Recently I attended a prayer retreat with the prayer team at my church. For the first hour we met to discuss a book we had been reading, and then we split up to spend the rest of the time in solitude with God. We were free to go into the chapel, into private rooms, or we could also wander the grounds outside. I headed out into the sunshine, deciding between a trail through the woods, the flower gardens, a prayer labyrinth or the stations of the cross.

My feet led me down a trail into the woods, a cool, peaceful refuge from the heat of the summer day. I settled on a bench and quieted myself, tuning into my surroundings and the Lord. Birds called back and forth to each other and a light breeze ruffled my hair. A ray of sunshine penetrated the trees and landed on me, warming my skin. “Thank you, Lord, for this beautiful place,” I prayed. “Help me to hear you clearly today.”

I closed my eyes and breathed deeply. Then I felt it. The irritating bite of a mosquito. I slapped it away and refocused my thoughts on God. Zing. Another bite. And then another. I snapped my eyes open to see mosquitos swarming around me. Flies soon joined the mosquitoes. Under the bench I saw beetles and a centipede. Uggh! So much for focusing clearly on God. Sheepishly I remembered that before I left that morning, I had slathered on peach lotion. Good grief! The sun was warming my skin, broadcasting the peach scent on the morning breeze to every nearby insect.

I was going to have to move along and find a spot free from pesky insects. I gathered my things when the thought hit me: “Isn’t this what our lives as Christ-followers are to be like?”

The Scent of Jesus

The more we become like Jesus, the more we will emanate the scent and lusciousness of Jesus to everyone, just like a ripe piece of fruit advertises its scent to all who walk by—people and mosquitoes alike. We may sometimes feel that we attract the wrong kind of attention—people antagonistic to our faith may frequently cross our paths. If you’re a person who always seems to be attracting antagonistic or needy people, maybe it’s because you’re doing something right, and they’re being drawn in by the Jesus they sense in you. As God gives you the opportunity, you can then point them to Jesus.

That’s what happened to Jesus. Everywhere He went, people flocked to him. And He loved them all—the tax collectors, the adulterers, the lepers, the little children. All the people groups that society said were outcasts or unimportant, Jesus took the time to love and bring life to.

God impressed upon me that day how important it is for us as Christ-followers to have patience, grace and love with everyone we meet. He allowed me to see that at many different stages in my life, I myself have been a “mosquito” to a believer—and may even be right now!

I think through this little analogy God was telling me we need to expect the mosquitoes in life, and that if we don’t have any, then maybe that’s the real problem, because that means we don’t smell any different from anyone else in the world.

What do you think?

Pray on!

Forest image courtesy of the following:

Image: dan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Do you ever wish you could do something BIG for the world? I mean something with lasting influence? You may feel as if what you do through your day doesn’t amount to much in the big scheme of things. You look at your friends or family or those in the Christian spotlight who seem to have exciting jobs and callings, while yours pales in comparison. Well, I’d like to suggest that perhaps the problem doesn’t lie with you or your calling.

The problem is how you see yourself.

You’re looking at yourself with your “worldly” eyes, rather than through your spiritual eyes as God sees you.

You see, the Bible tells us that God has given us all spiritual gifts that He wants us to use–not just during special times or events–but everyday (see Romans 12:3-8; 1Corinthians 12:8-10, 28; Ephesians 4:11).  In the ordinary, in the boring, in the busy, in the slow, in the crazy times of our lives, He wants us to use these gifts. But how many of us are really doing that?

Recently, I’ve been challenged to rethink how I look at my days and my gifts.

I’m working through a Bible study called Acts: An Invitation to Courageous Living, written by two women at my church, Corinne Gunter and Julie Meiners. In Week 6, I was asked to think about those people that God has placed in my sphere of influence, and the authors included a diagram (like the one below) in the Bible study. They said to put myself in the place of the green dot in the middle of the circle and then add on the circle the names of people in my life that I may have some influence over.

As I did that, I realized that there were a lot of names on the circle, people of various ages and stages of life, some even of different cultures. Some live close to me, some live farther away.

I then sensed God asking me how I might be able to minister to or influence these people He has put in my life, using the gifts He has given me. For example, I realized I could encourage the first-time mother on my list with a home-baked meal (using the gift of hospitality) to help her after she came home from the hospital. Intercession is another gift of mine, so I could certainly pray for a young person I know who is wandering far from the Lord. Exhortation is another gift, so I could schedule to meet with a teen girl I know to be a sounding board as she struggles with some decisions in her life.

Corinne and Julie challenged me to look at my life and open my eyes to the people God has put there. What have I been missing? Who is God calling me to help, and what is He asking me to do?

I’d like to challenge you to do the same thing. Fill out your circle of influence. Ask God to show you who may be right under your nose that could benefit from some of your time and resources. What are you missing, maybe because you’re looking for the “big” thing?

Well, God does has something big for each of us to do, and often times He has us start right where we are. What’s He putting on your heart today?

Pray on!

Do you have days or months or maybe your life (!) where you feel scattered and fragmented, pulled in 100 different directions?

Perhaps the last thing you feel is complete, like you have life under control.

Well, that’s because in reality, we don’t! But I know someone who does, and He has the perfect promise for us.

I love the verse in Colossians 2: 10 that says ” and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.” What does the word complete mean? In the Greek  pleroo, it means “to make full, to abound, to be liberally supplied, to fill to the top, to carry out some undertaking.” Notice it doesn’t say perfect!

What this means to me is that in the midst of my scattered, fragmented life, Jesus has made me complete for what He is calling me to right now.

Right now I possess everything I need to step out and do what He wants me to do. I don’t have any excuses. Gulp. Maybe like me you’ve heard God calling you to start something, but you’re waiting for someone with far more wisdom and gifts to step up. Maybe you’re waiting until … your kids are grown, you get that degree, you’re in shape or your health is better.

The truth is that if God has put a call on your heart, then He’s waiting for you to get started now. Yes, there are times for waiting and resting and learning, but if you feel that continual nudge to do something, then you need to step out and be obedient. He’s made you complete where you are for what He has you to do, and He will provide for your lack with resources and other people as you’re obedient to Him.

I’m there myself today. I’ve felt a nudge to be involved in an outreach ministry that I’ve kept putting off. I know it’s time. What’s on your heart today? Let’s take that step together.

Pray on!

You knock on the door of my heart until Your knuckles bleed;

I’m in the corner trying to drown out the noise.

I know I’m in trouble; it’s You I need.

But the deceiver still holds me, and I am his toy.

I cannot escape this hole I’ve dug; it’s now much too deep.

But You are standing there and let down a rope;

I grab hold and climb, but fall for it’s too steep.

And I am now, only now, beginning to lose hope.

I become content with the person I am;

No longer do I need You in my perfect life.

Across the river that flows into my soul, I build a dam

So that without You near me, I will not feel strife.

You plead and you cry for me to come back,

But still I reject with a turn of my face.

I can still feel Your presence, or the presence I lack,

So my feeling turns to total disgrace.

How can You plead and how can You cry?

I have been nothing but someone you should throw away.

But You came to this earth, You came to die

So that I may enter Your glorious realm, on my last day.

You do not care where I have been, or what I have done.

You only care about what is deep inside.

Never will You give up on me, till victory is won.

And I deceive myself when I think I can hide.

My heart starts to break like waves on a shore.

With one mighty flash You destroy the dam.

You forget about knocking; You break down the door.

Into my heart is where You now stand.

A fork in the road. Which way should I take?

The left hand is narrow, the right wide and strong.

If I do choose the narrow, again I may break.

But You will always be there, to help me along.

Photo by Federico Stevanin Old Door https://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/Garden_and_Exterior_g157-Old_Door_p3078.html

Logan is a high school student in Indiana.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

I can hardly believe that the holiday season is already over.  Most people look forward all year long to the feast that they can devour without judgment at Thanksgiving and the festivities of Christmas, but for my family this year, those traditions were moved to the bottom of our priority list.

About two months ago, my mom started getting really sick, and the doctors couldn’t find any source to her illness. They ran test after test, yet nothing made sense as to why she had a low blood count and was losing weight at an alarming rate. Christmas was right around the corner, and we decided to take a break from all the doctors’ appointments and just enjoy the season with our family. We would worry about possible causes for these symptoms after the tree had come down and the media had stopped showing all their Christmas specials.

This seemed like a great idea, but God had other plans. Plans that would rock our world… but then again, God seems to like switching up our plans, especially around Christmas time. The whole point of this season is that God flipped the script and sent His Son born of a virgin to save us. So when everything stopped going according to plan this Christmas, for me it was a lot easier to deal with, because I knew that God was still in control, just as He was 2,000 years ago.

About a week before December 25, my mom started coughing up blood. It wasn’t a lot the first day. But then it continued day after day, until her whole hand would be covered with the blood. Christmas was just days away, but it was time to act. We rushed her to the hospital to find out that she had lung cancer the size of a baseball in her left lung. The doctors had not thought to look for that specific form of cancer because my mother had never smoked or worked in a vocation that might contribute to lung cancer.

After that, things started going pretty fast. We were rushing my mom to many CT scans and biopsies. It was originally believed that she had stage three cancer, which would have given her about eight months to live. However, my God is bigger than doctors’ diagnoses, and after much prayer my mother returned for another doctors appointment to find out that the cancer was not spreading as fast as they had first thought and that they might be able to get all of the cancer with surgery. That surgery is still going to be very rough and we are all anticipating January 18, when my mom will have her entire left lung removed, but we are trusting God and know that He will protect my mom and continue to give us all peace throughout this difficult and scary experience.

On behalf of my mom, I am asking that any one reading this would please pray for her on January 18 as she goes into surgery. It would be so powerful and amazing to know that thousands of people are out there praying for her to have strength and to feel God’s presence throughout this time. My mom’s own personal prayer is that God be glorified in all of this. Thank you.

Pray on!

Brittany

Brittany Jean is a nineteen-year-old college student living in the Midwest with her parents and younger brother. She is currently majoring in pre-law and is planning on using that degree for ministry.

Today we are so fortunate to have a guest blogger at Only By Prayer. Brittany Jean is a nineteen-year-old college student living in the Midwest with her parents and younger brother. She is currently majoring in pre-law and is planning on using that degree for ministry.

God is always there. That’s an easy concept to believe when we have everything figured out and life seems to be going perfectly. But then, a big trial always seems to come from nowhere and shake our foundation. For me, it was a huge bout of depression brought on by a lack of finances, the loss of my car, the breakup with my boyfriend, major health challenges, and an overwhelming load of college class work.

I lost hope and stopped believing God was there because I couldn’t feel Him. But it was just the opposite; God was closer to me than ever through this. He was taking away everything else I was clinging to so that I would only be able to cling to Him.

Once I had been emptied of everything the world would say defines me, God began to draw me to Him, taking care of all of my needs and worries. I can see God more clearly now than when I had everything. I have learned that only when I have been emptied of the world’s pleasures and successes, then can I be filled with the love and nearness of Christ.

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted, and saves those who are crushed in Spirit.” Psalm 34:18

Come back tomorrow for more from Brittany. We will post a devotional and study questions from her. Until then, pray on!

Update:  Click for Brittany’s study called When We Are Broken We Can See God’s Hand.

If you’re a high school or college student interested in guest blogging, drop me a line and tell my about yourself and what you’d like to write about: janevanosdol@me.com.