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!

—–oooooo000oooooo—–

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.

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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!

—–oooooo000oooooo—–

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

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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

Come Join Me on the Pathway of Praise

Carol’s Praise, Prayer & Worship Invitation

PRAISE, PRAYER & WORSHIP WEDNESDAY

Without doubt, we are living in difficult times. Governments come and go. Economic systems are proving unsustainable. The cost of living is such that some people are facing the difficult choice of whether to eat or heat their homes.

After the unexpected disruption of our lives by Covid 19 and the global pandemic, we were perhaps looking forward to some semblance of normality. Alas! For many people this is not to be.

The good news, however, is this: wherever we happen to live in the world and whatever challenges we face, God remains the same. He is an unchanging God. He is a covenant-keeping God. It would be natural to look around us and despair but as people of God, we are asked to put our trust in the One who knows the end from the beginning.

Dear reader, will you accompany me today on the pathway of praise?

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Praise

I will love you O Lord with all my heart

I will worship you my God, in Spirit and in truth

I will draw closer to you my Lord and Saviour

I will celebrate your goodness, steadfast love and unfailing mercies

For you are worthy of all glory, honour and praise.

Therefore by Him [Jesus] let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His Name.

(Hebrews 13:15 NKJV)

Prayer

Father God, your Word says we should not be anxious about anything but through prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, make our requests known to you. Your Word also states we should not be concerned about our material needs for you are aware of these.

Heavenly Father, the psalmist David declared he had never seen the righteous forsaken, nor their descendants begging for bread and the Apostle Paul said that you would supply all our needs. We therefore hold onto your Word and stand upon your promises during these difficult times.

Gracious God, remember our obedience in giving tithes and offerings for the purposes of ministry and for the poor. We ask that you demonstrate your ability and willingness to bless us and thank you in anticipation of your generous provision. Jehovah Jireh, we declare that you are our source of supply.

We believe that just as you provide for the birds of the air, so you will also meet our material needs for we are your children, and we are of more value to you than a sparrow. You said we should ask, and you promised our request would be granted.

Bountiful God, we thank you in advance for your timely provision. Thank you for your faithfulness, Father God, and thank you for this opportunity to exercise our confidence in you as our provider. Amen.

© Carol Hind (Adapted from: Petitions From My Heart)

When you’re ruled by circumstances and emotions you live on a rollercoaster. But if you look to the Lord of your circumstances and praise Him, you move from weakness to strength. (UCB Word For Today – written by Bob and Debbie Gass)

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*UCB Word For Today – For the current online version of this devotional please click here:

Worship

Wishing you all a peaceful and victorious week.

With love,

Carol – Author, Blogger and Prayer Advocate

Thank you for taking the time to visit today. Would you be so kind as to share your response to this post in a comment box below? And if you know anyone who would benefit from its message, please don’t hesitate to share it. Many thanks!

RESOURCES:

Do you long to draw closer to God and develop a consistent and confident prayer life? Then please don’t hesitate to check out the links below.

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Putting Away Childish Ways – A Commitment to Change

Commitment is an act, not a word (Jean-Paul Sartre)

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Praise

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

James 1:17 (KJV)

How Can I Not Praise Him?

Jesus, the Son of God, is the Heavenly Father’s wonderful gift to the world. And salvation, i.e. ultimate deliverance from eternal death (which is permanent separation from God), plus access to God’s spiritual resources such as peace, healing and deliverance, are just some examples of God’s goodness and generosity.

Today, I found occasion to be truly thankful to my Father God for his unchanging nature. Regretfully, I cannot claim to be the same, even though God expects me to imitate him. I can be up and down in my responses to him and today, as the Holy Spirit convicted me, I just had to repent.

A Confession!

You see, every now and then I find myself having a bad attitude towards God. Let me explain. Because I had not seen spectacular results from my significant seasons of devotional activities, I felt aggrieved. I had certain expectations and when these were not satisfied, I foolishly adopted the stance of the Children of Israel in Malachi 3:13 and allowed the Enemy to suggest God was holding out on me, so what was the point of continuing with certain spiritual disciplines, such as fasting.

The Holy Spirit used two scriptures to gently reprove me.

The first reminded me that I need to be patient and consistent:

Who [God] will render to each one according to his deeds:

Eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality (emphasis mine).

(Romans 2:6-7 NKJV)

God Owes Me Nothing!

God sent his Son to die for me and Jesus sacrificed his sinless life for me, so that I can have a relationship with God… so I can be redeemed from the evil influence of Satan and from the curse of being unable to fulfil the requirements of God’s Law to the letter. As a result, when I die, I will not spend eternity in hell, a place originally designed for the devil and his cohorts.

So, anything God does for me over and above his provision of eternal life, is a wonderful bonus.  I don’t want to adopt the wrong attitudes of this world, where people feel that their expectations of life are their absolute rights. Particularly as Jesus had given up his rights, in order to come to earth, identify with, and die for me.

Commitment is the little choices every day that lead to the final results we’re striving for. (Anonymous)

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The second scripture the Holy Spirit used to convict me, is as follows:

When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

(1 Corinthians 13:11 KJV)

A Christian behaving badly?

I believe many of my readers will be familiar with the scenario of a child screaming and throwing a tantrum in the supermarket, because he or she could not have what they desired (usually sweets).

My behaviour towards God is the equivalent. Because things had not happened the way I expected them to happen and within the timeframe I wanted, I was prepared to throw my spiritual toys out of the pram. I was behaving like a spoilt child!

In the above quote, the apostle Paul reminds us that as Children of God, we are expected to grow up, to put away childish thinking and behaviour.

Today, I am giving God extra special thanks and praise because despite my unjustified thoughts and accusations towards Him, despite my childish behaviour, He remains the same towards me—ever loving, ever forgiving, and ever merciful.

Thank you Father God!

Prayer

Heavenly Father,

What an awesome God you are!

I am so grateful that you never change. I can always rely upon your loving kindness, your tolerant heart and constant forgiveness.

Lord Jesus, thank you for your wonderful example of submission to the Father, even when his will meant dying for the very people who rejected, conspired against and crucified you.

Holy Spirit, I am committed to change and know I am incapable of achieving this by myself. Help me to imitate Father God’s consistent behaviour, in both my relationship with him and with others around me. Help me to put away childish ways and expectations. Help me to be more Christ-like. Help me to resist the Enemy’s false accusations against both God and myself, and to actively arm myself with the weapon of God’s Word, so that I don’t fall victim to his deceitful ploys.

I ask in faith, believing that you will grant my request, since I ask it in the name of Jesus. Amen.

You don’t get 100% results with only 50% commitment. (Anonymous)

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Worship

As part of my repentance, I partook of communion, since I wanted to show God that I’m committed to changing and I also wanted to avail myself of Christ’s resurrection power.

The following song was brought to my attention by a dear blogger friend of mine at Distillations (do check out Jacquie’s post sharing about her own commitment to change). I hope this beautiful song ministers to you, as powerfully as it does to me.

Thank you dear visitors for reading this post. I hope you found it helpful to you in your own spiritual journey and I trust that as a follower of Women of Warfare, your heart’s desire is to be conformed to the wholesome image of Christ, and not to the ways and wisdom of this world.

If you have been challenged by what I’ve shared above, or would like to add your thoughts to this post, please don’t hesitate to comment below. Alternatively, please share what change you are committing yourself to this year. I look forward to hearing from you.

Best wishes,

Carol

Author, Blogger and Prayer Advocate

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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.

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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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And if you’d like to read an honest review on my book Ritual, Routine or Remembrance? please don’t hesitate to check out this post:

PS: the only reason this review is not on Amazon is because they refuse to upload it, stating she has not spent a certain amount with them as their reason!

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!

—–oooooo000oooooo—–

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!

Prayer Gem: 24

Challenge:

Are You Longing For Revival in Your Nation?

Then pray!

With love,

Carol (aka Lady Cee)

Need a resource to develop a confident and consistent prayer life?

Then don’t hesitate to check out my book at:

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US https://amzn.to/3bj6gM1

Wishing you all a blessed and victorious week!

Where Are You?

SUNDAY SUPPLICATIONS

The kiss of the Sun for pardon, The song of the birds for mirth, You are nearer God’s heart in a garden than anywhere else on earth!

Hello, my dear family, friends and followers,

I am trusting that you are well and have emerged from the Covid-19/Lock-down drama with your faith intact.

I have a question for you dear ones.

Where are you?

Now before I unpack what it I’d like to say, to encourage you on your spiritual journey, let me ask whether this question raises any recognition bells in your mind. I’ll give you a moment to think.

Finished?

Now, given that I’m speaking into the context of those who love God and are followers of Christ, and trusting that you are familiar with your Bible, I believe you will recognise that this is a question God had asked Adam and Eve, in the book of Genesis (see Genesis 3:9).

Where are you?

Why did he ask this?

Because when he came into the Garden of Eden to fellowship with them (as was his usual custom), on this particular occasion, they were nowhere to be seen.

Why?

Because Adam and Eve had hidden themselves away. They were ashamed to meet with God because they had disobeyed his command and as a result of their disobedience they became aware of themselves in a negative way. They were naked and ashamed. But hang on, they had always been naked. Previously they’d not been ashamed. So what had suddenly made the difference?

Satan. The Devil. Mr Diablo. The Enemy of our souls!

He had made the difference. And the difference he brought into Adam and Eve’s lives was not positive. It was not life-enhancing. In fact, it brought a curse upon all humanity.

Satan had lied. He’d manipulated the truth. He’d implied by his words that perhaps God had misrepresented facts and was withholding something desirable from Adam and Eve. He suggested they could be their own gods, operate in their own wisdom, experience life on their own terms. And all Eve had to do to make this happen was eat of the forbidden fruit from the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. So she did. And the rest as they say, is history!

Before this event took place, it was Adam and Eve’s practice to fellowship with God daily. After the event however, they hid from His presence. They felt naked and exposed and no longer saw themselves as worthy.

Now when God called and asked “where are you?” do you think he didn’t know the answer to his question? Do you think that the One who is omniscient, didn’t know what had happened and why his two friends, his son and daughter had not kept their fellowship appointment as usual?

Of course he did!

He asked because he wanted them to own up to what they had done. He wanted them to be honest.

Behold You desire truth in the inward parts,

And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.

(Psalm 51:6)

He asked because he wanted them to know that just because they had sinned, he did not love them any less than before they had sinned. He still wanted to fellowship with them. He asked because he wanted them to realise that disobedience brings consequences. He wanted them to understand and learn that the Enemy is a deceiver, who will manipulate you into thinking and doing something contrary to God’s will, contrary to whom God called and made you to be. He expected them to recognise and admit their error and take responsibility for their actions.

Do you know that God still desires open and honest fellowship with you today?

Dear friends:

• if you have cooled somewhat in your relationship with him;
• if you have accepted the lies of the Enemy, and doubted God’s goodness, or faithfulness, or ability to help and deliver you;
• if you feel spiritually naked, exposed and ashamed because of life experiences and your responses to them;
• if your choices have led you out of God’s perfect will so that you feel uncomfortable in, or dismissive of, God’s holy presence;
• if you feel complacent about your commitment to him;
• if you feel discouraged or bewildered by the disconnect between God’s assurances of blessing in His Word and the contrary evidence of your personal life…

Are you aware that God is reaching out and calling to you? Can you hear your heavenly father asking: where are you?

Whether saint or sinner – God loves you! He wants to associate with you. He wants to fellowship with you. He wants to protect you. But he will not force you to come to him!

Dear friend, if your fellowship with God through prayer, reading His Word and worship has deteriorated, is no longer a priority, or is non-existent, I’d like to encourage you today, to draw close to him. The Bible assures us that when we do so, he will reciprocate.

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

(James 4:8)

No matter how worldly-wise you may believe yourself to be, no matter how ‘got-my-streetwise-head-screwed-on-tight’ you may judge yourself to be, no matter how ‘self-sufficient’ you may feel yourself to be, you are not, and never will be, in complete control of your life. The past two years of the Covid-19 pandemic has been proof of that!

And so, if you don’t want to continue through life without the benefit of the One who is in control, taking care of you… looking out for you… helping and guiding you… then you need to return to the garden of fellowship. You need to return to the terrain of obedience. You need to return to the land of loving submission to God’s will.

Can you hear God’s loving enquiry to you today?

Where are you?

If you can hear him calling, what’s your response?

Dear friend (I speak to both saint and sinner), if you can hear his voice, don’t ignore and don’t harden your heart. Don’t wait to get your life ‘together’, or for a more convenient time. You never know what’s around the corner of life!

So, act today!

With love,

Carol (aka Lady Cee)

Effectual, fervent prayer avails much!

PS: Have you put your spiritual armour on today?

Prayer Focus:

Let’s pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are discouraged, or who have become a casualty of the serpent’s bite of deception and wandered away from God’s perspective.

PRAYER:

Father God,

You are an amazing God! What a privilege it is to be invited into your holy presence and fellowship with you. Thank you for your steadfast, unconditional love and acceptance. Forgive us for our disobedience, rebellion and ignorance.

In accordance with Ephesians 6:18 we lift up to you every member in the body of Christ, who is struggling in their relationship with you. We pray for those who have been deceived by the Enemy and are reaping the consequences of their actions. We apply the protective covering of the blood of Jesus to their lives, homes and loved ones and ask that you show mercy to them.

We pray for those who have been caught up in the busyness of life, or whose love for you has waned and ask that you kindle within their hearts a deeper love and passionate devotion for you. We pray for those whom the Enemy has targeted with lies and deception. Open their eyes to the truth Father God and deliver them from evil.

Jesus, you said that your sheep hear your voice and follow you. We therefore ask that your voice be raised within our consciences above the subversive voices of our social culture and our self-will. May your voice stir faith in our hearts and bring lasting assurance and hope. May your voice speak wisdom and guidance into our lives.

Holy Spirit, help us to tend to our gardens of fellowship with diligence.  Help us to be vigilant against the wiles of the devil who seeks to undermine our confidence in, and relationship with, God. Help us to love our Heavenly Father the way he deserves, with all our heart, mind, soul and strength.

We ask this in the mighty matchless name of Jesus. Amen.

© Carol Hind

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Sunday’s Supplications

Sunday’s Supplications invites you to not only read the posts but also participate in the prayers. Let’s pray for ourselves and for each other. Let’s obey God’s command to watch and pray for all the saints (Ephesians 6:18)

Please note, you do not have to be a blogger to join this praying community.

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Women of Warfare followers and visitors have a wonderful and victorious week!

Prayer Gem 21

 

God awaits you in his throne-room!

With love,

Carol (aka Lady Cee)

—–oooooo000oooooo—–

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.

 

Prayer Gem 19

 

Have you sent Jesus your knee-mail today?

With love,

Carol (aka Lady Cee)

—–oooooo000oooooo—–

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.

 

Prayer Gem – 18

 

Have you sent Jesus your knee-mail today?

With love,

Carol (aka Lady Cee)

—–oooooo000oooooo—–

 

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.

 

Prayer Gem – 17

 

With love,

Carol (aka Lady Cee)

—–oooooo000oooooo—–

 

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.

 

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

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.

 

A Gospel According to Moi?

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. 

—–oooooo000oooooo—–

 

Five Minute Friday Prompt: ANOTHER

It took me a little while to come up with something to fit this theme – ANOTHER!

In the beginning nothing suggested itself to me. Nothing came immediately to mind. What can I write about that would be personally meaningful to me as the writer and to you, as the reader?

I looked up the Oxford dictionary meaning to see if this would give me some inspiration and do you know what? It did!

I saw that one of the meanings of this word is: something different and then Paul’s words came to mind about “another gospel”. Now I have an idea of where to take this theme!

Do I, do you, believe or live our lives according to another gospel?

A gospel not according to Christ, or even according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John but according to my, or your convenience. A gospel that fits in with our ideas of who God is and who we want him to be, not as he actually is. And a gospel that makes less demand upon us than that which the true gospel requires.

No?

You think?

Let’s see.

For instance, the gospel according to Jesus demands that we forgive. Not just once, or even three times, but 70 times 70!

END OF 5 MINS

So, if you examined your life, if you were absolutely honest with yourself (not the sanitised honesty that you present for the scrutiny of others), but the true, raw honesty of “it-is-what-it-is!” would you emerge squeaky clean?

I know when I look at my heart and assess myself in the light of God’s Word in this particular regard, the picture I see is not so pretty. It’s a picture marred by the stain of an unforgiving spirit. A picture that presents a detailed record of wrongs against others. A picture that ought to have been cleaned with the emulsion of forgiveness, mercy and compassion and should have been repainted with the brushes of obedience.

Instead it’s a picture that has built up a steady film of grime and dust. And instead of that picture being framed by the beauty of humility and mercy, it is stretched upon the canvas of a critical and judgmental spirit.

This picture is the result of a gospel according to moi… a gospel according to Carol. A gospel that is man-made and mixed, prompted by the devil’s goading input, along with my rebellious and self-righteous response to those who offend me.

Another gospel!

But as I examine my heart and life in the uncompromising light of God’s Word, as I look within my conscience at the picture of Jesus hanging upon his cross, as I regard the image of his marred face, his broken body, as I recall all that he suffered, so that I can enjoy a new destiny, a happy-ever-after scenario of complete and utter peace, yeah, everlasting joy in Heaven, I feel convicted. I feel ashamed.

How could I continue to behave like the protagonist in Christ’s parable of the ungrateful servant? How could I fail to forgive those who have trespassed against me, when God my Father, when Christ my Saviour, has forgiven and continues to forgive me of so much more?

No matter how big, how deep the wounds of those offences, what deception, what seed of arrogance could cause me to choose this other gospel—a gospel according to my sanctimonious standards, a standard which fell far, far short of God’s measure of righteousness in the first place? A standard which failed to satisfy God’s wrath, who required the shedding of innocent blood, the burden-bearing of an entire world’s sin and depravity before he could be appeased, before the atonement for Adam’s act of treason could be accepted?

Father-God forgive me (there I go again – needing forgiveness!).

Lord Jesus forgive me. Thank you for your wonderful example of forgiveness towards those who hated, humiliated and killed you.

Holy Spirit help me. Remind me to take up my cross and die daily to the ungracious demands of my flesh, to my unmerciful requirements for personal vengeance, to my unforgiving heart.

Help me to walk God’s highway of holiness with humility and help me to paint a Christ-like image over the offences of others, even if it requires me to do so, seventy times seventy each day, even each hour!

Friends and followers, have a blessed weekend and may God’s divine peace and protection rest upon you and upon your loved ones, as we negotiate the paths of these unprecedented times.

Best wishes,

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 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.

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An Easter Petition

The above CC0 image comes courtesy of Pixabay.com

 

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.

 

 

 

Tomorrow Never Comes!

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 on her blog at 10pm EST. The link-up is open for a full week, until the following Thursday evening. For further details on how to participate please visit her blog at: Heading Home.

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FIVE-MINUTE FRIDAY: Word prompt – TOMORROW

My immediate thought when I saw this prompt was of a title: Tomorrow Never Comes. I thought it was a book I’d once read by Sidney Sheldon, but a quick check shows me I am wrong.

My mind then turned to Pharaoh in the book of Exodus, who had suffered a plague of frogs, yet when Moses asked him when he’d like this plague to stop, he answered: “Tomorrow”.

Can you believe it?

Why would anyone who had suffered a nasty plague not want it to stop immediately? What on earth was he thinking?

Which then led me to think about procrastination and my problem with it. I’ve tried to break free. I think I have improved. But it is still an issue.

Take this Covid-19 virus that has descended upon and changed our lives. There were things I’d wanted to do and could very well have done, before this plague came on the scene.

Now that it’s here, I cannot do these things. Not without incurring risk. Because it involves going out and mixing with people in close proximity. I cannot, and do not wish to take this chance. Besides, measures are now in place which restrict the movements of UK citizens, so I couldn’t, even if I wanted to.

So now I’ll have to settle for second best. I’ll have to figure out a way to proceed, without doing what I should have (and could have) done earlier.

Procrastination costs. And the time and opportunity that has been lost, cannot be redeemed.

(End of 5 Mins)

Procrastination has been my unfortunate song for as long as I can remember. But I so hate those lyrics. I absolutely despise the melody. I no longer want procrastination to be the rhythm of my life. In fact, you can read my post here where I made public my decision to break with this tiresome habit.

God says we are to redeem the time. I often believe for, and ask the Holy Spirit to help me redeem (make effective) whatever time I may have left. And when I ask this, I mean in terms of how long I have left to live in this world. I mean in terms of available time left, to work on my writing projects. I mean in terms of the time I have left, to network with others, to sow seeds of loving kindness, mercy and forgiveness, or to serve his purposes.

I feel the need to do this, because I often take time for granted, along with the opportunity it affords. I’m prone to forget that any presumed window of opportunity is not guaranteed to remain open, just to fit into my schedule. A schedule of “tomorrow”, which never comes!

As we have seen with the Corona-virus, nobody knows what’s around the corner, which could completely scupper our prior plans.

People die, or leave your life for various reasons. Situations change. Things you can be depending upon, may suddenly be taken out of the equation. And then the opportunity to do that which you wanted to do, or which God had asked you to do, disappears. Puff!

This happened to me recently.

I waited to do something good for someone. I delayed because of a mixture of procrastination and hard-heartedness. I’d failed to act because I allowed offence to lodge within my heart and dictate my inclinations.

And now, the opportunity to show God that my love for him, exceeds my desire to satisfy capricious whims, has gone. Puff! Because the person in question has now departed from this world.

So, now I have to deal with the fact that I allowed stubbornness to stop me from reaching out, offering an olive branch, renewing acquaintances.

I acted no differently to Pharaoh. Instead of grabbing the opportunity to be rid of the emotional frog in my life, and be free from accusatory thoughts and wrong attitudes that plagued me, I procrastinated. I held onto them until “tomorrow”.

In my heart, I was resisting God’s Word and clear requirement. With that resistance, my mind whispered “tomorrow” whilst my stubbornness decided “Not yet!”

God warns us about rebellion. He says that those who are often reproved but harden their hearts, will be cut off without remedy (Proverbs 29:1).

Of course, I don’t want this to be my lot. I don’t want the story of my life to be written with the quill and ink of selfish and disobedient conduct.

God’s Word also warns that “…behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. (2 Corinthians 6:2 KJV). There is a finite window of opportunity for you and me to walk in God’s ways… to be obedient to his will. Nobody knows when that window will close. So, waiting until tomorrow, a tomorrow that may never come, could work to our detriment.

If you are procrastinating about something you know you should do, or something God has instructed you to do, please pay heed dear reader, and learn a valuable lesson from me.

I pray for myself and for anyone else who struggles with similar issues. I pray that God will work within our hearts… that he will change us and bring us to that place where we both desire to obey His will, and actually do so, without delay.

Wishing you a peace-filled and victorious week.

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.

 

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)

 

You Are Not Alone!

 

The above CC0 image comes courtesy of Pixabay.com

 

Are you suffering?

Do you feel forgotten, lonely or alone?

Like the stars that still shine behind the dark cloak of night, know that God is with you on your darkest days, in your difficult circumstances. His Word declares: I will never leave you, nor forsake you.

Take comfort from the fact that even Jesus felt abandoned by his Father (My God, My God, Why hast thou forsaken me?), and because Jesus suffered similarly, He is able to relate to you and to me. He is able to succour (help and support) us when, and whilst we are going through our difficulties.

So dear, dear reader, if this is where you are at right now, call out to him! Cast aside that shroud of doubt. Resist those thoughts and fears which whisper and tell you otherwise and sometimes threaten to overwhelm you. Do not cast aside your confidence and faith in the Lord.

Reflect on this: you may FEEL as if God has abandoned you, but much like the individual in the Footprints poem, far from abandoning you, he is walking besides you and when you are unable to walk, he carries you!

Dear reader, won’t you trust him, draw nearer to him, allow him to minister his love to you?

As we draw closer to Thanksgiving Day, let’s express gratitude to our Father God for his faithfulness, even when we least deserve it. And let’s be thankful that Jesus, our faithful high priest, ever lives to make intercession for us.

Have a tremendous week!

Love,

Carol (aka Lady Cee)

Author of: Petitions From My Heart

(If you live in the UK 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.

 

Prayer Gem 16

 

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

 

 

 

God has made us a Kingdom of priests. As such, our responsibility is to rule by prayer.

Secrets of a Prayer Warrior – Derek Prince

 

***     ***     ***

 

Self-Scrutiny:

Have you assumed your responsibility? How well are you ruling?

 

 

 

Not Now God! (2)

 

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

 

 

At the beginning of this year, I wrote a post inspired by a children’s book called Not Now Bernard. 

If you’ve not read it, or you would like to refresh your mind about this post please click here.

I ended that post with the following words:

As Christians, is it possible that when we habitually make excuses about our prayerlessness, when we say we are too busy to pray, we are by default allowing a spiritual monster to devour our loved ones and devour aspects of our own lives?

When we say: “Not now God!” (either literally or by default), when we choose other priorities, we may be unwittingly opening our lives to the presence of that spiritual monster, Satan.

Dear reader, I wonder what your attitude is towards God and the subject of prayer?

Is prayer something you do as a last ditch effort to get God’s attention, or something you engage in regularly?

Do you see prayer as a spiritual discipline that you’re aware you should be doing but just don’t have the energy, or the inclination, or even the foggiest knowledge about how to go about it?

Or, is it something that you’ve tried in the past and have now given up on?

During my many years as a Christian, I’ve come across all sorts of attitudes when it comes to prayer. And I’ve heard all sorts of reasons why people don’t pray regularly.

Maybe you are one of those people who:

• Do not feel confident that their prayers are being heard
• Feel they don’t know how to pray effectively
• Reserve prayer for times of personal crisis
• Say they do not have enough time
• Believe this is the forte of specially called people, such as intercessors
• Find prayer boring
• Feel guilty that they are not praying enough, or feel intimidated by the concept
• Do not believe that their prayers make a difference
• Get so caught up with the pressures of daily living that a devotional and prayer life are placed on the back burner and then forgotten.

 

Women of Warfare followers and visitors if you are someone who has believed, thought or said any of the above as a reason why you do not pray, then may I be blunt with you?

–          A failure to pray is in effect a veiled statement where you are saying: Not now God!

–          A deliberate decision to not communicate with your Heavenly Father, hides a subconscious cry from your heart – Not now God!

–          A refusal to engage with Him who has given you breath and generously sustains it, is tantamount to an ungrateful snub (Not now God!)

Dear reader, lack of confidence, or know-how, or experience, are not justifiable excuses.

The disciples recognised their lack of know-how and asked Jesus to teach them to pray. Have you asked?

Every child of God has the Holy Spirit dwelling within them and He is more than capable of teaching and helping and motivating us to pray. We need only ask. We need only to have the desire and will. We need only to obey.

And as we engage, as we participate regularly, as we continue to connect, we shall grow in knowledge and experience, in confidence and in passion and, instead of: Not now God! our hearts will instead cry:

I come now God! I come with thanksgiving and praise. I come with hope for my future. I come with expectation of your forgiveness, goodness and mercy. I come to do your will.

My dear friend, if you have not already made it a habit to visit God’s throne room daily, may I encourage you to make a quality decision to do so? Don’t delay. Don’t put it off for a more “convenient” time, or for when you feel “good enough” or have arrived at whatever place of spiritual maturity you feel you need to be at. Do it now!

And if you would like a resource that will help you to structure your prayer life, or enable you to pray regularly, may I recommend my book Petitions From My Heart?

Have a blessed weekend!

Love Carol,

 

Carol Hind

Writer/Blogger/Prayer Advocate

Author of: Petitions From My Heart

 

Flex those Spiritual Muscles!

 

Want to succeed this year? Want this year to be better than those gone before? Want to walk as a victorious over-comer? Want to reign in your circumstances, instead of your circumstances ruling you? Then develop your spiritual strength!

Aim to be strong and let that strength, that sense of stability, that emotional and internal resilience be in God’s power and might. Let that strength emanate from your ongoing relationship with him. Let your strength be based upon His Word.

Remember dear one, you are more than a conqueror!

Love from

Carol (aka ladycee)  ♥♥

 

This excerpt is taken from my post: Do you have the ‘S’ factor? To read the rest of it, please click here.

 

 

 

A Hallelujah Party

 

 

As most of you are aware, every October 31^st people get dressed up as ghouls and ghosts or other macabre figures and celebrate Halloween.

I realise this is a controversial topic for most Christians.

There are those who believe it is a diabolical tradition with pagan roots. There are those who have done their research and recognise that whilst this custom may have had pagan origins, the church reclaimed the day for the purpose of Christian celebration. And then there are those who feel it is just a harmless bit of fun—not realising that the commercial façade presented to the world is just a cover… that innocent people can become drawn into a deadly deception.

If you would like to read more about the origins of Halloween, please check the following links:

http://www.lasttrumpetministries.org/tracts/tract10.html

http://logosresourcepages.org/Holidays/halloween.htm

I personally do not celebrate Halloween. But as the holiday has grown popular and become more commercialised over the years, it has kind of made me both sad and alarmed that Christians generally do not seem to do anything in response to counteract, or oppose this underworld of darkness.

An influential political figure and orator once wisely observed:

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.

Edmund Burke

 

Well dear friends, my concern over this matter and Burke’s challenging words set me thinking and began to stir an ever-increasing desire within my heart. May I share it with you?

Borrowing a famous statement from Martin Luther King Jnr let me here and now say:

I have a dream!

I dream of Christians all over this world using this date to hold a Hallelujah Party. I dream of people all over the globe planning get-togethers in the name of our most illustrious Lord. I dream of Kingdom saints offering shouts of ecstatic praise and dancing with gay abandon, just as King David did when he brought back the ark to the City of David.

I dream of this Hallelujah Party celebration becoming a world-wide established custom, to the extent that costumes, or other paraphernalia are made, sold and purchased in celebration of our King of kings and Lord of lords. After all, he is most worthy – is he not?

In Revelations 4:6-11, we read about a Hallelujah Party that is in constant process. Living creatures, along with twenty four elders bow before God’s throne worshipping Him, day and night. The entire ambience in heaven seems to be one of exuberant praise and reverential worship.

Those of us who are born-again Christians expect one day to leave this world and spend an eternity in heaven—so wouldn’t it be prudent if we donned our praise & prayer party shoes and got practicing now, using 31^st October as an official date for a world-wide hullabaloo?

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the people of God took back this date with a vengeance so that the world sat up and noticed?

Wouldn’t it be marvellous if we Christians stopped shunning this date, thereby allowing all kinds of spiritual atrocities to take place unchallenged under the guise of “harmless fun”?

Wouldn’t it be something if the world of satanic darkness encountered the awesome light of our King Jesus through the praise and prayers of His saints of light, so that those who practice dark arts became completely immobilized… so that those who engage in satanic deeds encounter a supernatural resistance of the godly kind?

In fact, wouldn’t it be fantabulous if constant and jubilant praises to God rang out all over the world on this date, whether in church settings or family living rooms, or public spaces?

My Bible tells me that praise stills the Enemy (Psalm 8:2).

My Bible also tells me that when the ark of God (representing his presence) came into the camp and the children of Israel shouted with joy, the pagans around heard and trembled (1 Samuel 4:5-7).

Again, my Bible tells me that God is enthroned in, or inhabits the praises of his people (Psalm 22:3).

So wouldn’t it be amazing if Christians realised the truth regarding the powerful weapon they are able to release into the spirit realm when they open their mouths in praise to God? And wouldn’t it be amazing if the revelation of this truth compelled us to do so fearlessly, in faith and with fervour, and in so doing perplexed the works of the Enemy?

That’s my dream.

What say you?

 

NB: The above quote from Edmund Burke was found at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/edmund_burke_377528

CREDIT: The above CC0 images come courtesy of Pixabay.com

 

You are Served!

 

 

Ever been watching a film or TV drama when someone going about their business is approached by a stranger, or hears a knock on the door? They are asked their name and when they reply, an envelope is thrust into their hands whilst they are told: “You are served!”

I don’t know your name but I know you are either a follower or visitor to my site. And since you are, I suspect you have come for a reason. Whoever you are, and wherever you may be, I have a message for you. You are served!

You’ve been served with a summons to pray… to build yourself up on your most holy faith… to walk confidently in life as a victorious over-comer.

So what’s your response?

Don’t delay – take action TODAY!

And before you rush off, may I invite you to visit God’s throne-room?

 

Women of Warfare followers and visitors, have an abundantly blessed week!

 

CREDIT: The above CC0 image comes courtesy of Pixabay.com

 

 

You Can Make It!

 

Will 2018 be the year your life changes?

Will it be the year you experience a miraculous turn around?

Will 2018 see you go from strength to strength and from victory to victory?

As we move into the second quarter of this year how are you progressing so far?

Women of Warfare followers and visitors – if you can take it, then you can make it!

If you can take the disappointments and disapproval, if you can ignore the  naysayers and dream-slayers, if you can overcome historical fears and failures, then you can make it!

The Word of God says:

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13 NKJV)

What say you?

—–oooooo000oooooo—–

 

Live the God-Quality Brand of Life!

  

Today we celebrate the most wonderful event that has ever occurred in history – the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Hallelujah!

 

Because he lives
I can face tomorrow
Because he lives
All fear is gone
Because I know he holds the future
And life is worth the living
Just because he lives.

(Taken from the gospel song: Because He Lives, by Bill and Gloria Gaither)

 

In today’s world, people are falling over themselves to live a life they covet—the life of the rich and famous—whether it is a celebrity life-style, the life of a footballer or footballer’s wife, or the life of a lottery winner.

However, if we were to examine the lives of those who live what many ordinary folk crave for themselves, we’d see that some of these individuals are  deeply unhappy, or lacking in integrity and moral fibre, or completely godless.

As children of God, as disciples of Christ, we should not be drawn into the ways of the world, we should not subscribe to its way of thinking.

 

SELF SCRUTINY:

Do I earnestly desire and seek to enjoy the God-quality brand of life?

 

This Week’s Prayer Focus:

Over the next two weeks, let’s ask the Lord to give us a new appreciation and gratitude for the brand of life (eternal life), with which he has blessed us.

Let’s pray for one another that we will remain grounded and settled in our faith, in our individual walk with the Lord. Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to help us so we can avail ourselves of, and enjoy in abundance the benefits of our salvation, for which Christ has died.  Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to help us so we may freely partake and thrive, not just survive!

And from this point onwards, let’s constantly celebrate, and do our utmost to grasp and enjoy the God-quality brand of life.

PS: Don’t forget to put on your spiritual armour before entering the battlefield of prayer!

 

—–oooooo000oooooo—–

PRAYER:

O Lord God Almighty, how awesome is your miraculous power!

Father-God, we acknowledge and celebrate your mercy, goodness and grace. Today we remember and rejoice over the resurrection of your Son, Jesus Christ.

We thank you for your amazing and extravagant love for us, in allowing Jesus to lay down his life—so we may be redeemed from the hand of the Enemy, so we may be redeemed from the power of sin and death, so we may be reconciled to you.

Father God, we cannot ever repay you. We cannot ever thank you enough for rescuing us from the fate of eternal damnation. We thank you that because Christ lives in us, we have resurrection life, Zoe life, a God-quality brand of life, flowing in and through our beings.

I ask that you open the eyes of our understanding so that we may live our lives in that higher realm—free from fear, able to govern our thoughts and feelings, so that they align with your Word and your will; able to walk in obedience to your will and enjoy the liberty which your Son’s death has purchased for us.

Lord Jesus, we thank you for sending your Holy Spirit to come alongside us, to remind us of your words, to reveal your truth, to empower us to be effective witnesses of the gospel.

Holy Spirit, come and fill us afresh today. Minister the peace of God which surpasses natural understanding. Minister the joy of the Lord—joy similar to that which the disciples of Christ experienced when they realised he was alive. Cause that joy to infuse us with supernatural strength. Grant us revelation knowledge and a supreme confidence in whom we are as children of God, as disciples of Christ and enable us to exercise the authority and power He has granted to us, in our day-to-day lives.

Yours O Lord is the glory, power, wisdom and strength. Hallelujah!

We bless your Holy Name and we thank you Father-God for not only hearing our prayer today but also granting our request, which we ask in the precious name of Jesus. Amen.

© Carol Hind

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Sunday’s Supplications

Sunday’s Supplications invites you to not only read the posts but also participate in the prayers. Each fortnight, I hope to introduce a new theme and prayer focus. Why not become a part of the WoW! community by participating in these prayers? Let’s pray for ourselves and for each other. Let’s obey God’s command to watch and pray for all the saints (Ephesians 6:18)

You are welcome to print off and use each prayer provided, either verbatim or adapted for your particular circumstance. Even better, why not construct your own prayer and share with others by linking to this post.

Please note, you do not have to be a blogger to join this praying community.

 

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Women of Warfare followers and visitors – Rejoice! Our Saviour is alive! Have a Christ-centred and victorious week!

Lest I Forget!

Lest I forget Gethsemane,

Lest I forget Thine agony;

Lest I forget Thy love for me,

Lead me to Calvary.

(Taken from the hymn “Lead Me To Calvary” by Jennie E. Hussey – 1921)

 

 Friends and followers – I wish you a happy Easter!

 

CREDIT: the above CCO image comes courtesy of Pixabay.com

 

Love, Self-Sacrifice & Betrayal

Betrayed with a kiss!

 

Today is Maundy Thursday.

Now, within the church circles to which I belonged, we never celebrated this day and the first time I knew it even existed was through my husband. As a civil servant, he is given an extra half-day holiday in recognition.

So what is Maundy Thursday?

Glad you asked. Because of my Easter-themed blog hop and to satisfy my curiosity, I decided to do a little research.

Maundy Thursday (aka Holy Thursday) is the day before Good Friday. It is the day when Jesus celebrated the Passover with his disciples.

That final meal shared together, is now known as the Last Supper and it was at this meal that Jesus broke bread and passed around a cup of wine, instituting a new covenant.

Today, Christians commemorate the death and resurrection of Jesus by this same symbolic act of sharing bread and wine, traditionally known as Holy Communion.

And on this same day, Jesus, the Son of God (King of kings and Lord of lords), washed each of his disciples’ feet, as an example of humility and selfless service.

Maundy Thursday is also the day when Judas Iscariot, betrayed Christ.

As mentioned above, Maundy Thursday did not feature in our church programmes. So after many years as a Christian, once I became aware, even though I didn’t know what Maundy meant, I tried to make an educated guess regarding its definition.

I thought perhaps Maundy was an old-fashioned spelling for “mourn” and that the day was in fact a “mourn-day”. And when you consider everything that happened on this fateful day, I believe my ascribed meaning seems appropriate.

To begin with, Jesus appears to be in a state of mourning and trepidation. He knew that his hour had come.

Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour (John 12:27 NKJ).

Again, when he got to the Garden of Gethsemane, we read Jesus was in a state of agony. We learn his disciples were filled with sorrow over their Master’s revelations that he was leaving them… that he was about to die… that he was about to be betrayed by someone within their circle.

And then the unthinkable happens. The traitor in their midst is revealed. The hostile religious leaders have their day in court and the Son of God (the promised Messiah) is sentenced to death – “Crucify him!”

As Jesus is led away to Calvary, women “mourned and lamented him” (Luke 23:27 NKJ).

I guess you can see now where I was coming from.

However, the word Maundy (as I discovered), does not mean “mourn-day” but has its root in a Latin word meaning “command”. It makes reference to when Jesus gave his disciples a new commandment to love each other, as he had loved them (see John 13:1-35).

For the past few weeks, as I’ve spent time in God’s Word, as I’ve read and reflected on various passages relating to the cross, relating to God’s amazing love for the entire human race generally and for me specifically; as I watched two YouTube videos on the crucifixion and resurrection, I cannot help but feel overcome with emotion, with wonder, with gratitude, and with a greater desire and determination to love and serve God to the best of my ability and live an authentic Christian life, which pleases and honours him—because he (my Father-God), is worthy. Christ is worthy.

And between them, they’ve gone to an awful lot of trouble, unimaginable pain and selfless sacrifice to make me worthy.

Jesus suffered so that I can be redeemed from the hand of the Enemy. So I can be reconciled to God. So I can become a part of his illustrious royal family. So I can share in the spiritual riches of his kingdom. And so I can enjoy an abundant, joy-filled and liberated life.

After all my Father-God and Saviour have done for me, how can I not?

What say you dear reader?

—–oooooo000oooooo—–

 

CREDIT: the above CC0 image comes courtesy of Pixabay.com

 

Women of Warfare – Arise!

 

  

Out of the huts of history’s shame

I rise

Up from a past that’s rooted in pain

I rise

(from: Still I Rise – Maya Angelou)

—–oooooo000oooooo—–

 

Hello Women of Warfare friends and followers,

I recently came across an old journal entry and thought I’d share an edited version of it with you all. Hopefully, it will be of encouragement to someone.

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Yesterday I decided to put the phrase “victor or victim” into google and see what came up.  I was surprised. There were a few blog posts on this, some of which I read then subsequently felt provoked to deal with my negativity once and for all.

It is hard to swallow the fact that I’m responsible for my own misery… that I have consistently made the choice to live in a perpetual cycle of anger, blame, resentment and unhappiness because of the mistreatment of others.

But I have to accept this.

I have to accept that although I cannot control what happens to me, what people do or say to me, what people think about me, I can control how I respond to the things that have happened.

It is a bitter pill indeed to swallow, to realise that me, myself and I have been responsible for years of wrong thinking, wrong attitudes and, wrong reactions. I have allowed other people to control my interior world (my thought life and internal responses) and I have allowed that interior world, to colour my views about myself, my life, my prospects, my future.

Yes – it is a bitter realisation indeed.

Now one of the posts I read gave a scenario about 2 single mothers who found themselves abandoned by their child’s father. The posts described how they chose to go through life thereafter. One emerged a victor and one became a victim. It was a matter of choice—pure and simple.

And so I decided yesterday evening that I was going to make that choice once and for all. I choose to be a victor!

I don’t imagine it will be easy. After all, I have ingrained, deeply entrenched negative habits. But, I am not fighting in my own strength and in fact, whilst I think about it, the battle has already been won. I just have to get on my battle gear and stand against the wiles of the Enemy, who just loves to goad me with his mind games.

 Day after day he has told me (and will no doubt continue to tell me) that I am a loser, that I am rejected, disrespected, fighting a losing battle.  But he is a liar. I am not a loser. I am going to win.

 I need to win. Because there are other women out there who need my help, need me to share my insights and encouragement and wisdom and need me to motivate them, inspire them and support them.

 And so Father God, I thank you for opening my eyes. I thank you for giving me your assignment to minister to wounded, hurting victims. Thank you for your promise to help me.  Holy Spirit I thank you in advance and in anticipation of your help, counsel, direction and enabling power. Teach me. Anoint me. Help me. Give me new perspectives, new aspirations, new insights—a new victorious life!

 I am excited! Excited to see how this turns out. Excited to see my life turn around miraculously and irrevocably. Excited to see lives that the Enemy has held in captivity turn around and be fully recovered from victimhood.

 Things are going to change within me, within my life, within the lives of people around me to whom I have been assigned. This is a mega responsibility but it is also an honour and nothing will delight me more than to see women who have been held down, crushed and incapacitated by the Enemy coming out of captivity, being liberated, arising in strength.

 

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Dear reader,

After writing the above entry, Maya Angelou’s poem Still I Rise came to mind. You can listen to, or read the poem here.

Serena Williams recited it before her Wimbledon finals match in July 2016. She not only won but achieved sporting history by matching Steffie Graff’s record of winning 22 grand slams.

Dear reader, if the above words from my journal entry speaks to you where you are at, if the message of my posts and the ethos of this blog (Women of Warfare!) resonates with you, may I take this opportunity to encourage you?

Like Serena Williams, you too can win. And you too can arise.

Now if you are a Wimbledon fan, or any kind of sports fan, you will appreciate that it takes more than talent or ability to win. It takes mental strength and determination.

Beloved Child of God, if you are going to win against the lies of the Enemy, if you are going to rise above your negative circumstances, if you are going to walk confidently in life as a victorious overcomer, then as the Word of God counsels, you need to be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2). You need to choose to focus your thoughts upon those things which are in line with God’s Word and his will for your life.

Dear reader, you can change your psychological history. It is a matter of choice.

Precious woman of God, you were created to be a victor. So choose to be the woman of God that He has called you to be – strong, merciful, loving, productive, wise and victorious!

No matter what you have suffered in the past, no matter what you may be experiencing now, choose to believe God’s Word over what the Enemy says or shows you, over what abusers, liars, mockers and scorners say and do to you, over whatever your negative life experiences have been.

Choose to arise. Choose to be a victorious overcomer.

Why?

Because as the L’Oréal advert says: “You are worth it!”

 

Bear one another’s burdens and so fulfil the law of Christ – Galatians 6:2 (NKJV)

This Week’s Prayer Focus:

Let us turn our thoughts and prayers this week towards those who are emotionally unstable—whether for yourself, or for someone you know, or anyone in the Body of Christ who feels victimised by others, who feels oppressed by the Enemy, who feels downtrodden by and despairing of their life’s circumstances.

 

PRAYER:

Father God,

You have said in your Word that those who are strong ought to bear the burdens of those who are weak.

I want to thank you for the examples in your Word, which show us how to overcome in the battles of life. I particularly want to bring to your remembrance the account of Aaron and Hur, who held up the weary arms of Moses, so Joshua and the Children of Israel could prevail in battle (Exodus 17:8-12).

Thank you for this picture of intercessory warfare. Thank you for this beautiful example of saints in Christ coming alongside those who are weary, discouraged or defeated, in order to bear them up with our prayers, in order to support them with our love.

Father God, thank you for your Word, which is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. Thank you that when we speak your Word in faith, when we meditate upon it daily, it does not return to you empty and unfulfilled but accomplishes your purpose in and through our lives.

I ask that you help all those who may be struggling right now, to stand with confidence upon your Word. I ask that you help all those who are mentally or emotionally defeated to awake to the truth and miraculous power of your Word, to resist Satan’s deceptive lies and to break free from the captivity of the Enemy.

Holy Spirit, I ask that you come alongside those who are weak, weary and defeated. I ask that you minister spiritual strength, comfort and peace throughout the coming weeks and months.

Lord Jesus, I thank you that you are the captain of our Salvation. I thank you that you have already disarmed the principalities and powers that have set themselves against us. I thank you that you ever live to make intercession for us. Enable us through your prayers and through the help of your Holy Spirit to stand strong in battle, to walk through life as victorious overcomers.

Father God, I ask this in the name of our all-conquering King. I ask in the mighty, matchless name of your Son, Jesus. Amen.

© Carol Hind

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Sunday’s Supplications

Sunday’s Supplications invites you to not only read the posts but also participate in the prayers. Each fortnight, I hope to introduce a new theme and prayer focus. Why not become a part of the WoW! community by participating in these prayers? Let’s pray for ourselves and for each other. Let’s obey God’s command to watch and pray for all the saints (Ephesians 6:18).

You are welcome to print off and use each prayer provided, either verbatim or adapted for your particular circumstance. Even better, why not construct your own prayer and share with others by linking to this post.

Please note, you do not have to be a blogger to participate.

*****   *****   *****

 

Women of Warfare followers and readers have a wonderful and victorious week!

 

CREDITS: The above  CC0 images come courtesy of Pixabay.com

Sunrise image – by Jean Louis Tosque

 

 

Prayer Gem 13

 

You possess a divine call and purpose. You have sacred obligations and extraordinary privileges. The call to prayer and praise as a priest of the most high God is a call to every New Testament believer.

(from Highest Calling by Larry Lea)

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Question:

Have you answered that call?

 

 

CREDIT: the above CC0 image comes courtesy of Pixabay.com

 

All Praise & Glory to My Awesome God!

PRAISE PRAYER & WORSHIP WEDNESDAY

 

I love to worship the Lord. And for me one of the best things about church meetings is the opportunity to enter into corporate worship and get a taste of what it must be like in heaven for multitudes of people directing their attention, their love and devotion to the most High God, to the King of kings and Lord of lords.

And when God acknowledges our sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving by honouring us with his awesome presence, words cannot express how blessed, how privileged and humbled this makes me feel.

Now whenever God answers my prayer in a miraculous way, I cannot help but lift my hands. I cannot help but bow my knees. I cannot help but leap and grin. I’ve experienced one such joyous occasion recently and so, I’d like to share this post in tribute to my Father God.

I do hope that it ministers to somebody out there. If it does, please let me know in the comment box below. I’d really love to hear from you.

—————-ooo0ooo—————-

 

Praise

 

I waited patiently for God to help me; then he listened and heard my cry.

He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out from the bog and the mire, and set my feet on a hard, firm path and steadied me as I walked along.

He has given me a new song to sing, of praises to our God. Now many will hear of the glorious things he did for me, and stand in awe before the Lord, and put their trust in him.

Many blessings are given to those who trust the Lord, and have no confidence in those who are proud, or who trust in idols.

O Lord my God, many and many a time you have done great miracles for us, and we are ever in your thoughts. Who else can do such glorious things? No one else can be compared with you. There isn’t time to tell of all your wonderful deeds.

Psalm 40:1-5 (The Living Bible)

 

Prayer

Heavenly Father,

You deserve all praise and glory.

What a mighty God you are! I’m so grateful that you are not only a living God but you are also willing to intervene in the lives of your people. You are willing to manifest yourself as our protector and provider.

Thank you for your everlasting mercies. Thank you for your unfailing compassion. Thank you for your right hand of justice and your powerful arm of vindication. Continue to thwart the proud and crafty, so their hands cannot perform their enterprise.

Cause righteousness to prevail and your perfect will to be done, in and through our lives. I ask this in the matchless name of your Son, Jesus. Amen.

 

Worship

 

 

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

 

Love,

Carol ♥ ♥

 

 

CREDIT: The above image comes courtesy of Pixabay.com

 

Do You Have the ‘S’ Factor?

 

What comes to mind when you think of a soldier in the army?

What comes to mind when you think of a warrior?

I think of individuals who have been specially trained, who know how to handle themselves in combat.

Paul writes to the Ephesians and instructs:

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (Ephesians 6:10-11)

When Paul gave this direction, he would have been thinking about the Roman regiment. And that’s where he got the idea to use these soldiers and their armour to illustrate the child of God in spiritual warfare, with spiritual weapons, engaging in spiritual combat.

The first thing we are commanded to do, is to be strong. Not wishy washy. Not crumbling at the first sign of confrontation, disappointment, or opposition.  We are to be strong.

What does that mean – to be strong?

It means we are to be resilient. To be hardy. To be able to bear up under pressure. To have mental, emotional and spiritual stability. But we are not expected to be strong in and of ourselves (thank God!).

We are commanded to be strong in the Lord. Did you get that? Be strong IN the Lord. To be in the Lord means we are enclosed. It means we are covered. It means we are inside him. We are not on him, under him, beside him, behind him, but in him!

Yet life happens and life is not usually packaged in a neat pretty bow. Life does not offer us an even plane with idyllic circumstances. It offers curved balls. It serves us conundrums. It delivers mountain top experiences along with valleys of adversity and mind-boggling dilemmas.

Our heavenly father knows this. After all he is omniscient. So when he demands that we be strong, does this mean we should only show the “stiff upper lip” as the Brits used to say? Does this mean, never show emotion? Does this mean we should not be susceptible to tears, or discouragement, or fear?

Absolutely not! Jesus was our role model when he was on this earth. He wept over Lazarus. He grieved for Jerusalem. He was fearful of the agony of a cruel death and separation from his beloved Father. And I doubt anyone would describe him as weak!

And that’s why we cannot depend upon our own strength—since that strength can obviously be diminished by discouragement and difficulties. That is why Paul admonishes us to be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.

What does it mean to be “in the Lord”? It means the Lord is the container and we are inside. It means the Lord is our fortress and we are within that fortress.

So dear child of God, do you understand what is being asked of you? Are you taking heed?

Be strong in the Lord!

Think of it another way. Think of it as abiding. Abiding in the vine. Abiding in God’s Word. Abiding in God’s presence. Living in such a way that you are vitally connected to the source of divine might and strength.

Be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might!

Spiritual strength is important. A soldier who falls to pieces mentally and emotionally is no good on the battlefield. A soldier who does not have physical stamina, is no good to his comrades or superiors. In fact he could become a liability.

Strength is required to withstand the Enemy. Strength is required to withstand the internal voices that assail you as you go about your daily living (Can I do this? Suppose I fail? Am I good enough?), or as you take your place on the battlefield of prayer (Has God heard my petition? Will God grant this request?).

Let me illustrate how Paul’s challenge to the Body of Christ, plays out in a real life scenario. I presume you are familiar with the Bible story of David and Goliath.

Do you recall the response of Saul and members of his army? These men were seasoned soldiers. These men were fighting veterans. And yet they were afraid. They were afraid because they approached the prospect of facing their enemy, in their own strength and might. And when it came to measuring their strength and their might against this gigantic Philistine, they believed they were no match for this enemy – and of course they were right!

However, David, an unseasoned, and untested and unorthodox warrior, saw himself as strong in the power of God’s might. He saw not the bigness of this giant foe but the greatness of his covenant-keeping God.

How did he come by such spiritual strength? How did he gain such supernatural confidence? Through regular fellowship with God. Through a committed ongoing relationship. And through experiences gained during his every-day life as a shepherd, as a worshipper.

In Daniel 11:32b, we are told: …the people who know their God shall be strong and carry out great exploits.

Dear warrior of God,

Dear WoW follower or visitor,

How is your relationship with God?

Do you have spiritual strength?

Without spiritual strength you cannot resist the Enemy. Without spiritual strength you cannot stand your ground.

Don’t waste time, don’t expend your energy fighting against people. It’s tempting yes, to use carnal weapons such as put-downs, arguments, hostility, withdrawal of love, etc.

It may even feel temporarily satisfying but use of such weapons will only dissipate your spiritual strength. Use of such weapons will only put you at odds with the Commander of our faith. Even worse, use of such weapons puts us in the same territory (i.e. on the same side) as our deadly Enemy.

Want to succeed this year?

Want this year to be better than those gone before?

Want to walk as a victorious over-comer?

Want to reign in your circumstances, instead of your circumstances ruling you?

Then develop your spiritual strength. Aim to be strong and let that supernatural strength, that sense of stability, that emotional and internal resilience be a product of God’s power and might. Let that strength permeate your life through your ongoing relationship with him.

And remember dear one, regardless of any negative circumstance you may face—you are more than a conqueror. So believe it, declare it, and walk confidently in this truth – today!

 

This Week’s Prayer Focus:

In accordance with Ephesians 6:18, let’s pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ (particularly those who’ve been imprisoned for their faith). Pray that we will be empowered by our relationship with God and will stand firm in the face of any attack by the Enemy.

Remember to protect yourself by putting on your spiritual armour before entering the battlefield of prayer!

 

PRAYER:

Father God in heaven, thank you for making us a partaker of your divine nature. Thank you for granting us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Christ. Thank you for equipping the body of Christ with supernatural weapons of warfare and with an armour that protects us from the onslaught of the Enemy. Help us to be vigilant, to be aware that Satan prowls around seeking to devour our faith and our confidence in you and seeking to prey on our weaknesses.

Lord Jesus, you are the high priest of our confession. We therefore declare with boldness that this year we will not be intimidated by, or slothful about the Enemy’s attacks against us and our loved ones. We declare that we are not ignorant of Satan’s devices and we determine in our hearts not to indulge in the use of carnal weapons but to submit our thoughts, attitudes and actions to the obedience of Christ. We apply the protective power of the blood of Jesus over our minds and over our lives, against which Satan and his cohorts have no immunity.

Lord, we pray for those brothers and sisters in Christ who are suffering persecution for their faith. We ask that you strengthen them with might by your Holy Spirit in their inner being. Cause them to hope in you and may that hope act as an anchor for their soul. Deliver them from evil. Let not the plans of the Enemy prevail against them or their families. Grant them the inner peace that transcends natural understanding.

Thank you Father-God for your goodness and mercy. Thank you for your unfailing compassion. Whether at liberty or imprisoned, we proclaim your sovereignty in the lives of your people and we declare your miraculous power is at work within our lives.

In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

© Carol Hind

 

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Sunday’s Supplications

Sunday’s Supplications invites you to not only read the posts but also participate in the prayers. Each fortnight, I hope to introduce a new theme and prayer focus. You are welcome to print off and use each prayer provided, either verbatim or adapted for your particular circumstance. Even better, you can construct your own prayer and share with others by linking to this post. Please note, you do not have to be a blogger to participate.

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Women of Warfare followers and visitors be blessed and have a wonderful week!

 

CREDIT: The above CC0 image comes courtesy of Pixabay.com

Remember Your First Love?

 

 

Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love (Revelation 2:4 NKJV)

 

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you (James 4:8a NKJV)

 

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and dine with him, and he with Me (Revelations 3:20 NKJV)

 

____________

 

Do you remember the first time you landed that job? Or the first time you were given a responsible role? Or the first time you met your spouse?

Do you remember how excited you were? How committed you were to doing your utmost best? How full of zeal and excitement and plans? Do you remember how you could not stop talking about it, telling others about what you’ve accomplished, or sharing the good news about what has happened to you?

Now cast your mind back to how you felt when you first invited the Lord Jesus Christ to take control of your life. Do you recall your fervour… that incredible feeling of love, joy and gratitude? Well, that’s what is referred to as ‘your first love’ in the above quote.

When you consider how motivated you were then to loving and pleasing God, and measure this against your relationship with him now, how does it compare? Have you cooled down? Become lukewarm, or cold, or completely indifferent?

Once the novelty of a relationship wears off, if we want it to flourish, then we jolly well have to work at it! Neglected relationships deteriorate. As in the natural, so with the spiritual.

We can find ourselves failing to pay full attention to the things of God. We can allow the monotony and minutiae of life to distract us. We can become preoccupied with our daily struggles, disappointments, or desires. And after a while, as the demands of spouse, family, work, social circles and even church life overwhelm us, we may unconsciously, or deliberately, push God to the back burner of our lives.

Yep – He’s right there  – in the background! Of course we love him. Of course we’re “committed” to him. And of course, we’ll certainly call upon him when trouble arises. But once the crisis is over, to the back burner he returns. Instead of Jesus being our consort, he becomes a convenience.

Dear reader,

Dear child of God,

Dear friend or follower,

If we are to make it as a victorious overcomer throughout 2018, then our relationship with God cannot be secondary. It needs to be a priority. And even if you feel your spiritual life is somewhat satisfactory, there is always room for improvement.

If we want to enjoy a notable year of spiritual growth, satisfaction and triumph, then it is imperative that we connect with and stay connected to the three members of the Godhead – our Heavenly Father, His precious Son Jesus, and the Holy Ghost.

So this year, resolve to draw closer to God. Resolve to make seeking God’s face an absolute priority.

 

This Week’s Prayer Focus:

Let’s pray for ourselves as individuals and for the corporate Body of Christ, that we will develop an ever increasing passion for his presence… that we will pursue a closer, deeper and stronger relationship with him.

 

PRAYER:

Father God,

You are worthy of all praise, glory and honour.

What a privilege you have bestowed upon each member of the Body of Christ by adopting us into your family. Thank you for your unconditional love and faithfulness. Forgive us for the many times that we’ve allowed other things to take pre-eminence in our lives.

Father, your Word says that when we draw closer to you, then you will draw closer to us. Honour your promise today. As we seek a closer connection with you and the other members of the Godhead, cause our souls to hunger and thirst for you. Draw us to yourself with unbreakable cords of love. Entwine our hearts into a deeper, richer relationship with you.

Lord God, may we experience an assurance of mind, which enables us to declare (like Paul), that neither tribulation nor distress, persecution or peril, nakedness or famine, will separate us from your love.  And may we, like the psalmist, seek your face and require the manifestation of your awesome presence within our lives, as a vital necessity. May we love you the way you deserve, and as your Word commands—with all of our heart, all of our mind and all of our strength.

We ask this in faith and in the matchless name of Jesus. Amen.

© Carol Hind

 

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Sunday’s Supplications

Sunday’s Supplications invites you to not only read the posts but also participate in the prayers. Each fortnight, I hope to introduce a new theme and prayer focus. You are welcome to print off and use each prayer provided, either verbatim or adapted for your particular circumstance. Even better, you can construct your own prayer and share with others by linking to this post. Please note, you do not have to be a blogger to participate.

 

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

 

 

Quotes of my heart — Manić Teodora

And don’t forget.. You are so much loved.

viau Quotes of my heart — Manić Teodora

 

To every WoW! follower and reader,

I wish you an exceedingly blessed day and weekend.

And to all those who may be hurting, crushed by circumstances, disappointed over dashed dreams, confused about their faith, I pray the love of God will be revealed afresh to you, the intercession of Christ will bring release and liberty and the comfort of His Holy Spirit will minister grace and hope for your future. Amen.

Friends, followers, forlorn ones – you are loved unconditionally! 💖

I hope these quotes will bless and encourage you.

💖 💖 💖 💖 💖 💖 💖

 

CREDIT: CC0 image comes courtesy of Pixabay.com

 

 

 

You are not a victim!

Today I saw a youtube video that called to mind Peter’s stark warning to all Christians. He said:

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour

(1 Peter 5:8 KJV)

But praise God! We need not fear.

This is the video which inspired today’s post.

 

Granted our personal situation may not be as dramatic and heart-stopping as the baby bear’s but we would do well to take heed of Peter’s warning in the quote above.

Thank God that should we fail to be vigilant, should we feel our circumstances have us hopelessly cornered, when we have the presence of mind to cry out for help, or we seek to stand our ground against the Enemy, our Heavenly Father is quick to respond.

So remember dear Women of Warfare followers and readers, whether you are the target of relentless opposition, or whatever difficulties you may be facing – you are not a victim!

 

 

Put the Fire Out — BeautyBeyondBones

I have a confession: one that I’m really not proud of. But tonight at church, and really for the last couple weeks, I honestly have just felt…nothing. It’s like I’ve been spiritually numb. But tonight was different. I was actually getting angry. I was sitting in the pew, and just inexplicably fuming, being critical of […]

via Put the Fire Out — BeautyBeyondBones

Dear readers,

I wanted to share this post with you today as an illustration of my belief that every day we are presented with a choice – will we grapple with life as victims, or soar over our circumstances as victorious over-comers?

When life doesn’t run as perfectly as we’d like, it’s easy to blame God, or others, even ourselves. But when we do so, we garb ourselves with the debilitating cloak of victimhood.

Prayer, praise and pressing through that temptation to sulk, wilt, complain or despair, is hard work and excruciating to our flesh but it forges a path to victory, it silences the Enemy of our souls and it is glorifying to God!

Have a blessed week!

Press into Passion

 

Last week, we looked at the heart-breaking truth of people who for some reason cannot accept the reality of God, yet desperately wish they could. We learned through the testimony of one man that there are agnostics who wish they could believe, who wish they could experience the comfort and confidence that our faith in God provides.

Which brings me to today’s theme.

Often, as Christians, we can take our faith, our salvation for granted. Sometimes we fail to appreciate what we have.

Relationships take hard work. We know this from our own experience with others—whether it’s a family member, a partner, a work colleague, a neighbour. And so when it comes to our relationship with God, things are no different. We have to work at it!

Now the Bible reminds us that sometimes we can allow affection for God and our commitment to things relating to his kingdom, to slide. Other things get in the way. Other things become a priority.

In Revelation 3:14-22 we read that the Laodicean church received a grave warning. They’d become blasé and lukewarm about their faith and their walk with God. Not cold. Not hot. Lukewarm. And God was having none of it.

Priscilla Shirer in her excellent book Fervent  suggests that stealing our passion for God is a deliberate tactic of Satan. She says when our passion dims, our resistance to temptation is lowered, whilst our discouragement levels heighten. When passion dims, our faith in God is weakened.

Again, if you’ve ever read though the entire Bible, you will be aware that there were instances in the history of the Children of Israel when they served God with all their heart. But there were also times when they allowed themselves to be drawn away from their vows of adoration, commitment and faith. Despite all the miracles they witnessed. Despite all the victories they experienced. Despite the many instances of God’s miraculous provision.

And so we can see clearly that even though we are committed, born-again Christians, as human beings, we are prone to making the same mistakes as the Children of Israel and members of the Laodicean church.

So let me ask, where are you in this regard? When you look back to the days when you first committed your life to Christ and compare it to now, has your love for God increased, or diminished?

If the latter, recognise that whilst you do have a responsibility for where you are at in your relationship with God, you also have an Enemy, who is actively seeking to break your focus, undermine your faith, and sabotage your relationship with the Lord.

So, what should you and I do when we examine our lives and note we are not where we should be in terms of our relationship with God?

We should:

• Recognise
• Resist
• Re-connect

Recognise our state. Recognise the danger.

Resist the Enemy. Resist our own petty inclinations.

Re-connect to God. Reconnect with the spiritual resources and godly people, which help to fuel our passion for the Lord.

Dear believer, there are people out there who envy what you have in terms of your relationship with God—so cherish it, nurture it, celebrate it!

 

This Week’s Prayer Focus:

For ourselves. For our brothers and sisters in Christ. That depending on where we are in our relationship with God, our passion will increase, or be rekindled.

 

Father God,

I am so thankful that you are who you are. I am thankful that you are an unchanging God and that your love for me is everlasting and unconditional. You deserve that I reciprocate this love.

I want to obey your command and love you with all of my heart, mind, soul and strength. Forgive me for the times when I fail to do so. Forgive me for the times when I allow other things, other people to take first place in my life. Help me to recognise quickly when my commitment to you has waned, and whenever this happens, create a fervent desire within me to rectify this.

Father God, I recognise that I cannot maintain my passion for you, for the things pertaining to your kingdom, in my own strength and ability. It is you who works within me to both will and fulfil your good pleasure, satisfaction and delight.

Lord God, I don’t want to be cold. I certainly don’t want to be lukewarm. Help me to emulate those people in the Bible such as King David, or St. Paul, whose passion for you and commitment to your purpose remained constant.

Heavenly Father, just as I pray for myself, I wish to pray for my brothers and sisters in Christ, particularly those amongst my readership. I ask that you create within them a strong, steadfast spirit. I ask that you open their eyes, so that they may see and recognise every attempt by the Enemy to sabotage their faith in, and relationship with, you. I ask that you grant them the ability and the tenacity to resist Satan’s tactics within and against their lives.

Father God, if disappointment, discouragement, disillusionment, or disinterest has set in, I ask right now that you break through the lies and false accusations of the Enemy and enable those affected to refocus their thoughts upon the truths of your Word. I ask that you minister hope, assurance, comfort and peace to their souls. I ask that you renew the passion and commitment they once enjoyed. I ask that you both remind and influence them to wear their spiritual armour, so that they can protect themselves from the fiery darts of the Enemy.

Father God, we thank you for your daily mercies and ongoing patience. May we be ever grateful to you for your goodness and loving-kindness and may we not take your grace and our salvation for granted.

In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

© Carol Hind

 

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Sunday’s Supplications

Sunday’s Supplications invites you to not only read the posts but also participate in the prayers. Each week, I hope to introduce a new theme and prayer focus. You are welcome to print off and use each prayer provided, either verbatim or adapted for your particular circumstance. Even better, you can construct your own prayer and share with others by linking to this post. Please note, you do not have to be a blogger to participate.

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Women of Warfare followers and readers have a wonderful week!

 

CREDIT: The above CC0 image comes courtesy of Gordon Johnson at Pixabay.com

Quit Mourning and Move On!

 

Are you crying and obsessing over spilt milk?

If so, where has that got you so far?

Just think about this for a moment, will you?

My guess is that whatever has happened to you in the past, whatever injustice you have suffered, whatever unfortunate happening has occurred, if you have spent days, weeks, months, years, obsessing over that situation, it has not changed your circumstance by one iota!

Am I right?

So why do we do this?

Why do we repeat negative thought and behaviour patterns that have proven over time to be non-effective, even perhaps self-destructive?

May I encourage you dear reader? May I suggest something to you that might seem challenging?

Get over it! Move on!

Dear reader, I am not being harsh or unfeeling and I am not being unsympathetic. Believe me, I’m speaking firstly to myself and then to whoever happens to be reading this post, to whom my message may apply.

Move on!

• Quit mourning
• Quit obsessing
• Quit cursing, nursing and rehearsing

 

Quit mourning:

I get it. You feel bereaved.

Someone’s words or actions have left you feeling angry, or bereft, even savaged. And you are hurting over that sense of loss.

• Do you acknowledge what happened? Yes!
• Do you allow it to be your focus, to the point that it immobilises you? No!

 

Quit obsessing:

Stop nursing the hurt or outrage. Stop revisiting the scenario in your mind. Stop allowing it to haunt your waking moments, your get-into-bed routine. Stop examining in minute detail what was said or done, how it made you feel, how you wish you could make that person pay for what they did, or how their words, their actions, have left you feeling used and abused, or rendered you bottom-of-the-barrel in the estimation of others.

• Are you not permitted to be open and transparent about how you feel? Yes!
• Should you begin to manipulate the responses of others toward those who’ve hurt you? No!

 

Quit cursing, nursing and rehearsing:

Refrain from rueing the day you ever got involved with so-and-so. Stop wishing God will take vengeance—on your terms! Stop vowing to never speak to that person again, or deciding I will never, ever allow myself to be hurt in that way again.

And definitely, absolutely, stop talking about it in negative terms to other people. Stop filling the ears of friends and loved ones with “tales of the un-respected”. Stop inviting others to share your biased view point.

Stop being a victim!

 

A change is as good as a rest!

So what should we do if we consider ourselves to be a victim of someone’s malicious gossip, spite, or unwarranted attack?

In the natural realm, whenever we’ve sustained wounds, whenever we experience a debilitating or potentially harmful condition, we take appropriate action. We seek expert advice and assistance.

And, if we’ve applied corrective measures, if we’ve been operated upon, we require recuperation. We allow time for a full recovery.

Now during this period, how well do you think we’d recover, if we kept removing the bandages, or undid our stitches and began poking around in our wounds?

How do you think we’d be received, if we invited everyone we knew to look at our sores, or examine our scars, again and again?

Woman of God, what if you should find yourself in need of surgery, or some other form of medical intervention? Would you think or believe that you will never recover, regain strength, return to your normal self? Of course not!

You trust the surgeon. You believe the prescribed medication will do its job. You know if you adjust your lifestyle and obey the expert’s directions, you will eventually bounce back.

In fact, dear woman of God, if in the natural, you did sustain a sore or serious wound, would you not apply salve, or seek appropriate assistance in order to alleviate pain and encourage healing? Would you not consider it irresponsible to allow it to fester unattended?

So why not apply this same way of thinking when it comes to your emotional hurts and wounds?

 

Women of God – Apply that Spiritual Salve!

Biblical truth reveals:

…he (Jesus) was wounded and bruised for our sins. He was beaten that we might have peace; he was lashed—and we were healed!

(Isaiah 53:5 The Living Bible)

So who is the expert when it comes to inner hurts?

Jesus!

Who can and has prescribed the correct spiritual remedy for your specific ailment?

Our Father-God!

Who can assist you in your recovery programme?

The Holy Spirit!

 

Do you believe this? Then may I encourage you dear reader to accept the opportunity for inner healing that Jesus’ blood has purchased for you? May I encourage you to take advantage of the wonderful and FREE spiritual resources that have been made available to us as children of God?

What are those resources?

• Prayer.
• The Word of God.
• The person of the Holy Spirit.

Dear women of warfare, I am not only seeking to encourage you to increase your prayer life, pray fervently and effectively, I am also wanting to encourage those to whom it is appropriate, to adopt better behavioural patterns, so that we are not stumbling through life as walking wounded women (victims) but living as authentic, spiritual overcomers (victors).

I am seeking to inspire you to imitate Jesus, trust your Father-God and co-operate with the Holy Spirit.

As women of God, let’s rise up to the level of thinking and acting that enables us to experience abundant life—the life for which Christ so cruelly suffered, in order that we might freely enjoy.

Are you with me?

Then let’s start by making a personal pact with ourselves. Let’s quit mourning about what cannot be undone. Let’s stop obsessing over the whys and the wherefores… the he said this and she did that… the if only… blah blah blah.

After all, if it’s not changing the situation, if it’s only entrenching us in ungodly and self-harming paradigms, leading us into self-sabotaging re-actions—is it not foolish to continue engaging with such pernicious ways of thinking and behaving?

Women of Warfare followers and visitors – arise and shine! Let’s make a quality decision to allow the love and power of God to become our focus, so that his glory can be seen upon us and can be manifested both within and through our lives.

From now on, let’s make a decision to quit mourning and moaning about the past and move on.

Let those in agreement, say aye or Amen!

 

SELF-SCRUTINY

Do I enjoy playing the victim, or am I willing to change?

 

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If you know anyone to whom this message may be timely, please don’t hesitate to share it. Have you found this post helpful? Let me know what aspects resonated with you, or what your response is to my message. Thank you for your time.

 

CREDIT: the above CC0 image comes courtesy of Pixabay.com

 

Do You Know God’s Will? (Part 2)

 

Hello friends, followers and visitors – how have you been doing this week? I hope you are growing and flourishing in the will of God.

Last week, we looked at understanding the will of God. A big subject when you consider we serve a BIG God. But you know something? God does not hide his will, his plan and purpose from us. He does not make it impossible for us to discover.

Nor does he require us to have a phenomenal brain, or super-human intellect, or something which is available only to the rich or supremely successful person, in order to access this information.

If you are a child of God (i.e. if you have been spiritually “born-again”) then you have Christ living within you, you have God’s Holy Spirit alongside you, and you have the Word of God, to help you know, understand and fulfil God’s good, acceptable and perfect will.

Last week we looked at the definition of understanding according to Chambers 21^st Century Dictionary. Two of these definitions were:

• The act of understanding or the ability to understand
• Someone’s perception or interpretation of information received

We also considered God’s command to us through Paul:

Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Ephesians 5:17 (NKJV)

 

We can see then that understanding the will of God must be something accessible to us as children of God, since our Father-God is fair and just and would not ask of us something that’s impossible.

So, if there is an issue regarding our understanding of what God wants, it would seem to be a problem with our knowledge, or our perception, even our interpretation of the information that we have at our disposal.

 

First things First!

Going back to God’s command to us in Ephesians, note that it begins with asking us not to be unwise. This suggests to me that in order to know the will of God, we need wisdom. Further, I believe that this wisdom has to be the supernatural wisdom of God, not the secular wisdom of this world.

We cannot operate the things of God with the tools of the world. Anything concerning the realm of God requires the resources of God.

So how do we get this wisdom?

We ask!

From James 1:5 we learn that if we lack supernatural wisdom, we can do something about it. We can ask God, who will not only supply us with the required wisdom but also grant us a liberal portion.

We see evidence of this truth in King Solomon’s life, who was dubbed the wisest man that ever lived.

In 1 Kings 3:3-15, we learn that Solomon felt inadequate for his role as king. And so, when God appears to him in a dream and invites him to ask for whatever he desires, Solomon asks for wisdom and understanding, in order to effectively fulfil God’s will and call on his life—to rule the nation of Israel.

Guess what? Solomon received his request in an abundant measure!

Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing… behold I have done according to your words; see I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you…”

1 Kings 3:11-12 (NKJV)

Dear reader, if you do not know, or are unsure of what God’s will is, have you asked him? Have you asked for his wisdom?

 

What next?

Having established that in order to know the will of God, we require the wisdom of God, what comes next?

I believe having a basic understanding of God’s nature and modus operandi, correctly interpreting the information we have regarding the principles of his kingdom and his intention toward us, is key.

Someone can “know” 2 and 2 makes 4, because they’ve learned it by rote but, if you do not know the basic rules of maths, you will not understand why 2 and 2 makes 4, and will therefore not be able to apply this mathematical rule outside of what you have learned by rote. To someone who does not know this basic rule they could easily interpret the information (2 + 2) as 22.

In the same way, we can “know” (i.e. make a cerebral calculation) about God but, if we don’t have a revelation, a spiritual understanding of who He is, then we can come up with a wrong interpretation.

Take for instance the parable of the talents. The two men who’d been given 2 or 5 talents, understood that their Lord’s will was for them to increase the potential of what they’d been given. However, the one who was given one talent did not. He had a completely wrong perception of his master, did not discern his will correctly, or else did not care to recognise and honour it. He therefore buried what he had been given.

When we do not know, when we fail to understand, or refuse to submit to God’s will, the end result is unfulfilled potential.

(To be continued…)

 

This Week’s Prayer Focus:

This week, let’s consider those areas of our lives where we would benefit from the supernatural wisdom of God. Perhaps it is so we can do our jobs better, bringing creative solutions to problems. Perhaps it is so we can enjoy better relationships with our loved ones. Perhaps it is simply knowing the best thing to do, or the right path to take in a given situation.

Dear believers, in order to walk as victorious overcomers, we need to be in tune with God’s will.  Let’s be bold. Let’s ask for wisdom and understanding in faith and be assured in our hearts that we are capable of discerning God’s will for our lives.

And you know what I’m about to say now, right?

Yep! Don’t forget to put on your spiritual armour!

 

Father God,

Your Word tells me that the wisdom of this world is foolishness to you. It also tells me that this world’s wisdom is earthly, sensual and devilish. I therefore do not wish to operate in this world’s wisdom. I want to operate in the wisdom that comes from above, which is pure, peaceable, without partiality and hypocrisy.

Father, your Word also counsels me not to be unwise but to understand what your will is. Lord, grant me godly wisdom, so that I may know, understand and fulfil your perfect will for my life.

Merciful Father, I bring before you all members of the Body of Christ who are represented amongst my readership. I pray for them in accordance with Ephesians 6:18. I ask first of all that you divinely protect them and their loved ones as they go about their lives. Deliver them from evil. Protect them from danger. Remove them from the paths of harm.

I now ask Father God that you kindle within each one of your children, an increasing desire to know and fully understand your will. Continue to work within our hearts, so that we might both desire to know and obediently submit to your will. Not just now and again, or when the mood suits, or when a crisis dictates but consistently, faithfully.

Lord God, let not the will of the Enemy, or the will of unscrupulous men, or even our own selfish wills prevail in our lives. But let your good, your acceptable and your perfect will be fulfilled, both within and through our lives.

I ask in faith and in the matchless name of your Son, Jesus. Amen.

© Carol Hind

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Sunday’s Supplications

Sunday’s Supplications invites you to not only read the posts but also participate in the prayers. Each week, I hope to introduce a new theme and prayer focus. You are welcome to print off and use each prayer provided, either verbatim or adapted for your particular circumstance. Even better, you can construct your own prayer and share with others by linking to this post. Please note, you do not have to be a blogger to participate.

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Women of Warfare followers and visitors have a peaceful and victorious week!

 

CREDIT: the above CC0 image comes courtesy of Nähe Bonne at Pixabay.com

A World of Woes

 

Sunday’s Supplications

Sunday’s Supplications invites you to not only read the posts but also participate in the prayers. Each week, I hope to introduce a new theme and prayer focus. You are welcome to print off and use each prayer provided, either verbatim or adapted for your particular circumstance. Even better, you can construct your own prayer and share with others by linking to this post. Please note, you do not have to be a blogger to participate.

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A Litany of Deadly Disasters

• 22 March 2017 – United Kingdom: terrorist attack takes place near Palace of Westminster (van and stabbing).
• 22 May 2017 – United Kingdom: terrorist attack in Manchester, following a concert (suicide bomb).
• 3 June 2017 – United Kingdom: terrorist attack at London Bridge and Borough Street Market (van and stabbing).
• 14 June 2017 – United Kingdom: devastating fire at Grenfell Tower (irresponsible policies, greed and cost-cutting).
• 12 August 2017 – United States of America: clash at white supremacists’ rally in Charlottesville results in death of a protestor (vehicle)
• 14 August 2017 – Sierra Leone: capital city buried under mudslide leaving hundreds homeless and approx 300 dead (catastrophic flooding raises risk of cholera).
• 17 August 2017 – Barcelona: terrorist attack against tourists in famous boulevard, Las Ramblas (van)
• 17 August 2017 – Barcelona – further attack when pedestrians at a seaside resort in Cambrils were critically injured (car)
• 18 August 2017 – Finland: terrorist attacks upon women in the streets of Turku (stabbing).

What next? Where next? Who next?

 

A Reminder of God’s Word

Are you fearful? Concerned about your loved ones? Afraid to go to work, walk the streets, holiday abroad, enjoy your liberty?

I admit to having my fears and concerns.

Listen to what the Word of God says:

You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,

Nor of the arrow that flies by day,

Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,

Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.

(Psalm 91:5-6 NKJV)

 

 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.

(2 Chronicles 16:9 NKJV)

 

He frustrates the devices of the crafty,

So that their hands cannot carry out their plans.

(Job 5:12 NKJV)

 

A call to prayer

Are you concerned about what the world is coming to? Outraged by the ever increasing atrocities? Grieved at the pointless loss of so many lives?

O my soul, my soul!

I am pained in my very heart!

My heart makes a noise in me;

I cannot hold my peace,

Because you have heard, O my soul,

The sound of the trumpet,

The alarm of war.

(Jeremiah 4:19 NJKV)

 

I doubt there are many readers who have not been affected in some way by the feeling of utter helplessness regarding current affairs, the pathetic plight of disaster victims and the overwhelming sense of darkness in our world.

But there is good news dear one! There is one who is not helpless. There is one who is not overwhelmed. There is one whom we can call upon for divine protection. There is one to whom we can appeal for mercy. There is one to whom we can turn for miraculous intervention.

But are we too complacent, too preoccupied with personal problems to even bother? Are we too intimidated by the Enemy to petition our God?

Dear reader, have you heard the alarm, God’s siren call to prayer? (See 2 Chronicles 7:14).

 

This Week’s Prayer Focus:

Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to strengthen and comfort those who have lost loved ones through tragic circumstances. Let’s pray for divine protection for ourselves and our loved ones. Let’s call on our Father-God for mercy and deliverance from the evil plans of men, from the diabolical schemes of Satan.

WARNING: Do not enter this particular battle without first applying the protection of the blood of Jesus and putting on your spiritual armour!

 

Abba Father,

I want to thank you for your unfailing grace and mercy. I want to thank you for your Word that directs me not to fear or to be afraid, since you are with me and you are my God. O Lord God, when my heart feels overwhelmed lead me to your rock of peace, envelop me with your awesome presence.

I ask Father-God that you grant me and my loved ones divine protection in accordance with Psalm 91 and I ask that you extend that protection to the lives of those amongst my blog followers and readers. Deliver us from evil Father-God.

Heavenly Father, remember those who have lost family members and loved ones in recent tragedies. I ask that you strengthen them during their time of sorrow. Deliver them from overwhelming despair. Shield them from bitterness, or condemnation, even hatred. Let not the will of the Enemy prevail in their lives. Comfort their hearts as they grieve and may they experience a peace that surpasses natural understanding.

Merciful God, we lift up our nations to you. We ask that you forgive our collective sins, which have opened the door to the Enemy. We ask that you have mercy upon us as individuals and corporately as a people. We ask that you disappoint the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their evil enterprise. Summon your power O God and subjugate both our spiritual and mortal enemies.

Jehovah-Shalom, orchestrate peace and safety within our borders. We are persuaded that there is nothing too difficult for you, nothing impossible to you and we believe you have not only heard our petitions but you are also able to grant our requests.

We therefore ask in the matchless and mighty name of Jesus and thank you in anticipation of your goodness. Amen.

© Carol Hind

 

Women of Warfare followers and visitors may the Lord bless and keep you safe and grant you his peace during the coming weeks.

 

CREDIT: the above image comes courtesy of Getty images

Pursue a Love Relationship

 

Sunday’s Supplications

Sunday’s Supplications invites you to not only read the posts but also participate in the prayers. Each week, I hope to introduce a new theme and prayer focus. You are welcome to print off and use each prayer provided, either verbatim or adapted for your particular circumstance. Even better, you can construct your own prayer and share with others by linking to this post. Please note, you do not have to be a blogger to participate.

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Embed from Getty Images

 

I love the Lord, because He has heard

My voice and my supplications.

Because He has inclined His ear to me,

Therefore I will call upon Him

As long as I live.

(Psalms 116:1-2 NKJV)

 

Do you love the Lord?

Really love him that is – not just have an affection for him, not just feel a fondness for him, not just have a religious fervour regarding him which is only acted upon at church, whenever you choose to attend.

Do you love God beyond what you may articulate with your lips? Do you demonstrate that love with your lifestyle?

To love God is to obey him – John 14:15

To love God is to trust him – 1 John 4:18

To love God is to yield to his Word, his ways and his will – Deuteronomy 10:12

Dear reader, perhaps you used to love God but you’ve left your first love (see Revelations 2:4), i.e. you’ve abandoned your original commitment and allegiance to him, you’ve become lukewarm spiritually.

Perhaps the fervent love you once had for God, for his Son, Jesus, for the things pertaining to God’s kingdom has now lost its spiritual vitality and deteriorated into a religious routine.

Dear Women of Warfare visitor, there is no better position in life, no safer place to be than to find yourself firmly ensconced within the loving arms and nurturing bosom of our dear Father-God.

When you love the Lord your God, with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, when you seek intimate fellowship with him, Psalm 91:14-16 promises the following benefits:

• Deliverance
• Safety and divine protection
• Promotion
• Answers to prayer
• A concerned response to your cries for help
• A long, satisfying life

Now who doesn’t want, or need these things?

 

This Week’s Prayer Focus:

Do you need to give yourself a spiritual health check-up?

Do you know someone who used to have a passion for the Lord and the kingdom of God but has either fallen away completely, or has become backslidden in their heart?

Let’s pray both for ourselves and for those who have wandered from God’s pathway.

(Prayer warriors and interns – remember to put on your spiritual armour before entering the battlefield!)

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Dear merciful and ever-loving father,

I want to thank you that your arms are always open in welcome towards your children. I want to thank you for your open invitation to visit your throne-room and make my requests and petitions to you.

Lord God, my heart’s desire is to love you wholeheartedly and without distraction. I ask that you search my heart, that you remove any areas of fickleness from within me. I ask that you continue to guide and establish me in your paths of right-thinking and right-living.

Father-God, hear my petition today. Watch over the lives of my brothers and sisters in Christ, who are among my blog followers and visitors. Grant my request that you stir up within each one an increasing hunger and passion to know you and regularly fellowship with you.

I pray for those sons and daughters within the circle of our influence, who once knew you, who once served you but have left your path of life and light. I ask that you turn their hearts back to you.

Deliver them from the captivity of the Enemy, who has blinded their heart, mind and understanding. Deliver them from the snares of materialism, self-gratification and pride of life. Open their spiritual eyes that they may see and appreciate the reality of sin’s corrosive world of darkness, which both woos and envelops them. Deliver them from every plan, scheme and strategy of Satan designed to further entrap them.

Loving Father-God, deliver your backslidden children from the evil clutches of the Enemy. Cause the glorious light of your gospel to shine once again in their hearts and steer them towards your highway of holiness.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

© Carol Hind

 

There’s absolutely no obligation to do so but if you are committed to revitalizing your prayer life, if you have prayed the above prayer (or any of the Sunday’s Supplication prayers), please let me know in the comment box below or via my Contact Page. I’d love to hear from you.

Women of Warfare followers and visitors, may this week find you drawing ever closer to God.

 

CREDIT: the above image comes courtesy of Getty Images

Whether Broken Hearts or Celestial Spheres…

 

PRAISE PRAYER & WORSHIP WEDNESDAY

During my quiet time this morning, I was reflecting on a facet of God’s amazing greatness.

You see the evening before, I’d been feeling tired and demotivated. And even though I felt I should get up from my settee and do something constructive towards my goals, after a long day at work, I just didn’t feel like doing anything. I had neither the energy nor the inclination. And so I gave in to my feelings.

As I prepared to spend time in God’s presence the following morning, I thought about how God never gets tired and his interest in us never wanes. It caused me to be thankful that he is who he is and that I can depend upon him to always be the same.

Today I want to give my Father God thanks and praise because no matter how I feel, no matter what I have done (or not done), no matter whether I feel too tired, or too discouraged to spend time with him, He will never change!

He will always love me. He will always welcome me into his presence.

Our God will never be too busy to hear our prayers (or our complaints). He will never be too cross or offended, to care about our needs.

Psalm 147:3-4 tells us that:

1. He heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds
2. He counts the number of stars and calls them all by name.

 

Now that set me thinking. I wondered, what is the connection between wounded hearts and stars?

The answer that came to my heart was this:

Whether a matter is great or small, nothing escapes God’s notice. It may be as hidden and seemingly insignificant as a broken heart, or as conspicuous and majestic as the stars, God notices. And whilst we may look up and just see a mass of stars, God looks and sees individual celestial bodies. He knows how many there are and he even names them.

Beloved reader, he sees you. He cares about you more than you can ever comprehend.

What a wonderful, wonderful God we serve. Is he not worthy of our heartfelt praise?

 

Praise:

Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;

And His greatness is unsearchable.

(Psalm 145:3)

 

Prayer:

Dear Father God,

How wonderful you are. You are beyond comprehension. It’s just mind-boggling to know that one so great, so perfect, so holy would deign to love a fickle, imperfect and sinful people. Thank you for reaching down and offering us a new life on a higher plane.

Open our eyes Lord that we might see you in the beauty of your holiness, that we might appreciate your greatness and glory. Open our hearts Lord that we might love and worship you the way you truly deserve.

Amen.

 

Worship:

 

 

 Women of Warfare followers and visitors have a blessed week!

 

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Credits: CC0 Images used are courtesy of Pixabay.com

 

A Spiritual Gauntlet!

Sunday’s Supplications (4)

A command:

Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men

(1 Timothy 2:1 NKJV)

 

An inquiry:

Who did you pray for today?

Who did you pray for last week?

Who do you pray for regularly?

Do you enjoy a dynamic, effective and ongoing prayer life?

 

An invitation:

Sunday Supplications invites you to not only read the posts but also participate in the prayers. Each week, I hope to introduce a new theme and prayer focus. You are welcome to print off and use each prayer provided, either verbatim or adapted for your particular circumstance. Even better, you can construct your own prayer and share with others by linking to this post. Please note, you do not have to be a blogger to participate.

 

A specific purpose:

The aim of this feature is to:

• encourage you to pray regularly
• increase your confidence in prayer and
• develop a praying community.

 

In Matthew 6:5-6, Jesus did not say “…if you pray” but “when you pray…”. To my mind, this means he expected his followers to pray.

 

I’m aware that there are all sorts of misunderstandings and misconceptions about prayer. I’m hoping this feature will help to dispel any myths you may entertain regarding this spiritual exercise. I’m hoping to motivate people to pray regularly and demonstrate how natural the act of prayer is, and how vital it is to our relationship with God and to fulfilling our responsibility to fellow members of His family.

 

A call to commitment:

Now commitment phobes, please don’t run scared. I am challenging myself and other Christian believers to step-up the quality of their prayer lives. As the saying goes: “two is better than one”. So think how much more effective, how much more supportive a prayer network (particularly a global prayer network) will be.

I can understand any reluctance to commit, or concern about letting anyone down. So here’s the deal. If you do decide to engage with this initiative, if you do decide to upgrade your prayer life, your decision can be between you and God alone—unless of course you choose to go public and share with the WoW community! But dear believer, I am asking you to make that commitment – a commitment to honour Christ’s expectation of his followers, a commitment to obey Paul’s direction in Ephesians 6:18, a commitment to pray.

You may sometimes fail to follow through. You may often find that you lack discipline, or the inclination. Your Father-God understands. In fact, the Word of God records Jesus as saying: “the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak”. So whilst you are forming, or renewing, or increasing your prayer habit, commit to whatever you feel comfortable with— a week at a time, a month, 6 months, or a year. Renew your commitment as and when you like. It is entirely up to you. I will not be holding anyone to account.

 

A spiritual gauntlet

Are you new to praying regularly?

Does your prayer life lack consistency, or authority and fervour?

Then I’m throwing down a spiritual gauntlet. I’m challenging you to do something about it NOW!

Don’t feel intimidated or overwhelmed. Tackle this prayer undertaking one step at a time. You don’t even have to find your own words, if that worries you. Simply pray the prepared prayer provided. I only ask that you pray it daily or weekly—not out of a sense of duty, not as an empty exercise, but with fervent sincerity.

By doing so, I believe your prayer life will change. By doing so, I believe your confidence in God will increase. By doing so, I believe your spiritual life and authority will move up a notch or two because obedience to God brings rich rewards.

Potential prayer warriors and interns, welcome aboard. Let’s build a vibrant praying community together.

One last thing, don’t forget to put on your spiritual armour before entering the battlefield!

 

This Week’s Prayer Focus:

Can we forget our natural inclinations to care only about me, myself and mine?

Can we pay heed to Paul’s instruction to Timothy and begin to pray for all men? I’m sure I don’t have to remind you that this reference includes women and children also! The more people that participate, the wider the coverage and the greater the impact.

This week, let’s focus on the men, women and children of our neighbourhoods, of our church communities, of our nations.

May God motivate his people all over this world to offer heartfelt supplications on behalf of others around them, and may he use these petitions to effect miraculous changes within the hearts and lives of individuals, including ourselves.

 

Lord God Almighty,

Even though you are sovereign, even though you possess all power and might, even though you have revealed your will for all men to enjoy an abundant life, perpetual peace and spiritual well-being, you have given us a free-will.

Father God, we are sorry for the times we have exercised our will contrary to your ways. We are sorry that in doing so, we have made a mess of our lives and of our world. We are sorry and we admit that we cannot conduct our lives appropriately, or guide ourselves onto the paths of our pre-ordained destiny, without your help. We ask that you come and take control. We invite you to come and bring order to our homes, to our communities, to our nations. We ask that you heal this world.

Come and change the hearts of men, women and children that are ignorant of, or antagonistic towards your holy Word, your wholesome ways and your perfect will. Lord God, touch the lives of your people whom you have called into your kingdom. Enlighten the eyes of our understanding and empower us to serve you and one another with unfeigned love and devotion.

Father God, we commit this appeal into your capable hands. We believe that there is nothing too difficult for you to do. We believe you have heard our prayers and therefore thank you for granting our requests. Amen.

© Carol Hind

 

Women of Warfare followers and visitors, have a wonderful and peace-filled week.

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Now there’s absolutely no obligation to do so but if you are committing to upgrade your prayer life, if you have prayed the above prayer (or any of the Sunday Supplication prayers), please let me know in the comment box below. Thank you.

CREDIT: the above CC0 image comes courtesy of Marcia bispo Bença at Pixabay.com

Choosing a Journey of Joy

 

There was a song I used to sing in Sunday school that went something like this:

I’ve got joy, joy, joy, joy

Down in my heart,

Down in my heart,

Down in my heart,

Yes – I’ve got joy, joy, joy, joy

Down in my heart,

Down in my heart today.

 

As mentioned above, I used to sing it in Sunday school, yet if the truth be known, I really didn’t know what joy was. I suppose I thought it was just another word for happiness. I now know better.

I’ve since learned that joy is an ingredient of the fruit of the Spirit (see Galatians 5:22). I therefore now understand that JOY in the biblical sense can only be experienced by those who are born-again (i.e. who have committed their lives into God’s hands and accepted Jesus as their saviour and invited him to be their Lord).

Even so, I still didn’t have a full grasp of what JOY is, or what it looked like, other than I believed it was a higher, deeper expression of happiness.

Well, I recently came across a wonderful and insightful definition of this quality.

Bob and Debbie Gass, writers of UCB Word for Today  shares the following:

• Happiness is external
• Joy is internal
• Happiness depends on outward circumstances
• Joy depends on inward character
• Happiness depends on what happens to us
• Joy depends on who lives within us
• Happiness is based on chance
• Joy is based on choice.

Now it is obvious to me that happiness is an unstable emotion because it fluctuates. The pursuit of joy is therefore a wiser move. Why? Because Jesus says that the joy he gives, is a joy that remains:

These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.

(John 15:11 NKJV)

 

As a woman of God, desirous of reigning in life through the power of Christ and aiming to walk each day as a victorious overcomer, I’m making a conscious decision to choose joy.

What do you choose?

 

CREDIT: CC0 image from Pixabay.com 

The darkness you have been through

Your Spiritual Confidante

 

Sunday’s Supplications (3)

Embed from Getty Images

 

⁶I am weary with my groaning;

All night I make my bed swim;

I drench my couch with my tears.

 

⁹…the Lord has heard the voice

of my weeping.

The Lord has heard my

supplication;

The Lord will receive my prayer.

(Psalm 6:6, 9 NKJV)

 

In the above quote, we read of David’s distress about his circumstances. What I love about this man is his total honesty. He does not say that he shed a few tears. He uses language that reveals his utter desolation and sense of hopelessness. His relationship with God is such that he feels able to be totally transparent and vulnerable.

Despite David’s despair, at some point during his communication with God, he receives an assurance that the Lord has heard his tears, heard his supplication and received his prayer.

Dear reader, let me ask you a question – do you have such a relationship with God that when you pray, you are confident he has heard you?

It is obvious from the Psalms that David’s relationship with God was of utmost importance to him. No wonder God declared: ‘…I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart…’ (Acts 13:22 NKJV)

Fast forward through the pages of scripture and we meet another man, who is often referred to as the one whom Jesus loved (see John 13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7, 20). This same disciple wrote:

Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

(1 John 5:14-15 NKJV)

 

What is the thing that these two men of God from completely different eras share? It is their supreme confidence that God hears their prayers. And that confidence comes from maintaining a close relationship with the Lord.

And so let me ask another question:

How confident are you that God hears your prayers?

Women of Warfare readers, let me assure you today that we serve a God who hears and answers prayers.

 

This Week’s Prayer Focus:

Let us pray for ourselves and for one another that we will have a strong relationship with God, which leads to a heartfelt assurance that he hears our prayers.

PS: Don’t forget to put on your spiritual armour before entering the battlefield of prayer!

 

Father God,

I want to thank you for making me worthy to come into your holy presence. I want to thank you for granting me the privilege of entering into your throne room. I want to thank you for the precious blood of your Son, Jesus, which enables me to fellowship with you without fear or condemnation.

Lord God, you began this relationship when you bestowed your unconditional love upon me, when you accepted me into your family. I want to love you with all of my heart, soul and mind – the way you deserve and the way you command. I ask that you stir up within me an ever increasing desire to know you, to fellowship with you, to please and obey you.

Father God, I commit into your hands my brothers and sisters in Christ represented among the followers of, and visitors to this blog. I ask that during the days, weeks and months ahead you draw them into a closer relationship with you. And, as they draw near to you, I thank you for your promise that you will draw even nearer to them. I ask that this closeness will grant them complete confidence that you hear their prayers, that you are concerned about their welfare, that you are able to cause all things that occur in their lives to work together for their good, their benefit and their blessing.

Thank you for hearing my prayer and granting this request, which I ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.

© Carol Hind

 

Dear reader, God awaits you in his throne-room – will you keep that appointment, or will you be a “no show”?

Have a blessed week!

 

Strength of A Butterfly — The Ninth Life

Don’t let what you have gone through define you. But allow the lessons learned to teach, mold, and guide you to who you were meant to be! With Love, Dr. KL ❤ Author of “Everyday Isn’t Perfect”: http://amzn.com/B01GNLNQ28.

via Strength of A Butterfly — The Ninth Life

​Developing A Lifestyle Of Prayer

Dear WoW readers,
When Jesus walked on this earth he said men ought always to pray. I know there are people who struggle with the concept of prayer, or find the practice of consistent prayer difficult.

The following is an excellent post I read recently, which I hope will encourage, inspire and motivate you.

Life On Purpose

Luke 18:1
And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

Pray Always

Prayer is a daily activity.

It is like breathing, it should always be “ON”.

When you stop breathing you die.

So it is in the spiritual, when you stop praying you die slowly.

2Sa 11:1 — 2Sa 11:3
And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem.

And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king’s house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to…

View original post 565 more words

Make That Call!

 

 

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

(Hebrews 4:16 KJV)

 

Are you familiar with the TV programme: Who wants to be a millionaire?

In order to reach the 1 million prize-money target, contestants have three life-lines they are able to use at any time – ask the audience, 50/50 (where 2 of the incorrect answers are removed), or phone a friend.

The friend has been pre-selected by the contestant and is usually chosen for their knowledge, for their capacity to help the individuals when they are stuck for an answer.

The friend, who is contacted live during the show, now has the burden of expectation on his or her shoulders—the expectation of the contestant who called; the expectation of the presenter who wants the drama of the situation to bring value-added appeal to the show; who naturally wants the friend to succeed, so contestants can proceed to the higher paying questions. Added to all this, is the expectation of the audience rooting for the contestant.

Sometimes that friend may come up trumps but at other times, the person selected turns out to be the wrong choice, for they are completely unable to assist!

Do you need help?

Are you in need of:

• Courage, to face your day?
• Deliverance from a sticky situation?
• Enablement to obey God’s Word?
• Guidance to know what to do?
• Wisdom in order to make a decision?

Well, God is your friend – call on him!

Call him today. He will not let you down. The Bible is full of scriptures supporting this fact but here’s one for starters:

When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stout-hearted. (Psalm 138:3 NIV)

 

In the day when I called, You answered me; and You strengthened me with strength (might and inflexibility to temptation) in my inner self. (Psalm 138:3 AB)

 

Now listen to what your Father-God has promised:

It shall come to pass

That before they call, I will

answer;

And while they are still speaking,

I will hear.

(Isaiah 65:24 NKJ)

 

Beloved child of God, victorious overcomer, dear women of warfare, may I counsel you today?

Make that call!

 

SELF SCRUTINY:

Who is your first port of call when you are in trouble or need advice?

 

Heartfelt Praise

PRAYER PRAISE & WORSHIP WEDNESDAY

 

Praise

PRAISE the Lord!

Praise the Lord, O my soul!

While I live I will praise the Lord;

I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

(Psalm 146:1-2 NKJ)

 

Whoever offers praise glorifies Me;

And to him who orders his conduct aright

I will show the salvation of God.

(Psalm 50:23 NKJ)

 

Prayer

Father God,

Right now we come into your awesome presence to honour you – not just with our lips but with our hearts and souls, with our entire being.

We come to offer you the praise and worship that you deserve because you are so worthy. We love you Father God. We want to love you more. We want to know you more. We want to understand your ways better because we want to glorify you, both in and through our lives.

Lord Jesus, thank you for your example of honouring our Father whilst you walked on this earth. As your disciples we want to do likewise, so we thank you for your ongoing prayers and intercession on our behalf. We realise this will not happen by our own efforts or willpower but by your Holy Spirit.

Holy Spirit, we call upon you as our Helper. Thank you for your anointing within us that teaches us. Teach us how to honour Father God, not only with our lips but also with our lifestyle.

Thank you Father God for hearing our prayer and granting our request. Amen.

 

(References: Matthew 15:8; Revelation 4:11; Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:24; Zechariah 4:6; John 14:16, 26; 1 John 5:14)

 

 Worship

 

Women of Warfare followers and visitors, I pray that the Lord will draw you into a deeper experience of Him.  I pray your hearts will overflow with inexpressible joy as you spend time in his presence and take time to express your love for him. Share those secret desires of your heart in prayer, knowing he listens and knowing he loves you and desires to fellowship with you.

Have a victorious week!

PS: If you are reading this and you do not have a relationship with God but would like to, may I invite you to accept Jesus as your Saviour? To do so, you simply have to repeat the following prayer and God will do the rest (please don’t hesitate – your eternal destiny depends on whether or not you take this next step!).

 

A Prayer for Salvation and a Relationship with God

Father God,

I want to have a relationship with you. I come to you today in the name of your Son, Jesus. Thank you for making it possible for me to be reconciled with you. I realise I am in need of rescuing from the penalty of sin. I believe Jesus died for me and I accept He is the only way through which I can escape eternal punishment. I therefore repent of my sins and ask your forgiveness.  Jesus, I invite you into my life as my Saviour and my Lord. Amen.

 

Dear reader, if you prayed the above prayer, congratulations and welcome to the Family of God!

The following links will help you take your next steps in your new life and provide the guidance you need. I’d also suggest that you talk to a Christian friend and find a church to attend and receive support. You may also find the following post at my other blog site enlightening (Paradise Lost or Paradise Regained?), as this explains why the step you have just taken is vital for safeguarding your eternal destiny.

• What next? Taking your first steps
• Finding a church

If you accepted this invitation to commit your life into God’s care and prayed the above prayer, please share the good news in the comment box below (don’t be shy!) 🙂

WoW! followers and visitors – no need to feel left out! If you’ve been encouraged, inspired or uplifted by this post, don’t hesitate to share your comments below. I look forward to hearing from you.

 

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