walk forward in life, as victorious overcomers.

Wishing you a safe, blessed and happy week ahead!

With agapē love and affection,

Carol (aka Lady Cee)

A Student in His Secret Place (Psalm 91:1)

The secret to enjoying a red-carpet experience with God is loving him with all your heart, mind and soul. Have you discovered this secret?

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Need further tips for ending your year well? Click here

Poetry lovers, if you enjoyed this post, you may want to read a related poem I’ve written – click here

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Are you looking for a resource that will help you to draw closer to God and develop a consistent and confident prayer life? Then please don’t hesitate to check out the links below.

AMAZON UK https://amzn.to/3ciUt1q

AMAZON US https://amzn.to/3bj6gM1

Dear reader, your visit is appreciated. Would you be so kind as to share your response to this post in a comment box below?

If you know anyone who could benefit from its message, please don’t hesitate to share it. Thank you.

7 Reasons Why You Need To Be A Woman of Warfare

 

 

1. To secure and maintain possession of God’s promises
2. To secure peace and protection for your loved ones
3. Because Satan is roaming around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour
4. Because God wants you to conquer the Goliaths in your life
5. Because you are in a spiritual battle and you, plus your loved ones, are a direct target
6. Because there are other believers who require your spiritual strength and prayer support
7. Because sometimes we have to fight on behalf of others, so they can enter into their promised land.

 

Question:

Are you taking your place on the battlefield of prayer?

With love,

Carol (aka Lady Cee)

The effectual, fervent prayer avails much!

 

 

AMAZON UK https://amzn.to/3ciUt1q

AMAZON US https://amzn.to/3bj6gM1

 

 

If you are looking for a resource that will help and encourage you to develop a consistent and confident prayer life, please don’t hesitate to check out the links above.

 

 

What’s your response to this post? Do share your thoughts in a comment box below. And, if you know someone who could benefit from its message, please don’t hesitate to share it. Thank you.

 

The Love Factor!

Hello dear friends, fellow bloggers and followers,

I’d just like to say a big ‘Thank You’ to recent new followers of Women of Warfare and I’d also like to acknowledge those who’ve joined me over this past year. Your interest and support is so appreciated.

If you don’t do so already, may I encourage you to engage with me by sharing your thoughts and responses to my posts? Even if you do not agree with me, I would like to hear what you have to say.

Trusting that you and your loved ones are safe and well.

Best wishes,

Carol

BLOGGER’S COMPLAINT

Is there anyone else out there who feels as frustrated and annoyed as I do with the new block editor being set as the default way of writing your posts?

I have been away from blogging for a little while only to come back and meet this frustrating and annoying way of working. Why should I be forced to take my valuable time to learn something new at my inconvenience? Why could not the new way of writing posts using block editor be a choice, rather than the default?

And can I send a simple email or message to ask whether I can have my sites revert to the old way of working? No!

I’m sorry blog followers but I may not be posting anything new for a while.

An unhappy blogger!

The Choice Is Yours!

 

The above CC0 image comes courtesy of Gerd Altmann at Pixabay.com

 

Our Heavenly Father planned for us to be conformed to the same image as his Son, Jesus Christ. In other words we are to emulate him.

However, our carnal flesh prefers to conform to the ways of this world. Now, the celebrity culture means many of us seek to live our lives as close as possible to those we admire and believe represents the epitome of success.

Jesus is, and was a celebrity in heaven, before he came to earth. However, he chose to set his privileges aside and made himself poor, so we could become rich in the things that truly matter, such as an eternal destiny beyond our wildest dreams, peace of mind, freedom from guilt and fear, hope for our future, and the absolute assurance of an Almighty God’s protection and provision.

Now in this current climate of the Covid-19 virus and the resulting havoc wrought by each nation’s lockdown measures, doesn’t this sound attractive?

Unfortunately, even though Jesus has already paid the price for us to have and enjoy an abundant lifestyle of Kingdom privileges, we have a spiritual enemy, who is determined that we should not.

So he fights. He intimidates. He lies, both about us and to us!

And when you measure the quality and effectiveness of our lives against the life of Jesus whilst he was on this earth, it would seem that Satan’s tactics are succeeding in most of our circumstances.

Dear reader, we can either remain passive, or fight back. We can either accept the status quo, or get on board with God’s programme and engage in spiritual warfare.

How do we do this?

In prayer! By standing our ground in faith. By choosing to live our lives as victorious overcomers.

So, are you praying?

Are you praying effectively?

Are you praying without ceasing (i.e. developing a consistent prayer lifestyle)?

Are you emulating Christ, or seeking to emulate an ungodly celebrity’s lifestyle?

If the former, you are ensuring a victorious future. If the latter, you are most likely heading towards a disappointing denouement.

Apoorva Gupta, a writer at the Thought Catalog, makes the following observation:

The choices you make and the decisions you take have a long lasting impact on your life. They make us special, put a bar of distinction between us and everyone else. Our lives are a series of choices we’ve made so far. We live with those choices for the rest of our lives.

[…] We can’t undo the past, but we can always learn from it. Choices are the building blocks of our lives and despite all the mistakes one makes, a new day brings with itself new opportunities and a whole new world of choices.

 

If you are interested in reading the rest of what Gupta has to say regarding how choices shape our lives, click here:

Reader – you have a choice. So, choose you this day whom you will serve, whom you will emulate!

With love,

Carol (aka Lady Cee)

Effectual, fervent prayer avails much!

Do you need a resource that encourages you to develop a consistent and confident prayer life? If so, don’t hesitate to check out the links below.

 

AMAZON UK https://amzn.to/3ciUt1q

AMAZON US https://amzn.to/3bj6gM1

 

 

Were you challenged by this post? Do share your thoughts in a comment box below and if you know anyone who could benefit from its message then please don’t hesitate to share it. Thank you.

 

Not After Sundown!

 

 

 

_________________________________________________________________________

ANGER:

The Chambers 21^st Century Dictionary gives the following definition:

a feeling of great displeasure or annoyance, usually brought on by some real or perceived injustice, injury etc.

And VINE’S Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words describes anger as: “the strongest of all passions”.

___________________________________________________________________________

I recently shared a post about Iago (a character in the Shakespearean play Othello), who became so angered when his superior did not choose him for promotion that he set about destroying this man’s marriage.

The Bible tells us that anger rests in the bosom of a fool.  Well. I certainly don’t wish to be a fool, nor do I want to be considered a fool in God’s eyes.

In fact, I don’t want anger to rest within me, to make its home in me. I don’t like the idea of me making anger comfortable in my life, allowing it free bed and board, so to speak.

I am referring to the type of anger that is corrosive. The kind that destroys either yourself as you harbour it within your heart, or motivates you to hurt others.

The Bible shares various stories which reveal how unrestrained anger can eventually escalate out of control and manifest itself into something evil. Cain killed his own brother (Genesis 4:3-8) and Haman plotted to annihilate all Jews (Esther 3:1-6).

I recognise and admit that I’ve struggled in the past to reign in my anger, so that it does not harm me, so that I do not stew in resentment or bitterness because of what people have done, or said, which has hurt me.

When I look back over my life, I can see that I failed to obey the Bible’s command to let go before sundown, any issue which arouses my anger. And, if I’m honest, I still struggle with this sundown deadline.

 

However, as I seek to be changed into Christ’s image, and as I consider more and more all that Jesus willingly suffered on my behalf, in order that I might become a member of God’s family and be conformed to the image of his Son, the greater has been my desire to deal with those areas of my life which are contrary to God’s will, contrary to his Word, contrary to my standing as a disciple, and decision to take up my cross and follow Christ.

To me, unrighteous anger is like an illegal immigrant. It needs to be discovered and deported! In fact, unchecked anger has to go, since it opens the door for the Enemy to come in and take up residence within our lives! I am sure you are familiar with that old adage about giving someone an inch and them taking a mile. We can be sure that the devil is no different.

Dear reader, are you seeking to walk in life as a victorious overcomer? Then let me encourage you today to examine your hearts. And if anger, has been a long-term bed-fellow in your heart, recognise it has the capacity to cause significant internal damage.

Jesus went to a lot of trouble and suffered immense pain, so we can be made whole, so we can lead victorious lives. Now, we can acknowledge the huge cost Jesus paid on our behalf, and avail ourselves of the abundant life he desires us to have, or we can pander to the carnal dictates of our flesh and continue to live our lives, as victims. The choice is ours!

Victim, or victor? Which will you choose?

With love,

 Carol (aka Lady Cee)

Choosing to walk as a victorious overcomer

Are you looking for a resource that will help and encourage you to develop a consistent and confident prayer life? If so, don’t hesitate to check out the links below.

 

AMAZON UK https://amzn.to/3ciUt1q

AMAZON US https://amzn.to/3bj6gM1

 

 

Did you enjoy reading this post? If so, please share your thoughts in a comment box below. Do you know someone who would benefit from its message? Then please don’t hesitate to share it. Thank you.

 

 

The Family Connection

 

 

One of my favourite comedy programmes is Everybody Loves Raymond.

There is an episode where an Italian aunt comes to stay and she makes a big difference to the dynamics of the family.

They become united, even loving, have singalongs and joyful meal times. Everyone agrees that she is the best thing to happen to them.

But then they discover that she is not their aunt after all and their Italian heritage may not even be genuine! And so, without the aunt’s good influence, they slip back into their old dysfunctional ways.

I wonder, do you recall how you felt when you first gave your life to the Lord… when you invited Jesus to come into your heart… and the difference he made with regard to the way you previously felt about, and lived your life?

A divided heart

Compare those days to your relationship with God now. As time has passed, have you lost that “loving feeling”?

In the book of Revelation, Jesus sent several messages to various churches in different regions.

In particular, I’d like to draw your attention to his message to the Laodicean church. He said:

 

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!

So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth…

…Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.

(Revelation 3:15-16, 20 NIV)

 

 

Again, in another passage of the Bible, God takes issue with his covenant family, the Children of Israel, because they’d abandoned him as their God and started adopting the practices of the heathen nations around them.

In no uncertain words, He tells them:

Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.

(Isaiah 55:6 NIV)

 

Friends and followers, may I ask you where you are at in your relationship with God?

Since around March this year, what we once perceived as normality in our individual lives, in our nations, indeed in the entire world, changed overnight. And we are still endeavouring to negotiate the new paths of uncertainty and change.

Who knew at the beginning of 2020, when we celebrated the New Year and the ushering in of a new decade that, just a few months down the line, our everyday lives would be changed beyond recognition?

Who knew that our liberties would be curtailed? Who knew that our health would be threatened, indeed many lives lost, as a result of an unknown and deadly virus, which hit us out of the blue? Who knew?

Jesus! That’s who!

Our Father God in Heaven. That’s who!

Now I believe that this pandemic is an opportunity for those of us who know the Lord, who confess to be his followers, to examine our lives and our hearts and see whether we are truly abiding in a position of faith and integrity.

It is an opportunity, to draw closer to the three members of the Godhead because they (along with the Word of God), are the only stable and unchanging aspects within a changing and troublesome world. And, if we’ve allowed our relationship with Christ to grow lukewarm, it’s also an opportunity to rectify this, before it is too late!

Now, whilst the Enemy would like to fill our hearts with fear, despair, and perhaps even resentment over lost liberties and livelihoods, as children of God, we can hold onto hope for our future and that hope (the God-type of hope), acts as an anchor for our soul (our mind, will and emotions).

 

 

Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath.

God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged.

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure…

(Hebrews 6:17-19 NIV)

 

The Laodicean church is an example of God’s people who may believe they are in the right place with God but they have somehow lost their way. The Laodicean church is often considered to be a picture of the Body of Christ during the “Last Days”, i.e. the days before Jesus is expected to return.

If this is the case, are we paying heed to Jesus’ warning? If we examine our hearts and our lives and compare them to how we used to be at the beginning of our salvation, have our hearts grown lukewarm?

Has our commitment waned? Have we allowed compromise or other priorities to creep into our lives? Have we, like the Children of Israel, adopted secular practices, entertained worldly desires and worshipped at the shrine of self-gratification?

If the Lord were to weigh us in his scales and balances today, would we come up short?

Unlike the family in Everyone Loves Raymond, if you are born-again (i.e. you’ve committed your life to Christ), there should be no question mark in your heart on whether you are a true member of God’s family.

And unlike the aunt, who turned out not to be a true relative, Jesus our brother, and God our heavenly Father, will never turn out to be of questionable origin. We can be absolutely sure that any confidence we have, based on our relationship with them, will never, ever, turn out to be unfounded.

So let me ask you, even if you were to wake up tomorrow to find the world you know has turned completely upside down, is your relationship with God such that you share the confidence of Habukkuk?

Listen to his uncompromising confession:

Though the fig-tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will be joyful in God my Saviour.

(Habakkuk 3:17-18 NIV)

 

Now whilst I am not happy that the pandemic has altered the way I live my life, such that I don’t feel at liberty to enjoy normal pursuits such as shopping, entertaining family and friends, and taking trips abroad, I recognise that there is a bigger picture here.

My future is in God’s hands. He’s not only in control of my life, he’s in control of my nation, he’s in control of the entire world, regardless of whether events seem to indicate otherwise.

And there’s an even bigger picture beyond the concerns of this present world. There’s the issue of eternity and where I, and others spend it, once our days on earth are ended.

And there’s also my responsibility to tell others about Jesus, to let them know that he alone is able to offer them peace and safety in this present unstable world, plus a glorious future in the world to come.

And it’s my responsibility through prayer, to invite God into the affairs of my nation and this world, and to pray for his will and purpose to be done.

Now, if you are a member of God’s family, then it is your responsibility too!

With love,

Carol (aka Lady Cee)

A Student in His Secret Place (Psalm 91:1)

 

Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?

Are you familiar with the good news of God’s Gospel?

If you answered “No” to both questions, but would like to know more, please click here 

 

Do you need a resource that will help and encourage you to develop a consistent and confident prayer life? If so, don’t hesitate to check out the links below.

  

 

AMAZON UK https://amzn.to/3ciUt1q

AMAZON US https://amzn.to/3bj6gM1

 

What’s your response to this post? Please share your thoughts in a comment box below. If you know anyone who would benefit from its message please don’t hesitate to share it. Thank you.

 

Respect!

 

The above CC0 image comes courtesy of Gerd Altmann at Pixabay.com

 

Q:        What is Five Minute Friday?

A:        It is a 5min free write blog event hosted by Kate Motaung. Every Thursday Kate announces a one-word prompt at 10pm EST. The link-up is open for a full week, until the following Thursday evening. For further details on how to participate click HERE. 

 

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FMF WORD PROMPT: RESPECT

Respect.

I have a lot of time, respect and admiration for those who have walked the Christian path before me successfully. People like my mother. Like Bob Gass (writer of the UCB Devotional*) and my very first pastor and Father in the faith, Archbishop Malachi Ramsay. I have great respect for those who not only talk the talk, but walk the walk!

Respect.

It is earned. Not demanded.

We give respect to one another for various reasons and under various circumstances. However, the fact that certain organisations exist, show that there is a need for people to be forced to give others respect. I refer to organisations such as Black Lives Matter, which exists solely because respect has been withheld from fellow human-beings, simply because of the colour of their skin!

As Christians, do we truly respect one another? And if we say we do, do we only show respect to those who fall within our cultural comfort zones? Do we only respect those whom we like, or are like us?

The Pharisees, Sadducees, priests and scribes did not respect Jesus. They insulted him (he casts out demons by the prince of demons), they plotted against him, and they questioned his pedigree.

[End of 5 mins]

Do you know God shows every single human being on this planet respect? He grants every one the respect to choose. To choose to acknowledge him and live a life that honours and glorifies him, or to go your own way and live your life, as you see fit.

God does not force anyone to serve him. And even when we make that commitment to follow Jesus, to acknowledge and accept God’s magnanimous gift of salvation, he does not force us to obey him. He respects the fact that he has given us a free will and he respects our decision to exercise that free will, in whatever way we choose.

Now the individuals named above (my mother, Bob Gass and Malachi Ramsay) have all passed on from this world but I have no doubt they have entered into glory. Whilst they were here on earth, they respected the gifts and callings God placed upon their lives, they respected the privilege they’d been given as Children of God, and sought to live their best lives, sought to love, encourage and influence those around them. I thank God for their lives. I thank God for their legacies.

But I cannot conclude this post without giving thanks to Jesus. If it were not for him, if it were not for the fact that he chose to despise the cross and endure the shame, if it were not for his choice to leave behind his prestigious position in heaven and come to earth, to suffer a cruel and ignominious death, then my mother, Bob Gass, Malachi Ramsay would not have had the opportunity to be reconciled to God. They would not have had the choice of serving him and blessing the Body of Christ and being an example to those who came within the sphere of their influence.

So today, I pay homage and utmost respect to Jesus, my Lord, my Saviour, my soon-coming King!

 

Son of the Most High God,

You are Heir of all things.

You are King of kings,

Lord of lords,

And the Prince of Peace.

You are Alpha and Omega,

The Beginning and the End –

The First and the Last.

Blessed and only Potentate,

You who dwells in

Unapproachable light,

Receive my humble homage today,

For to you belong all honour,

All glory, and everlasting power.

Amen.

© Carol Hind (an extract from Petitions From My Heart)

Have a blessed weekend!

With love,

Carol (aka Lady Cee)

The effectual, fervent prayer avails much!

 

Are you looking for a resource that will help and encourage you to develop a consistent and confident prayer life? If so, don’t hesitate to check out the links below.

 

AMAZON UK https://amzn.to/3ciUt1q

AMAZON US https://amzn.to/3bj6gM1

 

 

Did you enjoy reading this post? Please share your thoughts in a comment box below. Do you know someone who would benefit from its message? Then please don’t hesitate to share it. Thank you.

 

*Free postal copies of UCB Word For Today (UK and Republic of Ireland only) are available from: FREEPOST RLTX-ABUL-GRAR, United Christian Broadcasters, Westport Road, Stoke-on-Trent, ST6 4JF

For the online version visit: UCB

 

Prayer Gem 23

 

God awaits you in his throne-room!

With love,

Carol (aka Lady Cee)

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Are you looking for a resource that will help and encourage you to develop a consistent and confident prayer life? If so, don’t hesitate to check out the links below.

 

 

 

AMAZON UK https://amzn.to/3ciUt1q

AMAZON US https://amzn.to/3bj6gM1

What’s your response to this post? Please share your thoughts in a comment box below and if you know anyone you could bless with its message, don’t hesitate to share it. Thank you.

 

Clarissa’s Conversation with God

 

 

The above CC0 image comes courtesy of Pixabay.com

 

 

The following is a conversational drama piece between God and a believer who feels she is just too busy to pray.

 

DAY 1:

Anonymous Speaker:     Hey! Are you busy?

Clarissa:                                Can’t you see that I am? What do you want?

Anonymous Speaker:     I’d just like to spend some time with you!

Clarissa:                                Oh! Well sorry, I’m just too busy!

Anonymous Speaker:     Anything I can help you with?

Clarissa:                                I can manage, thank you.

Anonymous Speaker:     So what are you doing?

Clarissa:                                Well, I’m trying to make my life a success.

Anonymous Speaker:     Okay. Well I can help you with that.

Clarissa:                                Hmmm. I don’t really see how you can.

Anonymous Speaker:     Just spend some time with me.

Clarissa:                                Look, I’ve already told you, I don’t have the time (mutters under breath), or the inclination!  I’ve got places to go, people to see, a life to live, so I really can’t spare the time to talk right now.

 

SIX MONTHS LATER:

Clarissa:                                Oh God, my life’s a complete mess. Help me!

Anonymous Speaker:     What’s wrong?

Clarissa:                                Where do I begin? (starts crying)

Anonymous Speaker:     Just tell me what’s wrong.

Clarissa:                                I’ve fallen out with my best friend and my boyfriend  dumped me last week. I hate my job but I’ve a mortgage to pay and now my ex wants to move out of our flat. How on earth will I manage?

Anonymous Speaker:     And you are telling me this now because…?

Clarissa:                                Well, you’re God aren’t you? I need you to do something! I need your help. I want you to get me out of this mess. I have nobody else to turn to.

Anonymous Speaker:     Well now, let me see. Did you set up a prayer account?

Clarissa:                                What’s that?

Anonymous Speaker:     It’s a type of Investment account. You invest time into building a relationship with me, so that when situations like this occurs, you can have peace and confidence in me, instead of feeling stressed and angry, like you are now.

Clarissa:                                Sorry. I didn’t realise that. I don’t have such an account. Does that mean you can’t, or won’t help me?

Anonymous Speaker:     Of course not! But because you have not invested into a consistent prayer life, your capacity to trust me is not where it could or should be.

Clarissa:                                But I do trust you!

Anonymous Speaker:     Do you?

Clarissa:                                Y-es.

Anonymous Speaker:     You don’t seem too sure there. Will you trust me despite what your circumstances look like, and trust that I know what’s best for you, even should I not answer your prayers in the way that you’d like, or as quickly as you’d like?

Clarissa:                                I have no choice! So, will you help me or not?

Anonymous Speaker:     What do you think?

Clarissa:                                I know you can. I’m not confident though that you will.

Anonymous Speaker:     And why is that?

Clarissa:                                Because I’ve neglected you all this time. Because I’ve not been truly appreciative of your blessings. Because when my life was tickety boo, I acted as if I was self-sufficient and didn’t really need you. Because I ignored that niggling feeling in my gut, which tried to warn me that if I continued to consign you to the back burner of my life, I’ll be sorry.

Anonymous Speaker:     And are you?

Clarissa:                                Yes. I am. Truly sorry.

Anonymous Speaker:     And why else?

Clarissa:                                Pardon?

Anonymous Speaker:     Is there any other reason why you don’t feel confident that I will help you?

Clarissa:                                Only that I don’t deserve it. I’ve sinned. My ex should not have been living with me. I knew it was wrong and I knew that this was at odds with your Word and with my claim to be a Christian, yet I still went ahead and did it anyway. I compromised big time!

Anonymous Speaker:     My dear Clarissa, have you forgotten what my Word says you should do whenever you fall into sin? All you have to do is repent (i.e. be remorseful and change direction), and ask for my forgiveness.

I am willing to forgive and I am willing to cleanse you. That’s what grace means. It means I am prepared to extend my unconditional love and mercy towards you, no matter what you’ve done. You do not have to “deserve” it!

Clarissa:                                Father God, please forgive me. Cleanse me. Help me.

Anonymous Speaker:     How do you feel now?

Clarissa:                                All warm and peaceful inside. Forgiven and cleansed. Prepared to trust you. Hopeful of my future.

Anonymous Speaker:     I am so happy to hear this my child. Your investment account is now open. Keep topping it up and watch your confidence in me grow. Watch your life straighten out, as you make consistent spiritual deposits.

Clarissa:                                O Thank you Father God! You are so gracious Heavenly Father. Why on earth did I think I could live my life without your help? I recommit myself into your hands. I am re-inviting Jesus to reign and govern my life according to your purpose. And I’m asking your Holy Spirit to come alongside me and help me to live a life that glorifies you.

Anonymous Speaker:     My dear child, it will be my utmost pleasure to see you grow and develop and pursue your destiny in Christ. Meanwhile, do enjoy the benefits of your salvation and the pleasures of my kingdom.

©Carol Hind – July 2020

—–oooooo000oooooo—–

 

FOR RELEVANT ADDITIONAL READING:

A love letter from your Father (click here)

 

QUESTION:

Are you too busy to pray, to spiritually invest into your future?

With love,

Carol (aka Lady Cee)

 

If you’d like to purchase a resource that will help and encourage you to develop a consistent and confident prayer life, don’t hesitate to check out the links below.

 

AMAZON UK https://amzn.to/3ciUt1q

AMAZON US https://amzn.to/3bj6gM1

 

Did you enjoy reading this post? If so, please share your thoughts in a comment box below. Do you know someone who would benefit from its message? Then please don’t hesitate to share it. Thank you.

 

‘Petitions From My Heart’: Little Book, Big Message

Hi folks,
Thought I’d share this blogger’s post today, since she has kindly written a review of my book. Do please visit and support her with your ‘likes’ and/or comment.

Pages & Paws

Petitions From My Heart : A Scriptural Guide for Effective Prayers (WOW! Publications, June 2019)

By Carol E. Hind

Petitions From My Heartis a little gem of a book for serious Christian intercessors.

Indeed, if you’re looking for a few “quickie” prayer ideas to zip through on the run or a “shotgun approach” to praying, this isn’t it. PFMH is for serious prayer warriors who are committed to “raising the roof” from their knees.

View original post 321 more words

Are You Prepared for Life?

 

The above CC0 image comes courtesy of Pexels.com

 

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if there was such a thing as a School of Good Habits, or if during our school days, Positive Habits Mastery had been on the curriculum?

I think many of us would fare a lot better in life, if we’d been taught how to adopt and maintain positive habits. Because when you think of it, a lot of what undermines us in life, is of course, bad habits!

If we always fail to get out of bed when the alarm clock goes off, it is a bad habit. When we always turn up late for appointments, it is a bad habit. When our default position is to think the worse, it is a bad habit. When we put off until tomorrow or next week, what we could, or should do today, it is bad habit.

Prayer and intercession are positive spiritual habits that we should maintain, yet many of us struggle with this, and not praying, or praying only in crisis situations, has become a bad habit.

The Bible tells us that we are not above our master but that it would be perfectly acceptable to be as our master (Luke 6:40).

Well guess what? Jesus (our Lord and Master), had a consistent prayer habit. The gospel of Luke tells us in several places that He often got up before dawn, to pray. Now, don’t get me wrong – I’m not advocating that we do likewise!

I’m saying that if prayer (and I mean meaningful prayer – not the “bless me and my pet” kind from our childhood days), is not a regular habit of ours, then we should be looking at trying to change that.

Why?

Well, I have heard it said that prayer is to our spiritual life, what oxygen is to the natural life. What would happen if you suffered a lack of oxygen for too long?

Now imagine what your spiritual being looks like to God. Imagine what it might feel like to you, if you were to see your prayer life (or lack of it), in those terms!

There are some bad habits which whilst not good, you can still muddle along through life without coming to harm. But there are definitely other habits which could end up becoming life-threatening.

For instance, if you were to smoke 60 cigarettes per day, what is the likely outcome?

If you were to live on a diet of Coco Cola, cheesecake and chocolates only, how healthy do you think you’ll be, a few years down the line?

In the same way, a consistent, quality prayer life (or lack thereof), has future consequences. Those consequences will affect your relationship with God, your confidence regarding the effectiveness of your prayers, even your attitude towards and progress in life. And when a crisis hits, will you have the spiritual stamina to cope?

Friends and followers, if Jesus, the Son of God, felt it necessary to maintain a prayer habit, who are we to not do so?

Sorry to be blunt, but only pride, ignorance or deception would make a believer think that they don’t need to.

May I offer you some advice? If you do not already have a consistent prayer habit, please do something about it.

Not tomorrow. Not next month or next year. Do something about it today!

With love,

Carol (aka Lady Cee)

A Student in His Secret Place (Psalm 91:1)

Do you need a resource that will help and encourage you to develop a consistent and confident prayer life?

Petitions From My Heart is an ideal resource for the believer, no matter what stage you are at in your Christian walk, and no matter what your prayer ability, so don’t hesitate to check out the links below.

 

 

AMAZON UK https://amzn.to/3ciUt1q

AMAZON US https://amzn.to/3bj6gM1

Did you find this post encouraging? If so, please share your thoughts in a comment box below. Do you know someone who could benefit from its message? Then please don’t hesitate to share it. Thank you.

 

A Heart Full of Praise & Thanksgiving

 

 

Oh, that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

Psalm 107:8 (KJV)

 

I am giving God’s thanks today.

Nothing unusual in that because I am always grateful to my Father God for his loving kindness and tender mercies. But today I am giving him special thanks because it is one year since I achieved my long, long, long-standing dream and published my book.

Whoo hoo!

And I am taking this opportunity to also thank God for something else.

You see, I like to read the entire Bible once a year, and each year I try out a different version. I have so far read the entire Bible in the New Kings James, The Amplified Bible, The Living Bible and The Message. This year I am reading from the New Schofield Reference Edition of the King James’ or Authorised version.

Many of us are mega-blessed to have access to so many different versions of the Bible, and we are especially spoiled, to be able to have so many Christian resources at our fingertips, which aid us in our understanding of God’s Word.

I can remember years ago, hearing about church communities in foreign lands that only had one Bible between them to share with an entire congregation of members.

Can you imagine having to cope with that?

And what about those persecuted Christians who are shut away in a dank dark cell with only portions of the Word of God (which they’ve hopefully memorised), to keep them company?

Recently, during my quiet time I was reading Psalm 107 and was struck by the writer’s lament about the forgetfulness of his people and their ingratitude towards God for his goodness.

It has prompted me to write a thanksgiving post today, so below, I share an extract from my book, Petitions From My Heart, expressing thanks to God for the availability of his Word.

I hope it provides you with food for thought and also inspires thankfulness in your own heart.

—–oooooo000oooooo—–

 

THE HOLY BIBLE

Heavenly Father, I want to thank you for the freedom enjoyed in this nation that allows me to serve and worship you without fear of punitive measures. Thank you for the unrestricted access I have to the Scriptures and other biblical resources.

Lord God I want to thank you for preserving your Word throughout the ages. Thank you for those such as John Wycliffe who translated the Bible into English and William Tyndale, who lost his life making your Word accessible to ordinary people.

Thank you for the many writers, editors and publishers who have used their knowledge, time and effort to compose the various versions available and I also thank you for those who use their language skills to translate your Word.

Finally Lord God, I thank you for the Bible’s ability to cleanse, comfort and encourage me . . . for its ability to instruct and strengthen. May your Word continue to minister grace, healing, hope and peace to your redeemed people and to a broken world.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

©Carol Hind

—–oooooo000oooooo—–

Have a wonderful weekend!

With love,

Carol (aka Lady Cee)

A Student in His Secret Place (Psalm 91:1)

Need a resource to develop a confident prayer life? Check out my book at:

 

UK https://amzn.to/3ciUt1q

US https://amzn.to/3bj6gM1

 

Did you enjoy reading this post? If so, please share your thoughts in a comment box below. Do you know someone who would benefit from its message? Then please don’t hesitate to share it. Thank you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EAT. PRAY. LOVE.

 

The above CC0 image comes courtesy of Pixabay.com

No.

I am not writing a review on Elizabeth Gilbert’s memoir of the same title. I enjoyed reading it however, it also left me feeling quite sad.

Sad that this woman appeared to have had an amazing encounter with our Father-God but then went off on a tangent and chose to seek out and explore a relationship with other gods. Sad because she came so close to experiencing the real thing, then ended up so far away.

I realise there are others who would not agree with me. Julia Roberts for one, since she apparently raved about this book, but how I wish the author had realised that the God who’d met with her on her bathroom floor when her life fell to pieces, is the only true and living God!

As I was saying, I am not writing a review about this book. I am simply borrowing the title to speak to you dear friends, about the importance of pursuing an ongoing, authentic relationship with God.

EAT

The Scribes and Pharisees knew all about God, or so they thought. Their knowledge was head knowledge. Religious. Theologically based.

Jesus scorned their type of so-called relationship with his Father-God. They dissected the scriptures instead of dining on and delighting in them. Rather than consuming the Word to feed their souls, to provide nutritional value to their spiritual life, they searched the scriptures to feed their ego, to fatten their self-esteem.

Jesus warned us not to be like them. He declared that he is the Bread of life. Are you feeding on God’s Word and allowing Him to satisfy your needs? Whether your need is to be loved, to feel secure, or have significance, that need can only be truly satisfied when you turn your life over to Christ and allow God’s Word to direct your path.

PRAY

Unfortunately we see examples in the Word of God where the religious folk of Jesus’ day fell down in this area as well. They used prayer as a means of comparing themselves to others, whom they felt were beneath them. They saw prayer not so much as humbling themselves in the presence of an Almighty God but as a way of exalting themselves in their own estimation and showing contempt for those they felt didn’t measure up to their standards.

How do you see prayer?

• As a wish list to bring to your Heavenly Father Christmas?
• As a chore?
• As something done only by those specially called?

Prayer is to the spiritual life what oxygen is to the natural life. So if regular prayer is not a feature of your Christian lifestyle, guess what? You are putting yourself in the same category as those prison inmates who walk towards their execution – spiritually speaking, you are akin to a “dead man walking!”

If this is you, perhaps you need to change your perspective regarding this spiritual discipline and begin practising it with diligence. See prayer as an indispensable, life-enhancing habit. You’ll be amazed at the difference it makes to the quality of your life.

LOVE

The Pharisees, Scribes and Sadducees did not seem to love very well. However, to be fair, when you look at the attitudes and behaviour of some contemporary Christians, perhaps they were no different to some modern-day church members.

What a stark difference between the uncharitable ways of the Sadducees, Scribes and Pharisees, as they interacted with synagogue-goers, and the caring, generous-hearted members of the house churches in Acts!

Our Heavenly Father’s standard of love (agape love), as elaborated in 1 Corinthians 13, is a high standard indeed. Yet this is the standard that God demands of us as followers of Christ.

When you consider that God so LOVED the world that he gave his only Son to die for it and redeem it, when you consider that Christ laid down his life willingly as an act of love, when you consider what we have escaped as a result of that love, the standard God demands seems reasonable.

And yet we can struggle to accept God’s unconditional love, and we often balk at, even sometimes outright refuse to exemplify that love to others, particularly if we feel they don’t deserve it.

EAT. PRAY. LOVE.

Spiritual food for thought indeed!

Have a blessed weekend.

With love,

Carol (aka Lady Cee)

 

Are you looking for a resource that will help and encourage you to develop a consistent and confident prayer life? If so, don’t hesitate to check out the links below.

 

AMAZON UK https://amzn.to/3ciUt1q

AMAZON US https://amzn.to/3bj6gM1

 

Did you enjoy reading this post? Please share your thoughts in a comment box below. Do you know someone who would benefit from its message? Then please don’t hesitate to share it. Thank you.

 

 

 

When Words Fail — BeautyBeyondBones

I don’t know about you, but one of the things that often stands in my way of praying, is that I don’t really know how. I don’t know the right things to say – I don’t feel quite worthy to “ask” for things. And sometimes it’s like — well it’s been so long, I’d probably…

via When Words Fail — BeautyBeyondBones

What’s Your Game Plan?

 

The above CC0 image comes courtesy of Pixabay.com

 

There’s a TV programme I love to watch every now and again. It’s called Come Dine With Me! For those of you unfamiliar with this show, let me explain what it’s all about.

Either a chosen set of individuals, or a few couples, come together for an entire week to compete for a prize of £1000. The idea is for each individual or each couple, to throw a dinner party for the other participants. Afterwards, guests mark each individual or couple, according to how well they performed.

Participants vary in the criteria used to mark fellow competitors. Some base their marks solely on the quality of the meal. Others take into consideration the full experience of the evening (food, ambience, attentiveness of host, and the entertainment).

The majority of competitors are honest and mark according to their perceived experience. Others seem to have a game plan. In other words, no matter how well their fellow competitors have done, they will find a reason to offer a low mark, in a bid to ensure that they come out on top. Usually their strategy works. At other times however, it backfires!

When I first considered my idea for today’s post, the phrase “game plan” came to mind.

What is a game plan?

It’s a pre-determined strategy to win.

So, bearing this in mind, let me ask you dear friend in Christ, when it comes to winning in life, do you have a spiritual game plan?

Let me first explain that by “winning in life” I do not mean trampling on others, or undermining others or mispresenting others, in order to emerge as top dog. Nor do I mean ruthlessly removing other competitors from the game, in order to climb that career ladder or reach your pinnacle of success.

I mean emerging as a victor, regardless of what life throws at you and doing so with integrity.

Now anyone who’s been around for any length of time, will be aware that life is never straightforward. In fact, it can be downright difficult! Things we expect to happen, situations we strive to secure, or ideal scenarios we desire and seek after, often do not happen, or else does not materialise in the way anticipated.

Yet even though we are aware of this, even though we know that as we proceed through life, we can expect challenges or obstacles, we often find ourselves unprepared. We end up riding the circuit of disappointment, discouragement and despair.

Now in our normal every-day-life, we try to prepare for expected events. We check the weather forecast and dress appropriately. Because we’re aware that balanced nutritional meals aid growth and repair of our bodies and minimises our risk to disease, we try to eat sensibly. And because we know which jobs attract a higher salary or enables us to serve others, if opportunity affords, we study and choose our jobs/careers accordingly.

As Christians, we know (or should know) that we have an Enemy.

Well, guess what enemies do.

They oppose us! They seek to undermine us. They do their utmost to discourage us.

Given this reality, are we putting the same kind of forethought and planning into the success of our spiritual progress, as we do with our secular lives? Do we have a game plan for dealing with the Enemy of our soul? Are we spiritually prepared to deal with the setbacks in life when they occur?

Thankfully, we have someone on our side, who is able to cause all things (the good, the bad and the ugly challenges of life), to work together for our benefit and good. But the three members of the Godhead (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), will not barge into our lives uninvited. Jesus himself tells us that he stands at the door of our hearts and knocks.

Women of Warfare friends and followers, prayer should be our game plan. Prayer should be the practical expression of our forethought and considered plan, to emerge from any contrary circumstance, as victorious overcomers. Prayer opens the door to the three members of the Godhead, so they can work their magic in our lives.

So, have you opened the door?

If you are currently walking that treadmill of disappointment, discouragement and defeat, may I offer you some encouragement today?

Don’t allow people, or circumstances, or negative thinking to make you a hopeless victim. Choose to be a faith-filled victor.

Decide. Plan. Then pray.

Live your life as a victorious overcomer!

With much love,

Carol (aka Lady Cee)

Would you like to purchase a resource that could help you prepare for life’s challenges and which enables you to develop a consistent and confident prayer life? If so, don’t hesitate to check out the links below.

  

AMAZON UK – Print: click here; E-book: click here

AMAZON US – Print: click here; E-book: click here

 

Did you find this post helpful? I’d love to hear your thoughts in a comment box below.

Is there someone you know who could benefit from its message? Then please don’t hesitate to share it. Thank you.

 

 

How to Move from Victim to Victor (Part 2)

 The above CC0 image comes courtesy of Pixabay.com

 

Hello dear readers,

Yesterday, I shared a somewhat different style of post and hope you found it useful, even inspirational.

For anyone who missed Part 1, you can access it here.

Now, if you’ve read my About page, you will be aware that my heart’s desire is to reach out to hurting individuals, especially wounded women. Women wounded by abuse, malicious gossip, rejection, or any other kind of mistreatment. Women who because of their negative life experiences (which have led to negative emotional responses), find themselves within a vicious cycle of perpetual victimhood.

Having been one such woman, I want to see other females who’ve been emotionally wounded (particularly Christian women), freed from Satan’s lies and deception. I want to see such women rise up in God’s strength and power and take back the ground they have lost.

And I want to see these women, having turned around their lives, having ditched their victim mentality, look towards inspiring others… motivating others… and supporting their wounded sisters in Christ. I want to see them helping broken or despondent women become victorious overcomers, enabling them to reign over their circumstances, enforce Christ’s victory in their lives and in the lives of their loved ones.

Yesterday, we looked at a strategy for transforming negative mind-sets, through regular confession of God’s Word.

Today, I’d like to help you with looking at a few God-empowering scriptures, in order to kick-start your new way of thinking and being.

May I encourage you to write out at least one or two of the following scriptures on postcards and carry them around with you? Memorise them, even personalise them. And every chance you get, review them.

Choose one or two of the following, which resonates with you and start to read them aloud to yourself every day, even 2-3 times per day if possible. Of course you may have your own favourite scriptures, which you can use instead.

• Ephesians 2:10
• Psalm 139:14
• Philippians 1:6
• 2 Timothy 1:7
• Isaiah 41:10

In order to show you how to personalise your chosen scriptures, here’s an example of what I did when I undertook this process, using Isaiah 41:10.

I thank you Father God for your Word which says I should not fear because you are with me. I need not be dismayed because you are my God. I thank you for your promise to strengthen me and help me. And I thank you for upholding me with your righteous right hand.

 Or you can personalise this verse another way:

Carol, [substitute with your name] God’s Word says you should not fear because He is with you. He says you need not be dismayed because He is your God. In fact, Carol, God has promised to strengthen and help you and to uphold you with His righteous right hand.

Well, that’s it! So simple, yet highly effective.

Before I close, allow me to bless you with the following prayer:

For whomever this applies 

I commit you and any circumstance you may be currently battling with, into our Father God’s loving hands.

I ask that He enlighten the eyes of your understanding so that you see yourself as He sees you, so that you might know that He has equipped and enabled you with every required resource, to be able to walk as a victorious over-comer.

May God’s good and perfect will be done both within and through your life. May He manifest His miraculous power within your circumstances. May He strengthen you daily, in your inner being. And may He astound and delight you by doing exceedingly abundantly above anything you could possibly ask for, or dream about.

I ask this in faith and in the mighty, matchless name of Jesus. Amen.

 

—–oooooo000oooooo—–

 

Women of Warfare followers and visitors, have a wonderfully blessed and victorious week!

 With love,

Carol (aka Lady Cee)

 

Are you looking for a resource that will help and encourage you to develop a consistent and confident prayer life?

Petitions From My Heart is just such a resource. You may purchase a copy by right-clicking one of the links below.

 

 

 

AMAZON UK – Print: click here; E-book: click here

AMAZON US – Print: click here; E-book: click here

 

I hope you found this post useful. Please share your response in a comment box below.

Do you know someone who would benefit from its message? Then please be so kind as to share it. Thank you.

 

How to Move from Victim to Victor (Part 1)

 

The above CC0 image comes courtesy of Gerd Altmann at Pixabay.com

 

Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’s definition of your life; define yourself.

Harvey Fierstein

 

Dear friend and follower,

Did you know that regular confession of God’s Word yields desired results – abundant blessings, favour, guidance, protection, success, VICTORY?

This is why Jesus died – to destroy the works of the devil, so we may enjoy a God-glorifying and victorious life. (Luke 1:78-79)

Now, you need to be warned that regular negative confession will also work in reverse. If (for example), you keep saying: I’m such a loser! My life is such a mess! – guess what? You will have exactly what you consistently say. What you confess is what you’ll possess!

So what makes the difference?

Personal choice! You can choose to confess God’s Word, or choose to confess your negative experiences and feelings.

Do your circumstances make you feel like a victim?

Believe me, I know from personal experience that nobody wants to feel that they are a victim and not many would wish to even admit that they are one.

Perhaps we should look at what exactly defines a victim.

Dictionary.com gives the following definitions:

a person who suffers from a destructive or injurious action or agency:

(as in a victim of an automobile accident)

OR

a person who is deceived or cheated, as by his or her own emotions or ignorance, by the dishonesty of others, or by some impersonal agency:

(e.g. a victim of misplaced confidence; the victim of a swindler; a victim of an optical illusion).

 There are 2 further definitions but for the purposes of this post, I’m interested only in the two given above.

So, now we’ve established what defines a victim, where do you stand?

Are you a victim?

Are you tired of being, or feeling like a victim?

Are you wondering how you can change the status quo?

Did you answer: Yes! Yes! And yes!?

Well dear friend(s) God wants the same thing for you.

If you are earnestly seeking to change your status from perpetual victim to triumphant victor, to victorious over-comer, then I’ve good news for you. There’s a fool-proof strategy. Here’s how!

 

It’s Not a Magic Formula!

Now, I’m happy to share some keys with you but please don’t expect a magic formula!

Don’t expect your position to change overnight. You will have to be determined and you will have to work at it.

Okay I’m in – what do I need to do?

First off, you need to start with the Word of God.

You need to read it, believe it and speak it! And it is the constant speaking, the regular act of confessing God’s Word in faith, which will change your life, change your behaviour and change your perspective, thus changing your status from victim to victor, from underdog to over-comer.

Remember, as the saying goes: “those who say they can’t and those who say they can, are both right!” Or to put it another way: “what you confess is what you’ll possess!”

Not keen on quotes? Or do you prefer to have a scripture to support this claim?

No problem! I do have a supporting scripture for you:

But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach):

 That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

(Romans 10:8-10 NKJV)

 

You may well be accustomed to hearing this portion of scripture used in the context of soul-winning and therefore directed at unbelievers. If so, perhaps you are now feeling confused.

 Don’t be!

Yes, this is a scripture shared with unbelievers, in order to bring them to Christ but remember dear friend that God’s Word is multi-faceted. To relegate these verses as useful for soul-winning purposes only, is to make a grave mistake.

So how else should I see it?

As a living, active and powerful seed capable of changing the lives of those towards whom it has been directed, whether Christian or non-Christian.

I believe this passage of scripture represents the secret to walking as a victorious overcomer and enjoying the benefits of salvation as God’s rightful heir. I believe that if you do as it says, eventually your undesirable circumstances will change.

Let me explain.

 

Change Your Default Setting!

Firstly, you will note that you are being asked to confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus. If we are taking this passage out of the soul-winning context, what does this mean?

It means you are to confess or speak the Word of God regularly.

In John 1:1 it talks about the Word. From this verse’s context we know that the Word being spoken about here is a person. As you read on to verse 11, we learn that this Word became flesh. We realise that the Word being spoken of here is none other than Jesus. To confess the Lord Jesus therefore, is to confess (speak in agreement with) God’s Word.

Want an example of how this works? Okay then!

Say something happens which leaves you feeling a victim. You begin to meditate on what happened and how you feel. Perhaps you have a catalogue of other occurrences which you now dredge up. You start speaking about what has happened to upset you. To others. To yourself.

And the more you dwell on it, or talk about it, the more upset you get and the worse you feel.

STOP!

Change your strategy. Have a scripture verse or various verses that you can recall and reflect upon and speak to yourself (preferably out loud).

For instance, instead of thinking, believing and saying that you are a victim, a nonentity or whatever description, you, others, or the devil decides to tag you with, say what God says about you or your situation, regardless of how you may currently feel.

Every single time that negative thought or memory comes to mind or heart, slap it down with the Word of God.

As you continue to do this, God’s Word then becomes the truth that you confess (speak) and believe in your heart. The more you do this, the more the old negative thought and belief is displaced, until suddenly, the new confession, the new belief system has taken root, and next time a similar situation presents itself to you, your new positive response becomes automatic, rather than laboured or contrived.

Let’s look again at the scripture passage above. See the words I’ve underlined?

Verse 8: mouth then heart (i.e. confess/believe).

Verse 9: mouth then heart (i.e. confess/believe).

Verse 10: heart then mouth (i.e. believe/confess).

This implies (and I know it’s true because I’ve proven it in my own life), that if you speak the Word of God often enough—to yourself and over your circumstances—you will move from merely parroting the scriptures and desperately wanting to believe, to a position of confidently and consistently confessing biblical truth.

You will now be confessing (speaking) something that bears witness with your spirit, something that you truly believe and (as we see from verse 10), because our hearts and confession have now changed (but not necessarily our circumstances), our confession of God’s Word becomes instinctive and authentic.

Try it!

God’s Word is the most powerful weapon you have and it is right there within reach. Put it in your mind and heart.

Read it. Believe it. Speak it—regularly!

In my next post Part (2), I will share some supporting scriptures which anyone with a victim mentality may use as a starting point.

With love,

Carol (aka Lady Cee)

 

Are you looking for a resource that will help and encourage you to develop a consistent and confident prayer life? If so, don’t hesitate to check out the links below.

 

AMAZON UK – Print: click here; E-book: click here

AMAZON US – Print: click here;  E-book: click here

 

 

Did you enjoy this post? Please share your thoughts in a comment box below. Do you know someone who would benefit from its message? Then please don’t hesitate to share it. Thank you.

 

A Call for Creative Carers

CC0 image comes courtesy of Pexels.com

 

I came across this 2mins video yesterday and just felt I had to share it with you all. If you’ve seen it already forgive me – maybe God wants to draw this to your attention once again.

It would be easy to make the Covid-19 virus situation turn you into a victim. Don’t! Resist the temptation to complain and/or criticise. Instead, be a part of the solution. Be an instrument of blessing.

Whether through your prayers, and/or through practical, loving action, become a burden-bearer, a joy-disperser, a victorious overcomer.

 

Women of Warfare followers and visitors, I pray you are keeping safe and well, and taking advantage of any lockdown situation you may be in, to draw closer to God.

Have a blessed week!

With love,

Carol (aka Lady Cee)

Are you looking for a resource that will help and encourage you to develop a consistent and confident prayer life? If so, don’t hesitate to check out the links below.

 

AMAZON UK – Print: click here; E-book: click here

AMAZON US – Print: click here;  E-book: click here

 

 

Did you enjoy this post? If so, please share your thoughts in a comment box below. Do you know someone who would benefit from its message? Then please don’t hesitate to share it. Thank you.

 

 

FREE EVENT – Purpose Power Summit (April 21-22)

A Purpose-driven achiever

Purpose Power Summit April 21-22, 2020

The Purpose Power Summit is designed specifically for you to embrace the purpose God birthed in you.

Over 2 days you’ll have your PASSION and PURPOSE fired up so you can accomplish your goals!

Join me and 22 other Christian leaders, authors, speakers and entrepreneurs who will be sharing actionable steps you can take to activate you into God’s divine PURPOSE for your life.

Our featured guests include an inspiring group of thought leaders, authors, ministers, authors and entrepreneurs who share their valuable insights.

You can watch the live broadcasts FREE. If you’d like unlimited access to the replays, you can purchase an All Access ticket for just $31.20 (reduced from $39).

—–oooooo000oooooo—–

Hi purpose-driven achievers,

I wanted to share the above with you all. The conference ends today but you can gain free access to video replays of past events until 24 April. To…

View original post 74 more words

Are You Sleeping?

 

The above CC0 image comes courtesy of Pixabay.com

 

 

Then they came to a place which was named Gethsemane; and He said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.”

And He took Peter, James, and John with Him and He began to be troubled and deeply distressed.

Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch.”

He went a little farther, and fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him.

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.”

Then He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “Simon, are you sleeping? Could you not watch one hour?”

“Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Again He went away and prayed, and spoke the same words.

And when He returned, He found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy; and they did not know what to answer Him.

Then He came the third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? It is enough! The hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.

(Mark 14:32-41 NKJV)

The above scripture passage reveals that Christ’s disciples had been asked to watch and pray, in support of Jesus, while he battled with fear, the prospect of God’s utter abandonment and other conflicting thoughts, in the Garden of Gethsemane. Instead they fell asleep.

On reading this account, my mind turned to the present world crisis with the Corona-virus. I wondered how many of God’s people recognise the season in which we are living and are taking advantage of the enforced period of self-isolation, or lock-down and are using some of that precious time to seek God, as never before, and to pray.

Because my dear friends, there has never been a richer opportunity for us as children of God, to spend quality time in fellowship with our Heavenly Father and in prayer. Unexpected yes! But opportune nonetheless!

Those measures where people are being forced to isolate, forced to take time off work, or work from home, represent unprecedented opportunities for each of us who are alive and well, to appeal to God for his merciful intervention.

My dear friend, if you have not grasped this, then you are asleep spiritually. So my question to you is this:

Why are you sleeping?

Is it because of, slothfulness, selfishness or sorrow?

Your nation needs you! So wake up from your spiritual slumber party and pray! [tweet this]

Sorrow

Perhaps you are sorrowing over the way your life has suddenly changed with the event of the coronavirus pandemic. Perhaps you are disappointed that your plans have gone kaput – just like that!

The disciples had just been told that their world was to be turned upside down. They’d been told that their beloved master and friend was about to be killed. Worse still, that one of them, was going to betray him. The disciples were sleeping for sorrow because their plans, their hopes, their dreams were about to be upturned… because they didn’t know what to do, or what to say.

Are you sleeping for sorrow?

Selfishness

But perhaps you are sleeping spiritually because you are too self-absorbed to recognise the time, the season we are living in, or worse still, you do actually recognise this, but feel too depressed, or disappointed with, or defeated by life to do anything constructive about it. Perhaps you are thinking let others get on with it!

Then again, perhaps you could care less!

Dear reader, if you are a child of God, then responsibility for your life, your family, your nation, belongs to you. Jesus has equipped us with the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit knows God’s will, so ask him to help you, ask him to guide your prayers.

“Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”

― John F. Kennedy

The unprecedented lockdowns provide opportunities for those who are alive and well to appeal to God for his merciful intervention. [tweet this]

Slothfulness

And then again, if the truth were known, perhaps you are just plain lazy (sorry to be so blunt!).

You are used to taking the path of least resistance. You expect other people to step up to the plate and keep your world ticking over nicely, thank you!

To get out of your bed of slumber, or rise from your comfy sofa of self-indulgence, is just too much trouble. Your laissez-faire policy in life has always worked for you before now, so why behave any differently?

Why?

Because these are unprecedented times and unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures. As in the natural world, so in the spiritual world.

To all those who are asleep spiritually, God is saying to you today: Arise! Watch and pray!

 

…praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—

(Ephesians 6:18 NKJV)

 

Beloved friend or follower, if you are sleeping spiritually during this global crisis, wake up from your spiritual slumber party and pray! Your nation needs you!

With love,

Carol (aka Lady Cee)

Author of: Petitions From My Heart

 

Are you looking for a resource that will help and encourage you to develop a consistent and confident prayer life? If so, don’t hesitate to check out the links below.

 

AMAZON UK – Print: click here; E-book: click here

AMAZON US – Print: click here;  E-book: click here

 

What’s your response to my post? Please share your thoughts in a comment box below.

Do you know someone who would benefit from its message? Then please don’t hesitate to share it. Thank you.

 

 

An Easter Tribute To Love

 

The above CC0 image comes courtesy of Pexels.com

 

Today is Easter Sunday! Hallelujah!

Hallelujah! Jesus is alive. Jesus, my Saviour has been raised from the dead and now he lives for ever more. Now he is seated in heaven at the right hand of our Father. Now he ever lives to make intercession for me. And don’t I need it?!

But I don’t want to focus on my need today. I want to focus on my precious Father-God, my precious Saviour, and my precious Comforter and Counsellor, the inimitable Holy Spirit!

Thank you one and all for your presence in my life. Thank you dear Father-God for making me worthy to come into your presence and fellowship with you. And thank you Lord Jesus for all that you have done, to make it possible for me to be reconciled to God. Thank you for rescuing me from the clutches of Satan and redeeming me from the curse of the Law. Thank you for your obedience to the Father’s will, even to the point of death.

Hallelujah!

O Lord Jesus, I can never ever, ever thank you enough. I can never ever know and understand just how much you suffered and endured on my behalf. And when I think of this, I feel ashamed for the times in the past when I have been outraged, bitter and resentful, acted ugly because of the things I have suffered.

Ok, so they may have been unjust. But the difference between me and you, is that you have never ever sinned, never ever done anything wrong. You were and are perfect. If there is anyone in this entire universe who did not deserve unjust treatment, it was you. And yet you willingly took it. And took it without saying a word to those who meted out the false accusations, the insults, the mocking jibes, the physical assault and abuse. Nothing!

But I, who was born in sin and shaped in iniquity had plenty of things to say when I suffered. Forgive me!

Thank you for your wonderful and exemplary conduct. Thank you for your strength of character. Thank you for your incredible, extravagant, unconditional love. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!

I love you. I appreciate you. I commit afresh, my life into your hands today. Take my life Lord and let it be, consecrated only to thee. Take my moments and take my days and let them flow in ceaseless praise to you, and to your Father, our Father.

Thank you for all you have done. And dear precious Saviour, I thank you that after all that you’ve accomplished, all that you’ve achieved, you are not resting on your laurels. You are still working, still serving. Because now that you are alive, now that you ever live, you are making continual intercession for me. I so need it! And I am so grateful.

Thank you for being the High Priest of my confessions of faith. Thank you for your precious efficacious blood, which speaks on my behalf from the Mercy Seat in heaven. Thank you for the loving eloquence of your blood, which effectively pleads for mercy, grace and forgiveness. Oh, how much better, how much nobler does your blood speak for me, than Abel’s blood, which had spoken against Cain when it cried out for vengeance!

I love you Jesus.

And I love you Father God. It was your brilliant plan. It was your wisdom and justice tempered with mercy that ensured it was executed. It was your miraculous intervention that implanted the seed of your Word within the Virgin Mary. It was your angelic protection that shielded Jesus from King Herod’s murderous edict. It was your ‘foolishness’ that conceived the idea of that accursed and monstrous cross. It was your awesome and miraculous power that raised Jesus from the dead. Hallelujah!

And you did it all for me!

You did it for the entire world, so that whoever would believe, and whoever would accept what Christ has done for them, could indeed be saved, aye, could be rescued from eternal damnation.

Such inexplicable, indescribable, incomparable love!

Father God, Lord Jesus, Precious Holy Spirit, I bow my heart and my will in reverence before you.

Triune Godhead, you are worthy to be praised. You are worthy to be glorified. You are worthy to be honoured.

Lord Jesus, be magnified today, this Easter Sunday, as I exalt your awesome name!

—–oooooo000oooooo—–

Happy Easter!

With love,

Carol (aka Lady Cee)

Author of: Petitions From My Heart

Are you looking for a resource that will help and encourage you to develop a consistent and confident prayer life? If so, don’t hesitate to check out the links below.

AMAZON UK – Print: click here; E-book: click here

AMAZON US – Print: click here;  E-book: click here

 

 

I hope you were blessed today by reading this post. If so, please share your response in a comment box below. Do you know someone who would also enjoy and benefit from its message? Then please don’t hesitate to share it. Thank you.

 

 

An Easter Sunday Prayer

 

The above CC0 image comes courtesy of Pexels.com

 

Who can compare with you Almighty God? There is no one like you. You are awesome. You are supreme. You are omnipotent.

I join with the psalmist in saying: ‘what is man that you are mindful of him?’ Yet I am so glad that you not only loved this world and loved me but you also sent your Son to this earth to die for us, making it possible for whomsoever believes and whomsoever will, to be reconciled to you… to become intimately acquainted with and worship you.

Today, I celebrate the resurrection of your Holy Child Jesus from the dead, which bears testimony to your miraculous power.

Hallelujah!

Lord Jesus, I acknowledge you as the Alpha and Omega, The Beginning and the End, the First and the Last, the one who was dead but is now alive and lives for evermore.

Hallelujah!

Holy Spirit, thank you for your anointing that teaches me. Grant me revelation knowledge regarding the outworking of this same resurrection power that resides within me. Help me to walk with confidence in this newness of life. Enable me to walk in the authority and dynamic power of Jesus, my Saviour, my Lord and my soon-coming King. Amen.

—–oooooo000oooooo—–

The above prayer is an extract from my book, Petitions From My Heart. If you are looking for a resource that will help and encourage you to develop a consistent and confident prayer life, please don’t hesitate to check out the links below.

With love,

Carol (aka Lady Cee)

 

AMAZON UK – Print: click here; E-book: click here

AMAZON US – Print: click here;  E-book: click here

 

Did you enjoy reading this post? If so, please share your thoughts in a comment box below. Do you know someone who would benefit from its message? Then please don’t hesitate to share it. Thank you.

 

 

An Easter Petition

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I am sure it would not have escaped the notice of many of you who regularly read my posts, that I published a book of prayers last year, called Petitions From My Heart.

The prayer below is an excerpt from this book, which I share with you all, given the season of Easter.

I hope you will be blessed in your reading but I also hope this excerpt will serve as a sample of my book’s content and (if you have not already done so), will encourage you to explore its content further, even perhaps spur you towards a purchase!

Happy Easter!

 

—–oooooo000oooooo—–

 

Father God,

I thank you for sending Jesus to this earth to die for me and for every individual in the world, so that we might be redeemed from the hand of the Enemy and redeemed from the curse of the law.

Thank you for your perfectly executed plan, which not only satisfied your wrath against sin and demonstrated your mercy in providing an atonement but also outwitted the Prince of Darkness and his cohorts. Hallelujah!

Lord Jesus, you willingly relinquished your position of majestic power and prestige. Thank you for humbling yourself and assuming the limitations of human flesh in order to both identify with me and implement the will of the Father.

Triumphant Saviour, as I reflect on how you were betrayed and delivered into the hands of the Scribes and Pharisees, help me to learn from your exemplary conduct and your total commitment to the Father’s will. I thank you for your intercessory role and ministry and I pray your petitions will pave a path of humility in my life, enabling me to follow your example.

Holy Spirit, I acknowledge you as the one sent to walk alongside and assist me. Help me to walk worthy of the vocation to which I have been called. When occasion demands, bring back to my remembrance the relevant scriptures and motivate me to put my fleshly inclinations and desires to death and faithfully follow Christ. I thank you Holy Spirit for empowering me to take up my cross daily and follow Jesus, my Lord and Saviour. Amen.

With love,

Carol (aka Lady Cee)

Author of: Petitions From My Heart

 

Did you find the above post useful? Are you looking for a resource that will help and encourage you to develop a consistent and confident prayer life? If so, don’t hesitate to check out the links below.

 

AMAZON UK – Print: click here; E-book: click here

AMAZON US – Print: click here;  E-book: click here

 

I’d love to know your response to this post. Please share your thoughts in a comment box below. And if you know anyone who would benefit from a boost to their prayer life, please don’t hesitate to recommend my book and share the purchase links. Thank you.

 

 

 

F.A.Q.s

 

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Unless you have just escaped from the dark ages, I suspect you will know what is meant by FAQs. If not, please click here for an explanation.

Now, for some reason, in the early hours of the morning one day this week, the acronym floated into my mind and I began to wonder, if God had a certain set of questions that He frequently ponders and would love to ask us, as his children, as Christ’s followers, what would they be?

I came up with the following and hope they give you pause for thought.

1. Where are you?

This is the question God asked Adam and Eve after they sinned and hid from his presence.

Now, I am not accusing anyone of sinning, so please don’t get uptight and click away!

What I am wanting to know is, does God have occasion to ask you the above question – Where are you?

Is he often waiting for you to come visit and fellowship with him, yet ends up being disappointed?

To be invited to come into the Holy of Holies, into God’s very throne-room, is a wonderful privilege and an honour. Are you regularly snubbing the one who has secured a free entrance ticket for you, at a very high price (the unimaginable suffering and death of his Son)?

Could you improve on your visitation periods?

2. Where are my Elijahs?

Are you concerned about the moral and spiritual decline of this world? Yes?

Then what are you doing about it?

“Me?” you ask. “What do you expect me to do about it?”

It’s not what I expect you to do dear reader, it’s about what God expects you to do.

In 2 Chronicles 7:14 he says this:

If my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Again, in the book of James, we read that the “effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” Elijah is given as an example of someone with an effective prayer life (see James 5:16b-17).

Will you be an Elijah?

3. Can I count of you?

So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but found no one.

(Ezekiel 22:30 NKJV)

Remember Abraham? He had such a great relationship with God that the Lord felt he could not destroy Sodom & Gomorrah without telling him first. It may have been because He knew Abraham’s nephew Lot, was living there. Once Abraham became aware of God’s plan, he sought to dissuade God by asking him to preserve the nation if there were at least 10 righteous people within it.

I believe if Abraham had continued negotiating and asked God to spare this wicked nation for just one righteous individual (Lot), God would have done so.

Abraham was not only deemed to be a friend of God but he is also considered to be our forefather of faith. As his offspring, are you prepared to emulate him and stand in the gap for others, who are in need of God’s grace and mercy?

4. Are you prepared to trust me in the long haul?

The above question refers to a parable Jesus told, encouraging his followers that they should always pray and not give up. The parable is about a widow who seeks the intervention of an unjust judge. This man had no regard for God, nor did he care about the woman’s plight. However, because of her persistence, he eventually gave in and granted her the justice she sought. If you are not familiar with this story, you may read about it in Luke 18:1-8.

I wonder, when Jesus shared this parable, was he concerned that people gave up too easily? Is there a prayer request you have abandoned because God has not answered it within your required deadline?

Do you have confidence in God’s Word, or are you lacking in persistent faith?

5. Do you believe that I love you and have your best interests as a primary concern upon my heart?

I am sure you have experienced disappointments in life. In fact, I’m positive there are things which have happened to you that do not reflect the abundant or victorious lifestyle you’d expected to enjoy, as a born-again Christian.

How do you feel about these instances? Do you harbour fears that God has abandoned you, or does not care?

Listen to what he has to say to you from his Word:

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, who are the called according to his purpose.

(Roman 8:28 NKJV)

Joseph found himself in prison on a charge of rape, even though he was innocent. He would never have landed up there in the first place, if it were not for the malice of his own brothers, who sold him into slavery. And all this happened, despite God revealing to Joseph that his destiny was to be a prominent leader.

We know that all ended well, not just for Joseph but for his entire family and for his host country, Egypt, when a severe famine hit the land. This, and other similar stories in the Bible should encourage us that God is able to cause all things to work together for our good.

Do you feel forgotten? If so, ignore your feelings and trust God’s Word.

Commit your concerns into our heavenly Father’s hands. Trust Him to work out his purpose for your benefit and for the blessing of others around you.

Commit (in other words pray).

Trust.

And then rest!

With love,

Carol (aka Lady Cee)

Author of: Petitions From My Heart

AMAZON UK – Print: click here; E-book: click here

AMAZON US – Print: click here;  E-book: click here

 

 

Did you enjoy reading this post? If so, please share your thoughts in a comment box below. Do you know someone who would benefit from its message? Then please don’t hesitate to share it. Thank you.

 

 

You Are Priceless!

 

Do you know that you are God’s masterpiece?

What do you think this means for you as an individual?

Oscar Wilde, gives an appropriate response in the following quote ascribed to him:

Be yourself – everyone else is already taken!

This world is filled with people who do not appreciate their uniqueness. They do not believe they have anything worth offering to others. And there are those who are so besotted with the image of another that they seek to replicate him/her.

I am sure you’ve seen on stage or TV (if not in real life), those who earn money from being look- a-likes, or who pattern themselves on well-known celebrities, such as Marilyn Munro, Michael Jackson or Elvis Presley.

There are even people who will buy the same product used or worn by a celebrity they admire, because they somehow wish to emulate the lifestyle of whomever they deem to be cool, or successful, or hard, or whatever.

Women of Warfare followers, whom are you emulating?

A self-help book I’d read a while ago, mentioned a certain young man who’d started a new job and then began dressing and acting like his new work colleagues, even though the way they dressed and the cars they drove etc., was not a fit for his personality. In the end, he did not recognise himself!

And what about the marketing gurus, who sell idealised beauty, holidays, homes and lifestyles? Now there’s absolutely nothing wrong with following the lead of somebody you admire, or seeking to improve yourself, but to do so to the extent that you become a fake copy of someone else, rather than enjoy and express your own authenticity, is too, too sad.

It’s sad for your poor self-esteem, which has been squeezed into the mould of that person you’d much prefer to be. It’s sad for the people around you, who do not get to benefit from the unique gift you are to the world around you. And it’s mega sad for our wonderful Father-God, who took great care in designing and creating you.

Are you guilty of thinking, or feeling, or even saying that you are not good enough?

What has motivated those thoughts or feelings?

Is it peer pressure, or insecurity?

Can I tell you that the worth of anything is determined by the price someone is willing to pay for it? Well, based on that premise, guess what? You are invaluable!

Jesus gave his life for you. Jesus shed his precious, incorruptible blood for you.

…you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold… but with the precious blood of Christ… (1 Peter 1:18-19)

 

You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men (1 Corinthians 7:23)

 

So, don’t allow people (your peers, the media, even your enemies!), to dictate whom you should be, how you should behave, what you should buy etc., particularly if doing so cuts across the grain of your own authenticity.

Your uniqueness is God’s gift to you and how you express that uniqueness is your gift to those around you. [click to tweet]

Isn’t it about time you unwrapped yourself?

With love,

Carol (aka Lady Cee)

Author of: Petitions From My Heart

AMAZON UK – Print: click here; E-book: click here

AMAZON US – Print: click here;  E-book: click here

 

 

Did you enjoy reading this post? If so, please share your thoughts in a comment box below. Do you know someone who would benefit from its message? Then please don’t hesitate to share it. Thank you.

 

 

How COVID-19 Sparks My Gratitude — Journeys of a Homemaker

It is easy to become bitter, fearful, complain, stress, and simply be frustrated during this unfolding corona drama in history. I began a list of things that make me grateful for this experience. I know there are hundreds more bullets that could be added to this ongoing list, so please post your thoughts below! Our […]

via How COVID-19 Sparks My Gratitude — Journeys of a Homemaker 

I wanted to share this blogger’s positive take regarding the devastating drama currently unfolding on the world stage.

Her post reminds me of St Paul’s following words to us:

In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

(1 Thessalonians 5:18 NKJV)

Please note we are to give thanks to God in the situation, not for it!

So what point for thanksgiving would you add? Please share it in a comment box below.

Wishing you divine peace and safety,

Love Carol (aka Lady Cee)

 

Today’s Quote — Soul Gatherings

Time is a flowing river. Happy those who allow themselves to be carried, unresisting, with the current. They float through easy days. They live, unquestioning, in the moment. ~ Christopher Morley ~ ____________

via Today’s Quote — Soul Gatherings

What’s your “P” Philosophy?

 

The above CC0 image comes courtesy of Pixabay.com

 

Whenever you are feeling discouraged, disappointed or disillusioned with life, what do you do?

When life fails to go your way, or when people mistreat you, how do you habitually behave?

In that hour when emotions are high, when feelings of anger, frustration or failure reign, what will be your default position?

How we choose to behave during such times, demonstrates the level of our spiritual growth and maturity. Make no mistake, as a child of God, both Satan and the Holy Spirit will be standing by, seeking to influence your behaviour.

The voice we choose to listen to, will determine whether we emerge as perpetual victims or perceptive victors. [click to tweet]

In 1 Samuel 25:10-13, we read an account of how David was ill-treated and insulted by Nabal. David took offence and fully intended to wreak vengeance. If it were not for the quick thinking of this churlish man’s wife, David would have been guilty of killing not only Nabal but his entire unsuspecting household—including people who were innocent, who had done nothing wrong!

Anger and a desire for revenge, had clouded David’s judgment.

In comparison, Job demonstrated an admirable standard of emotional maturity. After losing all of his ten children, his considerable wealth and even his health, Job’s wife counselled him to: “Curse God and die!”

Job however, chose to adopt a mature philosophical outlook. He said:

“…Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?”

(Job 2:10 NKJV)

Unlike David, Job chose not to listen to the Enemy’s suggestion, or pander to any sense of outrage, or to feelings of self-pity. He ignored his wife’s blasphemous suggestion, chose not to sin with his lips, nor to charge God with wrong, but to worship the Lord (see Job 2:20-22).

Dear reader, of the two examples mentioned above, which are you more likely to do?

Women of Warfare follower, you can choose your spiritual development philosophy this day, this hour, this season. Will you pity-party or pray?

With love,

 

Carol (aka Lady Cee)

Author of: Petitions From My Heart

AMAZON UK – Print: click here; E-book: click here

AMAZON US – Print: click here;  E-book: click here

 

 

 

Mend What Is Broken: A Prayer for Health — The Daily Inspo

Heavenly Father, I call on you right now in a special way. It is through your power that I was created. Every breath I take, every morning I wake, and every moment of every hour, I live under your power. Father, I ask you now to touch me with that same power. For if you […]

via Mend What Is Broken: A Prayer for Health — The Daily Inspo

I came across this beautiful prayer earlier this year and had wanted to share it but completely forgot.

I think it especially relevant now, in this time of fear and uncertainty (what with the spread of the Covid-19 virus), and I hope someone out there might find it a blessing.

Wishing you God’s peace and divine protection.

Much love,

Carol (aka Lady Cee)

 

Covid-19: A Prayer for Protection

 

The above CC0 image comes courtesy of Gerd Altmann at Pixabay.com

 

The following personalised prayer and declaration is based on Psalm 91 and Luke 10:19. Please feel free to use it to pray for yourselves and your loved ones. If you do not currently have a relationship with God, or if you have been neglecting your relationship with Him, He is merciful and compassionate. All you need to do is ask his forgiveness and commit (or re-commit) your life into the safe custody of his Son, Jesus Christ.

*****       *****       *****

 

 I dwell habitually in the secret place of the Most High God. I therefore abide under the shadow of the Almighty. He is my refuge, my fortress, my God and in Him I trust.

Surely he will deliver me from unsuspected snares, plagues and pestilence (e.g. Covid-19). He will cover me with his feathers of protection and shield me with his wings of healing and deliverance. The truth of his Word will act as an impenetrable shield and sturdy buckler, deflecting any harm that comes my way.

I shall not be afraid for the terrors of the night or for arrows of affliction aimed during the day, nor for the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor for any form of destruction that might lay waste at noonday.

Even though a thousand falls at my side, or ten thousand expires at my right hand, I shall not be affected because I have made the Lord my refuge and the Most High God, my perpetual place of habitation. Therefore no evil shall befall me, no plague (e.g. the Corona-virus) shall come near my dwelling place.

My Father-God has instructed his angels to keep watch over me and protect me in my comings and goings. If danger is near, they will bear me up in their hands and deliver me from life-threatening situations.

I have authority to tread upon the lion and adder and to trample underfoot the young lion and serpent. In accordance with Christ’s decree, I have been given authority over all the power of the Enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt or destroy me.

Because I have chosen to set and seal my heart with love and devotion towards God, he will deliver me. And because I have known his name (i.e. Jehovah-Nissi – the Lord God my banner of protection), He will set me on high, out of harm’s reach.

Whenever I call upon my Father-God in times of trouble, he will answer me. He will be with me, deliver me and honour me. And He will satisfy me with a long life, a God-quality brand of life and he will shower me with the benefits and blessings of his salvation. Amen!

Wishing God’s prevailing peace and protection for you and your loved ones.

With love,

Carol (aka Lady Cee)

Author of: Petitions From My Heart

AMAZON UK – Print: click here; E-book: click here

AMAZON US – Print: click here;  E-book: click here

 

 

 

A God Who Sees You

 

 

I was listening to a man of God some time ago, when I heard him say:

Children will be what they see!

Now, as a child of God, as a Woman of Warfare follower, let me ask you, what do you see?

If you didn’t have good role models for parents you now have a heavenly father, so are you looking at him?

Are you seeing him?

Where are your eyes focussed?

Do you see a God who loves you so much that He sent his Son to die for you, in order to prove the depth of his love, in order to demonstrate his commitment to you?

 

Some folks see an angry God, or an unfair God, who plays favourites, or a God who’s written them off for past sins and failings, or a God who perhaps does not even notice them, let alone answer their prayers.

If you see such a God, then I can imagine it would be very hard to try and approach him, to ask his help, or even just hang out with him simply because you love and respect him. It would be hard because you do not really know Him, do not appreciate who He really is.

Hagar, was just such a woman. In Genesis 16:4-13, we read how after she began to act above her station, openly despising her barren mistress Sarai, upon reaping retribution as a result, she ran away.

Did Hagar bring this situation upon herself? Yes!

Did she deserve the punishment she received for acting so hoity-toity? Perhaps!

She was pregnant. Her master and mistress were Hagar’s only means of support and yet she ran away to a place where she had no idea how she’d survive.

Did God ignore her for being prideful and foolish? No!

In fact we read that he sought her out, spoke kindly to her, gave her a comforting and prophetic word with regard to the child she carried in her womb, then sent her back to the home from which she had just fled.

During the course of his conversation with Hagar we read: …the Lord has heard your affliction (Genesis 16:11 NKJ). I believe this was a response to Hagar’s cries of desperation and despair.

The story ends on a positive note because whether or not Hagar had a relationship with the God of her former owners before this incident, she recognised who was now addressing her personally—she saw a God who spoke directly into her situation and who was concerned about her welfare. She came away from this encounter saying in effect: “You are the God who sees” and “I have seen Him who sees me!” (verse 13)

Isn’t that a wonderful illustration of how God sees us, cares about us and desires to relate to us?

Friend and follower, let me ask you again – in terms of your relationship with God, what do you see?

If you shun God’s company because you think he is angry with you, or because you feel you have blotted your copy book, or if you are reluctant to approach a God who seems distant, harsh and uncaring, let me encourage you to think again. Those lies, those false accusations come from the Enemy. Don’t continue to listen.

If God seems distant, then let me encourage you to draw closer to him today. He promises that if you draw near to him, then he will draw closer to you.

And if you don’t know how to draw closer to him, then ask him to show you. Ask Him to draw you nearer to himself with his gentle cords of love (Hosea 11:4). I guarantee you that he will!

With love,

Carol (aka Lady Cee)

Author of: Petitions From My Heart

AMAZON UK – Print: click here; E-book: click here

AMAZON US – Print: click here;  E-book: click here

 

 

How do you see God? As a distant, mystical being who’s out of touch with the real world? As a spiritual Father Christmas to whom you send a list of your needs? As an unreasonable task master? Please share your thoughts in a comment box below. I’d love to hear from you.