Praying for God's favor

How many of us actually realize how great our God is?  This journey we have been on has definitely taught us this truth.  We tend to put God in a box, and bring Him out when we need Him. Well, during this time away, we haven't been able to do that. We have needed Him with us every step of the way. We needed His hand in ours, leading us, guiding us, and encouraging us. And during this time, He has gently taught us quite a few lessons - lessons that I am hoping  I have learned so that I can get 100% when I write the final exam!!

• Trust - we have to trust Him. Joshua 1:9 says : Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."  We often tend to question our circumstances and, in our minds, we know what we need. But if we trust God, He will show us something better!
• Obedience - we have to be obedient to God's call. If He asks us to move, we need to move. If He asks us to stay, we have to stay. We have tried to hear his voice and go where He has sent us.  Knowing we were following Him (even though we were not always sure at the time), is the best place we could be.
• Favor - if we diligently seek God, and ask for His favor, and are in His will, He will provide EVERY time!  This verse came back to us over and over :  

Here is the story of the ending of our journey :

Our visa application was not approved to start off with. We were a little confused and, naturally, very disappointed at first. Then we refocused and remembered that God had a plan for us, and His plan was obviously not right now. So, after emailing the lawyer and questioning what would happen next, we were told that the visa had to be refiled with Premium Processing ($1,225!). We were not happy because we had basically emptied our bank account to pay it the first time, and asked why it should be different this time if they were going to resubmit the same documents. We prayed about this situation, and sent a final email to the lawyer with some more questions. 20 minutes later, he emailed back saying that their firm would cover the Premium Processing!! Miracle/God's favor # 1

So the visa was re-filed, and we were told that we had to wait 3 weeks for the decision. About 10 days later, I went online and saw that they were asking for MORE information!  I emailed the lawyer and he said that he had sent off some more paperwork. We would need to wait another 3 weeks for their decision.

At this point, in our humanness, we were waiting for the next blow. We forgot that God is in control. So after a day or two of stressing and worrying, we came together and prayed, and gave it back to Him. 3 days after the visa was re-filed, we got a decision. APPROVED!!!  Miracle/God's favor # 2 Lesson learned :

Next step was the visa interview. We had approval from the USCIS, but not an actual visa. (We had to pay another $800 for this, which was miraculously exactly provided  for by donations into a GoFundMe account that my sweet friend, Andrea, had set up for us.) This would come if our interview was successful, and it all depended on the Officer that interviewed us.  Naturally, we were nervous, although we shouldn't have been. Again, God had it. We had people praying for favor for us at this interview. We prayed for favor. We believed that, by looking at what God was doing, that this was yet another way that He was going to show us His plans. I prepared a folder of all the documents the lawyer suggested we take with us, including a few extra! I was up until 11pm the night before, printing out things and getting it organized. We went into the interview, and after 3 minutes of chatting with the Officer, walked out! He didn't even want to see my folder. VISA APPROVED!  Miracle/God's favor # 3

Our final step was to get our tickets changed. When I booked them, I saw on the policy that the company didn't charge change fees, but that the airlines would charge a change fee of around $300 per ticket, plus the difference in air tickets. So I had booked a return ticket in December, because we weren't sure when we would return.

I phoned the company to change the tickets and eventually found out that there was no value left on the tickets and that we couldn't change them. We would either have to use them in December or lose them. Shock again ... (why do we revert back to our human thinking after we have seen what God can do???). So, back to the only thing we know works .. prayer. We were online to friends (David  A .... our hero!!) who tried all sorts of things to get us a new one way ticket. Costs were astronomical - Zane's would have cost $1700. So I was thinking that I just needed to get them on my credit card and worry about paying them back later. I spoke to another hero of mine, Stephanie, who asked for my itinerary so she could do some research. Then, she confirmed what God was whispering in my heart : rest, go to sleep and let God work.

I woke up the next morning to Whatsapps, Facebook messages and an email stating : YOU ARE COMING HOME!!!  Stephanie had contacted Delta, spoke with a lady and her supervisor, told them our story, and God touched their hearts. Change fee waived, and the difference in ticket prices just over $1000. AND, we found out that these costs had been covered.  Miracle/God's Favor # 4

We also found favor when looking for a place to stay. I was told by a friend, to contact David H, who has a Real Estate business and rents out apartments. Within a day, we had a place to stay, which is within our budget. And what makes me excited, is that we have a washer and dryer in the apartment; water, internet and cable are also part of the deal!  Miracle/God's Favor # 5

So, here we are, getting ready for our return trip on September 1st. Is it the date I had planned? No. Do I know why? Not yet!  But after all this, I can rest and know that it is God's timing, not mine, and I am just thrilled that He has given us one miracle after another. I am content to rest in Him, and to see Him in all aspects of my life.

I am grateful to all who have prayed for us, supported us in one way or another, and walked this road with us. I hope that in some way, this journey has helped someone else realize that, as Christians, our lives are not our own. If we seek God earnestly, He will give us the desires of our heart. But we need to SEEK Him! If I had the choice, would I do this again? If this journey has helped ONE person realize who God is, and what He can do, then yes, I would do this journey again ... and again .. and again. 

We have one more thing we want to seek His favor for : getting seats together as a family on our KLM flight from Cape Town to Amsterdam. At the moment, our seats are all separated. Excited to see God working again!

So what is the most important thing I've taken with me during this adventure? Seek Him first. Period.

For with God nothing will be impossible.

A friend shared this with me the other day. It made me think.  I have been praying to be in God's will. I have been praying for His timing. I have been waiting on Him. All good things. But it seems like I haven't been praying boldly expecting the "impossible". I feel like I have been wavering back and forth and not holding strong to that faith that I have had in months past.

This morning, I was reading "Just Enough Light for the Step I'm On" by Stormie Omartian, and these words stood out for me :  You need faith that He WILL speak to you, that you CAN hear Him, and that it WILL be good news.  She also said, "Don't be afraid of the perfecting process that prepares you to move into God's call on your life. It will establish, strengthen, and settle you (1 Peter 5:10). Just stand strong through the fire and you will be purified, molded, humbled, and made ready for what He has for you to do."

I look at Joe and Anna and the faith they have every day that God will provide for them, that He will bring them people to minister to, that He will protect them, that He will show them His plan for their lives.  They gave up EVERYTHING to come to a place that seems like a wilderness ... none of the luxuries from back home. Many things are hard to come by and it's a huge adaptation. However, they never complain and they go over and above what you and I would probably do.

Their faith inspires me to be like that. To rest in Him and, no matter what, believe that He can do ALL things.

We spent the evening at church last night having Youth. It was wonderful to see all the teenagers gather and just have fun together. I am sure there could be many excuses as to why they couldn't attend .. such as exams the next day. But they were all there. It made me realize that, for this season, I am where I'm meant to be. Yes, we will be moving on in just over a week, but our time here has been perfect because it's been God's time. We have learned so much and have been blessed through this. 

How dare I wonder why things happen the way they do, when I can look back and see God's perfect plans?  So I will focus my thoughts on Him and Him alone, because that's what it's really about, right? Not about us, not about our circumstances, but about Him and our relationship with him. Our hope and our future. Our vision will happen, in the right time.

It was a cold, but beautiful evening last night and as I captured this sunset, it just reminded me that even though time goes by, I mustn't lose sight of the blessings and beauty in each moment.

So as we wait for our visa to be processed, I will boldly pray that God will find favor with it and that on July 7th, we WILL have good news. And that we will be able to change our tickets to come home shortly after that, trusting Him to provide what we need.

And, if this is not part of His will, if He still wants us to wait before coming back, that we will rejoice in that and trust that He still has a better plan for us than we do.

Trust with me. Pray with me. Hope with me. And realize that even though this is a difficult time, it's a time where we are learning patience, developing endurance and character and building up hope.  God is good!!

WHAT'S RIGHT WITH THIS PICTURE?

THE RIGHT ATTITUDE

I wrote today's blog  because what I was reading, spoke to my heart. I find myself looking at tomorrow or yesterday, and wondering why things haven't, or aren't, working out the way I'd hoped. My spirit gets downhearted and I forget that I am looking at things through my eyes and not God's.  I forget that He has the WHOLE picture and that He is working out things for me in the background. 

When something doesn't go as well as you'd hoped or planned, do you find yourself upset, angry or devastated?  If we walk in the light of the Lord, we need to ask God to give us a new perspective.  Sometimes we don't see the whole truth.  Stormie Omartian talks about how she and her daughter have decided to take the situation and say "What's RIGHT about this picture?" - taking a negative and turning it into the positive. This helps keep us protected from the cynical, hopeless and bitter attitudes that we find ourselves developing. This is being willing to let things go of our determination to see things through our own narrow tunnel vision, and rather seeing things from God's perspective.

She states : "God is in the middle of doing something great for us and, because we are not as comfortable as we'd like to be, we don't recognize the good things He has put in our lap".

I have to look at our situation and ask "What's right with it?" in the midst of feeling disappointed, confused and, at times,  sad :

NOT : We haven't earned any income since February, BUT God has provided for all our needs and we don't have any bills to worry about.

NOT : We don't have our own home to live in, BUT we have experienced the hospitality of our parents, and been able to rent a small flat in a place where we can help others, even in a small manner.... not worrying about leaving a house behind that needs taking care of.

NOT : How are we going to get everything together so that we can get back, BUT let's take each day and enjoy the people around us that we are getting to build relationships with.

NOT : What lies ahead in our future, and are God's plans in line with our desires, BUT what are the blessings God has planned for me TODAY.

NOT : Why has this happened, BUT it's wonderful how our faith and our relationship has been given the time to grow.

All of this is basically an issue of trust. We are believing that God desires the best for us.  I have to stop looking to tomorrow, and look at today in case I miss a blessing. If my eyes are focused on Him, then what could go wrong?

Pray with me this week as we get ready to file for our extension. Pray that I will not focus on the things we don't have lined up yet to file, or to change our tickets, but that we will focus on God and His greatness and His plans for us.

I CHOOSE to see the RIGHT side of this picture!

PRAYER (From "Just Enough Light for the Step I'm On, by Stormie Omartian)

Lord, I lift to You the situations of my life that concern me. I lay the worries before You and ask for Your mighty intervention to show me what's right when I can only see what's wrong.  I am determined to see the good, so help me not to be blinded by my own fears, doubts, wants, and preconceived ideas. I ask You to reveal to me Your truth in every situation.  Give me Your perspective. Bless me with the ability to understand the bigger picture and to distinguish the valuable from the unimportant. When something seems to go wrong, help me not to jump to negative conclusions. Enable me to recognize the answers to my own prayers. I trust You to help me see the light in every situation. In Jesus's name, Amen

Are you Winning or Losing the Battle?

Exodus 17 : 10-13
10 So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. 11 As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. 12 When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. 13 So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.

Where the Battle is Won

There are 3 things that will make our prayer lives more exciting and our prayer more fruitful :

1.  Life's battles are won or lost in the place of prayer

God wins His battles through men and women who intercede on behalf of His Kingdom

-  we need a spirit of total dependence on Him

-  we need unwavering faith

THE BATTLE

• we need to bow our knees before conflict begins
• God turns our eyes towards Him
• He sifts and cleanses us in preparation for the coming battle
• He gives us His perspective of the battle - it's superior to our own
• our faith soars - whoever battles with us also battles with Him
• He promises us victory by His own Word
• the battle is the Lord's and the victory is ours

     2 Chr. 20:15-17

15 He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what theLord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s. 16 Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel. 17 You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance theLord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.’”

* Many conflicts in the home would be concluded if family members would bow before God, search their hearts and surrender their battles to Him.

He is the source of ALL things - spiritual and material 2 Peter 1:3

• we must enter each situation in complete dependence on Him
• only then, will He release His supernatural power to overcome the enemy. Recognize the enemy - it's not family, friends or even bosses - Satan uses people to get at God without us realizing it!

2.  We may become weary

• we tend to look at circumstances around us
• we lose the burden
• our perspective is warped by Satan to discourage us
• we see problems as larger than they are

3.  We all need an "Aaron" and a "Hur" like Moses

• We need 2 people we can share our needs and burdens with
• they should not be our counselors, but our supporters
• some people are willing to give advice for our spiritual battles, but won't give their time in prayer
• we need someone to listen carefully, and then pray until our burden is lifted - no matter HOW LONG it takes!

WE NEED MORE SPIRIT-FILLED PRAYING - NOT ADVICE!!

Are you someone's Aaron or Hur? Be part of that threefold cord (Eccl. 4:12) that cannot be quickly broken because when 3 of you have :

-  genuine concern for each other

-  unwavering faith in God

- the need to intercede for each other ....

~ something supernatural takes place ~

This will build your faith as well as that of your prayer partners.

Be blessed, bless someone, and take charge to be a prayer warrior today. WIN THE BATTLE!!!

Please leave comments below - and test everything I have shared.  Most of this information comes from How to Handle Prayer, by Charles Stanley, but make sure you have tested it against the scriptures to find that it is true. Let me know if you find any inconsistencies.

My plans or God's plans

Everyone has plans. We wouldn't be normal if we didn't. We plan for today, we plan for the weekend, we plan for our future.

Often, while planning, we are unsure about choices that we need to make. Do we choose this or that?  We decide to pray about it and then wait. Several things may happen. 

Either, we find that the door is closed, and nothing we can do will make it work; or, we don't hear anything from God; or we find obstacles in our path that make it difficult for the plans to work out.

If you're like me, these make you feel despondent, your faith may waiver, or you may wonder what you did that God is not granting you the desires of your heart!

I have learned, through this process of ours, that God's plans are ALWAYS better than mine!  Even if it's difficult and hard to understand.

Jesus Calling this morning said this :

We need to come to God with our plans set aside. (In other words, don't come to Him with all these huge plans to give Him, asking for advice - He knows them already!)

We must worship Him in Spirit and in truth and let Him guide us throughout the day. (We have to be aware of Him throughout the day ... not just during our quiet time, or a quick moment when we need to pray, but ALWAYS).

We need to submit our plans to God's Master Plan because He is King over EVERY aspect of our lives. (It's not easy, but we need to let go of our plans and trust that He will take them and make them good).

Trust and search for God's way through each day. Don't blindly follow your habits or you will miss what He has planned. (How easily do we go through the same routine every day, instead of looking for the opportunities that God puts in front of us. How many blessings do we miss because of this - blessings both for us and others?).

John 4:24

24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

Isaiah 55:8, 9

8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.

9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts."

 

I challenge you today, to write down your plans - whether they be for today, or next weekend, or the future. Lay them all before God and give them to Him. Then take each moment and trust Him to do better than you ever could.

No, it's not easy waiting to see where He wants you to go. Or what choice you need to make. If you absolutely have to make a decision, then make one and pray for peace. If you feel that peace deep down in your Spirit, then you know you are in His will. If not, change that decision quickly! 

If you think you're not hearing from God,  don't ask "Where is God in this?", but ask "Why can't I see God?"  Pray that He will reveal Himself in your situation.  

A Burden for Prayer

Today, as I read through How to Handle Prayer, by Charles Stanley, I was made aware of the burden of prayer that we should all have.  I was taking notes and wanted to share them.  I have found today, that many prayer requests were sent to me, which doesn't always happen. Maybe God is trying to teach me something!  I find that I don't spend as much time in prayer, as I do in His word and in other readings - after reading this today, I decided that I needed to change that!  Please read through it with me and feel free to comment through email or on Facebook about your thoughts. I'd love this to be a conversation and a way of building each other up!

PRAYING FOR OTHERS

1.  WHO DO WE PRAY FOR?

-                Pray for those in Authority

·      president, congress, mayors, bosses

·      intercede on their behalf for their needs

·      give thanks for them

-                The Body of Christ

·      those under persecution

·      the lukewarm

·      the cold

·      those in financial need

-                Vocational Servants

·      Pastors

·      Teachers

·      Missionaries

·      Evangelists

WHAT DO WE PRAY?

-                what they need to preach/teach

-                to be able to speak the truth boldly

-                to have a clear message

Don’t criticize these people – pray for each person, especially our Pastors.

-                Laborers

·      people yet to be called for preaching, teaching, singing, leadership roles

·      pray to bind Satan’s powers from influencing their decisions

-                The Lost

·      God’s will is for EVERYONE to be saved (1Tim 2:4-6)

-                Our Enemies

·      Matt 5:44

·      Our prayers should not be based on personal likes/dislikes but on a desire for peace

HOW TO PRAY FOR OTHERS

-                We need a heart of compassion

·      God ignores prayers if there is prejudice or anger

·      We need a good attitude

·      We need to respond to His Spirit, and not react to others

-                Prayer is the Link

·      between God’s resources and people’s needs

·      God is the source and we are the instruments

·      We need to stand in the gap between the need and the satisfaction of that need

·      Jesus stood in the gap between God and all mankind

-                Identify with their Needs

·      spiritually and emotionally, we need to feel what they feel

-                Purpose for suffering

·      one reason God allows us to suffer is so we can identify with others in prayer, instead of stereotyping them

·      when we avoid pain, we limit our usefulness to God  (2 Cor 1:4)

·      We need to ask God to help us see what others see and feel what they feel

·      In order to truly understand their hurts, we have to experience hurt ourselves

-                Desire the Best for Others

·      we need to die to selfish desires and seek only God’s best – no matter what the cost is to us

-                Being a Part of the Answer

·      we must be willing to be a part of the answer if necessary

·      God won’t hear our prayers if isolation (God, I’ll pray for them if you will just fix it) -  i.e. us not willing to be involved

·      If we ask and do nothing, He will listen and do nothing and we can expecting nothing in return

è   DON’T pray for missionaries unless you are willing to go or send your children

è   DON’T pray for others’ financial needs unless you’re actually willing to give

-                We MUST Persevere

·      Keep on praying until the answer comes

·      We aren’t always willing to pay the price : TIME!!!

·      If we’re burdened for someone, we mustn’t stop praying until that burden is lifted

·      We need to lay down our lives for our fiends in prayer

Ask God to show you 3 people to pray for :

-                their burdens

-                their heartaches

-                specific needs

Tell God you’re willing to be a part of the answer

-                ask Him to share their burdens with you

-                ask for a spirit of compassion and love

-                ask Him to teach you HOW to pray and intercede on their behalf

If we pray for each other :

è   Homes will be mended

è   Businesses will flourish

è   Churches will be revived

If you do ALL this, you will never BE the same or PRAY the same again!

                           How to Handle Prayer, by Charles Stanley

Email me at ccamons@burlingtonchristian.org or comment on Facebook if you have any comments to share.