Tag: Faith inspired

Posted on in Encouragement, Prayers

“Here For The Comments”!

Have you ever noticed on some social media posts people will often comment “I’m here for the comments” followed with a meme of someone eating popcorn? I must admit there are times I have gone straight to the comments, because I expected the comments would be interesting. The other day I started looking at comments on a particular post knowing I was not going to comment myself. I was just curious to see how people would respond. There are times, in my opinion, I will find comments to be rude, harsh, opinionated and disrespectful. These types of comments are becoming more prevalent no matter the content or humor intended behind an actual post.

Some months back, I commented favorably on a public post about the outcome of a college football game. My comment was not hurtful or demeaning in anyway, but someone decided they wanted to respond to my comment in a sarcastic way. I was tempted to go back and forth with this person that I did not know, but I chose not to respond. I actually deleted my comment, because had I left it up, I probably would have responded negatively to the sarcasm. I don’t think I took the “high road”, but I do know what was best for me at the time.

When I thought about “here for the comments”, I wondered how we would feel if Jesus, Himself, wrote I AM here for the comments. I would hope He is pleased with some of our comments, but I would think a good portion of them are very disappointing to Him. The Bible tells us in Proverbs 18:21 “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” This means there are consequences in what we say to each other and even what we say about ourselves. Most often, in these posts where people may choose to comment, they don’t know the person making the post and they don’t know those who are commenting. However, they are comfortable stating opinions in a disrespectful way. Some people have become comfortable engaging in very demeaning conversations trying too hard to get their point across or to make a shameful attempt at being humorous. There are some who are not phased by the comments, but what about the person who may take it to heart? What about the one person who may feel shamed based on the comments made? What about the person who may be lead to be just as negative or just as spiteful? Just because we may be thinking it, does it mean we have to make the comment?

I have to repeat this verse from Psalm 19:14 as a prayer to myself on a regular basis: Father, Let the words of my mouth and the mediation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight. O Lord, You are my Strength and my Redeemer. I try to be mindful of what I say or write to others and I try to be mindful of the tone of my voice when speaking. I would hope I am being more encouraging to others and not tearing them down. I would like to think I will most often choose to take the high road and not get pulled into a pit of insults with someone I don’t even know. I would rather speak or write life giving words of affirmation and not words of discouragement.

So if you know Jesus is “here for the comments” and He is, would you choose your words more carefully?

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Dear Father, thank You for today. Thank You for choosing to wake me up this morning and guiding me through another day. LORD, thank You for being mindful of me and helping me to be a better person than I was yesterday. Father, I pray the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart will be acceptable to You. I pray the words I speak or write will encourage others and not cause hurt or harm. I pray my spoken and written comments will come forth from a place of love, respect, grace and compassion. Father, forgive me when I have chosen to say or write anything that has not been good to others or pleasing to You. Forgive me when I have hastily responded out of a place of anger or frustration. Dear God, thank You for another chance. I pray You will continue to remind me that You are “here for my comments”! In Jesus’ precious name, amen!

Posted on in Encouragement

A Sweet Reminder

I am fearfully and wonderfully made! I am His daughter; I am the apple of His eye, and I am still here!

Sometimes I have to speak words of affirmation over myself. The enemy is always busy trying to distract my thinking and disrupt my day. That’s when I have to speak what God has said about me!

“I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: Marvellous are thy works; And that my soul knoweth right well.” Psalm 139:14 KJV

“Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings” Psalms 17:8 NIV

“Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment. Matthew 9:22 NIV

“But now, this is what the Lord says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.” Isaiah 43:1 NIV

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Father, Thank You for loving me as You do. Thank You for blessing me and keeping me. Thank You for being all that I need. Thank You for Your sweet reminder that I am Yours! In Jesus’ name, amen!

All Things Beautiful

Can you believe we have made it through the 1st quarter of 2024 and spring is here? I haven’t started any yard work yet mainly because the temperature has not really warmed up enough for me to do so. However, there are plenty of visible weeds to pull and pollen is covering everything it can possibly cover. In the past week I have looked over my yard trying to decide what I want to plant this year and also to see which perennial plants are starting to peek through the ground.

Last spring I planted two rosebushes near where sections of my fence form a corner into my back yard. Although I have some petite roses, this was my first attempt to plant the standard size roses. During the summer one of the two rosebushes adjusted to where it was planted and actually produced some roses. The other rosebush seemed to struggle taking root, and I was not sure if it would survive in the summer heat. I noticed during the winter months both rosebushes were still in place along the fence, and the freezing temperatures didn’t destroy them. I have also noticed both rosebushes appear to have grown considerably in the past couple of months. Now this may be normal for roses, but as I said this has been my first attempt at growing standard size roses.

Today as I was standing at the back door, I noticed blooms on the rose bush that had appeared to struggle the most last year. Hopefully, by now you have noticed the picture above with the beautiful and vibrant red roses!  Yes, there are five roses I cut from that one rosebush!  As I started to cut each rose from the bush and marveling at how pretty they are, I thought about the scripture in Ecclesiastes that says God has made everything beautiful in its time.  

Both of these rosebushes were planted in close proximity to each other. They were planted in the same soil and they were exposed to the same weather conditions. Both of the rosebushes survived the summer’s heat and the cold winter temperatures and they survived the storms that came with each season. They even survived my novice gardening skills for roses. 

When we go through tough times and challenges in our lives, we have to prayerfully wait for changes to occur. As believers, we have to continually pray through our struggles as we wait for an answer from God. As I thought about the condition of this one rosebush, I thought about how we as believers should strive to grow closer to God even during our times of struggle. I thought about how we should gain strength from Him to keep holding on as we go through certain things. I thought about how God is mindful of us even when we appear to be giving up on ourselves or giving up on others.  I am so thankful I didn’t let my frustrations, impatience and gardening inexperience move me to pull up the one rosebush from where it was planted.  I am grateful the rosebush became more rooted in where it was planted and it didn’t stop trying to grow. I am thankful for the five beautiful roses.

The rosebush which appeared to struggle after being planted didn’t seem to adjust to or take root where it was planted. Whereas the other one took no time to adjust to its surroundings after it was planted into the ground.  Have you seen that happen in your life or someone else’s life; perhaps at work or in school? Some may receive what is perceived as better opportunities and/or receive quicker blessings. They got the promotion, but you didn’t. They had better grades and you were struggling to pass the class. I know we should not get hung up on comparisons, but there are times you can’t help but to notice certain things. This is when we have to dig deeper to trust God for His answer and to trust His timing. This is when we have to hold on to our faith and stay rooted in God’s Word. This is when we should see growth in our prayer life. God’s Word tells us:

“He has made everything beautiful in its time.  He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”  Ecclesiastes 3:11 NIV

“I am the vine; you are the branches.  If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit.”  John 15:5 NIV

“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.” Proverbs 19:21 NIV

“Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy.”  Psalm 126:5 NIV

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ ” Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

In the picture above there are five beautiful red roses that I have in a glass and placed on my dining room table. Today these were the only roses on the one rosebush for me to cut. The number five symbolizes God’s grace toward us; His unmerited favor. I am so thankful that we are saved by God’s grace and He has made everything beautiful in its time.

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Dear Heavenly Father, 

Thank You for being our Creator, our Protector and our Provider. Thank You for seeing us through another day. Thank You for being so good to us and for showing mercy towards us. Forgive us of our sins and help us to live better and more righteously each day.  Father, please give us strength to press on when times are hard. Bless us to grow closer to You and to become more firmly rooted in our faith journey.  We thank You for being our strength when we are weak. We thank you for holding on to us when we feel like letting go. Precious Father, we thank You for making all things beautiful in its time.  In the wonderful name of Jesus, amen! 

Posted on in Encouragement, Faith, Inspirational

Beyond The Reflection

As I look in the mirror these days, I see the physical changes that have been taking place in my appearance over the years and especially in the past few years.  I see the increasing number of gray hairs on my head and in my eyebrows.  I see the additional weight and the changes to my skin.  For me, aging gives a whole new meaning to moisturizing, making better food choices, resting and exercising.  A few things I took for granted in my younger years have now become necessary priorities. 8AA8921D-05FD-41FF-B537-CA5F5F80F364

As I look beyond the reflection I see in the mirror, I see a woman who has had to press her way through some tough times.  I see a woman who has had to muster up smiles when there was hardly any peace or joy within to make her smiles real.  I see a woman who has fought back tears as she tightly held on to any hope she had left.  I see a woman who has been betrayed and mistreated by some she loved all the while believing they loved her.   I see a woman who was once an innocent little girl who has endured much over the years, but has held on because God gave her the strength to endure.

I know God has carried me through these years and I know He will continue to do so.  These days I am spending more time growing in my relationship with God.  I have more time to study His Word and more time to pray. I have more time to just be still in His presence.  My time in His presence is what moves me to look beyond the reflection in the mirror. There is more of me to see and more of me to become just as there was more of me to see in other stages of my life. There was more of me to see when I was a teenager becoming a young adult.  There was more of me to see as I became a wife and a mother.  There was more of me to see from when I got my first job after college and then choosing to retire after 30 plus years with one company. There has always been more in my reflection, and now I am looking beyond the reflection wondering what is my “next”.

As I wait for further spiritual guidance, I am enjoying my quiet time with God.  I enjoy having my cup of coffee with Him in the morning.  I enjoy reading and studying His Word daily.  I enjoy listening for His voice.  I am looking beyond my now and peering into my “next”.  I am looking beyond and looking deeper within myself.  As I look deeper within myself,  I am seeking Him more.

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Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You for blessing me to see another day. Thank You for always caring for me and protecting me.  Father, I praise You for I am fearfully and wonderfully made by You.  Father, as I look beyond my reflection in the mirror I am blessed because You kept gladness in my heart.  I am glad You have never left me or forsaken me.  I love spending time in Your presence and sitting at the feet of Jesus.  Please continue to bless me as I look deeper within myself and as I draw closer to You.  It is in Jesus’ name, I say “amen”.

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       For You have been my Sovereign LORD, my confidence since my youth.  From birth I have relied on You; You brought me from my mother’s womb. I will forever praise You.  Psalms 71:6-7 (NIV)

Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. I say to myself, “the LORD is my portion, therefore I will wait for Him.” Lamentations 3:22-24 (NIV)

As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart.  Proverbs 27:19 NIV

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.   Proverbs 31:30 (NIV)

I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With Him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.  Psalms 16:7-8 (NIV)

Posted on in Encouragement

Go Back and Say Thank You!

In the story of the 10 lepers, we are told that Jesus healed all 10 from leprosy, but only one returned to say thank you.

In the book of Luke, chapter 17, the Message version, it reads as follows: “11-13 It happened that as he made his way toward Jerusalem, he crossed over the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten men, all lepers, met him. They kept their distance but raised their voices, calling out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”14-16Taking a good look at them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.”They went, and while still on their way, became clean. One of them, when he realized that he was healed, turned around and came back, shouting his gratitude, glorifying God. He kneeled at Jesus’ feet, so grateful. He couldn’t thank him enough—and he was a Samaritan.17-19Jesus said, “Were not ten healed? Where are the nine? Can none be found to come back and give glory to God except this outsider?” Then he said to him, “Get up. On your way. Your faith has healed and saved you.

When you take the time to reflect over situations you’ve been in where do you stand? Are you part of the 9 or did you go back and say “thank You”? As the world continues to see so much sickness, disease, death, chaos, devastation and violence have you thanked God that you are still here? If you are reading this, you have survived all that 2020 threw at you and you have survived a good part of 2021. Have you remembered to say “Thank You”?

“Be thankful in all circumstances. This is what God wants from you in your life union with Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (GNT)

I want to encourage you, that if you have not taken the time to tell God “Thank You, that it’s not too late to go back and tell Him.

Heavenly Father, we are coming back to say Thank You. Thank You for waking us up today. Thank You for protecting us and providing for us. Thank You for Your unconditional Love. Thank You for Your Grace and Your Mercy. Thank You for all the things You have done and especially for those things where we failed to show gratitude. Father, please forgive us for not coming back to say “Thank You”. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

He is My Rock!

Have you ever felt like you just wanted to crawl under a rock and hide? I know that is just a figure of speech, but have you ever felt that way? You just feel like you need to be by yourself or you need to take a break from all the noises and distractions going on around you. Do you have some decisions to make and you just want to spend time alone with God in order to seek His guidance? Perhaps you are dealing with some issues that are hard to put into words and/or share with others and you just want to hide under a rock. Do you just need to rest and get closer to the Rock who saves you?

I must admit I have felt like crawling under a rock many times. Even during the pandemic and time of quarantining at home, there were times I just felt like too much was going on and I needed to crawl under a rock! I found myself trying to focus on too much and being distracted all at the same time. Thankfully, when I feel this way, I know where to find my Rock in order to steal away for awhile. God is my Rock. He is the One that I can take all my troubles to and lay them down at the foot of the cross. He is the One I can go to when I am feeling overwhelmed with everything that concerns me. He is the One I ask to take captive of my thoughts and to calm my spirit. He is my Rock!

Here are a few verses out of Psalms that you can pray whenever you may feel overwhelmed or feel like you may want to crawl under a rock:

“In you, LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame. In your righteousness, rescue me and deliver me; turn your ear to me and save me. Be my rock of refuge to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress. Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of those who are evil and cruel. For you have been my hope. Sovereign LORD, my confidence since my youth.” Psalm 71:1-5 NIV

“I love you, LORD, you are my strength. The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my savior, my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.” Psalm 18:1-2 NLT

“He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken.” Psalm 64:2 NLT

“But the LORD is my fortress; my God is the mighty rock where I hide.” Psalm 94:22 NLT

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Father, I thank You for being my Rock. I thank You for being my place of shelter and refuge. I thank You for being the Rock that gives me peace, hope, joy and love. I thank You for the strength I find in You to keep going. You are my Rock. In Jesus’ name, amen!

A View Versus A Vision!

 

The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, “Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. Go walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.” (Genesis 13:14-17)

We do not see what God sees.  We see what is currently in front of us and God sees our future, our destiny and our purpose. We have a view but God has a vision.  A view is the actual extent or range of your vision.  Vision is the power of anticipating that which may come to be! In the scripture above, Abram had a view of the land in front of him. The vision was in the length and breadth of all the land and the offspring to come.  The view to Abram was that he and his wife, Sarai, were too old to have children.  The vision was the offspring that would be too numerous to count!

Our view is so much different from God’s vision.  We see our current situation and God sees what will come to pass.

The view is the struggle; the vision is the victory!

The view is the cancer; the vision is the healing!

The view is the unemployment; the vision is the new business!

The view is living from paycheck to paycheck; the vision is the harvest!

The view is the  problem; the vision is the praise!

Abram was a man of great faith.  He made a decision to trust and believe in God’s promises to him.  As he walked through the length and breadth of the land, he experienced some setbacks and some situations, but he kept on walking in faith.   Are you focusing on your current view right now? Or has God given you a vision?  Continue walking in faith.  God has plans to prosper you and give you hope for your future!

Don’t give up!

Don’t let the view distract you!

The vision is so much better!

To the persecutors of Jesus, the view was death on the Cross.  The vision was eternal life and salvation!

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Dear Lord, I am thankful that you have better things in store for me than I what I can see right now. I am thankful that Your vision will bring me through this current view that I have.  I am leaning and trusting on You, Dear Father, as I take this walk of faith to get to where You would have me to be!  In Jesus’ name, I say Amen!

Didn’t You Hear Me?

The past few weeks have been very challenging to say the least.  It seems like I get over one hurdle and before I can get one foot on the ground, another hurdle is before me!  Today, when I got home from work I had to get to my prayer closet to have one of those heart to heart conversations with God.  Our conversation went like this :

Me:  Lord, what is going on?  Why do I feel like I am in several battles at one time?  Why do I feel that I am under attack?  Why do I feel such a heaviness is on me?

God: My child, you feel this way because you have not laid your burdens down. You have not trusted me to fight your battles!

Me:  Yes, I did turn all of this over to You!  Didn’t you hear my prayers the other night when I was crying out to You?  I laid it all down, every challenge, every struggle, every disappointment.  I gave it all to You.  You must have heard me!

God: Yes, my child, I most certainly did hear you crying out to me.

Me: Well, what’s the problem?

God: My child, as soon as you finished your prayer and said in the name of Jesus, you went right back to worrying about everything you prayed about!

Me: Did I do that?

God: Yes, you did do that! In fact, you did not give me a chance to let you know that I got this! I am God all by myself! I can fight all of your battles.  I can lift every burden!  I can wipe away all of your tears.  I can mend your broken heart.  My child, I can guide you safely through every storm!

Me:  Wow!  I didn’t even realize I picked my burdens back up.  Forgive me?

God: Of course, my child, I forgive you!  But now I need you to do something for me.

Me:  What would that be?

God: Trust me!  I got this!

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Dear Lord, I am trusting You with everything!  (The good and the not so good.) I am trusting You to work everything out.  I release all of my worries and struggles to You.  I release every distraction and stumbling block to You. I  put all of my trust and confidence in You to fight all of my battles! I declare peace in every area of my life!   In Jesus’ name I thankfully say, Amen!

Posted on in Encouragement

5 Steps to Your Restoration!

worship_b_20-05-2012In a previous post I shared that God had placed three words on my heart for this year. Those words are  Release, Restore and Rejoice.  I have already written a post on Release entitled “Let It Go!” (See Broken-2b-Restored.com/Release)

Today’s post will focus on the word Restore!

When I looked up the definition of restore, I found several meanings.  Restore can mean to re-establish; or to put back; or it can mean to bring back into existence.  The definition that stood out the most to me was this one:  “to bring back to a former, more desirable condition.”

Are there areas in your life in need of restoring?  Have you been faced with an unexpected set back that nearly knocked you off your feet?  Are you holding on to some past hurts and disappointments that are hindering you from moving forward?  Have you been left with a broken heart and don’t feel that you can trust to be in love or to really be loved again?  In the midst of your setbacks, past hurts and disappointments, God can restore you and He will restore you!   Only He can restore you to a better place, a better position and a better condition than you were before!

Here are 5 Steps to your restoration:

1. Confess your brokenness! – God already knows what you are going through.  It’s just good spiritual therapy for you to get it out in the open with Him and to seek His forgiveness. Talking to God will strengthen your relationship with Him.   Isaiah 55: 6 says, “Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him while He is near!”

2. Trust God – In your time of restoration, take direction from Proverbs 3:5 which tells you to trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  You may not understand why you have experienced your brokenness and you may not understand how He is  restoring you.  You just have to trust Him to work it out for your good and then you will be able to give God  the glory that is due to Him!

3. Forgive – Forgive yourself and be ready to forgive others.  Sometimes we think it is hard to forgive others, but I have also struggled with forgiving myself.  As I analyze the areas of my own brokenness, I have to admit, that in some cases, I was just as responsible as the ones who wronged me. I made some choices that led me down a path of being hurt and mistreated. There were times when I could have walked away before experiencing complete brokenness, but I chose to stay in the mess that I was in.  I have had to learn how to forgive myself.  As I am maturing in my relationship with Christ, I am also learning to be more forgiving of others.  It is not always easy to do but that’s when I talk to God and when I have to trust God.  I know I am being restored, when God will have me pray for the person who has wronged me.  Matthew 6:12 asks God to forgive us the wrongs we have done, and allow us to forgive the wrongs that others have done to us.

4. Stay prayerful – In your time of restoration, continue to pray.  In fact, pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17)! In your process of being healed, delivered, and/or restored, continue to pray.  Being restored is a process; it won’t happen over night.  When you are in the Potter’s  hands, He is molding you into a better and stronger vessel than you were before you experienced your brokenness.  As you go through the process, cast all your cares and worries on Him because He truly does care for you. (1 Peter 5:7)

5. Be thankful – when you can praise God in the midst of your brokenness and in the process of being restored, you are being obedient to God’s word.  1 Thessalonians 5:18 says that you are to give thanks in everything; for that is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you!  Remember that trouble does not last always.  So this should tell you that even in “your process of going through the process”, your outcome will be one of victory!  Just knowing you will be restored, no matter the place your are in right now, is reason enough to give Him thanks!

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My Heavenly Father, thank You for all that You have done for me and all that You are doing for me.  Even in my brokenness, I know that I already have complete healing and restoration because of You.  I thank You for Your Word that I can meditate on day and night.  I thank You for Your continued blessings as I go through the process of being restored.  Dear Lord, thank You for making me better and stronger than I was before.  In Jesus’ precious and mighty name, Amen!

It’s As Simple As That!

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God is great; God is good!

Let us thank Him for our food!

Bow our heads and all be fed.

Give us Lord, our daily bread!

This is a simple prayer I was taught as a child to bless my food before eating.  This is the same simple prayer, 30 some years, later I taught my three young children.  A few evenings ago, I was blessed to see how this simple prayer had impacted my 17-year-old son’s life.

When my son, Isaiah, came home from basketball practice the other night he was tired and hungry (or better yet, hungry and tired!)  It was still some time before dinner, so he made himself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for a snack.  When he sat down to eat his sandwich, he bowed his head and blessed his sandwich.  As simple as that, he said a prayer over his snack!  I know that his prayers to bless his food have changed since I taught him the simple prayer cited above. The point is that he is still giving God thanks for his food, even if it was just a snack!  It touched my heart to see him bow his head and give thanks for something that most of us would take for granted, because it was of course, just a small snack before dinner.

1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 tells us to “pray continually and give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”  This means in all you do or in all you may be going through, that you are to be in constant prayer and thankfulness.  It does not matter whether it is a snack or a full course meal.  It does not matter whether you are in a good place in your life or in a not so good place.  It does not matter whether all your bills are paid or whether they are all past due.  What matters is that you are giving God thanks for His current and future provisions to you.  What also matters is that you are taking all of our requests and needs to Him in prayer and being thankful as you wait for God to move in your circumstances.  It’s as simple as that!

My son was praying and giving God thanks for a snack.  He had an expectation that God was going to give him more to eat later on that evening.  However,  he gave God thanks for what he had available to him at that time as he patiently waited to receive the bigger blessing later on!  It’s as simple as that!

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Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you for always giving me the opportunity to come to you in prayer.  I am thankful that I can make my requests known to You and You are an ever present help in my life.  I thank You for the small blessings as well as the bigger blessings.  I thank You for all You have done for me!  In the name of Jesus, Amen!

It’s as simple as that!