Tag: Jesus

A Prayer for SIL, Day 107

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Jesus, call SIL out of herself and into the life You prepared for her.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10

Lord, SIL is Your workmanship. You created her. She did not create herself so she can’t set her own purpose. You have a purpose for her – and have already set up things for her to do. Open her eyes to see her calling. Open her heart to embrace her calling. Heal her and set her free from everything that has bound her so that she may walk in the good works You prepared for her. It is only in You that we have real true, lasting life. I pray that You call SIL out of her darkness and into Your life.

For “in him we live and move and have our being”. Acts 17:28a

In Your Constructive Hands,

Amen

A Prayer for SIL, Day 106

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What a rocky road SIL seems to be on. Highs and lows, progress and backsliding, missteps in potholes and rapid gain on smooth areas. It can be so frustrating at times – both to her and to those praying for her. If only her path was straight and level.

The way of the sluggard is like a hedge of thorns, but the path of the upright is a level highway. Proverbs 15:19

In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:6

The path of the righteous is level, you make level the way of the righteous. Isaiah 26:7

According to the dictionary, a sluggard is a habitually lazy, idle, or inactive person who avoids work, loves to sleep, and lacks the motivations to be productive. That sounds so much like SIL. Lord, reveal to her where she is being a sluggard and give her the strength and motivation to change so that her path becomes a level highway. Father God, I pray that You bring SIL to the place where she can acknowledge You in all her ways so that You can straighten out her path. Your Word says that the path of the righteous is level. SIL is not righteous on her own but she does have the righteousness of Christ. I pray that she will learn to walk in that.

In Your Encouraging Name,

Amen

A Prayer for SIL, Day 103

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If we are faithless, he remains faithful – for he cannot deny himself. 2 Timothy 2:13

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, he will surely do it. 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

May the God of peace – that’s You, Jesus – sanctify SIL completely, and may her whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord – that’s You again, Jesus. You have called SIL, and You are faithful even when we are not, and you will surely do it. Sanctifying SIL is not my job. Loving her is. Help me to remember the difference.

In Your Sanctifying Name,

Amen

A Prayer for SIL, Day 102

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Lord, speak again to SIL’s heart as she sleeps. Let her dreams instruct her.

I bless the Lord who gives me counsel, in the night also my heart instructs me. Psalm 16:7

Jesus, some say that we shouldn’t ask to encounter You in our dreams. But Your Word says otherwise. Thank you for Your promise to counsel and instruct us in the night. I pray that You continue to do so for SIL – and that You use her dreams as a communication tool. She is not used to listening for Your voice during the day – I pray she hears You at night. Show her both the good things in her as well as the things that need to improve. Grant her discernment and understanding, and the courage/motivation to act on what You teach her.

And he said, “O man, greatly loved, fear not, peace be with you; be strong and of courage.” And as he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.” Daniel 10:19

Lord, as You once told Daniel that he was greatly loved and then gave him a blessing and some encouragement, I pray that You tell SIL that You love her. Bless and encourage her so that she is strengthened and ready to hear Your words to her.

In Your Encouraging Name,

Amen

A Prayer for SIL, Day 98

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Jesus, You are the Good Shepherd. A shepherd not only watches over his flock but also monitors the health of the sheep. If one is injured or sick, the shepherd does what he must to restore the sheep to good health. That’s what I pray tonight for SIL. I pray that You, as her Shepherd, do what You need to do in order to restore her to good health both physically and spiritually.

Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul. 3 John 1:2

Jesus, I pray that all may go well with SIL and the she may be in good health physically as she is in good health spiritually. If there is any area that is not good or well, I pray that You take care of that. No, not if. There are definitely areas that need Your attention. Restore her, Lord, that she may be at peace with You, with herself, and with others. Real peace. Not the peace that comes from ignoring issues but the peace that comes with healing them.

In Your Good Name,

Amen

A Prayer for SIL, Day 97

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Lord, God, she did it again. And she had no idea why it hurt me. “It’s just a joke. I didn’t know it offended you,” she had retorted and then dismissed the whole thing. Jesus, how did You live here without being offended by people? You got angry and frustrated at times – but at people’s lack of faith and their hypocrisy – not for personal reasons. Teach me how to do it so I can be more what I need to be with SIL instead of self-protecting and being too busy dealing with offenses.

Hated stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses. Proverbs 10:12

Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends. Proverbs 17:9

Lord, I pray that I will learn to cover offenses, sharing them only with You and those You direct me to. And that that will be enough.

I will cleanse them from all the guilt of their sin against me, and I will forgive all the guilt of their sin and rebellion against me.  Jeremiah 33:8

Father God, just as You forgave the Israelites time and time again, I pray You forgive us yet again. I pray that You cleanse us from all the guilt of our sin against You – for that is who we ultimately sin against – and that You forgive all the guilt of our sin and rebellion against You. When we don’t care if we offend someone, or if we withdraw from those who offend us, we are not obeying Your command to love others as ourselves. We are choosing not to obey. That’s rebellion. Jesus, I can’t repent for SIL, but I can pray that You forgive her just like You prayed that the Father forgive those who crucified You.

In Your Merciful Name,

Amen

Life is Like Enlarging a Fish Pond, Part 18   Removal of More Dirt

On By LindaIn allegories, analogies, and parablesLeave a comment

If my back yard could talk, this might be what it would say as I dig away in it again.

Wait! Why are you removing more of my dirt?  Wasn’t that big hole enough? Besides, it doesn’t feel good for you to dig and scrape away at me like you are doing. What was hidden under my top layer is now exposed and it makes me feel open and raw. Maybe you have a good reason to remove the dry, bare clay, although I haven’t given up trying to grow something in those areas. But why take away the rich, dark soil in other areas? That soil is so promising. It’s just a matter of time for those tiny green grass blades to grow and become a lush covering. And what about the grass you are removing with the dirt? You call them weeds, but they are just as green as the grass you value. I just don’t understand why you are doing this. Sure, I said the same thing last month when you dug that big hole. But I can now see how it serves a good purpose, providing a home for fish, frogs, and tadpoles. But I see no purpose in what you are doing here. It makes no sense to remove the dirt you are but leaving the rest. And in those narrow bands! Just look at how much I’m losing. It makes me sad to see tubs full of my dirt that you are taking away.

My answer would be:

I have a plan. I’m not taking away the dirt to make your life miserable. I’m not taking away your dirt randomly and thoughtlessly. I’m taking it away to make room for something new, something beautiful. Be patient. This takes time. Don’t focus on the tubs of dirt you are losing. Focus on all that you still have. And trust me. I know things that you do not. I will finish what I started and complete my purpose for this part of your yard. Actually it’s my yard, and you will not miss the removed dirt once you have the new things I’m putting in that space. You will understand one day and you will rejoice with me.

***

Have you ever wondered why things you loved, things that were a comfortable part of your life, were taken away? Why God would take them from you but not from others?

I’m not talking about things like losing a loved one through an accident or illness. I’m talking about things like reading gothic historical fiction books or participating in some church practices. Or like watching horror movies involving demons. Or like anything to do with dragons. Things you know He has made off limits to you but seems to have not forbidden them to anyone else that you know.

God always has a plan. And never is this plan about hurting us. His plan is always for good. Sometimes it’s to make us more like Jesus and to bring us closer to Him, or to make us more effective in the things He calls us to do. Other times His plan is not even about us but we are affected by it and He uses it for our good.

One day, years after giving my life to Jesus, I began to have a twitch in my heart every time I read one of my gothic historical romance books. Not sure what that was, I continued reading until the day it became clear that the twitch was the Holy Spirit gently telling me, “no”. Sadly, I packed up my numerous books and donated them to a thrift store.

Not long after that, I started getting the same twitch when watching horror movies with my husband, brother, and sister-in-law –something we enjoyed each time they came to visit. Not all horror movies, though. People fighting monsters was okay. But people attacking people was not. And anything with demons was a definite no. Yet, my family seemed to have no issue with any of  the movies.

Over the years, potential mentors, some church practices, compromises and half-truths joined the list. Either they were taken from me (friends moving away) or I had to take the steps to eliminate them myself. One of the hardest ones of all was my dragon collection. I loved dragon statues and dragon books. I had to give them all away.

The thing was, no one else I talked to was getting these same restrictions. All of the above was fine for them. Why weren’t they fine for me?  

Through years of prayer and research, I discovered that there were various reasons but most stemmed from a prayer I had prayed early in my Christian life. “Lord remove anything that comes between You and me, no matter how painful.”  He has honored that prayer. Quickly or slowly, He removed things that became more important than Him, things that caused me to compromise my integrity, things that tainted my faith in Him, and things that I trusted in rather than trusting in Him. Each time He removed something, He filled the space with something else, including a greater sense of His presence or knowledge of His character.

It has not been easy or fun, but it’s been worthwhile.

“Lord, continue to remove anything that comes between You and me, no matter how painful.”

***

PS. There is nothing sinful about dragons. They are beautiful and some of my favorite books are written about dragons. But the deeper I go with Jesus, the more committed I get to His Word, the more trouble I have enjoying anything that represents the enemy. Satan is seen as a dragon in the Bible and thus I can no longer have anything to do with them. Or at least that’s my guess on why I had to give away my whole collection of Dragonrider books.

And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. Revelation 12:9

Scriptures:

“Prove me, O LORD, and try me; test my heart and my mind. For your steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in your faithfulness.” Psalm 26:2-3

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your path. Proverbs 3:5-6

So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith – that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:17-19

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11

For my thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For ass the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isiah 55:8-9

A Prayer for SIL, Day 94

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Jesus, hold SIL tonight as she sleeps. Rock her in Your arms and sing love songs over her.

The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exalt over you with loud singing. Zephaniah 3:17

Lord, God, make SIL aware that You are with her, that You are a mighty One who saves. Let her feel Your gladness as You rejoice over her. Quiet the war within her by Your love. And enable her spirit to hear You as You sing over her with loud singing.

In Your Loving Name,

Amen

A Prayer for SIL, Day 91

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Jesus, fill SIL with Your Spirit as she sleeps. I know the Holy Spirit dwells in her, but I’m praying for a fresh outpouring, a renewing of the zeal she once had.

Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? 1 Cor 3:16

And the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel… and they came and worked on the house of the LORD of hosts, their God… Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it not as nothing in your eyes?,,,The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the LORD of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the LORD of hosts. Haggai 1:14; 2:3; 2:9

Lord, just as You stirred the people to restore Your temple in the Old Testament, I pray You stir SIL’s heart to restore Your temple, herself, to hold even greater zeal than her former years. And may You give her peace.

In Your Inviting Name,

Amen

A Prayer for SIL, Day 90

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Jesus, speak to SIL’s heart. Show her the truth. Take her hand and help her to walk in that truth. Don’t let her bury her head in the sand like she tends to do, but help her to confront her demons, the lies within her heart. Bring light into the darkness in her soul.

And I will lead the blind in a way they do not know, in paths they have not known. I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I do, and I do not forsake them. Isaiah 42:16

Father God, lead SIL like You led Your people years ago. She is generally blind to spiritual matters and needs You to guide her in paths that are unfamiliar to her. Turn the darkness before, around, and in her into light, and smooth out the rough places. Do Your thing with SIL and assure her that You will not and have not forsaken her.

In Your Faithful Name,

Amen