The Power of Prayer

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Prayer is the most powerful tool God has given us. It is a way to connect and unleash our hearts to God. It is a way to praise God, confess our sins, give thanks to God, and petition our needs or others' needs to God. 

Prayer teaches us to be dependent upon God and not on the world. God wants a relationship with us and wants us to draw close to Him. However, we must remember that God is not some genie in a bottle. You cannot rub the bottle and expect God will pop out of the bottle and grant your wishes. That's not how God works. We must be open to doing God's will and be accepting of God's answer to our prayers. Also, we must abide in Him and live holy lives.

There are numerous examples of prayer throughout the Bible. There are accounts of men and women praying to God in the Bible. Such as Moses praying on behalf of his people in the wilderness, Hannah praying for a child, Mary, the mother of Jesus, exalting God, or Jesus going off alone to pray and be with the Father. 

King David was a man of prayer. The Psalms have many of King David's prayers to God. There is one particular prayer by King David in 2 Samuel. This prayer shows his humbleness and adoration of God.

David’s Prayer 2 Samuel 7:18-29 (NIV)
18 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said:
“Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? 19 And as if this were not enough in your sight, Sovereign Lord, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant—and this decree, Sovereign Lord, is for a mere human!
20 “What more can David say to you? For you know your servant, Sovereign Lord. 21 For the sake of your word and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made it known to your servant.
22 “How great you are, Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears. 23 And who is like your people Israel—the one nation on earth that God went out to redeem as a people for himself, and to make a name for himself, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations and their gods from before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt? 24 You have established your people Israel as your very own forever, and you, Lord, have become their God.
25 “And now, Lord God, keep forever the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house. Do as you promised, 26 so that your name will be great forever. Then people will say, ‘The Lord Almighty is God over Israel!’ And the house of your servant David will be established in your sight.
27 “Lord Almighty, God of Israel, you have revealed this to your servant, saying, ‘I will build a house for you.’ So your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you. 28 Sovereign Lord, you are God! Your covenant is trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant. 29 Now be pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, Sovereign Lord, have spoken, and with your blessing the house of your servant will be blessed forever.”

Even King David knew how powerful prayer was and had a close relationship with God.

American pastor and televangelist Pastor John Hagee, knows how powerful and how important prayer is. Pastor Hagee gives a moving short sermon on the Power of Prayer in the video below. He says, "a prayer-less Christian is a weak Christian. A prayer-less Christian is a miserable Christian." Prayer strengthens us and gives us peace and hope. Prayer teaches us to put our trust in the Lord and not in people. Nothing is impossible for God. Prayer is powerful. 

Heavenly Father,

We humbly come before You and we thank You for hearing our prayers. We want to draw close to You and depend only on You. Help us to be prayer warriors like King David. Help us to exalt You as Mary once did. Help us to be faithful and devoted to prayer just like Jesus. We praise You and give thanks for all that You do. Amen.

Pray you all have a blessed week!

Love and Blessings,

Carol

Look to Jesus in the Storms of Your Life

Matthew 14:28-33
"28 And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind,[d] he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”" 

One of my favorite miracles in the Bible is when Jesus walks across the water towards the disciples in their boat. It is a message of power, hope, and compassion. This miracle is recorded in all three gospels. 

The miracle happens at the sea of Galilee, and the disciples are in a boat. The sea is stormy, the waters are churning, the wind is blowing strongly, and Jesus is walking on the surface of the sea towards the disciples in the boat. Imagine what was going through their minds when they saw Jesus walking toward them.  Fear? Awe? Bewilderment? It states that the disciples thought they saw a ghost. Jesus tells Peter to come to him. Peter steps out of the boat and starts to walk toward Jesus, but Peter takes his gaze off Jesus and begins to focus on his surroundings. Peter lets the strong wind seize his heart with fear. As a result, Peter starts to sink into the stormy waters. Jesus grasped Peter's hand, took hold of him, and tells Peter you have little faith.

How many of us can say we took our eyes off Jesus during a storm? Did you have doubts that Jesus could save or help you? Did you let fear grip your heart? 

This miracle shows that Christ is in control. He is in control of the forces of nature, and he is in control of all things. But it also shows that our Lord is compassionate and gives us hope when the storms around us seem like they are to much to bear. If you place your faith and trust in him, he will help you walk across the stormy seas. He is your anchor in the storm. He will rescue you from the stormy waters. You just need to take hold of his hand and trust in him. 

Look to Jesus in the storms of your life.

Lord Jesus,

You are our Rock in the storms of our lives. When the wind is raging all around us, you are our safe retreat and our One and only hope. Shelter and protect us when the raging storms come our way. Help give us the courage to stand firm and place our hope and faith in You. For you are the only one who can rescue us from the storms.  Amen.

Love and Blessings,

Carol

Spiritual Peaks

 

Photo by Carol Moore

"The highest spiritual peaks

 sometimes lead directly

                                            to the darkest spiritual valleys"

                                        From Every Miracle in the Bible.

Christian thought to ponder...

As we travel the highest spiritual peaks, can we fall into dark spiritual valleys?

The answer is yes. Elijah, God's prophet, discovered this when Jezebel attempted to discredit him and threatened his life. He ran, he was terrified, and he abandoned his ministry. He begged God to let him die.  

1 Kings 19:2-4 (ESV)

2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.” 3 Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. 4 But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”

How easy it is for us when things get tough to want to give up and flee from our troubles and hardships. Depressed and exhausted, Elijah was in a state where he couldn't go on any further. But, how great is our God, how wonderful He is, and how good God is! God provided for Elijah, He cared for him, and He strengthened him. He restored Elijah's ministry.

1 Kings 19:5-8 (ESV)

5 And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, “Arise and eat.” 6 And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again. 7 And the angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.” 8 And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God.

There will be peaks and valleys as we journey in this world. But great is our Lord! He brings light into the darkness. He gives hope when there is despair. When you are in those darkest valleys, call upon the Lord. He will strengthen and restore you just as he did for Elijah.

Psalm 40:2 "He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along (NLT).

Heavenly Father,

You are great and mighty. You are faithful and true. We thank you that we can depend upon you when have fallen into the dark valleys in our lives. We thank you that you strengthen and restore us in our greatest time of need. Help us to stay focus on You and seek you when all seems hopeless and dark.

Amen.

Pray you all have a blessed week!

Carol

The Days of Noah

Jan Markell from Olive Tree Ministries talks to ministry representative Ken Mikle about the times we are living in presently. Are we now living in the times that Jesus talked about in Matthew 24:37?  

Matthew 24:37 “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day (NLT)." 

We are living in a time like no other. Our nation is in turmoil and divided. Ideologies are being forced upon people, there are continual threats of violence and violence is at an all-time high, propaganda is being spewed across news stations, the decimation of the US dollar, a one world agenda, and  so on. Are we at a crossroads? Is God's judgment at hand? Is there any hope for our nation?

Yes, there is hope, and that hope is in Jesus Christ. We can take comfort in knowing our Lord will be returning soon. As it says in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, we have the blessed hope of his return and when the trumpet blasts, we will be raptured with those who have gone before us, and we will meet our Lord and Savior in the air.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words."

He will be returning soon. If you have not placed your hope and trust in Jesus Christ, now is the time to receive him as your Lord and Savior. Repent today and believe in him, and follow him. 

Prayer of Commitment: 

Lord Jesus,

I am a sinner. I believe that you died on the cross for my sins. Right now, I turn my life over to you and receive you as my personal Lord and Savior. Thank you for saving me. Amen.

Pray that you all have a blessed weekend.

Love and Blessings,

Carol

Trust in the Lord

Photo by Carol Moore

A Christian thought to ponder...

Do you think our nation's leaders' will solve all of our current problems? Do you think the global elites have all the answers to our problems? Do you think Donald Trump has all the answers to our problems? Do you think Joe Biden has all the answers to our problems? How about Klaus Schwab, the United Nations, or the World Economic Forum? 

The answer is NO. I got news for you, these leaders and global elites have created the problems we are presently in, and they plan on creating more crises and dilemmas. They only answer to themselves. Only the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY is the answer to all of our problems. Only He can save us from the crises the elites created. It is only the Lord you can trust. Why? Because humans are untrustworthy. It tells us in Psalm 118 not to trust in man but to trust in the Lord.

 Psalm 118:8 "It is better to take refuge in the Lord Than to trust in man."

We are all inherently born with sin and are imperfect. Our hearts are full of stains and impurities. Only one person is perfect, sinless, and pure of heart. His name is Jesus. Only Jesus can save us, no mortal man. We are told in Psalm 146:3, "Do not trust in princes, In mortal man, in whom there is no salvation." You will not find salvation in any man or woman, machine, device, tree or stone. You will find salvation in Jesus Christ alone. He is our Savior. The apostle John tells us in John 3 that He died on the cross so that those who believe in him would have everlasting life. 

 John 3:16  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

Trusting in Jesus means believing in Him for our salvation, devoting ourselves entirely to Him, and abiding in His word. As it shows in the following verses, we can lean on Jesus for wisdom, strength and rest. We need only to trust in the Lord.

WISDOM 

We are to seek the Lord for wisdom. In Proverbs 3:5, it instructs us to trust in the Lord with all our heart and lean on him for wisdom. 

 Proverbs 3:5 "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding." 

STRENGTH

We can lean on Jesus for strength. In Isaiah 26, it tells us the Lord is our everlasting strength. He will strengthen us when we are weak. Just call on his mighty name.

Isaiah 26:4. "Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:" 

REST

He shares our burdens and will come alongside beside us and carry our load. When we place everything into his hands and rely on him for everything in our lives, we will find rest for our souls. In Psalm 62:1, it tells us our souls can rest because he is our Deliverer, our Savior. 

Psalm 62:1 "My soul rests quietly only when it looks to God; from him comes my deliverance." 

Our Deliverer is dependable, reliable, and trustworthy. Psalm 16:8 tells us to constantly trust in the Lord as He is always by our side. 

Psalm 16:8 "I constantly trust in the Lord; because he is at my right hand, I will not be upended." 

Trust in the Lord. He is sovereign and in control. The wicked people of this world may think that they are in control and are winning, but they will soon find that their wicked and corrupt plans will come crashing down all around them. Their ending is as the fate of Sodom and Gommorah. So, do not place your trust in the world and all that it holds, but put your trust in the Lord. 

Heavenly Father, 

You are our Rock and Anchor, sovereign and in control, and are faithful and trustworthy. Thank you for Your steadfast love that never ceases. Give us the grace to trust You more. Help us to make a commitment to trust in You with all our hearts and lean not on our own understanding. Steady our trust in You so that it may never waiver, no matter what trials come our way. Help us to lean on you for strength. Help us place our burdens into your hands and rest in you.

Amen.

God's Judgment Upon the United States

photo from pixabay

A Christian thought to ponder...

Do you recognize the United States of America anymore? Is it the land of the free and home of the brave? Is it a country where people love more than themselves and would risk their lives to defend it? Is it a country where every life is important?

Oh America! Oh America! You are a country that has been fractured. You have become unrecognizable. It is no longer a country that upholds the moral values that our founding fathers once held high. John Adams, the second president of the United States, once said, "We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. . . . Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."

The United States of America is drowning in immorality. It has become a lawless, depraved nation. Our leaders are breaking down this nation's constitution bit-by-bit and are trying to destroy the United States. Other countries around-the-world are asking what has happen to the United States of America? The answer is, the United States has fallen into moral decay. I believe that God has swung down his gavel and he is ready to execute judgment upon this sinful wicked nation. Just as it says in Romans 1, He has abandoned the rebellious to their shameful desires and foolish thinking. Therefore their lives have become full of all evil and wickedness.

Romans 1:24-29 "24 So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. 25 They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen. 26 That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. 27 And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved. 28 Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. 29 Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip."

In the video, "God’s Judgment Against America | It's Going to Get Even Uglier" Pastor Carter Conlon speaks out on how the people of this nation have turned their backs on God and are now under the judgment of God. This nation has chosen a path of depravity, lawlessness, sexual immorality, evil, wickedness, hate, greed, deceit, and malicious behavior. As it shows in Isaiah 1 Israel rebelled against God and turned their backs on him. As a result his judgment was brought down upon them. The United States likewise has turned their backs on God and have become rebellious like the people of Israel. 

Isaiah 1:4 "Oh, what a sinful nation they are—loaded down with a burden of guilt. They are evil people, corrupt children who have rejected the Lord. They have despised the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on him."

Just as God punished the nation of Israel with curses, confusion and frustration in all that they did until they were completely destroyed for their evil actions and abandoning God, so this country faces that same fate if we do not repent as a nation.

Deuteronomy 28:20-29.  “20 The Lord himself will send on you curses, confusion, and frustration in everything you do, until at last you are completely destroyed for doing evil and abandoning me. 21 The Lord will afflict you with diseases until none of you are left in the land you are about to enter and occupy. 22 The Lord will strike you with wasting diseases, fever, and inflammation, with scorching heat and drought, and with blight and mildew. These disasters will pursue you until you die. 23 The skies above will be as unyielding as bronze, and the earth beneath will be as hard as iron. 24 The Lord will change the rain that falls on your land into powder, and dust will pour down from the sky until you are destroyed. 25 “The Lord will cause you to be defeated by your enemies. You will attack your enemies from one direction, but you will scatter from them in seven! You will be an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth. 26 Your corpses will be food for all the scavenging birds and wild animals, and no one will be there to chase them away. 27 “The Lord will afflict you with the boils of Egypt and with tumors, scurvy, and the itch, from which you cannot be cured. 28 The Lord will strike you with madness, blindness, and panic. 29 You will grope around in broad daylight like a blind person groping in the darkness, but you will not find your way. You will be oppressed and robbed continually, and no one will come to save you.

According to Pastor Carter Conlon, we have tested the limit of God's patience. God's judgment has now been brought down upon our nation, for we have allowed perversion and immorality to enter the school doors. Wrong is right, and right is wrong, and this nation has twisted the Truth with propaganda and lies. Teachers, government leaders, school boards, and adults in this nation are attempting to force children to partake in wicked, evil, immoral behaviors and actions. I pray Pastor Carter Colon's words enlighten your minds and hearts and open your eyes to the Truth. May God have mercy upon this nation and may He protect our children.

Dear LORD, 

We pray for those who are lost and do not know You. We pray that You would protect them from Satan's influence. We pray that You would convict them concerning their sin and help them to understand the state of their eternal condition apart from You. Help them to see their need for You.

Please draw them to Yourself and salvation. Show them that you are the way, the truth and life. We lift the children up to you Lord. We ask that you would send Your mighty angels down and protect them from the enemy. Please shield them from those who would do them great harm.

We ask this in Your glorious name. 

Amen. 

May God be with you and bless you throughout the week!

Carol

God's Rainbow

 

A Christian thought to ponder...

Does the rainbow represent a symbol, a mythology, or one of God's promises? In truth, it represents one of God's promises.

God created the rainbow to show his everlasting promise that He would never flood the earth again. As stated in Genesis 6:5-8, God destroyed the earth with a flood and destroyed all because people had become so evil and wicked it grieved God. There was widespread corruptness, violence, sexual immorality, and wickedness; people were prideful, hateful, focused on self-pleasure, and full of self-indulgence. All accept Noah. Noah found grace in the eyes of Lord. 

5 The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. 7 So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

It is written in Genesis  9:11-17 (ESV) that the rainbow is an everlasting covenant between God and all living beings. It is a divine symbol within the sky to remind us of His everlasting promise and to remind us that God is mighty, just and merciful.

11 I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13 I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” 17 God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

If you were to actually examine and break down the actual color spectrum of the rainbow, it has numerous colors. The human eye can only see seven colors. God's intention for the rainbow was not to represent pride, nor to represent a group, nor to represent some symbol, nor to represent some mythology. But the rainbow represents a divine promise to all living creatures on the earth that God would never destroy the world again with a flood due to human wickedness, corruptness, and evilness. 

Some men and women would have you believe that the rainbow represents an organization that promotes diversity, equity and pride for the LGBTQ community. LGBTQ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (sexual or gender identity). The original pride flag was designed in the 1970s by drag performer Gilbert Baker and friend Lynn Segerblom. The original eight pride flag colors were hot pink, red, orange, yellow, green, turquoise, indigo and violet. Hot pink represented sex, red represented life, orange represented healing, yellow represented sunlight, green represented nature, turquoise represented magic and art, indigo represented serenity, and violet represented spirit. The colors and style arrangement have changed over time. There is specific pride flag for lesbian, gay, transgender, bi-sexual, non-binary, polysexual, abrosexual, drag queens, genderfluid,  asexual, demi sexual, pansexual, and on and on. They have over 30+ flags to represent each gender/sexual preference within their organization. But the pride rainbow flag is a false representation of the one and only true rainbow. The organization's agenda celebrates everything that God abhors and condemns. In Proverbs 16:5 it states how God abhors pride. "Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the LORD; be assured, he will not go unpunished. Satan is the ruler over all people who are filled with pride. “He beholdeth all high things: he is a king over all the children of pride.” Job 41:34 (KJV). Satan desires to lead people away from the One True God, who is good, righteous, merciful, faithful, loving, longsuffering, and just.

Baker and Segerblom - Original Pride Flag

Another flag, during another time, also represented pride. The Nazi flag represented German pride and symbolized their persecution and hatred of Jews. The red represented the social thought underlying the movement. The white represented their national thought, and the black swastika was an emblem of the Aryan race. 

By German Government - Die Hoheitszeichen des Deutschen Reiches, herausgegeben vom Reichsministerium des Inneren, 1933, Tafel I, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=551410

Sin is sin is sin. Pride is a sin in God's eyes. Sexual immorality is a sin in God's eyes. Hate is a sin in God's eyes. Murder is a sin in God's eyes. Lying is a sin in God's eyes. The list of sins can go on and on. But people don't want to be told or reminded of what sins they are committing. But to use God's divine symbol for something wicked and evil and warping and tainting what God's rainbow truly represents is a heinous sin, especially pushing and forcing this symbol's agenda onto young adults and children.

Just as Noah lived in grave times, so do we now. Our day and age are rapidly becoming much like the days of Noah. Evil is abounding. Wrong is right, and right is wrong. Hearts have become cold, darkened, and self-centered. As it states in 2 Timothy 3:1-5, people are focused on self-pleasure, materialism, immorality, violence, idleness and reject all things that pertain to God. 

1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.

But we have the rainbow as a reminder that God will not destroy the earth again with a flood. A flood isn't coming again, but God's wrath and judgment are around the corner. Just as stated in the book of Revelation and many other books of the Bible, God will not allow people to continue to commit evil and wicked sins. The wicked must be punished. We do not know the exact day or hour, but the Lord will be returning soon. 

If you have not received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I encourage you to do so now. Seek him during these dark days of uncertainty. Look to him. He is our light and hope. Pray to him and accept the free gift of salvation. Ask him to come into your heart, repent of your sins, and you will be saved.

Dear Lord,

I admit that I am a sinner and I believe that you died on the cross to save me. I receive You as my Lord and Savior. Please forgive me of my sins. Take control of my life and help me to live a life that pleases you. I love you, Lord, and I thank you for the free gift of salvation and that I will spend eternity with you.

Amen.

Have a blessed week!

Carol