WATCHFUL PRAYER

From the herald of His coming 2007
By Dave Butts

"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful" (Colossians 4:2).

Devotion to prayer was one of the marks of the early Church. In Acts 2:42, Luke lists four areas of devotion that marked the Jerusalem church:
Apostles’ teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer. The rest of Acts demonstrates their devotion, as a praying Church breaks out of Judea and embarks upon its mission to the world.

God’s call to His people today is for nothing less than that demonstrated by the first believers.
Through dependence upon His power through
prayer, we establish His kingdom in the lives of men and women everywhere, seeing Christ’s
kingdom advance among the nations.

In Colossians 4:2, Paul’s command for us to be devoted to prayer is sharpened by the phrase, "being watchful." Watchful praying is a more
intense, more kingdom-focused type of prayer. All too often our prayers can be a reflection of an unfocused, bland faith. We ask little, expecting
little, and what we do ask for is more about our own desires than the purposes and plans of God.
Watchful praying takes effort. It is an
aggressive sort of prayer life, recognizing that life
is lived out in the midst of a battleground.
Watching and praying is a lifestyle focusing on
seeing the kingdom of Christ advance and
knowing that our prayers are a vital part of what God is doing on planet earth.
To watch and pray first of all means that we watch God. As we draw near in intimacy and see how God is moving, we pick up divine cues from
Him as to how we should pray.

Scripture speaks much of keeping our eyes on the Lord:

• "O my Strength, I watch for You; You, O God, are my
fortress…" (Psalm 59:9).

• "But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for
God my Savior; my God will hear me" (Micah 7:7).

• "I will stand at my watch and station myself on the
ramparts; I will look to see what He will say to me, and
what answer I am to give to this complaint" (Habakkuk
2:1).

• "It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and
puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and
tells the one at the door to keep watch. Therefore keep
watch because you do not know when the owner of the
house will come back – whether in the evening, or at
midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he
comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I
say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’" (Mark
13:34-37).

God’s Word also tells us to watch what is
happening around us, and sometimes even
within us. There is to be an awareness of our
surroundings and what God might be doing in
them, so that we can pray with greater
effectiveness. Here are just a few of the
Scriptures that point to this way of watching and
praying:

• "Look at the nations and watch – and be utterly
amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that
you would not believe, even if you were told" (Habakkuk
1:5).
• "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on
what day your Lord will come" (Matthew 24:42).

• "Then He said to them, ‘My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with Me.’ Going a little farther, He fell with His face to the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.’
Then He returned to His disciples and found them sleeping.
‘Could you men not keep watch with Me for one hour?’ He asked Peter. ‘Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak’" (Matthew 26:38-41).

• "Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that
you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them
slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your
children and to their children after them" (Deuteronomy
4:9).

One of the most fascinating aspects of watchful praying is how closely it ties us to the very nature and activity of God Himself. God is a watcher! Again and again in the Bible we read of how He watches over the affairs of both nations and individuals. He calls us to join Him on His watch…to devote ourselves to watch and pray
that we might participate with our Lord in His purposes. What an amazing privilege! Carefully
consider these Scriptures that point to God on His
watch:

• "I am with you and will watch over you wherever you
go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave
you until I have done what I have promised you" (Genesis
28:15).
• "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you
should go; I will counsel you and watch over you" (Psalm
32:8).
• "He rules forever by His power, His eyes watch the
nations – let not the rebellious rise up against Him" (Psalm
66:7).
• "The LORD will keep you from all harm – He will watch
over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and
going both now and forevermore" (Psalm 121:7-8).
• "The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch
on the wicked and the good" (Proverbs 15:3).
Would you today join with a watching God? He is calling His people to such an intimate place with Him that we begin to see some aspects of
what He is seeing as He allows us that privilege.
Our watching is for the purpose of praying into
our world the purposes and plans of God. How
amazing is the grace and calling of God that He
would grant us the joy and favor of laboring
alongside Him through watchful praying!

DEAR SOMEONE

TO DEAR SOMEONE

RE: MAYBE

Hoping this work finds you well and blessed.

Maybe love, real love, is about finding someone who is imperfect, just like us, and loving them in spite of their sins.

Maybe its about learning to forgive people’s inconsistencies, as they forgive ours. Maybe its about trusting, even when people don’t really deserve that honor. Maybe its starting over and rebuilding. Maybe its learning to embrace all the pieces of another person, good and bad.

But Maybe what we need to start doing is a little less expecting, and a lot more accepting.

Maybe love is all about building a true and lasting friendship, maybe its about completing the other person.

Maybe we need to understand that we are all human, and we are all going to make mistakes. The people we love are going to disappoint us; they’re going to fail us. We are going to ask them to be there for us, and they might run. We might want them to follow through on their promises, and they break them instead.

There will be a million and one ways the people we love will let us down, but we must still learn to love them, as they love us. That is the only way love works – it survives, it grows, it continues, even in its imperfection.

Maybe love is about making tiny sacrifices for the people you love. Not telling them about the little things that bother you. Not being so hard on them when they forget something you asked. Not holding them to immeasurably standards. And accepting them and loving them fully instead.

Maybe you need someone who knows that you are not perfect but he/she stares at you like you are the most perfect creature they has ever seen

Dear someone, maybe,You are ‘The good one’.

Xoxo

HARRI

why we all need pain

This post was adapted from tonyrobbins.com.

There isn’t much in the
world that is more
painful than a broken heart. And
most will say that there’s no
salve but time to take that pain
away. But why are we so quick to
speed through and even negate
the pain? Why do we distract
ourselves from feeling emotions
that can actually help us find
more closure on the love that
has been lost?
Pain is part of life. And while it
is seen by most as something to
be avoided, pain can actually be
a good thing. It opens a well and
presents you with a valuable
opportunity to grow. But it’s
your job to decide what you are
going to fill it up with — love or
fear. And it’s this choice that can
take you to an entirely new
realm of possibilities, because
even if you do not understand
why you lost love, you know that
there is something beautiful that
can come from it. There’s
something more inside of you
because of it.

REALIZATION

While it can be scary to
acknowledge change, you can
find strength by commanding it.
Tell yourself that things will
never be the same. That you will
never be the same. But this is an
opportunity to realize new levels
of opportunity and growth. And
this doesn’t just mean in the
long run.
Realize that you may not be able
to have control over what is
happening, there are certain
things you can control. For
example: your body. When you
take control of your body, the
mind and emotions will
respond. Become emotionally
strong by first getting physically
fit. Put your body first, get into a
peak state, and you will be able
to change your perspective on
pain.
Realize that you also have the
power to feed your mind. You
can dwell in memories of your
relationship and replay the
breakup over and over. Or you
can feed your mind information,
poetry, spirituality. You can use
the pain to discover more about
yourself and what you want in
life.
Realize that pain is a signal to
turn inward. And taking control
of your physicality and your
emotional state is the first step
towards a higher level of self-
discovery and evolution.

CONNECTION

Sadness allows us to connect
with ourselves. As bad as it
feels, we connect. We connect
with our emotions, we connect
with our memories and we
connect with our thoughts. This
is why it is comfortable to stay
in sadness and difficult to
transcend — we are meeting our
need for connection.
The only way out of this is to
have something else you want to
connect with more. You have to
ask yourself, what do you value
more than your pain? Do you
value helping other people
more? Perhaps you value
helping animals? Ask yourself:
“What is the reason I am here?”
By shifting the
focus from
yourself to
something else,
you’ll learn how
to gradually let
go of your pain
and move on.
This is the power
of contribution.
Understanding how to find
meaning out of your pain is a
way to take a broken heart and
turn it into something that will
help you grow and expand your
ability to love. We have to go
through the emotions of shock,
denial, hurt and anger. But
eventually there is acceptance.
And the best way to reach peace
is to find a higher meaning out
of our need to serve others.

UTILIZATION

If you can use your heartache to
find a more empowering
meaning, then you can take that
same experience and say: “I’m
going to take control of my life.
I’m going to make a change.”
Rather than sitting and
becoming a reaction — making
yourself the effect of the event —
you are realizing that you have
the power to determine what
things mean and how you will
approach life from this point
forward.
One of the keys to utilization is
envisioning a compelling future.
What does your new vision look
like? What are you going to be
doing differently in the future?
And what are you going to do
differently today?
Remember, if you don’t take
control and make the necessary
changes, weeds are going to
grow automatically. But if you
learn and adapt, you can achieve
a new level of living that would
have never been possible had
you not gone through the
heartache you did.

YOU HAVE SEEN ENOUGH

adapted from Bishop TD Jakes teaching

Pain, hurt and loss affect us to our core. We
replay our painful experiences on a continuous
loop in our minds.  We wish the outcome had
been different--that he would have loved us more
or that they wouldn’t have abused us.  But no
matter how good we get at masking the pain, our
wounds haven’t even begun to heal.
All that happened in your past was damaging, but
it resides in the past. As we cling to feelings of
being unworthy, unlovable or damaged, we invite
experiences into our lives that mirror these
negative self beliefs.
No matter what you try, the painful memories
weigh you down.  But today this changes.   It is
within your power to stop the destruction and
change the stories in your head.
Use these 3 ways to acknowledge your pain and
stop beating yourself up inside.

1. OVERCOME BY YOUR TESTIMONY

Tell the truth about what happened to you, it’s
long overdue. Stop lying about the depth of your
pain. Let your guard down to those you love.
Take off the masks you wear and be real--
imperfections and all.
Your testimony about your past will break
through that roadblock in your soul. Studies have
shown that the more truth we tell the less mental
stress and health problems we encounter.
The truth really will set you free.

2. CHANGE YOUR SELF TALK

People learn to treat us by how they see us
treating ourselves.  Talk so good about you that
others know how it should be done!
Healing comes from what you choose to say and
believe about yourself.  Though we never learned
how to speak kindly to ourselves in the past, it is
never too late to change our story.  Challenge
yourself to use “ positive self talk”, that is words
and phrases which inspire and motivate you, to
heal those broken parts in your heart.  Instead of
saying, “but you aren’t good enough”, for
example, immediately turn that to, “look at all
that you have done with so little to start.”

3. TURN  YOUR  STORY AROUND

Pursue what you do well and devote your mental
energy to those passions. Our internal voice
changes in response to our commitment to
positive growth. The strong counselor who listens
compassionately to others isn’t doomed to repeat
a cycle of abuse. A dedicated painter can start to
free himself from the agony of abandonment by
channeling his pain onto the canvas.  Immerse
yourself in activities that highlight your creativity
and inspire you to enjoy life.  The internal abuse
will cease once you powerfully live each day
guided by what you love--not what you are trying
to hide.

Don’t waste another second beating yourself up
inside.  You have seen enough.  You have been
through enough.  Leave the past in the past and
become the stronger you who’s always been
inside.

Your PERFECT women

Dear son

Every young man wants to
marry someone amazing –
the perfect woman. I’m
sure you’ve spent a lot to
time thinking about your
future wife – just what kind
of person you hope she is.
And you’re not asking for
much, right? Just someone
who is,

1. Loving
2. Kind
3. Beautiful
4. Thoughtful
5. Intelligent
6. Hardworking
7. Funny
8. Gracious
9. Strong
10. A committed
believer
11. Loves to serve you
12. Fiercely loyal
13. Faithful
14. Devoted to you
15. And, you want her
to be a virgin. You
want her to have
saved herself just
for you, don’t you?

. . . just a few things like
that, right? You’re actual
list is probably a lot
longer than this one . . .
maybe even includes the
color of her hair! She
doesn’t have to walk on
water like Jesus did but . . .
it wouldn’t hurt, would it?
The fact is, when
you think of your “dream
girl” she’s downright
amazing . . . she’s the
perfect woman. Wow! To
marry a woman like that
would be awesome,
wouldn’t it!

We can get pretty specific
when it comes to what we
hope for in a future wife,
can’t we? But there’s
something that is very easy
to forget – something that’s
super easy to pass over –
when we dream of our
wedding day with “Her”.
It’s perfectly normal to
think through – dream
about – what you desire in
your wife but, I have a
question for you. If this
amazing woman were to
show up tomorrow, what
do you think she is
looking for in a husband?
“Are you Living a Life
Worthy of the Woman of
your Dreams?”

Are you living a life worthy
of the woman of your
dreams? Are you living
consistently with the
standards that you have
told yourself are important
in the woman you’re
looking for?

You’re looking for an
amazing woman but, make
no mistake, a woman like
that is looking for an
amazing man. How do you
measure up to the
standards you’ve set in
your mind for her?
She wants these same
qualities in her future
husband just as intensely as
you want them in your
future wife.

And she is out there, right
now, wondering where you
are – wondering how you’re
spending your time –
wondering what you’re
thinking. She’s hopeful,
dreaming of the day the
two of you will meet for
the first time. Hoping you
have been faithful to her.
When you do lock eyes
for the first time, what
kind of man will she
encounter? The answer to
that question will  be the
result of the choices and
decisions you make long
before you ever meet.
“The future husband you
will become and the quality
of your character is built
one decision at a time.”
The future husband you
will become and the quality
of your character is
built one decision at a
time. In these years of
preparing to be a husband,
that’s where your focus
should be, rather than on
what someone else needs
to do and be.
When it comes to personal
character and marriage
preparation, there’s no
better place to start than
the Word of God, the
standard for everything
that is right, good, and
true.
I can guess what you’re
thinking . . . “If that’s true,
why are there so many bad
marriages among
Christians?”
The answer is simple – they
either don’t know or don’t
care what the Bible says.
For those who do, there is
a fantastic marriage
waiting for every couple –
every couple – who
choose to order their
married lives according
to God’s Word.

Here are several verses for
you to think about when
considering becoming the
man your dream girl hopes
to marry, some day.

1. Psalm 1. It’s only a
few verses but
power-packed with
God’s Truth.
Memorize it.
2. Psalm 119:11 “Your
Word have I hid in
my heart that I
might not sin against
you.” In the day of
His temptation, Jesus
used the Word of
God in battle. We
can’t use it if we
don’t own it. And
here’s a great
Scripture to own for
battle . . .
3. 1 Corinthians 10:13
“There is no
temptation taken
you but such as is
common to man: but
God is faithful, who
will not suffer you
to be tempted
above what you are
able; but will with
the temptation also
make a way to
escape, that you
may be able to
bear it.” This means
you can win, you can
be a man of purity
and character every
time you face
temptation.
4. Read a verse or two
from the Book of
Proverbs every day.
It’s filled with
nuggets of wisdom,
like these: Proverbs
6:16-19 “These six
things does the LORD
hate: yes, seven are
an abomination to
him: A proud look, a
lying tongue, and
hands that shed
innocent blood. A
heart that devises
wicked imaginations,
feet that are swift in
running to mischief,
a false witness that
speaks lies, and him
who engenders
discord among
brothers.”
5. Ephesians 5:25
“Husbands, love
your wife, even as
Christ also loved
the church and
gave himself for it;”
Jesus laid down his
life for the church.
You, as a husband
some day, are called
to lay down your life
for your wife – to
become her selfless
servant-leader.

Keep dreaming son, keep
hoping. The Bible says God
is a good Father who knows
how to give good gifts. The
gift of your wife is waiting
for you and in God’s
providence, she will be
perfect for you.
She is out there looking for
the day you will meet. But,
in the mean time, be
faithful in everything,
preparing to be
an amazing husband,
worthy of the woman of
your dreams.
*******************
With Love and blessings.

SINGLENESS

this article is adapted from the late Dr Myles Munroe's teaching on singleness.. Stay blessed as you read...


BEING SINGLE

It is okay to be single, but not good to be alone. People do not have a “singleness” problem. They have an entirely different problem, called “being single”, especially after years of being one of a couple, of feeling a sense of “belonging to” someone.
Being single means to be “separate, unique, and whole”. Would you like to stop being whole or a unique person? Of course not! So what is this problem with singleness? There is no problem, except with our definition of singleness, which we have confused with “being alone” or “loneliness”. If the Bible definition of being single is to be “unique and whole”, then we all should have the goal of singleness! The Bible does not teach that singleness is bad, negative or unhealthy. In fact, no one should marry until he or she is totally single. Until you are a separate, unique and whole person, you are actually not ready to marry!


Most marriages fail because a husband or wife (or both) do not see themselves as unique, worthy individuals, i.e. they have bad self-image and are not whole, or they are not separate but always depend on somebody else to make them happy. Until you are truly single, marriage will be a difficult, and perhaps negative, experience. Your life – before and during marriage or after divorce – will get better as you become more single. Instead of running from being single, you should run toward singleness.


GOD’S VIEW OF SINGLENESS

In Genesis 2:18, did God say “It is not good for man to be single”?
NO. He said: “It is not good that the man should be alone…”
God had no problem with the man’s separateness, his uniqueness, or his wholeness. Adam did not even know that he was alone. He was so totally unique and so whole in himself that he did not miss anybody. It was God’s own observation of the situation, based on His own wisdom, that led to this statement. Having a companion was not Adam’s idea, it was God’s.

Neither did God say, “Adam is not a whole being, he needs a wife to complete him.” In essence, God wanted to give him a helper who would be suitable, or “like him” – another being who would complement him and be complemented by him. God made this second human being for Adam not to be alone. You do not need to be married not to be alone. Any companions and close friends can fulfil that role in your life. Lots of people are not married and yet not alone. And lots of others are married, yet desperately alone! God did not create marriage in order for us not to be alone. He created other human beings in order for us not to be alone. Eve was not created primarily as a wife, but as another like Adam, who would first be a companion; then, later, a wife. All you need not to be alone is to find someone else like you.
Marriage will not solve aloneness.
God never said it was not good for man to be unique, separate and whole. As a matter of fact, He likes uniqueness so much that no two people on this planet have the same DNA, fingerprints or eye retina patterns. Our conclusion must therefore be that God not only likes uniqueness, separateness and wholeness, He insists on it in His creations!
Being single is therefore essential to – and the foundation of – ALL relationships. A relationship is only as good as whatever the individuals involved bring to it. An omelette is only as good as the separate eggs in it.


GOD DOES NOT CHOOSE YOUR MARRIAGE PARTNER FOR YOU

God only presents. You choose. If God chose your mate for you, He would not only be violating your right to choose, but He would be taking responsibility for the relationship. If it failed, any blame could be transferred to God. It is a misconception that God has created only one specific person on this planet for you to marry. Just as He made salvation possible for you, but gave you the freedom to choose it or reject it, in the same way He will present people in your life, and it is your choice whether or not you use the Word, wisdom and characteristics of God’s nature to make that choice. Therefore, you must take the responsibility for your choice – and for all the consequences that come with it. Do not become overly spiritual or irrational in this regard. Providing prospects is God’s responsibility, but choosing a mate is yours. Rely on the assistance of the Holy Spirit, but do not attempt to transfer the responsibility of choice to Him

PRINCIPLES OF DEVOTED LIVING

PRINCIPLES OF DEVOTED LIVING


This is a dedication to all youths in the ministry.. Serving God is not in vain.. I have been in the leadership for sometimes now... There is much profit in serving God.



1 COR 7:17-24

But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all churches.
Is any man called being circumcised? let him not become uncircumcised. Is any called in uncircumcision? let him not be circumcised.
Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God.
Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called.
Art thou called being a servant? care not for it: but if thou mayest be made free, use it rather.
For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ's servant.
Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.
Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God.
Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord: yet I give my judgment, as one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful.
 (Corinthians 1 07 : 17 - 24 )



*one of the principles which Paul underlines in paragraph is the necessity to appreciate the value which God has placed on you. "Ye are bought with a price" vs 23. Every child of God is of value in the estimation of God. Every individual and every life is of importance to God. This is what Paul is stressing in this section. Thoughts of self pity and personal rejection must be refused and replaced by an appreciation of 'my worth' before the Lord.
There are no second class saints, only second class thinkers. Every person is of value to God and should be of value to those who wish to think as God does.



ACCEPTANCE

Notice also the need to accept whatever circumstances into which God has brought us. "Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called" (vs 20).  Self pity, lack of self confidence, a misunderstanding about God's purposes all may combine to paralyze a person. Paul mskes clear that all saints should serve God where they are and in whatever circumstances they are found.


ABIDE WITH GOD

Finally, Paul makes a plea that every saint should use whatever circumstances God has brought him into, to abide with God (vs 24). Cultivating the fellowship of God is something which is open to every believer in every set of circumstances. The eternal abiding principles of God transcend cultures,time and circumstances. Remember Mathew 6:33 " seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."  Putting God first and allowing Him to order the remainder of my life will never result in loss.


" I have learned in whatsoever state I am to be content;.... I am strong for all things in Christ who is constantly pouring strength into me " Phil 4:11,13


" Whatsoever thine hand findeth to do, do it with thy might" Eccl. 9:10


In His Service,

Harri