Seal Team of Prayer

Do you have a SEAL Team of prayer warriors?

I do and I want to challenge you to form one of your own.

This is a sticky suggestion, because I do not want any acknowledgement for this idea, yet it is so heavy on my heart that I simply have to share.

My hope is that you will pick up your spiritual knee pads and begin a lifelong journey of becoming a prayer warrior and that you will be blessed beyond words to watch the Lord assemble your own prayer SEAL Team.

Prayer is not easy.
As a matter of fact, it can be hand to hand combat.
All heck breaks loose when you begin to pray.
Intercessory prayer is sacrificial and all consuming. I am not an expert, but I can tell you that prayer is powerful and effective. I have seen prayer answered time and time again.


Why pray if it is so hard?

I have argued with the Lord about prayer.
"Why do you wait for me to pray before You fill a need or answer a heart's cry? You know what I need before I ask, so why do I have to ask?"

I know. I can be a spiritual brat. But the Lord loves me anyway.
             God simply wants to spend time with me. He loves me.

This past season in my own life has been a "diving into prayer season'.
It has been universe altering season for me.

My heart and hope is that you not only pray too, but that the Lord will bless you with

 a prayer team like mine.

My SEAL Prayer team can be counted on day or night. If I ask for prayer, they are on it.
I can physically feel the prayer. It is indescribable.

The most amazing thing is that most of my prayer warrior team do not know each other.
In fact, one of my most trusted prayer warriors is a special lady I met while commenting on a homeschooling facebook page. She and I hit had an exchange while talking about homeschooling that has turned out to be an incredible friendship. She has been used by the Lord to bless me in ways indescribable yet I have never heard her voice. (You know who you are...)

Why SEAL Team?
SEALs are a special breed of soldier. I recently heard a SEAL  say that "they are not any better than anyone else, just more willing to give their life in battle". SEALs simply never quit- no matter how hard the battle. Being a prayer warrior is like that- we must be willing to give our lives in prayer.

The ladies that the Lord has surrounded me with in prayer are just like that.

• They do not just say they will pray... They close themselves in a prayer closet and pray.
• They keep praying until the Lord answers. (Sometimes His answer is no, but He always answers)
• They share God's word and speak the truth in love... even if it hurts.
• They are connected to my life just like those boys in the picture above... We are linked in prayer while the storms of life rage and they never let go.
• I can simply text the words, "please pray" and the Holy Spirit does the rest.

My prayer SEAL Team is anonymous to each other. 

                                    I  love that.

There is complete peace in having prayer answered through God's prayer warriors.

Building a prayer team is entirely up to the Lord, but it begins with you.

Begin your journey today by praying and asking the Lord to deepen your prayer life with Him.

He loves to talk with us and to hear our voices.

Prayer pleases God. It delights His heart to know we love Him and want to spend time with Him.

The enemy hates this. Prayer is attacked from every direction. Press in and keep praying.

Ask the Lord to show you pockets of time that you can truly begin praying. Ask Him to teach you how to pray. Ask Him to show you who you can pray for, and begin praying for them.

If you are like me, busy, busy, busy you may have a hard time finding three minutes strung together.

My best prayer time is when I am drying my hair or driving my car. God is faithful to show us pockets of time. The hard part is taking advantage of that time.

I would encourage you to pray.

God is waiting to hear from us all the time. Because He loves us. Because He loves our voice. Because He wants to reveal Himself to us.

Are you a prayer warrior? Anyone can be... You just need to be willing- God is faithful to train you...

For those of you on my prayer warrior team, I love you. You may not even know that you are on my team... but that doesn't change anything. It just keeps all the glory in God's corner! 

Thank you for spending so much time on your knees that you likely need a pair of spiritual knee pads.

Do you have a hair dryer? Here is where the Lord started my season of prayer. The Prayer Dryer.

Prayer Dryer

One day, I walked over to my neighbor's house to borrow some sugar.
Yes, neighbors like us still exist.
She comes and raids my pantry and I beg for half an onion to save me a trip to the store.

It's glorious.

As my friend went inside to get me some sugar, I watched her daughter and her little friend Aurora swing in the front yard.

Their giggles were filled with hope, life, and light.

I had never seen Aurora before, but I was struck by her delight.
I swear she was shining.

I felt like I would never forget her face as I walked away.
Now I know why.

My neighbor called me the next week to tell me beautiful Aurora was diagnosed with leukemia the day after I saw her swinging.

It knocked my breath out of my chest and I wept for this little girl.
The girl with the laugh, love, and life.

I knew the Lord had branded her beautiful face onto my heart so I would pray for her, but I was afraid I would forget.

"Lord, help me be faithful to pray..."

Shortly after, I felt led to grow out my hair in her honor.

I committed to pray for her in those quiet minutes that I spend each day blow-drying or styling my hair. I even wrote her name in sharpie pen on my hair dryer so I wouldn't forget to pray.

My hair dryer became known to me as my "prayer dryer".


It's been over 3 years now.

My hair grew past my waist and I finally donated my first 12" of hair in Aurora's honor. What a joy!

I am happy to share that I recently learned that she was healthy and in remission. Praise the Lord!

A lot changed over the course of the last few years.

Please understand that I am no healer, or magician.

I simply joined the crowd of people interceding for this precious little gift.
There is nothing special about me or my prayers.

But I have witnessed the Lord move mountains through prayer and I allowed him to expand my heart to pray for anyone he "brands on my heart" and added many people to my Prayer Dryer.

I never know who it will be. Honestly, I have never met most of them in person.

It happens the same for me every time.

I will be scrolling through Facebook, or talking with someone and I will see a picture, hear of someone in distress, or read a heart's cry. Then I feel my heart tug.

As I pray, the Lord prompts me to add them to my dryer. So I do. And as I dry my hair I search through the names and pray for all those people represented in the black ink.

Not every day. I am not that faithful. But God is.

When He prompts me to pray, I do and I begin with those who are right there in ink.

I share this with you in hopes you will dig out a black sharpie and write "Prayer Dryer" and Matthew 19:26 "For with God ALL things are possible" on your own hairdryer.

Then patiently wait for the Lord to show you who He wants you to pray for. He will.

As recently as today the Lord has slowly had me add more names to this blower. I find it crazy and wonderful that He uses such an everyday ordinary thing to bring us closer to Him.

What do you think? Will you ask Him to show you how to pray for others? This may be the perfect way to start.

Praising God for Answered Prayer

Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, 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 the petitions that we have asked of Him. 1 John 5:14-15

Reflecting on God's goodness. Yesterday my father had surgery to open a blockage in his heart. With many of my family and friends rallying to lift him up in prayer, we sought God's will and asked for mercy during his procedure.

God heard. We received the answers we were looking for, and dad is home resting.

As I read these verses this morning I am praising our God. He truly walked with us as we prayed, didn't He? I just want to share another thought though.

If dad's surgery had not gone as planned, that would not mean that God did not hear our prayers. God holds everything in the palm of His hand. We need to trust Him when life gets scary and Praise Him when it all works according to our plan. True.

But when things go differently than we hoped, or life throws a huge curve ball we need to remember that God is still there. He sees things we do not see. He know things we do not know. He has a plan that is so perfect, that we will only understand it when we stand in eternity.

Bottom line? We absolutely need to pray. We need to unite our hearts and seek the face of our Lord. We need to never have the circumstances in our life affect our determination to trust our God.

I can hear the enemy whispering in my head, "Now that you shared this, something bad is going to happen." I refuse to listen to the enemy.

Instead, I will join Shadrack, Meshach, and Aded-Nego (Daniel 3:16-18)
Paraphrased, my God is able to do exactly what I am asking Him to do, but if not, let it be known that I will not serve any other god or worship fear.

Prayer request: join me in continuing to pray for my dad's triple bypass surgery scheduled
for May 7, 2014. His arteries are so blocked that his feet are in constant intense pain and stops him from walking.

Prayer Against Stupidity

Praying God's Word...
Fill in the blank with whoever God puts on your heart.

"Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid." Proverbs 12:1

Lord, give ________ the humility he/she needs to receive knowledge and instruction.

Your word says _____ is stupid if he/she hates correction.
May he/she chose to be wise by bending and yielding toward wise instruction.

"The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise." Proverbs12:15

Sometimes it can be so hard to see what is right. _______ is sure they are correct in doing what is right in his/her eyes. _____ is blinded by pride.

Please give ______ a humble and teachable heart and a willingness to receive wise counsel.

"The truthful lip will be established forever, but the lying tongue is but for a moment." Proverbs 12:19

Let not ______ be deceived.

You desire truth in and through his/her life. Whether it is an unspoken lie, a selfish cover-up, or a flat out deception, help him/her see that a lie is a lie.
Only truth is established forever.

Help _____ resolve to be a truth-teller.

Praying to Live in Peaceand Humility

Praying God's Word...

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech _________ to walk worthy of the calling with which he/she was called, with lowliness and gentleness, with long suffering, bearing with one another in love, enduring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Ephesians 4:1-3

Peace.
Lord, we all desire to live peace filled lives. I pray that ______ would endure as he/she keeps the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

If he/she strives for anything, let it be to be unified with You.

Give him/her patience and humility and a willingness to stick together because of You love which binds us. ____ knows You.

Teach them to walk with you in a way that is worthy of Your goodness and glory.

May the world know that _______ is your child because of the marks of lowliness, gentleness, patience, and love covering his/her life. Cover _______ in a garment of grace today.

And all God's Children said, "Amen!"

Saying No to Alluring Sin

Praying God's Word...
________, if sinners entice you, do not consent." Proverbs 1:10

When my children were very little I was Christmas shopping at the mall. I saw a sparkly light display on a store-front and found myself drawn into the store to look around. I made it to the back of the store quickly before I realized that I had walked to the back of an "adult store" with 3 of my children.
Horrified, I told the boys to look at the floor and I ran out of the store.

The sparkly lights had distracted me so that I did not see the filth. Sin is like that. It can easily draw us in if we are not watchful.

Lord, protect _______ from the allure of sinful things. He/she is surrounded by the bright lights and the rich smells of this world and is being drawn in. The world says, "Come with us ______" and he/she is intrigued. This world promises riches and pleasure as a swimming worm on a hook. Help _______ hear You say, ' _______, do not walk in the way with them, keep your foot from their path'

This world has only temporary pleasure for ______. Help him/her know the truth spoken in Your word, "whoever listens to Me will dwell in safety, and be secure, without fear of evil." Proverbs 1:10, 11,  15, 33

Praying Words that Build up and Encourage

Praying God's Word: Guarding Our Mouths

"Keep ______'s tongue from evil and his/her lips from speaking deceit. ________, depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it." Psalm 34:13-14

Lord, it is so easy to slander and speak evil and deceitful words. Integrity and peace are not sought after in our culture.

Overwhelm _______ with Your goodness and grace today.

I pray he/she would look for and seek peace.



I pray peace would be the thing that _______ pursues. Protect him/her from speaking evil and deceitful words, but more than that Lord, purify his/her heart so that their thoughts and words are filled with You.

Thank You for the truth of Your word. "I sought The Lord and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears." Psalm 34:4

Praying for Our Children

Praying God's word...

"Even a child is known by his deeds, whether what he does is pure and right." Proverbs 20:11

Lord, I pray for _________. Help him/her to love you with all their heart and follow Your ways. Help them live out their faith in a way that causes them to do pure and right deeds.

3 John 1:4 is true... "I have not greater joy than to hear that my child, __________, walks in truth!"

There is nothing sweeter than to see your children grow in the love of the Lord. 

For me, this is especially sweet because my husband and I did not

 meet Jesus until we were 24. 

What a delight to watch our children grow up in the faith!

want daily prayers like this one? click here

Praying God's Word: Resources

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and 

intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

In my opinion, there is nothing more powerful and effective than praying God's Word. 

As a new Christian, I was introduced to praying God's Word while participating in a small Bible study. 


A group of about six of us wives were reading and praying through The Power of a Praying Wife, by Stormie O'Martin.


All six of us experienced the moving of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, marriages, and lives. It was an incredible time of spiritual growth for me as a newish believer.

I did not know my Bible inside and out at the time, and I found the book to be an incredible help in my prayer life.

Stormie organized God's word in a way that I could access dozens of Bible verses that covered a particular subject or need; finances, romance, forgiveness, employment, etc.



Over the last 20 years, I have gone back to this book when I know I should pray, but cannot seem to find the right verses to pray. It is one of my spring boards.

Here are some of my favorite resources for praying God's Word:

31 Days of Praying for Your Husband 

Scripture to Pray Over Children

Scripture to Pray over your Family

want daily prayers? click here

This post contains my referral link which helps support the work of this site. 

Here’s my full disclosure policy.

Praying for Someone Who is Afraid

I have been blessed by praying God's word over my own life and family for years.

There is something especially sweet about praying for someone using God's words and thoughts.


Prayer works. God Hears our hearts and answers us through His word.
He is not a Genie in a bottle, or a magician in a book.

He is the one true Lord and He not only knows you by name, but hears your voice.

Do you want to experience His love in an amazing way?

Commit to praying God's word over your family, your friends and yourself for one month.




Keep a journal of the scriptures you pray and those who you pray for.

Ready? Let's Get started.



Praying God's Word...

For someone in fear, surrounded by trouble, and needing help. Add their name (or yours) in the blank.



"The Lord is the strength of ______'s life, of who, shall he/she/I be afraid?"

"For in this time of trouble HE shall hide _____. In His pavilion: in the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide ______; 
He shall set _____ high upon a rock." Psalm 27:1, 5



Need more? Read all Psalm 27!

Just replace the "me, my, and I's" to suit your prayer!

Be of good cheer! Wait upon The Lord!

Yes, that's a lizard.
I am not saying we are scaly and creepy. I love the lighting in this picture.

 I can imaging the warmth of the sun and the songs of the birds. It is quiet here, peaceful, beautiful. When I read, "He shall set me high upon a rock" I picture a safe, quiet, warm place like this...

want daily prayers like this one? click here

Praying For Yourself When Not Feeling Well

Today I awoke with a headache and a sore throat. Blah!

The Lord led me to these verses.

Truth. My body may fail, but my heart can be strengthened by God!

Do you know anyone who is not feeling well today?
Here are a few scriptures you can pray over their lives. Feel free to pray for me!



Praying God's Word...
Psalm 73:26
_______'s flesh and heart may fail, but God is the strength of ______ 's heart and portion forever.

Psalm 105:4
_______, Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.

Psalm 118:14
The LORD is _____'s strength and song; he has become ______'s salvation.

3 John 1:2

Dear_______, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.

                                         Be blessed my friends!

want daily prayers like this one? click here

Am I Love?

Am I love?

I heard this question in passing on the radio the other day. Read this part carefully. It was not, "Am I loved" but rather, "Am I Love?"

I have to confess that I knew the answer to the question immediately.

No. In that moment, I was not love.

That morning my husband sent me a quick reminder text. As I was typing my smart aleck response, I could hear the still small voice telling me that a simple "OK" was the appropriate response.

I ignored the voice.

My remark was not taken well and it began our day together with tension rather than peace.
Was my remark worth it? No.
Did my hubby feel loved? No.

Could I say, "yes, I am love?" No.

I have been chewing on this mentally for a day or two now. "Am I love..."

The truth is that only Jesus personifies love.  But if I love Him shouldn't I be a channel for love?

Jesus said, they would know that we are His disciples by our love.

How about you. If you asked everyone in your life, "Am I love?" How would they answer you?

I am challenged by this today!

Blessings to you and yours. Share your thoughts in the comments below!

I’m linked with http://www.HolleyGerth.com for “Coffee for the Heart.” 

3 Questions I Ask Myself a when I feel Like Quitting Homeschooling

Yes, sometimes I feel like quitting.
Sometimes I look around and question my ability to educate my children.
Am I doing enough?
Are they learning anything?

Kristy at Little Cottage did an excellent job describing what I do when I am on the verge of quitting.

3 Questions I ask Myself When I Feel Like Quitting Homeschooling


What do you when those days or weeks cause you to doubt yourself?

Confessing the Sin of Bah Humbug!

I really struggled stirring up Christmas cheer this year. I had a horrible attitude. I pouted. I grumbled. I complained. This whole Christmas thing is so much work. Christmas tree, lights, nativities, gifts, wrapping, baking, events.

I was full of my bah-humbug self when I just "happened" to hear another mom talk about the same thing. Honestly, I wish I could tell you where I heard her. I think it was a radio interview, but while her identity is lost to me, the words she spoke and  the truth she shared is not.

This young mom expressed the same things I shared in the beginning. She was doing all the "Christmas things", but she was grumbling, whining, and complaining the whole time. She shared that in desperation she turned to the Lord. I love this next part.

God spoke to her heart and said, "in all this Christmas business, you have forgotten me." She confessed that she realized that she had not opened the gift she had received from the Lord; the gift of that precious baby born in a manger.

Sure, she has a glorious tree, beautiful lights, mountains of gifted wrapped presents and a home smelling of the holidays, but she had neglected her Jesus.

I realized in that moment that I too had neglected my Jesus. I had not spent any time reflecting on the truth that, this tiny little baby laying in the manger was God made flesh. This little baby was born to save me from my sins. This little baby would nurse, learn to walk, do his chores, master carpentry, and obey his parents all so that he could one day hang on the cross to save me from my sins. This little baby, God become flesh was knocking on my heart saying "remember what I have done for you..."

After repenting of my current list of sins: selfishness, unthankfulness, and wretchedness I began thanking Him for blessing me with a way to remember how His journey to meet me on earth began (ok, it really started in eternity past, but you know what I mean). His journey to my heart began on Christmas morning. He breathed the same air I breath today. He looked up and saw the same stars I made wishes to as a little girl. He too celebrated his birthday, but with a greater understanding of what that celebration really meant.

When I blew out the candles on my cake when I was a little girl, I would wish for new toys. If Jesus blew out candles on his cake he would not have wished for anything for his own selfish pleasure. Actually, he would not have wished at all. He would have prayed. I believe He would have been quietly praying for each of us, you and me, by name.

I found my Christmas spirit, laying in a manger, growing up in Nazareth, praying for me thousands of years ago, hanging on a tree, and now living in my heart.

We all grow tired. We all grow weary. We all can lose sight of the reason behind the season and honestly life itself. Just remember, It is all about Jesus.

He loves you, He loves me, He loves us. My prayer for you this crazy Christmas season is that you see Jesus in the middle of it all. If you have never met him, You can begin your journey in Luke 2 of the Bible. As You read ask God to show you the gift that the little baby came to bring you specifically. If like me, you know Jesus, by have been looking at the gifts and lights rather than the Giver of Life... Turn your eyes back. Refocus. Repent. Receive His joy.

Merry Christmas!
May the joy of The Lord Jesus Christ fill your heart and home with his unfailing love!
In His Love,
Bekki

The Glad Game

I sat and watched Pollyanna today. My goodness its been forever since I watched that feel-good movie. (In a house full of boys, it is rare that I ask to watch a girl movie, but today I couldn't resist)

                                                    
Remember the Glad Game?
Whenever something bad happened, Pollyanna's father had taught her to think of something to be glad about. Like the time she had prayed for a doll, but the missionary team sent crutches instead.
Pollyanna's father invented the game in that moment. What is there to be glad about in receiving a pair of crutches rather than a longed for doll?
Pollyanna cheerfully exclaims, "That we do not need the crutches!"

My Father has similar advise. In Psalm 118:24 He says, "This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it."

Pollyanna also wore a locket with an inscribed quote from Abraham Lincoln. It read,

“If you look for the bad in people expecting to find it, you surely will.”

This sweet little movie reminded me of two amazingly simple, yet life changing principles:

1. There is always something to rejoice in this day that The Lord has made.

2. I would rather spend my time looking for the good in people, because I am confident I will find it!

What are you Glad about today?

I am glad that I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel; that my body is healing; and that I will have my entire family under my roof tonight!

Exactly What Does it Mean to Send Positive Thoughts My Way?

                                                              

When I interact with people on the Internet, sometimes I ask for prayer. 

When people say they will send positive thoughts my way I am often left scratching my head.

Exactly what does it mean to send positive thoughts my way? Do they think of butterflies and chocolate dipped strawberries? If so, how will that impact my life?

I am sorry, but sending positive thoughts to someone is not the same as sitting at Jesus's feet talking to Him about what is on my mind.

Don't get me wrong. Butterflies are good. Strawberries are only made better by that wonderful coating of chocolate. But let's be real. They will do nothing for me.

Jesus on the other hand, is not only positive- He is real and ready to handle whatever I bring to Him.
I have seen Him answer prayer.

 Its not just a coincidence. there are countless examples of answers to prayer, but here are a few:
 Prayed my sons surgeon would have renewed strengths and wisdom during one of of his surgeries.
-doctor shared afterward that half way through, our son had begun to bleed I expectantly, but after the bleeding was controlled the surgery went better than they expected.

Prayed for mercy during a very difficult pregnancy. Baby was in an excruciating position
-baby turned sideways for the duration of my pregnancy and relieved much if my pain.

Prayed for clothes (knowing I needed maternity clothing and could not swing a new wardrobe at the time)
-received 2 huge boxes of maternity clothing unexpectedly from my mother in law ( who lived 2,000 miles away and did not know I needed them). She said she walked into a store that was having a blow out sale and couldn't resist. **she had never sent clothing before or since**

Prayed with young son that God would help people in our neighborhood to stop hanging a scary skeleton from a tree because it terrified him.
-that year, they cut down the tree and never hung another skeleton.

These are just a few answered prayers off of the top of my head. Again, I say I scratch my head when someone thinks of puppies for me when I ask for prayer. Why? Because its so beautifully obvious that there is a true and living God. He not only created us, but He loves us. He cared for us. He wants us to talk to Him, to trust Him, to rely on Him.

Do you know Jesus? If you have any doubt about whether He is real, take the time to ask Him to show Himself to you. Then: wait, watch, and listen.

This is one of those prayers that is always answered.


Your turn: share an example of answered prayer. Please;).

When You Look for God, You Find Him

James 4:8
Draw close to God, and He will draw close to you.

When I look at the grammar of this sentence it tells me:
 You, Bekki, draw close to God, and He will draw close to you.

Today, I am choosing to look for evidence of Him. Guess what? I found it immediately.


I walked out my front door only to be met with the flowers my boys blessed me with for Mothers Day. First I say them, then I smelled them. I looked at the flower and it truly was joining creation.

I used to believe in evolution when I was younger. Don't stone me.
I wasn't a believer until I was 24. Although I believed in God, I definitely did not have a relationship with Him.

How does this flower testify to the glory and Reality of a Personal God?

• Not only does this flower look beautiful, but it starts out as a secret locked away in a tiny seed.
• The flower must be pollinated and nurtured by tiny creatures that are drawn to its coloration and aroma.
• Water needs to soften the seeds outer coating.
• The soil it lands in must contain the minerals the seed needs to sprout.
• Slowly, but surely the little sprout grows and breaks through the soil.
• Day by day, the stems grow stronger and taller.
• Buds begin to form.
• One day, a blossom "pops" as if to shout, "Ta da!"

As if that's not enough, the flower perfumes the air, beconing all to share its beauty, pollen, and nectar with anyone or anything that will stop by.

I used to believe that creation was basically an accident. 

I believed in evolution until I was about 25 years old. 

Today, as I gaze upon this blossom I have to know, I have to see, I have to believe 

that there is a Wonderful Creator. 

He loves me so much that He becons me to Himself.

When I draw near to Him, He draws near to me.

He reveals His plan for my life in this gift from my children.

• I too was a seed. dead and unremarkable.
• At some point in my life, He and others who adore Him watered my life with love.
• Slowly, but surely I began to stretch toward His beautiful light.
• Then one marvelous day, I broke through the soil of sin be condemnation and believed in the God who loved me so much He sent His only Son. Yes, I believe in Jesus!
• As I began to read my Bible, pray, and learn about Him my life began to bud.
• One day, my life popped open into a fragrant blossom. My faith in the Lord allows me to shout, "Ta da!" And I am able to bear witness to the living God.

Yes, I sought the Lord today. Guess what? I found Him.

Luke 19:40 Jesus: Listen—if they were silent, the very rocks would start to shout!

Your turn. Seek God. ask Him to reveal Himself to you. Then join the bouquet and shout "Ta Da!" By sharing with others...

Do You Ask for Prayer?

"Pray without ceasing," the Lord tells me.  I wish I could say that I never stop praying, but I do.
I look away from Jesus and look at the storms around me. I look at the people I admire rather than The Lord within them. I say "I am fine" rather than saying I need prayer.

When my son was having major surgery, I was asking anyone who drew breath to pray for him. There were times that I asked for hundreds of people to pray. I even stumbled upon a church that would pray for any request for 24 continuous hours. I never hesitated saying we needed prayer.

So why is it so hard to ask for prayer for myself? I guess it's pride. My flesh wants to present itself as being all together, when it is not. Just yesterday I went through minor surgery. Did I ask for prayer? Yes, but I found myself struggling to get the word out. I did not ask with the same urgency as I would  have asked if it was for someone else. What am I trying to say? I am weak. But even in this weakness, I know I need prayer.

I should bring all of my requests to The Lord myself, yet there is power in united prayer. There is something amazing that happens when a group of God's children are asking the same question at the same time. We should not hesitate to ask others to join us in prayer when life gets hard.

I have a small group of friends that I can call or Facebook at anytime day or night and ask for prayer. The incredible truth is that they will actually pray. It's like that old Steven Curtis Chapman song, Let Us Pray. They will actually join my voice and ask The Lord to intervene on my behalf.
They do not gossip, or judge, they just pray.

So why is it so award to ask for prayer? The enemy of our souls knows there is power in united prayer, so he makes us hesitate. He gets us to think people will judge us by our challenges. He leads us to believe that we can handle this difficulty on our own. He uses our own hands to cut our security lines. He isolates us and convinces that no one else knows deals with "this challenge". He lies and manipulates us.

Break free.

Find one friend at a time that loves Jesus and spends time in prayer daily. Begin praying for them every single time they come to your mind. Ask them how you can pray for them, then pray. Seek The Lord on their behalf. Share Bible verses and songs that speak to your heart about their situation. Now you are ready. The next time you are in the middle of a storm, bodily ask for prayer.

Do you ask for prayer? If not, begin asking today.

Do you need prayer? Leave me a comment, email me, or Facebook me and I will pray for you.

Foundation Building: Does it Have to Take So Long?

Look again at Proverbs14:1. 
I am staring at this single verse for a reason. 

"A wise woman build up her house, but the foolish pulls it down with her hands."

When I was first married, I did not have a solid foundation.
I did not know Jesus. I wanted a cute husband and a bunch of kids. I wanted to be a stay at home mom. I was insecure about who I was and what was expected of me.

Trust me when I say that it is easier to build a proper foundation before you build your pretty little house. Those things in my heart that kept me staring at myself and my own needs were hard to reach after I was married to that cute man and blessed with a quiver full of kids.

Life is wonderful, yet it can be incredibly hard and chaotic at times. If my life sits on a cracked and flawed foundation then I will be tossed to and fro by challenges, disagreements and traged
Remember that verse about the wise man builds his house upon the Rock? That's what we need to do.

To those single gals out there:
Take all the time necessary to lay a proper foundation with your God. Cast all your cares on Him; cry out to Him; seek His face daily; study the Bible; pray without ceasing for everyone that He brings to mind; find ways to serve and bless others; and wait for Him to lead you to your life building partner.
When you are young, you may find yourself frustrated that you are in this stage for entirely too long (from your perspective), but God wants the best for you.

Ask yourself, what good is a pretty little life nestled in a beautiful house and being surrounded by a handsome family, if everything crumbles to the ground just a few years or decades down the road due to some really hard life challenge? It is worth all the waiting so that you have a solid and unshakeable life.

Take your time. Lay a good, solid, secure foundation now.

If you are like me, 23 years or more into a marriage and surrounded by 5 kids and a dog... Do not lose heart. God is awesome, amazing, and able to reaching in and repair and reinforce that foundation. It is deep under there, but never out of His reach. The difference for you and I is that we need to be totally surrendered to His hand. We need to be patient and willing during the process. There will need to be some demolition, renovation, and reconstruction done.
Surrender is our action verb.
 Should a foundation take so long to build?

Short Answer: Yes. And it is worth it.

Building Permits for Marriage

"A wise woman builds her house..." Proverbs14:1

If I were going to buy a plot of land and build a new home, one of the first things I would need to do is obtain  a building permit. That's right. Owning the land is not enough to legally build my dream home, I would need to get permission to build the kind of home I desire.

Now, I have never built a home. Quite honestly the process scares me to death because of my lack of conviction in the decision making arena. I hate shopping and do not have a unique and creative eye for decorating, therefore the thought of all those choices makes me want to run away quickly.

I hear I am not alone in this.
Obtaining permits can be not only the least enjoyable stage of building, but also one of the more frustrating. My web dictionary says that this permit is a document that authorizes the holder to construct a building of a particular kind on a particular lot. Yuck. Who wants to ask permission and get authorization?

Permits take time and money. The problem is that if you cut this corner, in the end you can be up for some pretty big heartaches and fines.

I just love this spiritual parallel...

In America, the majority of people skip over this phase in building a home. We are bombarded with the messages that we are in control of our own destinies and that we do not need to ask permission to do anything.

Seek permission to get married? Are you kidding?

This is about as anti-American-culture as you can get.

Now, before I go any deeper let me say that I am writing this to women who are either are or not married. This message is more of a self note to myself, and I welcome other women to come along with me. I am assuming that you want to be that "wise woman who builds her house, not the fool who tears it down" Me too.

I think the reason most unmarried gals skip this step is fear. They do not want to be alone, and so they are quick to settle for one of the first men who shows interest in them. They are afraid to ask God, "Is this the man You have chosen for me?" The enemy of your soul loves fear. He can corner you into making unwise choices when you are staring at fear.

The way to navigate this stage of building your home is wrapped into one word: Ask.

Did you know the Bible speaks of Asking over 200 times? 200! A quick search of scripture reveals that God wants you to ask. He's waiting for you to ask.

Ask What? Well I guess it depends on where you are today. Are you married yet or not?

Before you marry:

• Am I ready to marry?
• Am I content in my current state? (You will not become content through marriage. Fact.)
• Am I the kind of woman ready to complete my future groom, or am I seeking a groom to complete me?
• Lord, is he the one? (Because it would be eternally better to be alone rather than to pick someone for myself instead of waiting for You)

There are countless questions you could and should ask, these are just a few

But what if you are already married? Ah, like me you have an endless supply of things that you can ask the Lord about. This is a good thing. You can be assured that He is waiting to hear from you and answer you.

After Marriage:

• Am I a godly wife?
• Do I seek God with all my heart?
• Am I a wise woman who builds, or a fool who destroys?
• Is there any wickedness in my heart? (There always is...)
• Do I have my priorities straight? (God, husband, children, ministry)

Again, there are thousands of things to ask. God wants us to rely on Him alone. He cares about the minute details of our lives and actually knows the best for us. We need to ask Him to show us.

I have picked out a few verses for you on asking. There are so many more. I would encourage you to do your own study and see God's heart for yourself.

Side Note:
If you made it this far, but you do not know with all certainty that there is a God and He loves you so much that He died to save you, I would say either you are searching for truth or really bored. I pray you are on the search for truth.
If you do not know Jesus Christ died for your sins and rose again to save you, there is only one question He wants you to ask today...

Jesus, Will you come into my life and take over? 
Sure, there are other ways to ask, just ask.

Is God real? Does He love you? Did He really come to this earth to die for your sins? If you believe in Him will you be saved from hell? Will your life be different if you let God in?

I challenge you to ask Him...

Now. Grab your Bible and a notebook and pencil. Here are just a few verses about "asking" God. Whether you are a single woman waiting for your future groom, or a married woman its time to revisit this part of your life. Do you walk through your day without paying to attention to the Lord, or do you include Him in all parts of your life.

A wise woman build her house... She asks guidance and assistance and yes permission from the Lord for everything she does.

Isaiah 7:11
Matthew 21:22
Luke 11:9
John 11:22
John 14:14
John 16:23
Ephesians 3:20
James 1:5-6
Matthew 7:7-8