Pulled from our archives on Priscilla Schirer's book: Fervent... On page 18 Priscilla describes how she began developing strategies with her own prayers: “… I began by considering my most pressing dilemmas--the ones raging in my own heart, my family, my finances, my health, my ministry--and then started writing down my own battle plans for dealing with them, based on the truths of Scripture...” Building prayers on Scripture can be as simple as inserting your name into a biblical prayer. You do not need to use the entire prayer as found in scripture either. The parts that you feel apply to you are all that’s necessary. I strung many prayer-parts together when building mine. God knows what I’m asking - so do I. Also allow your prayers to change over the days. It's EVIDENCE the Holy Spirit is meeting you in your needs!!! Can we make up our own prayers? Yes, you can. But here’s what I have found when I use biblical prayers… They feel different, more real and personal. You have heard the phrase, the Living Word, well, it refers to the interactive nature of the Bible with your life. Interacting with Scripture can bring us change, forgiveness, courage. Whatever we may need in those tough times the Word of God can supply simply by us interacting in reading and prayer. Remember when you read Scripture you are participating in a two-way conversation. A RELATIONSHIP. You are having a living, breathing dialogue with God. ~ Andi
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Last week we looked at how to find a place in our home where we can design a holy space for our devotional time. Here are the guidelines that help in that selection:
Any space can become holy. It’s your choice with no room off limits. Some options are: A closet? Hobby area? A corner of a larger room? A cozy stairwell? A sunroom or porch? When you've found your special place you can begin creating a feeling of holiness within that area. One example is adding personal mementos (like the image above) that warm your heart. Is there something your child made just for you that brings back precious memories? Placing it in this space helps us focus on positive, loving thoughts. That's gives us a head start when sitting down with God. Other choices may be a special blanket or chair. Anything that makes this space unique, personal and comfortable is our goal. When you have added small touches, or perhaps big ones, take a moment to stand back and ask yourself, "Does this area call my heart to come?" This holy place that you have been creating needs to be inviting, so when you hit those days that challenge your determination to meet with God, a gentle nudging from this area may call you back. It's our daily time with our LORD that gives us POWER, RESTORATION and PEACE. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. -Matthew 11:28 [emphasis mine] ~ Andi Wouldn’t it be wonderful to ask the LORD, ‘Open my eyes that I may see the power of Your Kingdom around me!,’ and have everything opened so you could see that power at work behind the scenes? Then Elisha prayed: “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the servant, and he saw; the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 2 Kings 6:17 Wouldn’t it be wonderful to ask and see? I'd go around all day asking about what He was up to in my life and in my husband’s life, and especially in the lives of our children and grandbabies. Wouldn't you ask? How amazing would that be? What would it take to have that kind of relationship with God? Last week we talked about having our own holy ground, a special, quiet space in our home for our devotionals and prayer. This week we are going to look at Part II. There are some things to keep in mind when choosing your space. Remember you are looking for an area where quiet and privacy can be available. When you choose a possible spot, ask yourself the following:
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to ask the LORD open my eyes and know you will see? There’s only one way to create that potential. You need a Divine relationship. Finding and creating that holy ground, where you and the Lord can share quiet, holy time together is key, because in this space you will learn to see His power at work! ~ Andi Finding devotional time today can be really challenging. Right? And, if we do manage to find those illusive few minutes, the next question is: Where's a place that's quiet? Where is that comfortable space where I can read? A place where my heart can take a deep breath...I can connect with God and rest while He fills me up. Where is it? Maybe you feel that the time you grab in the car is working. At least it's not extra time out of your schedule. But it's not a quiet place, and it's hard to focus on just Him. We are alert to traffic when we're driving, and if we're also trying to talk to God, that means we're multi-tasking. When you talk to someone and they don't give you their attention, do you feel like you're not important? Would God feel unimportant to you? In Exodus God told Moses to build a structure for meeting. It was called the Tabernacle. But why build a place to meet? Wasn't meeting at the burning bush and mountain tops good enough? I believe the Lord wants a place for us that is special. We know that God could build anything he wants for himself, so the only answer must be that somehow having a special place to meet made a difference for Moses and the people, just like it does for us. Consider our sanctuaries. They’re special. We see them as holy and sanctified. They are designed to evoke feelings of holiness and nearness to our divine power. We sense God when we enter the sanctuary ~ we're reminded of our place as His child (we're not Creator, but the created). We begin our time with Him in humility, reverence and awe for His power. That helps us grow and change. Building our own holy place, our very own devotional space, is exactly the same. When we set apart a space, even a tiny one, we can sanctify it, adorn it, and call it ours and holy! Having that holy space to meet is like priming a pump. Our heart is prepared for the moments of divine relationship to come. And the more we use that space, the more readily our body and mind and heart take on that openness and depth in God. Take the next week to think about a small space in your home that could become your holy ground. Next week we'll talk about how to begin it's transformation. ~ Andi So our youngest grandson is the most adorable little guy. The men on both sides of his lineage are large in stature, brawny. No small surprise then that at just over 3 years old he larger than his 5-year-old sister. He’s like a little tank. We have a nickname for him (something his mama started). We call him, Buddy. Buddy was here the other day, and although I did not see the interaction, my husband tells me that Buddy corrected him about the name he wanted to be called. O' Pa was so mesmerized he re-enacted the entire story for me ending with Buddy adding, “No, my name is Ezra." I was not amused. I love the name Buddy. It so suits him. So I wanted to explain to Buddy that people can have more than one name. It’s okay if he wants some to call him Ezra, but maybe it could also be okay if others called him Buddy (hopefully his Nanny)… So, I asked him, ‘Buddy, what do you call me?” Looking up at me in bewilderment, he responded (as if I was in need of being reminded), “Nanny.” I said, “Right.” “But did you know that I have another name too?” Now another bewildered look, this time with a partial smile (cause he’s a smart boy and he figured that something was up). I said, “O' Pa calls me Andi.” “Andi???” he said. He was waiting for the other part of the joke I think. “Yes, O' Pa calls me Andi. And my friends call me Andi. And your daddy, he calls me Mom." No comment but wide eyes. I said, “Buddy, it’s okay to have more than one name, huh?” I thought he might call me Andi after that, but he didn’t. And I was allowed to continue to call him 'Buddy' without any correction. You probably have more than one name you respond to. To family you may have others, like nicknames. Each one with special significance. Did you know there are literally scores of names for God. One we often hear is: I AM THAT I AM. "Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am."' Exodus 3.13-14a Matthew Henry’s commentary writes in part of that name: “...Being self-existent, he cannot but be self-sufficient, and therefore all-sufficient, and the inexhaustible fountain of being … That he is eternal and unchangeable… “ I love my name Nanny because it was created by my littlest granddaughter, but also because as she speaks it, each and everytime, I remember how much I love her. Today as you go through your day you might think about the favorite name you have for God. The one that has special significance to you. Perhaps it is: I AM THAT I AM. Either way, isn't it true that there is so much more to a name than just the sound? ~ Andi Children are the most precious thing we create in this life time. They come to us trusting and honest. In the passage below Christ interrupts a discussion among the disciples about who will be the greatest in the kingdom (supposedly one of them) to point out that those qualities which make one great in the kingdom are contrary to what they think makes one great on earth, and those attributes are found in little children. Matthew 18.1-4 Rank in the Kingdom At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Last night I got to have our two littlest ones here for a while. We had craft time, bath time and then chocolate cake followed by snuggle-time while we watched Kate and Mim Mim. It was awesome! They are so precious and loving! When they were leaving a discussion came up about marriage. Our littlest granddaughter, now aware of the fact that O Pa and Nanny were married, had a question. “Nanny,” she asked, “When you got married did you look old?” Ouch - and yet how precious. It’s the heart that sees truth and means no harm that Christ was placing as first in the kingdom. That heart is something we can all aspire to. Not that I would want my friends asking such a question of me, but I would hope that I could see with such honesty and respond with such innocent love that I could hope to aspire to be nearer to that which Christ calls the ‘first’ in the heavenly kingdom. ~ Andi Are there times in your life when you have such a sorrow, such an intimate problem, that you can’t tell anyone? Do you hide it because you need someone who could absolutely guarantee confidentiality, and still completely love and accept you, and no-one like that comes to mind. There are many forms of trust and need. We experience them almost every day in some form or other, but here's one that will surprise you. One historical source writes: ‘A clay pot was held in constant nearness to the newborn. A mother would learn to recognize when a child was about to excrete fluid or waste and press the clay pot near the body to collect the result.’ When Christ left heaven to come to enter our world he left his glory and power behind. He was unable to defend himself, feed himself, or even urinate (or you know) without soiling himself. Imagine, instead of wearing luminous robes of glory, your cloth might have born the stench and stain of human excrement. He was cared for by one woman whom he trusted would become so in tune with him, so aware of his body's rhythm, that she could provide that care as he needed it. So, let me ask you, 'how bad is your problem?' How private or embarrassing could your secret be? Jesus trusted his most personal needs to a young woman who was new to childrearing. How many times did she get it wrong before she figured it out? How long did it take her before she understood what he needed and when? So, then, what could the One who knows all, sees our heart, and knows our cries, what could he not understand? He is always listening. LORD God, I need you. I need your love and direction in my heart. Help me. Heal me. Hear me. Touch me and calm my soul. I love you Jesus. I trust that you know me that well. Amen, amen and amen. Holiness? We know God is holy, right? Yet we can’t comprehend what the word holy truly means. We don’t have a way of understanding what God’s ‘holiness’ means in it’s entirety. It’s a human impossibility. Why? Because we are not now, nor have we ever been, holy as God is holy. What we cannot envision or experience does not allow itself to be defined in human terms. Let your mind play with the verse God spoke to Moses in the desert, “… Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” (Ex 3.5). The dirt where Moses was standing was holy? So was it that the holiness of God emanated from the bush that burned and wafted across the ground? How far out from the bush did it go? Did it go up too, or sideways, or just across the ground? Why did God want Moses to remove his sandals? Was it because God wanted only Moses’ bare feet to touch that holy dirt? What application can I offer you other than there is a side of God that we don’t know now. A side of Him that’s so far beyond what we can imagine that we are literally at a loss of words? How will it be when you meet this Person you could not imagine for the first time? Will there be holiness everywhere? Will it cover the ground where you stand… Will you be barefoot? How will it feel? Dear Father, Holy One of Whom I know so little. Please lead me into deeper awareness and knowing. I am so limited. Allow for growth in my failings and simple nature, and teach me about such things I cannot possibly understand, like holiness... Amen, amen and amen. Today we have a distinct posture when we pray, don’t we. Is it similar to the old or new testament prayer posture? Nope. In those days the act of prayer was a different thing. More real. More intimate. More... Today we bow our heads, we can be sitting, kneeling occasionally, but often standing, with hands maybe joined or simply at our sides. In old prayer posture arms are raised - hands open to heaven - eyes open to heaven. “Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. Nehemiah 8.5-6 The backdrop of this passage is the fact that it lasted many hours. Ezra would read from morning till noon. Wouldn't you be uncomfortable by then? Our prayer posture today is pretty comfortable. In fact you have noticed occasionally that it’s so comfortable you fight becoming drowsy. “After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed “Father, the hour has come….” (John 17.1) This posture might seem intimidating if done in public, but what if you try this posture in your private time. It’s adoration and worship to give all glory to God in the complete prayer experience. Father teach us to pray with all our focus on You. Hands high. Eyes to You! Our comfort and appearance irrelevant. Amen, amen and amen Is devotional time becoming obsolete? An unnerving report by the Huffington Post reveals many Christians lack a working knowledge of Scripture. In part, the report, American Bible Reading Statistics …, reads: … A Barna poll indicated that at least 12 percent of adults believe that Joan of Arc was Noah's wife. … respondents to one poll indicated that the Sermon on the Mount was preached by Billy Graham. Another survey ... revealed that over 50 percent thought that Sodom and Gomorrah were husband and wife... I know the above is laughable, right? But when seriously considered, do you know a sister in Christ who might find some of these suggestions not laughable, but possibly true? As Christians our power is rooted in the Relationship we build by routinely interacting with the Word of God. Because of that exposure to the Divine our faith becomes life-altering as we understand, agree with, and have confidence in those active divine truths. Those factors give us authority to properly use such power. We literally become POWERFUL by that Divine relationship. Found in the book of Acts is a rather startling look at the attempted use of God's power outside that divine relationship... in other words, that power was tried on outside relationship! "Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding." Acts 19.13-16 NIV Devotional time empowers us. It is the unity of time spent with the Word of God that gives us understanding to use such an awesome power. That Divine Power grows larger within us everytime we come to the Word. Amen! You go girl! |
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