MEMORIES and THE POWER OF HIS LOVE

I'd like to share with you how this blog came to be. I pray daily--many, many times a day. I pray for others, for myself, for situations, thanks and praise. I was visiting someone else's blog one day, and I saw that she had a prayer journal, and I thought to myself, "What a good idea!" As I thought on this, the idea flourished into inviting others to share in this experience. Thus, the beginnings of "The Power of Your Love". This will be a blog where you can address prayer requests, praises, what are your concerns, joys, sorrows. You could contribute a poem that you may have written, a picture that you love that depicts your love of our Lord, a video, a scripture that is particularly meaningful to you and why, anything that is given to the glory of God. I have several people who have expressed interest in this, and I am going to be inviting them as authors. If you happen to come across this and would like to be included, please let me know. And now--my first prayer request: My Father, As we begin, I ask your blessings upon this venture. Please utilize this spot to glorify your name, and your name alone. All things have come from you, and I lift up my praise and love to you on this day and everyday of my life. In Jesus' precious name I pray, Amen ~ written by sailorcross 9/13/08

I recently went back and read what 'sailorcross' wrote upon starting this blog. Isn't it beautiful? Doesn't it just about cover so much of the Power of His love.
I did not come on board until much later (the last of the crew here) and then she and I started "The Lighthouse of Prayer" together to do just what she had hoped to do here. 

I found out back at this time, that she is particularly fond of lighthouses and so our Lighthouse was launched together. There is so much power in God's love and in His Light. He shines His Light in our darkness and reveals, if we listen, to how we can go forth in His Light and escape the darkness. A lighthouse has a purpose to guide the sailors to a safe place. Our Lighthouse of Prayer also has that purpose to guide the lost, the broken, the hurting, the sick, to a Safe Place, the Light of our world - Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He came to be a Light to us and hoped that we would be a light to others, when they may be lost, may be shipwrecked, may be going through a storm or when they just need to find the Rock, a Safe Place, a Refuge to wait it out. 

I just felt that it is important to reflect and be His light and lead you once again to read about the beginnings of "The Power of Your Love"! Because although the Power of God's Love is the most important, He calls on each one of us to share that power that comes from His Love and His Light with others.

This is the importance of the Power. We all must be connected to the Source which gives us this power. The power is given to us through Jesus Christ and by His Spirit. But as the words to the song say, "Lord, I come to You..." we must first come to Him. Surrender to Him completely. Let go of whatever is hindering us or being an obstacle in us to move ahead in our journey. FORGIVENESS is the place where this LOVE is released and shines best (as you can see this word with the folded hands of prayer in this blog's header). 

The next line in the song is "let my heart, be changed, renewed..." which is only possible by the grace found in Our Lord (the next part of the song). We must change, we must be renewed, but if we could do this on our own, why don't we? Because we need Him. We need the Lord and His grace to change us and free us from anything and everything that is hindering us from walking by faith, in His power, authority and strength daily. Yes, daily we must say, "Not my will, but Thine." I surrender all to You this day! Let's start fresh! 
And we can, and we do, BY THE POWER OF HIS LOVE and Grace as we "come to know" Him and His Grace, "the weaknesses" that He sees in us "will be stripped away" by the POWER OF HIS LOVE!
We (I) have posted this song many times on this blog with different videos. Yet, I will share for my last time, my most recent favorite of "The Power of Your Love" ... and let's allow His Spirit to melt these words into our hearts as our prayer every day... until we see Him "face to face" may the knowledge of His Love as He "lives in us, renew our minds" as His "will unfolds in our lives" in LIVING EVERY DAY BY THE POWER OF HIS LOVE! 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjtGS0S_VbYdone by  UPWARD CALL
Thank You Lord for the Power of Your Love!
Thank You Lordfor holding me, surrounding me
Thank Youfor bringing me near to YouDrawing me to Your side
And as I waitI'll rise up like an eagleI will soar with YoubecauseYour Spirit leads me onBY THE POWER OF YOUR LOVE!
Thank You LORD!
With all my love and YoursI bid 'adieu'
Peggy

PRAISE GOD!

Praise is always on my lips, in my heart for my God, but this week has been the week that God has chosen to start restoring to me things in my life that I have lost in the past.

And I just had to share this song with you:

ALL PRAISE TO GOD!!

Beth

To read my specific prayer of thanks and praise to God, please visit me at The Lighthouse of Prayer.

The Breath of Prayer

I'm reading a book I've recently purchased called "The Power of Praying Through the Bible" by Stormie Omartian. I'm taking this book slowly--not rushing through this--because there is a lot to learn and absorb in this book. The author starts in Genesis, going through the Bible through to Revelation--a little excerpt on a verse with a portion of the Bible to read and ends with a prayer.

I thought I would take a few minutes to share the first few pages of this book with you.

The first prayer study is called "God's Connection with Us". The portion of the Bible to read is Genesis 1:26-2:7, and the particular verse to focus on is Genesis 2:7:

"The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being."

As God created the world into being, He didn't remain impersonal in His creation. He became personally involved with human beings, breathing the very breath of life into us. By doing so, He gave us the ability to speak. Without breath, we wouldn't be able to perform this feat.


We breathe in and out, and we speak with the inspiration and expiration of our breath.

I remember each of my children's first words--how thrilled I was to hear them speak!! Even their first sounds which I had to deciper to understand!! But, I understood what they were saying and was awed when they began to verbally communicate with me and others.

God gave us these abilities. He bestowed them upon us--the ability to breathe and the ability to speak. When I think of how thrilled I was to hear my own children's first words, I am just wondering how thrilled God must be when we speak to Him through prayer. He is waiting there, listening for us to speak to Him, utilizing the ability that He Himself gave us.

I remember when I first re-turned to God. I was hesitant to pray because I really didn't know how. I heard others praying, and I was just amazed. I had never heard prayer before. This wasn't something we did in my home during our growing up years. In church, only the Pastor of the church prayed--no one else.

So, I was at a loss as to where to begin.

If you are like I was and feel hesitant to speak to God through prayer, Stormie gives a little hint in her book. Start small. Breathe a prayer to God. Say "Thank you for" slowly, breathe in slowly using this time to think of what you are thankful for. Then breathe out saying the words to express your gratitude to God.

Sounds simple enough, doesn't it? So, start praying today to thank God for whatever you are thankful for in your life at this given moment. It doesn't have to be something big.

Breathe in--"Thank you, God"........Breathe out........."for your unfailing love."

A simple prayer to God that He is waiting to hear. He's there waiting for each of us to speak to Him. just as we waited for our own children to speak to us. Start simple by just breathing your prayers to Him. He gave us the breath of life. Breathe back your thanks to Him.

Please be sure to visit "The Lighthouse of Prayer" and breathe your thanks to the LORD.


Beth

The Lighthouse of Prayer

"The Lighthouse of Prayer" has been moved to its own site. We felt that this needed a separate home.

Please stop by and visit us at our new site. We are interactively praying for each other every day.

Beth

The Lighthouse of Prayer--Second Posting

This is a second posting of the original introduction to "The Lighthouse of Prayer". Please visit the previous post to view others' prayer requests and prayer responses here.

If you've already visited and read the introduction, the prayer requests, praises and responses. please scroll down to January 24, 2009.

First, I want to share with you a little, so bear with me:

When I see a lighthouse, I think of God--standing tall, firm, faithful, always there, never failing in His love for us. He is a never wavering fortress in our lives--the good times when the seas are calm and also when the storms coming beating down upon us.

He is guiding the light for us to follow, even through the fog and mist when we cannot see or hear Him clearly.

How do we communicate with our God? Through prayer.

How many times do we say to others, "I'll keep you in my prayers".

Do you have people in your life who are actively praying for you--for your needs, for your requests to God, rejoicing with you in your praises to God?

Jesus came to this earth not only to show us how to lead and conduct our lives, to sacrifice Himself so that we could have forgiveness of our sins and eternal life with Him, but to bridge the gap between man and God. He intercedes for us with God. His ministry on this earth lasted only 3 short years, but He is still interceding for us some 2000+ years later!!

Praying is our means of talking with God-- just like we talk with our friends--telling them what is going on in our life--what we're joyful about, what we're sorrowful about, what's happening with our friend that we're concerned about.

God is the source of change in our lives--only He has the power, might and strength to change the future. He is the sole history maker. But, we can be an active part of this history change through prayer to God. He hears us. He is just waiting for us to come to Him, to talk to Him.

This is going to be an interactive prayer request-comment conversation with God.

All you need to do is post a comment with a prayer request--something that is pressing in your life, whatever has been imprinted upon your heart that you feel the need or want others to pray along with you, a praise of whatever has made you joyful that you would like to share so that others can rejoice with you, an answer from God for something that you have been praying about.

Now, here's the really important part--those who stop by and read your prayer request will leave a PRAYER for you--not a comment--the specific PRAYER that they have said for you. And you have the opportunity to leave a comment as a PRAYER for others.

Jesus intercedes for us, and we will be interceding for others!!

I don't know about you, but I'm pretty excited about this!!

January 24, 2009

I received a gift yesterday in the mail--one that I didn't see until this morning because I forgot to pick up the mail. This was sitting on my dining room table when I awoke this morning. This is a deck of Scripture playing cards that was gifted to me through a friend by someone I don't even know.

I randomly picked a card this morning, and here is the verse displayed on the jack of diamonds:

And He said to him, "You shall love the Lord Your God with all your heart, all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself."........Matthew 22:37-39

I have to ask myself, what better way is there to show our love for God and for others than through prayer? Please continue to leave your prayer requests, praises and responses in the form of a prayer. Let's lift up our praises to God and intercede for others!

Abba,

As I begin my day, I lift up my praises to You--You are my King, my all. I worship You for being who You are, the great I AM. I realize that I can do nothing, be nothing in this life on earth without You by my side, guiding and directing me. Help me to always hear Your voice clearly so that I may know and follow Your will and plans for me this day.

I again lift up my children to You asking that You bring them to You so that they may know the full extent of Your love, Your sacrifice for us and accept You as their Savior. I ask this with full confidence that this is Your will for them, trusting and knowing that You will use others in their lives to plant the seeds of life in them. Help me to always be a living example of You to them by my daily words and actions.

I thank you for the opportunity this afternoon to gather with two close friends for conversation, lunch and laughter. How much we need laughter in our lives!! Thank you, God, for laughter and placing this emotion into us during our creation.

Thank you for my tears of joy, tears that I could not cry for so many years. Now they flow freely, not in sadness but in my joy of knowing You, knowing of Your love for me and Your great sacrifice for me. Am I deserving of this sacrifice? Are any of us? We are still sinners, Lord, still in our sinful ways . And yet You still urge us to come to You, to seek forgiveness.

I come to you this morning asking forgiveness of my sins--some that I have committed knowingly and others that I have committed unknowingly. Please forgive me of gossiping. How easy it is to get caught up in the talking about others when we are more than likely doing the same thing. Help me to stand tall and walk away from conversations that are degrading to others, Abba, and instead seek Your attitude in loving them.

Show me how to love the "unlovable".

I thank you, Lord, for all you have provided for me on a daily basis. I have my job while others have none. I have food while others have none. I have a place to live while others are homeless.

You have given me a mission, Abba, a mission to help others who have less than me. Please guide and direct me and the others involved in this mission so that we may bring Your mission to fulfillment to help those in need.

All of this I bring to You in the Name of Your Son, my Savior--Jesus Christ.

Amen.

THE LIGHTHOUSE OF PRAYER

We're introducing a new segment to "The Power of Your Love" today!!

First, I want to share with you a little, so bear with me;

When I see a lighthouse, I think of God--standing tall, firm, faithful, always there, never failing in His love for us. He is a never wavering fortress in our lifes--the good times and when the storms coming beating down upon us.

He is guiding the light for us to follow, even through the fog and mist when we cannot see or hear Him clearly.

How do we communicate with our God? Through prayer.

How many times do we say to others, "I'll keep you in my prayers".

Do you have people in your life who are actively praying for you--for your needs, for your requests to God, rejoicing with you in your praises to God?

Jesus came to this earth not only to show us how to lead and conduct our lives, to sacrifice Himself so that we could have forgiveness of our sins and eternal life with Him, but to bridge the gap between man and God. He intercedes for us with God. His ministry on this earth lasted only 3 short years, but He is still interceding for us some 2000+ years later!!

Praying is our means of talking with God-- just like we talk with our friends--telling them what is going on in our life--what we're joyful about, what we're sorrowful about, what's happening with our friend that we're concerned about.

God is the source of change in our lives--only He has the power, might and strength to change the future. He is the sole history maker. But, we can be an active part of this history change through prayer to God. He hears us. He is just waiting for us to come to Him, to talk to Him.

This is going to be an interactive prayer request-comment conversation with God.

All you need to do is post a comment with a prayer request--something that is pressing in your life, whatever has been imprinted upon your heart that you feel the need or want others to pray along with you, a praise of whatever has made you joyful that you would like to share so that others can rejoice with you, an answer from God for something that you have been praying about.

Now, here's the really important part--those who stop by and read your prayer request will leave a PRAYER for you--not a comment--the specific PRAYER that they have said for you. And you have the opportunity to leave a comment as a PRAYER for others.

Jesus intercedes for us, and we will be interceding for others!!

I don't know about you, but I'm pretty excited about this!!

I can't think of anything that would be more appropriate than to start this with my prayer:

Abba,

I love you and praise Your Name always. You are the most high, always there for us, never wavering in Your love for us.

There are many issues upon my own heart as well as the hearts of others. Please lead us in prayer to You for You are the sole source of our hope in this life. Let us learn to depend upon You more and more until we are totally dependent and fully surrendered to You.

Today I come to you with my children upon my heart. They know You, Lord, but they have not accepted You as their Savior. I pray that You bring them to You, show them the full extent of our love and be a life-changing force for them.

My work situation is also on my mind. You know how overwhelmed and stressed I feel there. Is this the place You want me to be? Lead me in Your wisdom, guide me through my day no matter what the situation is. Let me lay my stress upon You for Your shoulders are much broader than mine and able to bear the weight of this.

I thank you for always being there for me, always loving me even when I don't feel deserving of this love.

I humbly ask that You bless this day--each and every moment. Let us feel Your presence in our lives and be a shining light to others to guide them to You.

In Jesus' most precious name,

Amen.