Crisis of Belief... Pray!

"But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind." James 1:6

Doubt. Fear. Decisions. "Oh, God what should I do?" Have you experienced these thoughts recently? Can you recall a time when you were gripped with fear because of a decision? We have all been there at one time or another. Personally, I desire God to give me the answer straight up. A billboard sign would be nice. How about an email? Oh, this would work wonderful! Imagine opening your inbox and there is a message from "God." Umm... why doesn't He work this way?

I love the sign above! Think about it for a moment. As a believer we have the privilege to talk to God 24/7. Anytime. He is there waiting to listen, act, and commune with us. He desires an on going communication with His children. If you are a parent you can understand. He doesn't want us to just call on Him during emergencies. Oh, He is there during those times we need "crisis counseling" but He wants us to come to him for everything.

I remember as a young child hearing my grandmother talk about praying for parking spots at the grocery store. She said sometimes she would get a spot close to the front and other times it was in the "boon docks." (I think that is how it is spelled?) It didn't matter where she parked she always thanked God. She continued to tell me that He is in control. In my minds eye as a young child this seemed odd. But, in reality she displayed to me an ongoing, daily seeking, trusting, living relationship with Jesus. Oh, what a blessing watching a woman live her life for Him. In her later years of life, when her driving days were over, I called her on a regular basis. Inevitably, when I asked about her day she often replied with these words... I'm in my Prayer Chair! I have to be honest with all of you... tears are rolling down my check as I am writing. You see she showed me what it is to have a daily relationship with Jesus. Not based on what I can do for Him, but by being with Him. I thank God for a grandmother who displayed a living, breathing relationship to her family. I wonder if one day when I get to heaven I will be able to hear a replay of all the prayers she prayed over me?

Challenge for the week... God doesn't want to just a receive an "Emergency Phone Call for Crisis Counseling" from His children. He desires us to come to Him 24/7 with praises, thanks, love, needs, choices, ask for wisdom, for others, etc. The verse above, James 1:6, must not be read by itself. You have to read the verses prior to the verse to really understand what God is saying. Please take time this week and read James 1:1-6. You will be blessed!

A Drum Roll Please... I have submitted the Bible study for publication! This has been a challenging project. God and I have spent many hours together. Oh, it is His writing through this willing vessel. It is scheduled to be complete in June 2010! Just in time for fall Bible Studies. If your group is interested please let us know. The name of the study is...

Reflecting Him - Living Godly & Loving It!

From My Heart to Yours,

Carla

Living in Harmony... Pray!

"They all continued with one accord in prayer..."
Acts 1:14

In the quiet of your heart can you hear the music of the orchestra? Do you hear the individual sounds of each instrument? Many times when played alone they sound out of tune or off key. But, when blended together they make a beautiful noise. Each one complimenting the other. The music is inspiring, soothing, and even mesmerizing.

In the verse above the Greek word for accord is homothumadon which means "one mind, one passion." This is actually a combination of two words meaning to "rush along" and "in unison." Like with music... a number of notes played at the same time are different, but harmonize in pitch and tone. Captivating an audience from the moment the first note is played.

This is the picture of the body of Christ when we are of one mind. As instruments of a famous orchestra directed by a concert master, so the Holy Spirit blends together the prayers of the saints. God desires for His children to pray together so they make beautiful music through their prayers. The believers in Acts knew the importance of coming together to lift their praises and requests to the Lord. We should live out their example in our own lives.

Why do we make corporate prayer a last resort? Over and over God's Word show us examples of believers praying together and God answering. God calls us to pray! This is exciting... God gives us an opportunity to participate in eternity with Him through prayer. Let's do it! Let's pray together! Don't miss the blessing of drawing nearer to God and other brothers and sisters in Christ as you create beautiful "prayer" songs together.

Challenge for the Week... Ask the Lord to show you a group of believer's to pray with this week. If you are afraid to step out in this way ask God for courage. If you are in need of prayer for a situation, ask the Lord to lead you to someone or a group of prayer warriors. Oh, the harmonious melodies of the saints coming together is a blessing to the soul!

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From My Heart to Yours,

Carla

Life 'Stops'... Pray!

"They were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them." Acts 16:6-7

"What? Are you kidding me? This is not in my plans!" Have you ever said these words? Maybe you have experienced driving down the road and suddenly, smack dab in the middle of your path is a BIG red sign reading "Do Not Enter." On the other side of the sign the road looks like it's in good shape. Frustrated and confused you contemplate moving ahead with your plans. But, as reality sets in you realize you must choose an alternate route to your destination. Later, you discover why you were halted in your tracks. A few miles down the road a bridge had collapsed making it very dangerous and unusable. A sense of relief and thankfulness blankets your whole body as you realize how you were protected.

How do you handle Life 'Stops' that arise and make no sense at all? Those in ministry are not immune to Life 'Stops'. Recently, I had one of these moments. As a speaker, I schedule events months in advance. Due to some unusual circumstances, a large church cancelled an event with me. At first I experienced a disappointment. A couple of days later I received a phone call from a woman inquiring about how to build a women's ministry team. She acquired my name by googling "women's retreats in Texas" and Reflective Life Ministries appeared. She went on to say, their church is located in a small Texas town with a population of 525, basically in the middle of nowhere. God began stirring the hearts of six women to begin a women's ministry, but they had no idea where or how to start. As we continued to visit, God confirmed in my heart this conversation is divinely arranged by the hand of God. We both knew God connected us for His purposes to be accomplished. As a result, she asked me to come speak at a Kickoff event for the ladies. And, wouldn't you know, the only time that worked in their schedule happen to be the date which opened up for me two days before. WOW, only God!

The day arrived for the kickoff. As I drove into the small town, I could feel the presence of the Lord in such a powerful way. He confirmed the Life 'Stop' I'd experienced was actually the Holy Spirit moving me in a different direction. God's plan was for me to share my passion for Jesus at a church before 54 ladies in this sweet modest Texas town. These women were hungry to hear the Word of God and excited for a fresh experience with the Jesus. Oh, God allows Life 'Stops' for a reason! (A special love goes out from me to all of my new friends in this small sweet Texas Town!)

Challenge for the Week... Are you experiencing a Life 'Stop' right now? Are you confused and don't understand why God is allowing this in your life? Learn to praise Him in the midst of the moment. Praise Him... He knows best and he has a mighty plan. Thank Him for teaching you through the situation to trust Him even though it doesn't make sense. Ask God to prepare you for those times which have the potential to freeze you in your tracks. Also, go a step further and pray for those in your life who are experiencing these tough times. Pray for them to trust God and realize He is in control.

Reread the verse at the beginning of the post. If you get a chance read Act 16:6-10. Notice who is guiding Paul and Silas... The Holy Spirit, our counselor and guide. They followed the Holy Spirit's direction without arguing or complaining! What a lesson for all of us. Have a great week!

From My Heart to Yours,

Carla

Peanut Butter Sandwiches... Pray!

It's 5:30am, the alarm rings, you hit the snooze button without ever opening your eyes. Ten minutes later the alarm sounds a second time as if it is blasting the day into action. By now you know if you hit snooze again your day will not get off to a good start. Pulling yourself out of bed, you make your way into the kitchen to brew your first cup of coffee. You notice it is now 5:45am. A pleading prayer runs through your mind, "Lord, its another day filled with routines, kids to get ready for school, breakfast to make, dogs to feed, lunches to create, buses to catch, homework to remember, athletic shoes to pack, notes to sign and whatever else I am forgetting. And, all this has to be done by 6:30am! Please, help me have a positive attitude this morning."

After waking the children from their slumber, you take another sip of coffee. You hear a small rumble from the bathroom, then it ignites into a roar as the children begin arguing about "who knows what." Your words of wisdom quickly extinguish the argument. Of course, past history has taught them well to heed their mothers words of advise... if you know what I mean!

The kids breakfast of choice is cereal... quick and easy! You realize time is running short so you begin making the school lunches. All of a sudden, this thought runs through your mind, "How many peanut butter sandwiches have I made over the years?" The minute this thought emerged, another idea surfaced as well, "What if I begin praying over my children as I make their lunches. I can use these peanut butter sandwiches as visuals to pray for my kids." So, you feel a twinge of excitement as you grab the bread, knife, and jar of peanut butter. With a large lump on your knife you begin to spread the substance as you pray...

"Lord, just as I spread this peanut butter on the bread, may You spread Your Word on my children's heart. Give them an excitement to spread the message of Jesus to their friends at school. And as this jelly brings sweetness to the sandwich, may their relationship with Jesus be sweetened by your Holy Spirit. Like these two pieces of bread that cover the peanut butter and jelly, may Your love and protection cover my children's hearts. Finally, as they taste this sandwich and it brings physical nourishment, may they experience the taste of having a prayer life. One that is sold out to Jesus which brings spiritual nourishment to the soul."

As you are praying this prayer over your children's lives, you realized God answered your prayer for a positive attitude for the day. You sense a humbleness encompass your heart, soul and mind. A song of praise comes barreling out of your mouth as you give God glory for His presences with you that morning! What a tender moment with the Lord you will never forget!

Challenge for the Week... I hope you are encouraged by this E-votional this week. Come before the Lord and ask Him to encourage you through your daily routines. Look for His encouragements and answers to prayer. Oh, how precious it is when we leave the details to Him and see Him change a heart! Have a blessed week. By the way, this story is about me. I have been making peanut butter sandwiches for 23 years and counting. What a blessing!

"So I opened my mouth, and He (God) caused me to eat that scroll. And He said to me, "Son of man, feed your belly, and fill your stomach with this scroll that I give you." So I ate, and it was in my mouth like honey in sweetness."

Ezekiel 3:1-3

From My Heart to Yours,
Carla

Life in the Fast Lane... Pray!

"Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."

Jeremiah 33:3

Busy... Busy-ness... Busy-est!

Does this sound like you? Are you taking the time to enjoy the moments God gives you in life? This past weekend we experienced the 15th annual Williams Family Reunion. The blessing of watching the young ones grow and mature brings a smile to my face. Each morning the adults in the group look forward to forming a large circle and drinking coffee together while sharing old stories and laughing. In our conversation these words popped out of my mouth, "It seems like yesterday... ?" You may recall using this same phrase before yourself. As these words echoed in my mind, I realized how important it is to carve out time from my busy schedule to enjoy the family.

This thought continued to linger in my heart which led me to evaluate how I spend my time on a daily basis. Thoughts like... Why does time seem to move so fast? Do I allow myself to get so busy that I lose track of life itself? Does busyness become my enemy? Then I realized as I allow this to creep into my daily life, in many cases, my prayer life suffers.

More than likely all of us have fallen into the cycle of waking up in the morning, immediately hit the ground running, crawl into bed at night, and while falling asleep finally say the words,"Dear God" We become so intoxicated with our own issues and circumstances that one day bleeds into the next to the point that we live to exist. This is not God's plan for us! He desires for us to live a life sold out to Jesus. From the moment we awake, He is waiting for us to connect with Him in prayer. God desires to spend quality time with us. But, He will never push Himself on us. He has a daily agenda for each of His children. It is up to us to receive the assignment for the day!

Challenge for the Week... take a break from Life in the Fast Lane... Pray! "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know," says the Lord." Jeremiah 33:3

From My Heart to Yours,

Carla

Diversions... Pray!

"But, Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore, tell her to help me."

Luke 10:40

Imagine yourself driving in 5 o'clock traffic. As you approach an intersection the light turns red. Frustrated and irritated from your hectic day, you reluctantly come to a stop. Words flood your mind which you know are not pleasing to the Lord. All of a sudden, you glance toward the car beside you. In the drivers seat is a woman talking to herself with her hand up in the air. She proceeds as if she is trying to catch something. Again you see her grip the air, but this time at her ear, then in front of her face, and quickly she claps her hands together. With an eager and determined look she once again smacks her hands together. But, this time you see her facial expression change to an excitement as her fist comes together and her lips mouth the words..."Yes!" You find yourself staring at her with a "What in the world is she doing?" look on your face. But, it quickly changes to a smirk, then a laugh as her eyes meet yours. A shock veils her face as she gives you a swift wave before turning her head. Needless to say, your negative attitude subsides and is actually replaced with a lighthearted feeling the rest of the way home.

Okay, I must admit... I am the lady driving the car! Yes, driving down the road I realized a mosquito had taken up residence in my car. The pesky varmint used my head as target practice. He would build up speed and dive right at my ear, just as a fighter jet flying full force at his enemy. I knew my chance to seize the pest arrived when I stopped at the intersection. Well, obviously you know the rest of the story. Embarrassed, I drove away from the scene as a thought popped into my head. Maybe somehow this experience brought a smile to the person and whoever else observed the mishap. In fact, I began praying for God to use this situation in his life to bring him joy. That may sound funny to pray for something like this, but I believe God uses life experiences to remind us of Himself and what is important.

Challenge for the Week... Look for the diversions in your day the Lord uses to bring a smile to your face. Ask Him to remind you of what is important so you keep things in perspective. When you are having a bad day look for how God provides ways to move you from focusing on the situation to looking for Him through the situation. On the flip side, you might be the one God uses to help someone make it through their day. For example, lets say you are checking out at the grocery store. The cashier has a sour look on her face as she scans your groceries. You are faced with a choice... you can respond back with a unpleasant attitude or you can pray for her, smile and say a positive word of encouragement. You might be her diversion God uses to move her from focusing on herself, to thoughts of Jesus! This is a fun challenge for the week. I promise God is going to give us an opportunity to practice this task, just like He gave Martha an opportunity!

Oh, by the way, if you were driving down Research Forest in The Woodlands, TX and observed this occurrence we can just keep it between you and me!

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From My Heart to Yours,

Carla

First Things First... Pray!

"Prayer is the exercise of drawing on the grace of God."
Oswald Chambers

Did you take time to pray this morning? Did you wake up with thoughts of Jesus on your heart, mind and soul? He is waiting every morning for our first thoughts to be on Him. To praise Him for who He is, what He has done, and for how He works all things to His glory.

Oh, so often the alarm rings, we hit the snooze button a few times which leads to the "Late Again Disorder." We fly out of bed... rush, rush, rush to accomplish the much needed task so we're not late for our appointments, church, work, school, etc. All the while, Jesus is on the back burner of our minds. In His tenderness, He never pushes Himself on us. He desires for His children to seek Him, search The Word, worship Him, and call upon the name of the Lord in all things.

When my children were younger they knew I loved to spend quiet time with the Lord in the morning. They often observed this on a regular basis... (hint, hint I said regular not ALL the time) Anyway, one day after dealing with the kids arguing and fussing about everything I hit the point of blast-off. I sent all four of them to different parts of the house in order to bring some type of order back into our home. From one room I heard Luke, 8 years old at the time, ask me a question that penetrated my heart. In fact, it still lingers in the cervices of my mind. He said, "Mama, I need to ask you an important question. Did you have your quiet time with the Lord this morning?" All of a sudden, I realized I had not even thought about the Lord that day. Before getting out of bed my wheel were spinning 90 miles an hour accomplishing the tasks for the day. No thought of Jesus had entered my heart, soul or mind. Oh, what we can learn from the mouth of babes!

Challenge for this week... Seek Him first every morning BEFORE your head ever leaves the pillow. Need a reminder? Ask the Holy Spirit for an inward nudge as a prompt to seek the Lord first thing. Surrender your day to Him! Be on the look out for how He reveals Himself to you and how He wants to use you for His purposes throughout the day.

Jesus said, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives;... and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." Matthew 7:7-8

From My Heart to Yours,

Carla McDougal