Answer to Our Prayer

Jesus’ words in Luke 15:7, 10:

“I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance. Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”


It was early Monday morning, the day after Easter (2008), the phone rang and I heard my husband answer it in the next room. I heard him crying and laughing at the same time. Within minutes, he came into the bedroom handing me another phone so that I could listen in.

It was his daughter, Lori, who was telling him that she had given her heart to Jesus. Oh, what joy I felt! She was so excited and full of joy! She was laughing and crying at the same time too, and talking almost non-stop for more than an hour. There was no doubt that she had really fallen in love with Jesus.

Lori had been heavy on our hearts for some time. She was not a bad person, but she, like most people today, didn’t have room for Jesus in her life. She told me one time that she had put God on a shelf. A lot of people keep God there, thinking He will be handy when they need Him. But even in her greatest heartache and grief, it was some time before she realized that Jesus was as close as her prayer of surrender.

She thought her world had turned upside down when her husband died about fourteen months earlier. She went through the motions of carrying on her life, but inside she was dying.

I had gone through the same kind of grief when I was close to her age, so she did listen to me as I tried to console her. The message I tried to convey to her, over and over, was that she needed the Holy Spirit to help her take away the pain, that Jesus loved her and was waiting for her to come to Him. I told her that having the Holy Spirit in my life was the only way I had been able to survive.

But it seemed as though she was not listening. She later told us how deep the depression was and how very dark her life became. She said that she really felt like the devil was trying to kill her.

Oh, what a difference Jesus makes! During our conversation with her that early morning in March, we could hear the change in her voice. She had ‘done a 180’! She talked about the peace and the joy she felt. Her world was suddenly brighter, the sky bluer and the flowers prettier. She wanted to tell everyone about Jesus!

I asked Lori for permission to share how God answered our prayer for her. This is what she wrote back to me. In her own words:

“I am so blessed and want everyone to know it. God has saved my life and given me such a beautiful new one in the relationship I have with Him. I am not worthy of all the love and joy I feel everyday just knowing He is my Father who loves me unconditionally and wants nothing from me except my faithfulness to Him forever. Wow, what a "no brainer".

I am amazed and love the cleansing I feel each morning as I pray with my eyes closed then open them to feel tears just pour down my face. Not just a couple, but enough to wipe from the floor! To feel the Lord from every ounce of my being is incredible. I am tearing as I write this to you because I am so thankful for the peace He has restored in me and the life that has been opened up for me through His love.”

What a beautiful testimony! God is faithful and He does answer prayer! Continue to pray and praise God for His faithfulness. We will see all of our children come back to Him.

Blessings to you and your family,
Carolyn

What Are You Praying For Your Child?

I dare say that each one of you began praying for your babies before they were born, praying that he or she would be healthy. Being healthy seemed to be more important at that time, even more than if the baby were a boy or girl.

Our prayers begin to change when the babies started walking, climbing, and running into the streets. “Oh God, protect my baby, keep him safe!”

As my boys started school I continued to pray for their safety and good health. But now I was also praying that they do well in school, like their teacher, make lots of friends and be happy.

It was always very important to me for them to be happy. My three oldest boys were close in age and I really wanted them to love each other, to never fight and to be happy. Well, they loved each other most of the time, but being boys they were very active and very competitive.

Their teenage years kept me on my knees much of the time, praying that their guardian angels would keep them safe as they played competitive sports and they started driving cars and farm machinery. My prayer included, “Please God, don’t let them get mixed up with the wrong crowd of kids who could get them in trouble or get them hooked on drugs and drinking!”

My oldest sons are in their 40’s now and I have prayed many prayers for them through the years for many different reasons. God is faithful and He always answers! But the most important prayer a parent can pray, I believe, is to pray for that child to know Jesus Christ and to accept Him as his Savior!

I want to share a prayer with you. It is a prayer I believe the Holy Spirit gave to me and I have been praying it for several months, for each one of my children and grandchildren. It can be prayed for all of your family, those who are unsaved as well as those who are saved.

“Lord Jesus, by your Spirit, cause my children to seek You, and open their hearts to see You.
Bless them with a face-to-face encounter with You.
Cause them to confess Jesus as their Savior.
Bless them with a hunger and thirst for Your Word.
Bless them with a heart and desire to know You. Amen”

Blessings to you and your family,
Carolyn

Jesus, No Other Name!

Jesus is the only way to Heaven!
Am I politically correct when I make that statement? No, I’m not.
But those are Jesus’ own words. “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)

Do I have the freedom to make such a statement?
Yes, I do! I do for now, anyway.

I am very concerned with the way our society has accepted all the nonsense about ‘PC’, which is gradually eroding our freedom of speech. It is a common belief today that any pathway you chose will lead you to your god; for us to tell you any different will be criticizing your god and that would not be politically correct!

I believe there are even Christians who are fearful to speak out against other religions, those who are not preaching the truth. They fear that, in turn, our faith would then be criticized also and that we would all lose our religious freedom.

Please wake up! Don’t let the devil lull us to sleep with apathy! People all around us, even some in our own families are lost and going to hell.

We have the right message! We know the right way to Heaven! Share it!

Listen and be blessed as Sandi Patty beautifully sings,

"No Other Name But Jesus"

click on: http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=a12f2c227ef2628933a3

Blessings to you and your family,
Carolyn

The Power of Prayer

The most powerful position on earth is kneeling before the Lord of the universe!

“The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man (and woman) avails much.” James 5:16

While crossing the Atlantic on a ship many years ago, Bible teacher and author F. B. Meyer was asked to speak to the passengers. An agnostic listened to Meyer’s message about answered prayer and told a friend,
“I didn’t believe a word of it.”

Later that same day, the agnostic went to hear Meyer speak to another group of passengers. But before he went to the meeting, he put two oranges in his pocket. On his way, he passed an elderly woman who was fast asleep in her deck chair. Her arms were outstretched and her hands were wide open, so as a joke he put two oranges in her palms. After the meeting, he saw the woman happily eating one of the pieces of fruit.

“You seem to be enjoying that orange,” he remarked with a smile.
“Yes, sir,” she replied, “My Father is very good to me.”
“What do you mean?” pressed the agnostic.
She explained, “I have been seasick for days. I was asking God somehow to send me an orange. I fell asleep while I was praying. When I awoke, I found He had sent me not only one but two oranges!”
The agnostic was amazed by the unexpected confirmation of Meyer’s talk on answered prayer. Later, he put his trust in Christ. HGB - Our Daily Bread

I thought this was an amusing story when I read it, but it also reminded me of how much our Heavenly Father loves us and cares about even the smallest minute detail and concern in our lives. If He cares about what may seem trivial or unimportant to anyone other than our-self, how much more He cares about the salvation of our loved ones. After all, the whole reason He came to earth as one of us, was to die on the cross for our sins so that we would be reconciled with our Heavenly Father and have eternal life.

(2 Cor. 5:18-21)

He lovingly died for everyone so that none will perish and be lost.

(John 3:16, 2 Peter 3:9)

There is power in prayer and God answers prayer!

Blessing to you and your family,

Carolyn

For His Glory

I have been very intense as I learned the process of writing a blog, wanting to make every detail right. My young grandchildren have their own blogs, but for most of us grandmas ‘blog’ is a foreign word, or has been until recently.

In the midst of all this busyness, I suddenly became very excited this past week as I realized the tool that the Holy Spirit has given me to do the ministry He has placed in my hands. Wow! The Internet can be used to spread the gospel and to encourage and bless others, all for God’s glory! In doing my research I have found so many other wonderful inspiring blogs that are written by Christian believers. Thank God for this opportunity.

The Holy Spirit birthed this ministry in my heart about two years ago and meeting with other moms to share our prayers in unity has blessed me so much. God has answered many of our prayers. We have learned to praise Him for every sign, even small ones, that show us He is moving in our loved ones’ lives. He has brought reconciliation to some families and even changed our hearts and attitudes at times, so that we can pray with forgiveness. Our faith is strong, believing that we will see our prayers answered.

If you are praying for a family member to be saved, and would like for me to pray with you, please leave your request as a comment. I would like to encourage you to also meet with other praying moms to pray. There is power in unity prayer!

Matthew 18:19-20 explains one key foundation for the effectiveness of group praying. Jesus said, “If two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it shall be done for them by my Father in Heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” What a promise!!

Blessings to you and your family,
Carolyn