Philippians 4:6-7: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Prayer has been a very important part of my life since I accepted Jesus Christ over 50 years ago in a small, local evangelical church in Pennsylvania. Communicating with God throughout the day and bringing the needs of family, friends, church members, and others blesses my heart and soul.

Christ gave us guidelines on “how” we are to pray in Matthew 6:9-13: The Lord’s Prayer (NIV).

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread, Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

Matthew 6:6-8 (NIV) teaches us what to do “when” we pray: “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.”

There are several benefits that we can consider on what prayer “does” for us overall: It…

. Changes us – Psalm 51:10, Psalm 139:23-24
. Heals us – Matthew 9:20:22, II Chronicles 7:19
. Strengthens us – Ephesians 3:16, Philippians 4:13
. Protects us – John 17:15, Psalm 32:6-7
. Guides us – Psalm 98:14, Psalm 119:105
. Increases our faith – Romans 10:17, Hebrews 11:1, 6

I Thessalonians 5:17 (NIV) tells us that we are to “pray without ceasing.” The greatest gift that we can give someone is to pray with and for them. James 5:16 (NIV) says, “Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”

I am also reminded daily for the need to pray when I read the following decorative wall words on the wall facing me as I have my daily devotions:

. SING your song
. DREAMS your dreams
. HOPE your hope, and
. PRAY your prayer

When there are times when I do not know who and what to pray for, I just ask Him and He shows me. Sitting quietly in His presence and meditating on His Word gives me the strength I need to begin a new day.

Over 45 years ago since my husband and I became involved in various churches–music ministry, youth ministry, associate pastors, and now in a small church pastorate–I have seen lives miraculously changed and a few of them are currently involved in some type of outreach ministry as well. After running from God since the age of 19, my father (at the age of 72) gave his life back to God on his deathbed. Many of my brothers and sisters have given their lives to the Lord as well–all through the power of prayer by many individuals in that small, evangelical church so many years ago.

God can meet our needs, great or small. He already knows what is in our hearts…but he just wants us to ask Him and He will answer us, according to His will.

May the Lord bless and keep you in His care today.

Blessings on you,
Yvonne

Psalm 23 begins with “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want…” This tells me that my God provides for all of my needs and I will never be in want.

According to the rest of Psalm 23, there are a number of things that the Lord does for us willingly as well.

. He leads us beside quiet (still) waters. It is when we are “quiet and still” and we humble ourselves before Him that He can lift us up. (I Peter 5:6-7)

. He restores (sustains) our souls. Psalm 51:12 (ESV): “Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit to sustain me.”

. He guides us in paths of righteousness. Isaiah 58:11 (ESV): “And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places, and make your bones strong, and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.”

. He is with us even though we walk through the shadow of death–we should not fear. Isaiah 41:10 (ESV) says, “Fear not for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

. He comforts us with His rod and staff. I Peter 5:7 (ESV) says, “Casting all your care upon Him, because He cares for you.” He comforts us in whatever trial comes into our lives.

. He fills us by preparing a table (banquet) in the presence of our enemies. Mathew 5:6 (NIV) says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled.”

. He satisfies us (our cup overflows). Philippians 4:19 (ESV) says, “And my God shall supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory.”

This weekend we will remember the death and celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. This is one of the most awesome provisions that God has provided for us–the gift of salvation. For without His death, there would be no resurrection which is the fulfillment of God’s promise to all of us.

One of my favorite Easter songs of all times is “Because He Lives” by Gloria and William Gaither, and we plan to sing this in our church service on Easter morning. The chorus is most definitely sung with the reassurance that our Saviour indeed lives and we can face tomorrow in uncertain times.

CHORUS:

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know, He holds the future,
And life is worth the living, just because He lives.

Let us remember God’s provisions and promises to us as he leads and guides us into all truths from His Word.

Blessings on you,
Yvonne

Have you ever been with a group of women at a special conference and enjoyed great singers and a great speaker? Everyone walks away with wonderful thoughts about what they just heard and are challenged by the message, and yet while you are sitting with those same group of women, you hear comments like: I wish I could sing like “she” did tonight; play the piano like her husband; or speak and encourage women everywhere like the main speaker did? One by one each of the women begin to share their insecurities at “not” being able to be like the “other person” that they completely forget what the Word of God teaches about envy and/or negative feelings.

Self-doubt and low self-esteem seem to creep into our group gatherings almost unaware and without giving a second thought to what God says about us–we were created in His image–and who we are in Him.

Genesis 1:27 (NIV): “So God created man in his own image; in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” So many of us suffer from low self-esteem that we forget when we are being envious that God created everyone (including male and female) in His own image (likeness).

I Samuel 16:7 (NIV): “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.'” God loves the “you” inside.

If you are having feelings of self-doubt or being envious, here are a few more scriptures to help you overcome those negative feelings:

Psalm 145:13 (NIV): “The Lord is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made.” That includes each of us. He is faithful to bring about his promises in your life.

Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV): “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” He can help us overcome negative thinking because it tells us that His peace will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. That is a blessed thought.

Psalm 107:13-14 (NIV): “Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble and he saved them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away their chains.” Envy leads to depression and feelings of worthlessness, but God promises to bring us out of our deepest despair and breaks away the chains that bind us.

Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV): “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Our rest from negative thinking is found in Jesus Christ who makes every burden light that we encounter.

Psalm 34:17-18 (NIV): “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” The Lord hears us when we cry out to Him and He delivers and saves our crushed spirits.

Isaiah 40:31 (NIV): “…but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” A song based on Isaiah 40:31 entitled “They That Wait Upon The Lord” ends with “teach me Lord, teach me Lord to wait.” This is the key to changing our negative thinking into positive thinking. Waiting on the Lord is where we find strength; by waiting on him who is the author and finisher of our faith.

James 3:16-18 (NIV): For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.”
What we reap, we sow. Therefore, it is up to us to sow “good seeds” by seeking wisdom and the result will be love instead of envy.

I Corinthians 13:4 (NIV): “Love suffers long, and is kind. Love does not envy.”

I recently heard Christine Caine (Women of Faith) share her testimony as she spoke about “being free” in Christ Jesus. One of the comments she made that stood out to me was that we should “choose today to deal with yesterday in order to deal with tomorrow”; and that we must “step into today” in order to “step into tomorrow.” Getting rid of yesterday’s (past) negative thinking about things that have happened will help us deal with the tomorrows that God has for us.

According to I Corinthians 12:4-6 (NIV) “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men (and women).”

He desires to give each of us the gifts that He has chosen for us. We need to seek Him and He will show us what our gifts are so that He can use us for His Kingdom.

Blessings on You,
Yvonne