When your prayers don't seem to get past the ceiling!

Have you ever questioned God's abilities before? His abilities to answer your prayers. Be honest. Maybe during the bad and ugly times? When it seems like nothing is going right. Your prayers seem like they drop to the floor the moment you utter them. You start to wonder if God can REALLY help you this time. I confess. As a Pastor I have had these thoughts before.
You see, that is exactly what Satan wants you to think. He is a Picasso at painting fear, worry, and doubt. Think about it. You are already dealing with challenging circumstances, some that seem out of your control. Consider how his tactics and ploys can easily be a catalyst for feelings of discouragement, depression, and despair:

• You have run out of resources and God is your only help
• If you don't receive an immediate answer you are doomed
• You finally give up and give in

In circumstances such as these, the ineffectiveness of our prayer is not God's fault but our misunderstanding of who he is and his nature.
If we are praying to an ALL-Powerful, All-Knowing, and All-Loving God, then His response will make sense. But if we are praying to a small, God in a box, then his replies seem useless and ineffective.
Romans 12:2 (NLT) delcares "...let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. THEN you will know what God wants to to do..." When it seems like your prayers drop to the floor, only get to the ceiling, or seem lifeless, usually it is our stinkin' thinkin' that is the culprit. We have to REMIND ourselves and be fully convinced of:

1. His Love. In 1 John 4:9,10 God declared his absolute, amazing, awesome and all encompassing love for us when his son Jesus Christ died on the cross. God really does care about you. God loves you just as much as anyone else.
   
2. His Power. Gen 1:1 "God created the heavens and the earth." The same power that was used to create the Heaven's and the earth, the same power that raised Jesus from the grave, God uses to accomplish his will in our lives when we surrender to it. God has more power in his pinky finger nail then all of the forces of Hell combined.
   
3. His Widsom. Prov 3:3,4 "Trust in the lord with all your heart, don't depend on your understanding, seek his will in all you do , and he will direct your paths." God is the divine orchestrator and conductor. He knows all, hears all, and sees all. The bible declares that "His ways are greater the our ways, and His thoughts higher than our thoughts."

So the next time that you feel like your prayers aren't getting past the ceiling, remind your self of the one you are praying to. Go ahead and give prayer another chance.

Surrendered Lives!

Well Here it is. I finally made the leap into the world of "blogging."

Why call it "surrenderedlives?"

Here are the definitions of Surrender: and you'll see why!

1. to yield (something) to the possession or power of another
2. to give up or abandon, to relinquish, as into the power of another
3. the voluntary abandonment of a life

For Krystal and I, there is no greater joy, or calling than to surrender,yield, give up, and abandon our lives for the life that only God can give. To us there is no better place to be then right where God needs us, whether it is in Bangor, Me (where we are now) or in Bangledesh, India!

I pray that you too will CHOOSE the surrendered life!