before...

BEFORE I WAS A MOM. . .

Before I was a Mom,

I made and ate hot meals.

I had unstained clothing.

I had quiet conversations on the phone.

Before I was a Mom,

I slept as late as I wanted.

I never worried about how late I got into bed.

I brushed my hair and my teeth everyday.

Before I was a Mom,

I cleaned my house each day.

I never tripped over toys.

I never forgot words to lullabies.

Before I was a Mom,

I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.

I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom,

I had never been . . .

puked on

pooped on

spit on

chewed on

peed on

or pinched by tiny fingers.

Before I was a Mom,

I had complete control of my mind, thoughts and body.

I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,

I never held down a screaming child so that doctors could do tests or give shots.

I never looked into teary eyes and cried.

I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.

I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,

I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put it down.

I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.

I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.

I never knew that I could love someone so much.

I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,

I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.

I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.

I didn't know that bond between a Mother and her child.

I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important.

I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.

Before I was a Mom,

I had never known . . .

the warmth

the joy

the love

the heartache

the wonderment

or the satisfaction of being a Mom. 

I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much . . . before I was a Mom.

"She watches over the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed." (Proverbs 31:27-28a).

May God's richest blessings be with each of you mothers.

-author unknown

? what

A tiny but dignified old lady was among a group looking at an art exhibition in a newly opened gallery. Suddenly one contemporary painting caught her eye.

"What on earth," she inquired of the artist standing nearby, "is that?"

He smiled condescendingly. "That, my dear lady, is supposed to be a mother and her child."

"Well, then," snapped the little old lady, "why isn't it?"

I've seen some of that "modern art", so I can relate. But it makes me stop and wonder: Does the same thing ever happen spiritually in my life? I'm "supposed" to be a Christian, a child of God, a person whose life dedicated to serving God.

Peter reminds me: "You ought to live holy and godly lives." (2 Peter 3:11)

But is there anyone who looks at my life and says, "I know what he's supposed to be, so why isn't he?"

"Father, please forgive me for those times I have let you down, those times I have not set an example of holiness that You intend for me to. Please strengthen me in my desire to live in such a way that others around me will have no doubt that You come first in my life."

-alan smith

...praying

A first grade class teacher, for the "Natural World" section of her class, had a lesson about owls. She explained to the class about how they are nocturnal, how they can swivel their heads so far in either direction that it looks like they can turn them completely around. Then she described how the birds swoop down to get their prey for dinner. 

Following the lesson, she asked the children to draw a picture of one of the fascinating things owls do. Looking over the pictures, she praised and applauded each child on their efforts. She was puzzled, however, by one drawing. It was of an owl with its wings neatly folded, its eyes closed and a dead mouse nearby. 

"Exactly what is this showing?" she asked. 

The little girl explained, "It's just like you said 'The owl swoops down and prays before dinner'!" 

I'm fairly certain that's not what owls do, but it certainly should describe what we as Christians do. In his first letter to Timothy, Paul wrote about some who would forbid the eating of certain foods. 

"Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith....commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving." (I Timothy 4:1,3-4). 

We have done a good job of not giving in to those who want us to abstain from food! But have we done a good job of receiving that food with thanksgiving? I'm not asking if we bow in prayer before we eat our meals, although that's very important. I'm just concerned that we sometimes offer those prayers out of habit, not because we are truly thankful. 

You see, it's easy for me to think that what I'm about to eat is on my plate because because of what I have done -- I brought home the paycheck, I went to the grocery store, I cooked it. Am I really thankful to God? By that I mean, do I fully realize and appreciate that God is responsible for what I have on my plate (as well as everything else I enjoy in my life)? 

May you truly be thankful as you pray before dinner this evening.

-alan smith  

lost

The story is told of a young man who wished to marry the farmer's beautiful daughter. He went to the farmer to ask his permission. The farmer looked him over and responded, "Son, go stand out in that field and I'm going to release three bulls, one at a time. If you can catch the tail of any one of the three bulls, you can marry my daughter."

The young man stood in the pasture awaiting the first bull. The barn door opened and out ran the biggest, meanest-looking bull he had ever seen. He decided that one of the next bulls had to be a better choice than this one, so he ran over to the side and let the bull pass through the pasture out the back gate.

The barn door opened again. Unbelievable. He had never seen anything so big and fierce in his life. It stood - pawing the ground, grunting, slinging slobber — as it eyed him. Whatever the next bull was like, it had to be a better choice than this one. He ran to the fence and let the bull pass through the pasture out the back gate.

The door opened a third time. A smile came across his face. This was the weakest, scrawniest little bull he had ever seen. This one was his bull. As the bull came running by, he positioned himself just right and jumped at just the exact moment. He grabbed ... but the bull had no tail!

Life is full of opportunities. Some will be easy to take advantage of, some will be difficult. But once we let them pass — often in hopes of something better — those opportunities may never again be available.

The same thing is also true of opportunities to serve Christ. God often opens doors — opportunities to speak up for Him, opportunities to minister to someone who is hurting or in need, opportunities to make an influence on the world around us. If we allow them to pass by (perhaps because we are waiting for something easier to come along), we may miss out on them altogether.

-alan smith

heal

Grudge is one of those words that defines itself. Its very sound betrays its meaning.

Say it slowly: “Grr-uuuud-ge.”

It starts with a growl. “Grr…” Like a bear with bad breath coming out of hibernation or a mangy mongrel defending his bone in an alley. “Grrr…”

Remove a GR from the word grudge and replace it with SL and you have the junk that grudge bearers trudge through. Sludge. Black, thick, ankle-deep resentment that steals the bounce from the step. No joyful skips through the meadows. No healthy hikes up the mountain. Just day after day of walking into the storm, shoulders bent against the wind, and feet dragging through all the muck life has delivered.

Is this the way you are coping with your hurts? Are you allowing your hurts to turn into hates? If so, ask yourself: Is it working? Has your hatred done you any good? Has your resentment brought you any relief, any peace? Has it granted you any joy?

Let’s say you get even. Let’s say you get him back. Let’s say she gets what she deserves. Let’s say your fantasy of fury runs its ferocious course and you return all your pain with interest. Imagine yourself standing over the corpse of the one you have hated. Will you now be free?

The writer of the following letter thought she would be. She thought her revenge would bring release. But she learned otherwise.

I caught my husband with another woman. He swore it would never happen again. He begged me to forgive him, but I could not—would not. I was so bitter and so incapable of swallowing my pride that I could think of nothing but revenge. I was going to make him pay and pay dearly. I’d have my pound of flesh.

I filed for divorce, even though my children begged me not to.

Even after the divorce, my husband tried for two years to win me back. I refused to have anything to do with him. He had struck first; now I was striking back. All I wanted was to make him pay.

Finally he gave up and married a lovely young widow with a couple of small children. He began rebuilding his life—without me.

I see them occasionally, and he looks so happy. They all do. And here I am—a lonely, old, miserable woman who allowed her selfish pride and foolish stubbornness to ruin her life.

Unfaithfulness is wrong. Revenge is bad. But the worst part of all is that, without forgiveness, bitterness is all that is left.

The state of your heart dictates whether you harbor a grudge or give grace, seek self-pity or seek Christ, drink human misery or taste God’s mercy.

No wonder, then, the wise man pleads, “Above all else, guard your heart.” (Proverbs 4:23)

David’s prayer should be ours: “Create in me a pure heart, O God.” (Psalm 51:10)

-max lucado

rescue

I was in downtown Oklahoma City, and I had the privilege to visit the scene of the Oklahoma City bombing back in April of 1995. I don't think any of us who were alive at that time will ever forget the images of the day that the Federal Office Building was destroyed by a terrorist bomb. It was a day of heart-wrenching tragedy and a day of incredible heroism. An entire city dropped everything to respond in whatever way they could to this life-or-death situation.  One of the most memorable images from that day was a baby being carried in a fireman's arms. His job, like everyone else's on that day, was very clear: rescue the dying whatever it takes.

When Jesus came, His job was clear: rescue the dying whatever it takes. In Luke 19:10, the scripture says, "The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." God's Son came here to aggressively pursue and rescue lost people like those rescuers going into the wreckage of that building. The "save" word here isn't just a theological concept - it's a rescue word as in what those rescuers did in Oklahoma City or at Ground Zero. If they didn't get to the people trapped in that building and save them, they would die.

Then Jesus says to us in John 20:21, "As the Father has sent Me, I'm sending you."  Our job is clear - to rescue the dying people around us whatever it takes. Paul makes our responsibility very clear when he says in 2 Corinthians 5:20, "We are Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you..." Notice the passion here, the urgency "We implore you on Christ's behalf. Be reconciled to God."

That's why you are where you are - in your school, in your neighborhood, in that organization you're in, in your workplace. Jesus put you there to be His personal representative to that group of people. It's a divine assignment. So, how are you doing? He's put you there to, well as they say in kindergarten, "show and tell" them about Jesus. You need to show them what Jesus is like by your attitude and your actions and your treatment of them. But you can't just show - you HAVE to tell.

Look, they're never going to guess that Jesus died on the cross to pay for their sins just because you're a nice person. You have to tell them. And it really is a life-or-death assignment. Sin carries an eternal death penalty which can only be canceled one way - by a person putting their total trust in the One who paid that penalty for them - in Jesus. Jesus took their hell so they don't have to - but chances are, they don't know that. It's up to you to lovingly deliver that life-saving message. Your job is clear, rescue the dying whatever it takes. It's easy to forget that most important mission of all.

They didn't forget that mission that day in Oklahoma City, or that awful day in Ground Zero in New York City, because they knew the lives of dying people were at stake. They dropped everything. Somehow, I think that's what we've forgotten - that the people in hell will look just like the people we work with, we go to school with, we live near. They don't look like they're spiritually dying, but the sentence for sin is very clear.

You need to ask Jesus to give you His broken heart for those people; His eyes to see what He sees when He looks at the people around you. Would you dare to pray this prayer?  "Go ahead, God, and break my heart for the lost people in my personal world."

Churches forget what our life-or-death mission is and all of us rescuers tend to forget it. We simply do what's easy - just talk to the people who are already safe. But when you realize that people's lives, people's eternities are in the balance, you put everything else on hold to save them.

The job is clear, rescue the dying whatever it takes.

-ron hutchcraft

confidence

Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel." (1 Chronicles 21:1)

God always requires total trust in Him alone for our victories in life.  Throughout Scripture we are cautioned not to place our trust in the strength of horses, other men or our own abilities. In 1 Chronicles, David's decision to take a census was a failure to keep his trust totally upon the Lord.

David's purpose in counting his population was to assess his military strength, much like the second census taken under Moses (see Numbers 1:2-3).  David found 800,000 men eligible for military service in Israel, and 500,000 men in Judah (see 2 Samuel 24:9), more than double the previous head count.

David's commander evidently recognized the grave error that his king was about to make. "But Joab replied, 'May the Lord multiply his troops a hundred times over. My lord the king, are they not all my lord's subjects? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?'" (1 Chronicles 21:3).

Joab was right - the census displeased the Lord. David was falling into the temptation of trusting in the size of his army rather than in the Lord. In consequence, God punished David and reduced his forces by bringing a plague that killed 70,000 men.

How do you avoid placing your trust in God today? Do you trust your bank accounts, your skills, your abilities, your resources, your own wisdom or your own strength?  When you begin to place your faith in these things instead of in the Provider of these things you get into trouble with God.

What a lesson this is for each of us. Today, place your total trust in the Lord for all of your needs.

-os hillman

heartprints

Whatever our hands touch...

We leave fingerprints!

On walls, on furniture

On doorknobs, dishes, books.

There's no escape.

As we touch we leave our identity.

Oh God, wherever I go today

Help me leave heartprints!

Heartprints of compassion

Of understanding and love.

Heartprints of kindness

And genuine concern.

May my heart touch a lonely neighbor

Or a runaway daughter

Or an anxious mother

Or a frustrated co-worker

Or a hurting friend

Or perhaps an aged grandfather.

Lord, send me out today

To leave heartprints.

And if someone should say,

"I felt your touch,"

May that one sense YOUR LOVE

Touching through ME.

"And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as you have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me." (Matthew 25:40)

labor

"Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body -  whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many." 

1 Corinthians 12:12–14

 

My family has a Labor Day tradition. The entire gang gathers at my parents’ home on the river for jet-skiing, swimming, good food... and homemade ice cream. My mother makes the best homemade ice cream.

This Labor Day we were waiting for the ice cream, but the ice-cream maker just kept spinning. Then my dad remembered that he accidentally tossed the tiny part in the bottom out. That one little part ended up being important, and without it, the ice cream took much longer to get firm.

Like that tiny part in the ice-cream maker, each part of Christ’s body is important to the livelihood of Christ’s church. We may not feel like our tiny part matters, but in the entire scheme of things, we could be the reason the church doesn’t stand firm. He needs our part.

For me, I sometimes feel I don’t offer anything overly impressive to the growth of the Kingdom. I can speak, but I’m sure not great at it. I can sing, but it’s nothing to write home about. And it took me years before I gathered the courage to pray out loud. But I do have a few things I can do and enjoy doing.

I can write and share God’s message with my readers. I can teach the preschoolers at church and help start their growth in the Lord. I can do my part servicing the nursery so new moms can fully enjoy the sermon. I can be willing to attribute my good mood to my good Lord whenever asked why I seem particularly happy. I can also let others know that God will see me through when I’m having hard times.

Faith step: Eat a bowl of ice cream today and think about all of the parts that were necessary for that delicious taste, and then thank Jesus that you can be a tiny part in His Kingdom.

-renee andrew

river

Walking through the forest, a seasoned hiker came upon a broad, slowly moving river. He stopped to gaze over the waters, appreciating the beauty, when suddenly he heard a faint cry coming from upstream. Looking in the direction of the noise, he saw an obviously drowning man floundering in the river and drifting slowly toward him.

The hiker was stunned momentarily, but he sprang into action when he saw the man disappear beneath the waters. Throwing off all of his cumbersome gear, he dove into the river and swam like a madman toward the spot where the man went under.

Upon reaching the spot he plunged below the surface and frantically hauled up the helpless man. Then he laboriously towed the victim to shore. Heaving the lifeless body up on the riverbank, the hiker attempted to revive the man, who eventually spit up water and began to breathe.

Relieved, the hiker paused to catch his breath. But no sooner had he done so than he heard another voice out on the water. Another drowning person! Once again he swam out and pulled the person to shore, a little more slowly this time. As the hiker-turned-lifeguard revived the second victim, he heard yet another cry for help.

All day long the hiker worked, rescuing one person after another as they came drifting down the river. There seemed to be no end of drowning victims, and the hiker didn't think he could keep it up.

Just when he was about to collapse from exhaustion, he spotted another man walking rapidly beside the river, headed upstream. "Hey mister!" he cried out. "Please help me! These poor people are drowning!"

Amazingly, the man kept walking upstream. The astonished hiker called out again. Without even acknowledging the cry, the man kept going. Indignant and angry, the hiker leapt to his feet, ran toward the uncompassionate man, stood directly in his path, and in a loud voice demanded, "Sir! How can you possibly walk past all these drowning people? Have you no conscience? Must I force you to help me save these people?"

The stranger stopped, looked at him for the first time and said with a calm, focused voice, "Sir, please get out of my way. I am headed upstream to stop the guy who is pushing all these people in."

Each of us has a role to play in rescuing those who are drowning in sin. Some of us pull people from the water and resuscitate them with counseling, food and shelter, a rehabilitation program, a support group, or financial aid. Affirm those doing these important ministries.

Others of us find our place of ministry upstream, opposing the One pushing people into the river. We do this by introducing those people to Jesus Christ. Knowing Christ sets a person free from sin and releases them from Satan's power over them.

By itself, pulling people from the water isn't enough. We need to help people deal with the problem of sin at its source.

...repent

In the warm glow of lamp light, the family room looked ready and welcoming for relatives visiting from the west. In the bright sunlight of morning, a different story appeared. There, to my chagrin, on the black DVD, DVR and cable box appeared layers of fine dust, hidden from sight in the darkened room, but in the bright light of morning, there for all to see. This scene reminded me of a verse in scripture: Psalm 90:8 - "You have set our iniquities before You. Our secret sin in the light of Your countenance."

We may think our sins are hidden where no one can see, but Almighty God knows. He is light and there is nothing hidden from His sight. As a layer of dust separates me from being a calm, relaxed hostess, so, too, does sin in our lives separate us from our heavenly Father: "Your iniquities have separated you from your God and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He will not hear."  (Isaiah 59:2)

When my eyes see the dust and the prick of guilt strikes my being, what do I do? I grab my Swiffer, rub vigorously and remove those pesky dust bunnies. When the Holy Spirit convicts our souls of sin, what do we do? We run to our Heavenly Father and confess our sins. 

Confession is a combination of two Greek words - "homos" meaning same and "lego" meaning to say.  Confession, therefore, means to agree with God, to see sin as God sees it and to acknowledge it is wrong. When we repent sincerely, we turn 180 degrees away from thoughts, words or actions which have been disobedient to God's word. We humble ourselves, rebuke the enemy, and draw close to our Heavenly Father.

God, for His part, is waiting for us to recognize our sin and turn to Him: "Lord, you are good and ready to forgive. In the day of my trouble, I will call to You and You will answer me." (Psalm 86:5a,7) When we confess, He forgives and removes our sin from us as far as the east is from the west: "I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord, and You forgave the guilt of my sin.'" (Psalm 32:5)

When my house is clean, I can relax and enjoy visits with company. When our hearts are clean, we have a wonderful peace and a joy that is contagious. Not only do we have joy, but there is rejoicing in heaven: "Likewise I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." (Luke 15:10)

We've grown up learning our three R's - "reading, 'riting and 'rithmatic". Even more important are three different R's - Repent, Remove, Rejoice. We repent, God removes, and we all rejoice. Thanks be to God for His wonderful words of wisdom!

-pat earl

...honest

I love this story which reportedly came from Sports Illustrated:  The game was played in Wellington, Florida.  In it, a seven-year-old first baseman, Tanner Munsey, fielded a ground ball and tried to tag a runner going from first to second base.

The umpire, Laura Benson, called the runner out, but young Tanner immediately ran to her side and said, "Ma'am, I didn't tag the runner."  Umpire Benson reversed herself, sent the runner to second base, and Tanner's coach gave him the game ball for his honesty.

Two weeks later, Laura Benson was again the umpire and Tanner was playing shortstop when a similar play occurred.  This time Benson ruled that Tanner had missed the tag on a runner going to third base, and she called the runner safe.  Tanner looked at Benson and without saying a word, tossed the ball to the catcher and returned to his position.

Benson sensed something was wrong.  "Did you tag the runner?"  She asked Tanner.

His reply: "Yes."

Benson then called the runner out.  The opposing coaches protested until she explained what had happened two weeks earlier.  "If a kid is that honest," she said, "I have to give it to him."

It may be that no Christian characteristic has suffered more in our society than honesty.  It's lacking in the workplace, it's lacking in many of our marriages, it's lacking in our government, and sometimes it's even lacking in our churches.  Like Diogenes of ancient Greece, we sometimes feel the urge to take our lantern and begin our search for an honest man.

There is something about Christians that should stand out like a neon sign on a dark night.  Jesus wants his people to be known as a people of truth. We should establish a reputation, like Tanner, for speaking the truth even when it would benefit us to do otherwise.  Then, and only then, will those around us trust what we say without hesitation, without wondering whether we really mean what we say or not.

"Therefore, putting away lying, each one speak truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another." (Ephesians 4:25)

grace

"By grace you have been saved through faith."  (Ephesians 2:8)

Have you any idea of the mess you were in, or moving toward, when God reached down and saved you?

Perhaps an illustration may help you get the picture. If you took your children to a petting zoo and a little lamb came running towards you, you probably wouldn't be afraid at all because lambs are harmless. You might even reach out your hand and let the lamb lick it.

But let's say you're at the zoo and the alarm goes out that a lion has escaped from its cage. If you're standing there and that lion comes running towards you, you'll be terrified and start to run because you know what lions can do. But just suppose that the runaway lion corners you in one part of the zoo and comes up to you - but instead of attacking you it gently licks your hand the way the lamb did. If that happened whose gentleness would you appreciate more, the lamb's or the lion's? You'd appreciate the lion's gentleness more because you know that he could just as easily have destroyed you without violating his nature as a lion.

Well, grace is God's kindness and gentleness to us when He could have backed us into a corner as guilty sinners and destroyed us without violating His Holy character. But God wanted to make us His children, so instead of expressing His wrath against us, He poured it out upon His own sinless Son on the cross. Jesus took our punishment so God could embrace us. Hence, we have a brand-new relationship with God through grace. Isn't that amazing!

anyway

The fear of rejection may be one of the most basic fears of the human experience. Dr. Joe Harding tells a heart-warming story of a man who finally decided to ask his boss for a raise in salary. It was Friday. He told his wife that morning what he was about to do. All day the man felt nervous and apprehensive. Late in the afternoon he summoned the courage to approach his employer. To his delight, the boss agreed to a raise.

 

The man arrived home to a beautiful table set with their best china. Candles were lighted. His wife had prepared a festive meal. Immediately he figured that someone from the office had tipped her off! Finding his wife in the kitchen, he told her the good news. They embraced and kissed, then sat down to a wonderful meal. Next to his plate the man found a beautiful lettered note. It read: "Congratulations, darling! I knew you'd get the raise! These things will tell you how much I love you."

 

While on his way to the kitchen to get dessert he noticed that a second card had fallen from her pocket. Picking it off the floor, he read: "Don't worry about not getting the raise! You deserve it anyway! These things will tell you how much I love you."

 

Total acceptance! Total love. Her love for him was not contingent upon his success at work. In fact, just the opposite. If he were to fail there, if he were to be rejected by his boss, he'd be all the more accepted at home. She stood behind him no matter what; softening the blows, healing thewounds, believing in him, loving him. We can be rejected by almost anyone if we're loved by one.

 

That's the way families can be with each other. And I like to think that's the way God is with us, too! "We love Him because He first loved us."

 

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

excuse

Charles Spurgeon once said that as Christians we should become "addicted to prayer".

We know how important it is to pray. We also are excellent at finding excuses why we don't have the time. Primarily, our lives are structured around the things we consider important. When God is important enough to us, the end result will be prayer. The decision to pray is the battle. Once that decision has been made, most of the battle is over.

Common excuses to put off prayer:

* I'm too tired.

Being tired is really common. You can still spend time in prayer despite your weariness. If you allow weariness to keep you from prayer, you will always be kept from prayer because fatigue is part of this fast-paced life.

* I'm too busy.

You need to develop an attitude about time that is similar to the one you have about money. The more time you give God, the more time you have from God. Following the principle of sowing and reaping, God will give back what you give to Him, then He increases it. Most people are busy, but not too busy to pray.

* I'm too dry.

You might not feel like praying. If you waited until you felt like praying you would pray very little. Jesus told his disciples that they should always pray and not give up (Luke 18:1). Should is an act of the will. Simply make yourself do it. It's a spiritual discipline. Certainly you should pray every time you feel led to pray, but for the most part, you lead yourself to prayer.

* I'm too lazy

This is not something you'd like to admit. Prayer itself is not difficult. You will never run out of things to pray for. The biggest obstacle is making the decision to pray. Once you are in the place of prayer, it's not that difficult to pray. The struggle is getting yourself in that position. Getting up out of the easy chair or out of that warm bed in the morning, turning off the TV or smart-phone, and putting yourself in a position to pray is where most of the battle lies.

Suggestions to help you pray:

* Give God the best time of the day.

Choose the time of day when you can be the most effective. David would often pray at night (Ps. 63:6); Abraham got up early to pray (Gen. 19:27); religious Jews liked to pray at the ninth hour - which was 3:00 p.m. (Acts 3:1); and Daniel prayed at three different times each day: morning, noon, and night (Dan. 6:10).

* Pray audibly.

Praying out loud helps you stay focused.

* Pace.

If you get drowsy while praying, get up and move around. Pacing is deliberate walking to help you concentrate on God.

* Stay Committed

If you've ever fallen asleep in prayer - simply pray when you wake up.

-ron auch

knocking

A young man who was an All-American football player in college went back to his alma mater as an assistant coach. One of his main responsibilities in his new job would be to go out and scout and recruit players for his college team.

Before he made his first recruiting trip, he went in to visit with the head coach, the same coach for whom he had played when he was there in college some years before. The head coach was a crusty old veteran. He had held that position as head coach for many years, was widely known and highly respected all across the country. The new young coach said to him, "Coach, I'm about to head out on my first recruiting trip, but before I go I want to be sure that we are on the same page. Tell me, Coach, what kind of player do you want me to recruit?"

The crusty old head coach leaned back in his chair. He looked the young coach straight in the eyes and said: "Son, I've been at this job a long time and over the years I have noticed that there are several different kinds of players. For example," he said, "you will find some players who get knocked down and they stay down. That's not the kind we want!"

And he said, "You will find some players who get knocked down and they will get right back up and get knocked down again and then they stay down. That's not the kind we want!"

And then the old coach said, "But you will also find some other players who get knocked down and knocked down and knocked down, and every time they get knocked down, they get right back up!"

At this point, the young coach got excited and he said, "Now, that's the kind of player we want, isn't it, Coach?"

"No!" said the old head coach. "We want the one doing all that knocking down!!"

Yes, we are called to be strong and to stand firm and to get back up when were been knocked down - and we commend people like that for being for being people of great faith. We must also remember that we in the church are called to knock down walls of hate and hostility and unforgiveness - and to build bridges of love and reconciliation .

"For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility." (Ephesians 2:14)

"And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it." (Matthew 16:18)

warfare

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. -- Ephesians 6:12

 

Billy Graham tells a story of a boxer who was engaged in a boxing match and was being badly beaten.  Battered and bruised, he leaned over the ropes and said to his trainer, "Please throw in the towel!  This guy is killing me!" The trainer said, "Oh, no, he's not.  He's not even hitting you.  He hasn't laid a glove on you!"  And the boxer looked at him through swollen eyes and said, "Well then, I wish you'd watch that referee - somebody is sure hitting me!"

 

The danger in Spiritual Warfare is not when you are being beat up. You know you're in a battle when you're battered. You may not know exactly who or where the blows are coming from; but you know you're in a fight.

 

No, the danger in Spiritual Warfare is when the devil is leaving you alone; when you are not having struggles, when temptations are few.  It's then, when life seems to be going good, that the devil has you right where he wants you.  Either you are spiritually dull and not aware of what the Devil is doing, or you are being set up for a big fall.

 

Just ask David about it. After years of running from Saul and struggling to form a new nation, it was when things seemed to be really good that David saw another man's wife bathing on the roof.  In a matter of days, the devil had David just were he wanted him, knee deep in sin and sliding down quickly.

 

Never take the armor off. Never let down the guard. We're in a war that will last a lifetime.