31 Days of Prayer: Where to find God

Curious about the title of today's blog post? I certainly hope so! Think I'm going to give you directions to God's home in heaven? I certainly hope NOT because no mere mortal can ever access that kind of information! However, while I cannot give you directions to God's home, I hope I can lead you to His heart.

God's heart overflows with love for us mere mortals. He absolutely ADORES us humans! Why, He loves us so much that He was willing to allow His only Son to die for us! Yes, He loves us that much! The death of Jesus Christ and His being raised from the grave after three days gives HOPE to humanity because now that Christ has defeated death, it no longer has power over our life story. Since Christ was victorious, we all can choose to accept His gift of salvation and have hope of life after the curtain closes on human history...We have hope to live again for eternity spent in the presence of God. All we have to do is to have faith in God and live like it! The Bible says faith without works is dead (James 2:14-24).

So what does all of this mean? You thought I was going to help you know where to find God, right? Hang in there, I will.

Are you ready?

You can find God...on your knees.

Yes.

Indeed.

It's that simple.

The Bible says that no man has seen God. And that's true. But Jesus Christ says if you know the Son (Christ) then you know the Father (God). And how do you get to know Christ and God the Father?

Go ahead, think about it.

Dig a little deeper...

If you've listened to the song "Find You On My Knees" by Kari Jobe you may know the answer by now.

Still thinking?

You've got it! Prayer and study of God's Word (The Holy Bible) will lead you to God's heart. They say those who kneel before God in prayer can stand before anyone! Constant communication with God through prayer equips you for the daily battles in life. So when life gives you lemons don't just make lemonade, pray about it! Ask God to show you how to deal with the times when life does not look all that rosy and picture perfect. God is with you no matter where you are and no matter what you're going through. Even when you cannot sense God's presence, you can TRUST His heart.

Today I encourage you to pray and keep praying. You don't have to spend all day and night literally on your knees. But you do need to keep the communication line between you and God open. And that communication line is a beautiful gift from God to us called prayer. The best benefit about finding God through prayer and devotion is that He will not disappoint you. The Bible says when you seek God with all your heart, you WILL find Him (Jeremiah 29:13).

I know that it's tough when life is rough to pray and to seek God's will for your life. But know this: No matter what happens keep praying to God. He hears. He knows your situation and He's promised to work it out for your good (Romans 8:28).

So take heart! Pray and be led to God's heart! His divine, sovereign heart that overflows with love for you and your brother and your sister and your mom and your dad and your cousins and your aunts and uncles and your friends and your co-workers... you get the picture, every single human being on Earth!

Now that you know where to find God. Seek Him, daily, for the rest of your life. And as you seek Him and begin to know Him better, share what God's done for you with others! Your testimony may lead a lost soul to Jesus Christ. And that my friend, is what makes a life well lived.

God bless you!

Thankful Thursday: The Blessing of Friends Who Pray

It’s Thursday and I am thankful for the blessing of friends who pray. 

Life is beautiful but it can also be so hard, especially when you don’t know what’s around the bend. But if you have faith in God and continue praying to Him, you will be at peace in the midst of any storm. The Bible says in Isaiah 26:3, God will keep in "perfect peace" all who trust in Him, all whose thoughts are fixed on Him. GOD is willing and able to be your Provider, Protector and Navigator throughout your journey on Earth. God will even send people into your life who will pray for you, sometimes without you asking.

Such was the case when one of my friends who is a chaplain, we’ll call her GD, called me yesterday to pray. The conversation started with an update on how my first, 7-day fast from Facebook went and I told her that I completed the fast (and to my surprise, stuck to it for the entire 7 days) but I had not yet heard anything “spectacular” from God. Prior to my fast, I had shared with GD how I was expecting answers, like doubtless direction from God at the end of this fast—After all I was giving up my time on FACEBOOK! That’s serious stuff as Lord knows thousands if not millions of people in the entire world are addicted to that social networking site! 

I did tell GD how, after the initial 24 hours of my fast from Facebook, it was surprisingly easy to live without Facebook (yes, it IS possible) and I believe that while I did not hear something spectacular from God, my mental health improved (Lord knows the comparison game Facebook that can suck you in, full force, is something crazy) and I felt more at peace. During this time, I realized that I need to fast from Facebook more often which is a commitment I’m planning to make. I also shared with GD that while I did not hear “something spectacular” from God, I did receive reaffirmation through people and events that occurred during that week to reassure me that I am on the right path and that God does want me to do what He’s given me talents for (writing and photography) but I may need to make tents in the meantime. 

Allow me to explain what I mean by needing to “make tents”…When my job in Journalism did not work out, I spoke with one of my Christian mentors (we’ll call her JK) and expressed my disappointment in a shattered dream, frustration in not knowing when or where I'd work again, anxiety (because I have bills to pay) and doubt in what exactly God’s plan for my life would be (wondering whether or not my professional writing/publishing/photography dreams would become true) and to all of this, JK told me, “I am sorry about this shattered dream…Do not apologize for needing a job to pay your bills…the greatest Christian Writer made ends meet regularly through “tent-making” (Paul the Apostle). With every shattered dream—there is a better dream coming.” 

So I shared that advice from JK and GD agreed. She told me that even though I did not hear “something spectacular” from God after the conclusion of my fast from Facebook, God did reveal His will to me through the conversations and incidents that happened throughout the week to reaffirm this simple truth—I am exactly where God wants me to be right now in this life. And that made me happy because that is exactly where I want to be—in the center of God’s will for me. 

And then GD offered to pray for me. The exact words from the prayer, I do not remember but after the prayer, I recall feeling so much better and thankful for the blessing of friends like GD who pray for me—with or without me asking—because sometimes you cannot pray for yourself which is why the Bible tells us to pray for each other, in church we call this “intercessory prayer”. 

If you are at a point in your life when you do not have any family or friends to pray for you, there is HOPE because the Bible says that Jesus Christ is constantly interceding for us before the Father (God) which means He is praying for you! What a blessing I believe it is to have the SAVIOR of the WORLD (Jesus Christ) praying on behalf of His creation (you and me, humanity). What better person to have on your side than the One who has lived on this Earth and been through every human experience so that He has ultimate empathy and compassion for each of our unique situations? 

The New Living Translation of the Holy Bible says in 1 Peter 5:7 for us to, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” Yes, you read that right, there is a GOD who CARES about YOU! And He wants you to be saved and have the hope of eternal life, that’s why He sent you’re His Son Jesus Christ, who is now your Intercessor, to this Earth to live, die and be resurrected into eternal life so that we can have the hope that there is something better beyond this world...So that we could know that our story does NOT end with death because if we followed Jesus Christ when we were alive, we do have hope of eternal life. But that’s another post for another day! 

All I want to say at this point is to re-emphasize how grateful I am for the friends (and family) whom God has placed in my life to pray for me. I encourage you to invest in Bible-believing, Christ-following, praying friends because the benefits are eternal and while life can be hard, it will make your walk easier. 

Testimony time: God will make a way

Dear friends,

I simply had to share some good news with you! As a grown adult, I am reminded of the fact that God doesn't bless us to make us keep the blessings hidden in our hearts as we offer silent praises to Him of thanksgiving! No, He blesses us so we can bless others by sharing the miracles He's wrought in our lives.

So this is my first "Testimony Time" post about how God provided me with exactly what I needed and wanted in such a timely fashion to the point where I am convinced firsthand of this Bible-based truth, "God will make a way."

Here's the story:

My teaching position which I had for 2 years was terminated in June 2011 so I haven't had a full-time job since then, only freelance work. However, the good news is that the benefits and insurance coverage from my previous employer extended until August 31, 2011. Since learning of my termination, I've been searching for another full-time job that includes benefits and applying for short-term insurance with various companies, all the while praying to God about the situation.

The underwriting department within each insurance company continually denied coverage for me due to medical reasons. If it wasn't medical reasons causing me denial of coverage, it was the high-cost of coverage that defeated me such as with one company that was going to charge me $700.00/month and another that was going to charge me $500.00/month and I couldn't afford either and still be able to pay my bills with those kind of required expenses when I didn't have a full-time, paying job.

During this time, I was frustrated and in a bit of despair because I needed insurance coverage and couldn't find one that would accept me at an affordable price. I spoke with my mom about this situation and one day last week she told me, "Wait, I've seen God work like this before when He keeps closing one door after another! It must mean that He has something better for you!" After these words of encouragement, she dropped the subject and we didn't talk about it for several days...until yesterday (September 7, 2011).

Yesterday, I got a call from an insurance broker whose company partners with one of the insurance companies who denied me coverage. The insurance broker told me, "I think I can help you with getting insurance coverage." These were good words to hear but I knew that there was a chance of being denied again so I brought up the reason for my denial in the past (medical reasons) and he said that wouldn't be a problem. He went through the interview and approval process over the phone with me and the company's secure website and in less than 20 minutes later, I had been approved!

My insurance coverage will start soon and I am so grateful to God for this blessing!

My mom reminded me that when God works wonders in your life, it's not for you to keep to yourself and enjoy the blessing alone! No! You're meant to share it! Which is why I'm telling you!

God is love and He loves you! He promises to never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5) and He will be by your side, protecting you, guiding you, correcting you and blessing you until the end of time.

The New Living Translation of the Bible verse Isaiah 65:24 holds one of God's promises to us. God says, "I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers!"

God heard and answered my prayer! My grandma would often repeat to me prior to this recent answered prayer the old saying, "God may not come when you want Him to, but He's always on time."

So in a world of uncertainty, I advise you dear friends to hold onto the unshakable truth that is certain- Jesus Christ for He is "The Way, The Truth, and The Life" (John 14:6).

Now testimony time isn't meant to stop with one praise report! After you've read this post, if you're inspired to share how God worked and continues to work in your life, leave a comment! Share your testimony! :)


Meanwhile, here's a video by Janet Paschal that speaks to my experience and my prayer is that it will speak to your heart and encourage your spirit:

GOD will make a way! You can count on it! :)


Love,

Alexis