Loving like God...

My prayer:

Sweet Father. I am in unfamiliar waters right now and I need your help and direction. I am doing my best to stay focused on you knowing that you will take care of everything else. It can be hard sometimes though. 

I pray God and ask that you block the distractions, anything that is trying to keep me from your will. Help me God to see myself how you see me and not what others say about me. Help me God to see others as you see them, for their promise and covered in your blood of forgiveness. Help me God to be so in touch with your love that I heal quickly from the emotional pain that comes with living life in this world. 

God I pray for a flood of your love tonight over the entire world. Flood us God so we can love like you love. 

What God Said Tonight:

Loving like me is a great goal. You will  love like me when your love is bigger than your ego. You will love like me when your love is more important that anything else. When you are willing to humble yourself and do anything just so someone knows they are loved. When you are ready to die to show someone how much you love them. 

Loving like me is not easy and is not always pleasant. It costs something to love like me. I love you and I don't expect you to love like me but I do expect you to love. I expect you to love as a response to my love. I expect you to love me and to love the people around you. I expect you to let offense roll off your back with the assurance that I am your Father and I give you your identity. 

I expect you to love the ones that no one else wants to love, when they are at their most unloveable. I expect you not to turn your back but look them in the face and love. 

You don't have to love like me but you do have to love like you, with the new heart I have given you. Love is a choice and love is your choice. Choose it daily.

I don't know...

My prayer:

I have nothing new to say tonight God. I love you. I am grateful for all that you do. I have the same struggles and the same challenges that seem to cycle back to me over and over which is SUPER frustrating. 

I wish I was a better student for you God. I wish I was a faster learner so I didn't have to go through the same thing over and over. But, I am not. So, here I am, at the end of me and completely open to whatever you have. Which, I guess is a pretty good place to be. I love you Daddy!

What God Said Tonight:

The people you most admire. What do they have in common? It is not that they are perfect? It is that they never give up. It is that they are transparent and admit that they struggle. 

You do not need to have the answer. There is much you do not yet know and that is ok. That is what makes life exciting and worth waking up tomorrow. You are not me. You do not know the end from the beginning. You are left in the difficult but enviable place of just trusting me . 

Trust me in ALL things. Trust me even in the things that you think are not going right. Trust me in the things that you think I don't care about. Truth is I care about everything that you care about because I love you so much. 

I an interested in everything that you are interested in because I love you like crazy, I can't stop thinking about you. You are my whole reason. You, and your brothers and sisters are my entire purpose. And, out of that deep love, I will take care of your heart, your dreams, your worries, your needs. Now and forever my love.

The power behind the process...

My prayer:

You are incredible God!! You heal us even when we aren't even praying for that. We were praying tonight for deliverance from smoking and you gave her new lungs! We were praying for healing for my head and you healed my heart...and then my head. In some ways you are super predictable. I mean, I know that you will always love me and work everything out for my good. But, the way you get there is ALWAYS a surprise. Thank you for surprising me daily God!

What God Said Tonight:

How we get to where we are going is not really important. However, I never want you to think it is the process that got us there. You must always remember that I got us there. 

That is why I change things around. That is why I healed one blind man by spitting on him and another through prayer. That way you can always remember that it is the power behind the process and not the process itself. If you start to get too tied up in the process, that becomes witchcraft and gets really dangerous. 

Trust in me and enjoy the ride.

Truth, freedom, and dandelions...

My prayer:

Mighty God. Pastor Don said something last Sunday and we just were talking about in group tonight. The more I think about this, the more I am sure that it is true and completely changes how I look at the really big challenges in this life. He said that "Most people will tell you that God never gives you more than what you can handle; but, I think God never gives you more than He can handle." 

When I think about it that way, I NEVER have to worry about anything. There is nothing too big for you and as long as I have you, there is nothing that can take me out because you will handle it. That is really liberating! 

It is more than the saying that whatever doesn't kill me makes me stronger. It is that my strength is not really the issue. I have your strength in me and you on my side so my strength isn't a part of what is necessary. Anyway, I am probably just blathering on at this point but I want to thank you for that wisdom. Thank you that you are always teaching me!

What God Said Tonight:

You are free. Free indeed. You have a bit more truth tonight and truth will always set you free. 

There is joy in freedom. Remember what it was like when you were young to chase the dried dandelions through the field as they floated on the breeze? Truth brings freedom like that. It brings a joyful abandon from worry and a celebration. 

Get as much truth as you can in your life. Run from lies and surround yourself in truth. Lies are the cancer of this world. They will destroy everything in their path and they multiply without any restraint. The truth will stand strong and unmovable forever. 

The more truth you have in your life, the less chance there is for lies to come in. Love you daughter. 

Land of victory...

My prayer:

So, today was pretty great God. I had meetings all day and every single person said "yes!" Kind of making my head spin but, wow! Super amazing wonderful fantastic! You are so GOOD!! Life with you is so GREAT! 

You are my comfort when things go wrong. You are my provider when I am in need. You are my teacher when I an unwise. You are my salvation when I sin. You are my healer when I am sick. You are my joy...ALL THE TIME!! LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!

What God Said Tonight:

Living in victory. Victory is a country that I created just for you. I created it for you to live in. So often, my people get stuck in defeat. Defeat is like a thick mud puddle that sucks you in if you let it. If you stay for any length of time dwelling on defeat, you will sink down in it and it will be harder and harder to get out. 

Instead, recognize that you home, the place I created for you is a land of victory. I always planned for my family to be victorious. Not just in the end but to live in victory. I have made the place. Now, come live in it. 

Pull yourself out of defeat. Stop thinking that the mud puddle of defeat is your home. Pull yourself out and come live in the land of victory. You were made for it. 

Goofy...

My prayer:

Amazing God. I am so tired. Three hours of sleep is just not enough but somehow you brought me through this day. 

Best part of today was that idea you had last night of the Random Acts of Kindness Week. It has been so much fun seeing what your people are doing with that. I can see it as these great waves of goodness just going out around the world. Wow, that sounded a bit goofy but it is beautiful in my head. 

Ok, I should probably stop talking and just listen since my thoughts are so jumbled. Love you!

What God Said Tonight:

I like it when you are goofy. I like it when you let down the mask of self assuredness and just be yourself with me. 

I already know everything there is about you. There is no reason to ever have a mask on with me. I know that life is hard and sometimes you feel the need to protect yourself but you never have to protect yourself against me. I am always on your side. 

You can literally let it all hang out with me and I promise, I PROMISE, I will never reject you. I will always love you. No matter how ugly you think you are, I always see your beauty. I always see your potential. I always see the joy that I planted in the core of you. I LOVE YOU.

What if...

My prayer:

Precious Father. Sitting here tonight, thinking, what if.. What if every part of my life was great at the exact same time? What if the physical, spiritual, and emotional parts of me were all fully satisfied at the same time? Maybe it would be too much good and I would just pass out? I would like to try it someday and see. 

I guess if I was fully satisfied in every area of my life, I would have nothing to strive for or to work for and that would get boring pretty quick. I am trying to find reasons tonight God to be at peace with the things that are not right. 

There are some things that are simply not right and I don't know what, if anything I can do to make them right. I hate "wrongness" in my life. But, there is SO MUCH that is right in my life, I feel ungrateful to even notice the things that are not right. Uggh! I just need to get out of my own head tonight God. How about I listen and stop talking...

What God Said Tonight:

Why are you disquieted, oh my soul? If you are going to focus on this, make sure you are focusing on the right thing. Look deep into your soul for the root of it. You know the roots, bitterness, fear, sin, unbelief...to name a few. 

Find the root and attack the root. When you get at the root, the plant, the result of the root, will right itself soon enough. I love you and it is the desire of my heart to give you the desires of your heart. Make sure you know what those are.