1 John 5:14-15 says, "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him."

~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+



DISCERNING AND ACTING on God's will does not mean you'll never have difficult days or feel lousy sometimes. But choosing to live in alignment with God makes you more joyful, compassionate, and peaceful, even on bad days. Debra K. Farrington, Hearing with the Heart

GOD GUIDES us first through his Word, then through our heartfelt desires, then the wise counsel of others, and then our circumstances. At that point we must rely on our own sound judgment… . God gave each of us a brain, and he expects us to put it to good use.
Bruce K. Waltke, Finding the Will of God

Dear Lord, it's hard to be holy and Christ-like when I feel so PMSy! Help me, please, to maintain a sense of peace and not to feel as though I want to yell, "Get to the point!" to an innocent caller on the phone. I'm so sorry I have let my hormones get the best of me but I know You are greater than they are. I'm hoping more of You will kick in and less of the PMS. Also, I feel like I'm laying an egg. Please let it either be golden and worth something or take the pain away at the very least. Thanks, God. I know You're watching over me, even when I feel like the wicked witch of Mississippi.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your
paths straight." Prov. 3:5-6

That's me, Lord. I don't understand all the trappings of my earthly body. Somehow make me a blessing to someone today. I lean on You and acknowledge that You are my God, my Great Physician, who can set me on the path to follow Your will and Your direction.

Only a Sunday God?

In a topic that had more to do with maternity clothes than wearing pants to church on Sunday I blog:

Aquaintance "does not approve of" women wearing pants to church on Sunday. There's food for thought. I had always been brought up in churches where you wore dresses Sunday morning and more casual clothes, pants or even jeans, on Sunday nights and Wednesday nights. At a church we visited recently on a Sunday morning I saw the women my age dressed in pants. Other women who were older than I wore pants also. I was surprised but not offended or put off. I just thought, "Cool, the times, they are a'changin'." I asked a friend the next day (whose church we are going to visit next weekend) if members of her church (much bigger church, same demonination) wore pants. She said, "That's all I wear. In fact, I wear to church what I wear to work." I'm thinking, "This is good!" I love wearing nice pant suits and it would certainly add variety to my church wardrobe to be able to wear them.

So anyway, I'm in the bathroom just a minute ago and the snippet of what my aquaintance "does not approve of" popped in my mind.

I think my aquaintance is perfectly entitled to wear what she wants to church. She wasn't judging anyone but her pregnant daughter who could only fit into pants at the time and she didn't approve of her wearing them to church but I don't think WWIII broke out over it.

So I'm washing my hands in the bathroom, looking at my pretty butterfly dress in the mirror (it is beautiful if I do say so myself) and my thought was, "Is God only a Sunday morning God?" If it stands to reason that we must wear dresses to church on Sunday (morning's especially) as a dress code out of respect to God, would it not also stand to reason that since God is always with us we should always wear dresses? Things that make me go hmmmm.......

+++God, I will worship You any time, any place. You are with me when I'm in my pj's in the morning, when I'm in dresses at work, in jeans afterwards or shorts on the weekends. Thank You for telling us not to worry about the clothes we wear. In Christ's Name. Amen.+++

Father, make me a nonconformist - not in a denominational sense, but
in a dynamic sense. Forgive me if I have allowed the world to squeeze
me into its own mould. Change my way of thinking to Your way of
thinking. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Today is the National Day of Prayer. My heart was lifted as I listened to Focus on the Family. I wish I had gotten to hear all of it. The speaker was Marilyn someone who talked about, of course, prayer! I pray for the spiritual renewal of our country, that the institution of marriage would be upheld. Genesis 2:24 says: "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh." I pray that we would fight to keep marriage sancitified. I pray that our President would stand strongly for what he believes in and lead our nation, not only politically, but in the way God would have him to. We are commanded to pray by God. Matthew 6:5; Romans 12:12; 1 Thess 5:17. I pray that we would not only pray but listen. Marilyn someone gave a good analogy this morning. She said that when she took her child to the doctor she told the doctor, "She has an ear ache, she is running fever, and her throat is sore." She said if she had just told the doctor her child's symptoms and had not listened for the answer (which would contain the prescription) the child would certainly not be any better off for it, and neither would she!

God, I pray for our nation. I pray for our President, the Vice President, all our federal leaders, state leaders and local leaders. Help them guide us to turn our nation back to You. I fear for the world, Lord. The sanctity of marriage is under strong attack from satan, people are saying, "Oh, it's no problem for gays to be married." It is! Father, Your own word tells us that! Help us turn back to the Bible and soften the hearts of people who want tolerance yet are not willing to stand up for what they believe in. Help us to bring everything to You by prayer and petition, trusting that You, not just the words we pray, will be faithful and just to us. The slogan "Prayer Changes Things" is so misunderstood. It is You who changes things through our prayers. You hear us, Lord, and I praise You for that. Thank you for sending Jesus to die for the sins of all mankind. I pray for my friends who are not Christian, that You would prompt them to make a decision that will change their lives forever and enable them to reign in eternity with You. Help me to be selfless instead of selfish. Help me not to gossip and to be directed by You throughout my day. I love You, Lord, and I praise Your holy Name. http://www.inpop.com/radio/artists/tree63/song.html


http://www.family.org/fmedia/misc/A0030190.cfm

In Jesus Name I pray,
Amen