Louisiana, my heart goes out to you.

              As I continue to drive home the point that unexpected storms will come into your life and you must be prepared for them, the real world reflects that. In Louisiana over 40 thousand homes have been destroyed and there have been 11 confirmed dead. Thousands are homeless and have lost everything due to a storm that went across the state last week. This storm flooded the area and led to flooding in the area. The loss of property is one thing but the loss of life is another. Property and homes can be replaced and repaired but loss of life can not be replaced. The destruction was inevitable no matter how well prepared the people were. I know that this translate into our lives as well. look at the lives and families in the flooded areas. Their lives are changed forever. The destruction was not limited by race, income, education or any socioeconomic group. So how should we respond when this happens?

1. Accept Help. These people in the flooded areas will soon be flooded with help in the form of food, water, money and so many other ways. They will not let their pride hinder them when they need the help.  In our lives when bad times come, allow those around you to comfort and help. It is what they are called by Christ to do! 
2. Give Help. We here are more likely to not be able to go help in the flooded areas but we can make a difference. There are plenty of ways to get into helping these people affected. As Christians we are called to help those in need. So lets get to doing that. The flood victims are easy to help because there is a non-personal connection with them. In our inner circle it becomes hard because we know these people and can be afraid to reach out and help. DO NOT be afraid to reach out to your friends when you know they are hurting. 
3. Pray. The best thing to do for someone is to pray for them. No I am not joking. Telling God how much a person means to you and how much seeing that person hurt in turn hurts you, is exactly what prayer is about. Remember to pray habitually, profusely and humbly. So go find a way to help your friends in Louisiana in need. It is what God commands. 

"He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker,

But he who honors God has mercy on the needy."-Proverbs 14:31

When that Hotline Blings........

Last night God was talking to me. It happens that way. When my brain quiets, God usually has something to say. So here is last nights message.

 

In a world where everyone is just a couple of button clicks away, is our hot line to God being used? Hows your prayer life? That's a question that I was asked recently. So my brain chewed it over and thought that this would be a great lesson. I mean God gave me illumination on this subject. He took me right to Luke 22:39-44.

The Prayer in the Garden

 Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him. When He came to the place, He said to them, “ Pray that you may not enter into temptation.”

 And He was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, “ Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

God spoke these three points to me about Prayer Life. When we want to know how to do something we look to Jesus Christ for the answer. So here we go.

1. Pray Habitually.    Right there in the first verse it says that Jesus went to the Mount of Olives as he was "accustomed to". It was a habit with Jesus. He had a time and a plan for His time praying to God the Father.
2. Pray Profusely.  Now here in the south we know what it means to sweat profusely. I can say however that during my entire life praying I have never broken a sweat, much less had it dripping off of me. So what the scripture is telling us is to put some effort in to your prayer life. If we took a jog around the block we would be sweating profusely because of the effort we are putting out. That effort should be carried over to your prayer life. 
3. Pray Humbly. Here we see Jesus again in THE servant role. He is praying that God's will be done, not His. Jesus came to serve. That's the point here. Humble yourself before God, Jesus did. Jesus was sweating and praying humbly.  Now Jesus would go on to to be glorified on the Cross but He was God's humble servant. So humble yourself to God in your prayer life. Sometimes, if we are honest, we don't want to be God's humble servant in our prayer life. Why? What if he said we had to go to some foreign country? Might get uncomfortable. 

There you have it. That's straight from God last night. Hope it illuminates your prayer life like it did mine.