Progressing in PRAYER!

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PLAN 

 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, 

"plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 

Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Jeremiah 29:11-13 (NIV)

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10

GOD has only a good plan for you. He has given sufficient thought to plan out your life even before you were born -  even a day to day plan! Therefore, while praying for ourselves or others, it is important to desire and ask that GOD would fit us into His good plan. It would be foolish to stubbornly insist in prayer that our plans or the plans of others be fulfilled.

 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. 

How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! 

If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; 

When I awake, I am still with You.

Psalm 139:16-18

The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; 

He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect. 

The counsel of the LORD stands forever, The plans of His heart to all generations.  Psalm 33:10-11 NKJV

Do not put your trust in princes, Nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help. 

His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; In that very day his plans perish.  Psalm 146:3-4 NKJV

A man's heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps. Proverbs 16:9 NKJV

 There are many plans in a man's heart, Nevertheless the Lord's counsel--that will stand.

Proverbs 19:21

PURPOSE 

having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure 

which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times 

He might gather together in one all things in Christ, 

both which are in heaven and which are on earth--in Him.

Ephesians 1:9-10

"Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save Me from this hour'? 

But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name." 

Then a voice came from heaven, saying, "I have both glorified it and will glorify it again."

John 12:27-28

Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, 

and from sincere faith, from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk, 

desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm.

1 Timothy 1:5-7

 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2:10

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, 

to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Romans 8:28

 The Lord of hosts has sworn, saying, "Surely, as I have thought, so it shall come to pass, 

And as I have purposed, so it shall stand: That I will break the Assyrian in My land, 

And on My mountains tread him underfoot. 

Then his yoke shall be removed from them, And his burden removed from their shoulders. 

This is the purpose that is purposed against the whole earth, 

And this is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations. 

For the Lord of hosts has purposed, And who will annul it? 

His hand is stretched out, And who will turn it back?"

Isaiah 14:24-27

The Lord of hosts has purposed it, To bring to dishonor the pride of all glory, 

To bring into contempt all the honorable of the earth.

Isaiah 23:9

Then Job answered the Lord and said: 

"I know that You can do everything, And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You. 

You asked, 'Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?' 

Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, 

which I did not know. 

Listen, please, and let me speak; You said, 'I will question you, and you shall answer Me.' 

"I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You. 

Therefore I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes."

Job 42:1-6

But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself 

with the portion of the king's delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; 

therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs 

that he might not defile himself. Daniel 1:8

Although man has not walked according to GOD’s plan,

He has purposed to work through every situation to bring together all things in CHRIST. 

Towards this, He will break the oppression of the devil to set people free.

He will intervene in every prideful purpose in man, like He did with the tower of Babel,

whether it is the medical system, financial system or anything else.

GOD’s purpose for His people is strong faith in Him and love from a pure heart,

which He fulfils through every situation they go through.

We may not know GOD’s purpose for the difficult situations we go through,

but we must trust Him and prayerfully yield to Him. Like Daniel,

we must also purpose in our hearts to consecrate ourselves to the LORD.

REST

REST

Once while on a flight, I was stressing about starting a conversation to witness to the passenger seated next to me. I did not know what to say and where to start! "Would this be the only opportunity I may have, to speak to him? Am I not responsible to give him the Gospel?" I was battling in my mind with compulsion and guilt while pretending to be watching the flight path on the screen. Others on the aeroplane seemed to be at peace doing something - listening, watching, reading or sleeping! They seemed to be at peace while I was not!!

Then I picked up the book from my handbag and started reading a testimony of a lady through which the LORD spoke to me clearly.

"Don't always strive and stress about doing things for Me.

First of all, learn to come to that place of rest in Me.

The attitude of rest, peace, joy and love is in itself a great witness.

From that place of rest, it is easy to hear Me, obey Me and serve Me."

Being needs to come before Doing.

Although I was not able to share the Gospel with that passenger during our short journey, I let him know we were Christians and missionaries of the Gospel. Being neighbour for about four hours and interceding and allowing the fragrance of the LORD JESUS to emanate through my attitude was my role in the big picture of GOD'S purposes and plans for that passenger and also for me! I realised that I was not solely responsible for the salvation of that individual. I am one link in the divine chain of  GOD'S process of restoration of all things!

 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
Matthew 11:28-30

If you are a child of GOD, are you connected to Him through the Holy Spirit?

Are you resting in Him, Being a witness and Doing just what He requires of you each moment?

You will find great fulfillment living such a life and you will bear much fruit for eternity - and that,  Without striving!!

THE LORD BLESS YOU!!

The Potter and His clay

The Potter and His clay

 "Woe to him who strives with his Maker! 

Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth! 

Shall the clay say to him who forms it, 'What are you making?' 

Or shall your handiwork say, 'He has no hands'? 

Isaiah 45:9 

The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying:

"Arise and go down to the potter's house, 
and there I will cause you to hear My words." 

Then I went down to the potter's house, 
and there he was, making something at the wheel. 
And the vessel that he made of clay 
was marred in the hand of the potter; 

so he made it again into another vessel, 
as it seemed good to the potter to make. 

Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

"O house of Israel, 
can I not do with you as this potter?" says the Lord. 

"Look, as the clay is in the potter's hand, 
so are you in My hand, O house of Israel! 

Jeremiah 18:1-6 

As the lump of clay in the potter's hand, so are we in the hand of our Creator.

The lump of clay needs to be pliable in the potter's hand.

We need to be yielded in the hand of GOD.

The more knowledge we have about our bodies and the more understanding we gain of the workings of the systems physically and emotionally, greater our conviction with which we say to GOD: 

 "For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. 

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; 

Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. 

My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, 

And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 

Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. 

And in Your book they all were written, 

The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. "

Psalm 139:13-16 

There is an enemy of your Creator who is very active, having come down in his fierce wrath. 

That is the devil, the serpent of old who deceived Eve, who is Satan.

He whispers lies into your ears, making you doubt your very identity.

He wants to cause you to rise against your Creator like the lump of clay.

Rather than being thankful for His marvelous handiwork, you start questioning GOD.

"Why have you made me thus?"  "Who am I?"  "What am I?" 

"Am I a male?" "Am I a female?" "Am I something in between?"

Ask these questions from your Creator with an attitude of humility.

Take time to connect with Him quietly in solitude.

If you seek Him with a sincere heart you will find Him.

The wisdom of man is foolishness in the eyes of GOD.

It is twisted, and far from the truth.

Do not listen or give heed to what the world says about you.

Be diligent to give ear to what the One Who made you says.

Isn't that the right thing to do?

He made you specifically 'you' with a specific purpose and plan.

There is no confusion with Him.

You are either a male or you are a female and there is no other gender.

Every confusion about your gender and every kind of gender suggested by man, only reveals the lack of knowledge, deception, foolishness and confusion in the mind of man.

If you connect direct with your Creator, you will know the simple truth.

The Bible is your Manufacturer's manual or handbook. 

Refer to it and study it with an open mind and humility so that you might know the truth about yourself. 

As you obey the teachings of His word, you will find purpose and fulfilment in this life.

You will also prepare yourself for life after death that is eternal!

 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, 

thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 

Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 

And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. 

Jeremiah 29:11-13