Power of Prayer...? Or Power of GOD!

So often you here the saying "there's power in prayer"...but really the power is in GOD, not our prayers. Prayer is powerful, not because of what we say or feel while doing it, it's powerful because the One answering (be it yes or no) is powerful. Prayer is simply a tool, a means of communicating with the Creator of heaven and earth.
How often do we go by what we "feel" as humans...but GOD is more than a "feeling"...even love is more than just a "feeling". What we feel is irrelevant really... In order to really understand this I look to Scripture...as the LORD prayed in the garden, HE did not feel like dying on that cross, HE asked that it not have to happen at first...but then HE sought out the will of the Father instead. How often we ask for things out of our own selfish, fleshly desire and ambition...instead of seeking GOD's will for our lives. I want what I want...but ultimately I want the will of the ONE who created me, who knows me...better than I know myself, the ONE who's plans for me are to prosper me, not to harm me, to give me a hope and a future...I will seek HIM with all my heart and I will know HIM more and gain a better perspective of what HIS will is for my life. I pray that my words will be HIS words, my thoughts will be HIS thoughts, my actions be HIS acts...all in worship...all in love...all in total devotion to HIM, the Holiest of Holies. Praise and Glory be to the KING of Kings!

Be Careful Little Mouth What You Say

WOW! the book of James is AWESOME! It is amazing how small, yet how powerful things can be. Like the rudder of a massive ship is what guides & directs it...so too does the tongue guide & direct your next thoughts & how you treat people & how people can or can't respect you.
James 3:9 - With the tongue we praise our LORD and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in GOD"s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.
I have in the past had somewhat of a foul mouth...behind closed doors. I started to realize that at church it was all "Praise the LORD!" "GOD is good" "Holy is HE!" and at home...well let's just say...NOT SO PRETTY or glorifying to the LORD. James compares this behavior with being like a spring that produce both fresh water and salt water...which is impossible...without GOD...and I know GOD isn't behind my tongue or my double sidedness.
James also compares our tongues to a fire set to a great forest...
"The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell."
WOW! that's convicting!
I recently started wearing a rubberband to snap myself for cussing, but now that it's not so much an issue, I've decided to snap myself for saying anything negative against others...be it a stranger or my hubby, or really anyone...next will be to control my thoughts too...any negative thoughts, about myself or anyone else...SNAP!
"For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him." - Words of the LORD! I am going to start storing only good...purging the old evil within...
It never ceases to amaze me...how much wisdom can come from just one little paragraph in GOD's Word.

Backin up your faith

I love the Bible! I love the wisdom and guidance it provides. It's funny how some find it contradictory, when really it is so complimentary to itself. Where in some places it speaks of the importance of a faith by CHRIST's actions alone...other's speak about faith by our works... But if you really look at what is being said you'll see that two different people were being addressed with two totally different issues. Where on one side the people were trying to achieve salvation only by ritualistic behavior; on the other side they were talking the talk, but not living the life...they said all the spiritually "right" things, but no follow through on those things... In both situations the thing that was lacking was the right heart...it was all mind...all self, not motivated by CHRIST, the love that HE poured out, only the human perception of what was "right". They were really missing the point, the beauty of what it truly means to be a believer. We are redeemed from the absolute worst...worse than any human mind can comprehend & given the absolue BEST, most precious gift...better than any human mind can comprehend. For that I am eternally grateful, humbled, amazed, and though we are completely unworthy, we are so worth it to HIM to subject Himself to the abuse, torment and torturous, shameful death of a criminal. How can we not want to live our lives soully for HIM, to project that love that we do not deserve onto others who don't deserve it either. I recognize that I am filthy and wretched, but I am washed clean and dearly loved by the Creator and KING of all things created. HALLELUJAH! PRAISE the LORD JESUS!

Spinach in Your Teeth

I need to blog more often...I miss it when I'm not doing it, it's my way of reflecting on what the LORD is doing in my life and heart...
I've been reading in James these last couple of weeks and though I've read it before...I'm really studying it and paying attention to it this time... Today I read about being a hearer and a doer of the WORD...he compares a person who hears the WORD and doesn't apply it to their lives as one who looks in the mirror and walks away, forgetting what they look like...it's more like if you look in the mirror and see that you have spinach in your teeth...leave it/ignore it and walk away, spending the rest of the day smiling at people, talking to people...with spinach still in your teeth...well really it's more like you have dog doo all over your face and you try to ignore that! The WORD is the "mirror"...only the reflection we should be looking at should look like CHRIST and when we see ourselves...our flaws, iniquities, sins, shortcomings, struggles...we turn away and ignore what we saw. Why would we want to do that?! I personally want the doo OFF!
My pastor taught about the dangers of falling into "religiosity"...something I'd been very guilty of doing for the majority of my life. But that way of living is exhausting...it's so much better to live my life for CHRIST just because I love HIM and I'm grateful for His grace...rather than trying to "earn" His love and forgiveness. This concept is so overwhelming! to the point that I cannot stop crying. My heart breaks that people can't or won't accept this or don't understand the concept, because it is sooooo beautiful and I am so grateful! How wonderful is our GOD! "Faith in His grace is about trusting...not doing...it is unearned and undeserved." No matter how filthy, vile & disgusting I am...what I've done, said, thought, felt...etc, HE still receives, forgives, accepts and loves me...HE washes me clean. That does not however mean that I can or will live however I want just because I know that HE will forgive me, I will live for HIM...because how I live matters! It matters to me...to my family...to my church...to my community...to my GOD! I will be getting rid of the "spinach" in my teeth...no more doo on this girl!

More Love Language Discoveries

In reading and applying these "Love Languages" upon my family (which has been so much fun to see them feel so loved), I've really started to understand myself...
I've always been a server...to my friends, my family, my church, my community, at work, to strangers...whoever, whatever, and wherever I'm needed. I love to serve people...I used to think that I couldn't say 'no', but it's not that really, I just don't want to say 'no'...I like to serve (it's my love language...oooooh). Ya, what a discovery! All these years I couldn't figure out why I struggled so much with feeling like no one truly loved me...I mean I know my family and friends 'love' me, but I struggled with feeling it. I pour myself out on people, doing whatever they need me to do...trying to find the needs before anyone can even ask, that's how I communicate my love to them...doesn't necessarily mean they feel loved by my actions, but I feel like I'm loving my heart out. Now other's don't all communicate that they love me in that way, so they communicate it in the way that they communicate love...touch, gifts, words, time...it's like they're saying "I love you!" in Polish, but I only understand English, so it means nothing...well not nothing, but it sure didn't come across as "I love you"...more like "i luv ya"...just not the same, it's a dialect thing I guess. But now that I've learned some new languages I may not always catch it completely, but I can at least interpret what people are trying to communicate and appreciate what they're saying, allowing myself to feel it.
This realization has opened my eyes to the deep dark past of my exsistence...as a child, my mom hugged me a lot, we did a lot together (can you guess what her love languages are?), but I never felt like we were really that close...I'm super close to her now (not geographically, but in relationship). This is likely a big reason I was so depressed for so long...begging for death, just so I could be with the only one who truly loved and understood me...so the pain would cease...never feeling strong enough (or really...weak enough, fortunately) to 'pull the trigger' myself.
What a difference this discovery has made, in just a few short weeks, in how I deal with situations...I no longer beg for death, but for more understanding, wisdom and insight into myself and others and how we work...
What wonderful healing in books...I'm so grateful for the blessing of being able to read :)