Category: Prayers For Spiritual Growth

God’s Bible Is Our Mirror

On By SonjaIn Prayers About God and Me, Prayers For Spiritual Growth4 Comments

No doubt you have heard that the state of Texas has been hit pretty hard weather-wise starting early Monday morning around 2:00 a.m., February 15, 2021 through the balance of the week. First, a great portion of the state was blanketed with snow and electrical power outages. Many households were forced to find refuge in hotels and to move in with family and friends. Some families even hunkered down in their cars and trucks to find safety and heat comfort relief and also to recharge their cell phones.

To add insult to injury, later in the week, besides doing without electricity, the water mains went out and there was no water and peoples’ home pipes burst and their dwellings were flooded. Emergency shelters were overcrowded and most hotels in our area were booked solid. This water loss catrastrophe caused many peoples not to be able to bathe or flesh their toilets. Price gouging was reported with some hotels, too, and gas stations ran out of regular gas, but premium was still available. During these emergency times, it has caused some people to become temporary thieves and to steel water from neighboring swimming pools to use in their toilet tanks in order to flush them.

So, I guess you can say Texas was forced to endure two pandemics: Covid-19 and electricity and water shortages. A few families resorted to using propane gas burners to get heat relief which proved to be very dangerous and deadly. Others foolishly used open charcoal bar-be-que burners which also proved to emit carbon monoxide poisons. (I guess when people panic, and are put in a precarious situation, they do not think straight or coherently.)

I personally was fortunate to have family members nearby who took me in and who still had heat and some water. We were forced to boil the water and had to do without it for several hours. But, nevertheless, we survived. A number of my friends and sisters in Christ reached out to me to see if I was alright and safe. They all had beautiful words of encouragement for me and we comforted each other with prayers and scripture quotes. One of my favorite scriptures I like to repeat in times like these is as follows:

“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against You”. (Psalm 119:11)

I confess when there is trouble on every side, a person is prone to utter a few words, deeds, and thoughts towards heaven that could easily boarder on blasphemy. My friends and I reminded each other that God is still on the throne and very much in control even during these times and conditions. Also, He promises that a brighter day is on the horizon. I find this prayer sighted below comforts me and keeps me in good standing with our Lord and Savior. Please recite it on behalf of the many souls here in Dallas, Texas who may have omitted sending up a prayer to the God who heals. You also might want to pray it for yourself in times of trouble and despair.

“Holy Spirit, I pray that You will clearly show me in the Word those things that are right for me and those things that are wrong. Please make it possible for me to renounce the sins in my life and to live only for You from now on. Amen.”

In closing, let me remind myself and you, too, that God has given us the Bible as a mirror to show us how not to sin against Him when trouble comes, but to have courage, faith and hope. Just remember that in spite of everything going on, God is still in control and is the Master of our fate.

Scripture Lesson: “The unfolding of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple. Direct my footsteps according to Your word.” Psalm 119:130, 133

Click http://www.tgifmasterminds.wordpress.com every Friday for a new post from The Master’s servant manger…Me!

God’s Laws Matter

On By SonjaIn How To Pray For Others, Prayers About God and Me, Prayers For Forgiveness, Prayers For New Beginnings, Prayers For Spiritual Growth3 Comments

Do you believe that prayer changes things? I do! That’s why, when consoling my family members, friends or acquaintances after learning about what ails them, I often ask them that same question. Most of the time their response is, ‘yes…but’. Next, I usually hear replies, or shall I say excuses, of why things just didn’t work out.

Now, about this time, I can see that my work is cut out for me. So, I must tread lightly. Generally, I pose questions that generate a response that the person really wants my help or opinion concerning the matter they are dealing with. I might throw in a joke or two, that signals to them that together, we can come up with a workable solution. But the biggest help I depend on are the lyrics to Nina Simone’s song. Just click the website below, close your eyes, pat your foot, and enjoy the beat:

Nina Simone The High Priestess of Soul 1980s US Mini Poster For Sale

50+NOW PLAYINGMix – Nina Simone – Cum By H’ Yere (Good Lord)YouTube

After hearing Nina’s message silently in my heart, and sending up my own quick prayer, I re-introduce my ‘charge‘ to the Master of all things that seem impossible. Gently, I began to explain the obstacles that arise in our daily lives that can so easily fracture our relationship with God. I remind them that sometimes our own unconfessed or deliberate sins can build up an unimpeachable wall that can prevent a prayer from getting through. For as you know, the society that we live in today can fool a person into thinking that what actually is wrong and not pleasing to God, is right in man’s eyes. While at the same time those things that are right is foolishness and non beneficial to you. Sadly, Christians have all too often become used to this way of living.

So, if the person you are consoling is honest and agrees with your message this far, you may want to encourage them to voice out loud any areas in their immediate life where unconfessed situations have not been brought to the throne of grace. Encourage them to deal with those things first. Ask them if you can help them to pray about these conditions prior to lifting up their most recent cares to the Lord. You will want to emphasize that God’s laws and precepts do matter and that they do play an important part when expecting new mercies and new blessings. God wants us to obey his word and commandments because this type of discipline keeps us close to him.

Offer yourself to others and let them know that you are available as a support friend that they can come to for encouragement and strength without fear of condemnation. Invite them to engage in a bible study group or offer them a devotional book for spiritual instructions. Let them know that staying connected to righteous living and unwavering faith is not easy. Share some of your own missteps that will foster hope and reassurance.

In conclusion, following is a suggested prayer model: “Dear Heavenly Father, please forgive your child for becoming so accustomed to this world that unconfessed sins and misdeeds no longer seemed offensive or disturbing to You. Please, Lord, show us through Your Word and the examples of Jesus Christ, Your will for our lives. More particularly, Dear Jesus, please lead and guild ________________ during these turbulent times. I ask all these blessings in the Precious Name of Christ Jesus. Amen!”

Scripture Lesson: “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” Psalm 66:18

Click http://www.tgifmasterminds.wordpress.com every Friday for a new post from The Master’s servant manager…Me!

God Invites Us To Come

On By SonjaIn Godly Living and Maturing, Prayers For Spiritual Growth4 Comments

All of my life, God has been tenderly calling me to come.

(This is an updated re-blog of a true event in my life that helped me to consummate my relationship with the Lord.)

Today is the first day of the rest of my life!  And life (especially eternal life) comes from the Son of God…Christ Jesus and what He did on the cross!

When I was a child, growing up in the church back in Illinois, one of my favorite Sunday School songs was “Jesus Is Tenderly Calling Thee Home,” by Fanny Crosby a blind Methodist hymn writer.  My sister and I used to sing that song in two part harmony.  We were pretty good, too, if I must say so myself.

Although, my family was Baptist, my sister and I and our father used to perform gospel music in a variety of other denominational churches in our town upon their invitations.  Dad also sang bass in his men’s octet group called the Benevolent Gospel Singers.  Their group performances were somewhat famous because they secured a contract to broadcasted locally for fifteen minutes on WDAN Radio station every Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m.   I remember walking down the dusty roads in our town on Sunday mornings, heading to Church with my siblings on a bright and sunny day, while listening to the 8-part harmony of the booming male voices of the Benevolent Gospel Singers. You could also hear them slapping their thighs as they metered out the rhythm.

Two people on their way to Church on a Sunday morning.

How was that possible you might ask more than seventy years ago.  Well I’ll tell you.  All the houses along the street in the neighborhood had their doors and windows open to collect the warm summer breeze and as my family walked along the sidewalks towards the Church we could  hear the voices of my dad and the other men blasting aloud from the radios of our neighbors all the way to church.  The music would be coming from their home radios.  I want you to visualize 5 little children jumping and strutting along to the rhythm of the gospel songs.   Happy as a lark.  Strutting to the beat or our dad as the Good Lord invited us to come and be a part of His family. What precious memories I have of those childhood days.

 Children on their way to Sunday School

The Holy Spirit Called Me a Second Time…

You see, not only was God calling me from the doorways and windows of houses as a child, but when I grew up, He was also calling me from the jitterbug floor of my favorite nightclub.   As a young adult in Motown (Detroit, Mi.), one Saturday evening a few of my girlfriends and I went out for a night of dancing.  We stayed out late and into the wee mourning hours. We had a good time.  The next day was Sunday and I had to be at church because I was the church clerk and had to read the weekly announcements to the awaiting congregation.

While sitting in the pew and bidding my turn to speak, the Sister sitting next to me kept  turning towards me and sniffing me.  Finally, she whispered, my sister, you smell like smoke!  Fear ran through me and I started to tremble.  (The night before, at the club, everybody was smoking cigarettes and that smoke was in my hair.  (For the record, I was not smoking.) Although I had bathed in preparation of Church, I did not have time to wash my hair.  My perfume and hair spray was no disguise!  But what was more frighting, I heard a silent-still-small voice say; ‘You cannot serve two masters.’  Now I realize that God was calling me even then.

Ooops! You smell like smoke!

Okay.  So I have been very transparent with my readers today and do you know why?….because what God was actually conversing with me was this message…Come as you are but don’t stay as you are.  You know the scripture verse: “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” I Corinthians 13:11)

Please pray for me that I will forever be on the battle field for the Lord. And I will do likewise for you. Amen!

Scripture Lesson: “And the Spirit and the Bride say, Come; and he who is hearing — let him say, Come; and he who is thirsting — let him come; and he who is willing — let him take the water of life freely.” Revelation 22:17

Click http://www.tgifmasterminds.com every Friday for a new post from the Master’s servant manager…ME!