The purpose of prayer is to commune with God. For working mothers, prayer is a necessitity. We have ourselves, husbands, significant others, children, family members, our church, government officials, and the world to pray for, just to name a few. Sounds like a lot doesn’t it? It is possible that you may be thinking, “Where do I fit in time to pray?” If prayer isn’t already in your schedule, here are a few tips:

When you awake in the morning before your day starts, take time to pray. It is at this time of day that you are able to worship God and give thanks for all his blessings. Even when things are going rough, starting the day with prayer will change your attitude, mood, and help you face any obstacle that comes in your path.

While you’re driving is another time for prayer. Turn off the radio or CD player and just spend a few minutes with GOD thanking him for safe travel and praising his name for allowing you to have the ability and freedom to go where it is necessary and having the means to do so.

If you are blessed enough to have access to the internet, and are fortunate to receive an email with a prayer, take time to forward it to some people. Each time someone receives your email, a prayer will be said as they are reading your email.

This month our church has been fasting and praying, and it has changed the way I think and look at life. As I’ve been praying for my family and others, I’ve also been praying for the people of Haiti. I can’t think of a day in my life that I’ve been without food, shelter, or clothing. These are just some of the simple necessities of life and sometimes we forget how good things are and start to complain that we may not have this or that. But if we are thankful for the small things, the things that we take for granted on a daily basis, we can say that we are truly blessed, and God is good all the time and all the time God is good!

When we began this adventure called 
womanhood, we had no idea of the incredible joys or 
sorrows that lay ahead. Nor did we know how much we 
would need each other. 
Every day, we need each other still. 

It seems like when you’ve given the very last drop of your blood, someone comes along and complains about the color or texture. What is it that’s often said? Oh, yeah…they add insult to injury. When you’re seemingly at the end of yourself, someone comes along and complains, making it all even more difficult. David complained, “They kept confronting me in the day of my disaster” (Psalm 18:18). Even with a healthy self image, criticism still hurts. One of the reasons criticism is so difficult is because it often comes from people who are least qualified to give it. They don’t have the whole story. They don’t know all that you’re going through. And it’s usually the most flawed individuals who think it is their right, no, their responsibility to raise serious attacks on you, your family or ministry. Oh, yeah, and they don’t seem to know the rule about sandwiching constructive criticism with praise. It’s hard enough to take criticism when it’s given with consideration and love. But some of the stuff with which we have to deal is vague and downright harsh. So how do you deal with it? Not easily, that’s for sure. But here are some things I found help.

Pray Honestly. Just as Jesus was honest in the garden with all that He was feeling, tell your Heavenly Father exactly how you’re feeling. Don’t “sugar coat it.” God can take it. Don’t unload your initial reactions on your spouse. Take your fears and pain to God first; let Him calm your heart. Find a confidant, someone with whom you can be honest, who will listen and pray with you, and most importantly keep your confidence. Long distance friends can often help. Once you have a little perspective, share it all with your spouse. You don’t want to back up the truck and dump your concerns on your spouse. But with wisdom, and perspective from God and a friend you may want to reveal how you’re affected by the criticism. When is the proper time to open up? There are no easy answers or formulas to follow. God knows and He will let you know the proper time as you wait on Him.

Share. Ask your spouse what he thinks about the criticism. You don’t have to know all the details. Let him know that you are not asking him to fix anything. Tell him what you need from him. It might be sympathy, understanding of how fragile you’re feeling right now or prayer. If you do want advice, ask for it. But give parameters, boundaries, guidelines to help him understand what you need.

Be Open. There may be a kernel of truth in what has been said. Before you reject it out of hand, look for the one point, the one thing that may be true. Look beyond your pain, the words that were used, or the attitude with which it was said. Ask God if there is an element of truth. Ask your confidant. Ask your husband. If there is an element of truth ask God to help you to change. Look to Him for an action plan. If there is absolutely NO TRUTH AT ALL…everyone concurs…then reject it all out of hand. Forgive the person for their criticism and MOVE ON. Let it go.

Hold On To Hope. Remember Joseph? “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (Gen. 50:20). Joseph saw beyond the difficulty to see the guiding hand of God through it all. Of course He had the benefit of hindsight. But it’s a good lesson to remember. God can use everything… even our critics… for our good. The stones thrown can be gathered and used to build a stronger relationship with Christ and a more enduring marriage and ministry. You go girl. You’re God’s favorite daughter. Keep that in mind the next time the critics come out to play.

Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.   Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” Luke 2:8-14 NKJV

Angel called it, ‘Great joy’

I don’t think we understand joy? Our culture defines it as intense and jubilant happiness, pleasure or satisfaction. But it’s hard to have “jubilant happiness” in some of the really difficult situations we experience in this life. Know what I mean? How on earth do you have euphoric, frenzied, overblown bliss in times of loss, pain or extreme pressure? I don’t think you can. But that’s not a problem, because that’s not what Biblical joy is all about. It has very little to do with our situations; it has everything to do with God. It’s holy and pure. It rises above circumstances to focus on our sovereign God.

Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again-rejoice!

Phil 4:4 NLT

I know that always being joyful might seem like a stretch, especially during the tough times. If you are talking about plain happiness, it would be downright impossible. But I’m not. I’m talking about a deep down settled joy that comes from knowing who you are in Christ; that He loves you and will always love you regardless of your circumstances or behavior. Now who could love you like that? Jesus, that’s who…and because He does, you can have joy in the most difficult of circumstances.

In Your presence is fullness of joy Psa 16:11b NKJV

“Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of sin.” Romans 4:7-8 NLT

Do you know the JOY that comes from having your past wiped away? Of being delivered from sin?

Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. 2 Cor 1:9-10 ESV

Jesus, our deliverer, came to save us, to help us escape, to recover and be rescued.

· Do you know the joy of being delivered from sin and shame?

· Do you know the joy of being healed, set free, made new?

· Do you know the joy of being rescued from alcohol, prescription drugs, or any other destructive life style?

· Do you know the joy of escaping out of unhealthy habits and relationships?

· Do you know the joy of being set free from negative thought patterns, thoughts of suicide, hopeless, and despair?

Story of lame man…(Acts 3:1-11)

One day at three o’clock in the afternoon, Peter and John were on their way into the Temple for prayer meeting. At the same time there was a man crippled from birth being carried up. Every day he was set down at the Temple gate, the one named Beautiful, to beg from those going into the Temple. When he saw Peter and John about to enter the Temple, he asked for a handout. Peter, with John at his side, looked him straight in the eye and said, “Look here.” He looked up, expecting to get something from them.

Peter said, “I don’t have a nickel to my name, but what I do have, I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk!” He grabbed him by the right hand and pulled him up. In an instant his feet and ankles became firm. He jumped to his feet and walked.

The man went into the Temple with them, walking back and forth, dancing and praising God. Everybody there saw him walking around and praising God. They recognized him as the one who sat begging at the Temple’s Gate Beautiful and rubbed their eyes, astonished, scarcely believing what they were seeing. The man threw his arms around Peter and John, ecstatic. I’m not talking about Christmas traditions here.

Although…I must say Christmas traditions are healthy for families. They establish continuity, create memories, and bring out the best in us. I’m not talking about going through the motions here…fake it till you make it kind of thing. I’m talking about all out celebration of who you are in God…what He has done for you and what he is going to continue to do for you. I’m talking about celebrating CHRIST, this Christmas season. That’s not dependent upon your finances, your difficult family members, or the crazy traffic this time of year. It is dependent upon JESUS!

Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! They walk, O LORD, in the light of Your countenance. In Your name they rejoice all day long, and in Your righteousness they are exalted. For You are the glory of their strength, and in Your favor our horn is exalted. Psalm 89:15-17 NKJV
 
 

A person’s character, not her giftedness nor her title, determines the effectiveness of her ministry in the kingdom of God.  I have used the illustration of a toothpaste tube and our words on a number of occasions, but let’s use it differently.  Squeeze a tube of toothpaste and what comes out?  Shampoo?  Soap?  No, of course not - toothpaste.  When you are squeezed, what comes out of you?  Does love, peace, joy, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control flows out of your heart?

If anyone wants to provide leadership in the church, good!  But there are preconditions: A leader must be well-thought-of, committed to his wife, cool and collected, accessible, and hospitable. He must know

what he’s talking about, not be overfond of wine, not pushy but gentle, not thin-skinned, not money-

hungry.  He must handle his own affairs well, attentive to his own children and having their respect. For    if someone is unable to handle his own affairs, how can he take care of God’s church?  He must not be a new believer, lest the position go to his head and the Devil trip him up. Outsiders must think well of him, or else the Devil will figure out a way to lure him into his trap. 1 Tim 3:1-7  (msg)

I’d like you to re-read this passage making it gender specific to you.  You’ll see that character traits of women leaders are the same as men.  It’s…

·          Humility / Even though people will say wonderful things about you, don’t believe your own press.  It really isn’t about you.   

·          Respected / A leader must be well thought of in the congregation: someone who is looked up to, someone proven to have sound judgment.  You already have a reputation.  Do you know what it is?  We should have a reputation of being wise, and fair …not thin-skinned.   People outside of the church should also speak well of us.

·          Integrity / A leader should live a life that cannot be spoken against, without lying.  When Daniel’s peers looked at his life, they could find nothing of which to accuse him.  It sounds simple, but in our culture, we were raised with “situation ethics.”   It’s not hard to think that our situation is somehow different and for us it is acceptable considering the circumstances.  But we must walk as if Jesus was walking beside us in front of the whole church.  There are no private moments.  What is done in secret, will be revealed.

·          Hospitable / We should welcome people, be friendly, helpful, and accessible.  We should enjoy occasionally having people in our home.  It is not about how fancy or clean our homes are, it’s about relationships.

·          Blameless Conversations / We need to know how to manage our mouths…I don’t know if control is altogether possible.  But we do need to know when to speak and when to keep silent. Know the difference between prayer requests and gossip.  We need to understand what makes good casual conversation and what should be held in complete confidence.  We need to seek to be sensitive to do and say only what the Father directs us to do and say.

·          Good family life / We should be able to handle our own affairs well, and our families should be examples to the families of our church and community.  Be attentive to your children, earning their respect.  This will require time, quality and quantity.  Reserve a night a week for “Family Night” to do something fun with the children.  Be there for sports games and concerts.  Help with homework and with tears.  Be committed to your spouse and let everyone around you know of your commitment.  Go out on dates, do things that are fun.  Play together and pray together.  Invest in your family.  

·          Serious  / Reverent.  I’m not saying that we shouldn’t have a sense of humor.  But in our attitude towards ministry there needs to be sense of gravity and dignity combined, a seriousness of purpose and self-respect in conduct.  Too many times I’ve caught myself being flippant when I should have seriously listened to the need.  Make sure that you follow through with your word.  If you promise to call or to pray, do it.

Oh, and by the way…

The same goes for those who want to be servants in the church …They must be reverent before the mystery of the faith, not using their position to try to run things. Let them prove themselves first. If they show they can do it, take them on. No exceptions are to be made for women — same qualifications:

 1 Tim 3:8-11 MSG

]]> http://www.h2hworldwide.com/2010/01/funny-resolutions-for-new-year/feed/ http://www.h2hworldwide.com/2010/01/working-mothers-time/ http://www.h2hworldwide.com/2010/01/working-mothers-time/#comments Thu, 07 Jan 2010 00:49:01 +0000 admin http://www.h2hworldwide.com/?p=633 by Rita Brigham

Working Mothers have one of the most rewarding professions. Our day starts at dawn and usually ends well after everyone has gone to bed. We are multi-tasking individuals who are always planning for the days ahead. God has created us to be nurturing and supportive of our families, but sometimes we fail to include ourselves in that equation. So the question I ask is, “How do we manage all the things that we do, and still have time for ourselves?”

One thing for sure, if there is something we want to do we can always make time. Think of it like this, we make appointments for everything else in our life, so why not make an appointment with yourself? Put yourself in your calendar, plan time for prayer, exercise, and of course something fun to do as well. Make yourself a priority like we do with so many other things. It doesn’t have to be something extravagant; it can be as simple as a candle lit bubble bath while the children are doing their homework. Try trading times with another working mom by babysitting for her one evening a week in exchange for some alone time for yourself. Another suggestion I would like to offer is, if you are married ask your husband what his schedule is, so that he can take care of the children while you take sometime to relax.

My mother used to say that time doesn’t wait on anyone. When I was younger I didn’t really understand what that meant, but as I get older it seems like the days pass by so quickly. When this article is posted we will be in the year 2010, let us consider taking a little time for ourselves, so that we are happier, healthier, and can be a blessing to others.

1. Increase your desire for God

· Humble yourself (Ps. 69:32)

· Hunger and thirst for righteousness (Matt. 5:6)

· Confess your desire (Ps. 42)

· Seek God’s face (Ps. 27:8; Ps. 63:1-8)

· Press (Phil. 3:12-14)

2. Broaden your circle of influence

· Friends

· Contacts

· Prospects

3. Stretch your mind

· Natural

· Spiritual

4. Expand your ministry

· Leadership skills

· Vision

· Abilities

Experiencing God is rarely how we think it will be. The Lord shows himself in unexpected ways.

We hope for a booming voice, maybe an eye-popping miracle, or even an instant solution to all our life problems. What actually happens is something quite different.

This all-wise, all-powerful Ruler of the Universe does indeed touch the lives of his followers, but in this day and age, he naturally does it in a way that is very private and very personal.

The Example We Tend to Forget

When it comes to people experiencing God in the Bible, we think of Jesus’ miracles, the parting of the Red Sea, or Daniel surviving the lions’ den. We tend to forget a very odd occasion when the prophet Elijah was waiting for God:

Elijah hid his face because he knew the Lord was in the gentle whisper. If we are wise, we also will listen for the gentle whispers in our lives, because that is when we are most likely to experience God.

Experiencing God in the Quiet

What fills your head? God will not break in on your cell phone conversations or whatever is playing on your iPod. If you constantly fill your head with noise, God will not compete with it.

The Bible tells us to approach God with respectful admiration:

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10, NIV)

Fear, in this sense, is not fright but respect.

To hear from God, you must give him the respect he deserves. God is not a genie, a butler, or the customer service department. Treating him like those things insults him.

We don’t need to take a vow of silence to hear from God. We do, however, owe him a quiet, receptive mind. If you are serious about experiencing God, give him opportunities to speak to you.

Taking a walk, meditating on Scripture, or coming to him in prayer are proven ways to invite God into your heart. Just as we would not expect an intimate conversation with someone we just met, we should not expect God to speak with us until we have established a meaningful relationship with him through his son, Jesus Christ.

So What is Experiencing God Like?

God sees you as an individual, unique in his creation; therefore, he will relate to you in a way best suited to you. If you are a believer in Christ, you are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, who will help you discern a true word or experience from God.

We don’t have to wonder whether a prompting or internal word is from God, Satan, or our imagination. The Lord’s voice is unmistakable. He speaks with power and authority. The true test, however, is that words from God to individuals always, without exception, agree with the Bible. God never contradicts himself.

But there are other ways of experiencing God—through people and through circumstances. God uses people as his instruments, which is a common theme in the Bible. Throughout your life, God will move others to help you, encourage you, and draw you closer to him.

Millions of people imagine God is working in every good circumstance that happens to them. While it’s true that God is concerned about the minor details of our lives, it’s probably overreaching to believe getting the biggest ice cream cone is a sure sign of God’s favor.

Still, events happen that have no logical explanation. We manage to avoid a traffic accident at the last second. We get a job we desperately needed against incredible odds. We get healed of an illness after our family and friends prayed for us.

On the other hand, often we don’t get what we pray for. Only after years of maturity are we able to look back and see that our desire may have destroyed us. God was working in our life by denying our request but we were too narrow-minded to see it at the time.

How Long Does Experiencing God Take?

When you love God, you are eager for him to give himself to you.

Remember that Jesus Christ already did that on the cross. He proved his love for you two thousand years ago. Someone once remarked that if you were the only person on earth, Jesus still would have died to save you from your sins.

Experiencing God in an intimate, personal way takes patience. The more you read the Bible, pray, and surrender yourself to him, the more Jesus will move in your life. But we cannot force this to occur. God works in his own time and in his own way.

When it happens, and it will happen, you will know it. You will know, without a doubt, that it was not your imagination or some odd coincidence. You will be stunned at the depth of God’s love for you, and your life will never, ever be the same.

So often these days we see Christmas with the ‘Christ’ taken out and replaced with an ‘X’. It’s almost as if it’s a nameless celebration. We as Christians know how far from the truth that is. We read here of angels appearing to the shepherds and declaring the birth of Jesus “Son of David – who is the Christ (the Messiah)”. It is in no way a ‘nameless’ event – but a wonderful celebration of the greatest event – the birth of Christ, and the reconciliation to God He brought to us all.

So let’s keep the ‘Christ’ in Christmas.

Christmas must always start with Christ
For He has saved us and changed our lives

© By M.S.Lowndes