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The History: A couple of years ago, I started journaling my prayers and God's responses to them. I told my friends about this, they were really interested. I told my Pastor about it and he said, how about sharing those on line. When I asked God, He said, my words are for you, but not just for you. And, here we are...I hope He speaks to you in these words.
My Prayer:
Awesome Father. I am kind of lost in my own thoughts tonight. Today was wonderful. Thank you for giving me a rest day. I really needed it. This week was a bit tough.
But now, having gotten rested, I have so many thoughts going through my head. I am trying to focus on the things that really matter. So much of what is running through my head doesn't matter. It is stuff I barely care about and I know it is stuff that you don't care about. And, if I know that you don't care about it, why do I care about it at all?
God, sometimes, like now, when I look at myself, all I see are the flaws, the spots. All I can see is where I fall short. All I can see is the things I didn't do or the the things I didn't do right.
I worry at times that this is the real picture of me. That this is how other people see me. That people only see me as a messed up screw up. I worry that I have hurt people that I don't even realize I have hurt. I worry that I am blind to my areas for improvement. I sure am using that worry word a lot tonight.
God, to sum it all up, I worry that I am not good enough and that I am a poor reflection of you. You want me to show people how amazing it is to live with you and I am trying, but sometimes I worry that what they see is me messing things up instead of seeing how amazing you are.
God, I know that you tell me I am the head and not the tail, I am above and not beneath and I am a royal priesthood. And, I know that through Christ, I am all of those things, at least in the spiritual realm. But in the day to day, when I go to work, when I hang out with friends, when I go to the grocery store, what do they see? Am I the reflection you want me to be or am I still too much of a mess dealing with my own stuff?
Dear God, make me a blessing to everyone around me. Don't let me mess up anyone else's life because I am still dealing with my stuff. Please make it all right. I love you Father!
What God Said Tonight:
Interesting prayer tonight daughter. I thought we were through this. Someone has been beating up on you good. He has no right you know. He has no right to accuse you. He has no right to even talk to you. You are my daughter, bought and paid for, and satan has no place in your life or in your thoughts.
You are all of the things you knew I would say that you are and more. I cannot let you talk badly about my precious daughter. You are my heart being shown to the world. If you think that is ugly, than you think I am ugly. I am reflected in you, in every word and in every action I am reflected through you and that is beautiful.
You are living under some false beliefs tonight. You are listening to lies. I know that you know what those lies sound like and who lies to you. He has done it so many times in your past. You know his voice. Don't listen to it. Don't listen to the lies.
Do you have areas to work on, you bet and we will always be working on areas to make you the best reflection of me that you can be. But, like with your own child, they are not less precious and amazing just because they don't know how to ride a bike yet. They will learn and that will be great when they do. But, until they do, it doesn't make them less wonderful.
You are the best you that you can be for what you know today. Tomorrow, you will know more and you will be an even better you. As long as you remain open and teachable, we will never have an issue around this.
I love you right where you are. I will love you tomorrow. I will love when you learn to "ride a bike" and I will love when you haven't yet learned. I will tell you right now that you are precious and that you are the reflection I need you to be. Be real, be transparent, and people will see this life we have together and that will be more powerful and attractive than you can imagine. It is beautiful, you are beautiful, and we are beautiful together. I love you so much. Renew yourself in that love tonight.
My prayer:
Mighty God you are everything to me. I rely on you so much. I can't imagine making it through a single day without you. I don't know how anyone does it. The people who don't yet know you, what do they do when the world turns upside down in their lives?
God, I pray for every person who doesn't know you yet or who hasn't learned how to rely on you completely yet. I pray God that you draw them in and show them how amazing you are. God show them in a very tangible and real way how you are our ever present help. God, please show them that life doesn't have to be so hard when you are in it.
I love you so much and I am so grateful that no matter what life throws at me, I have you to lean on and to go to for answers. I am so grateful that not only do you comfort me but you also make everything work to my good. Even the really tough stuff, you somehow find a way to make it turn out for my good. THANK YOU! LOVE YOU! PRAISE YOU!
What God Said Tonight:
What more do you want me to do to convince them daughter? I have done miracle after miracle. I have spoken to them through my witnesses and sometimes directly. I cannot force them. I will not force them. I want then to choose me, for their sake and mine but I won't force them.
You must my daughter continue to reflect me, continue to show the world what it can be like to live life with me. Show them what it is like to deal with the struggles and the joys of life with me in it. Show them. I will continue to work on their hearts. I will continue to do everything possible to catch their attention but I need you to show them.
They won't believe me at first because they don't trust me. They know you and they trust you. Show them the reality of a life with me. Don't sugar coat any part of it. Show them everything. You will be amazed at how many people will come to me just because they saw you, they saw me in you, and they saw what their life could be. That is why it is so important that you show our real life, never cover up.
Shine bright and people will see. Some of them will decide to come to me just from seeing a life lived for me. I say "some" but really, it will be a lot, more than you can count or keep track of. Go, rest again and we will be together again tomorrow!
My prayer:
Awesome, powerful, all knowing, loving God! Thank you for today and every opportunity. I love living for you. I love living a life of purpose. I love living a life that shows you off and blesses other people.
Less of me and more of you God. It is something I am really starting to notice God, that when I post these blog entries and I am completely wiped out, actually falling asleep as I type, those are the nights that seem to have the biggest impact on the most people. I am pretty sure that's because on those nights, there is none of me and it is all you.
God help me to get out of your way more. Help me to follow your lead better. Help me to not always jump in to do what I think I should do but to wait a minute to hear what you want me to do. I love you so much God. Help me to get out of your way more. In Jesus name, amen.
What God Said Tonight:
You are not in my way but your surrender to my will always turns out better than trying to assert your own. I gave you free will for a purpose and I want you to make choices. One of those choices can always be to jump on my train and go with me to the next destination.
I will guide you always. I will always let you know where I want you to be and what I want you to do. Listen for it. Breathe every once and a while as you are doing things and hear my voice. I am talking to you all of the time. You aren't always hearing me but I am still talking. Listen in and join me.
The more you do, the farther we will go, the more people we will touch, and the more we will accomplish for my kingdom. You are an essential piece of the kingdom of God. I need each of my children to be in place as we move into this final season of this earth. Be in position and follow my lead. I love you more than you know. I love what you can do. I love what we can do toghether when you listen. Sleep,recover, and restore again tonight.
My prayer:
Awesome day God. Awesome small group tonight God. So tired I can't keep my eyes open. Tonight is all you God. What is on your mind?
Love that you are my peace, my teacher, my Father and my Lord. I love how you love me God.
What God Said Tonight:
I am with you here, right now. Do you feel my presence? I want you to understand me tonight. I am always with you. I am with you when you are hiding away from the world and I am with you in front of crowds. I am with you when you are doubting yourself and me and I am with you when you walking full of strength into the next challenge.
I will never leave you, ever. I am yours forever. The bond we have is stronger than any bond ever measured. My love for you is greater than what can be measured.
My intention for you, my plan is bigger and more powerful than you may ever realize. Even in the middle of it, you will not fully understand he impact. I need to shield you a little from the full spread and success of what we are about to do. I need to protect you from it corrupting you. You will look back some day and understand the impact. That will be a good day. But now while you are in it, I can't show it all to you or it would mess you up.
I love you too much to leave you to the fate of anyone but me. I love you too much to let anyone but me have a piece of you. I am everything that you need and I will protect and keep you from unsafe things. I love you with a passion that I can only express through sacrificing my life for you.
I love you daughter. You get rest tonight and we will handle tomorrow as it comes. I will bless you.
My prayer:
Amazing God. I have a lot of stuff on my mind tonight God but I don't know if any of it is worth talking about.
Life is complicated but living life for you is pretty simple. I think, because you are so awesome and so big that sometimes I start to think that living right, living for you has to be complicated; but when I really think about it, it isn't. You really summed it up in two instructions: Love you with all my heart and love my neighbor like myself. Nothing complicated in that. No denomination mentioned in that. No church politics in that. No judgement in that. No dress code in that.
God, help me to get back to basics and not get distracted by the details, rules, and ideas that are not from you. Help me to remember the simplicity of you and your gospel. Help me to do those two things, love you with all my heart and love my neighbor as myself, every moment of the rest of my life. Help me God to love better. Help me to express that love better.
I do love you with all of my heart. Now and forever God, you and me and our family!
What God Said Tonight:
Simple principles, simple instructions. I have tried to make it all so plain. I even wrote it down to make it plain and yet there is still so much confusion in the world.
I don't want you to struggle to know my will and to know what I want you to do. That would be like a boss at work never telling you the expectations of you in your job and then slamming you in an evaluation. I am not unfair. I am a loving God that wants you to know everything. I want you to be fully equipped to live this life with all of the very best. I want you to know.
I am not mysterious. I am literally an open book. I just need you to read it.
It is all very simple. When in doubt love. When you are afraid, love. When you are worried about your future, love. When you are happy, love. When you are sad, love. Love is always the right response.
I love you sweet daughter and I love our time together. I love being with you and I love talking to you. Be specific in your expression of your love. Show people you really mean it. "I love your willingness to serve me" is much more meaningful to you than "I love you," right? Get specific about your love. Rest and get up tomorrow with renewed hope born out of our love.
My prayer:
You continue to bless me God! I love it so much and I feel so unworthy of it. Every time I turn around you are blessing me again. Whether it is success at work, or answering a prayer request for someone else, or the people you bless me with, every time I turn around there is new blessing.
It is getting so I am not surprised anymore. I am still unbelievably grateful. I am still in awe. But, it doesn't surprise me anymore. Like today with the call with the potential client. They had already decided they were going to contract us before we ever got on the phone. We really didn't have to say a thing. We talk details on Wednesday and they want to get started right away. At the end of the call, all I could think was, "Yep, that's how my God rolls!"
I love you God. Being spoiled by your blessings is amazing. Help me to keep it all in perspective. Help me God to never lose the understanding that the blessings may be great, but you are my focus. Help me to remember the principles of your Kingdom and what I sow is what I reap. Thank you God for every opportunity to be generous. Thank you God for multiplying that generosity back to me that I can give even more. The cycle of blessing is a pretty good way to live! LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!
What God Said Tonight:
I am glad that in looking back on today, you are reflecting on the blessings and not the challenges. There were both. There were a few pretty tough moments but your mind is focused on the good.
That is a key to living life in my will. Think on the good things. If your focus is on me and on the good things, you will see clearly and live free of so many other entanglements. Worry is an entanglement. Fear is and entanglement. Pain is an entanglement. If you keep your focus on me, you will live free of these entanglements.
You are so very precious to me and I love to bless you so much. Sometimes I get carried away but I know it is going to good ground and will produce more fruit. It is easy to give when I know it will be given in return. The same as it is for you. Once you realized that you would never miss any money you gave to me and my kingdom, it was a lot easier to give.
I wash you clean tonight my daughter. Sleep well for another day of surprises and laughter tomorrow.
My prayer:
Awesome and mighty God. I can't believe the weekend is over already. Back to work tomorrow. I am excited that I get to teach again tomorrow. It has been awhile. I pray God for your favor and help to make the information understandable and to engage the students.
Thank you God for all of the opportunities you have given me to use the gifts you have given me. To think, it wasn't that long ago that I wasn't even sure if I had any gifts from you, let alone how to use them for you. I remember so clearly that series at church about finding and following your passion and thinking, "I have no idea what my passion is!" You definitely took care of that!
Thank you God for showing me my passion and my gifts. Thank you for positioning me in so many opportunities to use them. My God this life is so much more fulfilling because of that.
I love God that when I die (or the rapture comes) that I get to live forever with you in heaven or on the new earth. That is a gift that can never be repaid. But, beyond that, I am so grateful that you love me enough to make this life so full and wonderful.
I love you God. Thank you for passion, for gifts, and for opportunities to use them. Make me a blessing to everyone around me this week God that they see you in everything I do.
What God Said Tonight:
I have a purpose and a plan. I always have. I planned this night from the beginning of time. I planned this time with you. You are so important to me, so vital to me. I love you so much and blessing you is all that I want to do.
I will bless you with work all the days of your life, not because I need you to work but because I know the fulfillment that work, good work has for you. I will never stop bringing you the opportunities to use your gifts for me.
We are in this together. You can jump right in to pretty much any opportunity that comes your way at this point. I have a safety net around you. You can think of it as a fluffy cloud layer that will keep you from being hurt when you step out. I have a lot of opportunities that will require you to step out in faith. I need you to be ready and willing to step out quickly. So, I want you to know that I have a protection around you right now.
This is the time to stretch and experiment. This is the time to go beyond what you think is possible. This is the time to dream big. I will protect you. I will cushion you. I will not let you fall. Step out and trust me. You are going to love it, I promise. I love you daughter. Keep going on this wonderful path of life you are on and trust in me.
