The Power of Prayer...but wait...There's a Catch

So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses." ~Mark 11:22-26

WOW!

The power of prayer is transcending.

We have the ability to take

ANYTHING

before our Father, resting in His promise to hear us when we call out to Him,

and to answer our pleas according to His perfect will.

God's precious gift of prayer is our lifeline. Never should we fear, worry, stress, or be uncertain.

With prayer we are granted the opportunity to "come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:16)

With prayer we have understanding, wisdom, discernment, knowledge, direction, and protection from evil.

Yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding, if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly; He guards the paths of justice, and preserves the way of His saints. Then you will understand righteousness and justice, equity and every good path. ~Proverbs 2:3-9

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. ~Proverbs 3:5-6

With prayer we have a peace that passes all understanding.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. ~Philippians 4:6-7

But this power of prayer is dependent upon 2 essential ingredients:

Our faith in God (Mark 11:22-24)

and

Our forgiveness toward others (Mark 11:25-26).

Although prayer is our lifeline--our most important resource--it becomes powerless if the person praying does not believe or harbors any kind of unforgiveness.

If you pray, but do not believe God is able or willing to answer your prayer, your prayer is futile. But, if you do not doubt in your heart, whatever things you ask for when you pray--if they line up with God's perfect will, and if you believe that you will receive them--you will have them. We must judge Him faithful who has promised (Heb.11:11).

And if you pray, but deep down (or not so deep down) you are nursing a grudge, and you are harboring unforgiveness, then your Father also will not forgive you. This is not in reference to our salvation, as our position as a child of God cannot be lost. However, fellowship can be broken. And when we choose not to forgive others, God will not forgive us our trespasses, and therefore we have broken fellowship with the Father. He does not hear our prayers because our sin (unforgiveness) stands in the way. Our forgiveness of others is critical to our fellowship with our Holy Father. And a real understanding of His forgiveness toward us will naturally produce the forgiveness of others. When we see offenses against us in the shadow of the cross they seem so dim in comparison. Forgiveness should be immediate.

My pastor put it this way:

"Forgiveness is not a burden God places on us, but rather it is a safeguard for our mental health and emotional stability."

Our forgiveness allows no root of bitterness to sprout. And it keeps an open line of communication with the Father. Therefore, anxiety and worry and fear and any other kind of emotional roller coaster need not exist because we can take our requests and needs directly to the Father. We must therefore FORGIVE on the basis of the grace of God. We must FORGIVE because God, through Christ, first forgave us.

I don't know about you, but that is quite a hard pill for me to swallow.

After I read this Scripture I found myself going over and over it again.

Do I believe? Sure I believe...but do I BELIEVE? Without a doubt in my mind, do I believe that God is able, that He is willing, and that I will receive that which I ask for?

And what about that person that keeps coming up, the one that just the thought of her name gets my blood boiling? I am justified, right?? She was in the wrong. Or what about that person who was so rude in line today while checking out. Or the driver that cut me off yesterday. Or...

Oh how easy it is to get offended. And how natural it is for us to hold a grudge, to harbor that unforgiveness, to mull over a wrong committed against us.

But Christ...

But the cross...

Jesus died for all of that. And He died for you, and for me, and for anyone who may offend us today or tomorrow or 5 years from now. When you shed The Light on the situation, any offense is minuscule in comparison to the cross Christ bore for me, the wrath He endured for me, the suffering He voluntarily submitted to for me.

So today I am believing. Whatever I ask, I am believing that I will receive, because God is God. According to His perfect will, and His good plan for me, I am believing that He is able, willing, and pleased to give me the desires of my heart.

And today I am choosing forgiveness. I am not waiting for an apology. I am letting it all go. Because God is bigger. And His grace abounds. And His mercy was lavished upon me. So, as I have been forgiven, I choose to forgive.

How about you...

Do you believe? Are you asking, believing that you will receive?

Do you have any grudges you need to set free? Is your heart marred with bitterness? Do you need to forgive?

If you think it's too hard, remember...if you believe, ask...and you shall receive. God's grace abounds.

Mmmm Mmmm Monday: Spinach, Shrimp, and Feta Orzo Pasta

Super Yummy and Healthy

and the kids LOVE it!

Spinach, Shrimp, and Feta Orzo Pasta

Ingredients:

1 cup Orzo Pasta

1 Tbsp. minced garlic (we like garlic! feel free to use less)

2 Tbsp. olive oil

10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

12 oz. frozen salad shrimp, thawed, rinsed, and drained

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

pinch of ground black pepper

2 oz. crumbled feta cheese

Directions:

1. Cook pasta in boiling water until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2. In large frying pan, saute garlic in olive oil.

3. Add spinach and shrimp and stir until hot.

4. Stir in pasta and remove from heat.

5. Stir in salt and pepper. Gently fold in feta cheese.

That Easy!

Enjoy!

For more Mmmm Mmmm Monday Recipes, click HERE.

Madison and the War of 1812 & More (Kevin, 3rd Grade, Week 6)

This Week's Book List:

The New Nation by Joy Hakim

Our Country's Presidents by Ann Bausum

The War of 1812 by Alden R. Carter

Once on This Island by Gloria Whelan

A Visit to William Blake's Inn by Nancy Willard

Take Command, Captain Farragut! by Peter and Connie Roop

This week Kevin learned about our 4th President, James Madison. We also learned about the War of 1812, and the impact it had on our United States government. Kevin also learned about the President's House, now called the White House, since it was repainted after having been set fire by the British during this war. Kevin learned about the U.S.S. Constitution. And we learned about Francis Scott Key and the story behind The Star Spangled Banner. Kevin also learned about Chief Tecumseh and the role he played in attempting to unite the Indians to defend their land. Kevin also finished up his study on William Wilberforce this week and his impact on ending the slave trade in England.

Kevin made this American flag to celebrate The Star Spangled Banner and the War of 1812.

We also continued our work on the sun this week. Kevin used a magnifying glass to melt chocolate. He also learned about light, color, and, using his own words, "a fun little word I like to call 'thermonuclear fusion!'"

For Grammar this week we learned more about prepositions, and also conjunctions and interjections. Kevin also has started writing his first assignment for the year, this one on the three branches of the U.S. government. He worked on the rough draft this week.

We were blessed with some beautiful weather this week, so we enjoyed a few nature walks and loved seeing the leaves changing and beginning to fall. They even brought their bags along for collecting things =)

He was also very thankful that his sister learned about the letter "C" this week and that "C" is for "Cupcake" =)

Afterward, we celebrated fall by doing this cute little craft for the changing colors of the leaves.

Kevin enjoyed lots of time to be creative this week. Just for fun, he drew some pictures of dinosaurs, then cut them out, and glued them onto popsicle sticks. He said instead of asking for or buying new toys, he wanted to make his own =) What a cutie!

For more of Kevin's 3rd Grade Moments, click {here}.

We are taking our first week of school next week =) We have something VERY EXCITING AND IMPORTANT happening =) =) =) Something we have waited ALL YEAR for!

C is for Connie Cockatoo (Cheyenne, K4, Week 6)

This Week's Book List:

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina

Calico Cows by Arlene Dubanevich

Clickety Clack by Rob and Amy Spence

Cars! Cars! Cars! by Grace Maccarone

The Caboose who Got Loose by Bill Peet

If You Give a Cat a Cupcake by Laura Numeroff

My Five Book by Jane Belk Moncure

This week Cheyenne met my friend Connie Cockatoo. We studied the hard "c" sound this week. Connie was very careful about brushing her teeth and not eating much candy at all because she did not want cavities. This took some coaxing with Cheyenne as she LOVES her candy, but I think she is starting to catch on ;)

We own a felt board for The Very Hungry Caterpillar, the kids have always loved playing with it! It's one of those "special" treats that only comes out once in a while. Well, this week we brought it out and Cheyenne acted out the story on her board as I read it to her. She learned that "C" is for "Caterpillar" this week.

Cheyenne also learned that "C" is for "Colors" this week and we spent some time reviewing her colors. We made this cute little caterpillar, too.

We also talked about how "C" is for "Cat" and "Cupcake". Using ideas from Totally Tots, we read If You Give a Cat a Cupcake. Cheyenne loved feeding the cat his cupcakes =)

And of course she loved making her own batch as well =0)

Cheyenne also learned about the number 5 this week, and she is pretty good at writing her 5's. "Put on a hat, then take a dive, make a big round tummy, now that's a five!" =) We also learned about squares this week.

We also worked on our Alphabet Art this week, using the idea from Our Family For His Glory, we made this cute little cat with Big "C" and little "c".

Using Big Thoughts for Little People, Cheyenne learned that "C" is for "crying" this week. She learned that it's ok to cry when she falls down, or when she gets hurt. But she learned it's important not to cry for no particular reason.

We enjoyed some beautiful fall weather this week, and so we went for a few nature walks on the trails. We also made this cute craft to celebrate fall and the changing of the leaves.

For more of Cheyenne's PreK fun, click {here}.

We are taking our first week of school next week =) We have something VERY EXCITING AND IMPORTANT happening =) =) =) Something we have waited ALL YEAR for!

AlphaBitty Moments: P is for Puddles

She LOVES PUDDLES!!!

I am linking up with MamaBear and AlphaBitty Moments.

For more of our AlphaBitty Moments, click {HERE}.

You Capture: Green

This Week's You Capture Challenge was "Green".

Take a look at our garden:

This is the first time that I have ever grown a garden. I have loved every part of it (even the weeding...I know, I'm kind of crazy!). We have cabbage, eggplant, zucchini, peppers, grape tomatoes, and cucumber. I am already looking ahead to next year and plotting out the changes I want to make. It is such a joy to plant seeds and watch them grow.

For more You Capture this week, see who's going GREEN with Beth at I Should Be Folding Laundry.

For more of my own You Capture photos, please click {HERE}.