God's Word is an Immovable Anchor in Times of Storm

Because God loves us, we have no need to worry about the future. He has a plan not only for our lives, but also for every problem we face. Oswald Chambers said, "All our fret and worry is caused by calculating without God..." Take time today to renew your trust in God and His ability to provide you the wisdom you need.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Here I've gone off again trying to do things under my own power... When am I going to get it right...? When will I just let You be God...? Dear Lord all my good intentions are getting me no where... I pay lip service to cutting back on busyness, but end up staying just as busy as ever. The truth is, I can't do it under my own power. I need You Lord.

And Father, I know You are capable of anything. The message I received today from my morning study is to just trust You. Lord I do trust You. I surrender to You, My King. I will put on my holy armor every morning when I awaken and fight the spiritual warfare that encompasses me daily.

Father I can only over come the Enemy with Your wisdom and protection. Thank You Lord for the book of Proverbs. Thank You Lord for great men of God like Oswald Chambers, Dr Charles Stanley, Dr Adrian Rogers, Dr Billy Graham, and many others whose lives have inspired me and continue to inspire me.

Lord today I intercede on behalf of my sweet wife, who is suffering the same busyness that I am, maybe in a worse way. Help me to help her. Help me to be strong for her. Right now many times it's the other way around. She's the one who encourages me and she's always seeking You, Lord. What an inspiration and helper she is, Father. Bless her, Jesus. And Thank You for blessing me with her...!

Father I lift up my stepson Connor, too. He's at a stage in teen age development where he's suffering motivational problems. He doesn't always give his best 100% effort to the tasks at hand. Help me to be encouraging and give me the correct words to empower him to want to do his best at all times in order to honor You, my King.

It's all about You, Jesus. Our lives, everything we say and do, Lord... It all should be pleasing and honoring to You. You smile when we seek You with a pure and gentile heart. Lord, my desire is to live a life that is free of busyness. I seek to live a life soley devoted to giving glory and honor and worship to You.

Lastly Lord, I want to lift up baby Elijah. He's almost 9 months old today. I plan to bathe him in love and prayer and offer him to You every day of His Life, Father. I believe he will grow to be a great man of God. I want to give him every opportunity to grow in You, Father. And for that to happen I must grow in You...! And Monica and Connor must grow in You. We can't allow ourselves to be too busy, too wrapped up in the insignificant details of life.

If we truly know You, Father, we will live life more abundantly. Jesus I seek You. I truly surrender to You. From this moment onward I am living a more surrendered life...! And I know I can only do it with Your blessing, and Grace, and mercy.

Lord Jesus, my family is under spiritual attack. This community is under spiritual attack. This country is under spiritual attack. This world is under spiritual attack. But Lord I stand in the Gap for them. I pray for Your people. I pray for the Lost. I pray that Your will be done, my King. The evil one shall not prevail here.

Lord I surrender it all to You. Sam Chadwell is nothing without the mighty God he serves. I can do nothing apart from You Jesus. But through You I can do all things. Lord I pray all this in the power of the name of Your holy precious son, Jesus Christ, Amen.

The Tennis Ministry

Today I'd like to lift up the ministry of Pastor Bob Kraft. Pastor Kraft travels around the world and ministers to players on the professional tennis tour. He says that less than 1 % of the players on the tour are born again Christians. That figure to me is astounding. Pastor Kraft has been called to this ministry since 1992.

He emails out a daily devotional and it has been a tremendous blessing to me. I hope to meet Pastor Kraft one day. Perhaps I'll run into him at the French Open or Wimbledon or US Open sometime...

His website is worth visiting. Go to http://www.tennisministry.com

I just thank God today for Pastor Kraft and everyone who stands in the gap for the lost.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Lord I lift up Pastor Bob Kraft, his family, and his ministry this morning. Bless him father and his efforts to be salt and light in the darkness. Father I am inspired by what he does. Thank You also for sending Godly men to just witness with their very lives. I pray that Pastor Kraft's Tennis Ministry produces much fruit.

Lord Jesus, You are my Savior. I love You. I give this day to You, my King.

I pray these things in Your holy name,

Amen.

Honoring the Lord

Today I'm going to start trying to honor the Lord by getting more rest and quiet time. I'm still just too busy these days. - Busy with activity that doesn't make a bit of difference to the Kingdom... - And that's just where the enemy wants me. Satan wants me tired and weary all the time.

Today I'm making rest a priority.

I'm making quiet time a priority.

I'm making family time a priority.

I'm making prayer time a priority.

If there's any time left after that then I'll try to get some work done, too...!

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You Lord for another day to love and serve You through loving and serving others. Let my light shine brightly today, Lord. I want today to be about You, Lord. Not me. Not my work. My true 'work' is working for You, my King.

Guide my schedule today, Lord. Help me to accomplish much in good time. Father God I just rest in You Lord. I trust in You. I give all my cares and worries to You, Lord. Help me to be more obedient to Your word. Help me to make the right choices. Father don't let me miss a witnessing opportunity today.

I worship You Lord. I give You Praise. You are an awesome God. Mighty in Power. Your Glory is Supreme. It is a privilege and honor to love and serve You, oh Prince of Peace.

I humbly give this day to You, Father. And I pray blessings on my sweet wife Monica, my little innocent baby Elijah, and my dear stepson Connor who's quickly growing from youth to young adult. Father I lift up my family around the country, especially the Mariani's and the Ohlemacher's.

Lord Jesus, I pray these things in Your Holy Name, Amen.

What God Says About Busy-ness

Last night I decided to take a detour from Genesis and read from the book of Proverbs. I've read through the first 3 chapters and am going to go back and read them again a few more times this weekend and meditate on them. The topic is wisdom and foolishness. Proverbs says that those who seek the Lord are wise. It also describes those who are too busy for the Lord and His Holy Word as foolish. It further goes on to say that the wise will live forever and foolish will perish.

I really think the Holy Spirit is speaking to me right now. Every sermon I listen to, every scripture verse I study, every Christian talk show, even dramatic presentations like Adventures in Odyssessy and Unshackled all point to pruning out the busy-ness and narrowing my focus to serve the Lord more fully and completely.

Is God trying to speak to your heart today...? Take some time out from your busy day. Take some quiet time for the Lord. Pray about it. Read His Word. Discuss it with a pastor or mature Christian whom you respect and admire...

I'll tell You God is changing me right now in ways I don't fully understand, but I do know enough to fear the Lord and be obedient. You just can't afford to mess around when the Creator of the Universe and the Savior of the world is trying to tell You something..!

Dear Heavenly Father,

Lord I want to know You more. I want to walk closer with You. I pray that You keep me on fire with a hunger and thirst for Your word. I pray that my life is a living witness and testimony of a Godly man, a man after Your own heart.

Lord God I want to honor You in every way, with every word that comes from my mouth and every thing I do. Lord, I am blessed in riches far beyond what I ever thought I would have. Now I just want to pour out blessings on others. Help me to be a blessing to others...

I pray for the Mariani family this morning. Lift them up in a right relationship with You, dear Lord. I pray for my co-workers. I really have no idea the condition of their souls but I know that I have been put here to witness. Bless my interaction with everyone I work with.

Father God, I have been blessed with many tennis students young and old alike. I pray that I am able to instill in them not only a love for tennis but a love for life, and ultimately, a love for You, my King. Let them see the love in my heart for You, Jesus. Let it be evident in every thing I say and do. I am Your ambassador, Lord.

Dear Lord, bless my sweet wife who works tirelessly to make a good home and raise the children. I am so appreciative of her. Thank You, Jesus for giving me such an awesome helpmate! And Lord I lift up my little baby boy, Elijah and my stepson, Connor to You this morning as well. Bless them. Guard them. Help me to be the spiritual leader and mentor they need to grow into great men of God.

Lord I just pray for myself, too. Guard my heart. Keep me free from the snares of the evil one. Help me with my issue of busy-ness. Give me super-natural strength and energy to accomplish much today, Lord. One of my highest priorities is to honor You with good and efficient use of my time. We just don't know for sure how much time we have left on our life clock. I want to make the most of every minute for Your Glory...!

Father God I love You and I give this day to You. I pray these things in Jesus' name, Amen.

Developing a Hunger and Thirst for God

This is the title of the current series of messages Dr Charles Stanley is teaching on.

So, what are Hunger and Thirst..?

They are basic, built in human drives or cravings. When we get hungry, our stomach starts hurting. It even makes growling sounds. We get weak. We might get a head ache. Some people I know get really grouchy when they are hungry. (I'm one of them.) Our thinking may even be affected when we go without food for too long.

Thirst is much the same way. When we get thirsty, we crave water. Our mouth gets dry. If we go without water for too long our body starts over heating. Our muscles start to fail. Our thinking can also be affected when we are dehydrated. We really can't go without water for too long...!

Hunger and thirst are built in physical safety mechanisms that God has given us to remind us to eat and drink or we will die...!

My question today is this: Do you have a hunger and thirst for God like a hunger and thirst for food and water...? Because really, the end result is the same. If we go without a relationship with God we're going to die, too. (A spiritual death)

Think about how satisfied You feel after a nice meal, or a cool refreshing beverage on a hot day... Is that same satisfaction present after you hear a good sermon or have a good bible study?

Now I'm not trying to convict anyone here, I'm just asking questions trying to stimulate some thought processes. I'm not perfect, that's for sure.

I don't always have the same type of hunger and thirst for Our Lord Jesus Christ that I have for food and water. That's definitely something that I'm working on in my own relationship with God. If you need help developing a closer relationship with our Lord and Savior, I encourage You right now to pray to the Holy Spirit right for a true hunger and thirst for God.

I'll be praying right along side You and for You as well...!

Genesis 2:2

...And on the seventh day God ended His work which he had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done....

Dr Stanley explains that God did not 'rest' from His work because He felt tired and needed to recoup His strength, but because he had finished His creation and wanted to give us a model to follow. Rest is part of God's blessing to man. And not just Sabbath rest. I'm trying to watch the amount of rest I get during the week, too!

I realize that I've been rejecting one of God's greatest blessings to man: rest. And not only have I rejected rest, I've replaced it with busy-ness, which is a snare of the devil. But last night when I got home I did not even turn on my computer. I enjoyed a nice meal that Monica had prepared for me and then I spent a little time with the family and played with the baby before I went to bed. AND... I went to bed by 10 AM...! (I probably could have drifted off to sleep earlier, but 10PM is good) Then I slept in a little later than anticipated, but when ever that happens I'm ok with that because I know my body needs rest to function properly.

But now I've got to try to get all my work done in fewer hours... Oh well, it will work out. Another one of Dr Stanley's sayings is to be obedient and trust in God and leave all the consequences to Him...!

Dear Heavenly Father,

Lord I do trust in You. You have proven Yourself time and time again. You are the Creator. The Author of Life. You are the Great Promise Keeper. Lord I will not fear the future, the unknown. I will be obedient to You. I will walk in Your ways and You will lead me. I'm trying to rest more and be less busy. Help me to be consistent in that area, Lord.

Father, I'm trying to rest more. I'm trying to reduce my work load. I'm seeking to prune unproductive activities. I'm seeking to delegate more. I absolutely must be more efficient with my time. Time is another one of Your greatest gifts. I've rejected rest and wasted time. Please forgive me Lord. Help me to be a better steward of my time, rest, and money...!

Holy Lord, I pray for the family whom You are preparing to buy our house in Houston. Who ever they are, Lord. I lift them up. I pray that they come along quickly, but if they don't Lord I just pray that Your will be done in the matter. It doesn't seem that we need two houses, and I'd sure like to get out from under the burden of two mortgages each month. Help us sell that house and use the finances in a Godly way.

Thank You Lord for blessing my family and I so abundantly. You truly are an awesome God. Lord I praise Your name in the highest. And in Your Holy Name I pray...

Amen.

Prayer For My Co-Workers

Dear Heavenly Father,

Lord You know all things. You are keenly aware that my place of employment has undergone tremendous change the past six months. Today we are having a semi monthly staff meeting and I want to lift up that meeting and my co workers this morning. I pray that we have a positive meeting and reports reveal that workload situations are improving, not worsening. I lift up the upper management and the owners of the business that they begin to make wise and compassionate decisions.

Father God I see my place of employment as a fertile ground for witnessing. Bless my words today, Lord. Help me be an Ambassador for Christ and The Kingdom. Your directive to Your disciples was to spread the Good Word from Jerulsalem to the outer most regions of the world. Well, we do live pretty far from Jerusalem...! And Lord I just want to be obedient to You. Help me to recognize every opportunity to be a witness today.

Lord Jesus I love You. I cherish these early morning moments alone with You, Lord. I praise Your name and lift You up, my King. I give this day to You, Father.
And in Your Precious Holy Name I pray, Amen.

Praise Report...!

Wow...! It was a great weekend for tennis. The Houston Open went about as smoothly as it ever has before. I have to give thanks and praise for that.

Dear Heavenly Father, You are an Awesome God...! I just love You and praise You this morning. You are in complete control of my life, my King. I trust You completely and follow Your word and ljust eave all the consequences to You.

Many times I can't see what You have in mind regarding certain chains of events. It's difficult to find the 'Good' in some circumstances. But Lord, when we don't understand something it's just time to draw closer to You, isn't that right..?

Today, Father. This morning, Father. I just give all my difficulties, all my trials, all my question marks to You. You are the God of Solutions. You are in control.

My role in the scheme of life is to love, cherish, worship you, and be obedient to Your Word. And that's what I'm going to do. I thank You and praise You for Your marvelous deeds. I Trust in You. I Rest in You. I give this day to You Heavenly Father for Your Glory and Honor. And not just for today, but forever.

I have been blessed beyond measure with a beautiful family, good friends, and a good life.

Thank You, Jesus. I praise You and pray for these things in Your Holy Name, Amen.

Ressurection Day...!

Praise You, Jesus...!

You were faithful to Your Father's wishes. You made the ultimate sacrifice, My King. And today we celebrate Your Victory over death and the cross...!

Father God, I love You. I worship You. I sincerely thank You dear Lord for Your suffering. You did it for me so that I might live forever. Oh God, You are a mighty God. You are the Savior of The World. Death is conquered in You, oh Lord Most High....!

Father God, I wonder what today in Heaven must be like for You...? Here on earth Your Family rejoices and sings Your Name in the highest...! I lift You up and marvel at Your wondrous deeds!

I pray this morning for Pastors every where as they deliver their Sunday morning messages. Lord I pray that many souls be claimed for the Kingdom today.

Father God, I specifically pray for the Mauro Mariani family today. I pray for my brothers Stan and John and their families. I lift up my Sis Becky and her family. Lord I want to lift up Monicas parents and aunts and uncles. I pray for Connor's Daddy's family. Bless all mentioned here, dear Jesus.

Lord I pray for the tournament participants at the Houston Open today. I lift up the tournament staff I'm working with. Father I pray for some witnessing opportunities today.

I lift these prayer requests up in the name of my Risen Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Prayer for my Family

Dear Heavenly Father,

I pray that You lift up my family today. I've been a little disconnected from them lately due to working so much. I want that to change, Lord. Help me make wise decisions about pruning my life and reducing my travel time and work load. Father God I want to worship You and honor You in everything I do. I pray for Your Blessing. I pray for Your guidance in this matter. I surrender this situation to You, my King.

Lord I thank You and praise You for Your many blessings. I give this day to You, Father.

In Jesus' Name I pray, AMEN...!

Prayer For Coach Sam

Dear Heavenly Father,

I have an enormous amount of work to get done in a very small amount of time today. Then I've got just a very busy next 96 hours ahead of me. I pray for Your strength to pull me through. Lift me up, dear Lord. Sustain me. Guide me. Let me not grow weary. I do this all in the Glory of Your name, Jesus.

I pray that in the midst of it all that I present a good Christian witness. Show me opportunities where I might really let my light shine for You. Lord, I don't normally pray for myself. I feel it's important to put others needs before my wants. But Lord this is not a want. This is a NEED. I NEED You Father. Keep working on my Heart. Transform me, Lord. Make me more like You.

Thank you Lord for hearing my prayer. You are a great big God who is Faithful to his creation.

Father God, I Love You. You are my Rock. I give all my troubles to you and do not look back. I trust in You. I rest in You. I give this day You, My King. And I pray these things in Jesus' Name, Amen.

Lord, Open My Eyes

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." - (Matthew 5:8)

Read the verse or the entire Chapter in 36 languages, use the update scroll down menu and pick your language: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?Book_id=47&chapter=5&version=31


To the blind all things are invisible.

What do you SEE when you worship? Jesus taught that a pure heart would 'see God!' The problem is not God's inability to be seen; it's our inability to behold Him. No wonder David cried out, "Create in me a pure heart." (Psalm 51:10) Our word 'pure' is from the Greek word 'katharos', which means 'to clean out', much like a laxative. That may seem funny, but it's true. Jesus is saying "If you've heard too much and seen too much" give your heart a laxative. Don't carry around what God wants discarded. Get rid of "every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us." (Hebrews 12:1) What God wants to show you is worth cleaning up to see!

Jesus said, "You are already clean because of the Word I have spoken to you." (John 15:3) The Word will cleanse you! It takes clarity to flow in divine authority. Only a pure heart can know what God is doing and see how He is moving. Unidentified, unconfessed, unforgiven sin will block your spiritual arteries like cholesterol.

A heart that's not pure will keep you seeking the wisdom of men rather than the ways of God! It will keep you NEEDING PRAYER instead of offering prayer for others. In short, you need to clean out your heart so that you can hear, worship and experience God in a new dimension.

That's HIS word to you today! (taken from Pastor Bob Kraft's morning devotional)

Dear Lord,

I've been praying for a pure heart. Father I want to be closer to You. I was remembering the lyrics to an old Rich Mullins song last night as I was walking home from work. I thought what a beautiful prayer it was: 'Oh God, You are my God. And I will ever praise You. Oh God, You are my God, and I will ever praise You. I will sing You in the morning, I will learn to walk in Your ways, and step by step You'll lead me. And I will follow You all of my days...'

Oh Heavenly Father, I do want to walk in Your ways. And Your praises are on my lips night and day. I seek You Lord. My first thoughts and last thoughts of every day are of You. My God, help me see what's before me. Help me to react and respond to the challenges ahead. And Lord, show me what You have me prune from my schedule. Help me to guard my thoughts. Help me to lead others to You dear Lord.

I love You and Praise You and worship You, My King. I give this day to you. I lift up family members today, Lord. There are so many who don't know You or their relationship with You has grown luke warm. Draw them close to you Father, Never let them go. Help them find the way to you. Lord I pray this morning especially for the Mariani family. That family has been struggling with personal tragedy for several weeks now. Comfort them dear Lord. Lift up the tender hearted Marguerite, your servant. She has spent years, (her lifetime) taking care of her family. She needs to know You Lord. Bless her.

Lord God I pray for my own family this morning. I pray for my precious wife Monica who is so weary these days. I pray for Connor as he struggles throughout adolescence. And I pray for baby Elijah as he moves into toddler stage. And Lord I pray for myself, too. Guard us and protect us from the snares of the Evil One. We are under constant spiritual attack, Lord. Satan would not have us doing the Lord's work...!

Father God I place my trust in You. You can do anything. You can help us sell our house in Houston. Lord I pray for the family that is to buy that house. I trust that You are working it all out right now, Lord. Father I trust that You are working out these issues at my place of employment right now. Lord I will not be anxious. For You are a Mighty and Awesome God. Thank You God. Thank You, Jesus. And I pray these things in Your sweet, holy name, AMEN.

Life Principles

I like to study the bible in different translations. It's interesting how a certain passage can become more clear when seen through different lenses. We just recently got Dr Charles Stanley's Life Principles Study Bible and I can't tell you how much it brings the bible alive to me. This bible is in the New King James Version translation, but it has been edited with Dr Stanley's study notes. I have never had the bible explained in a more clear and precise manner to me. And now I've never been more motivated to read the bible cover to cover than I am right now.

I'm so inspired to share this that I plan to add a new routine to my prayer week. I'll still be in intercession every day, but I'd like to take once a week to summarize my personal bible study from the Life Principles Bible. I'll probably start with a summary this Sunday. I'm starting in Genesis...

Today I want to pray about a big hindrance in my life: Busy-ness. I've been struggling with Busy-ness for years. It's Satan's great stronghold in my life. Every time I think I've got this problem under control, the enemy throws more obstacles in my path. (and my wife's path, too).

I can feel God on one side of me and the devil on the otherside and they seem to be playing a tug of war game. My wife gently suggested to me that recently that I'm not fully surrendered to God. At first I was offended, but I've been thinking about it more and more and I believe she's correct. Too many times I still try to do it all under my own power. (and I'm never successful) I proclaim surrender with my words but still I'm not fully surrendered in my heart. I need heart surgery...!

Lord God,

Father I pray that You take this pride from me. My heart needs to be in a condition where it can be fully used by You for Kingdom Work. I am so busy right now that I am having very little impact on winning souls for the Kingdom. And that is Satan's plan, to render me ineffective. Help me prune. Help me be more organized. Help me to take care of business both at work and at home, dear Lord. I pray for my heart. I want to give every ounce of my strength for Your Glory. You are the Great One. You are the Savior of the world. I want to serve You completely, Jesus.

Help me to be a better delagator of work, not taking it all on myself. Help me to be a better steward of my time. Lord I am not worthy to receive anything. Yet I throw myself on Your mercy and ask these blessings in Jesus' Name,

Amen.

Holy Week

This week we reflect on the last week of the life of Jesus. What must it have been like to go through what Jesus did for our sins...? I remember watching the Passion by Mel Gibson a few years ago. Was that how it really was...? That movie was graphic, to be sure. What ever happened, the point is our Lord suffered, died, and was buried, but on the third day he rose again...

HALLELUJAH...!

Dear Heavenly Father,

Lord I need You today like I've never needed you. I just feel weak today spiritually. Send Your Holy Spirit to strengthen me, to lift me up and face the tasks ahead today. Father God You are most holy. You are the Savior of Mankind. I bow down and worship you, my King.

Father God today I lift up the Mariani family again. They just lost their mom weeks ago and now Mauro (the daddy) just had a stroke and is in the hospital. I pray for Mauro's health today and I pray for the spiritual well being of Marguerite, the daughter. She is going through a difficult time coping with the loss of her mom.

Lord Jesus, I just pray for that entire family this morning. Bless them Lord. Send help to minister to that family that they might draw closer to you.

Father, I haven't been the Godly man You've called me to be, either. I'm struggling with negative thoughts much of the time. Fill me with Your Love. Fill me with Your Spirit. I want to be a man after Your own heart, Lord.

Father God I pray this morning in Your Son Jesus' holy name, Amen.

Prayer For Pastor Barclay

Dear Heavenly Father,

Today I want to lift up Pastor David Barclay this morning. I know that his family has been dealing with the illness of a loved one. I don't know the details but you do, Lord. And Father I commit that situation to you. Lift up pastor Barclay's family as well, Lord.

Father God, I just thank and Praise You for First Baptist Church of West Columbia. Thank You for all the kind, Godly people who have welcomed us so warmly. Thank You that Elijah loves the nursery there so much. Thank You that our good friends the Davidsons are now attending church there with us. Lord Jesus I feel that You are about to move in that church in a powerful way.

I pray for Your will to be done at FBC West Columbia. I pray that You speak through Pastor Barclay this morning and that many people are moved to life changing decisions today.

God You are just an awesome God. What a privilege it is to serve You, my King...! I give this day to You Lord. I give it completely to You. Everything I say or do is for Your Glory. (as it should be all the time, any way...)

Lord, I pray these things in Jesus' Name, Amen.

Prayer For My Wife

Monica awakened early this morning feeling really bad with an upset stomach. We're probably going to take her to the doctor later if she's not feeling better by mid-morning. I want to lift her up today in prayer.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Father God You are the Great Physician. I pray for healing for my wife today, Lord. She is such a good and kind person. She's a great wife to me and mother to Elijah. It pains me to see her feeling bad. Ease her pain Lord. Comfort her. Allow her the rest her body needs to feel better.

I'm afraid she's just pushing herself too hard. She stayed up late last night working on a special project for me when she could have just gone to bed early. She's sacrificing her health to help me and the family.

Oh Lord I pray for Monica's recovery and an easy day today with Elijah. He was certainly a handful yesterday. Lord I know that You have numbered our steps. I believe that we are right in the middle of Your will for our lives. Father when set backs and sudden illnesses like this happen we don't get discouraged, we just look to You for strength, guidance, and healing. So her we are. And here I am, laying this burden at Your feet.

Thank You God for being a God of answered prayer. You are an Awesome and Mighty God. Praise your name, Lord Jesus. And in Your Holy Name I Pray, Amen.

Prayer For Forgiveness

Dear Heavenly Father,

Lord, I am always unworthy of Your Love and Blessings, but today I am particularly so. I confess Lord that I have been having very negative thoughts regarding a certain situation. But Father I want to do better. And I know I can through the help of Your Holy Spirit.

Father God forgive me my trespasses. And help me avoid the near occasion of sin. Lift me up, annoint me, and make me whole again. Lord You know me. You know my heart. You know it is my desire to serve You completely. But this sin in my heart is interfering with Kingdom work.

Purify my heart Oh God. Help me to be positive. Help me to say the right words. Give me wisdom and descernment. Oh Lord I Love You. And these things I pray in Jesus' Name.

Amen.

Starting Off The Week

OK... I'd like to start off the week with a little thanks and praise...

Dear Heavenly Father,

Lord I thank You for a good week last week. Oh it was busy for sure, and there were a few bumps in the road, but over all it was good. And yesterday morning we heard a great sermon at church. Thank You for Pastor Snow's message.

You are so faithful to take care of Your people, God. My Lord and Savior I worship You and give all the Credit to You.

I am thankful for so much. I see Your Glory in everything, my KIng. Father God I give this day to You. I pray that my interaction with others today impacts them in a profound way. Season my words Lord. Let them speak nothing but Life.

Lord Jesus, I learned yesterday that Church in the Heights has it's old Pastor back and the entire deacon board had resigned. I'm not sure what all the details are but I do pray for Pastor Ellis and his wife and Your will for them. I lift up Pastor Larry Young and pray he can put the pieces back together again and rebuild that church. I pray for the deacons and the church body at CITH. Father I pray for those who have been discouraged and left the church amidst all the turmoil and divisiveness the past few years. God You are an awesome God and You do have a master plan.

Blessed be the name of the Lord...! And in Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.

Prayer For An Angry Man

I had a difficult encounter yesterday. I was minding my own business teaching a tennis class in a residential community that I have taught in for nearly seven years when an elderly man abruptly comes on my court during the lesson and very heatedly tells me that I am trespassing. I tried to calmly diffuse the situation explaining that I was there at the request of the home owners and I have been teaching in his neighborhood for many years but he continued to be extremely hostile towards me raising his voice and becoming more agitated with each passing moment. The entire encounter lasted probably only 5 minutes but it was a very negative situation that ended with the man storming off saying he was going to contact the property management in the morning.

Perhaps God's intention for that encounter was to see how I'd respond to negative criticism. I believe I handled it as well as I could. And all I can do at this point is pray for that angry person. Indeed, I can also give praise that God showed me a new person for whom I could intercede.

Dear Heavenly Father,

God You are Good. I worship You and thank You and praise You for the life You have given me. While I don't always understand the way You move in my life, I do recognize that You are the God of my life and that You work all things for good to those who are called to Your purpose.

Lord, I'd like to think that I'm right in the middle of where You want me to be right now. If not, I pray that You continue to show me the path You have for me. Father I lift up that angry man who interrupted my tennis lesson last night. I'm not sure what was the real underlying reason for the anger that was taken out on myself and three innocent neighborhood youths, but I hope and pray that he overcome his anger and that he know the joy and peace of You as his personal savior.

Perhaps he's angry because he has no one in his life to pray for him. Maybe no one has prayed for him in a long time. Perhaps no one has prayed for him ever. I don't know his circumstance but I know that he needs You, my King. This entire world needs You. And how else will they know You if none takes the time to pray...?

Lord God, it is my prayer today that You turn this situation for Good. I pray that even now You are at work in the heart of that angry man. It would seem apparent that he has an extremely hard heart, but I am not judging him. You can melt a heart of stone. Lord nothing is too difficult for You. I leave this situation in Your mighty hands.

I love You Lord. And I give thanks and praise for another day to impact this world for You. I forgive for that angry man who was so rude to me, and I pray for the boys I was coaching yesterday who witnessed the encounter. I pray that it was not as upsetting to them as it was for me. I pray for resolution in this matter and Father God I pray these things in Your precious son's name, Jesus Christ.

Amen.