The Intentional Place of Prayer

In 2010, we as God’s people will have to be intentional especially where prayer is concerned.

The Lord has been merciful in previous years and has kept us in the midst of our microwave mentality. We may spend 5 minutes in what we think is prayer,doing all the talking. Sometimes it seems what we call prayer is merely a gripe session or just asking for stuff.

While God is extremely gracious and allows us to vent, meaningful and purposeful communication with God has to include time to listen.
Just mothers and fathers love spending time with their children talking and listening, our Heavenly Father also looks forward to time with us talking and listening.

Ephesians 1:4-5 GNB says, Even before the world was made, God had already chosen us to be his through our union with Christ, so that we would be holy and without fault before him.Because of his love God had already decided that through Jesus Christ he would make us his children---this was his pleasure and purpose.

We are reminded in John 15:4&5 we as branches have to stay connected to the true vine who is Jesus, if we are to be effective and really fruitful. It is made clear that without Him we can not produce anything that is truly valuable.
It is by living in Him that we get things accomplished.

Look at the following scripture verses:
John 15:7 CEV Stay joined to me and let my teachings become part of you. Then you can pray for whatever you want, and your prayer will be answered.

John 15:8 GW) You give glory to my Father when you produce a lot of fruit and therefore show that you are my disciples.

Our minds along with our spirit need to be actively engaged to remember our abiding place in Christ Jesus. It is from that place in Him that we are in His will and bear much fruit having our prayers answered. While not exclusively, I believe from this passage of scripture, answered prayer is like fruit and God is glorified by it, and we demonstrate that we are disciples of Jesus.

The way to stay joined or connected to Jesus is found in John 15:9-10,12 God's Word translation.

9. "I have loved you the same way the Father has loved me. So live in my love.
10.If you obey my commandments, you will live in my love. I have obeyed my Father's commandments, and in that way I live in his love.
12.Love each other as I have loved you. This is what I'm commanding you to do.

Love keeps us connected, fulfills the law and is the fuel of faith. Gal 5:6 tells us that faith works by love.

All of this can be a bit overwhelming, but the Father Himself worked out all the details for us.

(Ephesians 1:13 GNB) And you also became God's people when you heard the true message, the Good News that brought you salvation. You believed in Christ, and God put his stamp of ownership on you by giving you the Holy Spirit he had promised.

We have God the Holy Spirit living in us! He prays with us, for us and through us according to the will of God the Father.

(Romans 8:26 GW) At the same time the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we don't know how to pray for what we need. But the Spirit intercedes along with our groans that cannot be expressed in words.

(Romans 8:27 GW) The one who searches our hearts knows what the Spirit has in mind. The Spirit intercedes for God's people the way God wants him to.

Prayer is the place of our abiding/living in Christ Jesus. It is the communion and fellowship of the Holy Spirit leading us in the way to speak and respond to God.
Because the Holy Spirit secures our remaining in Christ, we have confidence that God hears our prayers and answers.

Now let’s take some time to praise God,worship and PRAY.

ETERNAL PRAISE

If you have been visiting my blog site, you can see that there is something new.
Yes, there is a video about my CD "Eternal Praise" so please check it out and give me some feed back.
It not only took a long time to get to the point of recording "Eternal Praise", but also in its completion as well. There were so many times I wanted to throw my hands up to quit, but the Holy Spirit would help me lift my hand in praise instead. Through it all God has been good and faithful and I've had to practice what I have been preaching during the whole process, causing my spirit man to grow and mature even more.
Over the years I have been learning how to endure setbacks and to perservere in spite of how I feel at the time through praise and worship.
The promises of God are not cheap nor easy to attain, yet are well worth the hardship and yes inconvenience at times. Therefore, be encouraged and press on in to receive the best that God has for you.
Invest the time to develop a love relationship with Jesus in prayer, praise and worship everyday. Allow His word to become a part of of you by taking root in your heart.

During my years of waiting, the Lord has been teaching me many things while developing me as a songwriter. By the inspiration and help of Holy Spirit, I was able to write all of the songs. I was also blessed with a great Producer, who has encouraged me to find my "voice" as an arranger and co-producer.
God is beginning to unlock and uncover many abilities I never knew I had and He will do the same for you as you seek His face.

If any of you reading this have helped me in any way with encouragement,prayer or purchasing the product, thank you from the depths of my heart. By the way if this is your first time hearing about "Eternal Praise" or you want to pick up additional copies, go to http://cdbaby.com/cd/lindanorwood or just click on the title, ETERNAL PRAISE. You will be taken to my webpage where you can make your purchase. It will make great gifts for birthdays and other special occasions. Many people have told me while listening to the CD during stressfull times they have been able to experience the joy and peace of God. Hallelujah!

While I was able to breathe a sigh of relief when it debued in January, I know that this is just the beginning. There is much more on the horizon. Join me in moving forward with anticipation of glorious days ahead, all the while giving God Eternal Praise!

>Live Blessed and Free<
Linda N.

Eternal Praise

Encouragement 101

Over the course of the last several months my assignment from the Lord has been to minister encouragement. In my own life, I’ve had plenty of opportunities to become discouraged, but the Holy Spirit reminds me of how faithful God has been and still is. As I hold on to His promises I’m encouraged to rejoice and to be thankful. So as an encourager, I want to talk about joy.

Joy while a little word provides some huge benefits. Look at Proverbs 15:13, & 15 MSG.
A cheerful heart brings a smile to your face; a sad heart makes it hard to get through the day. A miserable heart means a miserable life; a cheerful heart fills the day with song.
As you can see having joy promotes our mental and emotional well being. It even affects the way we interact with others. Joyful people are usually more pleasant to be around. Proverbs 12:25 MSG states that Worry weighs us down; a cheerful word picks us up. Particularly as Christians we can and should be filled with the joy of the Lord by the Holy Spirit not only for ourselves, but to help lift up the people we encounter as well.

However,Satan will try to use opposite negative emotions such as bitterness, depression and grief to debilitate us thereby hindering an effective witness for the Kingdom of God. I believe demonstrating the love of God and displaying His joy are vital tools to win people to Him. It is amazing what a difference a smile and kind words can make in someone’s day.

Joyfulness also impacts the health of our bodies.
Proverbs 17:22 GNB Being cheerful keeps you healthy. It is slow death to be gloomy all the time. God’s Word Translation says: A joyful heart is good medicine, but depression drains one's strength. People with various illnesses tend to rebound more frequently when they have a positive attitude.
The latter part of Nehemiah 8:10 says that the joy that the LORD gives you will make you strong. So we gain strength to deal with our battles when we have joy.
I know some may be thinking “too many things are coming against me to have joy. I’ve loss so much.” Circumstances don’t have to determine whether or not we will have joy,we decide. We can enter into the joy of the Lord by faith. Anyone who wants to experience and maintain joy will have to choose it while developing an attitude of gratitude.

I like the way Habakkuk 3:17-19 GNB sums it up.
Even though the fig trees have no fruit and no grapes grow on the vines, even though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no grain, even though the sheep all die and the cattle stalls are empty, I will still be joyful and glad, because the LORD God is my savior. The Sovereign LORD gives me strength. He makes me sure-footed as a deer and keeps me safe on the mountains.
This says to me that no matter what’s going on in our lives we can still take joy in the knowledge that the Lord is with us and will keep us even in the middle of trouble.
Let 2009 be the year you move forward with joy!