HOW’S YOUR PRAYER LIFE?
DO YOU PRAY?
WHO DO YOU PRAY TO?
WHAT DO YOU PRAY?
Pastor Ron (my pastor) gave an awesome message on prayer. Not your typical message on prayer. There was basically two parts to the message that I’d like to blog about. Listen to podcast here.
 
Part 1: Who do you pray to?
Basically, most everyone prays. But to who? Do you pray to the one and only Living God? Can the god of the Hindu’s, Buddists’, etc… heal the sick? Make me feel better when I’m alone? Change whole nations and cities? Do the impossible?

My GOD can! My God controls the weather! My God heals the sick! My God speaks to me! My God LOVES me! My God pours out wisdom to me! My God saves me from my own stupidity! My God saved me from an enternity in hell with a being that hates me! Can your god do that?
 
Part 2: Do you pray prayers that are as big as your god? Do you pray prayers that can only happen by God making it so? I don’t know that until recently I had. I prayed within my own limits of faith. But recently He’s been placing prayers in me that are bigger that the amount of faith I have. So in obendience, I’m praying these prayers. I can’t wait to see His Word come forth to fruition. What a day of rejoicing that will be!
 
In Matthew 16:20, God tells us we only need the amount of faith the size of a mustard seed and nothing will be impossible for us. That’s good. Because most of the time that’s about all the faith I have. I can see however Him growing that faith as I exercise that faith. Today I’ll pray with a mustard seed of faith. But like all seeds, they must grow or they will die. So tomorrow, I will have more than a mustard seed worth of faith.

What a week this has been! I feel the full onset of the enemy’s attack on me this week. My character is being tested every hour. Will I fail? Will I fall? Will I sin? Will I disappoint God?

I never understood from full experience the scripture about building your “house” on a rock (Matthew 7:24- 27). I think this is the most solid I’ve been on the rock of God when being hit by a storm. (ok, so maybe I snapped once at somebody. shame on me. I should appoligize huh? yeah.) Being so firmly planted in the Lord has made a difference.

Now don’t get me wrong…I was still very much irritable, and impatient, and bottled with - not anger - but high irritation. My blood pressure was probably through the roof all week. However, it was how I chose to deal with it. I didn’t let it out on the world. I either kept it bottled in and prayed it to God, or I ran and hide from the world till it passed. LOL

Usually stress it the quickest thing to knock me off my rock. Oh, I swayed a lot in the storm this week, but I stayed planted.

PRAISE GOD!
AMEN!

I sign on my first house next week! YEEKK. It’s a little scarey with all the work to be done on it. Sometimes I think I have too much blind faith that all will be ok. LOL Check out the pics. http://www.candacegustine.com/photos/index.php?spgmGal=House/06.11.07_The_house_before_the_purchase.

For those who may not know yet, I’m flipping this house. I will most likely live in it till next summer. I’ll fix it up over the next year and then sell it next summer. It needs a lot of work but hopefully I will be able to keep it all within budget! 

I’m getting all sorts of weird thoughts and feelings about it…cause it feels so surreal…like (now don’t laugh) - when I was in the driveway yesterday by the big tree in front, I thought, “I own a tree. I OWN a tree. This gigantic tree is MINE!” Very weird I know. And while technically its not mine, its the bank’s…my name is on it as owner. LOL