God of ALL Comfort

Praise be to You, the God and Father of our LORD Jesus Christ! You are the Father of compassion and the God of ALL comfort!

 

LORD, You have been with me through fiery troubles. You comforted me even when I didn't realize You were doing so.  Sweet Jesus, I desire to give another the same comfort You have given me.  Make me a willing giver of comfort!

 

Thank You, Father of compassion!  Thank You God of ALL comfort!  You have poured out Your gift of unconditional love onto me!  Thank You for walking this life's journey with me and for carrying me most of the way!!

 

LORD Jesus, we bring before You _______.  Hear our heart's sincere cry out to You for ____.  Comfort _____ in all his/her troubles.  We pray this in Your name, Jesus.  We pray God's will be done in each of our lives and in our church families and in our communities.  Your Kingdom come, Your will be done. Amen

 

2 Corinthians 1:3-5

³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. ⁵ For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.

 

God Comforts As a Mother Comforts Her Child

Holy One, as a mother tenderly comforts her child, You comfort me!  When doubt, fear, and worry over take me; Your consolation brings me joy!

 

Father. Mother. Brother. Sister. There's no relationship status that can fully state who You are to me!  You are supportive of me even when I'm falling apart! Lord, may I make You LORD of  all the situations I find us (me and You, God) in.  You are in control!  Help me remember that!!

 
Lord, I thank You for all the things You chose NOT to give me!  I thank You for the closed doors. I thank You for the "dead" dreams.  Why? Because I know only You know what You have protected me from!  Thank You for always being in front of me, guiding me.
 
Jesus. Jesus. Your name is sweet! Your name is power!  It's in Your name we pray for ______. _____ feels like he/she is dwelling in the silence of death.  Reach down with Your unfailing love and support _____ in Your tender, compassionate arms.  Console him/her.  Comfort him/her as a mother comforts her child.  By the power of Your name, we pray God's will be done. Amen
 

Psalm 94:17-19 (NIV)

¹⁷ Unless the Lord had given me help,
    I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death.
¹⁸ When I said, “My foot is slipping,”
    your unfailing love, Lord, supported me.
¹⁹ When anxiety was great within me,
    your consolation brought me joy.

 

Isaiah 66:13(NIV)

¹³ As a mother comforts her child,
    so will I comfort you;
    and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.”

 

 

 

God is Good to ALL His Creation!

God of Heaven and Earth,

You are compassionate and merciful! You are good to everyone, both sinner and saint. You shower compassion on ALL Your creation!

 

Lord, forgive me for judging o harshly the people I encounter. No matter who they are or what they have done, You love them and desire a relationship with them!  Even the ones on the news, I do not desire to judge them. Only You are the righteous Judge! May my heart be dead to self righteousness and alive with Your compassion!

Lord Jesus, thank You for showing me compassion!  When I think about the cross, THAT should have been me!! The Law demands a blood sacrifice; it demands death! You gave up Your throne. You gave up being omnipotent. You gave up command of Heaven's Army. For what? For me! You were mocked. Hunted down. You walked dusty roads. Then You were tortured. Nailed to a wooden cross like a criminal. You were (are) innocent!  I am the guilty one! I'm the criminal! You took my place! Thank You for Your compassion!

Father, be good to _____.  We know You will!! Show Your compassion on _____, for he/she is Your creation!  Oh, God! May we each be instruments of Your compassion.  May we be a light to those stumbling around in darkness.  May we be joy makers to those who are drowning in sorrow.  May we be Your arms of love to everyone! May we be Jesus to someone today.  In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen

Scripture Reference: Psalm 145:8-9 (NLT)

 

The Lord is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.  The Lord is good to everyone. He showers compassion on all his creation.

  

God is Slow to Anger!

AGod, You are Compassionate!

You are merciful! You are slow to anger.  When You finally arrive at "I Am mad", You don't stay that way forever! You are filled with unfailing love and You do not constantly accuse me! Your compassion is AMAZING!

Father, in the name of Jesus, I pray Your Holy Spirit searches me through out this day. Take in consideration my actions and words.  Do they testify to You being the compassionate God?  Does my attitude reflect the mercy You have shown me? Lord, judge me accordingly and correct me. I desire to be a woman who shows compassion.

Thank You for not dealing with me harshly! You do not punish me for all my sins!!  Thank You for Your grace covering the things I do out of ignorance; the things I don't do out of fear. You recognize I am human with many weaknesses: tired, hunger, illness, etc. Thank You for being so gentle and tender with me!!

Lord, we come to You on behalf of _____.  Lord, be compassionate with _____ and slow to anger with him/her.  Do not punish _____ for his/her actions nor deal harshly with him/her. Shower _____ with Your unfailing love which will draw _____ to trust You. We know this IS Your will! You don't desire a single member of the human race to be lost for eternity. It breaks Your heart when a soul refuses Your love.  Lord, may we be Your hands of compassion! In Jesus name we pray, Amen

Scripture Reference: Psalm 103:8-14 (NLT)

The Lord is compassionate and merciful,
slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
 He will not constantly accuse us,
 nor remain angry forever.
He does not punish us for all our sins;
    he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.
For his unfailing love toward those who fear him
    is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
He has removed our sins as far from us
    as the east is from the west.
The Lord is like a father to his children,
    tender and compassionate to those who fear him.
For he knows how weak we are;
    he remembers we are only dust.

God Is Compassionate

God, You are Compassionate!

You are God of forgiveness, who is gracious with Your mercy! You are slow to anger and rich in unfailing love!

God of Heaven, forgive me when I am proud and stubborn! I know there have been times when I haven't paid attention to Your commands and have flirted with the very sin You have rescued me from. Lord Jesus, melt my heart with Your compassion. Sweet Holy Spirit, remind me of what God has done for me and whisper His goodness in my heart's ear. I do desire to be surrendered to the One who protects me to show me His love!

Lord Jesus, thank You for not abandoning me! Even when I choose my way, You go with me to guide me back to the path God desires me to take.  I have one time ... Oh, okay ... I have several times in mind of when I know You were present rescuing me from my own stupidity! THANK YOU!

Sweet Jesus, in Your great mercy, do not abandon _____. Send Your Holy Spirit to instruct _____ in God's ways. Do not stop protecting _____ but continue to sustain him/her. Jesus, there are many physical needs we lift to You as well as spiritual. We trust each of the people we love into Your loving care.  Your love; Your compassion out way ours for them. We join together in Your name, Jesus, praying for on another's burdens and concerns. We pray God's will be done in us and through us today. Amen

Scripture Reference: Nehemiah 9:16-21 (NLT)

“But our ancestors were proud and stubborn, and they paid no attention to your commands.  They refused to obey and did not remember the miracles you had done for them. Instead, they became stubborn and appointed a leader to take them back to their slavery in Egypt! But you are a God of forgiveness, gracious and merciful, slow to become angry, and rich in unfailing love. You did not abandon them,  even when they made an idol shaped like a calf and said, ‘This is your god who brought you out of Egypt!’ They committed terrible blasphemies.

 “But in your great mercy you did not abandon them to die in the wilderness. The pillar of cloud still led them forward by day, and the pillar of fire showed them the way through the night. You sent your good Spirit to instruct them, and you did not stop giving them manna from heaven or water for their thirst.  For forty years you sustained them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out, and their feet did not swell!

God is Love and His Love in Unfailing

 

 

 

Dearest Father, You are LOVE! You are patient. You are kind. You are not demanding. You do not keep a record of my wrongs; You are forgiving! You are God Almighty, the God who IS love!

 

Jesus, forgive me when I do not love others as You love me! Love can't be earned. Sometimes I forget that1 Love is to be given regardless of how I feel toward a person. Love is an action of setting myself aside to serve others as You served me ... served the world!

 

Father, thank You for saying I am Your daughter! You show me love even though I do not deserve it. Thank You for being so patient with me!

 

Father, may Your love be revealed to ___ today. We pray ___ will know You are the source of true love.  Lord Jesus, may we each be used by You to show someone Your love. May we be Your arms of love to each other. Father, we pray Your will to love one another as You love us will be done through us. Amen

 

Scripture Reference: 1 Corinthians 13:4-7; 1 John 3:1; 4:7-10

 

⁴ Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud ⁵ or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. ⁶ It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. ⁷ Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. -- 1 Cor 13:4-7 (NLT)

 

See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him. -- 1 John 3:1 (NLT)

 

⁷ Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. ⁸ But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

⁹ God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. ¹⁰ This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. -- 1 John 4:7-10 (NLT)

 

Tomorrow's Conclusion

Friday is always conclusion day. The conclusion of looking at an attribute, character, or name of God. The problem I'm having with this week's conclusion is ...

WHAT CONCLUSION?

 

 

How can we conclude looking at God is Love? The subject alone is so VAST! To examine love in just 5 days is impossible! However, the main purpose of prayer isn't to get God to do anything, it is to change us. Change how we look at the world around us. Change how we view God.  Change our relationship with God! Prayer draws us into a deeper, more intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. As we read His Word and talk to Him, something happens on the inside. A subtle change of perspective. A shift in priority.

 

I started posting these prayers for a couple of reasons. One to log them. Two to share them outside my group. Since praying scripture prayers, I've come to realize how shallow my prayer time with God had been up to January of this year.  That's not saying non-scripture prayers are shallow; I'm saying my prayers were shallow!  I know many prayer warriors who do not pray a scripture prayer who's prayers bring Heaven down to earth! Hence, the other reason to post ... to track my spiritual growth. To see where I am at and to see where God is taking me.

 

God is LOVE! Love is .... nothing like Hollywood paints it for us in the movies, nor the music industry sings about.  I'm sure "God is Love" will show up over the next few weeks too! Months. Years .... Yeah, there won't be a real conclusion tomorrow due to the fact God's love knows no end; His love is eternal.

God Is Love 4

 

Father,

 

You are LOVE!  Plain. Simple. To the point. You are LOVE! You love me!!

 

Lord Jesus, take up residence in my heart! I pray I will take root in Your love, for Your love is what makes me strong. Your love is what gives me nourishment. May my heart be fully planted in You, filled with You, willing to do Your will!!

 

Thank You for Your glorious, unlimited resources that empower me with inner strength through Your Holy Spirit! For I am weak, but You are strong! Thank You for the strength that only comes from You to do what is pleasing in Your eyes!

 

Lord Jesus, make Your home in ___'s heart, may he/she become rooted in God's love. Lord, may we each have an understanding of how wide, how long, how high, and how deep Your love is. May we each experience Your love, Lord Jesus, though it maybe to great to fully comprehend. In Your name and by Your power, Lord Jesus, we pray the Father's will be done. Amen

 

Scripture Reference: Ephesians 3:16-19 



¹⁶ I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. ¹⁷ Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. ¹⁸ And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. ¹⁹ May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

God Is Love 3

Father,

The God who does might miracles, You are LOVE! Your love endures forever! Nothing can separate me from Your love for You are mighty!

LORD Jesus, I pray Your Spirit continues to bend me to the Father's will! May my heart beat at the thought of You!

Thank You, Father, for not letting go of me! When fears and doubts assail me, You stay with me. When trials come my way, You cling to me reminding me of Your love. Thank You for not abandoning me!

Father, in the Name of Jesus, we pray ___ will know that no matter what he/she is going through that You love him/her. When troubles, persecution, hunger, or even death comes ___'s way, Your love for him/her is unfailing. May each of us remember this too! We pray Your kingdom come and Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Amen

Scripture Reference: Romans 8:35-39 (NLT)

³⁵ Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? ³⁶ (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) ³⁷ No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
³⁸ And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. ³⁹ No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Getting to Know God

Several months ago, we started a group through Moms In Prayer International. Moms coming together to pray for our children and schools. It's not limited to just moms! Grandmothers, aunts, sisters. And it's not limited to K thru 12! There are moms praying for their college kids, moms praying for their children with careers. There are even groups of mothers who pray for their children who are in prison. For more details about groups in your particular area, visit www.momsinprayer.org.

Like, I said, we (as in my church) started a Moms In Prayer group. I signed up to receive daily prayers using scripture verses via Email. I'd then text them to my BFF! From that, The Prayer Squad was formed!  Other ladies wanted to learn to pray scripture using the Four Steps of Prayer guide (Praise, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Intercession/Petition).  What started out as just a quick text with one verse turned into full length prayers! We went from 2 of us sharing to 13!!

By praying the same prayer, we are joining together and praying in unity. Even though we are in separate areas (there is one in another state), we are still uniting in God's Holy Spirit praying His will. Praying scriptures ensures we are praying according to God's will!

Praying scriptures is not the only way to pray! Please don't think this is a 100% right way to pray. However, it is a great way to dive into God's Word and learn who He is and what He desires. 

This week we are working on God's character: Love. God's love is AMAZING! We never really understand what love is until we take time to know God. I mean really know God. How do you get to know someone? Well, you talk to them right? Call the person on the phone. Shoot him/her a text. Stalk that person on Facebook. You engage with that person in some form or fashion. That is how you can get to know God!  Talk to Him! Stalk Him! Write Him a quick note ... Yes, it is ok to write God a note even if you throw it away or keep it in a journal.

Stalk God? "How does a person stalk God?" you ask. Well. It's like this ... Read the Bible. Sing Songs of Praise. Read books on Bible Studies. Find a good devotional (good as in it catches your attention!) to read daily. Attend worship services. Go to concerts of your favorite God praise, singing freak! (I'd love to hear 10th Ave North and Kutless in concert!) Attend conferences that are God centered. Find a good Bible study, Small Group, L.I.F.E group to join.  Have coffee or coke with a BFF who loves God too and chit chat about what He's doing. Be on the look out for God everywhere you go! Do you see Him in the simplest things? Do you admire the sun, moon, and stars? The flowers, kittens, and trees? Trust me! There are MANY ways to stalk God! I've only named a few! 

Trust me ... unlike Hollywood's famous names, God won't turn away any fans! He enjoys being stalked!

God is Love 2

Praying the Scriptures, Focusing on God's attributes, character, and names; following the 4-Steps of Prayer Guide. Fill in the blanks with a person's name. These are the prayers the Prayer Squad receives via text messages.

Father,

The God who created all I see, You are LOVE! You fill me with Your love through the Holy Spirit and that's how I know You are love!

LORD Jesus, search my heart! Do you find self ambition there? If so, remove it from me! I do not desire to make my own agenda happen, only Your's. May my life point to You!

Father, God, thank You for loving me while I was Your enemy! You didn't wait until I was living by Your laws to save me! No, you saved me & poured Your Holy Spirit into me; fixing me from the inside out. Thank You for loving me!

Father, in the name of Jesus, we lift up __ who is utterly helpless without You. Draw __ to You! May __ know that most people wouldn't die for him/her BUT You showed him/her Your love by dying for __. Lord, Your kingdom come and Your will be done in our lives as it is in Heaven. Amen

Scripture Reference: Romans 5:5-8 (NLT)

⁵ And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.
⁶ When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. ⁷ Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. ⁸ But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

God Is Love 1

Praying the Scriptures, Focusing on God's attributes, character, and names; following the 4-Steps of Prayer Guide. Prayers the Prayer Squad receives via text messages.

Father,

PRAISE: The GOD of gods! The LORD of lords! Your faithful love endures forever! You remember me in my weakness and You rescue me! You save me from my enemy who is Your enemy! You provide nourishment for me & You are my strength! Your love is everlasting!!

CONFESSION: LORD Jesus, You know I am made of dirt, dust of the earth. I am human. I am weak. Forgive me for choices I make out of fear! Forgive me for not always saying "Yes, LORD". I desire to be a woman who says "Yes" to Your request ...

THANKSGIVING:  Father, thank You for all the provision! Thank You for setting the sun, moon, & stars in the heavens to govern the light You created! The sun reminds me of Your love & the moon reminds me of how Your think of every detail. Thank You for thinking of  EVERY detail in my life!!

INTERCESSION:  Father, in the name of Jesus, may (insert a name here) know Your faithful love! Your love looks on ____'s weakness & looks past his/her faults & sees all he/she will be when he/she turns to You. In the name of Jesus, we pray the Father's will be done in our lives & in the lives of those in our cities. Your kingdom come, Your will be done. Amen

Scripture Reference: Psalm 136:1-9, 23-26

Is God's Gifts, Talents, and Task Enough?

I have finished the book "I'm Not Good Enough"... And Other Lies Women Tell Themselves. I started skimming through and taking notes for the GiG meetings we'll be having covering the book.  The first section of the book is about getting to know who the real enemy is that whispers lies in our ears. Of course, many of us know it's that devil we call Satan.  Sharon, along with many Bible teachers believes the fall of Lucifer (Satan) is recorded in Isaiah 14:12-15 and Ezekiel 28:11-19. I won't argue for nor against that teaching. We do know Jesus saw Satan fall from heaven (Luke 10:17-19). We also learn of the war in Heaven in Revelation 12. I know. I know. Revelation gets into prophecy and theological debates BUT there is a mixture of past and future in this particular scene. Kinda like a Reader Digest version of a bunch of events.

I have thoughts though! I should say, I pondered some thoughts. For instance, let's go with the popular thought Lucifer (aka Satan) was an angel. Why did he rebel? How did he possibly convince 1/3rd of Heaven's angelic host to rebel right along side of him? He had everything! Beauty. Talent. When God created him, it was like God gave him the extra special treatment. Everything God blessed Lucifer with wasn't enough!  God's gifts weren't to him weren't enough.  He wanted more! He wanted God's throne!

However, what kept the other angels from rebelling against God?  You know ... Gabriel and Michael.  Why didn't Gabriel rebel? Why didn't Michael rebel?  What about the others?  What made them decide to stay on God's team and not follow Lucifer?

Know what I think? Gabe and Mike were and are content (satisfied, fulfilled) with the gifts, talents, and task God gave them! They love God and desire nothing more than to be in His service.

Paul writes in Philippians 4:12-13  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength. (NIV). In Hebrews:  Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (13:5 NIV)

So, the question for you and me is: Are we content (satisfied, fulfilled) with the gifts, talents, and task God gives us? Is God really all you or I need? Can God ever be enough for each of us?  Until the answer is "yes", we'll not feel at peace. God wants to give us good things!  He doesn't want us looking around at what everyone else has and getting upset because we think someone else gift is nicer.

What are some of God's gifts He gives that we tend to be "dissatisfied" with?  Singleness. Marriage. The house we live in. The car we drive. Our hair color (its ok to grin!). Our job. Our skin color. Our children. These are just a few! The list can be a mile long!! In Sharon's book, she covers the age old "I'd be happy if (you fill in this blank)". Until we see this as a lie that Satan plants in our brains and replace it with God's truth, we'll never be satisfied. The blessings God gives us will be unwanted gifts.

Last August, my mother wanted to give me a birthday present that I'd really like. She knows I like a certain store in the mall. I showed her the scents I like. When I opened my present, the wrong scent was in there! I was upset! I didn't get mad at her but I was thinking "This is NOT what I showed her!" I had showed her two. Then she explained what happened. The store didn't have one of the favorite scents and she couldn't remember the other one. The clerk talked her into the one she bought me. It still smelled nice. I felt like a complete jerk that I hadn't appreciated the efforts of my half blind mom who loves me so much to fight her way into that mad house to buy me a birthday present because she loves me.

How many times do we do that with the gifts God gives us? How many times do we open a gift from Him just to look at Him and say "You gave me this? I told You what I wanted." God knows better for each of us. He sees what we cannot.  He knows some of the things we ask for might cause us harm. He also knows we have limited imagination. Some of the things we ask for aren't always very good and God wants to give very good gifts!

Is the gifts, talents, and task God has given you ... Are they good enough? Is God enough for you? Does He complete you? Does He satisfy you? Interesting questions ....