shadow

Daily Dose of Encouragement

Unlock the Mystery of Prayer

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“And if we know that he hears us–whatever we ask–we know that we have what we asked of him.”
 1 John 5:15
1 John 5:15
 And if we know that he hears us–whatever we ask–we know that we have what we asked of him.

Think of a time where you had to approach someone about an important topic (maybe your spouse, friend or even boss) and consider the different approaches you could take depending on if you thought your voice would be heard or dismissed.

HEARD:

  • you have confidence in your voice and your viewpoint.
  • speak in authority

DISMISSED:

  • lack confidence in your voice
  • question yourself

Confidence in asking makes a difference in HOW we ask and WHAT we ask. No request is too small or too large for our God.

Having the confidence in knowing that we are heard allows us to claim the power God has waiting for us in prayer.

” we know that we have what we ask of him.” NIV

Let’s look at this part of the verse in some other versions.

AMP: “we [also] know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that we have [granted to us] the requests which we have asked from Him.”

NLT:  “we also know that he will give us what we ask for.”

MSG: “and if we’re confident that he’s listening, we know that what we’ve asked for is as good as ours.”

Does this mean that a raise at work, new house, new car and free beach vacation we pray for is ours as long as we’re confident and bold in our request?

Most likely not. The good news is though, the things that we do ask for that are in His will, are the very things He already has waiting to give us. Being aligned with God in prayer allows us to ask for things he already plans to give us.

Prayer is less about a gift being given to us, and more about a door being unlocked for us.

“Prayer is not asking. Prayer is putting oneself in the hands of God, at His disposition, and listening to His voice in the depth of our hearts.” – Mother Teresa

Blessings and Love,

Stephanie Miller

 

Photo Credit: image created via wordswag

 

LESSONS LEARNED FROM SANDY, OUR GOLDEN RETRIEVER

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“All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. “

Isaiah 53:6

I Want to Do Right, But…

I recently shared with you that our beloved Golden Retriever, Sandy, is now permanently asleep.  We still grieve him, but we still have the memories – and some are lessons the Lord taught us through the sweet dog’s life.

One day we were walking on the beach and Sandy ran on ahead of us, as usual. He always came back when we called, and this time was no exception. The first time he came as soon as we called but was obviously not too happy about it. A second time he took off but only came back after much kicking and screaming on our part. The third time was the clincher –  he took off again after spotting a pretty little thing down the beach a-ways. This time we had to chase him down and leash him and haul him away from his new girlfriend. He wasn’t happy. His facial expression went square-nosed and angry. Rebellious he was.

Straight home we went. We marched him right up on the deck – put him in the corner and locked the gate behind us – or so we thought. A while later we went to free him from his misery only to find he had flown the coop. Gone.

We walked and called for him. No Sandy. Called the neighbors, no Sandy. Finally, we called the Beach Dog Pound, which was at the police department (little southern beach town) and lo and behold, they had Sandy in lock-up. We had to leave our beautiful vacation house to physically go and rescue him and pay the penalty for his escape – $200.00. He had done the wrong, but we had to pay the price because he belonged to us.

Sandy was so glad to see us! His tendency to wander – like a sheep – had gotten him into trouble. The consequences were not pleasant.

Jesus calls you and me sheep – did you know that? We, somewhat like Sandy, tend to wander off the path God has placed us on and we, too, get into trouble.  Isaiah 53:6 states:

“All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. “

Jesus made us. It says so in Genesis and the first chapter of John. We wandered away. We rebelled and didn’t come when He called. So, He left his beautiful home and came to get us.

Jesus came to rescue us from the bondage brought on by our sin. He did nothing wrong, yet He paid the price of our rebellion, and it wasn’t $200. It cost Him His very life. All He asks is that we turn from our wanderings – get over our madness – and “come home” to Him. Why? So that one day, when this earthly suit we live in wears out, we can spend the rest of eternity with him in His beautiful Home by the Crystal Sea.

Now, that’s one offer I can’t refuse. How about you? If you have decided to turn from your rebellion and return home to Daddy God, click here for the road map.  

https://www.zmiinternational.org/peace-god/

God bless you dear one.

Until next time,

Brenda

HIS DOMAIN

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“But God shows and clearly proves His [own] love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for us.”
Romans 5:8 (AMP)

A tribute to Sandy – our Golden Retriever

Born November 11, 2003 – Died – January 30, 2018

 

  Sandy, our Golden Retriever loved our yard…he was convinced this little piece of land belonged to him. He especially claimed the back yard as his domain. He knew every daisy that grew there as well as every squirrel that lived there.  He didn’t comprehend that this little piece of land was really God’s domain. It was given to us, and we in turn provided it for Sandy. He just went about the process of fulfilling his purpose for being here.

One day we heard him barking like crazy, went outside to check on the commotion, and found him standing over a baby squirrel that had fallen out of its nest. As soon as we were on the scene, he’d look at us, then look at the squirrel, and whine. Getting the message, we wrapped the squirrel in a baby blanket and gently carried it to the house. Sandy was on our heels the whole way. You would have thought he was its mama the way he whimpered and carried on. Once inside, we had to separate Sandy from the squirrel so the poor little thing wouldn’t die of fright with that big black nose hovering over him.

 

Sandy wasn’t a squirrel, yet he cared about that very different little creature. Likewise, we’re very different from Sandy, yet we love him and take care of him. When he was upset over the struggle of his little friend, we cared enough to help him.

 

 

In a much greater way, God is not like us; He is holy, sinless, and perfect. We live in His Domain, yet not only does He care about us, He loves us enough to rescue us from spending eternity without Him. When He sees us hurt, broken by the struggles of this life, He cares enough to help us through them. He is the only true and living God – Who answers our prayers – and that makes all the difference!

I’ll never forget a woman I met in Brazil the first year we were there on mission. I had just shared how Jesus died so we might live, and how He cares enough to answer our prayers. She came up to me crying, “I have served Buddha faithfully for 15 years. Can you tell me why he has never once answered my prayers?” In a flash, I heard the words rush from my lips, “Because dead men can’t answer prayers, but Jesus is not dead! He is alive! When sinful men crucified Him, God the Father raised Him from the dead. Dear sister, He hears you, He loves you, and He wants a relationship with you! Will you receive Him today?”

She did – and so can you. Here is how: http://www.zookeepersministries.com/getting-to-know-christ/

Until tomorrow,

Your Traveling Companion

Brenda