Prayer Changes Things

Ever wonder if the words you pray reach heaven? And if you do manage to get a prayer through, do you think that God won’t answer you? I used to struggle with both questions for years until I started praying for my older brother 17 years ago.

Ron was the kindest, most cordial person you would ever want to meet. He worked in the hospitality industry and loved to put smiles on people’s faces, but he clearly needed a miracle in his own life.

When I realized what was going on and that nothing short of a God intervention would change things, I called my friend and asked if she would be my prayer partner. We agreed to pray for my brother, his wife and their children every day, 365 days a year, until something broke. Little did we know that we would spend the next five years bombarding heaven on their behalf.

I’ll finish the rest of the story in a moment, but what about you?

Do you take the time to pray? I’m not trying to send you on a guilt trip, but we need some Spirit-filled women who will commit to praying 365 days a year.

It’s up to you how long and when you pray, but by all means pray! The benefits of prayer will far outweigh the resistance you’ll experience as you get started.

There was a time in my life when I simply could not pray. I wondered why but deep inside me, I knew the answer. The Bible says that if you regard iniquity in your heart He does not hear you.
When I would kneel to pray, the enemy would constantly accuse me of wrongdoing. But the Holy Spirit would pry me to pray. I repented of my sins and eventually got back on my post.

Scripture tells us that the “effective, fervent prayer of a righteous person avails much” (James 5:16, NKJV). We must keep our hearts clear of any wrongdoing.

With regard to my brother, my prayer partner and I prayed about everything: his marriage, their children, finances, strongholds, but most importantly, we prayed for salvation. And after years of what I call “working in the trenches,” we felt a release to stop praying.

In late 2001, my brother passed away from cancer, but not before God answered our prayer: Lord, save Ron. My brother eventually rededicated his life to Christ, joined a Spirit-filled church and died with the joy that once characterized his life. As for my prayer partner and I, we continue to reap the benefits of effective prayer. Prayer, it’s the gift that keeps on giving.

Things didn’t turn out the way I had hoped for Ron. But God heard and answered me, and today I have this testimony: He is faithful!

I would like to see millions of women come together on spiritledwoman.com to pray. What would happen in the world if we agreed to pray? Nations would turn to God, families would be restored and millions of people would come to Christ. So log on and let your fingers do the talking, and watch God turn things around in our world.

Valerie Lowe is editor of spiritledwoman.com.

An Executive Decision

While sitting in church last Sunday listening to a sermon about Jesus' death and His resurrection, I thought about something He said just before He died. He told the Father to "forgive them for they know not what they do," (Luke 23:34, KJV) and then I thought about the president.

Sometime in November, maybe hours before he releases the reigns of the presidency to the 44th commander in chief, President Bush will have an opportunity to pardon people for crimes they have committed. As of 2007, he has signed over 100 orders!

It occurred to me that these people are at the mercy of the president because he is the only person who can grant them their freedom. It’s a right afforded to him by the U.S. Constitution.

If you think about it, many of us are the result of an executive decision. We have done so many awful things in the past; things worthy of incarceration or worse, but Jesus told the Father to forgive us and then signed an executive order with His own blood.

If you’re anything like I was before I received Jesus, it is probably hard for you to accept the freedom He offers because you feel guilty for the things you have done in the past. But you must realize that a pardon is not a pardon unless you accept it.

Are you an unbeliever or a Christian trapped in a life of habitual sin?

If so, don’t waste time. Repent. Ask God to forgive you, and say yes to the freedom He offers through His Son.

Valerie Lowe is editor of spiritledwoman.com .

A Crash Course in the Grace of God

Hello, ladies.

My name is Valerie Lowe and welcome to my first-ever blog. As the new editor for spiritledwoman.com, I'm excited about the possibility of expanding our community to thousands of women. Please continue to visit and share your thoughts and testimonies about the goodness of God. Together we can proclaim Jesus to the world!

Do you know what a crash course is? It’s when you get quick intensive training in a particular subject area. The course usually expedites the learning process, and in little time you are free to apply what you’ve learned.

Last week I received a crash course in the grace of God when my daughter invited eight of her college friends to spend spring break at our home—without my knowledge or permission!
Of course I responded to her like any other sane parent: Have you lost your mind!

All I could think was that eight 20-somethings were going to invade my home and leave it a wreck.

The timing couldn't have been worse. I had a million other things to do, and no time to play dorm mother to a bunch of young adults. But as soon as I began to rehearse all the things I had to do, God gave me a plan to accomplish all of my tasks and be a good hostess. My nephew played chaperone/chef/bouncer while I was away at a work and later at a women's meeting. My sisters and mother had stopped by earlier to help me clean the house and make it sparkle.

When I arrived home from work on the first day of their visit, I had to stalk the kids to find them because they were so quiet and respectful. They piled into the den and watched television while sending out what seemed like a million text messages.

The next morning we talked over bowls of Cheerios about their career aspirations and the challenges they face as young adults. I started to feel guilty for judging these kids but God gave me another crash course, in forgiveness, and told me not to go on a guilt trip. Before long I was speaking into the lives of eight young women and men!

Have you ever taken a crash course in the grace of God? I have, and when those kids left my home I was assured He had sent them. God sometimes interrupts our schedules with divine appointments, but we must be willing to answer them.

Valerie Lowe is editor of spiritledwoman.com

THE ROCK THAT WILL NOT MOVE

It is so important to remind ourselves of the Lord's steadfast faithfulness. So much of life involves change, upheaval and letting go. Deuteronomy 32:3-4 reads: “I will proclaim the name of the Lord. Oh, praise the greatness of our God! He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he” (NIV).

If you have read a few of my writings in the past, you know I've referenced this Scriptural passage before. It has never been more relevant than now. My friends, of all the columns I’ve ever written, this is the hardest one. It is my final post as the editor of spiritledwoman.com. I am moving on, but I’m not going too far.

Actually, I’m moving downstairs to a different office and department here at Strang Communications. As of March 17, I will become part of the Strang Book Group. My new title will be Acquisitions Editor. I will be responsible for securing authors for our Charisma House imprint.

I have been so blessed by the amazing opportunities afforded me through the outreaches of SpiritLed Woman, and I am so grateful to all of you who have shared your hearts with me and with our readers. Since we first began publishing in 1998, I’ve come to understand so much more about God’s greatness. I’ve also been privileged to gain a deeper love and appreciation for the strength and wisdom of godly women.

Next week, Charisma editor Valerie Lowe will take over this blog and other duties regarding this Web site. Many of you know her already from the many fine articles she has contributed to Charisma and other publications over the years. But you will learn that there is much more to Valerie than you’ve seen. She has ministered to women for many years, and has a passion to see every woman come to know who she is in Christ. I have no doubt that Valerie will pick up the conversation and take it from here to the next level without missing a beat. I know you will make her welcome through your posts and your prayers.

I, too, am coveting your prayers during this transition. I’ve never liked learning curves. As a kid, I was always frustrated on the first day of school because I thought I should already know everything. This is a new role for me, but I do sense God’s peace. My desire is to continue to serve the Lord faithfully wherever He leads, and to do my best, with His help.

Thank you so very much for all we’ve shared. I will keep an eye on what you’re talking about here. I know Valerie has plans to keep these discussions lively. And if I’m so led, I might have to add my two cents every now and then.

I pray that the Lord’s blessings will meet each of you at every turn.
Keep going.

Brenda J. Davis is editor of spiritledwoman.com.

HAVE YOU HEARD?

By Brenda J. Davis

Reading A.W. Tozer’s Pursuit of God (Christian Literature Crusade) is like taking a long road trip through the mountains with frequent stops in order to take in the stunning views. I’ve read and re-read this little book many times since 1980, and I always find new “lookouts” where the scenery takes my breath away.

I discovered just such a place one morning recently, when reading the chapter on “The Speaking Voice.” In it he wrote: “God is forever seeking to speak Himself out to His creation…. He is by His nature continuously articulate. He fills the world with His speaking Voice.” Now that’s a place to stop and think.

Although Tozer does not live in our day, many things remain as they were when he was alive. One thing is our incessant busyness. He put it this way: “Whoever will listen will hear the speaking heaven. This is definitely not the hour when men take kindly to an exhortation to listen, for listening is not today a part of popular religion. We are at the opposite end of the pole from there. Religion has accepted the monstrous heresy that noise, size, activity and bluster make a man dear to God.”

In His Word, when God says to us, “ ‘Be still and know that I am God’” (Ps. 46:10, NKJV), Tozer says, “He means to tell us that our strength and safety lie not in noise but in silence.”

Tozer’s custom was to read His Bible on his knees, praying for wisdom and an impartation of God’s truth to His heart. He wrote: “If you would follow on to know the Lord, come at once to the open Bible expecting it to speak to you. Do not come with the notion that it is a thing which you may push around at your convenience. It is more than a thing, it is a voice, a word, the very Word of the living God.”

He ends this chapter with this prayer that I think serves as a model for what we’re all thinking today: “Lord, teach me to listen. The times are noisy and my ears are weary with the thousand raucous sounds which continuously assault them. Give me the spirit of the boy Samuel when he said to Thee, ‘Speak, for Your servant hears’ (1 Sam. 3:10). Let me hear Thee speaking in my heart. Let me get used to the sound of Thy voice, that its tones may be familiar when the sounds of earth die away and the only sound will be the music of Thy speaking voice. Amen.”

Brenda J. Davis is the editor of spiritledwoman.com.