A prayer that moves heaven by Ron Mehl

Today I read this book during my quiet time. Yes, from 7:30am to 8:30am I read this tiny book that had so much to say. Wow! (Please come and borrow it). When a great pastor says read a book I have determined to do it. This inspired my time with God and I determined to share it with you. I have summarized it with the following but reading it truthfully is an eye opening experience. As I read this book this morning I realized that God has been teaching me about Prayer and how powerful it is in my life. Only when I get away from the distractions (including my cute whiny dog Skooter) am I able to focus on Him and hear what it is that he has to say to me. He is my early warning system about the trials that I might be facing. Thank you God for allowing me to go through this past week and learn about how You want me to pray.

Blessings, Vicki

2 Chronicles 20:1-30

Principle 1: Walk ready every day you don’t know when the Edomites are coming
Principle 2: Set your heart’s direction every morning…make up your mind to follow Him.
Principle 3: Drink deeply every day…from his fountain of mercy and grace.
Principle 4: Look beyond the facts until you see the truth.
Principle 5: Welcome Your fear as long as it drives you to your knees.
Principle 6: Always surrender to God, never to your circumstances.
Principle 7: Listen for His voice before you leave the place of prayer.
Principle 8 Ask God about Satan’s plans…before the enemy steals your most precious treasures.
Principle 9: Resolve to do what the Lord told you to do.
Principle 10: Cease from your own striving and wait for Him to work.

“I’ve come to believe that Satan’s radar detects the blessings of God in the lives of His children. And, just when that believer begins to feel secure and confident, he moves in to try and test that man or woman, hoping to catch one of God’s kids unawares.

There are times in your life when facts do not line up with the truth.

When trouble comes, ask three questions:
God, what do you see?
God, what are you going to do?
God, what should I be doing?

When Satan lifts his head he is never more vulnerable.
The servant of the Lord is indestructible until the Lord is done with him/her.

The Exacting Price Of Righteousness

As I was listening to the radio this morning I thought how appropriate it was that we were studying how "sin" first entered the world through Eve. Often throughout my christian walk I have asked or been asked the following question, "did God make a mistake?" or "why didn't God just start over?" Either question requires that we ponder the word of God and without a proper explanation we might admit that our God is limited. Ah...but he is not.
Let me explain. The pastor speaking this morning said that the unrighteousness of sin required a penalty be paid and rather than exact the price of righteousness on us He exacted the price on His own Son. You see because Jesus was man (son of man) he could pay our price and because God was Jesus (son of God) he could withstand the price = complete separation from God. But Jesus died way after Adam and Eve fell and so God had to have a plan already in mind when the sin was committed.
Aha! God already knew that we were going to fail and he needed a perfect plan of redemption. Not to make it too simple because the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus are anything but simple, but it is a perfect plan.

So, as I ponder the next questions that come....here is some light reading:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/331824/Why-Did-God-Create-Mankind


Blessings to all of you this Easter Week as I ponder in gratitude what Jesus did for me!

The First Bad Girl - Evie, why did she blow it?

Wow! I am humbled by all my thoughts that are racing through my mind after just reading the story. The workbook is another thing! I don't know about you, but this study is powerful. I think we could study for several weeks to get something out of it. So break it down into a daily study and take each part of the scripture and read it each day then answer questions about it. Are we here to gain knowlege or are we here to find out who we are in God?

The highlights from the story in the book were the following...

Page 9 -

• her life was too heavenly for anything but the brightests of smiles


• her first memories were of walking with her father


• her father's pride and joy were eclipsed only by his love for his daughter


• fashioned from pure ivory taken from the finest of animals (Adam)


• obeying him was effortless then

Can you imagine being with a father who was perfect? I am living for that day when I can be in heaven with Him and walk with Him and experience perfect love with an obedience that is effortless...aaah....

The other thoughts that stood out was how easy it was for "Devin" to deceive and how easy it was for Evie to comply...So why when you weigh what she had in the Garden with Adam and being with her heavenly father could she fall? Look at page 31, Liz asks the question, "Did God plant this lovely tree in the garden for the very purpose of testing the obedience and faithfulness of his created beings?" Her response, "no doubt..."

So how does that test my faith? How does that make me look at God?

Well, if I look back at how Satan fell, an angel who wanted to be like God, I have to say, that God has created us all with a free will. He doesn't control us. He gives us the freedom to ask for wisdom directly from Him. If we daily wait upon the Lord then we don't avoid temptation but perhaps we can avoid the fall into sin. So, sin came into the world and God through Jesus has made provision for us. He is waiting for us to choose Him! Thank you and Praise You Jesus!

Liz Curtis Higgs then says to consider a way that we can handle sin after the deed is done and I like it. It is practical and easy to remember. We can learn from it and teach it to our children and to our sisters in Christ!

So after reading Psalm 51 here are my thoughts about how to handle sin:

1. Talk to God and ask for Mercy: "have mercy upon me O God", vs. 1


2. Ask God to "erase" your transgressions (by the blood of Jesus) vs. 2


3. Acknowlege specifically what your sin(s) are: vs. 3


4. Acknowlege truth, to know this you must know the word


5. God can clean us up, so ask him to do so vs. 10


6. Request that he restore a right relationship with Him vs. 12


7. Learn from your sin and teach others vs. 13


8. Offer your praise to God vs. 15

Finally, my thought is to have an accountability partner, not someone who will say to you, "That's okay...God forgives you" but someone who will say to you, have you read Psalm 51 and gone through the process with God to ask for forgiveness of sins?

I am growing through this and in case any of you have had "someone" whisper in your ear "This is easy for Vicki...she seems more right with God..." remember I am a sinful creature too.

My prayer is that each of you will grow through this! I am praying for you my dear sisters in Christ!

Vicki, Another Bad Girl whose heart has been made white as snow in Jesus!