Prayer was the heart of Jesus’ success, and it is also the key to our success as Christians.
We can unlock that secret power in our own lives if we learn how to focus our prayer as Jesus did.
I recently did 3 one-hour keynotes on Come Boldly Before the Throne. I spent months and months in prayer and preparation, and I found that it is one of my absolute favorite topics.
Prayer was the heart of Jesus’ success, and it is also the key to our success as Christians. We can unlock that secret power in our own lives if we learn how to focus our prayer as Jesus did.
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Treat yourself to an AMAZING book: The Compound Effect, by Darren Hardy, publisher of Success Magazine. He did so many stellar interviews for the cover, from our presidents to Lance Armstrong, Donald Trump,etc. and discovered so many gems of success that he thought, "Why don't I condense it all into a book?" Which he did. It's small and can be read in two days.
His main point is: there is a compound effect, ALWAYS, to your choices, behaviors, and habits. Whether you like it or not. He proceeds to give excellent points and tips on how to wisely choose our behaviors and regulate our habits. What's interesting to me is how science and experience confirms the principles God put forth in His Word so many years ago. "Capture every thought and make it obedient to Christ"/"I beat my body and run the race"/"Say only what is good and kind"/"Whatever is good and pure, think on those things"/"Choose you this day whom you will serve" etc. One thing the book left out: "Struggling with all HIS incredible energy, which so mightily works in me." Col. 1:29. We have the power in us that raised Christ from the dead! That's a whole lot of help! Hi my friends! Wanted to bring you up to date with a very busy summer of ministry and moving. First of all, let me tell you about our incredible ministry trip to my old home, Belize!
I have been beside myself trying to figure out how I could possibly relay to you the impact of this trip on both our team and the Belizeans. We asked God to be glorified in every aspect, and He definitely was! The BEGIN Team: I wish you could personally meet every person of the team. They were so amazing! We had a VERY full schedule---22 services in 14 days, not including the children's programs right before the adult services. Every single person was up and ready and positive and so willing to be used by God. No one complained about a thing. They loved the Belizean people, the country, the sites, the food, and maintained their senses of humor in spite of the heavy travel, pouring rain, mosquitos, and long services. I was thrilled and so proud to have each one along. The Belizeans: WHAT A JOY! A 2-fold one: 1.) We were able to see how my Dad's work has not only continued on, but florished, and it was so incredibly touching to speak to congregations that have been faithful---and growing!---for over 40 years. My sister Debbie (who went, along with her husband Dennis) and I reconnected with old pastors, grade school and high school pals, members of my dad's 7 churches, and missionaries that have continued the work. 2.) We went to a lot of the new churches too, about half of them Spanish. There is a huge contingency in Belize from El Salvador, and the missionaries are responding to the need by planting churches all over. The Gospel: We were able to present Christ and His gift of salvation and forgiveness of sins in all 22 services and give an invitation to accept Him. We don't have a head count of how many accepted Him, as Belize people are very shy and it is hard to even get them to raise their hands, so I always had them repeat the prayer if they wanted to accept His gift. So the Lord knows. But it was evident every time that the Spirit was moving in hearts. Such a sweet, sweet spirit every single time. The missionaries and pastors: NT and Joy Dellinger took over for my dad when we left in '68 and have been there ever since! What an amazingly faithful, loving pair. They, along with a team of 4 Belizeans, planned our services and all the details of the trip. We not only got to minister with the pastors of the churches but with their trainees who were our drivers and interpreters when needed for Spanish churches. A lot of bonding and visiting with their families and seeing their work for the Lord up close. Bibles and books: We were able to distribute all the Bibles, Bible studies, Magdalena DVD's, and the Freedom books we wrote everywhere we went. People were hungry for them. THANK YOU for your donations to make this possible. You: Thank you MOST OF ALL for your prayer support while we were down there. There was not a day when we didn't feel very covered with prayer. And the stories of things that went wrong (a van that stalled every time we stopped! no dinner because of service times! losing a box at the airport of all my props for speaking!) and the way God smoothed paths and answered prayers were directly related to what we knew we had in the way of prayer covering and support. When we had yet another answer to prayer we'd look at each other and go: "Yep! They're praying!" There was not one time I felt nervous or stressed, and that is the power of prayer. The God of Hope truly does fill us with joy and peace as we trust in Him! P.S. You can see pictures and read Lynn and Karen's blogs at www.easysite.com/begin What is your assignment for the kingdom of God? Do you think about this?
Whatever it is, it is uniquely YOURS! NO ONE ELSE has a combination of your background, family, history, audience, temperment, connections, talents, and passion. Those are all unique gifts God gave YOU, for His glory. Don't EVER compare yourself to others. Jesus' ministry was very different than John the Baptist's. They each used different methods to reach different audiences. God knows exactly who needs your story and message of His saving grace, and will bring them to you. Just be available, and listening to His voice. Jesus said you ARE salt. You ARE light. Not "you can be". You are. So be His seasoning! And shining light! You never know who you might affect for eternity! I smashed my brand new (to us) car 2 days ago. And learned 3 things:
1. You truly don't know what you have until it's gone. Sounds like a song, but it's true. I had a shiny new penny of a car and now it's not. Wish I could wave it back to perfect, but instead will be waving bucks in front of my repairman's face. 2. Don't try to judge the distance of your car from an inanimate, solid object when you're tired. Doesn't work. 3. It's just 'things'! Heard the best message from Ken Davis the other day at the Christian Comedians Association conference. He reiterated that it is RELATIONSHIPS that matter. Not striving to make our career bloom, or making money, or getting out that next Twitter. It isloving the Lord your God with all your being, and loving anybody you come in contact with, as you love yourself. Good to remember! Love you, my friends! Welcome to my new website and blog. I hope you'll check out all the pages and videos. Please feel free to leave a comment here!
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