|
f8a1bea
|
We need to understand the teachings of Scripture, the depth of God's love, the call to tell others of God's grace, hope, and forgiveness.
|
|
|
Diane Moody |
|
1ddacaf
|
In prayer it is better to have a heart without words than words without a heart.
|
|
|
Diane Moody |
|
cf7e3b9
|
But as we mature in our faith, we learn to trust Him completely, even when we don't like the answers He's given us.
|
|
|
Diane Moody |
|
46efd42
|
Do not have your concert first and tune your instruments afterward. Begin the day with God. Begin the day with the Word of God and prayer, and get first of all into harmony with Him. --James Hudson Taylor2
|
|
|
Diane Moody |
|
44c1e3f
|
Surrendering to Christ means stepping aside and giving Him the pilot's seat--not the other way around.
|
|
|
Diane Moody |
|
9bdc292
|
we convince ourselves that a few minutes warming the pew now and then, listening to someone else pray is somehow sufficient. As if by showing up and tipping our spiritual hat to God, we're covered. News flash: God wants you. He wants a relationship with you. That's why He made you.
|
|
|
Diane Moody |
|
c06c27c
|
Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know." What kind of fool ignores invitations like that? The"
|
|
|
Diane Moody |
|
880acd7
|
But discipline is such a necessary part of life. Without it, we waste massive amounts of our time and energy. Likewise, discipline is an integral part of being committed to some form of daily, routine encounter with God.
|
|
|
Diane Moody |
|
e6c1951
|
He continued. "Most of the time when we go to God, it's because we want something. If we get what we want, we turn and walk off, satisfied. If we don't get what we want, we get frustrated; we kick the machine and blame God for not answering our request."3 Pete warned that this "transaction" view of prayer will always disappoint us because at the root of it, we think it's all about us.4 But prayer is so much more than giving God a list of ou..
|
|
|
Diane Moody |
|
a21247b
|
In Blue Like Jazz author Donald Miller addresses this subject from a startling perspective. I believe the greatest trick of the devil is not to get us into some sort of evil but rather have us wasting time. This is why the devil tries so hard to get Christians to be religious. If he can sink a man's mind into habit, he will prevent his heart from engaging God.1
|
|
|
Diane Moody |
|
ec0d1df
|
God needs only to think it, and anything He needs and wants is at His disposal. So He certainly didn't need us, which can only mean one thing: He must have wanted us.
|
|
|
Diane Moody |
|
3ae6769
|
Yes, God could have created robotrons, automatically wired to be perfect, make no mistakes, and readily equipped to be in a relationship with Him. But that would never do. God wanted us to want that relationship of our own free will. So He gave us a choice: either to follow Him and have a personal relationship with Him, or to reject Him.
|
|
|
Diane Moody |
|
388d159
|
Merely by making that faith choice to follow Him, each one of us have the astounding opportunity to become a vessel of His love to the world around us.
|
|
|
Diane Moody |
|
4a277cc
|
But prayer is so much more than giving God a list of our wants and needs or, in some cases, our demands. Prayer is communication. It's talking and listening.
|
|
|
Diane Moody |
|
a08701a
|
The fact is, God always answers our prayers. He just doesn't necessarily answer them the way we expect them.
|
|
|
Diane Moody |
|
619507a
|
So when we pray, He answers each prayer with our best long-term interest in mind. He may say no, He might say yes, or He may tell us to hold our horses and wait. Our challenge is to accept his response and trust Him-- completely.
|
|
|
Diane Moody |
|
11c582b
|
Unlike the empty promises and meaningless words of today's culture, God doesn't mince words or spill out fluff. He is good to His word. And He's reaching out to you. He's promising to respond personally if you'll only draw near to Him.
|
|
|
Diane Moody |
|
7d44d7e
|
To get the full flavor of an herb, it must be pressed between the fingers, so it is the same with the Scriptures; the more familiar they become, the more they reveal their hidden treasures and yield their indescribable riches. --JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, A.D. 347-407
|
|
|
Diane Moody |
|
6bad44c
|
good news is we don't have to suffer alone. We don't have to carry the burdens of our messy lives alone. God is there for us. He wants to be the Comforter in Chief for the worst that life on this earth may hand us. But we need to know Him--genuinely know Him--not just when tragedy strikes. We need to know Him every moment of every day we live.
|
|
|
Diane Moody |
|
94449c0
|
If He is the vine and we are the branches, the only way we'll survive is for us to be connected to Him: to dwell with Him or to remain in a relationship with Him. Otherwise we shrivel up like those useless branches and get tossed in the fire.
|
|
|
Diane Moody |
|
94d75df
|
amounts
|
|
|
Diane Moody |
|
fa2308d
|
What you are passionate about was created in you to make a splash in this life that no one else can make. Make it. Make it now."2"
|
|
|
Diane Moody |
|
fe950cc
|
News flash: God wants you. He wants a relationship with you. That's why He made you. And I have to be honest with you here. If you don't have much interest in spending time with God, I have to wonder about your salvation. No, I'm not Judge Judy. But if you're just going through the motions, playing the part but never owning your relationship with God, chances are you need to go back to square one and be sure beyond a shadow of doubt that yo..
|
|
|
Diane Moody |
|
f6a12df
|
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29:13)."
|
|
|
Diane Moody |
|
92d2a20
|
God is far more interested in what's in your heart. That's why He beckons us to pray in private. He's telling us to get rid of all the fluff, the flowery language, and anything else that might hinder us from pouring out our hearts before Him--and from listening to what He tells us in return.
|
|
|
Diane Moody |
|
a1f38c1
|
near to God and He will draw near to you" ( James 4:8, NKJV)."
|
|
|
Diane Moody |
|
59be35a
|
I believe with all my heart that God has a wonderful sense of humor.
|
|
|
Diane Moody |
|
196d54e
|
Tragedy will always be a part of life on earth. We may not understand why God allows such things to happen. But we have a choice. Either we can turn our backs on God, even blame Him for these unspeakable heartaches, or we can hold on. We can refuse to let go, even against all odds. Even when our faith is tested beyond our human abilities. Even when nothing makes sense any more. We can hold on because God is our only hope. Remember when we t..
|
|
|
Diane Moody |
|
ceb9f43
|
I just couldn't understand why God wasn't there for me when in my heart I knew He was supposed to be.
|
|
|
Diane Moody |
|
fef58f3
|
News flash: God wants you. He wants a relationship with you. That's why He made you. And I have to be honest with you here. If you don't have much interest in spending time with God, I have to wonder about your salvation. No, I'm not Judge Judy. But if you're just going through the motions, playing the part but never owning your relationship with God, chances are you need to go back to square one and be sure beyond a shadow of doubt that yo..
|
|
|
Diane Moody |
|
ad07f6c
|
of a refrigerator stood cloaked beneath a black cover. He said, "Most of us have reduced prayer down to a transaction. A way to manipulate what we want. A vending machine."2 At that point, he yanked off the cover revealing a large vending machine, loaded with all kinds of snacks. He inserted some coins and pushed the button for peanut M&Ms (smart man, my pastor). Nothing happened. He hit the machine a couple of times, tried to rock it. Noth..
|
|
|
Diane Moody |
|
ea2272e
|
to equate church attendance with being "spiritual."
|
|
|
Diane Moody |
|
e07ba61
|
reached for her hand then dropped his voice. "It"
|
|
|
Diane Moody |
|
74a0c0d
|
We never pause long enough to listen to our dreams, so we don't have to be responsible for them . . . If we don't wish or dream, we aren't disappointed. If we aren't disappointed, we can tolerate our lives.
|
|
|
Diane Moody |
|
885cbd7
|
By understanding God's sovereignty--His absolute control over everything--we can live our lives in the utter security of trusting Him.
|
|
|
Diane Moody |
|
655cf69
|
evening. My Aunt Lena brought one of her famous peach pies.
|
|
|
Diane Moody |
|
1025259
|
One of the best books I've read in years is Second Calling: Finding Passion and Purpose for the Rest of Your Life. Author Dale Hanson Bourke addresses this matter of our hectic lifestyles: "If I turn up the music of busyness, I will miss the whispers of God's call."2 Isn't that profound? Over the course of your life, how many of God's whispers have you missed? Does the thought of it break your heart?"
|
|
|
Diane Moody |
|
5bc84ed
|
The subject of healing is often difficult for us as humans to wrap our minds around. Why is one healed and another not? If God is all powerful as Jehovah-Rapha, then He is able to heal everyone. So why doesn't He? This side of heaven, we will never know the answers to such questions. Still, because He loves us so much, we know we can trust Him--even with our inability to understand or comprehend His ways.
|
|
|
Diane Moody |
|
61e951b
|
The greatness of His power to create and design and form and mold and make and build and arrange defies the limits of our imagination. And since He created everything, there is nothing beyond His power to fix or mend or heal or restore. . . . Having brought everything into existence that exists, He has never become bored with or distracted from or unconcerned about His creation. The Living Logos personally hovers over all He has created, gi..
|
|
|
Diane Moody |
|
8eebaf2
|
The mere fact that you picked up a book about prayer tells me you're probably a Christian. You believe Jesus is the Son of God; and somewhere along the line, you asked Jesus to come into your heart, meaning you have a relationship with Him. Maybe you grew up in church, following the Lord from an early age. Maybe you were one of thousands at a Billy Graham crusade who went forward when the invitation was given, making a commitment to follow ..
|
|
|
Diane Moody |
|
f7d654d
|
Not long ago we heard about a group of students visiting the Eighth Air Force Museum in Savannah, Georgia. The docent leading their tour, a P-47 veteran from WWII, was asked, "Did you serve in World War eleven?" Sadly, the person asking the question was the teacher. God help us." --
|
|
|
Diane Moody |
|
b78574a
|
John Bunyan once said, "In prayer it is better to have a heart without words than words without a heart."
|
|
|
Diane Moody |
|
0af95fe
|
We look upon prayer simply as a means of getting things for ourselves, but the biblical purpose of prayer is that we may get to know God Himself. --OSWALD CHAMBERS1
|
|
|
Diane Moody |
|
960f2cd
|
Look at what Colossians 1:16-17 has to say on this attribute of God's character. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. What is it you worry about most? What are the things that sometimes grip your soul and render you all but useless b..
|
|
|
Diane Moody |