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Giving Thanks

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One recent evening, I stopped by a friend’s house and found her sitting in her favorite armchair, Christmas crochet-work at her side, and I asked what was on her mind that day. “Well,” she said, “until a few minutes before you arrived I had been thinking about a very worrisome trouble, but I was jolted out of my reverie and sat up, looked around, and felt such overwhelming gratitude for the number of small things in my life that help me, and are going right. I suddenly felt extraordinary gratitude for a lot of very little things.”

Her statement jolted me, too, and my own mind switched gears. Though I also had some significant things that were concerning me, I immediately began thinking of any number of things in my own life that, though small, would sure not have seemed so “small” had they not been working, or if I didn’t have them at all.

There must be thousands of little things in all our lives that we so casually take for granted.  In fact, we take for granted many things that are precious.

I realize that a discussion of being grateful for the smaller things risks being misunderstood by anyone going through a highly difficult season of life. I can attest that I have felt great frustration with individuals who, upon hearing of a difficulty I was going through, started regaling me with platitudes about looking on the bright side, and so forth. They seemed oblivious and out of touch.

But that’s not what I’m talking about here.  I’m talking about the truth that in the midst of trial, we can still embrace gratitude for something small. Scientific research is showing a connection between basic gratitude and mental and emotional health. Embracing the truth of positive and real gratitude does not negate the truth of difficult circumstance. Those two truths do not negate one another.

All of us at FaithPrayers wish you a warm and loving Thanksgiving, filled with many good things—large and small!

Be blessed!
Mary Ann Simkins
Founder, FaithPrayers National Prayer Line

The Power of Our Words

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A Guest Post by Dr. Joey Krol

A young man in his 20s was interviewing for a job. The company owner was in his 60s, and he asked the young man, “So where are you from?”

“I’m from Saginaw, Michigan,” said the young man. The owner asked, “What are they known for?” The young man replied, “Great hockey teams and ugly women.”

The owner said, “Well, son, my wife is from Saginaw, Michigan.”

“Oh,” he said, “what team does she play for?”

Our words can get us into trouble. There have been times I’ve said the wrong thing at the wrong time. I’ve had my share of putting my foot into my mouth!

In the book of James, we see how important the tongue is. It says in James 3:5, “How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness.” We see here that the tongue is like a fire in dry grass.

Most of us know the story of Mrs. O’Leary, who was milking her cow in a barn in Chicago. The cow kicked over Mrs. O’Leary’s lantern, and that lantern caught the hay in the barn on fire. By the time that fire was finally under control, it had destroyed more than 17,000 buildings in the city of Chicago. One cow kicked over one lantern—and 17,000 buildings were destroyed!

In a matter of moments, a small fire can become a big fire. And, a few words wrongly used can bring such devastation, and such destruction. They can change the course of a friendship, a marriage, or a relationship in an instant.

The late evangelist and teacher, Oswald Chambers, once said, “The greatest test of a man’s character is his tongue.”

Dr. Joey Krol is a pastor, radio host, and author of the book At the King’s Feet, available on Amazon.

A Resurrection Sunday Greeting From FaithPrayers

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Dear Friend,

There is one human, only one person, whom death could not hold. Its grip fell off, its chains lay on the ground.

On the day Jesus, Yeshua, walked out of the grave, our lives and our world changed forever.

When two of the eyewitnesses to this magnificent event, Peter and John, were confronted by the religious and political leaders who wanted to continue their control over the general public, they simply said:

“For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”  (Acts 4:20 KJV)

Later, after seeing the Messiah in risen form, shining in light, on a roadway into the Syrian city of Damascus, the apostle Paul wrote to followers of Messiah living in Rome:

“And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.” (Romans 8:11 NIV).

Have a wonderful Resurrection Sunday!

Mary Ann Simkins

Founder and Director of Operations
FaithPrayers National Prayer Line

Strongholds: A Guest Post by Anastasia Barracks Montador

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Image of castle stronghold against cloudy sky

From Anastasia Barracks Montador…

Do you ever feel the Holy Spirit has touched you to speak to people to share life-changing wisdom that could impact and/or help save another?

I feel honored and blessed to share what I have received. I believe it will bring greater clarity to one’s mind, body and soul.

Most people in life don’t realize what they are bound by—they think it is the everyday world that holds them. Not that it doesn’t contribute, but in working with others I find strongholds of the mind to be one of the most powerful things that keeps people down (2 Cor 10:4).

It puts a lock on everything till fear is the ultimate driver, and reliving the past hurts and mistakes are often an everyday occurrence.

The simplest things become overwhelming burdens. The mental replay that strongholds create in one’s mind is quite powerful and puts one on a never-ending rollercoaster.

It is almost like one is being held under water and never let up for a breath. I find declaring your identity in Christ through declaratory statements, praying according to the Spirit, and reading healing books related to standing on the Word are just a few of the things that can start to unlock the holds.

A breath of light is allowed to seep in to break the stronghold chains, and finally asking for God’s love to cover your wounds with his precious blood is the ultimate balm.

In Troubled Times…

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Overcome evil with good

Troubled times have been in this world for centuries. So have times when goodness prevailed. When troubled times come to our little piece of the earth, it often seems to us that the whole world is in trouble.

Conversely, when things are going wonderfully for us, it seems the whole world is bright, and it’s easy to forget that other people, in other places, may be in serious distress, even starving and dying.

But, one thing’s for sure, when those troubled times do come our way we are often drawn to lash out in destructive activities. Especially when we see evil being done, it’s often our inclination to return in kind. To engage in the very evils we hate.

Sometimes, individuals who intend to stand for something positive or right can lash out with derision and name-calling, bullying, and even threatening behaviors, all in the name of what they believe to be “good.” Yet that will fail. All that is accomplished is increasing the energy flow of evil, because one of the oldest premises in the world is that you do not defeat evil with evil.

The Bible (Romans 12:21) says “overcome evil with good.” Many other belief systems say the very same thing, though the phrasing may be different. The good and the positive is a powerful force. It can, and over and over it has, defeated evil. Unfortunately, sometimes people have stood by and waited far too long to wield the good, and evil has persisted, or they have been passive about the lightening power of the good. Yet when that power of good has finally arisen and been unleashed, it has many times in history quelled the forces of evil.

I wish that in our day, instead of brandishing cruel words and hurtful personal actions at other people, we would join together to “overcome evil with good.”

It’s old knowledge. It works.

The Peace of God

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The Peace of God - GraphicThe words translated peace in both the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament come solidly from the root word meaning completeness. There is no serious disagreement among scholars as to that. It also carries with it the meaning: to be sound.

It includes, in its various forms of noun, verb and adjective: wholeness of body and life, right relationship with God and other people, safety, success and fulfillment, and the victory of having absence of strife with enemies.

There is a huge chasm between the peace (the shalom), of Scripture, and complacency or passivity. Nowhere in Scripture is peace equated with those words.

A rabbi once wrote that Shalom (peace) means: “no good thing is withheld.”

The word is often used as a greeting and farewell. I find myself wondering what would happen to me, personally—how it would shape my character—if every time I said to someone, “I wish you peace,” or “be at peace,” what I really meant was “no good thing is withheld from you.”

It makes me think.

Blessings,
Mary Ann Simkins

Founder and Director of Operations
FaithPrayers National Prayer Line

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