Our Daddy

A father reaches down to tenderly touch the cheek of his child, eyes filled to overflowing with love for that child. That's the way God feels about us. But how many of us really believe that's the way He feels about us?

When the curtain in the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51) it marked the new covenant with God. Jesus opened the way to a direct relationship with God. Intermediaries were no longer necessary. Add to that the fact that Jesus addressed God as "Abba" Father in the prayer he taught his disciples and it's clear the type of relationship we're supposed to have with God.

For the vast majority of people, our image of God the way we think about Him comes from our image of our own earthly father or father-figure. Is this where our distortions begin? Ask yourself these questions and answer them briefly, using the words that first come into your mind. How did your father relate to your mother? How did your mother relate to your father? How did your mother relate to you? How did your father relate to you?

When we hear about God for the first time, what we hear is run through the filter of these relationships. For instance, we develop our idea of what "love" means from those childhood relationships described above. Then, when we hear that God is love, what comes to mind is our perception of love formed in our childhood. Is this why it's so difficult for so many of us to comfortably call God our "Father?"

What can we do to correct the distortions? Awareness is the first step. That harsh, judgmental, distant man who helped raise us as a child bears little resemblance to our Heavenly Father. Once we have that awareness, we can pray for change. Ask God to reveal Himself to us as He really is. We may get words, sensations, images, feelings. We may be led to scripture. Don't believe the lie of the enemy that it's all in your head. This is how God communicates with us. Be patient and persistent.

For particularly resistant distortions or if the enemy is really blocking your efforts to change, healing prayer ministry, also called formational prayer, may be the answer. Rather than trying to do it on your own, engage trained prayer warriors to help you.

Take a moment or two right now and imagine the ideal relationship between a father and his child. In your imagination, become the child in that ideal relationship. You can have that relationship and more with God. It's what He wants. If it's what you want, too, just tell Him. Then allow Him to help you let it happen.

Lord Help Me To Be Always Focused On You

Lord God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit I pray ~

You will always let me never steer from the path You want me to walk

You will always call me back when I start to stray into a path that will take me away from You

You will always call me lovingly closer to Your side when I forget and be with others more than You

You will always be my first Guide and Teacher, so that I come to You first for advise and assistance

You will always be my first true love and friend and that You will complete me so that I am never wanting for another

You will always purify my mind, body and spirit with Your Holy Spirit and the power of the Word

You will always protect me from all evil and danger and shelter me always in You

You will always warn me of the dangers of falling into sin and keep me preserved in Thee always

You will be the Lord of my days and my nights and the Lord of my life now and forever amen

* Come let us pray and offer ourselves completely to the Lord.

Prayer for Persecuted Christians

Thank You, O Lord, for redeeming us from the hand of the adversary and gathering us from the far corners of the earth. We bow before You now, asking that You have mercy on Your people who are persecuted and afflicted around the world those who have heeded the call of Jesus to take up their Cross daily and follow Him. Their path has been difficult, full of trials and hardships. Yet they refuse to deny their Lord. As they partake of the sufferings of Christ, we know they are also partaking of the comfort You provide. Please work out Your will in their lives. Stand by them and strengthen them as You did Paul, so they can earnestly say, "Your will be done."

We have read of the rescue of Peter from prison and know that You can turn the heart of any government official, including those with authority to release Your people from prison. Father, You rescued Peter in response to the prayers of the Church. We now ask You to do the same for Your disciples everywhere who have been imprisoned because they preach Christ. Deliver Your messengers from the hands of the executioners so that through them, Your message will be fully proclaimed to every people group on earth.

We have also read of Your servant, Stephen, who was stoned to death. We know that many others since that day have been executed because they would not deny their faith. For those in our generation who will suffer this same fate, we ask, Lord, that You will strengthen their faith so they can say with Paul, "To die is gain." Expand their vision, O God, so that they see what Stephen saw: Jesus standing at Your right hand. Let those of us who now pray to You follow the lead of Your persecuted ones, pick up our Crosses daily, and follow Your Son, in Whose precious name we pray. Amen.

Do You Really Need to Get Yourself Out of God's Way

God wants to work both in us and through us to build His kingdom. Too often, though, that doesn't happen. As Shakespeare said, "The fault is not in our stars, but in us." We get in God's way through sin, not spending enough time with him, and not serving others. If we remove or at least diminish these roadblocks, we then allow God to do more of His work, in us and through us.

Many of us go easy on ourselves when it comes to sin. Saved by the grace of Jesus, forgiven by the love of God, renewed by the Holy Spirit, it's easy to lose sight of the fact that we still sin. That sin gets in God's way by blocking our spiritual system, just as plaque blocks the flow of blood in our veins and arteries.

So while we may have conquered lust and gluttony, avoided being slothful, and have our greed under control, there's a good chance we still experience anger (incorrectly felt or expressed) and envy. If not, we may well suffer from pride. All of us have sinned and will continue to sin. It's part of our fallen nature.

Knowing that, we must remain aware and watchful. When we do sin, we must go to God, truly and sincerely repent, and ask, again, for His forgiveness. We can't hope to avoid the sin that clogs the flow of God within us, but we can and must ask him to clear it out once it's occurred.

The best way to ensure the flow of God within us is to spend more time with Him. Our prayer life must be more than a few words spoken at meals and at bedtime. And it must be more than us talking to God. We need times of silence so we can hear what He has to say to us.

We also spend time with God when we immerse ourselves in the Bible. We can't just study and read the Bible for head knowledge. We must also spend time contemplating and meditating upon what we've read in order to move the information from our head to our heart. Only then will it be truly meaningful and useful for God's purposes.

When God is flowing in us and through us, we forget about ourselves and focus on others, as Jesus commanded. And here's an interesting thing about the way God designed our brains to work: we may think we need to love others before we can hope to serve them; the fact is, if we just begin to serve others, we'll find that out love for them will grow. We move ourselves out of the picture, becoming a conduit between God and those being served. We have the privilege of a close-up view. And we serve others if "all" we do is pray for them.

So the steps are simple and straightforward. Be aware of our sin, repent, and ask for God's forgiveness. Spend more time with God, both in prayer and in the Bible. And serve others, in ways both large and small. These are surefire ways for us to get out of God's way as He works in us and through us.

A Prayer To God For You

In the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit I ask:

For the Lord to pour His healing touch on you
For Him to restore you into wholeness
To heal your broken heart and your tired body
To mend all that you desire to be restored

For an infilling of the Holy Spirit within you
For an anointing of love from the Father and the Son
To be filled with His grace
To be touched by His radiance

To pour His peace and providence into your life
To have mercy and grant you His aid for all your needs
To open a holy door for you
To grant you the gifts and the fruits of the Holy Spirit

For a major breakthrough in whatever you have been waiting for
For a miracle in your situation straight from heaven
To take away all that is evil in your life and causes you unrest
To bless you and your loved ones all the days of your life amen

God's protection of our land

Father, our shield is with You, who saves the upright in heart. Establish us in righteousness, O God. And the work of righteousness will be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and confidence forever. Then Your people will live in a peaceful habitation, and in secure dwellings and in undisturbed resting places.

Keep us far from oppression, and let us not fear. Keep us far from terror; let it not come near us. If anyone fiercely assails us, we know it will not be from You, and whoever assails us will fall.

From where shall our help come? Our help comes from You, O Lord, who made heaven and earth. You, God, are our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. In peace, we will both lie down and sleep, for You alone, O Lord, make us to live in safety.

Our Prayer for Elected officials

Father, among our elected officials across this nation are those who have the righteousness of Christ, and for that we rejoice. Where there are wicked officials, we groan, for we know that they do not understand the concern of the righteous for the rights of the poor. But You have sent Your Spirit of truth to guide Your people, Father, and for that we are grateful.

Healing of the land

If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place. (2 Chron 7:13-15, NASB)

Heavenly Father, Your people in this place come to you, calling upon Your name, humbling themselves, praying, and seeking Your face. Lord, as Your ear was attentive to the prayers offered in the temple in Solomon's day, we now ask that Your ear be attentive to the prayers offered in this place.

Father, where there is too much or too little rain, sunshine, heat, or cold, let there be just enough. Let the crops grow to maturity and be harvested in their time. We confess, O God, that we have not, as a nation, taken care of the land as we should. We have overworked it and polluted it, just as we have polluted the air around us. Forgive us, Father, for our failure to be good stewards of this land that you have given us. Help us, this day, to change our behavior, to become the good stewards you want us to be. Please heal our land.