Fear Not, Your Prayer Was Heard

"What is the cry, the prayer in your heart that you have become silent in its offering? Fear not, fellow pilgrim, for your prayer was heard."   I don't know who this is for but this Scripture struck me today while reading:

"But the angel said unto him, ‘Fear not, Zacharias, for your prayer was heard;’… (Luke 1:13)."

The Greek translation of ‘was heard’ here in implies that this was a prayer which was no longer being offered… Yet God had heard and apparently remembered the petition all the same.

...fear not your prayers are always heard. …and with this, who could not be but undone:

What kind of God is this Who forgives, cleanses and forgets each of our sins and iniquities all the while still listening, hearing, remembering and granting the cry of our hearts even after we have become silent in our request. ?

What is the cry, the prayer in your heart that you have become silent in its offering?

“Fear not, fellow pilgrim, for your prayer was heard."

Knit Together

"Encourage and strengthen our hearts Father God, that community churches and the global Church be knit together in love; that we Your saints move forward each day in joy-full, loving, fellowship with one another, rising to present a solid flank at every angle against onslaughts of the desperate foe.

Reveal to us and through us full understanding and awareness of the amazing greatness of You, Father and that of our LORD, Christ Jesus of Nazareth, the Head of all, in order that none be lead astray by perils, false teachings, religion, cults, pride, opposition, or any other counterfeit god.

Father, that like John we would trust to rest, with the likeness of a child upon Your chest.  Rooted, growing deep, and thus built up, In You by taking all nourishment from You; strengthened, steadfast in faith, knowing in power: the Riches of the Glory of this awe inspiring Mystery, which is Christ In Us, the Hope of Glory. Let our hearts be soundly united in and captivated by Your marvelous Truth, abounding, overflowing in praise and thanksgiving to You, LORD. -so be it, amen."


Scripture Reference:
Colossians 1:26, 27;
Colossians 2:2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 15

© COPYWRITE 2015 MARILYN MAGALLANES

The Thoughts and Ways of Love

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways," declares the LORD' (Isaiah 55:8).

As Christians -- God's spokesmen in this world -- we should not be going about encroaching our personal opinions and ensuing advice within terms such as: "God told me......" or "I think God wants me to say to you......" In other words, we should not be giving what most would consider to be a 'backhanded' compliment in God's name to others -- especially in our own desire to bring about some type of behavior or action more inline with what we or the general consensus thinks it should be. That has a name as well; it's called manipulation.

manipulate: verb, 2. To influence or manage shrewdly or deviously: He manipulated her opinion in his favor.

What's more, I used to think that 'backhanded' as it refers to a compliment was just something akin to us country folks talking; but it is actually a word. I looked it up. Here is what the dictionary has to say about this word:

backhanded: adjective
2. Oblique or roundabout: a backhanded compliment.
3. oblique or ambiguous in meaning: a backhanded compliment.

To use any of these techniques, at least where I come from, would be considered and insulting injury. And while God very well may speak metaphorically with us,"God" does not inspire us to give backhanded compliments and neither does He deal with us deviously through manipulation. That is something we do. And it is most damaging, in many ways, to those we attempt to 'help' with this tactic.

Every human on planet earth is made in God's image and likeness; therefore we should be imitators of God in all of our interactions with others. And how does God move people from His total acceptance to His agreement? As Matthew Henry says in one of his commentary notes: "That which comes from the Love of God, has the grace" and mercy "of God for its companion." It's HIS love which reveals to one their value and worth, moving them in the direction HE desires for them.

God loves people where they are at, just as they are and that love is the deposit which gives place to His speaking into their life being heard, resulting in a favorable and desirable response without needless insult nor injury to His beloved!

So next time -- you want to tell Jane that her make-up looks like a clown at the circus or John that he really should try to get something that will clear all those pimples -- don't encroach it within God language: e.g. "I think God wants me to tell you that your natural beauty is what He loves best, or...etcetera, etcetra."

How about this: Just keep it to yourself.

Instead, try sincerely loving people, big, fat, white, purple, warts, pimples, heavy make-up and all, giving them your open armed acceptance; and THEN you can speak into their life your opinion -- IF they ask you! -- without scapegoating God and causing needless injury to others.

#love, #acceptance, and #othering.

New Skins

'Then Jesus gave them this illustration: “No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and uses it to patch an old garment. For then the new garment would be ruined, and the new patch would not even match the old garment. “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the new wine would burst the wineskins, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine must be stored in new wineskins. But no one who drinks the old wine seems to want the new wine. ‘The old is just fine,’ they say.”'(Luke 5:33-39, NLT)

You must be born again - Yes - and your Faith, that is your total trust in Christ Jesus of Nazareth, [alone] is your salvation.[period].  Nevertheless, let us remember because of this, His great love, we desire to be Doers of His word through His enabling Grace by the measure of Faith given each of us. ~Peace be with you.

Fruit Bearers Yeild

Personal reflections of the TGIF devotional reading from earlier today. 

“Don’t begin by traveling to some far-off place to convert unbelievers. And don't try to be dramatic by tackling some public enemy. Go to the lost, confused people right here in the neighborhood. Tell them that the kingdom is here. Bring health to the sick. Raise the dead. Touch the untouchables. Kick out the demons. You have been treated generously, so live generously." ~Jesus (The Message - Matthew 10:8).

FREELY you have been given - so, GIVE freely.

These are simply my take away thoughts from my reading of "TGIF - Today God Is First" this morning and does not necessarily, in any form represent the author's intent.

Remind Me Who I Am.

Stand-Up.

'"Oh, that You would bless me and expand my territory! Please be with me in all that I do, and keep me from ALL trouble and pain!” And God granted him his request'  1 Chronicles 4:10 (NLT).<-- All pain. All trouble. That I might neither have trouble and pain NOR cause trouble or pain to others. 

You are who God says you are.[period].

diatribe [1]

n.       a bitter or violent criticism or attack; denunciation  [from Latin diatriba learned debate, from Greek diatribē discourse, pastime, from diatribein to while away, from dia- + tribein to rub]

noun: stream of abuse, verbal onslaught, philippic an extended diatribe against academia 

Pray and listen to God's leading and direction. Ask God to "open your mouth and increase your territory" (prayer of Jabez - 1 Chronicles 4:10 - above).[2]

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[1]Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

[2] http://tinyurl.com/positivesteps2

Limited Edition

"But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light; Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy."… ~1 Peter 2:9-10