Hope and a Prayer

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. – Romans 15:13

I have a dear friend who has committed to praying for my husband and me and our marriage.  I can’t begin to tell you how wonderful that is.  She and her husband love the Lord and seek His face and desire to do His will.  She continually points me back to God’s word and what scripture says and the absolute truth contained therein.  Prayer is a powerful and wonderful gift.

Recently she sent me an email that she was going to be praying Romans 15:13 for both of us.  When I read the verse, I found that it was in line with what I’ve been going through in the last couple of weeks and what God has been impressing upon me through my circumstances. 

Do you ever find that the Lord continues to bring you back to a topic over and over again?  During the last couple of weeks the focus has been on hope in sermons, Bible study, scripture and radio programs.

I love the Lord Jesus Christ and my Father in heaven.  I am so grateful to have the Holy Spirit in me and growing and sanctifying me.  I love God’s word…and I have a hope that cannot be squelched or quenched.

Yet, the last couple of weeks I’ve felt overwhelmed.  The demands and busyness have been intense.  Dealing with people and things that are out of my control left me feeling frustrated, angry, and very low.  I had my eyes on my circumstances and was focused on my feelings instead of God.

In the mornings I pray before starting my day and that includes prayer for the people with whom I interact with each day.  I pray for salvation for those who are unsaved.  If they are going through difficult times, I pray for whatever they are going through.

Even though I had started my day in prayer, instead of walking in the victory I have in Christ Jesus I felt swamped and like my boat was going under.  The very people for whom I prayed were now the focus of my frustration and anger.  I just wanted to quit and escape those circumstances.  Yet God calls me to endure through His power, wisdom and might.

Alright…so I may be a little slow on the uptake.  After a week of messages on hope you would think I would get it.  But it wasn’t until my friend emailed me about the verse she was praying for us this week, that I realized that I felt rather hopeless.  Hopeless because I was trying to suck it up, gut it out and get through these challenging circumstances on my strength.  God never gives us burdens to bear alone.  Instead He desires that we run to the throne of grace and seek His help in order to run the race with endurance.

God helped me to see that I can’t even do the everyday things on my own.  I need to come to Him in the morning seeking His strength and wisdom to handle the people and things that I will encounter.  Throughout the day, come to Him in prayer for each problem and challenge I’m facing.  I need to pray for God to help me love those who frustrate me.  That’s not something I can do on my own…I need to stay focused on God continually.

I believe there was a spiritual battle taking place during the last couple of weeks.  One that left me feeling defeated when I attempted to face it alone.  It was only after I reached out to some friends and asked for their prayer that I was able to keep my eyes on the Lord and come to Him in prayer throughout the day.  The challenges kept coming…but now I was facing them though the power and strength of the Lord. 

The enemy, the hater of our souls, seeks to have us walk alone.  He knows the power of prayer and wants to keep us from praying for those who are unsaved.  What better way to keep me from praying than to keep me frustrated, angry and focused on my circumstances rather than being dependent upon God. 

I’ve been meditating on Romans 15:13 this week and thinking about hope.  What is hope?  For a Christian it’s a confident expectation based on the truth and knowledge of who God is and a remembrance of what He’s done in the past.  Based on that knowledge I can know with certainty that He will act in the present and that my future is secure in Christ Jesus.  Nothing can overwhelm Omnipotence who reigns on high. 

When I view my circumstances in the light of God…I have a hope that cannot be shaken or moved. 

For Personal Thought

In my weekly Bible study class, there will be the occasional question marked “for personal thought.”  The question from last week’s lesson really hit home.

We are studying the book of Revelation.  In chapter 20, we are learning about Christ’s reign on the earth during the millennium.  The saints will be serving during that time on the earth.  The personal question was, “If your position of authority in Christ’s kingdom will be in proportion to your faithfulness in service today, how much responsibility will you have?” 

I responded that honestly, I don’t know.  I wasted too many years where my focus was outward and striving for the praises of men.  I’ve been self focused and had tainted motives.  Thankfully, the Lord is patient and helping me to grow.  I love Him more and trust Him more and desire to obey Him more. 

I don’t know what responsibilities the Lord will give me based on me being a faithful servant. 

But I do know this, that I trust Him to judge rightly and reward me accordingly.  I also know that He didn’t give me what I do deserve for my sin.  Instead He laid the punishment for all my sin on Jesus Christ.  Thank You Lord!

Houma, Louisiana Vacation - March 2011

Click the icon to show the slide show in full screen to see the majesty of God's handiwork in nature.

The slide show pictures were taken on our recent vacation to Houma, Louisiana.  My sister-in-law Carol and her husband Ron took us to some of the most beautiful places near their home.  We had a wonderful week and enjoyed our vacation immensely.  Thank you Ron and Carol!  We love you!

Some of the places we visited and recommend:

Oak Alley Plantation 

Annie Miller's Son's Swamp & Marsh Tours

Avery Island, Louisiana - Home of Tabasco

LUMCON - Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium 

Sin and Sanctification

I visited a friend this weekend and her son Joshua shared about a great message he heard from Pastor John Piper about sin and sanctification.

For me…it’s not the big outward sins that I struggle with, like murder or adultery.  The sins that I struggle with and may even fail to recognize in myself are the sins of selfishness and pride.  It starts there and if given free reign I go down a very ugly path. 

Today I listened to John Piper’s message called, “I Act the Miracle.”  It was powerful and convicting, but also helped me to see the victory that believers already have in Jesus Christ.  If only we will start walking in that victory and fighting sin in us till the end.

You can download the message or listen on line.  Be prepared to be challenged. 

Thank you Pastor Piper for being open and transparent about sins people don’t like to admit to.  Thank you Joshua for sharing!

Pray & Give

    

Feeling helpless and wondering what you can do?  Pray and give

Salvation Army

World Vision

Red Cross

 

Welcome Home Soldier - Surprise in a box

Justice Not Mercy

There are crimes so horrific
My heart cries out for justice, not mercy

There are people so evil
The fires of hell don’t seem hot enough

There are hearts are so hardened and calloused
Eternity in hell doesn’t seem long enough

If Abel’s blood cried out to God
How much more so the blood of innocent babies slaughtered in the womb

Lord, I plead for justice
Both here and now and for eternity


By Susan Bunts Wachtel
February 12, 2011


The LORD said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. – Genesis 4:10

After listening to Focus on the Family’s broadcast on 2/11/11, “The Value of Standing for Life”, I wanted to read the grand jury indictment for myself.  Focus shared facts from the case in Pennsylvania in which an abortion doctor had been charged with murder.  Babies from late term pregnancies were aborted, yet born alive, and they were then killed by severing their spinal cord. 

Shows like “The Value of Standing for Life” are difficult to hear.  Reading the grand jury transcript was graphic and horrific.  My mind could not begin to grasp how one doctor and his associates could commit such evil acts at a Pennsylvania abortion clinic over a period of many years.

Our liberal society twists the taking of an innocent human life and calls it “a choice”.

That’s why I was amazed to read that this doctor had actually been charged with multiple counts of murder of aborted babies who were killed outside the womb.

I am so grateful for the grand jury and their dedication to wading through the facts of this case and having wherewithal to bring criminal charges against the doctor and his associates.  I’m grateful that law enforcement and the legal system were able to shut down this abortion clinic. 

I pray that police and the legal system will be able to shut down more clinics.  I pray that this doctor and his staff will be judged by a jury of their peers and if found guilty be sentenced as severely as the law allows.

I know as a Christian I should be concerned for this man’s soul and pray for his salvation.  After reading about the crimes he committed, the best I can do is committing him to the Lord’s will. God alone is holy, righteous and just.  He alone can bring true justice both here and now and in eternity.

While I’m grateful for law enforcement and the court system in our nation, the true victory in abortion will only come by changing the hearts and mind of men and women through salvation in Christ Jesus. 

The Jury Is In…Abortion = Murder

Below are some of the charges against Dr. Kermit Gosnell who ran an abortion clinic in Philadelphia.  In reality it should be called an abortion house of horrors.  Even Hollywood would be hard pressed to come up with a story like what took place there.

If you are like me and the thought of reading such awful, gruesome facts is more than you can take…I ask you to please read it anyways.   Please click on the link to read the transcript of the indictments against Dr. Kermit Gosnell and his staff members. 

http://www.phila.gov/districtattorney/PDFs/GrandJuryWomensMedical.pdf

• We recommend that Kermit Gosnell be charged with murder for killing Baby Boy A.

• We recommend a murder charge against Kermit Gosnell in the death of “Baby Boy B,”

• We recommend murder and conspiracy charges against Kermit Gosnell and Lynda Williams for the murder committed by Lynda Williams in 2006 or 2007 of “Baby C.”

• There is sufficient evidence to charge Adrienne Moton and Kermit Gosnell with murder and conspiracy in the death of “Baby D.”

• We recommend that a murder charge be filed against Kermit Gosnell for the murder of “Baby E,”

• We recommend murder and conspiracy charges against Kermit Gosnell and Steven Massof for killing “Baby F.”

• The evidence supports charges of murder and conspiracy against Kermit Gosnell and Steven Massof for the killing of Baby G.

"The abortion ruling is a very clear one. The abortion ruling, of course, is also a natural result of this other world view because with this other world view, human life -- your individual life -- has no intrinsic value." Francis Schaeffer

What can you do?  How do you process all this or put it in perspective?

http://www.birthchoiceclinic.org/

http://www.citizenlink.com/planned-parenthood/

http://www.peopleforlife.org/francis.html

Love & Hate

There are times I feel like I have a love/hate affair with Christian radio talk show host Frank Pastore.  Some days he has a wonderful show, very Christ centered, shares the Gospel message and builds up the body of Christ.

Other times, his topics, guest and callers seem to be more befitting an outrageous secular TV show in which you hear the sorted and sinful details of people’s lives.  Those are the days I turn off Frank’s show. 

Today was one of those days.  During the first hour the topic was “what did your parents expose you to that you wished you’d never heard, saw or did.”  You can well imagine in the world we live in today what some of the callers were saying. 

I don’t need to listen to garbage like that and quickly turned off Frank’s radio show.  I wondered just how a topic like that fulfills Paul’s admonition in Philippians 4:8? 

"Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things." – Philippians 4:8

Playing Hooky

Recently my husband Chris and I took a break from our normal weekend routine.  Instead of cleaning and yard work, we got a picnic lunch and went to the park.  Of course, my camera was in hand as we walked through Carbon Canyon Park.

It was a beautiful sunny day in late January.

Dakota’s Nature Photos Giveaway

Are you a photography lover?  Whether its photos I’ve snapped or someone else, I can’t resist looking. 

When I first visited Dakota’s Nature Photos I was oohing and ahhing at the beautiful scenery and animals he has captured.  I quickly marked his website as a favorite.  Dakota has a free giveaway for all who participate, so head on over view Dakota’s work.  The only problem you may have is choosing which photography you like best. 

Thanks Dakota for sharing your beautiful work.  Every time I see it, it reminds me of the scripture from Romans 1:20: “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.”