ME, MY, ME, ME, and ME!

Good morning precious and blessed children of the Most-high God,

A few years back one of Rachel's college buddies visited, and before he left I asked if we could pray tgether. He automatically stood up and reached for my hand, which made me chuckle because he had been down this road before and remembered how much I like making a prayer circle!

As we stood in our little circle, I asked if he had any personal requests, any areas where He would like to see the mighty hand of God move. He replied, "I do not feel comfortable asking for myself, but I would like for God to help my mom, dad, and brother."

It grieves me when people say to me they don't feel right praying for themselves, and I hear it so often that it's time to set the record straight. The Bible, as our infallible guide for living, very clearly states - in more than one verse - that we can and should pray for ourselves.  The best verse to drive this point home is found in 1 Chronicles 4:10, "Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, "'Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!'"  And God granted what he asked."

This is such a fully-loaded passage, but notice all the self-centered pronouns...the me, my, me, me, and me sequence.  Jabez was praying for himself! And let's not overlook the very last part of the verse: AND GOD GRANTED WHAT HE ASKED.

Could it be that praying for ourselves is actually the best thing for our families?  I constantly remind my children and husband that an emotionally stable, joy-filled, peace-infused, calm-exuding, lighthearted, keeping-the-faith, unruffled Yenise is the very best gift I can give to them.  This is why I pray for myself every single day.  By the way, of course I prayed for that young man's family, but I also prayed for him!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Your Word is clear that we can and should pray for ourselves.  And most importantly, You grant our requests.  We lift up our voice just like Jabez did and pray that You would bless us and enlarge our borders.  We especially need bigger faith, stronger hope, an expansion of hope, more love, an increase in our praying. We pray that Your hand would be with us - guiding us - and that You would keep us from harm.  In Jesus' name, AMEN~

Know Your Source

Greetings,

1 Chronicles 4:10 "Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, 'Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.' And God granted his request." 

Have you ever cried out to God? Have you ever asked Him for blessings? Have you ever petitioned Him for increase? An increase in finances, health, peace, children, joy, wisdom...? Have you ever implored Him to protect you and keep you from trouble because, let's face it, no one wants to willingly suffer?

If you have, then you are in great company!

Jabez was bold, to the point, and honest.  Most importantly, Jabez knew His source.  He knew the only One Who could answer Him, the only One with the resources, power, and willingness to respond, was the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth. 

And how did God respond? "God granted his request."

God gave Jabez what he asked for, and this encourages me to pray!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, You are the source of everything we need in the life! Like Jabez, we cry out to You today and ask for blessings.  We also ask that you would enlarge our territories.  Yes, we want our businesses and jobs to prosper so we can bless our families and others, but we also want increase in wisdom so we can have better relationships and make better decisions.  We also pray for Your mighty hand of protection over us and those we love. Thank You that You are willing to answer us just like You answered Jabez.  In Jesus' name, AMEN.

God Granted His Request!

1 Chronicles 4:10 Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request.

Greetings,

I love the Bible. It has eye-opening verses that were written from God to you and me so we can pray confidently.

When we ask God to bless us, increase our sphere of influence,

and invite His hand to guide and keep us from harm, it all works together like one big powerful and heavenly umbrella to shield us from pain. Could this mean that if we don't pray this way we will suffer needlessly? Maybe, but I don't plan on finding out! 

Life is full of pain already it; God knows it.  But He also knows that when we pray to be spared and protected, we are - from a lot of junk.  

Several years ago Jorge, the kids, and I were on the Palmetto expressway headed to my in-laws in the middle of a bad rainstorm.  Suddenly, the car directly in front of us swirled out of control and did several complete 360s.  This started a chain reaction of several other cars, ours included, slamming on their brakes and steering to get out of the way at 60+ mph in the pouring rain.  When it was all said and done, the traffic was at a standstill, car upon car sat within a few harried inches of one another, and our car was completely facing west instead of north. It was so close to another car that was facing east that not even a child could have fit between the two cars. But there was not one accident in sight.  

My family and I were kept from harm and pain that day, Amen.

Let's take God at His Word, be as bold as Jabez, and ask to be kept from pain. Look at how the verse ends: GOD GRANTED HIS REQUEST!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Bless us! Enlarge our territory.  Prosper us with the finances we need to meet our obligations, prosper our bodies with health, prosper our relationships so that those we love are receptive to learning about you. and prosper our souls with peace, joy, and hope. And keep us from pain - physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Extend Your hand over us all like a mighty shade of protection, and deliver us from evil. Thank You for granting our request. In Jesus' name, AMEN~

We're Better Than That~

TGIF Greetings~

Thank you all so much for your kind words on yesterday's DEVO; I appreciate them! More importantly, I hope the message is deeply ingrained in all of us: GOD ANSWERS PRAYER!

And I know there are still some folks who struggle with praying for themselves, which is why I want you to consider what God took the time to include in the Bible about Jabez.

1 Chronicles 4:9 "Jabez was a better man than his brothers, a man of honor...."

If you read chapter four of 1 Chronicles, it is a list of the descendants of Judah, Etam, Kenaz, Caleb...pretty unremarkable stuff. But right in the middle of this list appears Jabez, his prayer, and God's personal analysis--Jabez was a man of honor.

Everyone else is just named, but Jabez is highlighted. When God highlights somethings--when something stands out--we should pay attention. Why would God say Jabez was a man of honor?

Because a man of honor realizes his need for God's intervention in his life. A foolish man doesn't realize this, and a prideful man won't admit it.

I am going to confidently say that none of is prideful or foolish. That means we are all honorable and better than we would be because we pray.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, We offer You today our praise straight out of Pslam 116: "We love You! You answer our prayers. You pay attention to us, adn so we will pray to You as long as we live." In Jesus' name, AMEN~

Pain Free~

1 Chronicles 4:10 Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request.


Greetings all you Jabez scholars~


I love the Bible. It has eye-opening verses that were written from God to you and me so we can pray confidently.


When we ask God to bless us, and increase our sphere of influence by giving us wisdom, and invite His hand to guide and keep us from harm, it all works together like one big powerful and heavenly umbrella to shield us from pain. Could this mean that if we don't pray and don't ask for increase, and don't invite God's hand to be with us and keep us from harm that we will suffer needlessly?


All I know is that if given the option, I would rather pray than sit around waiting to find out. And I know there have been many many moments when I have seen the power of God clearly interfering in my life to take care of me and the ones I love.


Last Saturday Rayray asked her dad to iron the pockets on her pants. She was in a hurry, and between them they had the brilliant idea it would be more efficient to iron them while Rayray was wearing them. Everything started our fine, and then Jorge pushed the steam button. The hot and searing water penetrated the fabric and promptly left six perfectly round burn marks on Rayray's skin. She yelped, Jorge considered burning himself to show solidarity, and I applied the burn cream and gauze.


..."so that I will be free from pain."


Life is full of pain; God knows it. He also knows that when we pray to be spared and protected, we are spared and protected from a lot of junk. (What if Rayray had been wearing a blouse and had wanted the collar ironed?) No one will live their entire life pain free, but it is biblical to ask God to spare you unnecessary suffering.


Rayray's burns stung like crazy, but she is all better three days later and will make a full recovery. If only all pain lasted three days. Sigh~


I accept God at His word, and since I certainly do not want any extra pain coming my way, I intend to be as bold as Jabez and ask God to keep me from it.


Will you join me?


PRAYER: Dear Lord, Keep us from pain. Help us and our families make wise decisions. Wherever there is someone who could benefit from our experience, give them an ear to hear our words. Extend Your hand over us all like a mighty shade of protection. And deliver us from evil. In Jesus' name, AMEN~

I-Need-This-Now~

TGIAF--Thank God it's Almost Friday:)

I love it when a DEVO hits a nerve, and yesterday's was a doozy. Many of you were happy to see that not only is it okay to pray for yourself, but that God actually welcomes it and shows His approval by "granting the requests."

In honor of this awesome revelation let's examine the Jabez prayer.

1 Chronicles 4:10

Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request.

Jabez cried...

When the kids were in elementary school I made friends with another mom who was a nurse. One day she climbed onto a stool and started cleaning the ceiling fan blades. She lost her balance and fell backward and landed so awkwardly that she fractured both elbows. Yes, at the same time.

Picture this poor gal without the use of her arms for eight weeks. Picture both arms in casts up to the shoulders with a stick at the hip to keep them at an angle. Picture her needing help for EVERYTHING.

And when I think of her I think of Jabez, because on the day she fell no one was home and she cried out--loudly--for over an hour until a neighbor arrived.

Jabez's prayer was not some softly spoken, whispered, half-hearted request. It was an urgent, I-need-this-now petition. Time was of the essence!!!

God answers these kind of prayers. What do feel you feel the need to cry out for today?

And please note that Jabez cried out for more than one thing. Think of it as invitation to bring all your concerns before the Lord.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You that You know we sometimes need to cry out for help, and thank You that You answer. Today I cry out for __________! In Jesus' name, AMEN~

Me, My, Me, Me, & Me~

Good morning, all you precious and blessed children of the Most-high God.

Last night one of Rayray's college buddies visited, and over the years I have really grown to love these kids, who like all of us, are trying to live their lives and figure out their purpose.  

So when I sensed the opportunity to get all Biblical, I flat out asked this young man if we could pray before he left.  I kind of chuckled when he automatically stood up and made the prayer circle formation. (He remembered all those times I would "politely" encourage them to say grace before eating.  Okay--maybe I did mention one or two stories of people who ate poisoned food but only the one who prayed was spared a cruel and agonizing death.  Rayraywould always say that I was indicting my own cooking).

Nevertheless, as we stood in our little circle, I asked what he wanted for himself and he said: "I do not feel comfortable asking for myself, but I would like for God to help my mom, dad, and brother."

I prayed for him instead.  It grieves me when people say to me that they don't feel right praying for themselves, and I hear it so often that it's time to set the record straight.  I am not sure where this notion that praying for oneself is somehow wrong or self-centered, but it's out there and it's capital "C" Crazy!

As always the Bible is our infallible guide for living, and it very clearly states--in more than one verse--that we can and should pray for ourselves.  The best verse, however, to drive this point home is found in 1 Chronicles 4:10, "Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, "'Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!'"  And God granted what he asked."

This is such a fully-loaded verse, but notice the me, my, me, me, and me structure.  It was all about Jabez praying for himself.

And let's not overlook the very last part of the verse: AND GOD GRANTED WHAT HE ASKED.

Could it be that praying for ourselves is actually the best thing for our families?  That when we walk in peace and protection and joy and mental stability it has a way of positively impacting those around us?

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Your Word is clear that we can and should pray for ourselves.  And most importantly, You grant our requests.  We lift up our voices with Jabez's and pray that You would bless us and enlarge our borders.  We pray that Your hand would be with us--guiding us--and that You would keep us from harm.  In Jesus name, AMEN~