My Prayer Partner

The Holy Spirit was given to us when Jesus went back into Heaven. Jesus told His disciples that He would not leave them as orphans, but the Father would send them ‘another’ counselor to be with them forever. (John 14:18) Anne Graham Lotz calls Him "Another Jesus" because He is just like Jesus, only without a human body.

The Holy Spirit is so many things to us. He is our counselor, our comforter; He is our Helper, our advocate, and our strengthener, helping us to grow. The Holy Spirit is the "Spirit of Prayer". In Zech. 12:10 He is called "The Spirit of grace and supplications."

He is our Intercessor, and thereby He is our Prayer Partner. "The Spirit…makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God." (Romans 8:27).
I personally do not know how to pray, but from this verse I see that I am not alone in my praying. God knew I would be this way, and in His all-wise love He stooped to meet my helplessness by giving me and each of His children the Holy Spirit Himself to pray for us. With the help of our Prayer Partner, this Sweet Holy Spirit, we can with confidence lay our desires and heart-needs before God.

In every prayer we bring before God, we have the Triune God, the whole Trinity, taking part. We have God the Father who hears our prayers; the Son, our Lord Jesus in whose name we pray; and we have the Holy Spirit who prays in us and for us, and presents our prayers to the Father according to His Will. This Holy Spirit, our own special Prayer Partner, will lead us in our prayers to teach us to be intercessors who cry to Him day and night.

Father, Help me to know and reverence my Prayer Partner, this Sweet Holy ‘Spirit of Prayer!’ In Jesus name I pray, Amen

Do You Hear Me?

Do You hear me?
Do You see me?
Have you ever asked this of God? I think David felt this way on occasion. In Psalm 55:1 he pleads with God, "listen to my prayer, O God, and hide not Yourself from my supplications." And in Psalm 61, verse one, it sounds as though he is pleading "Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer."

There was a time when I thought of God’s knowing me about the way a speaker knows the person in the back row of a large auditorium full of people. Yes, I was in the crowd, I was in the door, but I was only one of the masses. Of course this also gave me reason to feel that if I did something not becoming a child of God, no one knew. Wow! Was this ever putting God into a box! I was bringing Him down to our very human level.

When Jesus Christ came to earth some 2000 years ago, and ultimately gave His life on Calvary’s Cross to pay the wages of sin, He tore away the veil separating God and man. We are now one with God if we have accepted Christ as our Savior. He states in John 17:21 "That they all may be one, (just) as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, and they also may be one in Us…" and in verse 23 "I in them and You in Me, in order that they may become one…"

Ephesians 3:17 makes it very clear that Christ dwells within me. From the Amplified version we read "May Christ through your faith (actually) dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts!"

And read what it says in Colossians 2:9 & 10 (again from the amplified): "For in Him the whole fullness of diety (the Godhead) continues to dwell in bodily form (giving complete expression of the divine nature). And you are in Him, made full and having come to fullness of life (in Christ you too are filled with the Godhead—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,--and reach full spiritual stature.)"

So I ask again, "do You hear me? Do You see me?" And the answer is "of course

my child, behold, I am with you always, as we are one."

"He knows my name,
He knows my every thought,
He sees each tear that falls
And hears me when I call!"
(Words by Tommy Walker)

Thank You Father, for hearing me, seeing me, and knowing all about me. You are so Good! Amen

Don't Worry, Be Happy!

For the past few years I have been reading the Bible, verse by verse, chapter by chapter; a chapter from the Old Testament along with a chapter from the New Testament each day. I seem to get through the New Testament two times, for each time through the Old Testament. It’s amazing what nuggets I find, even in the Old Testament, that I haven’t seen previously. I also vary my reading by using different versions each time. This time through the New Testament I have decided to use The Message, which is the New Testament in contemporary language, compiled by Eugene H. Peterson. Right away, in Matthew 6, I was thrilled by the plainness, everyday language of Jesus talking about our God-Worship. I have decided that for this week I will just copy verses 25 through 34 as it is written in this very down-to-earth language.

"If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.

"Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.

"If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

"Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes."

Wow! Could anyone say it better? That’s Jesus talking in our everyday, simple language. Don’t Worry, be happy! God is in Control!!!
　
　
　
　
　

A Worm to a Butterfly

"Strip yourselves of your former nature (put off and discard your old unrenewed self) which characterized your previous manner of life and becomes corrupt through lusts and desires that spring from delusion: And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind (having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude), And put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God’s image, (Godlike) in true righteousness and holiness."Ephesians 4:22-24 (Amplified)

For years I had the prayer that God would take me, this worm of a human being, and turn me into a butterfly. Make me what Ephesians 4:24 states, "created in God’s image, in true righteousness and holiness." Then as I began studying God’s Word, I realized, I already am a butterfly. The day I accepted Christ as my Savior, I became a new being. Isaiah 61:3 tells me, He took my ashes and gave me beauty. In Isaiah 61:10 it states "(You) clothed me with garments of salvation, (You) have wrapped me in a robe of righteousness…as a bride adorned with her jewels." II Corinthians 5:17 says, "if any person is in Christ he is a new creation." And in Colossians 3:10 (amplified) "And have clothed yourself with the new spiritual self, which is renewed and remolded into...knowledge after the image of Him who created it."

Wow! I already am a beautiful new creation in God’s sight! I have a new spiritual self! And someday I shall even have a new body, a glorified body, and one like Christ’s glorified body. David is one who realized this when he stated in Psalm 17:15 "I shall be satisfied when I wake in thy likeness." Paul tells us in Philippians 3:21 "(Lord Jesus Christ) shall change our lowly body that it may be fashioned like his glorious body…"

You see, I am already a butterfly, what more could I ask for. My soul is a new creation, and soon my body will be also.

"Like developing butterflies,
We are to shed the cocoon
Of our sinful nature that we might
Emerge into the beauty of Christ."
(Unknown)

Thank you, Lord, for taking this worm and making me into a butterfly! Amen