Eternity How will I spend it?

Thoughts tonight are swirling in my mind. I just found out that our Jewish friend from NYC passed away 4 days ago. I have known her for about 18 years. Did my life have an impact on her? Did it change anything for her eternity? I'm wondering if she is in heaven. I don't know.
I listened to John  Bevere's Affable Window to Eternity this week. I was impressed that there are so many factors to what one experience after death. We will face the Great White Throne Judgement to find out if our name is written in the Book of Life, and then we also will stand in judgement and give account for every word we spoke, every action of our life....It's sobering... I want to cry... I picture my Dad standing there. I have no question that his name was in the Book... how did he fare in the next judgement?  How many did he impact for Jesus? I know he touched a lot of lives for Jesus. Were there any regrets? It determines how we spend eternity. Eternity. It's a long time. Forever. John Bevere says "For believers the question is not where will you spend eternity but HOW will you spend it?  This judgement isn't based so much on what you did for Jesus; but did you do what He called you to do?"  I wonder if this is what brings the tears that God wipes away?

Did Jesus intend for me to meet Rena so that she could hear about Jesus? Did I tell her? I don't recall a conversation about it directly, although I did include some about Jesus in my Christmas letter each year. This year I did not send one. Did she know Him?

What does this change for me? I have been thinking today of how serving without recognition and even when I don't feel like it. It has given me a new view. I will serve without notice from others, and even if I'm not treated fairly, or properly thanked or whatever. I want my attitude to be... I will do it for Jesus, even when my fellow worker/family or whomever it is doesn't treat me right. I choose the right attitude. In light of Eternity. This life is short compared to Eternity. When we live our lives in light of eternity we will do things we thought we could never do, we endure things we never thought possible. What is my focus?

I was also thinking the other day that I would like to have a small group study at my house to listen to Affable Window to Eternity.... Lets do this, learn together. Who wants to do this with me?

Extravagant Giving vs Practical Giving

I'm a Practical Giver: That's who I am. It's Christmas. What does that mean? Presents. Gift giving is at it's peak! All the hype about shopping is mostly for what deals, bargains or doorbusters you can find, and what does this person need, want or already have? What do you get for the person who already has everything? 

For me, the  Christmas tradition of gift giving has become frustrating for several reasons. Don't get me wrong, I love to give gifts! 

                 When I am trying to decide what to buy or make for someone, I usually think 'practical'. 

What do they need?  In fact we even ask people to make a list of  things they need? I think it's a great idea to ask & get them what they need for obvious reasons! 1. It's economical! I'm all about that. I don't like to 'waste' money or time. 2. It saves them from the job/chore of going to the store to buy the item. 3. It fulfills my 'duty' of buying them a gift, and it saves me from walking around the store for hours, wondering what they would like! 4. It's something they will use and not something that gets thrown away or taken to the Crowded Closet/Goodwill Store, or heaven-forbid RE-GIFTED!  

When I give a gift, I like the receiver to be delighted with it! I want it to be meaningful, but also useful. I don't generally like to give things that just sit around to look at, unless it holds a message or meaning. I think that's because I don't like to receive gifts like that. (primarily because it's not very practical) I call those "fluffy" gifts. Oh, I used to like things like that, but as I've gotten older, my house is full of that kind of thing and I'm looking to clear some of the 'fluff'! So now I've become much more critical of the gifts I receive. (shame on me, more on this later)

Recently I did a quiz to learn more about myself and here are two questions that got my attention. 

1. "I like to give things away but I am almost embarrassed to receive gifts from people."
2. "I give things to people not just because they need them but rather to honor people                      who deserve it." 

True or False? 

Here are my answers: 

1. True.... I must confess, it is pride. Why else could one give gifts but have a hard time receiving? poor self esteem? still pride...... not worthy? I think the root is still pride. 

2. False..... I usually only give them things they need! If I don't know what they "NEED" I often give consumable products.... candy, food, lotion ect...

Think about this with me..... Kings give Kings gifts they don't need. Look at the examples in the Bible. King Solomon was the wealthiest King in the land. He didn't need a thing and yet all the kings and Queen's around, brought gifts to him. Gifts like gold, rare spices, precious stones, musical instruments and special wood. (II Chronicles 9) King Solomon also gave gifts back to them (vs12), even more than she had brought to him!    Why??? 

Think of this...If you and I are Kings and I see a need in your palace, so I buy you the thing you need and give it to you. I have just showed you that I saw a need you had and I filled that need so that makes me greater than you!  That's why Kings give gifts of things they don't need! 

Why would you give someone a Rolex when a Timex looks very similar and is just as useful? The Rolex has no more ability to keep time than a Timex. 

                          Why spend $20,000 when you could buy the more practical timepiece for $30? 

Because you value the person, and it shows honor to them. You value their input into your life. Because you love what the person has contributed to you, your business, your family. 

We see this example in John 12:1-11  Mary anointed  Jesus with a very expensive bottle of perfume. This was done to show how much value she placed on Him. This incident happened soon after her brother Lazarus was raised from the dead, do you think it was  'thank you gift'. 

Maybe this is the meaning of  Acts 20:35 "It is more blessed to give than receive."

               More than the actual, physical gift is the gift of honor & personal value behind the gift.

I am not advocating that you go overspend your budget to buy this kind of extravagant gifts. But let's not miss the principal either. What value do you place on the recipients of your gifts? Ask yourself, What is my motivation for giving this gift?  is it to improve your image? to improve your selfworth/self esteem. We can give ourselves poor if this is our motive. It is useless. "God loves a cheerful giver." I believe this means the giver has his focus is on the recipient, not on himself.

This also deepens my understanding in how to receive a gift. My husband is an extravagant giver. Several years ago he gave me a Rolex for Christmas. At the time, it felt frivolous and unnecessary, maybe even a waste. When I consider the giver...and what he is 'telling' me with this gift, the value he places on me and the honor they are displaying... it comes as a very deep and rich gift no matter what the item is. I can't believe I've missed it all these years!

 The gifts I receive this year will mean something deeper than ever before. 

You can have whatever you desire!!! Really? Yes, Really!

"Therefore, I say to you, whatever things you ask (desire), when you pray, believe that you receive them and you will have them." Mark 11:24 

This verse does instruct us to "believe that we have received it". When you pray, believe. That means at the very time you are praying, you must believe it was answered.  Sometimes we don't see the answer right away, does that mean it wasn't answered? No. It was answered, it was answered first in the spiritual realm. We need to hold firm in our faith without wavering, and we "will have them" future tense. Don't give up too soon! Matthew 7:8 "Everyone who asks, receives".   God delivers on His promises. Always!  We must remain unmoved by what we see in the physical realm. 

Now, If you believe that you received your request when you prayed, the least you can do is thank Him for it, right?  

Let me give you a tip...something I picked up from a combination of sources.  I encourage you to take scripture promises and write them into statements. For example:  

• Isaiah‬ ‭30:21‬ ‭NIV. “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” Write this... Thank you Lord that my ears hear Your Word (voice) telling me "this is the way, walk in it, when you turn to the right hand and when you turn to the left."

‭‭

 my faith is strengthened, I get encouraged

• 1 Thessalonians 3:12. "And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love toward another and toward all men, even as we do toward you." Write this.... You, Lord, have made our family members increase and abound in love one toward another.

This is  warfare!

• John 10:27-28. "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand."  Write this..."thank you Jesus, that I am Your sheep, and I hear Your voice, and You know me and I follow You and no one is able to snatch me out of Your hand."  

I don't know about you, but when I say prayers like these, my faith is strengthened. I get encouraged. Scripture is so powerful because it is God's Word to me. It is His promise to me. He always does what He says He will do.  So I just remind Him of what He has already said! I claim it for myself. 

I think God likes it better too! He's probably thinking, "finally someone believes what I've been telling them!" 

This is a great way to do warfare. Satan shrinks away and has no argument when we are praying Scripture because, think about it, if we are praying what God has already promised, we can be assured we are praying in accordance with His will. 

• "So shall my word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it."  Isaiah 55:11 NKJV  

When Two Agree In Prayer, is it helpful or harmful?

"Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. Matthew 18:19

I always thought this verse was THE key to getting my prayers answered, The more people we have praying for a problem, the more likely the answer will be favorable! right? So share it in Church, share it in Sunday School, Small Group, with all your praying friends, in  Prayer Meetings.

 But what if it's something you don't want everyone to know about, but still would like increased numbers on the Prayer Force? 

Oh that's easy, just make an "unspoken request" I have done it. ... more than once. I bet you have too. Did it work? was your prayer answered? 

I have been thinking about this lately and some new ideas have surfaced and leave me rather unsettled in this area of agreeing in prayer with others. I am not sure what is absolute truth, but here are some questions I have. Maybe you can help me with this, and give me some input. I would love your thoughts on this. 

1.  What if....the person or persons you share your request/petition with, says, "yes, I will pray with you on this", but deep inside she/he does NOT believe or have faith in the answer you are seeking? This brings doubt and unbelief into the equation and God cannot bring the manifestation because of unbelief.   

Agreeing for Life or for Death?

Scenario: Suppose someone gets up Sunday morning to share that their Sister has cancer, it's an aggressive type of cancer and she needs prayer, would you please agree with us for healing for the sister. The congregation prays together for healing for the sister. After church someone says to another, "my aunt had that same type of aggressive cancer and she died within 3 months. You know that this type of cancer has a very poor prognosis.  I think they are just in denial, they are not being realistic. They should be putting their house in order and make the most of the time they have together before she dies. She will probably die like my aunt did." The 3-4 people she is sharing this with agree, saying 'yes, you are right, they are being unrealistic, and I hope they come to their senses before it's too late, so that they can get closure before the death.'  Those 3-4 people share this conversation with their family on the way home from church and again at coffee on Monday morning. Consider that there may be more than one group of 3-4 who have had a similar conversation after church. 

So now you have multiple people agreeing that death will be the outcome. Will the healing manifest? 

Would this scenario be altered if one of the people in the gossip group countered the person who is planting the doubt and unbelief? 

There may be times when you don't want people agreeing with you in prayer. You CANNOT agree with anyone on a prayer need who you are not in fellowship with. If there is strife between two people, it is impossible for them to agree with one-another in prayer on anything. We may need to be choosy, as to who we ask to agree with us in prayer. 

2. What if.... You have an 'unspoken request'; will I agree with you on this request? 

How do I know if I agree with you on this? what if it's something contrary to God's Word? If I don't know what the request is.... I CANNOT agree with you on anything. 

3. What if.... a person shares with you that he is believing in faith for a specific amount of $$$. Did you know you have the ability with your tongue to curse him? Just by saying something like, "Why, I don't believe that could possibly happen. He'll probably end up losing all he has in the process." and the person you are talking this to agrees and the two of you have just cursed him. It would be better for the person never to share it with you, but rather with one who will stand in faith with him.  This, my friends is wrong, we need to encourage one another and grow our faith. Satan takes advantage of our words. The Bible says

 The power of Life and death is in the tongue. Proverbs 18:21

As I have shared in previous posts, I believe we often negate our own prayers by the words we say. We must believe we have received when we pray. 

Therefore I say to you, Whatever things ye desire when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.  Mark 11:24

When is Praise really Praise?

Recently I have been delving again into learning more about prayer and how to make my prayer time more effective, more meaningful, and more pleasing to God. Here are some of the things God is showing me....

What is the purpose of prayer? In the Garden of Eden God came down and walked with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day. They didn't have a list of petitions or requests from Him. they were just there to have a relationship with Him, to spend time together. They didn't need to repent of anything, (at first) and they didn't need to intercede for anyone, they just spent time with Him, walking in the garden. Spending time with someone is how we build a relationship. Even a relationship with God is built on spending time together, whether it's in prayer or in the Word.

There are different kinds of prayers: the one I want to talk about today is

  Praise and Thanksgiving. 

We usually associate singing with praise, And that's right; many times our singing is a form of praise. We call it praise and worship, although worship is much more than that. It includes every single thing we do. Praise itself has many forms too.

If you are in an active church, you are probably not new to the idea that we need to praise God through our storms, in our trials.There are songs about it, We have been taught how important it is to fight the spiritual battle by praising God. I have been a great advocate for this type of praise, encouraging others to stay thankful even in deep pits of trouble. If only we can give praise...we will see wondrous results when we persist in praise through our difficulties.
Praise You in the Storm by Casting Crowns   

Is it truly Praising God when we do it just to fight that battle? Does God even hear us? 

When we say, "I've been praising God for this for a whole week... I should be seeing some results..." Do you think that pleases God? Or is it an insult? He is Good. When He has been holding us in His hand the whole time, how do you think  He feels about our attitude? Where is my focus? 

When is praise really praise? 

It is interesting to me that when Paul and Silas were in prison they sang and praised God at midnight, not because they thought God would bring a miracle to get them out of prison, but because they loved God. How do I know? What did they do when the earthquake broke gates open and their chains fell off? They didn't even leave; they kept singing!

  It is apparent that the motive was Love & praise!

Praise is effective, but when it doesn't come from our heart, is it praise? How do we make sure our praise is pleasing Him? I admit there are times when someone says something negative to me, and I say tongue in cheek, with my mouth, "I love you" When in my heart that is the very opposite of what I'm feeling. I'm bridling my body and tongue to DO the right thing, confident that in time my heart will feel it too! Is that wrong? 

I have the feeling of standing on the brink of a great breakthrough! God is so great and so good, there are not enough words to fully describe His greatness, His faithfulness, His LOVE, yes His all consuming love. I am so overwhelmed by His love for me. Nothing can separate me from His LOVE!  Romans 8:38-39  Nothing can separate you from his love either!

He loves YOU! 

I believe something happens when we turn our focus from our troubles and turn our attention to Jesus! It seems rather berserk to say something like, "God I praise you for my bad back", can we honestly make a statement like that? maybe.  But what would happen if you turned your attention to Him and said something like this? "Jesus, I am so glad that You are bigger than my bad back, and I am so thankful that You LOVE me so much that even the pain I feel in my back is nothing when compared to what You went through so that I could be saved!"  How different the feeling you get when you exalt Him and give praise to Him! I think He feels the difference as well!

Pray the Answer, Instead of the Problem

When your eyes on yourself it is impossible to praise! It just kills it. But when your relationship is in the right place, in clear focus, you don't need to 'make' yourself praise Him.... it will just bubble up from that place in your heart and overflow to your lips and actions! You will sing and you will be telling people about how great, wonderful, faithful, powerful, and merciful HE is in the middle of your situation! Even through your tears the praise is beautiful. It's called the 'sacrifice of praise' but it in comparison to His sacrifice it feels insignificant! 

So are there times when I must through clenched teeth begin praising when I feel like complaining? Probably yes. As you can see, when I place the proper perspective on Him, I focus on Him rather than myself and soon I feel the praise bubbling up from inside and spilling out everywhere and God is very pleased with that kind of praise.

 Through this type of outpouring, comes many a breakthrough and the devil is defeated! 

He HATES to hear us praise God. It sends him packing! I can picture him with his fingers in his ears and running to get out of our hearing! I love it!!! :)  

The Year of Prayer

In 2014 my focus was on prayer. I felt the growth in my faith as well. I believe God is working in the areas I have prayed for even when I don’t see any results yet.

I like the example of a pregnant woman. 

When my niece first told me she was pregnant, I couldn't see that she was pregnant. I didn't say, “Well you don’t look any different, so I don’t believe it’s true. Nothing has changed.” She looked just like she did before, but I believed her.  As I waited and believed and continued my relationship, she started looking a little bit different! Not a big change but a little bump. As I continued waiting the little bump grew. Each month I noticed a bigger change until eventually she really does look very pregnant. So it is with answers to prayers. We believe and expect that God is working even when we don’t see it. He has a lot of ground work to do! We expect results and results take time!  

I learned the importance of God’s Word! When we pray God’s Word, we are taking a positive approach to prayer, praying the answer rather than the problem. Have you ever spent time in prayer telling God all about the details of your problem? 

You repeat to  God all the negative things your spouse is saying and doing that hurt you, all the bad reports the doctor gave you, the gossip that’s going around about you and how hurt you feel that your friends have let you down, all the trouble your children have gotten into, how you were treated unfairly at work and someone else got the promotion you should have received, as if He doesn't already know? Then at the end you may say something like 

“Oh God I know you are a Great and merciful God so please show them how wrong they are and help them to change; vindicate me!” How do you feel when you finish praying? 

You just occupied 30 minutes of your prayer time reviewing and rehearsing your problems 

while only giving about 5 seconds to recognizing God for who He is  and petitioning for His answer. Of course you feel rotten! You just relived the hurt and rejection you felt when it occurred the first time! Don't multiply your suffering in this way! Instead, come to Him and relax in His peace. He wants to give us rest! 

Keep your prayers positive. Instead of repeating all your problem’s details, and the negative stuff try something like,

“Dear Father, You know the problems I’m having with my spouse. I praise you for bringing us together and I know that you love (him/her) even more than I do, so I know that you are working to bring unity into our marriage.”

Thank him in advance for the victory He will bring. 

His Name is greater than any other name under heaven, this includes names like rejection, cancer, fear… and the list goes on.

Don’t ask God to do for you what He has already done. Instead thank Him for it and receive it. Keep it simple. Sometimes less is more! 

Wordy prayers don’t impress him! He hears our simple cry “Help me!”

Could I suggest that at least 90% of our prayer time, maybe 95%; should be occupied with praise, adoration, thanksgiving, & worship. The other 5-10% will be adequate time for petitions and requests.

I find when we sense the Glory of God, His worth, His awesomeness, how good a Father He is, and all that He has done for us, it seems our problems fade into the background and as we praise Him and glorify His Name, and put our trust in Him, we will find that He takes care of our requests even if we don’t speak them. Matthew 6:33   Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you. We don’t need to beg and plead with God to pour out His Spirit or for his mercy. He has already done that.

God loves you! He can't wait to fulfill the desires of your heart! He has planted those desires inside you! He is a good Father. He takes good care of his kids!

Have faith and believe that He has answered your prayer. Do you question whether you are saved?  Romans 10:9  If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Do you believe that Jesus died for your sins? Do you believe that He was raised from the dead?

If you answered “YES” Pray this prayer out loud,

“Jesus I believe that you are Lord, and that you died to pay the price for my sins and that God raised you from the dead.” This scripture says you are saved. Believe it.  

In the same way we believe that we are saved we can believe that our prayers are heard and He will answer. Mark 11:24 NIV Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will by yours.

We are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus! (2 Corinthians 5:21) When we received Jesus into our hearts He placed a robe of righteousness on us and that is what He sees! In Isaiah 61:3 he says “(we) will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor.” I love that!

Sometimes we destroy our own prayers! Our unbelief shows up. Have you ever prayed & asked God to intervene in a situation. The phone rings and you start telling your girlfriend all about the problem that you just gave to God? You say lines like “He always does/says ______.   _____will never change!” These conversations destroy the prayer you just prayed! They reinforce our unbelief! 

We need to reinforce our faith by saying things like...

• “I believe that God is working.”
• “I am one day closer to the breakthrough.”
• “I trust you God.”
• “I believe that the outcome will be even better than I can imagine.”                               Thank Him for these truths.

Learn More about a Better Way to Pray

Was 2014 a Rotten Year for You?

I can’t say 2014 was rotten for me, but I can say I have had my challenges! I think of some of my friends tho…. quite a few of them.  They have been dealt a rotten 2014! I walked through that rotten year with them and I feel their pain.

2 days ago I began listening to the Old Testament, (Audio version) this stuck out to me. 

But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the LORD rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The LORD himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.” (Exodus 14:13-14 NLT)

As I reflect on the past year, I now deliberately choose peace.

The 'Egyptians' in this verse symbolize the 'problems', the 'difficulties,' the 'challenges', the pure rottenness of this year. It says that God hardened Pharaoh's heart so that God's Name will be glorified". So don't lose heart or give up God WILL surely come thru for you. Choose peace.  He has already given us peace, (I’m leaving you with a gift,-- peace of mind and heart,  and the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give.  John 14:27).  We only need to accept and receive it.  Whisper His Name in the midst of the turmoil in your mind. Soon, His peace will be felt. 

So I stand up and shake it off.  I resolve to leave 2014 behind me and face forward to tackle what is to come in 2015 a new beginning, a brand new start. I will leave those “Egyptians” behind me and will see them no more! Thank goodness!

My Verses for 2015:  

 Now therefore, I pray You, if I have found favor in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You [progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with You, perceiving and recognizing and understanding more strongly and clearly] and that I may find favor in Your sight. And [Lord, do] consider that this nation is Your people.

And the Lord said, My Presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.   Exodus 33:13-14 Amplified Bible