The Power of Prayer

WOW! Talk about the power of prayer! Jeff and fellow friends, both local and in the blog world, offered up prayer for my "mood" yesterday, and already this morning my heart feels lighter! Praise God! I can't believe I let the enemy beat me up like that yesterday! {grumble} Thankfully, there are people willing to pray God's power into my life that can BEAT the enemy and his tactics! It was inspiring to witness this victory in my own life, rather than watching it occur in others' lives. A great reminder to me that God is in the midst of all that Jeff and I are doing too! Does anyone else ever need that reminder that God is present, even when we may not feel His presence?

Well, amidst my blog hopping, I went over to Jen's blog, a fellow adoptive mom and gifted writer, and two of her posts inspired me - again. Don't you love it when God guides you to just the right place at just the right time? Go to http://beboldjen.com/ to be blessed by her! Thanks again, Jen, for helping to bring me out of the muck with the enemy and into the joy of God!

She posted a couple verses from James in her "In the Thick of It" post, and I am re-posting them here. Such a great reminder that:

a) we need to choose who we are going to follow, even in our own thoughts.....God? or the devil? (my fear and defeat yesterday were NOT of God!)

(b) we need to bring our burdens to God if we want His assistance with them, as he yearns to draw near to us and give us His grace; and

(c) we need to call on Him in FAITH ~ we must trust that He will provide! Our prayers are empty words without full belief that He can ~ and will ~ answer them!

HHHMMMMM....does anyone see a common theme here? My "Electric Door" post was about much the same.....remembering to lean in and trust God wholeheartedly! I think I may just be getting it, God! {smile} Thank you, Lord, that you so love me that you are willing to use many circumstances in my life to teach me to lean further into you.....trusting you wholeheartedly......with everything!

Here are a few verses that Jen used that spoke to me (and many others, I am sure!) from the book of James. May God use them to inspire you in a personal way as well.....

James 4:4-8 (Amplified Bible)

⁴You [are like] unfaithful wives [having illicit love affairs with the world and breaking your marriage vow to God]! Do you not know that being the world’s friend is being God’s enemy? So whoever chooses to be a friend of the world takes his stand as an enemy of God.

⁵Or do you suppose that the Scripture is speaking to no purpose that says, The Spirit Whom He has caused to dwell in us yearns over us and He yearns for the Spirit [to be welcome] with a jealous love?

⁶But He gives us more and more grace (power of the Holy Spirit, to meet this evil tendency and all others fully). That is why He says, God sets Himself against the proud and haughty, but gives grace [continually] to the lowly (those who are humble enough to receive it).

⁷So be subject to God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him], and he will flee from you.

⁸Come close to God and He will come close to you. [Recognize that you are] sinners, get your soiled hands clean; [realize that you have been disloyal] wavering individuals with divided interests, and purify your hearts [of your spiritual adultery].

James 1: 2-8 (Amplified Bible)

²Consider it wholly joyful, my brethren, whenever you are enveloped in or encounter trials of any sort or fall into various temptations. ³Be assured and understand that the trial and proving of your faith bring out endurance and steadfastness and patience. ⁴But let endurance and steadfastness and patience have full play and do a thorough work, so that you may be [people] perfectly and fully developed [with no defects], lacking in nothing. ⁵If any of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of the giving God [Who gives] to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding, and it will be given him. ⁶Only it must be in faith that he asks with no wavering (no hesitating, no doubting). For the one who wavers (hesitates, doubts) is like the billowing surge out at sea that is blown hither and thither and tossed by the wind. ⁷For truly, let not such a person imagine that he will receive anything [he asks for] from the Lord,

⁸[For being as he is] a man of two minds (hesitating, dubious, irresolute), [he is] unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything [he thinks, feels, decides].