The Sands of Forgiveness

The Sands of Forgiveness

http://jabelah.wordpress.com/2011/11/28/the-sand-of-forgiveness/

A story tells that two friends were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey

they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in the face.

The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand:

TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE.

They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one who 

had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but the friend saved him.

After he recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone:

TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE.

The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, "After I hurt you, you wrote in 

the sand. And now you write on a stone.  Why?"

The other friend replied "When someone hurts us we should write it down in sand where winds 

of forgiveness can erase it away. But, when someone does something good for us, we must 

engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it."

Moral: Learn to write your hurts in the sand and to carve your benefits in stone.

Forgiveness: “The act of forgiving for an offense; pardoning.”

Billy Graham's Prayer at 95 yrs old

Billy Graham's Prayer at 95 yrs old

From a man the media has never been able to throw dirt on.....amazing! He has certainly hit the "world" on the head!

Billy Graham's Prayer For Our Nation

THIS MAN SURE HAS A GOOD VIEW OF WHAT'S HAPPENING TO OUR COUNTRY!

'Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done. 

We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. 

We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. 

We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. 

We have killed our unborn and called it choice. 

We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. 

We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem. 

We have abused power and called it politics. 

We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition. 

We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. 

We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. 

Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts  today; cleanse us from sin and set us free. Amen!'
 

With the Lord's help, may this prayer sweep over our nation and wholeheartedly become our desire so that we once again can be called 'One nation under God!'

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:1-4 ESV)

Why Pray?

Why Pray?

The more we "will for God to pray in us" the more He becomes prayer in us, the more we will pray.

A highpoint of the week is our Wednesday 7PM prayer time together: quietly waiting on God, worshipping, listening, then prayer begins to rise in us and we become aware that God lives in us and is praying through us - effortlessly words or quiet singing meditations flow from our spirits—God breathes in our souls and we rise together in his presence. We become His house of prayer and feel the good effect of His will both within us and his will being effected in the earth through us as we make our petitions known with the help of His Spirit. We love this time.

Body ministry prayer for one another often flows without strain. Words of knowledge and prophetic prayers simply come, birthed in God's love and comfort to encourage weary hearts. We love prayer meeting because God loves meeting with us—heart to heart—face to face—breath to breath—the powerful and beautiful kiss of worship in spirit and truth.

Prayer comes at a price—detachment-abandonment to God. What do we believe, why, how live it and what difference does it make must at some point deal with God's life in us, or at least our souls trying to live in God.

When God abides in our souls prayer is like breathing. How can we separate ourselves from the very fountain of life within? But that is the result of growth in godliness as well as prayer. This kind of union life in God's love comes at a price—detachment from the "clinginess" of my attachments in this world (including the good things and relationships. 

The more I seek things "for themselves" instead "in self-abandonment to God" in each present moment, the less room there is in my soul for desire for God. The less room for desire for God the less of God's life I will experience. The less awareness I have of God dwelling in me the less love and satisfaction in Him, His word and prayer. Desire begets desire. I will seek what I want. And will increase that want until I want "something else."  The question becomes, "When will my something else's become "God is enough" ?

CHANGE TO CHANGE

CHANGE TO CHANGE

by Dwight Cunkle

Our only hope of change is to change. Change our direction in repentance from seeking our own way to seeking God. Seeking spiritual changes within us will cost us detachment from worldly things but lead to true satisfaction and fruitfulness.

Psalm 63

1 O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;

    my soul thirsts for you;

my flesh faints for you,

    as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,

    beholding your power and glory.

3 Because your steadfast love is better than life,

    my lips will praise you.

4 So I will bless you as long as I live;

    in your name I will lift up my hands.

5 My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food,

    and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,

6 when I remember you upon my bed,

    and meditate on you in the watches of the night;

7 for you have been my help,

    and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.

8 My soul clings to you;

    your right hand upholds me.

Read the Psalm slowly noticing the contrast between thirst and satisfaction in God.

It seems that they are linked together. On the other hand, the more I fill myself with earthly things the less room in my soul for God and I am still hungry.

Hunger is the opposite of having no desire - being complacent or self-dependent.

We used to sing a song, “Only You can satisfy.” An even older song was “Fill my cup, Lord. I lift it up, Lord. Come and quench this thirsting in my soul.”

What does it mean to be hungry and thirsty for God? I am well acquainted with trying to find fulfillment and satisfaction in the things or even relationships in this world. The prophet Jeremiah called it trying to drink from broken cisterns. On the other hand when I seek God with my whole heart “the things of this world become strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.”

How hungry am I? Look at our present life, friends, family, church, culture to see how hungry we actually are for God. This is us asking, seeking and knocking.

But if from there you will seek (inquire for and require as necessity) the Lord your God, you will find Him if you [truly] seek Him with all your heart [and mind] and soul and life. When you are in tribulation and all these things come upon you, in the latter days you will turn to the Lord your God and be obedient to His voice. (Deuteronomy 4:29, 30 AMP)

As you have therefore received Christ, [even] Jesus the Lord, [so] walk (regulate your lives and conduct yourselves) in union with and conformity to Him. Have the roots [of your being] firmly and deeply planted [in Him, fixed and founded in Him], being continually built up in Him, becoming increasingly more confirmed and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and abounding and overflowing in it with thanksgiving. (Colossians 2:6, 7 AMP)

At that time [when that day comes] you will know [for yourselves] that I am in My Father, and you [are] in Me, and I [am] in you. (John 14:20 AMP)