Tuesday

Dutch Sheets Prays God's Will for Elections



This morning I received the following in an e-mail:
A personal letter from Dutch Sheets. It is not from any of the ministries he is associated with. He would like for it to be shared with as many praying friends as possible.

Due to it's length, I've only included the last part of the letter.

"October 20, 2008

Dear Praying Friend,

...Please understand what I am saying: if we engage in this battle and do what I am asking—in mass—we will win; if we do not, we will lose. I, for one, don’t intend to allow the latter. I am in Washington, D.C. now (October 20-22) with Lou Engle and a team of prayer leaders from around the nation to war for this election.

Join us! Lose some sleep, miss some meals—pray! Pray like never before for these elections. And as you do, involve yourself not only in petitioning prayer but also in spiritual warfare. Use your God-given authority over the plans and strategies of satan’s kingdom. Bind all witchcraft that is working to control the outcome, including occultic powers that are suppressing truth. Release Christ’s Kingdom rule in every way the Holy Spirit leads you.

Don’t be deceived and don’t lose hope (if you have to, turn off the TV.) It is not too late to turn these elections. God is plenty powerful enough to do so. The real question is, will we rise to the level of prayer and spiritual warfare necessary to release that power? And remember, we don’t need a majority of Christians who are willing and able to do this—only a praying remnant. We can do it!

Here are some practical suggestions to consider:

1) Fast (a meal a day; a day a week; a Daniel fast; 3 days; 10 days; TV; etc.) and spend the time praying.

2) Agree in prayer with someone everyday for God’s will to be done.

3) Form/participate in prayer groups regularly. Churches could pray everyday.

4) Take time in every gathering to pray. (Take 15 minutes in every service to pray for the elections. Turn an entire service to harp and bowl style intercession—worship and prayer combined.)

5) Join 2 or more on a conference call and pray for 15, 20, or 30 minutes.

6) Pray on the way to work (and on the way home).

7) Pray before you go to sleep.

8) Pray before church services.

9) Ask God to give you His strategy—He will!

In His grip,
Dutch Sheets"


Friends, thank you for your prayers.
Blessings to you and your family,
Carolyn

Friday

Dare to Vote Your Conscience!

This video was shared by Tara at "Destiny Driven" a few days ago. The message is so powerful and the music is so beautiful that it needs to continue to be shared, especially in the next 11 days as we are praying for this election.





Now on the lighter side:

UNITED STATES MAP - Short But Good!

A father wanted to read a magazine but was being bothered by his little girl, Shelby. She wanted to know what the United States looked like, so he tore a sheet out of his new magazine on which was printed the map of the country. Tearing it into small pieces, he gave it to Shelby, and said, “Go into the other room and see if you can put this together. This will show you our whole country today.”

After a few minutes, Shelby returned and handed him the map, correctly fitted and taped together. The father was surprised and asked how she had finished so quickly. “Oh,” she said, “on the other side of the paper is a picture of Jesus. When I got Jesus back where He belonged, then our country just came together.”

Blessings to you and your family,
Carolyn

The Three Parts of Prayer


“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” Matt. 7:7-8, Luke 11:9-10

1. Asking
2. Seeking
3. Knocking

Asking:
Phil: 4:6-7 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

When we pray, we give God the vehicle to fulfill His promise.
Prayer is the muscle that moves the Hand of God.
The enemy is present when prayer is absent.
The enemy is absent when prayer is present.
When we care enough about the pain behind the human need, we will get desperate with God in prayer.

Seeking: Seek the Lord. Seek His presence.
Jeremiah 29:12-13 “Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”

Prayer is so simple. It’s like quietly opening a door and slipping into the very presence of God. There is the stillness to listen to His voice, perhaps to petition or only to listen. It matters not. Just to be there. In His presence is prayer!

Knocking: Intercession – ceaseless prayer.
Romans 8:26 “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”

Intercession means entreaty in favor of another, standing in the gap for others. Intercession time is love on our knees.

“Lord, make me a faithful intercessor for my children. Show me what’s on your heart for them that I might pray in harmony with your will for their lives.”

The purpose of this blog is to pray with others for the salvation of our families. However, we are to use these same principles of prayer in all of our requests.

We need to be in earnest prayer for our nation and the election next month!
Folks, it is vitally important that we are on our knees praying for God’s will to be done.

"If my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."
2 Chronicles 7:14

Blessings to you and your family,
Carolyn

Saturday

Vote - Choose Life!

There seems to be much confusion in the media today with new stories breaking faster than can be researched. I know that all of us are concerned about what is happening with the economy and the elections. I hope that all of you are praying for God’s will.

I don’t know if your greatest concern is about the economy or security or the character of the man you will vote for, but we seem to have forgotten about another important issue, LIFE.

Please know what your candidate’s opinion and vote is on abortion! We need to know it on every person we vote for, from the city and state to the national.

Please do not be confused by the language of those who are Pro-Choice. They do not like to be called Pro-Abortion which is what many of us who are Pro-Life call them, so they are identifying themselves by other names. Names like Women’s Privacy Rights or Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) that sounds innocent enough, but the abortion rights are included in both of these. Please be aware of what you vote for and whom you endorse!

We cannot continue to be silent and allow the murder of so many babies!
These babies are real persons because God’s Word tells us that He knew each one of us before we were formed.

Psalm 139:13-16 refers to God's creation of unborn human life as follows:

"For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be."

Watch this beautiful video of children singing: “Fearfully and Wonderfully Made”



Blessings to you and your family,
Carolyn

Friday

The Mother of the Prodigal Son



This poem is dedicated to all the mothers
who have wayward and lost children.
Don’t lose your faith in God who can
bring them back to the fold.

“Evening and morning and at noon
I will pray, and cry aloud,
and He shall hear my voice.”
Psalm 55:17


Where is the mother of the prodigal son
on that day so long ago?
What were her thoughts and what were her
fears as she watched him go?

How many times in the dark of night
did the tears slide down her face?
Did she get out of bed and fall on her knees,
just to pray that her boy was safe?

How were the days when she did not know:
Was he alive? Was he warm? Was he well?
Who were his friends?
And where did he sleep?
Was there anyone there she could tell?

But, oh, on that day when she looked
down the road
as she had looked since her son went away,
Did love unspeakable flood her soul?
Did she cry? What did she say?

I think when the father had welcomed
their son
and the boy had greeted his brother,
That the servants made a path for him to
enter the door
and the waiting arms of his mother.

"For this my son was dead and is alive again;
he was lost and is found."
Luke 15:24

Blessings to you and your family,
Carolyn