LIFE WORDS . . . Pastor Amy Stoehr

Because He lives, We live!

2011-04-26T09:17:00.001-07:00

lifewords 4.26.11 Tuesday

living in the His Kingdom!

He is risen! And because He lives, we live! Oh the power of Jesus' blood, His substitutionary death on the cross and His resurrection! I'm praying for you according to our King's instructions...that His Kingdom would be established in your life and His will be done in your life on this Earth as it is in heaven. I'm agreeing with you for His will in your life in all areas. Prayer is awesome! And the Word of God is powerful and alive.

Remember, we are in His Kingdom, the Kingdom of God. Col. 1:13 says

"Who delivered us out of the authority of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love." We've been translated, relocated, moved out of darkness and all of its power. He has given us a new location. Our life is now in Him. In His love, In His Light! In His light we see light!

His Kingdom is also in us! Jesus said that the Kingdom of God is within you, inside of you! I'm so thankful we are not in darkness today, but in the Love Kingdom of our Jesus! He is love....He is light.....and He is life.....everything about Him and His Kingdom demonstrates the essence of these three. And our very lives should permeate with these characteristics, because we are in Him and He is in us.

No matter what happens today, let's not allow anxiety or fear to grip us. Let's decide, intentionally, to fix our mind on the truth of God's Word and rejoice! Psalm 27:1 says The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"

Then let's not forget Psalm 46:1 "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."

He is with Us! He is our Light! He is our refuge and strength! Rejoice today!

He IS a very present help in time of trouble. And He is YOUR very present Help. So today, on purpose, let's abide in Him, worship Him continually, pray without ceasing, give thanks always, keep His Word our priority and be desperate for His presence and His will.

And remember always that you are His beloved, and He loves you with an everlasting love. praying for you, amy.

Lifewords 4.23.11

2011-04-23T09:13:00.001-07:00

lifewords April 23, 2011

I pray you are celebrating the power of the cross and also the reality of His resurrection today. I love John 11:25. It is such good news. These are the Words of our Savior.

"I am the Resurrection and the Life.

Whoever believes in Me, yet shall He live..."

This must be real to us! Let's determine to rejoice and praise our King this day and every day of this next year. I love these verses from 1 Peter on this Easter weekend celebration. What HOPE we have in Him! Whatever our temporary trials and circumstances, we have reason to rejoice! Let's keep our eyes fixed on Him and on His eternal purposes. Its ALL for His glory! He is RISEN! amy.

1 Peter 1:3-7

Blessed be the God and Father of

our Lord Jesus Christ!

According to His great mercy,

He has caused us to be born again to a living hope,

through the resurrection of Jesus Christ

from the dead,

to an inheritance that is

imperishable, undefiled, and unfading,

kept in heaven for you,

who by God's power are being guarded through faith

for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

In this you rejoice,

though now for a little while, if necessary,

you have been grieved by various trials,

so that the tested genuiness of your faith,

--more precious than gold that perishes

though it is tested by fire--

may be found to result in praise and glory and honor

at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Good Friday

2011-04-22T15:27:00.001-07:00

lifewords 4.23.11 Good Friday

I'm so honored to be able to pray for you and your family this morning. It's Good Friday today, a day to think about our Savior on that Cross at Calvary... to think about God's incredible love for the world, for each of us, and the power of that precious, redeeming blood......to identify with Him in His death, so that we can identify with Him in His victory over death, His resurrection and eternal life!

I encourage you to spend time in John chapters 15-20 over the next few days. I know the Lord will reveal to you the reality of the power of his death, burial and resurrection.

Specifically today, I'm praying that He would give us greater understanding of the power of His blood that has redeemed us from sin, sickness, death, and hell. I'm praying that the Holy Spirit would open our eyes to what it really signified when, at the moment of Jesus' death, the veil of the temple was rent in two from top to bottom, showing that there is now no more separation between God and man! I'm praying that as we think about those precious words of our Savior on the cross, "IT IS FINISHED," we will understand clearly what that finished work means for us as His children today! Oh the Lord's great love for us and for all of mankind that He demonstrated on that Cross.

For today's lifewords, I want to give you Ephesians 1:7-10. It is an appropriate and powerful verse to meditate on for this Good Friday, and I know it will bless and encourage you. Oh Lord, thank you for that redeeming blood, for your amazing grace, for forgiveness of our past, and for your purposes for us in Christ.

Ephesians 1:7-10

In Him we have redemption

through His blood,

the forgiveness of our sins,

according to the riches of His grace,

which He lavished upon us,

in all wisdom and insight

making known to us

the mystery of His will,

according to His purpose,

which He set forth in Christ

as a plan for the fullness of time,

to unite all things in Him,

things in Heaven and things on the Earth.

You are His beloved one, today and forever.

praying for you,

amy stoehr

Forgiveness and Prayer II

2011-04-21T09:37:00.001-07:00

lifewords 4.21.11 Forgiveness and prayer II

It is a privilege to pray for you today ! Yesterday's lifewords focused on the necessity of receiving forgiveness as we pray. Equally important in prayer, is forgiving others.

In Matthew 6, Jesus is teaching his disciples how to pray. He concludes the sentence about asking for forgiveness with "as we also forgive others". In Mark 11:25 Jesus says "And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that you Father also who is in Heaven may forgive you your transgressions." This is a clear instruction regarding prayer, yet so many believers miss this.

When Peter asked Jesus how much do we have to keep forgiving, Jesus responded, " I do not say to you up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven." He then tells the account of the slave who was forgiven much, but refused to forgive his fellow slave. Because of his hardened heart and unwillingness to forgive, the great grace and forgiveness he previously received was replaced with being handed over to the torturers until He paid back everything. Then, these sobering words, "So shall My heavenly Father also do to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart." Our obedience to forgive others is huge with God.

For our praying to be effective, we must intentionally forgive all who have hurt us, offended us, betrayed us, wounded us. We have been forgiven much, we must extend forgiveness freely. As you go about your day and have an opportunity to be offended or hurt, forgive instead! When it is difficult, forgive by faith. You don't have to feel it. Do it out of obedience. Forgive the person, whether or not they deserve it or ask for it. Bring that hurt in your heart to the altar. As you obey in forgiving, the precious healing balm of our Lord will take the sting out of that wound. Practice a lifestyle of forgiving others and you will be so free! Your prayer life will be so powerful. Don't allow unforgiveness to take residence in your heart and become a root of bitterness that will spring up to defile you and those around you. Practice forgiveness every day. Make up your mind you will not be offended. Ask the Lord to help you.

Matthew 6;14 is sobering and powerful. Jesus speaking: "For if you forgive men their transgressions your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men then your Father will not forgive your transgressions." Paul exhorts in Romans 12:14 that we are to "bless those who persecute us....never pay back evil for evil...and as far as it depends on us to be at peace with all men. We are to not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

Receiving and extending forgiveness is a prerequisite to effective praying. Learn to do both regularly and freely. You are His beloved forgiven one! amy

Forgiveness and Prayer I

2011-04-20T09:08:00.001-07:00

lifewords 4.20.11 Forgiveness and Prayer I

Today and tomorrow's "lifewords" on Prayer will focus on forgiveness and its relationship to prayer. Receiving and extending forgiveness is very crucial to our effective prayer life.

First, receiving forgiveness! Our access to the throne room is only by the blood of Jesus. Oh that precious blood, that precious sacrifice that purchased our redemption and forgiveness! Thank Him every day for that powerful blood that blots out our sin and made a way for us to come into His very presence. Incredible!

Let's be sure to understand this. Because of Adam's disobedience, every one of us was born with a sin nature, separated from God (Romans 3:23), but our trust in His finished work on that Cross, our repentance and receiving of His grace caused a great exchange! (Romans 6:23) The old nature was covered by that blood and we became a new creation in Christ. (2 Cor. 5:17) Now, we can come boldly to the throne of Grace to find mercy and grace to help our time of need. (Heb. 4:16) At the moment of our new birth in Him, the Holy Spirit came to dwell inside of us and will never leave us. This was God's amazing plan.....He wanted to dwell, not in a man-made temple, but live in us through the Person of the Holy Spirit. ( John 14:23, 2 Cor. 6:16)

But, while we are on this Earth, we still deal with our carnal nature, our flesh, emotions, and will and we have need of our Advocate with the Father, Jesus! Every day we need the power of that blood that forgives and cleanses. 1 John 1:9 is a scripture I acknowledge every single day. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." It's so amazing to know that when we miss it, when we disobey God's ways, we can ask for forgiveness,receive it and go forward in His grace. The Holy Spirit will not only reveal sin, but link arms with us to walk us out of it into victory. I love fresh starts!

You must know this about prayer. We can't just approach God any old way! We approach Him by faith , cleansed by the blood, clothed in His righteousness. Psalm 66:18 says "if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me." That is a pretty clear prayer scripture. We can't ignore our unconfessed sin and disobedience. He doesn't either! But He has made provision for us to be forgiven and cleansed and able to come into His presence boldly, because we have exchanged our filthy rags for His robe of righteousness. We must allow His Light to expose sin in our hearts, repent, receive forgiveness and ask the Holy Spirit to help us walk in obedience to Him.

I'm so thankful for forgiveness. Receive it. It's by faith. Then knowing you are forgiven, forgive yourself. Don't allow condemnation to keep you from prayer. What is covered by the blood is gone. What is forgiven is forgiven. Move forward! And keep short accounts. Receive forgiveness throughout the day, and ask Him to fill you afresh with His presence and you will enjoy the abiding fellowship of the Lord on a whole new level.

Jesus, when teaching the disciples about prayer in Matthew 6, speaks about the necessity of asking the Father for forgiveness. Before you pray, humble yourself, ask the Lord to search your heart and reveal areas of sin and then repent, receive forgiveness and cleansing and go forward in His grace. "God resists the proud but He gives much grace to the humble." (James 4:6) As we walk in the Light, with humility and sincerity of heart, He will meet us in prayer and He will answer!

Our Father is Faithful to Answer Prayer LifeWords 4.19.11

2011-04-19T10:48:00.001-07:00

Our Lord is awesome, faithful and true this day! It has been such a privilege praying for you this week.

Faith-filled praying, directed by the Holy Spirit, according to God's Word and in the matchless Name of Jesus is the most powerful force in the universe. God responds to the call, the cry, and the prayer of His people. Prayer is the greatest responsibility and also the greatest adventure of our lives. It is God's method of operation whereby His will is released into the earth. It is so powerful that our enemy will do everything possible to keep us from it. Stay alert in prayer, don't grow weary, for you will reap if you do not faint!

Isaiah 30: 18,19 is an amazing prayer scripture beckoning us to come to our Father in prayer continually! The Lord is speaking through Isaiah to Israel and I believe these verses are also for God's people today. I encourage you to read it out loud.

Isaiah 30:18-19

"Yet the Lord still waits for you to come to Him

so He can show you His love;

He will conquer you to bless you, just as He said.

For the Lord is faithful to His promises.

Blessed are all those who wait for Him to help them.

O my people in Jerusalem, you shall weep no more,

for He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry.

He will answer you." (TLB)

Powerful! The Lord will be gracious to YOU as you call upon Him today, He will answer you. Keep praying. Be intentional about it. Continue to learn to pray well. The Holy Spirit is your Teacher. Jesus is your example. The Word of God is your handbook. With child-like faith, come to the Father in prayer, so He can show you His love..........He will conquer you to bless you, just as He said, for He is faithful to His promises!!!! He will hear and He will answer. Much depends on our prayer!

Remember that you are His beloved one, greatly cherished, and loved with an everlasting love. amy

A Life Fully Pleasing to God 5/5

2011-04-08T07:46:00.001-07:00

Colossians 1:9-13 is my prayer for you this week:

"... that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will

in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

that you may walk worthy of the Lord,

fully pleasing Him,

being fruitful in every good work ,,

and increasing in the knowledge of God;"

This morning on April 8, 2011,

Psalms 105:33,34 is so precious to me,

and I know it will bless you as well.

I am 50 today,

overwhelmed with the love and faithfulness of our Lord.

I want to live every day of the rest of my life

according to these verses.

"I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;

I will sing praise to my God, while I have my being.

Let my meditation be pleasing to Him;

As for me I shall be glad in the Lord!"

Oh that our meditation, our thoughts,

our way of thinking, our mentality,

our mindset, would be pleasing to the Lord.

I pray that the Word of God would saturate our thinking.

That we would not be conformed to this world

but transformed by the renewing of our mind with God's Word. (Romans 12:2)

I pray His love would govern our motivations.

I pray that our thoughts would be for His purposes.

I pray that this day we will meditate

on His greatness, faithfulness and love

and about how to please Him in this life.

You are His beloved one today, greatly cherished.

Be glad in Him!

Pleasing God 4/5 Lifewords 4.7.11

2011-04-07T08:21:00.001-07:00

I hope you are praying Colossians 1:9,10 with me for our families, church leaders and the Body of Christ that we would "be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God."

To live a life fully pleasing to our Lord! That is our intentional aim. Today let's look at Enoch. He was the seventh man from Adam. The most remarkable aspect of His life was that He walked with God and pleased God. Instead of dying he was just translated right into God's presence one day!

We first see Enoch in Genesis 5"11: "And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. ²³ Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. ²⁴ Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away."

He is mentioned again in Hebrews 11. "By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek Him." Hebrews 11:5,6.

Enoch pleased God. He walked with God. He had fellowship with God. He honored God. He was in a relationship with His God. And what caused God to be pleased with Enoch? His faith. I pray this will be our testimony, that our faith pleases God! How is your faith in God's Word and His faithfulness today? A life fully pleasing to God is a life lived with child like faith in the Living God and trust His Word and faithfulness.

Faith believes that God is, and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Pleasing God means being people of faith, not feelings of doubt or worry. Pleasing God means trusting the Word of God, and His faithfulness, not in circumstances. Faith is acting like you believe the Bible is true.

People of faith are people of prayer. People of faith are people passionate about God's Word. People of faith are worshippers. You can tell just where a person is in their faith by listening to their words. Enoch pleased God because He walked with God and He lived by faith. If we want to live a life fully pleasing to God, we must learn to live by faith. The Holy Spirit will teach us as we yield to Him. Always remember, You are His beloved! Praying for you, amy.

Pleasing God 3 of 5 Lifewords 4.6.11

2011-04-06T13:10:00.001-07:00

I'm praying for you and myself this morning according to Colossians 1:10 that the Holy Spirit will help us to "walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God."

Fully pleasing to the Lord! How He delights in us as we yield ourselves to Him, not motivated by pleasing ourselves, or pleasing others, but honoring HIM. A life fully pleasing to the Lord is a collection of days where we made the decision to submit ourselves to obeying Him in our thoughts, our words, our intentions, our actions, our desires. One day at a time. Trust Him for THIS day!

What does a "life fully pleasing to the Lord" look like? It is a life of loving Him and worshipping Him. It is a life of delighting in and obeying His Word. It is having a pure heart toward Him and a hatred for sin. It is a lifestyle of prayer. It is a life of faith, because we know from Hebrews 11:6 that "without faith it is impossible to please Him." It is a life of loving people with God's love and rescuing them from darkness, because this is the heart of God. It is being consumed with the Commission He gave us. It is loving justice and being His ambassador in the Earth. Our example is the life of Jesus in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, seeing that He "only did those things that please the Father." (John 8:30)

A life fully pleasing to the Lord is not so much a checklist, but a heart attitude of yielding to Him, joyfully, with childlike faith. It has nothing to do with an external legalism, but is born out of relationship with Him. It is lifting our hands in worship to Him at the beginning, middle and end of each day, saying, Lord I love you so much and I yield all to You.

I'm thinking of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, where He yielded His will to the will of the Father's saying "Nevertheless, not My will, but Your will be done." This is the key to a life fully pleasing to the Lord--daily submitting to the will of God, through help of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.

Prayer for Living a Life of Pleasing the Lord

Lord, I belong to you. I love you. I live for You. I trust in You. I humble myself. I don't want my own way. I don't want to have any other motivation than what pleases you. Search my heart. Reveal areas in which you want to bring me into victory and freedom. Thank you for forgiving me of my failures. Because you forgive me, I forgive myself and I extend forgiveness to every person in my life. Help me today to please you and honor You in all.

Holy Spirit lead me, guide me and fill me afresh today. Help me to love well, and live for your purposes. Deliver me from myself and help me walk as a new creation in Christ, not pleasing men but you alone. I desire to take my thoughts captive to Your will, and to set a guard over my lips that my words would be words of life love and wisdom. Help me to understand Your leading and obey Your Word. I delight in your Word. Help me to choose Your Way, Your path, and Your will. Not my will but Your will be done. Expose selfishness. Help me to live a life fully pleasing to You this day. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Pleasing God Part 2 (Lifewords 4.5.11)

2011-04-05T09:41:00.001-07:00

Jesus gave us this example of a life completely yielded to pleasing the Father in John 8:28-30.

"I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him."

I love these Words of our Master. Every moment of His life on this earth dwelling among us, Jesus only did what pleased the Father. Though He was God, He became a man and lived a sinless, victorious life, yielded completely to the Holy Spirit and in fellowship with His Father.

The Amplified translation will really bring clarity:

"I am able to do nothing from Myself [independently, of My own accord-but only as I am taught by God and as I get His orders]. Even as I hear, I judge [I decide as I am bidden to decide.], and My judgment is right (just, righteous), because I do not seek or consult My own will [I have no desire to do what is pleasing to Myself, My own aim, My own purpose] but only the will and pleasure of the Father Who sent Me.

Our Savior's life of "always doing those things that please the Father" is our example! It is a lifestyle birthed out of time spent with the Father in prayer and His Word and an intentional yielding to His will. It is all by His grace and the help of the Holy Spirit.

A life fully pleasing to God, this is our intentional aim!

Lord, I yield my thoughts, my will, my emotions, my ideas, my ambitions, my words, my relationships, my everything to YOU. Help me to please You in all.

You are His beloved and I am praying for you this morning. amy

Pleasing God Part 1 of 5

2011-04-04T10:47:00.001-07:00

I'm praying for my family, the Body of Christ and for YOU by name this morning according to Paul's prayer in Colossians 1:9-13, "... that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;"

I'm praying with you that you will know, and be filled with the knowledge of His will for your life, your family, for this year and even for this very day. I'm praying the Lord will give you His wisdom according to James 1:5 that He gives wisdom liberally and does not hold back, when we ask Him! I'm praying in agreement with you that your life will fully please Him, being fruitful in every good work and that you will be increasing today in the very knowledge of God. Amen! Expect it!

I want to focus on fully pleasing Him. I pray that this is the consuming cry of our hearts! That in this season of life until our last day on this earth, we would be committed to pleasing our Lord in all as Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:9"Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him." This is what matters. Oh that the meditation of our heart, the words of our mouth, and the way we live this life He has given us would please HIM. That we would live, not to please ourselves, not to please man, but to please our Lord in all. He is our audience of One. It is to Him we will give an account.

Now, we could survey our life right now and see that there are areas in which we are not fully pleasing Him. Your adversary will remind you of this continually. But, with childlike faith and a desire to want to please Him, we can receive forgiveness of our failures and great grace to go forward. We can't be consumed by our inadequacy and failure, but repent, receive His forgiveness and then rise up as redeemed, blood bought children of God, declaring "My Lord and My King, help me by Your grace this day to fully please you in all!"

This can become the prayer and prevailing attitude of our heart, and the Holy Spirit will Teach us and Help us moment by moment. He wants to touch this world through our yielded lives! You are His beloved. amy.

God's wisdom through prayer

2011-03-31T07:54:00.001-07:00

James 1:5 is a wonderful prayer promise for us today.

"But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God,

Who gives to all men generously and without reproach,

and it will be given to him.

But let him ask in faith, without any doubting,

If ANY person is lacking in wisdom, they can pray. The Lord's desire is to give us His wisdom today, and give it generously. Every single morning and throughout the day we can ask the Lord for His wisdom and it will be given. The wisdom of this world can only take us so far. The wisdom of God will enable us to navigate through this journey of life well and be a great blessing to others.

Keep asking! I reminds me of Jesus' words about prayer in Matthew 7:7"Ask and it shall be give unto you. Seek and you shall find; knock, and it will be opened to you." Our King wants us to learn to ask. We ask, He answers. We ask in faith, He responds. This is how He has set it up. The asking must be coupled with Faith in our God who is able to supply. Thank you Lord for wisdom!

Acquiring wisdom involves asking, seeking, watching, crying out, finding, pursuing, studying. We find God's Wisdom by spending time in His Word, day and night. and day and night. and day and night. Oh that we would cry out for God's wisdom in faith as we open up the Living Word of God today.

The wisdom of God is limitless and it is available to you today. Learn to ask your heavenly Father for it daily and continually, in faith, BELIEVING! Then expect to receive it. When you receive it, employ it to bless this world.

lifewords 3.29.11 prayer. psalm 5:1-3

2011-03-29T08:52:00.001-07:00

I pray Psalm 5:1-3 will encourage you and become your daily early morning prayer. I have been greatly strengthened as I have meditated on it today and write these words to you. David was a man of prayer and understood the necessity of approaching God early in the day while besieged by many adversaries. This Psalm is so very precious to me every morning before the dawn. I pray the Lord will make it real to you.

"Give ear to my words, O Lord;

consider my groaning.

Give attention to the sound of my cry,

my King and my God,

for unto You do I pray.

Oh Lord, in the morning You hear my voice:

In the morning I direct my prayer unto You

and will look up."

Give ear.....Consider.....Give attention! David is emphasizing three times, "Lord I desperately need Your help." If one of my precious children found me early in the morning before the dawn with an urgent plea three times "Mama please listen, pay attention to what I'm saying, I'm crying out for your help!".....I would turn all of my attention toward the cry of that dear one and respond.... and so does our Father.

Prayer has a voice. Prayer is our words, it is our cry, our groans. Of course it's possible to meditate in silent prayer. David understood the "waiting in silence upon the Lord" also. But in the morning, surrounded by enemies, He cried out to God with words and groanings and prayers. The Lord responds to our call for help, for ourselves, for our family, for others.

My King and My God. I love the way David acknowledges His King, His God. He turns his focus from the circumstances and from his fears, anxieties, concerns, to his faithful all powerful God. My King, My God, My Protector, My Provider, My Healer, My Savior, My Redeemer, My Lord, My Help, My Light, My Shepherd, My All in All, My God who raises the dead!

For unto You do I pray. This is an essential aspect of prayer. The Lord is the focus of our praying, not all the situations. Not ourselves. He already knows everything anyway! Focus on His faithfulness, His promises, His attributes, not rehearsing the details of all the problems.

Oh Lord in the morning you hear my voice. I pray that our Lord would hear our voice in the morning. Jesus gave us the example, that "in the morning, rising up a great while before the day, he went out and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed!' - Mark 1:35" Jesus our Lord and our example rose in the dark to pray and spend time with the Father in a solitary place daily.

Every great man or woman of prayer understands the necessity of time alone with God early in the morning. Charles Spurgeon says, "This is the fittest time for intercourse with God. An hour in the morning is worth two in the evening. While the dew is on the grass, let grace drop upon the soul."

The urgency of the times demands our drawing near to the Lord in prayer early in the day. My favorite time of the day is with my Lord before the sun rises. I could not survive without this time with Him.

In the morning I direct my prayer. The word direct here is the word used when the sacrifice was arranged by the priest on the altar, the pieces carefully placed before the Lord. Some translations say "in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch." The idea is prayer is not haphazard and careless. Our call to God, our praying to Him is intentional, purposeful and thoughtful.

And will look up. Today, as we pray, we look to our King. When we leave the prayer closet our eyes should be fixed on Him for the rest of the day. "Looking unto Him the Author and Perfector of our faith." Don't allow your focus to shift back onto your feelings or circumstances, or the way the situations you are praying for look right now. Look to Him and have confidence in His faithfulness and His Word.

I pray that this psalm would become your daily morning cry to God, He will hear and He will answer you, for you are His beloved one and your voice of prayer is essential to His purposes being released into your life, the lives of those around you and the world. Amy

Call

2011-03-28T10:17:00.001-07:00

lifewords Monday 3.38.11 call;

Praying for you this morning was an exciting privilege. Prayer is powerful and essential! It is God's plan whereby we ask, He answers, we seek, and He is found, and we knock and the door is opened. It is the process between the need or desire, the promises in His Word received and the fulfillment of His will.

Today's "lifewords" center around one very simple choice that every believer can make that will please our Father greatly. Daily, we can learn to call upon the Lord, out loud, and He will hear and answer! Calling upon Him, crying to Him, lifting our voice to Him is the necessary condition to His hearing us.

We must move beyond hoping. Hope waits for God to do something. But I think He is often waiting for us to do what He has already instructed us to do! True faith moves us to Call upon Him. He will hear, He will respond. He will never refuse the cry of His child. Here are just a few of the many scriptures involving lifting our voice to God. I know they will encourage you to new levels of Calling upon His Name in faith!

First Psalm 145:18 "The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth." When we call, in sincerity with a pure heart, He is near. And if He is near, all is well.

Second, it's interesting that finding wisdom and understanding is preceded by our CALLING out! Proverbs 2:3 'Yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek for it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God."

Third, in our distress, the Lord has given us instructions of what to do....Call upon Him! Psalm 18:6 "In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple He heard my voice, and my cry to Him reached His ears." Practice praying continually instead of being overwhelmed. Remember Philippians 4:6? "do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."

When we feel like circumstances are pressing on every side, we can call upon Him and He will answer. Just like a good earthly parent, He will never refuse His child's cry for help. Psalms 3:3-4 "But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and lifter of my head. I cried aloud to the Lord, and He answered me from His holy hill." We can be sure He hears our cry!

Psalms 4:3 says, "But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself, the Lord hears when I call to Him." And because of His heart of love for us and His faithfulness to His Word, when He hears us, He responds. So Call! And infuse your calling with sincerity, truth and much thanksgiving!

you are His beloved. amy

Abiding prayer

2011-03-24T15:46:00.001-07:00

He is Faithful and True and loves you with an everlasting love.

Today's lifewords are six of the most important verses on prayer,

spoken by our Lord.

I pray the Lord will teach us and transform us

as we meditate on the living Word today. praying for you, amy.

John 15:5-11

I am the vine; you are the branches.

Whoever abides in Me and I in him,

he it is that bears much fruit,

for apart from Me you can do nothing...

If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you,

ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

By this My Father is glorified,

that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you.

Abide in my love.

If you keep my commandments,

you will abide in My love,

just as I have kept My Father's commandments

and abide in His love.

These things I have spoken to you,

that My joy may be in you,

and that your joy

may be full.

Lifewords 3.23.11 Prayer 6

2011-03-23T09:55:00.001-07:00

lifewords 3.23.11

I pray the abiding presence of our Lord is yours today as you surrender all to Him. It is such a privilege to pray for you this morning before the dawn. Prayer is the focus of this week's lifewords and Psalm 25 will greatly encourage you today. The Word of God is so rich! I encourage you to read the entire Psalm because it is David's powerful prayer to God for help and it can become your prayer as well. Verses 12-15 are amazing concerning prayer.

Who is the man who fears the Lord?

He will instruct him in the way he should choose.

His soul will abide in prosperity,

and his descendants will inherit the land.

The secret of the Lord is for those who fear Him.

And He will make them know His covenant.

Who is the person who fears the Lord? The word fear here is not like we might think of fear as being afraid of God. He is our loving Father who loves us with an everlasting love and desires to forgive us, redeem us, live in us, have relationship with us and touch lives through us. The word has the idea of one who who worships, loves, honors, reveres, and obeys the Lord and His Word.

He will instruct him in the way he should choose.The Lord will guide and instruct and lead this person in all his choices, decisions, in praying, in all of life. He will instruct us how to choose to prayfor others and for this world, how to decide to live, how to choose the path of life among many choices. He will guide us to decisions that lead to life and blessing. Sincerely worship, love, honor and obey the Lord continually, and the Holy Spirit will guide you continually. Exciting!

His soul will abide in prosperity. What does this mean? It means that on the inside, this person will experience the shalom of God. Peace, wellness, wholeness, blessing. So, instead of fear, doubt, anxiety, confusion and emotional bankruptcy...the person who worships and honors the Lord and His Word will have peace, joy and emotional wellness.

His descendents will inherit the land. As we sincerely honor and revere our King by our obedience to Him, our children will reap the benefits of this in their generation. His Lordship in our lives will cause us to train up our children to love and honor Him and will bring His blessing and favor to them.

The secret of the Lord is for those who fear (worship, honor, revere, obey) Him. As we spend time worshipping Him, loving His Word, honoring Him with our life, He will reveal truths to us that cannot be entrusted to others. Some translations say the "friendship" of the Lord, the intimacy of the Lord is to those who fear Him. The secret things are only known by close friends. Another translation says the "counsel" of the Lord. I sure want the Lord's counsel don't you?

He will make known to them His covenant. His covenant is His Word, His promises to us, His will for us. The Bible reveals His covenant with mankind.

It is a covenant of His love. He will reveal His Word to us. We will know and understand His Ways. He will demonstrate His covenant of love in our lives as we intentionally worship, love, honor, revere and obey Him by obeying the truth of the Bible and yielding to His leading. He does this for us not for our own benefit only. His purposes are always generational, global and eternal. Our understanding of His covenant is for the purpose of the Great Commission and being a conduit of His love and Gospel to a dying world. Our understanding of His covenant will effect lives for eternity. We must understand the urgency of the time and be alert to His leading.

Oh Lord teach us to live this way. Take a moment to pray for this verse to be a reality in your life, the lives of your children and in the lives of those you influence. I'm praying for YOU, for you are His beloved. amy.

lifewords 3.22.11 the secret place of prayer

2011-03-22T17:32:00.001-07:00

lifewords 3.22.11 the secret place of prayer

It was a privilege to pray for you this morning! You are greatly loved by God. The book of Matthew is incredible and rich regarding prayer. In Matthew 6:6, Jesus gives instructions concerning our personal prayer time. "When you pray, go into your room (your inner room, or closet, private place) and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you openly."

How wonderful! An open invitation to meet with our Father in secret, closing the door on the business, usual activities, people and distractions of our daily life. "When you pray" means that as often as we choose to draw near to Him in secret prayer, He will meet us. Jesus says that the Father sees us in that secret place. His ear is open to us in that secret place. His presence is available to us in that secret place. He delights for us to come into that quiet place, away from the clamor, and meet with Him in prayer. Intimacy always costs something, but is always worth the pursuit. The more desperate we are to meet with the Father alone, the more we will experience His abiding presence and learn how to pray. He takes notice of our prayers in the secret place. Oh He is urging us to more time with Him in secret prayer!

Jesus speaks of the results of our secret time with the Father. He says that "the Father, who sees in secret, will reward you openly." What type of reward? Well, the context here is prayer. He is speaking of secret prayer. So the reward is very specific to prayer. I believe the reward is the manifestation of answers to prayer. The answers to our secret praying will be seen openly. Of course we can talk to the Father continually in prayer any time during the day and night. The habit of meeting with others in prayer is also essential. But this secret place of prayer is on an entirely different level. As we meet with Him regularly in the intimacy of that secret place, His presence will saturate us, and we will take that presence with us as we go about our day. The reward is Him. The reward is His favor on our life, His wisdom displayed through us, His love manifested to the world through us. The reward is a manifestation of His will. The reward of our secret time is that His purposes are seen in our lives, others lives and in the earth.

Much time alone with the Father in prayer is the most valuable investment which yields the most valuable reward! Be intentional in making it a priority, then be jealous over keeping this time, for you can be sure the enemy will do everything to keep you from it. Praying for YOU, amy.


	"He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, 'You are my refuge and my fortress, my God, in Whom I trust.'" praying for YOU, amy

Prayer III

2011-03-21T09:38:00.000-07:00

Psalm 13:5 is awesome today. "But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation." We can rely on God's steadfast, unchanging, lavish love for us. What an anchor for our hearts! In the midst of change, uncertainty, circumstances, and battles, our Father's love for us is sure and it abounds. We can make a decision to rejoice in His abundant salvation and grace. I'm praying for the joy of the Lord to enfold you like a blanket today. I've just finished praying for you this morning, specifically according to Ephesians 1:17-23. Powerful. I pray He would open the eyes of our heart to know the hope to which He has called us and how rich is His glorious inheritance in the saints (His set apart ones), and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe. You are greatly loved.

The focus of this week's lifewords is Prayer. I'm praying that the Lord will ignite in each of us a renewed passion for prayer, give us deeper understanding of knowing how to pray well, and take us to new levels of intimacy, worship, consecration, faith and victory. The urgency of the hour is demanding our alert, unprecedented commitment to prayer. Prayer is in the daily secret place Jesus speaks of in Matthew 6:7. Prayer is also an abiding, unceasing lifestyle Paul exhorts us to in I Thessalonians 5:17. We learn prayer from the example of our Lord in the Gospels. We learn it from the Living Word of God. Most of all, the Holy Spirit will teach us how to pray as we yield ourselves to Him in prayer daily. Prayer is always intentional. God's plan is that we develop in all facets of our prayer life, understanding that prayer is the vehicle He has designed whereby His will is released in our lives, in the lives of those around us and in the Earth. He transforms us in prayer. We call upon Him in prayer and He answers. It is in through the Spirit-led, faith-filled prayers of the saints that His purposes advance in the Earth. Prayer is work, it takes effort and time, but it will be the greatest eternal investment imaginable, not only for ourselves but for our families, His glorious church, our cities, our nation and the nations of the world. A true life of prayer is the greatest adventure we will have on this earth and our most urgent responsibility that will effect lives for eternity. praying for YOU, Amy.

3-20-11 Prayer

2011-03-20T13:25:00.001-07:00

It is a lovely Sunday and I am praying for you now before the sun rises. Prayer is so powerful. Our Lord is faithful! His love for you is immeasurable and His thoughts toward you outnumber the sand. You are His beloved one.

This morning I was instantly awakened by a myriad of urgent thoughts. That moment brought with it a choice to continue to think about the urgency of the circumstances or to employ that urgency in fervent prayer and thanksgiving. Jesus, speaking to His disciples in John 14, said, "Let not your heart be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in Me." We choose our response to the circumstances of life,the pressures, the fears, the opportunities to be offended or wounded, the disappointments, our own failures or the failures of others. He says choose to not allow our hearts to be troubled, believe in Him and trust in His Word! We can place our hope in the living God. Then we can do what David did in Psalm 9. "I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in You. I will sing praise to Your Name O Most High." Let's believe God's Word today. Let's remember His faithfulness! Right now we can make the decision to give Him thanks and praise and allow His steadfast love to keep our hearts steadfast in Him and His faithfulness. "Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, and His steadfast love endures forever!" (Ps. 107:1)

A Person of Prayer

2011-03-19T09:23:00.001-07:00

"The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread?" Psalms 27:1

Good Morning it's a brand new day and I pray that you are encouraged and fortified in our Lord! He is faithful. His love abounds to you. All is well, because He is Lord of all. I've just been praying for you and your family and it is such a joy to know that we can place our confidence in Him and in His Word. This week's "lifewords" are on PRAYER, I pray the Word will propel us to a whole new level in our prayer life.

Prayer is amazing! Faith-filled prayer, directed by the leading of the Holy Spirit and infused with the Word of God is so powerful! Faith grows by reading and meditating on God's Word and it thrives in an atmosphere of prayer. I'm so grateful that our Lord has given us the privilege and authority of praying in His Name. Jesus prayed continually and taught His disciples to pray and expect results. Remember His Words in Matt. 7:7? "Ask and is shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it shall be opened." Prayer. Ask, Seek. Knock.

This is a time for every believer to be alert and employed in prayer and learn to pray well. Prayer is talking to God, but it also includes a lifestyle of worship, of listening, of using His Name, of consecration, of praying according to His Word, of using the authority Jesus gave us over demonic forces, and of being directed by the precious Holy Spirit. An authentic life of prayer is intentional, never by accident. It is marked by time set apart, and also by a moment by moment abiding in Him. Paul said in Phil. 4:6 to "not be anxious for anything, pray about everything. And the peace that passes understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." Pray without ceasing! Instead of being overwhelmed, pray. Resist hopelessness and fear and rise up and pray in Jesus Name. Instead rehearsing circumstances or and focusing on pressures, we can pray in faith believing, and God responds! Remember James 5:16 "The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." God will transform us in prayer and He will ignite a passion in our hearts to pray for others. He will teach us how to pray. The purposes of God are set into motion in this earth through the prayers of His people. Prayer is by His design that we call upon Him, trust in Him and place our faith in Him.

Intimacy with God is cultivated in prayer. Consecration to His will comes through prayer. A life of passion for Him and for His purposes is birthed in prayer. A true love for people is comes through time in prayer. His wisdom, His leading, His abiding presence are experienced as we become desperate for Him in prayer. Prayer is more important than all of our talking, all of our doing, all of our ideas. Prayer connects us to His presence and His purposes. Make up your mind to be a person of prayer, then ask Him to teach you how. He will!

Amy Stoehr
390 Mimosa Ave.
Vista, California 92081

COVENANT LOVE

2011-02-16T08:18:00.000-08:00

lifewords 02.16.11

covenant love

I'm praying for you now on this beautiful February 16. This week I'm praying that the Lord would give you an even greater capacity to understand and receive His love for you. He calls you His beloved today. He loves you with an everlasting love. When we understand how we are loved and cherished by Him, we will be completely set free of fear, insecurities, condemnation, selfishness and be able to love others freely with His love. In God's Word we discover different words used concerning God's love for us. Many times the word "agape" is used to convey this unconditional, lavish love. (John 3:16) Another word frequently used for love, mercy, and loving-kindness in God's Word is "hesed" and has the idea of covenant love. An example of this is found on Hosea 2:21 where God is addressing Israel as His covenant bride. "I shall betroth you to Myself forever, I shall betroth you in uprightness and justice, and faithful love (hesed) and tenderness." It is also the word used Psalm 136, 26 times in every verse declaring "for His (hesed) covenant love is everlasting." It can be trusted and will never fail. We can't earn it, increase or diminish it by our works. But we can receive it, trust in it and be so transformed and filled by it that it that it enables us to fulfill the commands Jesus gave us to love the Lord our God with all, and love others as ourselves and fulfill the Great Commission with which He has charged every believer. Our understanding of this HESED love will affect our relationship with the Lord, our relationships with others and every motivation of our heart. We can trust in His love today! Psalm 33:18-22 is another Psalm that speaks of this covenant love. As you read it, meditate on each part.

Behold, The Eye of the Lord is on those who Revere Him (worshipping with awe),on those trusting in His MERCY (hesed - covenant love), to save their soul from death, to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waits (depends upon and hopes in) for the Lord; HE is Our Help And Our Shield. Yes,In Him our heart shall rejoice; for WE HAVE TRUSTED IN HIS HOLY NAME. Let Your LOVING KINDNESS (COVENANT LOVE), O Lord, BE UPON US, ACCORDING as we hope in You.

Oh that we would remember, trust in and declare His covenant love for us today!

Renewing Our Minds III

2011-02-03T10:36:00.001-08:00

lifewords 02.03.11

renewing our minds III, Psalms

You are the Lord's beloved today and He loves you with an everlasting love. His mercies toward you are new every morning. What an honor it was to pray for you today, knowing He is a God Who answers prayer! He is faithful! The book of Psalms is amazing! Each morning I love to saturate my mind in its life giving words. As I read and meditate and speak the powerful words of the Psalms out loud, or sing them, it causes my gaze to become fixed on our magnificent Lord. The clamor of my circumstances and all my thoughts concerning the demands of life become swallowed up in the glory of His presence and the reality of the truth of His Word. Spending time in the book of Psalms each day has been one of the great joys of my life and an anchor to me in every season. I can't wait to fellowship with the Lord in the book of Psalms each morning before the sun rises! Throughout the days, powerful verses from Psalms dominate my natural thinking.

If you read/meditate on 5 psalms a day, you can read through the book each month. Doing so in the mornings will position you in the presence of the Lord and renew your mind to His majesty, faithfulness and love. Doing so before bed will keep God's Word in your mind as you sleep! Oh never do it because you feel like you have to, for it will just become another item on your checklist! Be intentional about it, but approach your time in Psalms with great anticipation and joy and invite the Holy Spirit to reveal truth to you. The Lord will minister to you personally, and many times will illuminate a verse that will be a Word for you for that very day!

The Psalms will bring you comfort and strength through trials, refresh you in desert seasons, help you to trust in His unfailing love, keep your motives in check and help you to praise Him at all times. Be sure to go beyond just reading, but speak the words out loud so you can hear them! Pause frequently to worship and praise the Lord. You may even just begin to sing the words....oh the joy of worshipping the Lord as you declare or sing these words of the psalms to Him. Great strength and joy and hope will come to you. Then throughout your days, speak the life-giving words to your family, talk about them with those in your life, encourage others...you will be amazed how the Lord will minister to them! Here are three verses from Psalms that will fortify and anchor you today as you meditate on them! You are so loved.

Psalm 27 The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

Psalm 91:1,2 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, "He is my Refuge and my Fortress;My God, in Him I will trust."

Psalm 86:10,11 For You are great, and do wondrous things; You alone are God. Teach me your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your Name. I will praise You , O Lord my God, with all my heart, And I will glorify Your Name forevermore. For great is Your mercy toward me.

amy stoehr

390 Mimosa Ave.
Vista, California 92081

renewing Our Minds

2011-02-02T09:13:00.001-08:00

lifewords 2.02.11

renewing our minds II

How awesome is God's Word! How lavish His love for us! His mercies are new every morning. His Word should be our continual delight today as we intentionally think about that which is true! The Bible has so much to say about being deliberate in how we think. This morning I'm thinking of the great commandment Jesus gave us in Luke 10:27. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind" We are to love God with everything in us, including all of our mind! Our thought life should be a reflection of love for Him and His Word.

Paul talks about our lives as a daily battle in which we must be engaged as warriors. The war we are waging is fought with spiritual weapons. In 2Cor 10, the Holy Spirit reveals through Paul's writing that the battlefield of this war is our mind, our thought life.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NKJ) For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ."

Amazing! What if we really began to deliberately cultivate the habit of bringing every thought captive to the obedience of Christ? Oh how powerful it would be if the instant a thought came floating through our minds that was contrary to God's Word we were skilled in casting it down quickly! Imagine what kind of men and women we would be. Every thought of fear, doubt, hatred, unforgiveness, prejudice, selfishness, ignorance, anger, impurity, pulled down, taken captive, rendered powerless and cast away before it had a chance to take root. Replaced with thoughts of God's faithfulness, His Word, His love..not being conformed to this world, but transformed by the renewing of our minds. Imagine what would come out of our mouths to bless people. What kind of husbands and wives and parents we could be if the Word of God saturated our thought life. Imagine the reflection of Christ we would be to a dying world, in our sphere of influence and beyond. Imagine what the Church of the living God would to look like as we submit ourselves to God's Word in all of our thinking, on purpose, intentionally.

I believe in every instruction God gives us in the Word is His grace to accomplish it. The precious Holy Spirit will help us to do 2 Corinthians 10:3-5. As we read and hear and meditate on and study God's Word each day, and invite the Holy Spirit to help us to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ will be glorified in and through our lives and we will walk in His victory! You are Cherished.

amy stoehr
390 Mimosa Ave.
Vista, California 92081

Thinking Right

2011-02-01T13:33:00.001-08:00

lifewords 2.01.11 thinking right

Oh how incredible is the abiding presence of our Lord! I pray that it will be a John 15 month. For in His presence is His life, His love, His peace and fullness of joy. He is our All in All. In Him is Wisdom. In Him is healing. In Him is Victory. In Him is RIGHT THINKING.

God's plan for us as new creation people is for our minds to be renewed to the truth of His Word. How we decide to think according to God's Word must be intentional. It must be on purpose. Otherwise, circumstances, situations, and emotions will be our navigation system and limit our forward movement in God!

This year, let's be transformed by the renewing of our minds! Remember Psalm 1 about the person who is blessed, because his delight is in the Law of the Lord and in that Law he meditates day and night? "He will be like a tree planted by rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also does not wither, and whatever he does shall prosper. " God's plans are sure, His grace abounds, but we can sabotage ourselves by disobeying Him in the area of our thinking. Here is an excerpt from Philippians 4 concerning our thinking. It would be great to read it multiple times!

"Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious-the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies." Phil. 4:8 (Message)

Let's abandon mediocre thinking, declare war on fear and anxiety, and take every thought captive to the obedience of our King. When thoughts of un-forgiveness attempt to infiltrate.....lets nail them to the cross. Thoughts of selfishness, self preservation, self exaltation, must be replaced with thoughts based on Galatians 2:20. When impure thoughts, racing thoughts, negative thoughts try to dominate, let's do Phil. 4:8, 9. Let's check ourselves not to think the worst, but the best. Love! Let's make our mind meditate on God's Word, His truth, His ways. Think excellently on purpose. Intentionally make February 2011 a month of renewing our mind to God's truth, and ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate our understanding and propel us to a whole new level of Spirit led thinking. If we are to grow up in God we must grow up in our thinking and our willing obedience to fix our minds on His Word. You are cherished!

Light of the World

2010-12-22T09:08:00.001-08:00

lifewords 12.22.10

It's a wonderful December 22 and our King is light and in Him is no darkness! In John 8:12 Jesus declares, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life." In His light we see light! In John 1 we read about John the Baptist who"bore witness of the light......the true light, which coming into the world, enlightens every man." Jesus Christ is the true light Who enlightens every person. This Christmas let's walk in the Light! Invite Him, through the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit, to enlighten your understanding and illuminate your spiritual eyes. He will! I'm so thankful we are not groping around in the darkness of uncertainty and fear. We can be a people who walk in the Light of understanding and love and wisdom.

Not only is He our light, but the more we abide in Him, His light can be seen in us. This Christmas let's "Arise and shine, for our light has come!" Is. 60:1

How appropriate that a great star of light announced the location of the Savior of the world. The wise men recognized that light and traveled many miles to come and worship the King who had been born. It says that "when they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy." Now He resides in our heart, and His light in us marks the place of His dwelling so that others are drawn to it. Seeing the light of Jesus Christ in us causes others to rejoice exceedingly!

I believe on of the key truths of Christmas is that, just as that star led the magi to the Savior, His light in us can beckon people to Him. Jesus, who declared that He was the Light of the world, tells His disciples in Matthew 5:14, that THEY are the light of the world: "You are the light of the world.......a city set on a hill cannot be hidden.." Oh that we would walk in the Light and Truth this Christmas, and as we yield to His Lordship in our lives His Light in us would draw precious people to Him! This is the Commission that He has given each of us, as the chief assignment of our days.

We are the stars of light that direct this world to the Savior who loves them and desires reconciliation and relationship with them. Whether it is your dear spouse, your precious children, your family members, your friends, or strangers you encounter, happy people or sad, young people or elderly, people who deserve it or people who don't... Let those around you see the Savior in your eyes today. Allow them to hear the Savior's Words of Life on your lips today. Intentionally purpose in your heart that your actions of love will cause people to see the Savior and rejoice exceedingly. His great love, demonstrated through you will draw people to a personal relationship with Him.He is the Light of the World, Let His Light Shine in the darkness through you this day!!!!!!!!!!

Abide in Him

2010-12-21T08:06:00.001-08:00

It's a wonderful December 21 and I'm praying for you now, rejoicing in these words of Jesus:

"If you abide in Me and My Word abides in you, ask whatever you will and it shall be done for you."

I believe that as we learn to abide in Him,

the Holy Spirit orchestrates our praying

according to the living Word of God.

Abiding in Him is abiding in His Word.

He is the Word of God.

Remember in John 1:1, "In the beginning was the Word.

And the Word was with God and the Word was God. "

Then in John 14,

"The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.

We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and only Son,

who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."

This is the message of Christmas!

Mary, Joseph, the angels and the shepherds saw His glory

as he lay, wrapped in swaddling clothes in the manger.

The wise men saw His glory as they bowed before Him,

bearing gifts.

Many saw His glory during His life and ministry on this earth. Now we behold His glory, full of grace and truth,

as we spend time in the Word.

We experience His glory as we spend time with the Word.

We are filled with His glory as we abide in His Word.

We radiate His glory, full of grace and truth,

to the precious people around us

as we spend time in His Word, in His presence!

This week let's behold Him, let's abide in Him,

let's be the manifestation of His glory to the world.

Emmanuel God with Us

2010-12-20T09:39:00.001-08:00

lifewords 12.20.10

Hi and I'm praying for you now as the rain falls, thinking of His lavish love for you this Christmas season. I'm praying that the abiding presence of the Prince of Peace saturates you today. Remember His Name is Emmanuel God With Us! According John chapter one, "He is the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." Oh this precious Savior who came to redeem us all back to God and extends us the invitation to be His very dwelling place!

His desire for us this Christmas season is the fullness of His presence in us and through us. I was thinking of John 1:16, "For of His fulness we have all received, and grace upon grace." Let's allow the fullness of His Peace to replace anxiety and stress now. Let's yield to the fullness of His love to dispel fear, selfishness and doubt. Let's embrace the fullness of His joy. In His presence is fullness of joy (Ps. 16:11) Let's permit the Light of the World to flood us with the fullness of His light! Remember John 1:4, "In Him is life, and the life is the light of men." Oh how He desires us to be full of Him, grace upon grace! Not full of ourselves, but the fullness of Him. He is our All in All.

Let's commit to allow Galatians 2:20 to become a reality in us this season. "I've been crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live. YET NOT I BUT CHRIST LIVES IN ME, and the life that I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loves me and gave His life for me." This week, let's agree with Paul's prayer in Ephesians 3:19 that we may be "filled up with all the fullness of God." This is the miracle of Christmas, Emmanuel God with Us and in us!

The Manger is the Feeding Trough

2010-12-20T09:08:00.001-08:00

lifewords 12.18.10

Hello and I'm praying for you this morning, thinking of how incredible our King is. He is the Wonderful Counselor, Almighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace and He shall reign forever! I pray that each day this Christmas season you will experience Him as He is, Emmanuel God with us. We are no longer separated, no longer in darkness, no longer bound to the penalty of sin... because God so loved the world that He sent His only Son, that whosoever believes in Him would not perish but have everlasting life! Oh this is the miracle of Christmas, that God has come to dwell in our hearts.

Today I was thinking about Jesus' birth. We know from Luke 2:12, that His parents wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger. A Manger. All our lives we've been hearing the song at Christmas "Away in a manger, no crib for a bed....." As we arrange our Nativity set, we place baby Jesus in the manger. We've seen countless pictures of Jesus in the manger. Oh but today I'm thinking of the amazing significance of that manger, an intentional orchestration of the Holy Spirit.

The manger was an animal feeding trough. Here is the definition from Webster's. "A manger is a trough or box of carved stone or wood construction used to hold food for animals (as in a stable)." The animals would come and linger at the feeding trough, finding nourishment as they chewed and digested the food. Fast forward to Jesus in the manger, and the angels announcing to the shepherds that the Savior had been born and that they would "find the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger." Oh the joy as they went to search for Him in Bethlehem...and they did find Him, in the manger, just as the angel had declared! The Savior, the long awaited King of Kings, Emmanuel God with us, was found in the feeding trough.

How appropriate that 30 years later, Jesus would call Himself the Bread of Life in John 6:35. He said, "I am the Bread of Life, whoever comes to Me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in Me shall never thirst." In verses 48-51 He continues to speak of Himself as the Living Bread. It is also amazing that when Satan came to test Jesus in the wilderness, our King associates the Word with food, quoting from Deut. 8,"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God."(Luke 4) The Word is our daily nourishment and sustenance. Just as the shepherds searched for Him and found Him in the manger, we now search for Him and find Him in the Word. Meditating in the pages of the Living Word is feeding at the feeding trough. To obtain our daily life's nourishment, we much search for it and find it and linger there at the feeding trough of the Word.

Now we can say with the Psalmist in Psalm 34:8, "O taste and see that the Lord is good!" Psalm 11:4 can be a favorite this Christmas! "He provides food for those who fear Him, He remembers His covenant forever." Every day, let's come to the feeding trough of the Bible and find Him there, with Psalm 81:10 in mind..."open your mouth wide, and I will fill it!"

In The Fear of The Lord is Life

2010-11-29T10:40:00.001-08:00

lifewords 11.29.10 in the fear of the Lord is life!

Grace and peace to you today from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm praying for you this morning, rejoicing in God's great love for you.

Remember last week in the last verse of Paul's letter to the Ephesians, seeing the relationship between a God's grace to us and our lifestyle of loving Him with sincerity? A sincere, pure, humble, undivided heart is what He loves.

Along these lines, today I'm thinking of what God's Word says concerning reverencing the Lord. To "fear the Lord" is another way of saying "to revere Him, to honor Him, to worship Him with a pure heart." Proverbs 8:13 gives additional insight to what the "fear of the Lord" is. "To fear the Lord is to hate evil. I hate arrogant pride, evil conduct, and perverse speech."

Proverbs 19:23 says that the fear of the Lord comes with humility. "The result of humility is the fear of the Lord, along with wealth, honor and life."

Psalm 34:9,10 admonishes us to "Fear the Lord, you His saints, for those who fear Him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing." We are to honor Him, reverence Him with our life, worship Him with all we are.

I love the living wisdom of Proverbs. Oh, that we would walk in the wisdom of God daily! Pr 9:10 says that "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom..." without a heart of worship, we won't even get off the starting block to attaining true wisdom! Honor Him first, then wisdom's flow.

Proverbs 12:27 says that our reverence for the Lord will prolong life!

Proverbs 14:26 says "In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence and His children have a refuge."

Our hearts of reverent worship and honor to the Lord today will bring His wellsprings of life and favor to us.

amy stoehr

390 Mimosa Ave.

Vista, California 92081

Giving Thanks to the Lord for His Love

2010-11-19T10:33:00.001-08:00

As I pray for you today, my meditation is Psalm 107:1

"Thank the Lord for He is good.

His love continues forever.

That is what

those whom the Lord has saved

should say."

We can practice saying this today!!! Lord, thank you for your goodness and faithfulness to me! Thank you for your love, which is from everlasting to everlasting!! Notice it does not say, "this is what those whom the Lord has saved should 'think'." It is what should be on our lips!!!! Psalm 107 is a Psalm about remembering. It is a Psalm exhorting God's people to rehearse the great things the Lord has done in their lives. The Psalm is about the Israelites wandering in the desert. They were hungry, discouraged,feeling lost, confused, weary miserable and afraid. We can relate! The instruction is to Give Thanks!!! Remember the awesome works of God! Throughout the Psalm, in verses 8,15,21, and 31, it repeats this phrase,

"Let them give thanks to the Lord for His love, and for the miracles He has done for His people."

Thankfulness expressed. Thankfulness has a voice. More thanking, less complaining. More time praising, less time requesting. More time appreciating our King, less time with idle talk. More time celebrating His love and faithfulness, less time explaining the problems. Today is yet another day the Lord has made for us. His faithfulness to us abounds, His love never ceases, great are the miracles He has done in our lives!

Let's cultivate a Psalm 107 lifestyle, giving thanks continually to the Lord for His love, and for the miracles He has done for us and for His people. Don't allow a racing mind about the temporary circumstances, rehearse His faithfulness! Thanksgiving will keep your faith airborne. It will repel the artillery of the enemy. It will bring life and encouragement and strength to you and those around you. Your thankfulness will cause those around you to adjust their focus and the direction of their gaze.

lifewords
11.19.10
Giving Thanks

to the Lord

for His Love

Grace for the Sincere in Heart

2010-11-18T10:34:00.001-08:00

Praying for you is one of the great joys of my life! I greet you with Paul's Holy Spirit inspired words with which he greets the Ephesians. "Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 1:2,3) God's grace and peace can flow unobstructed to us today! I love how Paul's first sentence to them focuses on GRACE.

Amazingly, the last sentence in the letter to the Ephesians gives a glimpse of the secret to experiencing the continual grace of God we so desperately need. It says, "Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity." God's grace is tied to our sincere hearts toward Him. Sincerity means from the heart, without hypocrisy, in truth, not in word only, but in deed and in truth. Our sincere heart of love for God, loving Him with all we are, will enable us to experience a fresh supply of His free grace, love and favor today. His grace toward us is conditional only to our sincere heart of love. Sincerity is demonstrated by a continual desire to abide in Him spend time with Him, the joyful, obedient, yielding of our will to His, and our pure motives to love what He loves. Loving Him in sincerity is the secret to experiencing the river of His immeasurable grace.

Jesus said, in Matthew 5, that the pure in heart are blessed, for they shall see God. Oh, to truly see Him and know Him! I believe that when we truly see Him, we will reflect Him to the world. The whole dark earth groans for the people of God, the sons and daughters of the living God, to rise up with a sincere love for Him, and manifest the fullness of His grace and love to the captives.

lifewords
11.18.10

grace for the sincere in heart

amy stoehr

astoehr2@gmail.com

The Fruit

2010-11-17T10:42:00.001-08:00

lifewords 11.17.10

the fruit

Praying for you before the sunrise each day is a great privilege. Today I pray that you will experience His lavish love and grace as you spend time with Him in the secret place, desperate for His presence, desperate for His living Word.

In John 15, Jesus speaks to His disciples about abiding. His desire is for us to abide in Him, and He in us. He compares this to a branch abiding in the vine. The lesson of the branch is that as it stays connected to the vine and enjoys the complete life of the vine! The branch cannot exist if it is disconnected from the vine! The nature of the vine is seen in the branch. The evidence of the branch connected to the vine is the fruit. The connected branch is one with the vine and receives all its nutrients, water and resources from it. The purpose of the branch is to bear fruit. So it is with us. As we abide in Him, and He in us, the evidence will be the fruit seen in our lives. His purposes for and through our life will be seen. Fruit is seen. Fruit is experienced. Clearly, we can see in John 15 that our Lord desires that we bear much fruit as we are connected to Him.

The branch doesn't have to beg itself to produce fruit. It simply abides in the life of the vine. The Vinedresser also cares for it, protects it and occasionally prunes it back so it can produce even more fruit. We are in Christ and He is in us. We abide in Him through His Word and prayer and worship. The Holy Spirit abides in us, and as we yield to Him, fruit will be seen in our lives. The fruit is the evidence of a Spirit-led believer. One primary demonstration of the fruit is found in Galations 5:22.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,

kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness (meekness), self-control."

It's good to check up on our fruit! Today we can ask ourselves, "is the love of God dominating my thoughts and actions toward others?" Is the fruit of peace evident in my life today, even in the midst of the storm. Just as the fruit on a tree is not hidden, this fruit of the Spirit can be clearly seen. How is my patience level toward others? Are kindness and goodness motivating my actions. Am I faithful? Is there a humility or meekness about my life that reflects Christ to the world. Do I exercise self control? The great news is, any area lacking simply requires more yielding to the Holy Spirit. As we decrease, and He increases in our life, His fruit will be seen by all, and will draw others to Him. The abiding Word of God transforms us. Time in His presence transforms us. A lifestyle of prayer, praise and worship transforms us. As we learn the lesson of abiding in Him, He is committed to fruit being produced in our lives. He gave all to redeem us, now He gives all to see us conformed to His image and fulfill His purposes. He beckons us to this abiding life in Him!

The evidence of our abiding life in Christ can be seen and experienced. The evidence is the fruit. Less of us, more of Him. Magnificent!

amy stoehr
390 Mimosa Ave.
Vista, California 92081
astoehr2@gmail.com

The Word and Prayer

2010-11-16T06:55:00.001-08:00

lifewords 11.16.10 The Word and prayer

I pray today that you will be found in the secret place of prayer, praying to your Father who sees in secret and rewards openly! As you pray, spend much time reading the Word, for prayer is a two way communication. Powerful prayer is praying according to the Word of God. Remember in John 15:7, Jesus makes an amazing statement. Memorize this one.

"If you abide in Me

and My Words abide in you,

ask what you will and it shall be done for you."

What a powerful prayer promise! And for the Word to abide in us means time not only reading it, but meditating on it, memorizing it, writing it, speaking it, obeying it. This verse speaks of a relationship with God's Word. For the Word to abide in our hearts, it must first be planted there, then watered and cared for. It must be protected from the predators that would attempt to steal it from our hearts. Weeds must be kept out! But as we put Psalm 1 into practice, delighting in meditating on the Word day and night, God's living Word will begin to abide, to dwell in us. We will understand how to pray according to the will of God in His Word and not our own thoughts. Paul admonishes that the Word of God is to "dwell in us richly." Much time with the Lord, meditating on His Word is the key to effective, faith filled praying that moves mountains. What an adventure!

390 Mimosa Ave.

Vista, California 92081

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The Secret Place of Prayer

2010-11-15T09:50:00.001-08:00

lifewords
11.15.10
the secret place of prayer

I was so privileged to pray for you this morning, because consistent prayer is powerful and effectual. The book of Matthew is incredible and rich regarding prayer. In Matthew 6:6, Jesus gives instructions concerning our personal prayer time.

"When you pray, go into your room (your inner room, or closet) and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you openly."

How wonderful! An open invitation to meet with our Father in secret, closing the door on the business, usual activities, people and distractions of our daily life. "When you pray" means that as often as we choose to draw near to Him in secret prayer, He will meet us. Jesus says that the Father sees us in that secret place. His ear is open to us in that secret place. His presence is available to us in that secret place. He delights for us to come into that quiet place, away from the clamor, and meet with Him in prayer. Intimacy.The more desperate we are to meet with the Father alone, the more we will experience His abiding presence and learn how to pray. He takes notice of our prayers in the secret place. Oh He is beckoning us to more time with Him in secret prayer.

The Ministry of the Holy Spirit

2010-11-12T16:05:00.001-08:00

lifewords 11.12.10
the ministry of the Holy Spirit

As I think of you this morning I'm so thankful for the Holy Spirit, and pray that you experience His continual abiding presence and be alert to His leading. Today I pray that the Lord will bring clarity to our understanding of the ministry of the precious Holy Spirit in the life of every believer.

What an incredible miracle that when we trusted Jesus as our Savior, confessed Him as Lord, and were born again as a new creation in Christ because of His redeeming blood, something else occurred. The Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Godhead, came into our hearts and continues to dwell in us now.

Jesus told His disciples that when His work on earth was completed He would go back to the Father, promising His return again. But in the meantime, He said He would not leave them as orphans, but would send Another like Himself, and it would be to their advantage.

John 14:16

"And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not behold Him or know Him, but you know Him, because He abides with you, and will be in you."

This same Holy Spirit is with us, dwelling in us today! Jesus called the Holy Spirit the Spirit of Truth. In this world of uncertainty and deception, we can know God's truth! Again in John 16:13, He says that "when the Spirit of Truth is come, He will guide you into all truth; for He shall not speak of Himself, but whatsoever He hears, He will speak and He will show you things to come." This very day the Holy Spirit will guide YOU in all truth and show YOU things to come .

In John 16:8 Jesus explains that it is the Holy Spirit who will "convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment." When we share the love of God and the Gospel with others, we don't have to point out their failures. As we present Jesus to them, the Holy Spirit will convict them of their sin and their need of a Savior. The Love of God is so amazing! When He convicts us of our sin, He also provides the power and the help to get victory over those areas. The Holy Spirit is so involved in our consecration to the will and purposes of God! He will help us have pure hearts and clean hands.

In John 14:26, Jesus speaks of the Holy Spirit as our Counselor and Teacher in this life. He says, "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said." Practice inviting the Holy Spirit to teach you all things and bring to your remembrance the Word of God. He desires to teach and counsel us continually through His Word.

He is our Helper. The King James translation of Romans 8:26 is, "Likewise the Spirit also helps us in our infirmities." The Amplified translation, "... helps us in our present limitations." The New American Standard says "...helps us in our weakness." The Phillips translation says, ".....helps us in our distress." Realize that you have a continual Helper living in you, who, when invited, will help in every limitation, weakness and distress.

In every situation of life, every moment of this day, you have a Counselor, a Teacher, a Helper with you, abiding in you, Who is ready to give wisdom, understanding and direction. He will also give the strength for all your days. In other words, He will not only show you what to do, and how to do it, but will also supply the strength to do it! For it is God (the Holy Spirit) who works in you both to will and to do His good pleasure. ( Phil 2:13) Therefore you can be confident of Philippians 4:13 that you "can do all things through Christ who strengthens you." The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ living in us.

The Holy Spirit desires to fellowship with us continually and lead us in the will of God. We can know Him well, because Jesus says that the Holy Spirit will disclose to us everything about Him. (John 16:15) He reveals the Word of God to us. When you open up the Bible today, ask the Teacher to open the eyes of your understanding and to reveal Himself to you. Pursue understanding His ministry, give Him full access to every part of your life,and be quick to obey His leading.

One of the most important truths about the Holy Spirit is that He gives us power evangelize....Acts 1:8 "but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth." Oh that the Body of Christ would arise in the power of the Holy Spirit and fulfill the commission He gave in Mark 16:14 to "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation."

Our relationship with the Holy Spirit, and our understanding of Him, should be the most intimate of all. His desire is a moment by moment abiding relationship. Every day is a new day to acknowledge and obey His leading. Know Him. Love Him. Welcome Him. Submit all of your will to Him. Allow Him full access to every area. Honor and reverence Him. Obey His leading. Invite His love to consume you and then release it to the world around you. This is the normal Christian life that our Lord intended for every believer until His return!

Veterans Day

2010-11-11T08:06:00.001-08:00

lifewords

Veterans Day November 11, 2010

Hello and I'm praying for you by name. His mercies are new every morning!

Today I want to encourage you that the Lord never leaves or forsakes you. He promised to be with us until the end of the age. (Mt. 28:20) He is with us now in the person of the Holy Spirit. Remember in John 14:16,17 when Jesus was telling the disciples of the promise of the Holy Spirit, "He shall give you another Comforter, to be with you always...for He dwells with you and shall be in you." The Holy Spirit is your continual Companion and Helper today! He is closer than the breath you breathe. Our Lord is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.(Pr 18:24) "He is our refuge and strength, a very present help in rouble....therefore we will not fear. "(Ps. 46:1,2) I love Is 43:1,2. The Lord is speaking to the children of Israel words that we can cling to today. "Fear not, for I have redeemed you I have called you by your name; You are Mine. When you pass throught the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you." Nothing can separate you from His love today! A similar verse is in De 31:6, "Be strong and of good courage, fear not: for your God goes with you; He will not fail you, nor forsake you." The Lord is with us today. We can call upon His Name, knowing that He hears us and is with us. Psalm 91:15-16 reminds us, "He shall call on Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, with long life I will satisfy him and show him My salvation." I pray you will meditate on these verses today! Rejoice for the Lord your God is with you!

Remember the incredible price of freedom and the sacrifices made for us to enjoy it. It's a great opportunity to thank our veterans and every military person we know or that we see today. Pray for our military.

When you pray, Forgive

2010-11-09T10:45:00.001-08:00

lifewords

11.09.10

when you pray, forgive

Today we can rejoice because we are forgiven! The precious blood of the Lamb has forever purchased forgiveness from the sin that destined us to hell and separated us from the Father. Every day when we approach the Lord in prayer, we must first repent of disobedience and sin, apply the blood of Jesus and receive forgiveness and cleansing. We should rehearse 1 John 1:9 daily approach the throne of Grace properly, according to the Word.

Equally as important as repentance and receiving forgiveness is our obedience to Jesus' instructions to FORGIVE OTHERS. In Matthew 6:12, Jesus is explaining how to pray. He says we are to ask the Father to "forgive us our sins, AS WE FORGIVE WHOSE WHO HAVE SINNED AGAINST US." Again in Mark 11:25, He is teaching on prayer and our faith in Him. Then He gives this command. "And whenever you stand praying, FORGIVE, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your transgressions." So every time we pray, we are to forgive. Learn to forgive freely!

Sometimes we are so wounded, so betrayed, so violated, so unjustly hurt that we must learn to forgive BY FAITH, in obedience to the Lord, even though we do not feel like it. As you forgive, as an act of your will, the healing balm of the Lord will heal your heart and take the sting out of the pain. He makes all things new. Holding on to unforgiveness hurts only you. It dwarfs your walk of faith, limits the effectiveness of your praying and hijacks your joy. Unforgiveness, when harbored, will eventually turn into a root of bitterness that will make you miserable defile those around you.

Peter asks Jesus in Matt 18:21 how many times should we forgive a person if they wrong us.......like up to seven times? That was as much as Peter's natural thinking could imagine! Jesus responds, "No, seventy times seven!" Read the rest of the chapter about the man who was forgiven much, but then did not forgive the one who owed him. Sobering. Oh that we would not be found among those who REFUSE to forgive. We have been forgiven much! We have been given so much grace! Think about God's mercy to us! We must daily, intentionally, forgive all who have offended and hurt us. And remember the last three important words....IN YOUR HEART.

Make up your mind every morning to be a person who cannot be offended. Release resentment, bitterness and self-pity to God every day. And from this day forward, when you pray, intentionally forgive all, whether they deserve it or not. Ask the Lord to bless and help them. You will forever stay free of the shackles of unforgiveness. When you stand praying, FORGIVE!!!!!!!

Scriptures for Memory: Matt 6:12; Matt 18:21; Mark 11:25; Ephesians 4:32

amy stoehr
390 Mimosa Ave.
Vista, California 92081