Pray

Good Morning!

Have you prayed today?  Is prayer something we have to schedule?  Does it have to be only in church? Do we pray only when issues of life arise?  Is praying something for everyone or just for the Pastor...for those who are "leaders"?  What if I don't have the right words?  I can't pray like the Pastor does. When I have a need I call my friend, she knows how to pray.

I'm sure words and questions like this have traveled though our mind at one point.  The Creator of heaven made you & me, that's foundational.  He was speaking with his creation from the very beginning. When the Lord Jesus walked on earth, He himself prayed to the Father.

Talking with God. It's not about the words...its about our heart.  He wants us to commune with him. We wake up and the One who does not sleep or slumber is waiting for us to come to him. He is involved in the affairs of men....Oh God..we call out to you Lord...help us....Let's pour our hearts out...let's talk with God...at anytime & at scheduled times....by ourselves...with two or three...& corporately. Pray for what you have yet to see with your eyes...pray for the widow and the orphan....pray for what troubles your heart...pray for leaders and officials...pray for your enemy....pray for the one that has broken your heart and betrayed your trust....pray for the sick....pray for those who have turned their back on God and don't realize they need a

Savior....pray for the work of God to be fruitful...pray for the church...pray against complacency and pray that compromise would not be found in our camp....pray that the Spirit of the Living God would be invited and included in the affairs of men.....pray that we would not divert from the straight and narrow path....pray for the one that has fallen, that the Lord would restore

them as they cry out in repentance...Pray!

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (Philippians 4:6)

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. (Matthew 6:5)

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. (Romans 8:26)

You have searched me, LORD, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down;  you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely. )Psalm 139:1-4)

God bless you!~Liz

www.lizrod.com

All Authority is His Alone

Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. -Psalm 139:16 (NIV)

Ok...here we go again.  Two weeks ago I was told by a radiologist that I needed a biopsy. Well...I'm thinking...we went through this 6 months ago.  I think I was more frustrated that I would have to go through the test...than what the test would actually show. So...I go for the test...and lo and behold the doctor says...well the tissue is benign...Hallelujah...but simultaneously he says...we are not sure if we actually got the right tissue.  I say Hallelujah again....the One who sits on the Throne is worthy of all praise & worship!

Ok...so what do I do.  Honestly I was angry.  Angry that I put myself through that evasive test......even though it was needed...but then to have no definitive results.

Hmmm...did I say "definitive".  The Word of God tells me that He made me......he knows how many hairs I have  on my head......all the days ordained for me were written in his book. As I sat in the waiting room ( I was by myself because it was not a scheduled biopsy) the Lord ministered to me again, I am with you always, even until the end of time.  I know I could have called my sister or one of the beautiful ladies of OCF...or have my husband come from a far distance to sit with me....but I was peaceful.

I appreciate the "Medical field" , those men & women whom God has imparted His wisdom...doctors, technicians, medication...truly at times that's what God has used to allow me to walk and move.... literally.

But the definitive, the ultimate, that which will allow me to continue to breath in this world....the appointed time for me or anyone to leave this earth...that goes to the One who sits on the Throne...All Authority is His.  I rest in that....I will move forward with His Wisdom and go through the "due dilegence" the testing if you will.... and then I will live as if today is my last day....tomorrow is not promised...to me or to anyone.  Rejoice in today!

Enjoy the song | Click Here

Overcome-Desperation Band

God bless you!~Liz

www.lizrod.com

Above the Clouds

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where
Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on
earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When
Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Colossians 3:1-4

Ok...here we go...I will be up in a plane in just a little while...really high up...I'm traveling to see
my son Mike who relocated to Savannah.

Inevitably, I will begin to think about how small everything below me is. It's not the first time
that this thought has come to me. There is a peaceful feeling just to look at the clouds and at
times it feels like we are standing still.

Looking through the window...trying to see below...everything becomes smaller and smaller
until you can't see anything except for the peaceful, fluffy, marshmellow-like clouds. It's like
the reality of life fades away and I am lifted up from what's below to what's above. It's not that I have forgotten my life below, but its a different perspective. I love my life...I love what God is doing with this clay. God has given us life and wants us to enjoy it; I love all that the Lord is teaching me, the constant dependency on Him....really...I can't do a thing without God...not even breath.

So here we are....climbing higher and higher. I'm reminded .....It's like when you begin to worship the Lord....we may enter discouraged, maybe our hearts are heavy, we come into the House of God and when the saints begin to lift his Name high...when the people of God begin to call on his Name and praise the One who Sits on the Throne, the Maker of Heaven and Earth, when the Beloved start to exalt the King who is forever making intercession for His people....WOW...something happens...the things of earth grow strangely dim...even the "issues" of life. We find ourselves enjoying the marvelous presence of the Lord....He comes to rest in the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3) and we too...wow....rest in Him. It's not that the troubles of life have disappeared but its like when the altitude of the plane rises, now we can also ride above...above the clouds like the plane, higher than the issues that at time can rob us of the Presence of the Lord. We must fix our eyes on Jesus the perfecter of
our faith (Hebrews 12: 2). We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:18 ) So...yes...I set my mind on things above...... Oh..I forgot to tell you...I don't like flying :(  I get motion sickness....

God bless you!~Liz
www.lizrod.com