Does God answer Prayer?

Anyone who has ever read the Bible knows the stories.  Stories of people who have prayed, and then God miraculously answered them! 

DOES GOD ANSWER PRAYERS TODAY?

 

You be the judge.  I'm not going to tell you that I have the answer.  I'm not going to quote a lot of Scripture or divulge theology or claim to have received great revelation.  What I am going to do is share a story with you.  Then YOU DECIDE.  If this story touches you in some way, any way - positive or negative, I ask you to please share it - share it on your Facebook pages, in your Twitter tweets, via email, post it wherever you chose, say what you want about it.  I'm just going to share with you what has happened in the last 8 months of my life.

 

 

In January 2012  after being gone for 2 years, we returned to our "home base".  My honorary Aunt was dieing of cancer.  She was not yet 70.  We had come home to help her "go home to Heaven" or to share in the miracle of her healing, whichever it was to be.  We are what you would call "believers".  We dare to believe that GOD IS.  We dare to believe that He not only made Himself known to us through a book we all commonly know as "The Bible", but we dare to believe that He still speaks to His people today.  Some will cheer us for this, and some will call us fools. 

 

 

I prayed, and God graciously prepared me for what was to come.  In my deepest heart, I heard a still, small voice tell me Aunt would not be healed, but would be going Home to Jesus.  Yes, you can disbelieve me at this point, but it won't change the truth, that this is what happened, and there are those I told at the time, and they know the truth. 

 

 

It was at this point I began to pray differently.  Instead of focusing on prayer for my Aunt, who was going to a place that is wonderful and beautiful, so there is no sorrow in that, I began to ask God WHY He had brought us back home?  We soon had answer to that prayer.  There were actually several reasons.  I will share them all.  Some are a bit personal and even a little bit embarrassing, but if it inspires ONE PERSON to trust in the Lord, then it will be worth a moments embassassment to me.

 

 

First, it became apparent that my youngest son was once more involved in drug use.  He was living on the street, barely surviving.  Everything I had done in the past - putting him in a Residential Rehab Center, taking him to counselor after counselor and applying every one of all the "tough love" techniques that exist, not to mention all the prayers that had been prayed appeared to be one big FAILURE.  In fact, though I prayed time and again and told God I was giving my son to Him, the truth is I had constantly "rescued" my child, time and time again, enabling him to continue in the very things that were destroying his life!  What kind of parent was I?  WHAT KIND OF MINISTER WAS I?!? 

 

 

That still small voice spoke to my heart.  "Treat him like you would ANY young person from off the street that you are trying to help.  Stop acting like he's YOUR SON - treat him like he's MINE".  We prayed again - but very differently this time.  No selfish motive involved.  Just a cry from the heart for God to intervene.  AND HE DID.  There's still a way to go - but the path is now clear for real healing, real deliverance, real change and an HONEST RELATIONSHIP between us!

 

 

In the very midst of these events, my mother in law was rushed to the hospital where we were informed she had a perforated colon.  Surgery was one alternative, but she was already so weak physically, it was very unlikely she would survive.  She choose - NO SURGERY.  When questioned, she told her oldest son she wanted to go home to be with Jesus.  10 days after my dear Mentor and honorary Aunt passed over into Eternity, we said goodbye to my sweet mother in law.  Several days before she passed, I received a phone call from my brother.  My own mother had been rushed to the hospital in another state, and was hemoraging!  WE PRAYED.  After 2 days in the hospital, on the day we laid my mother in law to rest, my mother was released from the hospital!  Answer to prayer? 

 

2 years previously, she was miraculously healed of gangrene in her leg.  And she loves to tell EVERYONE about it!  We had prayed for God to provide "a place of refuge" for her, for she had lost everything in hurricanes and had no home of her own any longer.  Out of NOWHERE, she was offered a 2 bedroom, 2 bath home in a retirement community AT NO COST!  The lot fee's were higher than she could afford.  So we paid them for her.    However, we were limited, and began to pray for a roommate to share the home with her.  ON THE EXACT SAME AFTERNOON OF THE MORNING WE KNEW WE WERE NO LONGER ABLE TO PROVIDE HELP SHE RECEIVED A PHONE CALL - AND NOW HAS THE SWEETEST, KINDEST ROOMMATE WE COULD EVER IMAGINE.

 

Just as it seemed we might be gaining a little equilibrium in our emotional world, another phone call, another emergency.  Mom was in emergency surgery - with a perforated colon!  Have you ever cried out of sheer frustration and just wanted to give up?  I have.  I did that day.  I anxiously waited by the phone.  Mom came through surgery - it looked like maybe she would be okay.  Then another call from my brother.  I'd better come, it didn't look like she was going to make it.  Another son arranged a plane ticket for me.  Mom was having serious breathing problems and was semi-comatose.  I spent 6 1/2 of my 7 days there watching her sleep, counting her every breath.  Why was this such a BIG DEAL? 

 

Prior to this, for the majority of my life, I had very little contact with my mother.  In fact, she avoided me for the most part.  I'd grown up in an alcoholic and abusive household, horrid step fathers, with a mom who was practicing witchcraft - fighting a daughter who loved God.  We had no relationship for most of my adult life - until the day she asked me a question.  I hadn't seen her for YEARS!  She was attending her 50th high school reunion, which happened to be in the town where I was living at the time.  Guilt or obligation - I'll never know which, compelled her to call and tell me she was in town.  I meant to say, "thats nice" but what came out was "would you like to have breakfast with me?"  She said yes.  God - that still small voice, instructed me to share the Gospel with her.  Everything in me thought BIG MISTAKE.  She'll just run from me more.  I am happy to tell you that I listened.  I listened, because I had spent 30 years praying for her salvation.  So I shared the Gospel.  She was very quiet.  As I drove her home, she was very quiet.  Then she said it.  Asked me this question- "if I ask you a question will you tell me the truth?"  I had no idea what her question might be, but I passionately agreed, no matter what the question, I would tell her the truth.  "Is Heaven real?"  this was her question!  Years before, when I had visited her and FORCED her to "pray a sinners prayer" with me - I knew she hadn't meant it.  But this - SHE MEANT IT!!  To give the details would take a book - which I'll write one day.  TRUST me - there was SO MUCH in this question!  All our estrangement - all our fights, all our disagreements, all her reluctance to have a relationship with me - caused by this difference.  I believed in God and heaven - took it all very seriously - and she resented that I constantly pushed it on my family everytime I saw them!  And now - SHE WAS ASKING!

 

This time, she accepted Christ as her Savior and it was REAL!   Over these previous 2 years, we'd gotten to actually know each other!  We laughed and cried together, and in 2 years I felt like God had made up for the previous 30+ that we'd lost.  But 2 years was NOT enough time!  Was she really going Home, now???  I prayed, and that still small voice was clear.  "Her Homecoming is not yet.  There's healing to be done in the rest of your family."  Really??? I'd been praying for them, everyone of them for YEARS and I have to tell the truth, I'd given up on anything ever changing.  Then it did change.  Not only the brother who was "obligated" to call me, since he was there with Mom, began to open up, but then ANOTHER brother called me - WITH TEARS - and invited us to come visit him and renew relationship!  That might not seem like a big deal to some people, but for me??? THESE WERE ANSWERS TO PRAYERS I'D BEEN PRAYING FOR OVER 30 YEARS!

 

There's a LOT more to this story - and one day, I WILL sit down and write out all the details so my God, my Father in Heaven, my Savior Jesus will be glorified at the testimony of JOY He has given to me, just a little bitty cog in His great big world.  But this little piece, I just had to share right now.  Maybe it will inspire someone else to open their heart to God.

 

Mom?  SHE WILL BE GOING HOME FROM REHAB VERY SOON - TO HER HOUSE THAT GOD GAVE HER, WHERE SHE WILL LIVE IN HIS GRACE AND MERCY UNTIL HE CALLS HER HOME TO HEAVEN, which, yes Mom, IS REAL!!

 

 

Answers to prayers?  You decide.  I say, LIVE DELIBERATELY & INSPIRE OTHERS!

May the Lord Himself speak into YOUR heart and show you His Truth, in Jesus name!

thanks for sharing my short story with others, even if you choose NOT to believe it!

 





PARTY!? Pity, pity, pity!

I was heading for one of my favorite spots in the woods the other day, determined to have my very own pity party.  My heart was hurting and I wanted to whine and cry and fully expected God to feel sorry for me and comfort me and pat me on the back with a well deserved “there there my child, it’s ok.  I’ll be blessing you and handling your sorrowful situation just the way you’d like to see it handled.”

HUH!  Yeah, right!

That isn’t how God works!  Now that scurvy dog satan, that’s how he works!  Gets us to feel sorry for ourselves and pity ourselves and think of nothing else except ourselves and deceives us into thinking we have every right to feel slighted and be just a little bit selfish and after all, if WE don’t concern ourselves with ourselves who WILL think about us, anyway?!?

So my faithful dog Jack and I sit on an inviting stump under a tree and start pouring out to God why we need some attention - and IMMEDIATELY our loving God speaks! 

"You have more than enough grace, look at that man over there, he has nothing!" 

I look up, and sure enough, there's a homeless fellow sitting across the way,
dozing against another tree stump. 

"Go, feed him my Words of Life and offer him food," I heard God say.

So I got my sorry little fanny up, wiped the tears from my eyes, and began walking that way.  The man heard, or saw me, and I could tell from his body language, he expected to be told to "MOVE ON!"

"Have you eaten today?" I asked him, while keeping Jack close. His head was hanging down low, and he shook it slowly.
"No ma'am," he answered. "I sure haven't."
"Will you wait here, and I'll bring you back food?"
"Yes! Thank you, that would be very appreciated!" He sat back down, looking much more comfortable, and Jack and I scurried up the hill and back to the house, where I quickly put together several sandwiches, some that would keep
awhile without refrigeration, some water and ginger ale, along with some breakfast bars and crackers I had, bagged it all and hustled back to the woods, uncertain if he would have indeed, waited. Sometimes, the homeless figure you're going to call the police, and they leave, even with an offer of food.

He was there, and came walking out from the tree's to meet me. I had one of our "Why is is so Complicated?"  salvation tracts I'd written a few years ago, along with a Gospel of John.   I gave him the bag of food, and with thanks,
he said "This will make a difference."
"No," I told him. "I can't really make a difference in your life, but Jesus Christ can. May I pray with you?"
He agreed, we prayed while he tried to hide his tears. He looked at the Gospel and tract and thanked me. I knew it was time to go, so with a few last words of Jesus' love for him, I walked away.

I don't know what God will do, but I know He will do something - He always does! We "do the insignificant" and God turns it all to His SIGNIFICANT GLORY!

Luke 6:38 (KJV)

Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

We share for your encouragement!

Good morning and God's grace to each,

Thank you all for continuing to hold my Mom before Gods throne of grace in prayer. This email is to bring everyone up to date and guide our continued prayers. Again, I cannot thank you all enough for your prayers - PRAYER IS POWERFUL AND WILL MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE IN THIS SITUATION!

Due to complications from the emergency surgery to repair Moms perforated colon, combined with the forced inactivity of lying still in a hospital bed, fluid has gathered around the lungs and the abdomen, making breathing difficult. As Mom struggled to breathe it caused distress throughout her body. This is not conducive to healing, so the decision was made to put a breathing tube in. Mom is not unable to breathe on her own - she only requires assistance to breathe sufficiently at this time. The fluid is being drained (this very moment as I write this! They've sent me out and are doing the procedure) and Mom is mildly sedated for the time being.

By alleviating the stress of trying to breathe properly, it allows Moms body to concentrate on healing the more needful issues from the surgery, so this is not a setback, but a helpful procedure to assist her on the road to recovery. Yesterday, at her alert and awake period, Mom and I had a frank discussion, and she expressed her great desire to FIGHT to heal and return to an active life! Yea, Mom!! She has not given up and neither should we! Her days are numbered by her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and she believes her "homecoming" is NOT YET. I agree with her, and will continue to "fight" by her side through my prayers.

She is in a great deal of pain and that is extremely difficult to watch, however, we have been forewarned the healing process and rehab WILL take 2-4 months. Progress, any progress, is STILL progress. She is moving forward, not backward. Should that change, my brothers, sisters and I are in agreement about how that will be handled according to Moms wishes.

Thursday evening, I will be flying back to Colorado, as there is nothing more productive I can accomplish here in Florida at this time. (and I miss my husband!) When she is released from the hospital, it will be to a Rehab Center, which my brother and I are going to look at several and choose one this afternoon. Please pray Gods guidance in our decision there! When Mom is ready to return to her home, we'll look at where things are and what her needs are and make decisions further at that time.

I would request your prayers in several areas:

FIRST of course, Moms peace in Christ, and His healing hand working in her favor throughout the process - even to miraculous instantaneous healing - He is a healer, and could certainly decide a miracle in this situation!

SECOND the decisions we make as a family to be guided by the Holy Spirit. In this prayer, we need also prayer for peace between the family members - not all are believers, and we need to be sensitive to ALL her children/grandchildren- giving precedence to our Soon Coming King Jesus our Lord!

THIRD healing, restoration and SALVATION in this family! Deliverance from generational curses and negative influences! Unity in Christ to occur!

Father, I ask You in Jesus Name to make Yourself KNOWN to my brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews! I ask You to do a mighty work of deliverance, healing and restoration TO YOUR GLORY in each and every member of my family without exception! I thank You for it and RECEIVE IT in Jesus Powerful and Mighty Name! AMEN!!

Thank you and LOVE IN CHRIST to each and every one of you,
Turn the Tide Ministries

LIVE DELIBERATELY & INSPIRE OTHERS!

Rise up and WALK!

The word of God has a way of speaking, what It chooses, when It chooses, for It is living, and powerful and filled with the LIFE God gave It when He allowed mortal man to put pen to paper, or whatever writing instruments were in use at the time He first inspired Holy men of God to speak as He gave them utterance, to make the words of His heart, the words of His mind available for man to read, consider and even at times to understand. 

At this moment, I ask you to consider the historical record found in the book of Acts, Chapter 3 and verses 1 - 6

Verse 1:  Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. (NKJV)
                    ; where two or more are gathered in the name of Jesus, He, Jesus will be there with them, this is a promise we also find in the Bible.  We have two, gathered in His name, and recognizing His presence and therefore aware of His power available to them as well, they are prepared to serve His purpose as and when He directs!  As you go about your daily life, are you prepared and willing to serve Him at a moments notice?  Or are you so focused on your plans you have no ear or heart for His?

Verse 2:  And a certain man lame from his mothers womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of those who entered the temple.
                      ; how many people go daily and regularly to the places where they think they will get help and assistance only to find themselves ignored, pushed aside and left in the sorry state they began in until they have simply accepted the sorry state as their lot in life?  We assume "they" who laid him daily at the temple gate were family members, though it may have been anyone, willing to do no more for this man than put him in a position to beg for his sustenance from strangers.

Verse 3, 4, 5:  who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked for alms.  And fixing his eyes on him with John Peter said "Look at us".  So he gave them his attention expecting to receive something from them.
                        ; I gather from the wording here that his seeing of John and Peter was no more than a cursory glance, a second they were in his sight as he surveyed the people coming and going, focusing on no one but himself, so hardened by time and habit that he no longer saw individuals and certainly had stopped seeking real opportunity years before, accepting his position as a lowly beggar with no further protest or even a  show of attempt to do anything for himself or to change his circumstance.

It appears he had so accepted his own place as worthless, others individuality was as invisible to him as he believed himself to be virtually invisible to others.The command to "Look at us" brought clarity and attention to not just Peter and John in his sight, but forced him to "see" himself as well!  By calling for focus, Peter was stripping away the invisibility and with it, the thoughts and feelings of worthlessness, forcing him to acknowledge and engage and be involved with not only those he had addressed, but involved with himself; what he was doing and why he was doing it! 

Peter called him to attention!  Hey!!  Don't blindly continue on as before!  Look and really SEE - engage with, pay attention to who and what and why and where!  Wake up from this stupefying slumber of routine and dull acceptance of what has been and LOOK at the possibilities around you! Wake up from blind acceptance of what has always been, from the senses dulled by same old same old and open your eyes and your heart to what could be, what might be,  what is right in front of you if you would just step out from fear and receive it! 

Look past the low expectations of others and see what is being offered if you'll only move out of the shadows of "living everyday life" into the LIGHT of LIFE!  Peter was filled with the Holy Ghost, he had "Christ in him, the hope of glory!" (Colossians 1:27) and Peter knew and understood that he, Peter was the LIGHT and the SALT of the world as an Ambassador for Jesus Christ. 

Peter knew he had the power of real life available and he refused to allow the ways of the world to dictate his behavior.  He knew this man wanted nothing but a few coins and move on so I can get to the next few coins and so EXIST until my feeble and broken and damaged body finally gives out and I can quietly die as if I never lived at all, and Peter REJECTED that stance and insisted this individual "look at us!"  Peter chose not to just give a few coins and assuage his own conscience but instead to boldly insist on a full reckoning "LOOK AT US!" 

WHAT WILL OTHERS SEE IF THEY REALLY AND TRULY LOOK AT US, LOOK AT OUR LIVES?  Will they see Christ?  Will they see the love and mercy and grace of God being lived out in our words and actions?  I know in my life, TOO OFTEN in the past anyone would have been hard pressed to see true evidence of my being light and salt to anyone in any situation!  They'd have expected the few coins and nothing more.  As a Christian, we have so much more to offer - if and as we allow the Holy Spirit to work through us.  While it is true that we ourselves have no more than the worldly things to offer, getting out of our own way and yielding to God, surrendering to Him, He then offers all His good gifts to others through us!

Verse 6:  Peter said "Silver and Gold I do not have but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk!"

It is not recorded that they preached the Gospel to him, invited him to church, took him to Bible Study.  They didn't hand him a tract, sing him a hymn or lecture him about his sin and the error of his ways.  Freely they had received the glorious gift of abundant life that Jesus gave, and freely they offered it to one in need.  No strings, no conditions, no condemnation, no judgements and no criticism.  They didn't insist he change his life, stop begging or anything else.  They gave what had been given them.  Hope through Jesus  the Savior.

Silver and gold are things which have only a temporary effect on our lives.  Good for purchasing things like food and houses and clothes.  But they have no lasting, eternal value whatsoever.  It isn't that they are bad or evil - they aren't.  Money is the system by which we function in life.  The point is not to let the "system" become your God!

We are to WALK – by faith and NOT by sight.  Our spiritual journey is a WALK - continual action moving forward!  As silver and gold, we are to be purified in the fire of God so we are of value in this world, but we are to understand the value goes BEYOND this world, that we are to lay up treasures in Heaven and NOT on this earth!  Jesus is our DAILY BREAD, our NEED – not the things of this world which are passing away!!

We seem "hell bent" on emulating and imitating the things of this world, rather than giving the world a reason to imitate us who claim Christ as our Savior!  We are called by God to be "peculiar people", and yet we insist on "conforming" to what the world finds acceptable, we have allowed the desire to "fit in" to overcome our hearts.  We have not obeyed the objective to "be NOT conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." (Romans 12:2)  We haven't renewed our minds to the word of God, that it may transform us into His ways but instead have tried to contort the word of God to fit into the mold and image of the worldly ways.  The message of Christ hasn't changed.  Cultures have changed, people's hearts have changed, but even as Paul the Apostle entreated so many many years ago, so I now entreat you:

"Behold NOW is the accepted time, BEHOLD now is the day of salvation." (II Corinthians 6:2b)

In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, I urge you to rise up and walk!