Read detail below on the medical condition Jesus experienced that caused him to sweat blood. Ponder if you have ever experienced in just a small way Jesus’ extreme distress.
Have you ever broken a sweat in prayer? Probably not, and even more unlikely you ever sweat blood in prayer. But Jesus has, look up Luke 22:44 on Google. The reference from the book of Luke was written by a disciple named Luke who was a doctor. His account of Jesus alone states that Jesus’ sweat was like drops of blood, falling to the ground when he prayed about what was about to happen to Him. There are 3 other books (Matthew, Mark, and John) with accounts of Jesus praying before his suffering, with Matthew and Mark also referencing his severe anguish. He himself said that his soul was overwhelmed to the point of death. All accounts describe what a severe panic attack would look like, someone under traumatic internal distress. If you look more closely at what Jesus was experiencing in the garden of Gethsemane, you will see the extreme mental and emotional pressure overwhelming him. To assist with this, I've included some detail from a renowned chief medical examiner and forensic pathologist, Dr. Frederick Zugibe. He detailed what it takes for a human being to sweat blood in his book “The Crucifixion of Jesus”. Here are some summarized excerpts and other thoughts to ponder- • There is a rare medical condition called Hematidrosis which is defined in Stedman’s medical dictionary as excretion of blood or blood pigments in the sweat. • It is associated with a severe anxiety reaction triggered by fear. • One study of 76 cases showed individuals experienced extreme psychogenic factors of acute fear and mental distress as precipitating reasons for hematidrosis. • It is a reaction from the nervous system’s “fight or flight” response. How can we know Jesus wanted to “flee” what was about to happen to him? Consider Jesus’ prayer of, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me, yet not as I will but as you will.” • In a threatening situation, the body responds with the “fight or flight” reaction via the sympathetic nervous system. Pupils dilate, heart rate increases, sweat glands activate, blood vessels constrict to raise blood pressure, blood is diverted away from the skin to the brain and muscles for focus and rapid response, blood sugar is released to provide additional energy. • In a threatening situation, it is not just the physical body alerted but also the psychological systems of the body. Specifically, the amygdala, which is the fear center of the brain. When the emotional center is reacting, a person experiences breathlessness, a choking sensation, heart palpitations, muscle tension, chest tightness, trembling, sweating, pallor, and overwhelming feelings of acute panic, as if having a heart attack. • Combine the physical and psychological symptoms and you have what Jesus was experiencing when he says his soul was overwhelmed to the point of death. It explains why he fell to the ground in prayer, falling to his face, emptied of strength. Dr. Zugibe states that Jews normally stood to pray as a sign of honor to God, so it is important to note the Gospels detail Jesus falling to the ground while in prayer. He says it is detail to support the extreme distress Jesus was experiencing. • Dr. Zugibe also explains in detail the tiny blood vessels that surround 2 million sweat glands in the skin. He explains how the blood would have been diverted from the glands during Jesus’ mental and emotional trauma, but how the blood would have rushed back to the delicate capillaries that surround the sweat glands when the angel came and strengthened Jesus, Luke 22:43. Yet Jesus was still in anguish, even after being strengthened, and he prayed more earnestly. It is at this point Luke notes that Jesus’ sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. • Dr. Zugibe summarizes Jesus distress in the garden of Gethsemane by stating the following, “The severe mental anxiety due to a profound fear of his prescient sufferings stimulated the fear center of the brain (amygdala), which sent out a general alarm to all centers of the brain, invoking a full scale fight or flight reaction. This reaction lasted for hours resulting in a total state of exhaustion, only to end abruptly in a severe counter reaction after the angel came and ministered to him, and he accepted his fate. This caused severe dilation and rupture of the blood vessels into the sweat glands, causing hemorrhage into the ducts of the sweat glands, and the subsequent extrusion onto the skin, exactly as St. Luke described it.” • A Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. Jesus clearly says He is the Good Shepherd who dies for his sheep, John 10:11. What does his suffering mean to you? • Take time to see in your mind’s eye Jesus’ praying in extreme distress in the Garden of Gethsemane. Let yourself feel some of his panic and sense how He would feel overwhelmed to the point of death. See the tremendous cost the Good Shepherd contemplated as He wrestled with His fate to die for the sheep, for all who would call on His Name. • “If there is any other way”, Jesus vulnerably prays, “please take this cup from me, yet not what I will but what you will Father.” • This reading is a pre-cursor to tomorrow’s meditation that will be posted on Into the Waters’ Facebook page. The focus is on Jesus calming our circumstantial fears and crippling thoughts. Those are the 2nd and 3rd of 4 fears that the Good Shepherd alone can calm. The first one was relational upset, and it was the focus of last Friday’s meditation. Please visit Into the Waters Facebook page and listen to it. And tomorrow’s meditation will be about circumstantial fears and mental attack you imagine threaten your livelihood. Praying you carve out quiet time with the Good Shepherd!
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Drudgery. Ugh. How to get through it? The repetitive, the boring, the whiny, the weak, the difficult, the demeaning jobs. In these places, we look for ways of escape. I've been there lately, impatient about an assignment and wanting out.
The thing I want out of is a part-time position that not only wearies me; it challenges any and every part of my pride. It has been inexplicably hard at times to do a job that is "way beneath my pay level" so to speak. Me wording it in that way should give you a sense of my pride and resentment of the assignment. At times it has not bothered me; but mostly I didn't think it would last this long. I do a good job and am liked; but too often of late, I am offended and feeling impatient. This week, first thing Tuesday morning, I was sitting at my desk stewing. I knew this was not a way to start the day, so I decided to look at Oswald Chambers My Utmost devotional for that day. I know if I need a "good talking to" so to speak, I can find it with Oswald Chamber's spiritual writings. He speaks directly, cuts me right to the quick. I love it. Sure enough, from the very first sentence of the devotional, I am convicted. But it feels good because I sense God's presence and know He is right there bringing my darkness into His light for spiritual transformation. I keep reading and the words become ever more convicting within. "Drudgery is one of the finest tests to determine the genuineness of our character. Drudgery is work that is far removed from anything we think of as ideal work. It is the utterly hard, menial, tiresome, and dirty work. And when we experience it, our spirituality is instantly tested and we will know whether or not we are spiritually genuine. " - Oswald Chambers Owwwweeeeee. Drudgery. As clear as day, there it is. I am rejecting what I perceive as menial, tiresome, and dirty work! With words so directly applicable to my current state of mind, suddenly the fog clears. It's crystal clear God is lasering in, joining me in my pity party, but only in order to shift my focus. I am to reflect on my spiritual genuineness. Direct hit. I said a quiet prayer asking for His mercy and power to serve genuinely, John 13:4-5,12-17. This type of prayer and reflecting took all but 3 minutes; but it turned my whole day around! And don't ya know that right after I got a call from a very unhappy woman who was short tempered, cold, aggressive, and at the same time sounded very defeated. How would I handle it? By God's grace and freshly filling me with His power through that little 3 minute prayer and reflection, I found myself impervious to her ill nature and easily focused on the defeated part of her that I heard. I couldn't believe it in the moment. But was almost giddy within as I listened and rose above her difficult ways. I encouraged her that her frustration could and would be addressed and not to give up on getting some medical direction for a family member. She spewed some things; but praise God I didn't react. She didn't soften towards me despite my way towards her; but she agreed to let me elevate the situation. About 45 minutes later she called again; but this time she was in tears, sobbing deeply, and extremely apologetic. I could barely understand what she was saying through her tears. Her repentance moved me deeply , so much so that I felt tears well up in me. She was so remorseful! She just kept saying "I'm so sorry I was so mean. It's not right. I know better". Again, I was amazed knowing that God did something in her. He was helping her release pent up emotion, frustration, heart ache, loneliness, fear, etc. I "got it" and was able to stay with her in that moment and speak gently and help calm her down. Turns out she is terrified of what is going on with her family member and in a state of total dismay, feeling trapped, defeated, and very alone. She continued to profusely apologize for how aggressive and mean she was to the medical person who called her back and for how she was towards me. I thanked her and told her she was forgiven. I let her know she wasn't alone. I shared tears with her. I shared some of what I have experienced in helping a senior family member, reminding her again that she wasn't alone. I told her about local resources for social work help, a grief group at my church, and told her I would pray for her. I'm not sure what impact it had beyond her quieted countenance and "thank you"; but I know the impact it had on me. God rose up in me. His love and knowledge of that woman and her need for that morning was "my lowly assignment". He wanted me to be Him to her. And before that could happen, I needed a heart check. Praise God for his intervention in me so that I could be an offering of His grace and comfort to her! This is the necessity of prayer that does a hard stop. It is a prayer that steals away for a moment (the difficult ones); and cries out for divine intervention and wisdom. He is near. He will give wisdom. He says, "Ask and it will be given to you..." But be open to his reply. Because in those moments He will show us some difficult things about our hearts. But if we do not avoid those moments, if we have eyes to see, the door is wide open to divine power and supernatural life and BLESSING! There was a supernatural joy that refreshed my heart and mind after those 2 conversations with a broken and weary woman. I could have stewed in my own emotions, kicked and screamed within, resisted the day and had a really bad attitude. But instead, I chose to let God in, to let him search me, and to seek out His wisdom. His wisdom was served on a silver platter carrying words hard to swallow but covered with grace. I turned. The result was blessing and spiritual transformation in me, a temple of the Holy Spirit. You too, if you know Jesus as Lord, are a temple of the Holy Spirit. And you need the inspiration of God in your drudgery. "The inspiration of God is required if drudgery is to shine with the light of God upon it. In some cases the way a person does a task makes that work sanctified and holy forever. It may be a very common everyday task, but after we have seen it done, it becomes different. When the Lord does something through us, He always transforms it. Our Lord takes our human flesh and transforms it, and now every believer’s body has become “the temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:19). " - Oswald Chambers , My Utmost Break away and pray. He sees what is done in secret and will reward you. Give Jesus the thoughts of resentment about the day-to-day drudgery assigned to you. What is your drudgery? Unending piles of laundry, everyday referee of bickering children, an ill tempered spouse, unthankful bosses, smiles that betray, work that is "beneath" you? Let Him enter those moments. It's so transformative if you do! He is right there willing to help with the state of heart and mind if you ask. Accept the hard word He might give about what needs transformation in you to get through the drudgery. Surrender. Go back in with His power humbly serving at the feet of another. Divine transformation and untold blessings await your heart! John 13:14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. 16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. Do you consider yourself "born again"? If that statement makes you bristle and you deny association in those terms, I can guarantee there is something very wrong and very weak about your prayer life. If conversations about the Holy Spirit make you squirm and you call the Spirit "it" vs "He", there is room for much growth in your prayer life; and in your understanding of who God is.
Jesus was very clear when He said, "Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God, unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again'..." Those words are from the book of John, chapter 3, verses 5-7. When Jesus references being born of water and Spirit, there are a couple of very moving and comforting pictures that can be helpful in lingering with God in prayer, that is if you are open to it, and do not think of Jesus' words as "weird". The first picture is a womb. Jesus references it in the statement "being born of water". Note that a mother's womb is made up of 98% water. But Jesus is not referencing a human womb, He is referencing a spiritual one. The very tender truth contained here is that a womb is how God defines His mercy and compassion. (If you want to check me on that, click on this page which defines mercy as a womb from several spiritual lexicons.) When Jesus tells Nicodemus that he must be born of water to see the Kingdom of God, He is essentially telling Nicodemus that he must willing to receive the tender mercies of God. His heart is to be made new, turned from stone to flesh, and made clean by the purifying new life from the Spirit. Once this new birth happens we are to be transformed daily by the love of God who carries, feeds, nurtures, protects, surrounds, delivers, and sanctifies by His mercy. This is to be forgiven, loved and never forsaken by a Heavenly Father who does not abandon us as human parents might, Psalm 27:10. Many aspects of this type of love are the things that a womb is purposed to do when it is carries a baby. How offensive and weird is that message that God carries, nurtures, protects, surrounds, delivers, sanctifies, carries into eternity? It's not offensive or weird. It's life and life eternal for all who would believe. This is the supernatural transformation that results- Ezekiel 36:25-27 KJVS [25] Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. [26] A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. [27] And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. … The second picture for being born from above is of the Spirit. Notice the promise of a new spirit in Ezekiel 36:25-27. Remember Jesus says, "Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit." After Jesus references the Spirit, he does something very interesting. He starts speaking in plural to Nicodemus. He tells Nicodemus, "Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony." That's 4 "we's" and 1 "our". Why, does Jesus refer to himself in plural terms? I personally see reference to the indwelling of the person of the Holy Spirit that happens when we are born again. Jesus had just demonstrated that when being baptized by the Spirit in John 1:32-34. The same happens with those who believe. Upon our confession of belief in Christ, Heaven opens, the Spirit of Christ descends and we are now one with Him. Ultimately, our "I" has been changed to "we", one with God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. We are now forever saved by the tender mercies of God, carried gently and held and surrounded and fed and nurtured and comforted and delivered into eternal life by the Spirit. Review all those images, consider bringing them into a time of prayer. What situations are happening that you need to connect more deeply to the fact that right now God is surrounding you, protecting you, carrying you, delivering you etc? Think about a few and bring them to the God of tender mercies. Confess willfulness and any rebellion. Turn from independence and flesh based choice. Cling instead to your spirit nature that is one with God. Turn from despairing thoughts and feeling without hope. He has not given up on you. He has never left your side. Picture His light circling you, his forgiveness washing you, hear the songs of deliverance surrounding you. See him carrying you through the difficulties. Admit weakness, ask to be carried. If you are His, these images are scriptural. I could list a thousand scriptures to show you the images, but here are just a few. +++++++ God blesses the righteous, he surrounds them with his favor like a shield, Psalm 5:12. +++++++ You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance, Psalm 32:7. +++++++ Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light, and the way wherein they should go. Nehemiah 9:19 +++++++ Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. Psalm 51:1-2 +++++++ Deuteronomy 1:29-31- Then I said to you, “Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the wilderness. There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.” If you are not his child yet, there is a door in your soul that so far has been closed to knowing the truth. That door must be opened so that His light can be shed abroad within you and then you will see, you will be born from above. To know is to see, to see you need light. To know Jesus is to see Jesus, to see Jesus, you need His light to enter your soul. Call on His Name. Ask for His tender mercy to carry you, fill you, protect you, deliver you, feed you, sanctify you, teach you, nurture you. Then wait quietly, whispering his name, Jesus. Heaven will open. He will send His Spirit and you will be born from above. John 3:21- Whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God. 2 Corinthians 4:6- For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God's glory displayed in the face of Christ." John 15:26- "When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father- the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father- he will testify about me..." Romans 8:16- The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Based upon the survey results, a Facebook Live session time has been scheduled for this coming Wednesday! If you are a Facebook user, hope you can join! Also, contrary to survey results, the most popular Facebook log on times are NOT the times people noted for prayer. Makes sense! If you are spending time with God, you are not on Facebook! So we will experiment with times we post interactive prayer exercises and teaching content. In that line of thinking, a second time has been set for Friday, November 23rd at 10pm. This is to see if “bedtime scrollers” check in.
Its all an interesting new endeavor! Time will tell what God intends on reaching and inspiring people this way. In my time as an online mentor for Focus on the Family over the last year, God has clearly revealed the countless people who are online and seeking answers. It has been mind blowing really. Yet, always an adventure to follow His Spirit! Press in with us! You will try prayer exercises. Practice quieting yourself in new ways. Be inspired with promise based language for heart expression. Open yourself up to God’s love and reach! Finally, pray for the ministry’s fruit in this endeavor! And watch the video to hear more survey results and the invite! Blessings! “For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” Ephesians 3:14-21 NIV http://bible.com/111/eph.3.14-21.niv Kind of been a whirlwind of end of summer with lots of prayer ministry! It has included 2 public meditative prayer sessions in a park, an overnight teaching retreat, a private ministry meditation session, an extended 4 day private women's prayer retreat in Colorado, and a good amount of one-on-one prayer with people. It's all been a rich creative time and learning experience; and a blessing to be a part of His intimate work in people through the secret garden of prayer! For this blog, you can watch a slide show of God's beauty on display with a few pictures I took while in Colorado recently. You'll read some pure and holy promises. Read them, pray them, claim them, repeat them. Before you know it, you'll have spent quiet time in a secret garden created by time with God. He offers supernatural life to those who join Him in His garden. Its a garden He fully intends for you to walk with Him, talk with Him, and live eternally with Him. But first, take a minute to see yourself, visualizing yourself in your usual daily activities. This is to help you connect with how you rush and go and do. By visualizing yourself, it is kind of like an out of body experience. Start by seeing yourself wake up this morning and review how you went about your day today. Close your eyes and see yourself in your activities of this day. How much of that time was quiet, peaceful and refreshing and life giving? Any time? Was it just mostly going from one activity to the next, trying to get through the day? Genesis 2:8- Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. God planted the first garden. How very sweet and good of Him! He created it for man and woman, the work of his hands, breathing into Adam and Eve, the breath of life. The garden is for us now that Christ’s agony in the garden (Matthew 26:37-46) has been worked out on the cross. Oh how desperately we need to appreciate the high cost He paid to give us access again into the garden where we walk and talk with Him in the cool of the day! In the beginning of time, God's garden contained all that Adam and Eve would need to live in peace and divine purpose. The "problem" in offering that garden was that He gave them personal choice. God didn't make humans to be programmed like a robot, programmed to just say "yes" to all of His commands. He gave humans a choice whether to listen to His voice and obey His instruction, or to disobey and follow their own way. It's not very hard to connect with the first man and woman. I see myself in them every day. I am very easily predisposed to choose my own way outside God's counsel. What about you? Through Christ, my nature to rebel is hidden. My life, all of me is totally hidden in Christ, Colossians 3:3. This is for all who believe! From Christ’s selfless sacrifice to give his life and pay the price for our sin, we receive life and life to the full, John 3:16-18 and John 10:10. He also promises wisdom and knowledge not accessible anywhere else. Scripture says very clearly that in CHRIST are HIDDEN ALL TREASURES OF WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE. Do you believe that? Or would you argue otherwise? If you argue, you have discovered the Adam or Eve nature within you. Colossians 2:2-3- My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Full riches. Complete understanding. Knowing the mystery of God. Namely ALL hidden in CHRIST. If we really believed this, how much more of a desire would we have to spend time with God? See yourself going through your day again. Did any thought cross your mind of, "I can't wait to go recharge with God". If not, just simply tell him. "God, in the busyness of my day, I didn't start well with you, I didn't make enough time for you. I just simply pressed hard into what I wanted and what I needed to do. Have mercy on me. Draw me into quiet time with you. Let me freshly discover treasure hidden in Christ. Bring me into your secret garden." If you want a bit more, watch this slide show and let His promises penetrate. Surrender to the invitation. Afterwards, consider doing the exercise posted on 9/26/18. Linger longer, draw near and know Christ! This meditation is inspiration from Psalm 62:5-8.
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**************************************** Answers to prayer come when we admit in prayer that our ways are not God’s ways, our thoughts are not His thoughts. He himself tells us this in Isaiah 55:8-9. Believing it, I recently received a very quick answer to prayer 🛐. I began by admitting to God 💞 that my ways weren’t his ways, my thoughts weren’t his thoughts. I needed His wisdom ✨ on something. (Do you need wisdom?) In my situation, I was hearing heightened emotions, strong opinions, upsetting conclusions made by people about something, people I like. I was influenced by some of these opinions and was becoming upset. (Are people around you, are you yourself making upsetting conclusions?) I had a choice; you have a choice. We can let ourselves be drawn into emotional whirlwinds that lead us to make bad decisions which fuels chaos, or we can take it to God. God was very quick to answer my prayer, transforming 💫 my thoughts into His thoughts and leading me to take a series of steps according to His ways! By his Spirit, he sent wisdom to me as promised in Isaiah 55:10-11. This resulted in me going out in joy 😁 and being led forth in peace 🤩, the promise given in Isaiah 55:12. As a result so far, I strengthened 💪 some relationships, helped settle upset in a few others, and got to put Isaiah 55:8-12 to memory 🧐 and into prayer practice with others. Try it. See if God deposits new thoughts into your mind 👤. See if His way is more powerful than your ways. See if He leads you in peace and joy👏. See if chaos subsides in your mind and heart. Give your upset 😠 to Him, ask to be awakened to ways and thoughts that are not of Him for transformation. You will grow in wisdom and you will be transformed! ✨ ... #bibleverse #isaiah55 #wisdom #testimony #helpme #faithingod #godanswersprayers #humbleyourself #anxietyhelp #talktogod #meditatedaily #christian #prayers What if just one prayer time a week was spent in the position above? Bent down, hands open, aware of our need for mercy, revering God, simply enjoying the privilege to be at the feet of the Savior of the world?
Within the last year or so, I learned about this position when I was looking up the word "bless" in bible dictionaries. I had no idea there was a concrete, highly descriptive image and action behind the word "bless". It taught me about a prayer position that I was not taking. It suddenly made me realize how lazy I had gotten with my body when in prayer. I realized I rarely, if ever, bent my knees to welcome God, to humble myself in bodily position as I talked with Him. As I write this, I realize again, I do not take this position nearly enough with Him. "I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel..."- Psalm 16:7 KJV According to bible resources, the word bless is defined as Hebrew word 1288 and is used 330 times in the Old Testament. It means to bend the knee, to kneel down, with the primary notion of breaking down, offering a gift. "Let us kneel down before the Lord God our Maker". It has the idea of adoring God on bent knee with an attitude of reverence towards Him. It is also defined as God bending the knee to extend gift, i.e. His divine favor reaching down and causing one to prosper, bestowing blessings. After learning of this definition, I took time to picture God at my feet giving me a gift. It was uncomfortable. I felt I was offending Him. Who was I to have God at my feet to receive a divine gift? Who was He to serve me? I know my reaction to that picture of God at my feet was intense because in fact, I had a long season of mistreating God. I had a time of expecting and demanding He give me what I wanted, the way I wanted it. So I was quick in my spirit to reject this image because I still have grief in my heart over treating Him that way. But God had intent with me to transform how I was reflecting on the image of Him at my feet. Jesus being at our feet, offering us divine gift is in fact scriptural. He is at our feet, the One who though being God did not use that to His own advantage, rather he made himself nothing, and took the form of a servant, being made in human likeness. He humbled himself and became obedient to a shameful death on a cross. Therefore God exalted him... (see Philippians 2:1-11) If I really connected with the countless times He has bent down and offered me love, a cleansing, forgiveness, grace, mercy, help, hope, revelation, wisdom, discernment, protection, joy, healing, correction, rest, release, freedom, strength, purpose, friendship, comfort, a new beginning, a new song, creative inspiration, truth... I would be returning on bended knee with hands open, bowing and blessing the Name above every other name. In His perfect wisdom, the LORD was showing me something that needed to change in my prayer position. On bended knee, there was a blessing of rest and a new intimacy to experience. But oh how often we miss out on this! We spend soooo much time wanting to “know” don't we? We put sooooo much energy reaching for knowledge, so that we can “have” and "get". It's quite normal to human nature, so normal it takes radical transformation to recognize how much we strive. But we need to do a hard stop and realize how much of our prayer language is strife. Striving is often a major portion of our prayer language. And when striving is our prayer language, our prayers often sound like this;: “God, what is happening? What are you doing? Where are you? What am I supposed to do? How come this isn’t working? What should I try next? Get me out of this situation, I can’t do this anymore. I want more and feel held back. Nothing is changing... (Prayer time ends in frustration... we move on with our day)." Coming to God in striving leads to hurried prayer, rapid fire words aimed at God. We can fool ourselves that our times of prayer are prayer when in fact they are just "mulling over" sessions with ourselves. Our thoughts quickly trail off to processing on our own. One time when I felt I was praying a lot, I sensed the Lord convict me that I mostly talked to myself, and kept Him in the background. What I thought was prayer, was just me merely processing with myself, to points of over processing. In this mode, one starts anxious and ends frustrated and totally misguided. God was never really invited in to that "prayer time". If we are honest, too often He is just treated as a sounding board for frustrations. Nothing is released, no thoughts are transformed; we keep the burden and resist Him. We do not receive the gift of rest he has in His hand to give us. What if just one time a week, we bent down in reverence and blessed God, hands empty, heart open? There is rest in this position, supernatural rest God will offer that cannot be explained! Your heart will soften with face bowed low. Tears might come instead of anger. Deep sighs will release what words cannot express. He'll quiet you with His love. He'll transform you at His feet. God exalts the humble. He raises the weary and burdened. What is sown in weakness is raised in power. What is sown in the natural body is raised a spiritual body. Do the simple thing. Bow at His feet, come empty handed. Revere the One who left His Father's glory to serve you on the cross. If this is all you offer, He will be greatly blessed and so will you! One day, every knee will bow and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord... Got this card in the mail couple of days ago, It was from someone who I did not know was praying for me as I go off to lead a prayer retreat this weekend. Was super touched to receive it; and by what she wrote, and what she glued on the inside of the front cover. Just last week I was thinking about some of my first prayers and the "Now I lay me down to sleep" one was all I prayed until I was 28! Was so blessed to see this reminder in this card!
Beginning around 4 years old, my bedtime ritual included first checking for monsters under my bed. Once I knew things were "all clear" under my bed, I would pray the "Now I lay me down to sleep" prayer along with some other things like asking for blessings on my family and asking for nothing traumatic to happen to me. Its interesting at how such a young age the list of anxieties were always included in my prayers. But not so much I guess, considering no matter our age, we need to be stilled within. God is faithful to do so. No monsters every got me ;). No monsters ever will because I am covered and hidden within the indestructible life of MY Savior. If you have the influence, teach a child to pray a simple prayer for their soul to be protected by Jesus. Teach yourself too. I'm super thankful for the fact that although we never went to church, my mom found it important to teach me this prayer. It did plant a seed for a deep spiritual truth to work in my heart at a very young age! I prayed it every night. May you offer up a childlike prayer if anxieties overwhelm. We are never to old to be held by Him, never too old not to call him daddy, never too old to say "Father, please help me." Psalm 116:1-2- I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live. Encourage someone today that you are praying for them! Encourage yourself by spending some time alone with God. More next week! Blessings! Last Saturday was another time of precious time in God’s presence and supernatural touch by our good God. The theme of the time was Psalm 16:2, “apart from you Lord, I have no good thing”.
One of the things that God always does is touch certain people in ways that releases emotion that has been compartmentalized and inaccessible. One of the attendees shared that she has not been able to mourn over a deeply painful situation, but finally accessed it in the session. God’s Spirit is gentle and draws us in a such a way that we rest and let go. He penetrates that which we cannot touch, things so overwhelming and painful that we cannot feel anything but numbness, but He sees it and unearths what is buried. But He does it in such a way that releases supernatural balm into those deep wounds. The emotional release people experience is due to relief and experiencing His supernatural love and healing presence. It is a work of the Spirit beyond our conception! “However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” — the things God has prepared for those who love him— these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:9-11 NIV http://bible.com/111/1co.2.9-11.niv In God’s presence, his thoughts become our thoughts. The picture at the top shows baskets filled with a prayer requests from each. These represent good thoughts, good requests, formed in them through God’s spirit work in them! Our time ended by redistributing these prayer requests anonymously and taking a time to pray for another. We took our eyes and focus off ourselves for a moment, and carried a burden for another. By doing this, we are an instrument of God’s promise to heal another. “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” James 5:16 KJV http://bible.com/1/jas.5.16.kjv These are the collective cries... ... healing and unity and wholeness in marriage, God centered selfless love, forgiveness of self and others, restoration where God sees fit, clear direction, becoming trustworthy of others, to experience supernatural peace in financial and relational situations, to be filled with peace even when situations are confusing, for God’s guidance through current struggles, for help to direct energy to serve God, for God’s reassuring presence, for help to meet demands and challenges, for light and truth to guide themselves and family, for healing of depression, anxiety, and loneliness, to feel and know God’s hovering and protective presence, to increase in trust of God, for a place to live, willingness to allow God to enter weaknesses and trust He will sustain and grow them, find balance, for scattered pieces to be put back together, to trust the Lord more and not lean on their own understanding... What beautiful language of children seeking God! God heard their cries for mercy and will answer because He gives good and perfect gifts from Heaven, James 1:17. “I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy.” Psalm 116:1 NIV http://bible.com/111/psa.116.1.niv May you pray for those requests above and be a part of another’s healing. May you find language that inspires your prayers and cry out for mercy. May you invite God’s spirit to search your deepest places and believe in His good hand to reach and heal what you cannot reach on your own power. Blessings! “The human spirit is the lamp of the Lord that sheds light on one’s inmost being.” Proverbs 20:27 NIV http://bible.com/111/pro.20.27.niv |
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1- Sign up to receive blog and email announcements 2- Search on Facebook and join our private Facebook group> Peace Be Still Daily Prayer Download Prayer is Gift!Hi my name is Gina; and I'm the founder of the ministry. My 25 year journey with God has been centered on immersing myself in the safe relationship God offers, learning about the power of surrender, and praying for His life in greater measure! Categories
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