DailyPrayerChallenge.com

Peace on Earth!

It is done! There can be great relief, yet sadness when Christmas is over. Christmas for me is a mix of very strong emotions, incredible thanksgiving and gratefulness for God and for my salvation! It blows my mind that I am a child of God. I am truly honored and humbled and there is no stronger time than Christmas that reminds me of my journey as a believer. I also find great joy in being with my kids and their newly growing families. To watch a new legacy move forward touches me to no end! With all this, for me there is also great sadness. I really grieve for those who don’t know Him. For my family, friends and neighbors who are hurting, lost, grief stricken, chasing false happiness, critical, angry and consumed with pleasing others and being accepted. I am often greatly saddened and hurt by the actions and words of others during a time when my heart just wants to celebrate His birth and all that has been done on this earth because of it. It can be even offensive to me. I feel quite alone at times in my thoughts and my beliefs and will question where God is at Christmas.

Then today, I read our scheduled psalm! Once again perfect timing!!! Let’s read:

Psalm 13

¹ How long, O LORD ? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?

² How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and every day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?

³ Look on me and answer, O LORD my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;

⁴ my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

⁵ But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.

⁶ I will sing to the LORD,
for he has been good to me.

For those of you like me who are not from solid faith families, who are faced with opposition, or who have to deal with things other than peace at a time that is supposed to proclaim, Peace on Earth,” welcome! Welcome to the same battle and opposition that David fought. Welcome to the battle that each of us as followers of Christ will fight until our death. Welcome to the battle that we have been chosen to accept with honor. Because with great joy we remember, “But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me!”

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL!

I would like to take this time to wish you all the most peaceful Christmas ever! I pray that we will each get out of the crazy cycle and stop to truly worship Him and celebrate the birth of our Savior! Let us not allow the enemy rob the Joy that He brings!

Blessings to you all this Christmas!

Sara

Anyone have a tongue problem? For those of you like me, let this psalm remind us of the power that lies in our tongue! As our sr. high ministry works through the book of James, verse 26 hits me the hardest:

James 1:26 (New International Version)

26If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.

I have done daily prayers through James. Let me re-post to you the daily challenge I gave to go with this verse. Let it penetrate our hearts and let the Holy Spirit convict us of the work of our words before we speak! Let the Holy Spirit fill us, mold us and soften our hearts so that only His words may be delivered to others.

OUR CHALLENGE:

A tight rein on your tongue, anyone beside myself have a little trouble in this area? I’d imagine so! How should we use our tongues? To edify, bless, welcome, speak truth, uplift, challenge, worship, praise, encourage, honor, comfort, teach, support and inform. But often what do we see? We see people use their tongues to deedify, gossip, tear down, reject, curse, discourage, lie, hurt, enable, dishonor, abuse, and misinform.

Today let’s seriously do an ongoing evaluation of what comes flying out of our mouths. Let’s pray that the Holy Spirit will convict us each and every time we don’t keep a tight rein on our tongues. Let us catch ourselves each time we talk about someone behind their backs, when we only tell part of the story or “embellish” a story (a polite way of saying “lie”), when we are rude or hurtful with our words. What are the consequences when we don’t? We are deceived and our “religion” (defined as worship here) is worthless! Ouch! Let’s take today’s challenge very serious today.

Psalm 12

¹ Help, LORD, for the godly are no more;
the faithful have vanished from among men.

² Everyone lies to his neighbor;
their flattering lips speak with deception.

³ May the LORD cut off all flattering lips
and every boastful tongue

⁴ that says, “We will triumph with our tongues;
we own our lips —who is our master?”

⁵ “Because of the oppression of the weak
and the groaning of the needy,
I will now arise,” says the LORD.
“I will protect them from those who malign them.”

⁶ And the words of the LORD are flawless,
like silver refined in a furnace of clay,
purified seven times.

⁷ O LORD, you will keep us safe
and protect us from such people forever.

⁸ The wicked freely strut about
when what is vile is honored among men.

In the midst of the Christmas season, I pray that you are able to continue to focus on a psalm a week, daily pray for yourself and for those of you who are married, to pray for your spouse! Remember to bring the true meaning of Christmas alive by our actions and our hearts.

God Bless!

Sara

Psalm 11

For the director of music. Of David.

¹ In the LORD I take refuge.
How then can you say to me:
“Flee like a bird to your mountain.

² For look, the wicked bend their bows;
they set their arrows against the strings
to shoot from the shadows
at the upright in heart.

³ When the foundations are being destroyed,
what can the righteous do?”

⁴ The LORD is in his holy temple;
the LORD is on his heavenly throne.
He observes the sons of men;
his eyes examine them.

⁵ The LORD examines the righteous,
but the wicked and those who love violence
his soul hates.

⁶ On the wicked he will rain
fiery coals and burning sulfur;
a scorching wind will be their lot.

⁷ For the LORD is righteous,
he loves justice;
upright men will see his face.