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Power of a Praying Child

21 days of prayer & fasting culminated last night in a powerful prayer & celebration service. The most spectacular thing happened. Pastor called forward the children participating in the fast. Gracie was diligent in her fasting efforts; giving up sweets and videos/tv. The children lined the front, facing the congregation. Then a call was for people who didn't necessarily hear a specific word from God during the fast or still yet, wanted to hear something more. The children prayed for these individuals. It was so powerful..there was an incredible break in the spiritual realm. More & more adults responded, coming forward so the children could pray for them. Then the children were arranged in two rows - a prayer line was made & the entire congregation walked through that burgeoning army of prayer warriors. Then entire congregation - singers, musicians, nursery workers, pastors....they prayed for each on of us, laying hands on us as we worshiped & wept our way through the prayer line. Words just can't describe it~

Evotional.com

Evotional.com Borrowed entirely from Mark Batterson
A few years ago I read a book by Arthur Gordon titled Wonder. I actually remember where I was when I was reading. Lora and I were on the Island of Capri celebrating an anniversary. My favorite chapter is titled The Night the Stars Fell.

Arthur Gordon was a small boy. His family was staying at a seaside cottage during the summer. And late one night his father came into his room where he was sleeping. He woke him up by picking him up in his arms. Then he carried his son outside. Down the porch. Down to the beach. Then his father told him to look up into the night sky and watch. Just as his father said it, a streak of fire blazed across the sky. Then another. And another. Arthur asked his dad what they were. He said, “Shooting stars.” He explained that every year on certain nights in August, the sky would put on a shooting star show.

Arthur never forgot that night.

"No doubt in my childhood I had the usual quota of playthings, but these are forgotten now. What I remember is the night the stars fell, the day we rode in a caboose, the time we tried to skin the alligator, the telegraph we made that really worked...father had, to a marvelous degree, the gift of opening doors for his children, of leading them into areas of splendid newness...he believed that a new experience was more important for a small boy than an unbroken night of sleep."

I love that. I want to be like that!

"This, surely, is the most valuable legacy we can pass on to the next generation: not money, not houses or heirlooms, but a capacity for wonder and gratitude, a sense of aliveness and joy."

Ardent

It is not enough to say a prayer, but we must pray in prayer. Our thoughts must be fixed, our desires firm and ardent, and our graces in exercise; and, when we thus pray in prayer, we shall speed in prayer. Elijah prayed that it might not rain; and God heard him in his pleading against an idolatrous persecuting country, so that it rained not on the earth for the space of three years and six months. Again he prayed, and the heaven gave rain, etc. Thus you see prayer is the key which opens and shuts heaven. To this there is an allusion, Rev. 11:6, where the two witnesses are said to have power to shut heaven, that it rain not. This instance of the extraordinary efficacy of prayer is recorded for encouragement even to ordinary Christians to be instant and earnest in prayer. God never says to any of the seed of Jacob, Seek my face in vain. If Elijah by prayer could do such great and wonderful things, surely the prayers of no righteous man shall return void.
Matthew Henry, Commentary on James 5

Yield

Jam 3:17

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no partiality and is always sincere.

–verb (used without object)

8.	to give a return, as for labor expended; produce; bear.

9.	to surrender or submit, as to superior power: The rebels yielded after a week.

10.	to give way to influence, entreaty, argument, or the like: Don't yield to their outrageous demands.

11.	to give place or precedence (usually fol. by to): to yield to another; Will the senator from New York yield?

12.	to give way to force, pressure, etc., so as to move, bend, collapse, or the like.

Synonyms:
1. furnish, supply, render, bear. 3. abandon, abdicate, waive, forgo. Yield, submit, surrender mean to give way or give up to someone or something. To yield is to concede under some degree of pressure, but not necessarily to surrender totally: to yield ground to an enemy. To submit is to give up more completely to authority, superior force, etc., and to cease opposition, although usually with reluctance: to submit to control. To surrender is to give up complete possession of, relinquish, and cease claim to: to surrender a fortress, one's freedom, rights. 6. render. 10. give in, comply, bow. 14. fruit. See crop.

Antonyms:
4. resist.

The Mystery of the Empty Stomach by Joey Bonifacio

“Fasting is associated with desperate situations. Through the centuries, people fasted mostly when they found themselves in tight spots. Jesus, on the other hand, was espousing a new and higher motivation to fast – not one borne of desperation, but out of devotion.”

“We fast not to twist God’s arm so he will pay attention to us. We already have his undivided attention. We don’t fast in order to make ourselves worthy of his acceptance. We already have his unconditional love.”

“We fast not so he will hear us, but for us to hear him.”

“The Pharisees’ idea of fasting was to deprive the flesh in order to strengthen the spirit. They were focusing on the wrong thing. Jesus was telling them that fasting was not about depriving yourself. Rather, its about desiring the Bridegroom.”

So today as we deny ourselves our necessary food, may we hunger even more for a closer walk with our Bridegroom!

This, brought to you by Pastor Jerry McQuay at Between Sermons regarding great excerpts from Joey Bonifacio’s book, “The Mystery of the Empty Stomach” with thoughts of encouragement through this churchwide 21 day fast. For more devotions from the network of churches fasting with us, click here.

The Vine Dresser

Our vine dresser, God, is perfect. So when He prunes us, He doesn't make mistakes.
Pastor Bob, Harvester Baptist Church

prune 2 (prōōn) v. pruned, prun·ing, prunes v. tr. To cut off or remove dead or living parts or branches of (a plant, for example) to improve shape or growth. To remove or cut out as superfluous. To reduce: prune a budget. v. intr. To remove what is superfluous or undesirable. [Middle English prouinen, from Old French proignier, perhaps from Vulgar Latin *prōretundiāre : Latin prō-, in front; see pro-1 + Latin rotundus, round (from rota, wheel; see ret- in Indo-European roots).] prun'er n.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

Walking It Out

Life is a faithwalk -
not a cakewalk.

Pastor Ekkehardt via facebook status

After God's own heart

Beginning this day with a sense of expectancy, newness & utter excitement. Reading God's word this morning, I was inspired to write down thoughts, impressions and promptings. When we purpose to seek Him - when we seek Him, He comes and He comes speaking. I want ears to hear. I want a heart, hungry to eat His word; to devour and incorporate into my very being His word for me - today, right now for ME. So as I delve, dive & embark on this journey for the next several days - I'm laying my heart bare before the throne. Speak, move, change, tenderize & otherwise make more like You, Lord.

Grace and I were preparing our "last meal", so to speak, before this period of fasting while listening to one of favorite songsters, George Rowe. The song, My Prayer. I've blogged about this song before - it moves me; makes me want to be more like Jesus. And the word "surrender" is right there in our face. Gracie is singing along, picking up what words she can and she got stuck on the word surrender. What's that mean mom, surrender. What a kitchen moment we had there about giving ourselves completely to God - throwing wide our arms to release and to receive. The conversation ended up talking about the fast. She has her own little fasting calendar. I'm proud. I'm excited about what God is doing in our family.

So, the word for today as my time-to- get- ready alarm sounds...

³ Also draw out the spear,
And stop those who pursue me.
Say to my soul,
“I am your salvation.”
(Psalm 35:3, New King James Version)
nothing else can saves nor satisfies

All my bones shall say "Who is like you; delivering the poor?"
Who is like the Lord? NOBODY!

¹³ But as for me, when they were sick,
My clothing was sackcloth;
I humbled myself with fasting;
And my prayer would return to my own heart.
¹⁴ I paced about as though he were my friend or brother;
I bowed down heavily, as one who mourns for his mother.
(Psalm 35:13-14, New King James Version)

And the commentary...cause that part about "when they were sick...I was humbled with fasting" really got me. Didn't really talk about that like I thought....but I found something better; something I can generalize to many "when they were sick" situations.

David complains about his enemies:

Call a man ungrateful, and you can call him no worse: this was the character of David's enemies. Herein he was a type of Christ. David shows how tenderly he had behaved towards them in afflictions. We ought to mourn for the sins of those who do not mourn for themselves. We shall not lose by the good offices we do to any, how ungrateful soever they may be. Let us learn to possess our souls in patience and meekness like David, or rather after Christ's example.

(Ps 35:17-28)

Hmmmm...good stuff. Though this feels incomplete and not a good place to stop, it's all the time I've got. So, I must stop. Yes, I can just stop right here. To be continued...

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