Decision Making Prayers

I have had many decisions to make in my life. I recently and still am, seeking the Lord on some major decisions that I have to make. Some concerning the matters of the heart. I am a control freak and the Lord had to deal with me in this area. There were many times that I relied on my own knowledge and will to make choices. Needless to say some of those decisions landed me in trouble. The Lord had to show me that I needed His Knowledge and Will to help me in my decision making.
A good example of this is in Genesis 24. Abraham sends out his oldest servant to find a wife for his son Issac. The servant prayed that the Lord would "show him success this day."(verse 12) His prayer was asking God to bless his master, Abraham, and to show him the woman that he should take back with him for Issac. The servant was very detailed in his prayer and the Lord answered quickly by having Rebekah come to the well at that time. The servant's prayer came from a true honest heart for the love and loyalty that he had for Abraham and Issac. It wasn't a selfish prayer or about him having favor or receiving any gift for doing his job. He knew that he had to call upon God for help because he knew that he could not make this decision on his own.
Have you ever had to make a decision on leaving a job or excepting one? Have you ever had to make a decision on which school to attend? How about which church or ministry to join? How about deciding on if this is the right person for you to marry? Or, where to move, how much to charge for your services, to home school or which school your children should attend? Maybe you had to make a decision on what medical care to receive.
Whatever your situation is, go to God in prayer. Please do not be general with your requests. Just how Abraham's servant was very detailed in his prayer and made it very intimate with the Lord, we should do the same. Spend time with God and let Him know everything that is going on in your life. All the decisions you have to make and the desires of your heart. Yes, God knows all and He sees all but He loves that special time when we get away from all of life's distractions and we come to Him. God loves when we ask Him for advice or guidance because it shows how we have surrendered all our cares to Him.
We don't need to read horoscopes, go to palm readers, call talk radio shows or go on talk shows for advice. While, going to friends and family members is nice; there is only one source that can give you the answer that you need. Psalms 62: 5 says it all:

" My soul, wait silently for God alone, For my expectation is from Him."

Our Father has our best interest at heart and He will guide us in the right path, so that we make good decisions. We need His wisdom, knowledge and discernment to get through in these last days. The only way we can achieve that is through prayer. Can you imagine if the servant went on his own feelings, emotions, understanding and flesh, what could have happened? Would there have been the nation of Israel? Perhaps the servant knew what was at stake. Maybe Abraham had told him the promise that God had made him? So he knew this mission was not something small or insufficient. A whole nation was going to be birthed out of Issac's seed. So he had to make the right choice.
Sometimes we think our choices or decisions are not that important. So we don't seek God to direct us. My friends, every choice we make is important to the Kingdom of God! God has major plans for our lives but He gives us the ability to choice His way or our way. Proverbs 3: 5-6 states:

⁵ Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; ⁶ In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

That is what the servant did. He trusted God to help him pick Rebekah. He acknowledged the Lord and gave Him all the glory. He did not rely on his intelligence, years of experience, taste or occupation to make this decision. He asked God to " show kindness" to Abraham and appoint the "one" for Issac. Here is the amazing part of this story, just when he is done speaking, Rebekah comes to the well! God is so good! He was so eager and excited to answer this heart felt prayer that He didn't even wait for the servant to finish! Can you imagine what He is waiting to do in your life?
Call on Him and ask Jesus to give you the sound mind, wisdom and discernment that you need in order to make everyday decisions. I pray above all else that the Lord is glorified and lifted up in your decisions!

True Storm Rider: Rev Dr. David Wilkerson 1931-2011

Yesterday a mighty man of God, Reverend Dr. David Wilkerson died in a fatal head on car collation. His wife Sister Gwen, who was in the car, was seriously injured and rushed to the hospital. Dr. Wilkerson was a true storm rider and prophet of our modern day. He heard from the Lord and answered the call.
I know for my sister and I, that when we moved to New York City almost three years ago, we thought that it would be impossible to find a Bible believing, Holy Spirit filled church. But thank God for one of our sister's at our old church in Maryland that encouraged us to attend Times Square Church. We now know it was a divine appointment that we attended 10am service in July 2008 to hear Dr. Wilkerson preach. We do not remember what the sermon was about but we heard the truth! We were truly blessed to have heard Dr. Wilkerson preach and to be under the leadership of our church.
He was truly a man who cared for the rejected and outcasts of society. He had Christ's compassion for the lost and the brokenhearted. He reached out to those that the world had written off and offered them a chance of redemption. He was a man of faith, obedience and he trusted in the Lord. He finished the race with honor and integrity. A true example for all of us to follow.
We praise you Jesus for his life, dedication, ministry, family and legacy.
Please keep Sister Gwen in prayer and the whole Wilkerson family. Please keep our Pastors, Elders and Leaders at Time Square Church in prayer. Also please pray for Dr. Wilkerson's' spiritual children that he fathered. The countless ministers, pastors, leaders, evangelists and teachers that he mentored. Pray for the church, which is going through various emotions of sadness, grief, confusion and anger. Pray that the Lord will give all of us a peace and comfort through this difficult time.
Thank you again heavenly Father for lending us this faithful man and in all things we give you the honor and the glory!Please visit Time Square Church, World Challenge and Mt. Zion's websites to learn more about the history of Rev. Wilkerson's life and ministry. Also watch and listen to the many powerful sermons that he preached. Be encouraged and may the Lord comfort us all.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,

and he will make your paths straight.
Prob 3:5-6
Jesus replied, "You do not realise now what I am doing, but later you will understand."
John 13:7
"A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one's birth."
Ecclesiastes 7:1

Amazing Poems! I Will Wait For You and The Truth Without Photoshop by Janette

These are amazing poems! "I Will Wait For You"and "The Truth Without Photoshop" are poems written and performed by Janette. I love the messages in these poems! My friend txted me last night and told me to check her facebook page and watch the video she posted. I was floored and had to immediately share the poems with you.

"I Will Wait For You" talks about waiting for a mate and waiting on God. "The Truth Without Photoshop" discussed the harsh reality of molestation for many women and Christian women. The pain, the healing process, the trust in God and the ability to talk about it.

Check these out and let us know your thoughts.

"I Will Wait For You"




"The Truth Without Photoshop"

True Stormriders: Pastors Attacked in Sri Lanka

Here is another article from the crosswalk.com website, The Voice of Martyrs . The article is about pastors in Sri Lanka who have been attacked and assaulted at their homes. Please continue to pray for the men, women and children who are ministering in the four corners of the world. Pray that Jesus strengthens them as they go through persecution for His name's sake. Pray that they stay encouraged and believe God for His wonderful grace and mercy. Also pray for the attackers, that they may see the error of their ways and receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

"And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." Mark 13:13


Keep Riding the Storm

Welcome 30s: The Age of New Beginnings

This month I turned 30! I can't believe the years have gone by so fast! It seemed like just the other day I was 7. Well, maybe not, but the years have crept up on me. 12 years ago I graduated from high school, 8 years ago I graduated from college and now I am a working girl in the Big Apple. This is not where I thought I would be. I had my life planned out by the age of 13. It went like this:

1. I would attend FIT (like Lisa Turtle from Saved by the Bell) and major in Fashion Design. Instead I graduated from the University of Delaware with a B.S. in Apparel Design.
2. Then, I would meet my husband, who would major in finance, and start his own company. (Instead I dated a wannabe rapper for 7 years and it went no where)
3. By the age of 23 we would be married and living in a fabulous condo on the east coast with a second home in West Africa or Europe.
4. By the age of 30 I would be a stay at home mom with 5 or 6 children, 3 dogs, a mongoose and a farm out in the country. Oh and an Aston Martin, his and her black on black Range Rovers and a small yacht for vacations on the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean.

Well, needless to say, my life turned out differently. Maybe some of those plans would have happened, but God intervened. I believe if the plans I laid out happened, I would not be in Christ the way I am in Him now. The Lord saved me from a destructive path. There were times that I considered living with my then boyfriend, moving out to NYC or LA right after college but God closed every door. At the time, I didn't know God was preparing me to become the young lady that I am today. I know Jesus as my Lord, Savior, Best Friend and Brother.

He is showing me that He has bigger and better plans in store for me than I could ever imagine. Not material/earthy wealth or worldly success, but the things that are eternal and everlasting. Because all the worldly things shall pass away and things that I am growing spiritually are all for the glory of God. The beautiful thing is that I am seeing it. God is using me in my workplace, family, church and friendships to bring Him glory. He is pruning me to be the sister, friend, daughter, servant, intercessor, future wife and mother that He has created me to be.

I was talking to my sister about how significant the age of 30 is. Jesus started His full time Ministry at 30, Joseph became Governor over Egypt at 30 and David become King of Israel at the age of 30! On the Christian resources today website, it states that the meaning of 30 is "the marking of the right moment." So I know that God has a lot in store for me. Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. NLT

To all my brothers and sisters turning 30 this year or who are already in their 30s and feel like they have not accomplished the goals or plans they set out to complete by the age of 30; believe me the best has yet to come. God has everything planned out! Trust Him and live in His Will and you will see miraculous things happen. Remember to be obedient and He will lead you into your calling.

No More Christian Nice Girl by Paul Coughlin

My friend emailed me this article and I just had to share it with my fellow stormriders! It is a great article from crosswalk.com by Paul Coughlin. I hope it intrigues and edifies you as it did me. I have always prayed that Jesus would help me to be more direct, firm and kind when speaking to people than to be nice, wishy washy and timid. Christ definitely illustrates in the Bible how we should conduct ourselves when faced with confrontations and certain situations. In the end it is all with love and truth. Click on the title to read the article or click the link below, enjoy!

http://www.crosswalk.com/blogs/PCoughlin/11633154/

Embracing Rejection as God’s Protection in 2011

Often times we have so much pain from things that happened in our lives but God says in His word that:
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28. I know that in my life I have experienced all types of rejection; personally, professionally, and academically. Even through all the rejection and disappointments I have learned that God has always kept me from destruction. We have to learn that the pain we would have experienced if we had not been rejected would have been worse than the pain of rejection. Sometimes we pray for jobs, spouses, education endeavors etc, and we don’t always get what we want. Could you imagine if we got everything we wanted? If we received everything we prayed for? Our lives would be a big ole mess! In all situations we should learn that what we considered rejection was God’s divine protection. God says in Psalm 91: 11 – 12 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. God only looks to protect you. He has set a path for you and has designed a unique destiny and place for you. If some of that rejection did not happen where would we be? We do not know what’s best for us. God’s way s are higher than our ways, His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. We may not fully understand the rejection but what we can know for certain is that God sees the bigger picture. He knows your past, present and future. I would encourage all of you to regard any rejection in 2011 as divine protection from the Lord. Remember that God is guiding every step you take. Remember that through it all worship God even when you are hurting, when His presence is surrounding you His love will over power any pain you feel. 2011 will be a year of trusting God’s big picture. Know that all things work for good. Acknowledge his hand over your life and know that when you proclaimed Him as Lord of you acknowledged that He never fails. See your rejections as God’s divine protection and watch Him reveal His truths and plans to you.