Tag: prayer

God Forgets Our Sins

Hebrews 8:12 NIV, “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

In our human nature, forgetting our past sins can sometimes seem impossible. We remember. Since we remember, we must overcome shame, guilt, and all other feelings of inadequacy. Even knowing that God has promised to forget our sins, it can still be a struggle for us to let go.

There have been many times I have been so angry and disappointed at myself for falling into sin. Even after repenting before God, the anger would continue. I knew I was forgiven by God, but my mind kept going around in circles, rehashing my sin and trying to figure out how I could have allowed myself to fail.

I remember one day I was praying, and the Holy Spirit begin to give me a fresh revelation of the Cross. I understood with complete clarity that the work Jesus Christ did was enough. No amount of guilt or shame that I had, could ever add to His finished work on the Cross. We as humans can know something in our minds, but it takes the power of The Holy Spirit to help us understand it in our hearts, and fully accept it as truth.

Understanding God’s forgiveness with our hearts, is what will bring us freedom. Freedom to enjoy the present and embrace the future. Freedom to be all He created us to be, and freedom to receive His unconditional love everyday. Holding on to our past, is part of the enemy’s attempt to steal from us. But greater is He who is in us than He who is in the world (1 John 4:4).

In Christ, we are free to repent of our sins and receive His forgiveness. He will empower us to live for Him shame free and guilt free. Once we repent, He remembers our sins no more.

Rejoice, Pray, and Give Thanks

I remember some years ago, I was waiting on God to supply my need for employment. They had altar call at church, so I went down for prayer. I told the elder my situation, and this is the verse she gave me…

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

These words brought me peace. Because even though I was still waiting on God’s direction for the right job for me, I could rejoice, pray, and give thanks. According to His Word, that is His will for us in Christ Jesus. I no longer felt powerless in my situation, because doing these things empowered me to honor God and bring Him glory.

When you find yourself in a place where you are trusting God to open up doors for you, you can rejoice, pray, and give Him thanks. He will direct your paths. Find peace and joy knowing that He is working things out for you as wait.

Rejoice, Pray, and Give Thanks
Rejoice, Pray, and Give Thanks

New Day, New Mercy

Lamentations 3:22-23 NLT, “The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.”

So many mornings I have remembered this verse and felt joy. The mercy of Jesus is new every morning. Everyday He gives us a fresh start. Even when we fall into sin, His love, forgiveness, and mercy will meet us right where we are. All we have to do is repent.

When the pressures of life come our way, and our energy is low, He will uphold us. He will give us strength to face the day. He will not allow us to be consumed. Praise the Lord for His new mercies! Great is His faithfulness.

Mental Health Awareness: Being Sensitive to Others

This past weekend, I visited the library with my daughter. While I was there, I ended up getting into a conversation with one of the library aides. She began to tell me about her brother, who committed suicide just three years ago. Before taking his own life, he also took the life of his daughter.

As she was sharing details about this horrific story, I could see how painful it was for her. I can’t begin to imagine how traumatic this experience has been for her and her family. She told me that her other brother is now a advocate for mental health awareness. She mentioned the importance of people getting help when they need it. The suicide rates have increased over the years. As a Christian, I want to be aware of people, their feelings, and their needs.

My fellow blogger and big brother in Christ, Matt at Jesusluvsall, wrote about mental health awareness all last week. I enjoyed his posts, and I want to share his final post from last Friday, May is Mental Health Awareness Month – Depression and Anxiety. Please prayerfully read it. He made many great points for us to be aware of.

My prayer is that we would be sensitive to the fact that people are hurting. I also pray that everyone would have access to the mental health care they need. Please pray along with me.

1 Peter 3:8 NLT, “Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude.”

Thanks for reading and praying. 😊

Thinking About Faith

I was out walking yesterday morning and I was thinking about faith. I was thinking specifically about the rest of this year. I guess like many of you, there are things I am believing God for. Even though I don’t yet have all the details of how things will work out, I’m learning to leave things in God’s hands. I’m noticing that by diligently communicating with the Lord my faith is growing stronger. Sharing all my concerns with Him, while professing His sovereignty over my situation, is bringing me to a place of peace.

Philippians 4:6-7 NLT, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

Peace is what God wants for you and me. He knows that we can only achieve peace, by giving our worries over to Him. We must trust Him to take care of us, because He promised us that He will.

Trust God’s Perfect Timing

After writing “Our God is the God of Abundance” yesterday, I kept thinking about God’s timing. I thought about how although we know God is sovereign over all things (Colossians 1:16), we must still wait for His plans to unfold.

Knowing that God is an abundant God with unlimited resources, it can be a struggle at times to patiently wait. When we are anxious, we can easily find ourselves wondering why God is taking so long to move in our situation. After persevering in prayer for days, months, or even years we may feel tired and discouraged.

Psalm 27:14 NLT, “Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD.”

There are times when God chooses to move suddenly and turn things around, but He doesn’t always do that. We don’t always know the reasons behind our waiting. God may reveal details to us, but other times He requires us to just trust Him.

I used to have a picture on the wall that said, “Faith is trusting God when you do not understand.” That’s what is great about putting our faith in Jesus Christ, we don’t have to understand. Everything does not have to make sense to our human minds (Proverbs 3:5-6).

We can find comfort in knowing that He will strengthen us as we persevere through our waiting. We can cry out to Him at anytime of day or night, and He promised to hear our cries for help.

Psalm 18:6 NLT, “But in my distress I cried out to the LORD; yes, I prayed to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry to him reached his ears.”

He promised to give us His peace in exchange for our prayers (Philippians 4:6-7). As you are waiting, remember that God will never leave you. With every trial you face, God has a purpose and a plan, so don’t lose hope.

Stay Connected to the True Vine: Prayer

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5, NIV)

J E S U S. He is the Source that gives us life. When we are connected to Him, we bear fruit. Fruit that will last. Fruit that will make a true difference. While Jesus was here on Earth, He set a great example for us by showing us how He stayed connected to the Father.

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” (Mark 1:35, NIV)

Jesus realized that regular communication with the Father through prayer, was the way to stay focused and empowered. It’s no different for us. We need to have our special quiet times where we can spend time alone with God in prayer. However, we also can say short prayers throughout our day. Our Father is always available to us, no matter where we are. He tells us to pray continuously (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

Prayer has many benefits but here are some that I have experienced:

Prayer…

1. Keeps us aware of God’s presence.

2. Keeps us sensitive to the leading of The Holy Spirit.

3. Keeps us focused on what matters most.

4. Builds our trust and faith in God.

5. Gives us peace.

6. Helps us to walk in love.

7. Brings healing to our lives where needed.

Because of Christ we have direct 24/7 access to our Heavenly Father through prayer.

What are some of the ways you have seen prayer work in your life?