Praying and Fasting....

Each year as the New Year begins I spend time reflecting in God's word and contemplating what the New Year will bring. Last year I completed a 21 day fast with my church. My church does the Daniel diet which is quite challenging. At some point I am sure I will attempt this diet, but with my little ones it is very hard to change our diet for 21 days without changing theirs. So I spent a few days pondering what I will fast...........Then I filled out my fast contract.


Of course this is just the beginning. As the year has drawn to an end I have been left with many things to ponder. I don't know where God is leading me. I don't know the purpose of this season. I know that God is with me, and I can see that he was with me throughout this past year. I also believe with all my heart that he will be with me as I move into the next year. In my heart I know that God is always calling. There is a work to be done and his purpose and plan is for his church to complete that work. I believe that we are the church, the body of Chirst. And if we are the body why aren't his hands reaching? What am I reaching for? What should I be reaching for?

I also ponder my purpose as a parent. Colossians 1:9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; my purpose in leading my children? Where will I lead them? How will I lead them? My life is but a blink of an eye, but each choice and decision I make will effect them because our lives are intertwined. I also know that so many of us spend our adult lives blaming our parents for the choices they made that we feel emotionally traumatized by. In my morning devotion I found this reading which is quite interesting:

"A Great Prayer For Your Children

We need to pray for our children. For many years, my wife has prayed a prayer from scripture for our three sons. Here are some ideas for you to try:
* Pray that they will increase in the knowledge of God. Most parents' greatest hope for their children is that they will be happy, but a fulfilled life comes from knowing God. Without God, there is a nagging emptiness. Lots of people know about God, but knowing Him personally is different. We all know a lot about our nation's president but only a few know him personally.
* Pray that they live a worthy life. Pray that their lives have an impact for good, and that they will be people of trustworthy character.
* Pray that they're strengthened in God's power. The world and evil influences will seek to pull our children down. They need God's power to be strong, resist temptation, and do the right thing.
* And, thank God for each child. They are unique creations of God.

We all need to pray for our children. I hope these thoughts help."

I think that these prayers are definitely something to reflect on as I move into the New Year. What will you be reflecting on? How are you going into the New Year and how will you be growing?

Whatever it brings I know that this year will bring me closer to my Lord and Savior...............

Jars of Clay Faith Like a Child

Dear God,
Sorround me as I speak
The brigdes that I walk across are weak
Frustations fill the void that I can't solely bear
Dear God,
Don't let me fall apart
You've held me close to You
I have turned away and searched for answers I can't understand

They say that I can move the mountains
And they send them falling to the sea
They say that I can walk on water if I would follow and believe
with faith like a child

Sometimes
When I feel miles away
and my eyes can't see You face
I wonder if i've grown to loose my recklesness
I walk in light of You

They say that I can move the mountains
And they send them falling to the sea
They say that I can walk on water if I would follow and believe
with faith like a child

(Children Saying)

Be kind unto others
Call Jesus Christ Your Savior

They say that I can move the
mountains
And send them crashing to the sea
They say that I can walk on water
If I would follow and believe
with Faith Like a Child

They say that love can
heal the broken
They say that hope can
make you see
They say that faith can find
a Savior
If you would follow and believe
With Faith Like a Child

Support me or stand in the way?

With the new year just around the bend I find myself doing what so many others do.......I contemplate my life. I look at the year past. All my mistakes, all the joy, and all the pain laid out to reflect upon. As I reflect I often find myself drawn to bible verses like the one below.....

1Cornintians 3But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.


I realize that I long for control in my life. I do not thrive on the instability that this year has brought. I am troubled often by the unknown, and my fears. I want to trust God and seek him even in my doubts. I often feel alone in my fears and doubts. Is it just me? Do other Christians struggle with this? Of course I know that I'm not alone, and have never been alone. God is with me even in my fears, and sometimes we need to let go. Luke 1: 37 For with God nothing is impossible

I have to remember to surrender my life to his control. I also have to realize that I cannot control those around me, and that it is sinful of me to try. Craig Groeschel preached an amazing sermon called Those People this year. In this sermon he talked about how we can surrender the direction of our lives to someone besides God. As a wife I think this is an area I must pay careful attention to. I have to ask myself a simple question. Am I supporting my husband, or am I standing in the way?

You see we all have our ideas of how our marriage, lifestyle, and parenting should go. However, I see a common thread in so many marriages. When trials and struggles set in instead of turning to God we panic. There is a saying that goes something like when the mom's not happy nobody's happy. I think in many cases as a wife we can insert ourselves in a manipulative way between our spouse and God. I believe that most of us do it out of love, but it brings heartache to both our spouse and our marriage. Your spouse cannot surrender the control of his life to you, and you shouldn't ask them to. It is not your right to be in control.
Ephesians 5:23For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.

In recent years I have attended a few weddings where the vows have been changed. In fact I read an article where one church was omitting the word obey from vows because they felt that today's women were equal to their husbands and it was just to old fashioned. God is not old fashioned. He sees and understands everything. He created marriage. It is his plan for men and women. He created specific roles for both men and women in marriage. Those traditional vows are based on the word of God. Isn't it interesting in today's culture how so many people feel they can pick and choose what parts of the bible to believe. (There's another great sermon on this that you should watch from the Carols series) The bible is clear though, the husband is the spiritual leader not his wife. God created marriage to be something Great. So often we confuse our roles in marriage and settle for something good. This was not God's plan for you or your marriage. If I forget who I am in my marriage I will find myself no longer supporting my husband, but standing feet firmly planted in his way. Just look at this verse from Titus:Titus 2:5 to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed. I wonder why this verse is not read more often. An interesting message for wives, but probably considered too old fashioned for the times, don't you think?

Most of all as I look at my life and my marriage I am struck by a verse from Romans. Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Who am I to try to choose a direction for my marriage or my life? Who am I to think that I have answers to any questions? Who are you? Just because I fall short does not mean that God doesn't want me, but it does mean that I need God. Without God I am nothing. I am the sand in the desert. A drop of water in the ocean. Without God we are lost, and it is only when we find God that we find life. God is life everlasting. He is the way. He is the truth. He is the light in the darkness. He is your shield against suffering. He is in control. He is........

Matthew 10:39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.

Why?

It's funny as I look around at the Christmas decorations, the presents, and all the holiday stuff. Sure I love the Christmas tree, I love the presents, and I love egg nog. However, I do hate taking down the tree, putting up the tree, wrapping all those gifts, standing in line at the post office, and the chaos of Christmas.

For those people who decorate without knowing why, I just don't understand why they bother. What do the lights represent for them? If not the light of Christ in our world why take the time to put them up? What is a tree, and why decorate it? Unless you are remembering that he gave his life on a tree for all of man kind. How about those presents why even bother? We do it because the wise men gave their very best. We do it because Jesus was the greatest gift of all.

Christmas is about Christ. Not about all the other stuff. You don't need lights to love him. You don't need a tree to know that he died for you. You don't need gifts to receive the gift he has already wrapped for you.
John 3:16 ¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Three Choices

If we look to the gospel of Luke this CHRISTmas season we can see insight into the birth of Jesus. Insight like none found in the other gospels. Luke, a physician, had a slightly different take on things. Luke didn't try to describe what no words could ever describe, instead he gives us facts. Plain and simple facts.
Luke 2: 6-7 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, ⁷ and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

A baby born not even in a barn, but in a cave where animals sought shelter from the cold. It was not clean, not sanitary, and not a fitting place for a king. Sure you've heard the story right? We all have; haven't we the story of a baby born in the manger. The story of Jesus.

The story that leaves you with three choices:

1. Jesus is a liar

2. Jesus is a lunatic

3. Jesus is Lord


Really picture this a man comes to your town saying he the son of the most high. He performs miracles in the name of God. He hangs out with thieves, liars, and prostitutes. He doesn't follow your church laws. Imagine that. Was this man a liar, a person who believed he was God but was crazy, or was he the real thing.

There are no other options. If you don't believe in Jesus then you either believe the 1st or the 2nd. It is very easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of this season. Easy to forget the meaning. The reason for it all is often swept away in the merriment. What are you celebrating? A liar? A crazy person? The king of kings? If you are celebrating Jesus then it may be time to inspect how he lived. Where would he celebrate? What would he want?

Todd Agnew
My Jesus
..................I wanna be like my Jesus I wanna be like my Jesus
I wanna be like my Jesus, yeah I wanna be like my Jesus
Not a poster child for American prosperity, but like my Jesus You see I'm tired of living for success and popularity I wanna be like my Jesus but I'm not sure what that means To be like You Jesus
'Cause You said to live like You, love like You But then You died for me Can I be like You, Jesus? I wanna be like You, Jesus I wanna be like my Jesus