Wonderful Counselor

…"For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given;

and the government will be upon His shoulder,

and He will be called WonderfulCounselor,

Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace"

Isaiah 9:6

Do you need wisdom or direction in your life today?

We are told in Scripture that Jesus came to be our Counselor.

There are many would-be counselors in your life;

some give good advice, others seem to have no idea what they are talking about,

but Jesus is the only Wonderful Counselor.

Jesus is a marvelous, astonishing, the best you could ever have, Counselor!

No matter what you may be facing, ask God to direct your steps

and confirm His plan for your life.

He is the best Counselor you'll ever find.

And isn't that what prayer is?

Going to our Wonderful Counselor,

sharing with Him what's going on in your life,

and listening for His guidance?

Prayer is talking with God and telling Him you love Him,

conversing with God about all the things that are important in life,

both large and small, and being assured that He is listening.
C. Neil Strait

Have a powerful & blessed day!

Kendall

Prayer IS Warfare

The devil is not terribly frightened of our human efforts and credentials.

But he knows his kingdom will be damaged when we begin to lift up our hearts to God.

Jim Cymbala

Prayer IS warfare.

Have you ever wondered why your prayer time is so often interrupted?

The phone rings.

Your kids come running through the room.

Your mind is flooded with all the things you have to do that day.

Our enemy wants to do everything in his power to stop us from praying.

You've not doubt noticed that at 7:58 something happens to hinder your prayer time.

Let's see it for what it is and press through it.

Through prayer we can take back what the enemy has stolen.

Through prayer we can march onto his territory and claim it

for our King of kings and Lord of lords.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.

With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth,

words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel,

Ephesians 6:18-19

Have a powerful & blessed day!

Kendall

The Harness of Our Own Hearts

Perhaps if there were more of that intense distress for souls that leads to tears,

we should more frequently see the results we desire.

Sometimes it may be that while we are complaining

of the hardness of the hearts of those we are seeking to benefit,

the hardness of our own hearts and our feeble apprehension of the solemn reality

of eternal things may be the true cause of our (lack) of success.

James Hudson Taylor

How long has it been since you were disturbed over someone else's eternal destiny?

When was the last time you lost sleep due to an intense yearning for more of God in your life?

Have you ever cried over the spiritual condition of your church?

The real problem is not the hardness of the world...

the problem is the church itself.

We complain about the spiritual state of our culture,

while that same darkness looms in our churches.

We cry out for prayer in our public schools,

when we barely pray in our churches.

Our Lord hit the nail on the head when He stated:

"But I have this complaint against you.

You don't love me or each other as you did at first."

Revelation 2:4 (NLT)

Let's search our own hearts.

Before we judge the harness of the hearts of the world,

let's ask the Holy Spirit to examine us.

A people totally sold out to God cannot be stopped.

Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin, and desire nothing but God,

and I care not a straw whether they be clergymen or laymen;

such alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of heaven on earth...

God does nothing but in answer to prayer.

John Wesley

Have a powerful & blessed day!

Kendall

The Lord's Prayer: part 2

"This, then, is how you should pray:

"'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one.

Matthew 6:9-13

THE LORD'S PRAYER--PT.2: SUBMISSION

Prayer is agreeing with God concerning His will.

Prayer is not as much about bending God's will toward yours...

but bending yours toward His.

That's what Jesus meant when He said,

"your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

In heaven, God's will is done automatically.

There is no hesitation or resistance.

And so it is to be the same with us.

When we pray

"your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven,"

we are surrendering our will to His.

His will is always best.

God always has our best interest in mind.

He always sees the big picture.

We can trust His ways!

Have a blessed & powerful day!

Kendall

"This, then, is how you should pray:

"'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one.

Matthew 6:9-13

THE LORD'S PRAYER--PT.1: ADORATION

When Jesus taught His disciples to pray,

He did not begin with Requests to God.

Neither did He begin with confession of sin.

Jesus began with adoration--praising our Heavenly Father

for who He is.

"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name"

reminds us of our God's transcendence.

He is "in heaven"... that is, He is above us.

Our God is not "the man upstairs."

Our God is GOD. Always has been... always will be.

This also reminds us of our God's holiness.

His name is holy.

He is set apart... spotless... totally without sin or blemish.

Prayer begins with recognizing the God to whom we pray.

He is above us... yet He loves us.

He is holy... and has provided a way for us to be holy as well.

As you pray today take a moment to reflect upon

the greatness of our God.

Adore Him for who He is.

Thank Him for what He is doing in your life.

Have a blessed and powerful day!

Kendall

Philippians 4:6

Do not be anxious about anything,

but in everything, by prayer and petition,

with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Philippians 4:6

Prayer is God's antidote for anxiety.

As a child of God, you have no reason to worry.

You have a Heavenly Father who is both

willing and able to answer your requests.

What is it that's weighing on you the most right now?

I encourage you to take a moment and talk to God about it.

We're not designed to carry worry around with us all the time.

Doctors are discovering that worry can eventually lead to physical illnesses.

The next time worry or anxiety knocks on your door,

shut the door to worry and open the door to God's throne room!

Spend time talking with God about the problem,

by faith, claim victory over the it,

and keep moving on with your life!

Thank you for your continued prayers for

The Carpenter's Church.

You are making a difference!

Have a powerful & blessed day!

Kendall

Psalm 55:17

Evening and morning, and at noon,

I will pray and cry aloud;

and He shall hear my voice.

Psalm 55:17

Nutritionists tell us that several small meals per day

is healthier for us than two or three large meals.

Our bodies digest and assimilate food better when

we eat smaller portions every three to four hours.

I'm beginning to think, that at least for me,

prayer is much the same.

Praying several times throughout the day

keeps us spiritually alert

in a better way than praying one long

extended prayer either early in the morning

or at night before going to sleep.

The Psalmist prayed in the morning,

in the evening,

and at noon.

At least three times per day he found himself

before his Lord, crying out with his needs.

Let me encourage you to try this same practice for the next week.

Pray several times each day:

shortly after you first wake up...

at 7:58am, for The Carpenter's Church

before each event of the day (work, meetings, meals, your workout)

at 7:58 pm for The Carpenter's Church

and before you retire for the evening.

Praying several times a day

keeps you in tune with God.

It sharpens your spiritual perception.

Just as eating several small meals throughout the day

gives your body food in portions that it can

break down and use as energy without turning any of it to fat,

praying throughout the day

energizes us spiritually and helps us to learn

what it means to walk with God, keep Him close,

and truly be His friend.

Have a powerful & blessed day...

and I hope to see you at The Carpenter's Church this evening

for MidPoint Praise & Bible Study!

Kendall

Psalm 46:10

"Be still, and know that I am God.."

Psalm 46:10

Yesterday as we were driving home from Myrtle Beach

my phone alarm went off at 7:58,

reminding us that it was time to pray.

I kept driving and my family and I

shared a round of prayer.

Sometimes we find ourselves praying on the run.

That's OK... that's life.

However, it is a good habit to get quiet before God.

When we take the extra few minutes

to shut off the world around us

and silence our thoughts

then we can remember the greatness of our God.

As you pray today, take an extra minute or two

to sit quietly before the Lord.

Listen for His still small voice.

Remind yourself that He is God,

and that He is willing and able

to hear your prayer

and answer!

Have a powerful and blessed day!

Kendall

Psalm 4:1

Answer me when I call to you,

O my righteous God.

Give me relief from my distress;

be merciful to me and hear my prayer.

~Psalm 4:1

When we cry out to God,

He hears us

and extends His hand of mercy

towards us.

Whatever you are going through today,

although it may be bigger than you,

it's not bigger than God.

He stands

ready,

willing,

and able

to be your relief in the middle of your storm.

Just remember,

sometimes God delivers us from the storm...

at other times He delivers us through the storm.

Have a powerful & blessed day!