Scripture Praying-Daily Guide Included!

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled. (Matthew 5:6)

Together, Scripture, prayer, and fasting is a concentrated emphasis to center your life around the true lover of your soul. This 21-day study is your time to focus on what is important, pray truth with confidence, and keep your prayers wholesome. Although fasting is designed to be temporary, the overall goal for this study is to become secure in praying God’s Word for a lifetime.

Your are invited to spend these 21 days together with us seeking the miraculous power of the LORD and a strong biblical method applicable to every season of life. This is unlike any study I have experienced!

The study will reference a variety of Scripture promises on an assortment of topics (healthy mind, pure heart, bodily restoration, faith, salvation, peace, hope, & fellowship with God) to provide you an opportunity to pray for various people and/or life circumstances. This guide is not limited to one specific category such as a spouse or job like most. Why? Because the person and/or situation for your daily prayer is intended to be led by the Holy Spirit.

The design: As you read the daily passage, allow the LORD to direct your focus. It is a fluid mode meant to provide practice in allowing Scripture to determine the subject of your prayers. This may seem a little foreign at first, but this is a chance embrace a growth mindset in God

We will meet online weekly to encourage one another in the journey and discuss questions, concerns, experiences, etc. as like-minded Christians coming together in unity.

March 21, 28, April 4, & 11 will be the meeting dates at 6:00 pm (CST) via Zoom.

Please email us at refiningjourney@gmail.com if you are interested. We will be happy to send you the online link information along with a PDF guide.

March 8, 2022 0

Prayer Life, Part 3

Know that the **Lord** is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Psalm 65:4

With a reflection on the events in American this week, all that comes to mind is “What the world needs now is … prayer, sweet prayer.” Prayers for peace, prayers for compassion, prayers for kindness, prayers for self-control, prayers for love, prayers for understanding, prayers of gentleness, prayers of better judgement, prayers for righteousness in God, prayers for a humble nation, prayers for surrender to God’s authority, etc. I am sure your sentiments can complete the list better than I can. However, we can all agree this world is not what God intended.

Each day reveals the apparent need for transformation. A renewal of hearts, minds, and souls to find what we are really seeking-GOD! We have accepted sins and corruption as our daily mantra and become so complacent to a lifestyle filled with unholiness. With our attempts to “sanitize” our lives and make them what we want, somehow, we have created a lifestyle of self-centered living with the goal to satisfy our fleshy desires. Let me be the first to say, “I am guilty!”

As I have been reflecting upon prayer, the act of exalting God has come to the forefront. Entering into His throne room and worshiping Him has been heavy on my heart. It brings back the memories of Wednesday prayer nights during my upbringing. Men and women of the church would intentionally come together to bow their heads, bend their knees, and physically humble themselves to the will of God. Yet, it was filled with more requests than praise. So, I grew to know a limited prayer pathway.

When studying and reading about incorporating worship into my prayer life, I found an amazing article. Permit me to share a paragraph from it:

The spiritual battle is intensifying daily because the enemy knows that his time is short. He hates prayer because he knows that the power of prayer will overthrow every one of his plans. God inhabits our praise. The word “inhabit” or “enthrone” (yashab) means to judge in ambush. When we praise God, He will seat himself right in the middle of our lives and judge the enemies that are surrounding us. The Japanese translation of Psalm 22:3 is: “When you praise God He brings a big chair and sits there.” Think about that! God is seated in the center of your life. The enemy cannot dethrone you because God cannot be overthrown! God Victoriously Inhabits Our Praise (crosswalk.com)

What? Each and every time I worship Him, He brings His presence closer to sit and listen! He responds to my open heart and willing spirit as I sincerely invite Him to come into my midst. And above all, God wants to complete me, walk with me, and ignite His power in and through me because that is who He is. A giver of love, grace, and mercy. Almighty Lord, God of the universe, King of everything, Ruler over all!!

He said to me through the reading of Walking the Path of Prayer by Jack Hayford, “Move your POSTURE (my God Word!!!) in worship beyond one of passive reflection to one of power-filled potential for transformation.” All I can say is, “How much clearer can God speak to my heart this week about the importance of worship in my prayer life?”

How do you incorporate worship into prayer? Have you read a fabulous article or book about the topic recently? Please take some time to share your thoughts below. I would really love to hear from you. I treasure your insight and input. Remember, we are in this together. Let’s embrace the journey of spiritual growth through sharing!

January 10, 2021 0

Best of the Decade

Happy New Year’s Eve everyone! It is hard to believe today is the last 24 hours of the decade. The headlines are filled with the best of the last ten years for shows, music, movies, gadgets, electronics, cars, technology, and the list continues. Many have the mindset of “out with the old, in with the new” including myself. I have never seen such a line up for Goodwill donations as I experienced this morning.

Decades, years, days, hours-they all have a way of delivering the pieces of our lives. Promotions, degrees, new opportunities, marriages, deaths, sweet babies, travel, health issues, hobbies… You get the idea. Nothing seems to stay the same and we have to acclimate to unfamiliarity whether good or bad. Most will claim it is a matter of a person’s mindset and approach taken prior to any adjustment that determines if they can successfully adapt.

For me, this decade served a priceless gift. It required a humble surrender of all that I am without any reservations. The present was dispensed as a wake-up call and the message was sent to me through every aspect of my life. Many things were taken away yet blessings were supplied. I truly faced the unexpected and found myself inadequately prepared to handle the raging storm from 2013 to 2018. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, my faith in Christ my Savior, and the miraculous love of God, I accepted the refining journey and my outlook was transformed.

The Almighty God heard my cries and answered my prayers according to His will and not my own. (thank goodness!) It required more of Him and less of me. I had to let go of all that was holding me back and learn how to simplify my life so the focus was on Him. I am willing to admit, right up front, that the sacrifice of things and people in my life was heartbreaking. I’d even dare to say, my fleshly human nature of independence and being in control had to be placed on the chopping block as well. And guess what? I wouldn’t change a thing. (okay, maybe I would have surrendered faster!) Why was it worth the misery and pain? Because I received a relationship with the greatest King of Kings which is priceless!

For all of those who REALLY know me, those who are getting to know me, those who have experienced the Refining study, and those who will one day read this blog, here are some of my prayer requests I wrote down during the dark years.

1. Father, grow me to become an impactful vessel.

2. Please fill me with Your truth and employ me to carry out Your Will.

3. Let Your spirit be seen in me 100% 24/7 displaying a good fight.

4. I want Your favor and hedge of protection.

5. Bless my husband, children, mother, and entire family. Keep them fruitful for You.

6. Create in me a pure heart living and thriving completely for You.

7. Father bring change in my life and free me from anything holding me back from You.

8. I want to experience Your promises and identify myself in You.

9. Increase my desire to pray, heighten my spiritual interest, and show me how to use the helpmates You have provided.

10. And most of all Lord, I want to encourage others for generations to seek Your face above anything else in their lives.

Can any of you testify how God responded to my requests? 😊

God hears your prayers and answers them in ways far greater than you can imagine. I am living proof. I would encourage you to write down your 2020 requests and evaluate how to declutter your life so there is room for God to dwell within you at all times.God exceeds the Best of the Decade! He is the priceless gift for all eternity. Best wishes and love to all. Happy New Year! Welcome God into your 2020.

December 31, 2019 0

BOOK REVIEW: Fervent

Shirer, P. (2015). Fervent: A Woman’s Battle Plan for Serious, Specific, and Strategic Prayer. Nashville, TN: B&H.

Summary:

The purpose of the book is to assist the reader in spiritual warfare battle. Based on the movie, War Room, Shirer presents ten areas and urges readers to compose “intentional, deliberate, strategic” prayers. The writer clearly portrays thoughts of the enemy and the schemes used for each topic. The chapters are backed by scripture evidence which identifies the attack plan of the enemy. The book emphasizes constructing prayers with great intent and precision. Scripture is highly advocated by the author. Readers will find pages of reference from God’s Word at the end of every chapter to assist them in writing the strategic prayers. Cardstock prayer cards are included for the self-written prayers.

My $.02:

Priscilla Shirer is a “shoot-straight” gal. She does not spend time “beating around the bush” nor “beating a dead-horse”. When I first read this book, I wrote ten reasons why I needed to read it. So, let me share those with you:

I wanted change.
I wanted freedom from everything that was holding me back from being ALL God needed me to be.
I wanted a “whole heart” for the Lord.
I wanted to accomplish His will while on earth.
I wanted to experience the promises of God.
I wanted to see my husband, children, and family living out what God had called them to do, be, and become.
I wanted God’s hedge of protection.
I wanted God’s favor on my life.
I wanted the enemy and his plans to go back to hell and stay there.
I wanted to encourage others for generations to seek the face of God first.

The strategic prayers are in my interactive growth notebook and ready for battle. They were not all easy to compose but Shirer’s guidance and encouragement allowed me to persevere.

For more info:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25245760-fervent

September 5, 2019 0

BOOK REVIEW: Praying the Scriptures for Your Adult Children

Berndt, J. (2017). Praying the Scriptures for Your Adult Children. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Summary:

The book is a parent resource to assist praying for adult children. Each subject area is full of real-life scenarios and bursting with supporting scriptures. At the end of every topic, the author provides cloze procedure prayers based on God’s word. The writer ensures the prayer pages begin with the parent first. As the book unfolds, the relevant stories and scriptures provide encouragement and reassurance for parents. The book is well arranged based on areas of a young adult’s life such as well-being, temptations, and relationships.

My $.02:

My heart skips a beat at the opportunity to infuse scripture into my prayer life. Berndt’s book is very user friendly and a delight to read. The prayer pages at the end of each chapter support the subject matter sufficiently and give numerous scriptures which reinforce the promises of God regarding the topic. For those who embrace an interactive growth notebook, these prayers could easily be added. It is a book that will remain in my personal library and often be recommended for those with adult children.

For more info:

https://tinyurl.com/y4hucluj

September 4, 2019 0