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People Who Are Prayed for, Live Longer

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It is only two days before Christmas. I want to wish you the merriest Christmas ever, and remember the true meaning of the day.

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I have another excerpt from the book, “Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World.” This chapter talks about people who were dying and survived through the power of prayer. The doctors could give no other exclamation.

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Chapter 19

 

Life Is Fragile; Handle with Prayer

 

The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.

He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.

Psalm 145:18–19

 

I received an advertisement for a book that claims to have information in it that no industry wants you to read. It says it is full of ideas to beat the system, pay less for everything, and how to beat death.

The last claim intrigued me because I may want to live forever. (I know what you’re thinking: We all are going to live forever together with God in heaven anyway. I just wanted to tease you little bit.) I looked at the section of the ad where it listed several “forbidden” secrets to long life and good health.

The most interesting thing they found was that patients healed faster when they were prayed for—even by strangers. This was a claim thatDukeUniversityresearchers set out to test in a double-blind study of heart patients. They wanted to find out if prayer works not only if you pray for yourself, but also if some stranger prays for you.  (They probably could have saved time and money by asking us—right?)

What they found out was amazing to them: Patients who were prayed for by people who didn’t even know them had drastically lower rates of complications. The interesting thing is that these patients were never told that anyone was praying for them just in case knowing that would make them feel better by the power of suggestion.

I read through the rest of the amazing secrets, and I may check out how bananas help fight depression, or how frozen peas kill foot pain, but that will have to wait for now.

The fact that there is research on prayer is encouraging, but you and I know that it works, and we never spent a dime on checking it out. Kind of like the Nike slogan: We just do it.

I have a shocking revelation for the entire world, including those researchers: God is real and does answer prayer! I am living proof of that. I cried out to Him one day in 2001. He heard my cries, comforted me and lifted me up.

God isn’t some idol or figure you stand in front of and worship. He isn’t something artificial you pray to about something and then hope for the best and watch the movement of the stars for an answer. He came down to this earth in human flesh and became one of us. He cried. He was in pain. He was in fear. He showed anger. Then after all this, He died for you and me so we wouldn’t have to feel the eternal pain of sin, fear and sadness. When He was placed on that cross, everything changed. He bled and died so that we would have a place to come home to when we go through our time of physical death.

God listens to every word we say during prayer—or any other time—and wants to help us through the bad spots and smiles with us in the good spots.

Does it seem like there are more bad spots than good spots? Do you wonder why everything seems to be piling up? Do you want to stay strong only to have the burdens of the day weigh you down as if a rhino were sitting on you? PRAY!

God wants to hear from us. Like the bumper sticker says, “Life is fragile; handle with prayer.” When days become more than we can handle, the best option is to talk to God about it.

Day after day, the paycheck you’ve been promised doesn’t appear in the mail. The water heater bursts and you have no hot water to bathe your children. The used car you just bought has decided it would rather sleep in your garage than be driven. The landlord had said you could have a little more time to pay the rent, but he is under pressure from his boss and has been knocking at your door every day now. You fear going to the doctor because he has some tests he wants to talk to you about.

You are not alone, my friend. There are many people in very similar circumstances. PRAY!

God is a loving God, and He wants us to come to Him with our burdens. This world is tough enough with God in our lives. How scary it is to try to go through life without God. We can give Him our worries, our illness, our failures and our anger, and let Him calm the storm—or calm us in the storm. Maybe He won’t take the storm away, but He will give us His grace and peace while we go through it.

I try to focus on what God wants for me instead of on what I want from God. God wants us to depend on Him for our needs, but He is not there to fix everything for us. We can ask for direction and He will give it to us. We can ask to be rich and famous, but that may not happen.

We can—and should—ask God to fill our hearts with His love to sustain us through troubled times. We can—and should—ask Him to calm our spirits so that when the storm hits, we will not let depression overcome us. Depression lets Satan in the front door to try to convince us that God does not care or want to be of help. The prince of darkness wants us to struggle on our own—a sure road to defeat.

I have had my own battles with depression for years, and God has had His hand on my shoulder ever since I turned my depression over to Him. I still have some low days, but now I know God is there for me, and I can make it with His help.

To say that life is fragile is an understatement. I have been battling illnesses for years, and had more surgeries in a three-year time span than most people have in a lifetime. That is why I am very encouraged to see the “forbidden” news that prayer works for patients.

The nurses at my doctors’ offices know me by my first name. (Not really, but it seems like it.) And I think there’s a bed at the hospital with my name on it since I’m there so often.

Before my most serious surgery, a quadruple bypass, my whole family was there praying for me. I was smiling and joking. I had turned it over to God, and I was at peace. After the surgery the doctor said my heart was in amazing shape considering all the arteries that had been clogged. I am alive today because God was there holding my hand and guiding the doctors’ hands.

God doesn’t want us to waste our lives by worrying about anything. Jesus said that worry never added one inch to a person’s height or one day to his life. He is right. Worry only tears at the mind and soul. Life is too short to spend even a minute of it in fear.

Give it all up in prayer. Let God carry you the rest of the way—just like He is doing for me.

 

“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.

With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.”

Psalm 91:14–16

 

Further Adventures

Do you feel down-trodden? Looking at high walls around you? Does it seem like you’re sinking in the quicksand? You certainly are not alone. There are many people on this planet who are in the same sinking boat you are.

But you can get out of that boat, climb over those walls and hold your head high if you let God take over your life. Don’t try to face life alone. It is a tough battle at best. Take five minutes and speak to God about the barriers in your life. In my own life, I felt an instant change come over me. I wasn’t out of the woods yet, but the path I was hiking on had beautiful flowers and lakes to see. And I wasn’t walking alone. God was there, reminding me that He had created all those beautiful things I was enjoying along the way to recovery.

 

Something to Ponder

Isn’t it funny how people are amazed that prayer works?

 

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Confusing Times During the Holidays Needs Prayer

* I want to thank those who have been signing up for the RSS feed. It helps this site move up the Google Search Rankings. If you haven’t already signed up please do so today.

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My book, “Sings of Hope: Ways to survive in an Unfriendly World,” is an ideal Christmas present for those on your list who may be battling anxiety, fear, depression, addictions, self-doubt, hopelessness, and the many other usual suspects.

There is a special Christmas sale going on right now. In the stores the book is $19.99, but is you order from this site, it is only $15.99. The shipping is cut in half as well. You will need to order by December 17th to make sure you get the book in time.

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Today’s excerpt is chapter 16. It talks about our need to ask God for advice before we charge into making new decisions.

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Chapter 16

 

Don’t Cross Your Fingers; Fold Your Hands

 

This is the confidence we have in approaching God:

that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

1 John 5:14

 

Do you often have trouble deciding what to do on an important matter? Do you sometimes charge ahead, and hope for the best? There are better ways to approach these situations.

We do things we haven’t spent any time thinking about, and then have to scramble to figure a way out of the problem after we do it. We think that whatever we do, everything will work out. And how often does that strategy (or non-strategy) work? Not very often, if you’re like most of us.

This approach can not only be harmful to yourself, it can also cause pain to those around you. Wouldn’t it be better if we considered each situation with deep thought and prayer about how it might affect ourselves and those around us? Decisions we make can—and often do—alter our own lives and the lives of others forever.

Now the other hat is on. There may be times when you need to trust your instincts and go for it. You may need to act quickly on some of your decisions, and this is when you pray on the spot, asking the Lord to direct you through the process. It could be a situation where if you waited, the opportunity God is presenting to you would be gone. Oftentimes the opportunity is there for only moments, and we pass it up out of fear. Or we let others talk us out of our dreams. Can you imagine what the world would be like if everyone went after their dreams, and didn’t let someone discourage them?

God did let me know what He wanted me to do—write a book—and I went ahead and did it. I prayed for a long time, and knew this was what He wanted me to do. Knowing His approval was my gift from Him. He helped me through each page of this book.

Ray Bradbury said, “Living at risk is jumping off a cliff, and building your wings on the way down.”

There are many Thomas Edison’s out there who never got past their fears. This could be a time when the Lord is saying, “Trust me, I am close at hand, and I will lead you through this.”

He may choose to build your wings after you jump off the cliff. Don’t let others stop you from trying to reach a dream you have kept inside yourself for years. Step the step of faith and break through the fear barrier.

Do you notice a similarity between deliberating for awhile about a decision and making one on the spot? Both scenarios should involve prayer! With prayer, both situations can come out the way God wants them to. Prayer is a critical step in everything we do in our daily lives. Without it, we are truly jumping off a cliff without any chance of getting wings on the way down. We will have to face what ever happens if we wing it (sorry about the pun) ourselves.

As we seek the purpose God has for us in life, we need to take that first step—sometimes the hardest step—He wants us to take. He will never give us any tasks that He feels we can’t handle.

He is there for you, so take that step of faith and He will walk you through the mire to your dream.

The saying, “I made it on a wing and a prayer,” says it all. You have to have the prayer before you acquire wings.

 

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

Hebrews 11:1

 

Further Adventures

Some people go through life flying by the seat of their pants. They go through the desert like the Tasmanian devil you see in cartoons. They are whirling around and around but not going anywhere. The only way they can move ahead is by prayer. Stop spinning around, and head down a straight path with God leading you.

 

Something to Ponder

Isn’t it funny that whenever a man wants to do something wrong, it is not God who is tempting him?

 

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Satan is a Methodical Schemer

* I want to thank those who have been signing up for the RSS feed. It helps this site move up the Google Search Rankings. If you haven’t already signed up please do so today.

_________________________________________________________ My book, “Sings of Hope: Ways to survive in an Unfriendly World,” is an ideal Christmas present for those on your list who may be battling anxiety,fear, depression, addictions, self-doubt, hopelessness, and the many other usual suspects. There is a special Christmas sale going on right now. In the stores the book is $19.99, but is you order from this site, it is only $15.99. The shipping is cut in half as well. You will need to order by December 17th to make sure you get the book in time.

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Today’s excerpt is chapter 15. It talks about how Satan is a real schemer, and will do what ever he can to sways you away from God. Prayer is one way to stay strong.

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Chapter 15

 

ASAP: Always Say a Prayer

 

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

1 Peter 5:8–9

 

Satan is a very methodical schemer. He will slowly change your thinking through doubts, fear, suspicions and nagging negative thoughts.

We all face rejection. I sure did as a child when I was around 8 or 9 years old. I think the word bully was created at my grade school! I was just a kid who wanted to be accepted by other kids, and there were some times when the school bully would find me on the playground and pick on me. He was relentless. He usually tried to get me in a fight with him and I’d crawl away like a snail trying to get away from salt. This made me feel helpless. It took me several years to overcome my fear of more failure.

What I didn’t know was that this same bully was just a person like me who had the same doubts and fears and was desperately trying to cover up for it.           

The only bully I deal with now is Satan. He has challenged me to many fights, and I have taken him on, matching blow for blow. With God in my corner of the ring, I know I can battle with all the weapons I need.

First Corinthians10:13helps us by saying: “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”

I realize that Paul can be long-winded—like some pastors in our churches—but what he is saying in a few words is that God knows all the devious tricks that Satan can think of, and He will never let you be forced into anything you cannot handle.

I wish as a young child that I would have been told about this promise. I would not have backed down and would have taken on any consequences that may have happened, knowing that God was there for me.

Did you miss the line that says God will provide a way out—a way to escape? That is our ticket, and we never have to back down again. God is there for us. He will see us through and will not let us face more than we can endure.

The best way to fight Satan and all of his negative thoughts is through prayer—and lots of it. We need to praise God in our prayers. Nothing chases Satan away faster than praise to God. We can also seek the Holy Spirit to be there to help us and then depend on Him!

Of course, it’s much easier to quit—to give in or to give up. It takes mountains of faith and prayer to withstand the attacks of Satan. There will always be an avalanche of doubts and fears from Satan—he is a master at it.

It’s then we need to remember one extremely important thing: God is on our side.

Paul said if God is for us who can be against us (see Romans8:31). God wants to help us through the mire, because He loves us.

Another way to look at it is to think of God as a computer geek. When I first heard the word “geek,” I thought someone was calling another person something akin to a moron. But to be called a geek is a compliment in the computer world. It means that person is one smart dude!

God is an excellent computer geek. He can reprogram the computer that is your mind better than Bill Gates can reprogram a computer with his latest software. I have nothing but high praise for Bill Gates and his contributions to the computer world, but only God can reprogram minds—Bill Gates is limited to reprogramming computers.

God has the power to filter out the negative thoughts and replace them with positive spiritual thinking. As we allow God to help us separate out the garbage, we start to see how He can transform even the most depressed mind—one like mine was.

I was on the edge of the abyss. I was letting Satan control my thoughts, and when I saw the above verses, and others like them, I slowly fought back with God’s help. Now I have all the armor I need to withstand Satan’s attacks.

In with the new—out with the old. In with the cleansing fluid—out with the stench. In with the positive—out with the negative. In with God’s love—out with Satan’s hatred.

I think you get the picture. Now do something about it. Put on God’s armor and take on that bully right now. Punch him right in the nose, and send him packing.

 

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

James 1:12 

Further Adventures

I realize that I was very simplistic in my approach to handling life’s troubles. It is not easy to fight off the negative, undermining and persistent attacks of Satan and his merry men. But! Do not give in. NEVER give in! You have millions of angels, along with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit to fight on your side. All you have to do is ask them to help you and they will be there. If they are all on your side, who can be against you? No one! (Read Romans 8:31.)

 

Something to Ponder

Isn’t it funny that we feel we are alone sometimes, even though God is with us all the time?