This print hangs near my desk. It's the place where I read the Word ~ where I study ~ and dream. Weeks ago a friend asked me about doing a personal study. I suggested studying ‘Who she was in Christ.’ Funny, because the next day the Lord suggested that study would be good for me too. That’s when I found this print. It hangs where I will routinely see it so I REMEMBER WHO I AM! Priscilla starts this chapter with the customary look at the tactics of the enemy in his attempts to destroy your identity. "If I were your enemy, I'd devalue your strength and magnify your insecurities until they dominate how you see yourself, disabling and disarming you from fighting back, from being free, from being who God has created you to be. I'd work hard to ensure that you never realize what God has given you so you'll doubt the power of God within you." Some of the points I took to heart from Priscilla's thoughts in this chapter are:
Don't believe the lies the enemy tells you! Lies intended to make you doubt the fact that you are ROYALTY ~ and are endowed by POWER from your HOLY FATHER! Call the enemy on all the stupid, cruel, child-like lies he is telling you! Write your prayers! Pray them often! Believe the power of God will respond to your prayers, and watch the enemy run for cover like the coward he is!!! We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Ephesians 2.10 ~ Andi
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Do you remember how scary the game of hide-n-seek was as a child? Playing was always fun and exciting, but there was a level of apprehension too knowing that someone might choose to switch up the game and jump out at you, instead of just being found - That momentary confusion and fear is also part of the memory. This week's subject is like playing hide-n-seek. There's no surprise that someone [the enemy] is hiding, but will he choose to remain still -- waiting to be found, or will he decide to jump into your life -- making you feel uneasy and confused about what is really going on. When you played as a child hiding was simple, uncomplicated. Pick and tree, hide, and stand still. But as you got older, the 'hiding techniques' became more sophisticated. Hiding in cupboards, under furniture or even cleverly under the laundry on the floor. But as you got older your skills at routing someone out likely did not advance because we didn't need them, we no longer played simple games like hide-n-seek. We thought we had outgrown that game! But as it turns out, we're often locked in a battle of hide-n-seek with an enemy who can change himself into an image of anything he wants us to identify as the problem -- ANYTHING OTHER THAN HIM! Priscilla writes in her opening comments: "If I were your enemy, I'd disguise myself and manipulate your perspectives so that you'd focus on the wrong culprit---your husband, your friend, your hurt, your finances, anything or anyone except me. ..." From Priscilla's writing my take-aways this week are many. I'll try to highlight the most important ones to me:
~ Andi I read my first book on the spiritual disciplines years ago. The book was entitled Prayer, by Richard Foster. It talked about many different types of prayer, and how each prayer relationship looked in practice. It challenged everything I thought I knew about prayer. With my highlighter ready that day, I began reading. Almost immediately I was marking up the pages ~ literally. I soon gave up highlighting when I realized that nearly every line was covered with bright yellow. The book Prayer was revolutionary for me. And Fervent is too! (Above is my book, Fervent. It's awesome when there's so much good stuff in a book!) Our topic this week: Your Passion. Priscilla writes: “If I were your enemy, I’d seek to dim your passion, dull your interest in spiritual things, dampen your belief in God’s ability and His personal concern for you, and convince you that the hope you’ve lost is never coming back--and was probably just a lie to begin with.” The enemy uses what works. His first attack isn’t against our efforts themselves, it’s against our desire to make those efforts. He wants to destroy our passion to pray. He knows prayer will give us strength. So, to keep us from getting strong, he wants to stop our prayer relationship before it ever starts! “Passion is what burns up the road between a child in danger and a parent in pursuit. … so here’s what I’d say to you. Let’s start here. Praying for this. To recover and maintain your passion...” -- Priscilla Just like that New Year’s resolution we make each year, whether it’s losing weight, exercising more, or whatever, without passion any attempt will fail. The enemy knows that, and he’s choreographing distractions, interruptions, complications, even disillusionment to keep you and your prayers from becoming unstoppable! The toughest part of developing a new habit is sticking to it. Your body will scream out for relief, and your mind will back it up with complaints ~ reason after reason why it’s just not practical right now. I say, it’s not just practical! It’s absolutely necessary! Don’t be a victim! Be a victor! God has given us power to blow the enemy’s games out of the water! Build your prayers! Post them up where you can see and pray them often! Believe in them! Become the victor! Christ has already given us this power! "These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons..." Mark 16:17a ~Andi I've read a lot of books about the spiritual practices, or what some call the spiritual disciplines. I never really liked that word: disciplines. It makes it sound like the spiritual practices (including prayer) are practices that must be rehearsed, becoming merely religious rites ~ more practiced than spontaneous and intimate. That's not prayer...
From the time I was little I listened to my grandmother pray. Prayer seemed to be something she enjoyed. Even in the most difficult circumstances I could tell she had nothing but love for God and his ways. I learned from her that talking to God would make things better, and that it was truly the fastest road to recovery. Prayer has been my cornerstone giving me direction in good and bad times. Perhaps prayer has been like that for you too. I didn't expect this book to be as powerful as it was. I think it's because I relate to her story about her grandmothers legacy of prayer in her life. I think we all have a story about how prayer has impacted our life because someone believed in us, AND prayer. My grandmother influenced my faith dramatically, and I firmly believe that during some of my darkest years, even though she never said so, she prayed for me and the choices I was making. To me this book helps prayer become real to others! If you use the methods here, you will see what the power of prayer can do when it's unleashed! We are excited to open this online forum for our women hoping it gives you an opportunity to connect with your friends when it's convenient without needing to schedule in another activity. Below are some of Priscilla's comments from this week's reading that made an impact on me: • "Prayer is the portal that brings the power of heaven down to earth. It is kryptonite to the enemy and to all his ploys against you." • "Praying with precision is key." • "...with your prayer strategies in place...then posted where you can regularly see them and read them and launch them against the enemy's most well-disguised hideouts--you'll be able to fight back as hard (and harder) than the one who's fighting against you." • "I resolved to stop using physical means to fight battles that require spiritual remedies, using instead the power of prayer to do what it's always been designed to do." Her Prayer Framework: It spells out: PRAY Praise: He has done so much for us. Thank You's set a tone of humility. Repentance: It's really all about our heart, what we're resisting, and coming to trust in Him. Let your truth be spoken in prayer. Asking: "Make your requests known. Be personal and specific. Write down details of your own issues and difficulties as they relate to the broader issue..." Yes: "All of God's promises," the Bible says, "have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding 'Yes!'" Did this weeks reading change how you feel about prayer? Did it give you ideas that can help your prayer life? Do you have questions about the reading? I'm here to help if I can. And finally, let us know what you agree with, what touched your heart, or stirred your thoughts? Andi |
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January 2017
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