Prayers That Avail Much

PRAYERS

'Prayers That Avail Much' is created to help you pray the Word of God according to His will and purpose. God has given to us a book full of His wisdom and knowledge, and in all our getting, understanding of His ways. I don't know about you, but I need all the guidance and help I can get from Him, and these prayers have been a huge help for me. I have written them from scripture. Meditate on them, and think how God thinks. Pray them aloud, and speak how God speaks. The Word of God is a creative force that He intended us to use unceasingly. His Word does not return to Him void, but for it to return, we must send it out!

This is the first prayer I wrote, asking God to give me a love for His Word. As always, pray in faith, believing that you have what you ask for.

Heavenly Father, Thank You for Your Word. You have sent Your Word into my heart. The Holy Spirit leads and guides me into all the truth. Lord, I desire a love for Your Word. I commit myself to read it everyday, knowing You will plant it, water it, and it will produce. In Jesus name, amen.

Sound too simple? Simple is good. Telling God what is in your heart. That is prayer. Adding the Word to prayer, that is powerful prayer. God bless you, friend. Use this prayer, look up the scripture references below, meditate on them. Do your part. God will surely do His.

Scripture references:

Galatians 4:6

1 John 5:6

1 Peter 1:23

When God was dealing with my mouth (it was actually the root of all my problems), I prayed about that too. I searched for scriptures that talked about the mouth, while I prayed this every morning:

Dear Father, today I commit my mouth to speak excellent and princely things. My mouth shall utter truth. I thank you that You set a guard on my mouth, You keep watch at the door of my lips. Remind me Holy Spirit, when I am about to say something not in line with Your Word. I want to learn to control my tongue. Thank-You for helping me. In Jesus name, amen.

Scripture references:

Proverbs 8:6,7

Psalm 141:3

I used these confessions when overcoming my crude mouth problem. I put them on file cards, and said them out loud to myself at the kitchen sink, or when I was doing any household task that didn't require me to think about it. Do you know how many things we do each day that allow our minds to wander? Me, neither...but my wandering mind got me into trouble. I decided it wasn't going to do that to me any more. It was one of the best choices I have ever made.

I let the words of my mouth, and meditations of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my Strength and my Redeemer. (Ps. 19:14)

My mouth is a well of life. I guard my mouth, and I keep my soul from troubles. My words are gracious, and I am wise. (Prov. 10:11, 21:23, Eccl. 10:12

Psalm 63:3-5--

Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,

My lips shall praise You,

Thus I will bless You while I live,

I will lift up my hands in Your Name.

My soul shall be satisfied as with

marrow and fatness,

And my mouth shall praise You with

joyful lips.

I am wise and my lips disperse knowledge, for the heart of the wise teaches his mouth, and adds learning to his lips. (Prov. 15:7, 16:23)

I keep my tongue from evil, and my lips from speaking deceit. (Ps. 34:13)

My tongue speaks of Your Word, for all Your commandments are righteous. (Ps. 119:172)

Do you see a theme here? I began to see one. My mouth was not meant for demeaning others, or lying, gossiping, or anything that did not match up with God's Word. It was meant for exalting Him, and spreading the Word of God. I was supposed to be wise in what I said, and speak nice things to others. Difficult, you say? Oh, yes, I won't lie. I had more bite marks on my tongue than ......oh, well, you know. But I did it with the help of the Holy Spirit and His Word. You can too. It is available to anyone who will DO it. Start today. It is never too late.

I have a quest for you- a bible scavenger hunt.........Take a highlighter, and wander through Proverbs. Mark any scripture that has to do with the mouth, lips, or tongue. You will have a pretty good picture of how important your words are to God, and to your well-being. God only tells us what will benefit us! God's love and hope to you, Kim.

Do you have problems with fear? I did. I had all kinds of fears. Big ones, little ones, pesky ones, Eat-you-for-lunch ones. It doesn't matter what they were- Fear is not faith in any circumstance, and my fear was a lack of trust in God. When you have been hurt, it is hard to trust. It was one of the most difficult prayers for me to say, and the toughest confessions to learn. It was also one of the most exhilarating things I ever did, to finally let go of my (non-existent) grip on my life, and turn it over to God. He has masterfully steered me through the past 11 years, despite my attempts to derail the train. He's never failed to bring me out of what ever I got into. Here's how it started for me:

Thank You Lord, I trust in You with all my heart, and I lean not to my own understanding. I'm glad you hold my hand and help me. I listen to you, and dwell safely, quiet from all evil. You are my helper, what can man do to me? I dwell in the secret place of the Most High, and I remain stable and fixed in the shadow of the Almighty. Praise You Father, You are my shield, I put my trust in you and I am safe. In Jesus name, Amen

Scripture references:

Isaiah 41:13

Proverbs 1:33

Hebrews 13:6

Proverbs 29:25

As I went onward with God, I discovered I needed a night time prayer to keep myself from having nightmares. It seemed that satan decided if he couldn't reach me during the day because of all the Word, he would do it at night when my mind was unprotected. This prayer is short and simple, but powerful because it includes pleading the Blood of Jesus. The Blood is the symbol of the covenant God has with us, and is the best insurance there is.

Father, I plead the Blood of Jesus over my mind, my spirit, and my body as I sleep. I thank You that nothing enters in that is not of You. In Jesus Name, Amen

And there you have it. Live and sleep in safety and peace, knowing God covers you and holds you close. Again, do your part. He offers you safety and peace, you- offer your trust. There is nothing of any value to lose when surrendering to God. He is longing to be your true home. Rest in Him, Kim

Do you ever wonder why things don't go right for you? Are you stuck in 'I wish' land? I was for a long time, until I decided to find how to have success in the Word. There is a specific place in the bible that refers to having great success- Joshua 1:1-9. It is here God tells Joshua that He will be the same with him (Joshua) as He was with Moses. The more I thought about this, the more amazing it was to me. I knew from reading that God does not esteem one person any more than another (Acts 10:34). So, I believed if God told Joshua he could have the same as Moses, so could I. Here is my prayer for success over circumstances that threatened to defeat me:

Thank You, Heavenly Father, as you were with Moses, so are You with me, You do not fail or forsake me. I am strong, confident and of good courage. Your Word and law do not depart out of my mouth, I meditate on it day and night, that I may observe and do what is in it. For then I shall make my way prosperous, I will deal wisely and have good success. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Scripture reference:

Joshua 1:1-8

This was a very powerful prayer for me. It will work for you too, friend, in any situation. You see the key? I had to keep the Word in my mouth, and DO what it said, it's linked tightly to success. God has a way for you to accomplish anything. I also learned from this: God WANTS us to succeed. Our success is a witness for His grace and love. Just make sure, when someone comments on your successes, you say: "I owe it to God." That's giving Him the Glory. Praying for your success, Kim.

I want to chat with you about your health. Are you ill? Does it seem it doesn't take much for you to catch the latest bug? Or maybe it is a chronic illness. Wellness is a specialty of The Lord's. He WANTS you well. Do you believe that? Then believe also that He has already performed it. Because it's all in your faith, my friend. Jesus healed them ALL. No exceptions. Did you read what He said about it? Numerous times He told the person(s); "Your faith has made you whole." (Mt. 9:22,Mk. 5:34, 10:52 ,Lk 8:48, 17:19--to name several) It's part of the reason He took those lashes. (Isaiah 53:5). It was all part of God's plan. It still is. It's a done deal-- by His stripes, we ARE healed. He's already performed it. It's our FAITH that brings it to pass.

I was sick, tired, and depressed when I met Jesus........ I quickly saw in the Word that I didn't have to stay that way. God wanted me well, and Jesus died so I could be. He wants the same for you. Where ever you are in your faith walk, God wants to improve your health. Here is my prayer for health:

Heavenly Father, I thank you that the prayer of faith will save the sick. I let go of all anger, bitterness, and unforgiveness so my prayer is not hindered. Thank you for forgiveness.

I want to be well, Lord. My body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and so I commit to do my 'natural' part of 'supernatural' healing. I take medication if necessary, I eat healthier, rest and get exercise.

Father, I give attention to your Words and incline my ear to your sayings. I keep them in the midst of my heart, for they are life and health to my whole body.

Thank You Father for sending Your Word (Jesus) to heal me. Thank You, Jesus, You bore my griefs (pains), and carried my sorrows (sickness). By your stripes, I am healed.

Halleluiah! I will prosper and be in health, even as my soul prospers. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Scripture references:

James 5:15

1st Corinthians 6:19,20

Psalm 107:20

Isaiah 53:4,5

Proverbs 4:21,22

3 John 2

Does it seem as though you are lying if you say you ARE healed? You aren't, because what God says about you is the TRUTH as He sees it. Since He has established His Word of Truth, it has become spiritual LAW. It overrides the natural law of sin and death. 'The Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus, makes me free from the law of sin and death.' (Romans 8:2) It is established forever in heaven, but we must establish it here on earth. How? By doing what you just did, (hopefully), SAYING it out loud. Keep saying it out loud. By doing so, you are building your faith and changing your circumstances, allowing God to work. SEE yourself healed. DO what you know to do...it isn't God's job to do it all. He won't force feed you an apple instead of a candy bar. He won't dim the lights and shut off the TV at 11 pm. And one more thing---don't sabotage yourself with your own words! Stop talking about the problem! Say, " Because I have God's help, I'm getting better." Or, " Bless Jesus, I get better everyday!" Something that builds you up. Remember, you aren't lying, you are saying what God says about you. God's Word is truth. Truth and Hope eternal to you, Kim

Do you ever question your faith? If so, you are like all of us. Who hasn't heard that little voice in the back of their head say- 'you know that stuff doesn't really work.' Who hasn't prayed, then said to themselves, 'I hope that happens!' Or had a word from God through scripture, dreams, or circumstances, and asked themselves, 'Was it truly God?' All of us, at one time or another, question our faith.

I learned through studying the Word of God, and praying, that any thought that was good, and pure, was from Him, not me. Anything that benefited someone else by my doing it; anything that wasn't selfish- and definitely those things that were in agreement with the bible, that was Him. The leading of the Holy Spirit is always good- for you, and for others. He will lead you TO the things-and people that are of Him, and AWAY from those that are not. Here is how I asked God to tune me into Him:

Thank You, Father, I hear Your voice- I hear the voice of the Good Shepherd, and the voice of a stranger I will not follow. I listen for You on everything that comes across my path. The Holy Spirit leads and guides me into all the Truth. He gives me understanding, discernment, and comprehension so that I am saved from the snares of the wicked one. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Scripture references:

John 10:4,5

John 16:13

Psalm 91:3

As for my sniggles of doubt, I pressed on with confession in this way-

I am a believer, and not a doubter. I hold fast to my confession of faith. I decide to walk by faith, and practice faith. My faith comes by hearing, and hearing the Word of God. Jesus is the Author and Developer of my faith.

Scripture references:

Romans 10:17

Hebrews 4:14, 11:6, 12:2

Don't forget, my friend, the more you hear YOURSELF speak these things out loud, the more it feeds your spirit. It's like exercising your faith. Do it often. I memorized the one above so I could say it to myself whenever a little whisper of doubt came along. Doubt doesn't knock at my door very often, but when it does I do not entertain it- it's a prayer killer. I KNOW my Father hears- and responds. Grace and Mercy be yours, Kim.

Hi friend, welcome back. I am glad to see you again. Sit down and get comfy, we have something important to discuss. Do you struggle with forgiving people in your life? I did for a long time. Let me tell you about it, because it's necessary to ask for forgiveness for sins we've committed since the previous prayer time. Here's what I learned from God's Word about practicing forgiveness:

Jesus said....'And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.' {Mark 11:25}

I hear many comments on forgiveness. The most popular goes something like this: "Well, I have forgiven him/her, but I'll never forget!" Another version says: "I've forgiven them, but I'll never trust them again!"

Of course we hold memories of things that have been done to us, we don't forget in our minds. But we are not necessarily talking about our minds here. We are talking about how it 'felt' to be hurt, the damage that it did.

For years I thought I was forgiving people, but I had this little pocket in my heart that I put them in, saying to myself, "OK, I forgave you, but let's see if you DESERVE my forgiveness....let's see if you do anything else against me!" Needless to say, no one EVER got out of the pocket.

How silly was that? That's NOT forgiveness. Forgiveness is not based on what someone did to me, it's based on what Jesus did FOR me. Does God say..."OK, I forgave you because of what Jesus did, but I am not forgetting it!" No. He says...

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him;

as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. {Psalm 103:11,12}

I can't tell you how I sorrowed when I realized...I am His child, I am to forgive ...the same way He does. And part of that forgiveness...is forgetting how the pain and hurt 'felt'. True forgiveness involves release -letting go- of the feelings caused by what happened. Releasing the pain, anger, hurt......

Which meant I had to stop 're-living' it. I had to quit holding it up to each person in the pocket and saying- "See? See what you caused? " I had to stop WALLOWING in it each time I thought about it. How wrong I had been. I had not understood forgiveness at all.

Jesus said it like this: And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. {Matthew 6:12} Your bible may say 'trespasses', but debts or trespasses, it all means : sins. So, forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who have sinned against us.

'As we forgive'..... Big word, that "as". It's a conditional word meaning--'to the extent that'-- to the extent that I forgive others, I'm asking God to forgive me. OH MY.

I had not been forgiving others at all, I had only been mouthing the words. But in my heart, I had been holding onto hurts and mis-trusts against others.....is this how I wanted God to be with me? I realized forgiveness was a lot more than just saying "I forgive you."

Without forgiveness, a wrong becomes a grudge. Without forgiveness, a grudge becomes a stronghold. A stronghold is a fortified place, a fort-- built up against someone. A hard place in your heart that will keep you from spiritually hearing and seeing.

If I wanted God to forgive me for sins I commit, I had to learn to forgive others. Whether they knew I forgave them or not, wasn't the point. I needed to forgive them to keep my connection with the Holy Spirit uncontaminated. To keep my relationship with Jesus clear, to set myself free.

Unforgiveness is a burden that will weigh us down and keep us from acheiving what God has planned for us. It keeps us emotionally bound to anger and fear. It is very difficult, if not impossible, to be effective in prayer under the yoke of unforgiveness.

I'd like to share with you the steps I took to get rid of my grudges....to clean out my unforgiving heart. This is not the only way to be released from unforgiveness, but it worked for me.

1. I asked God to bring to my mind each person that had grieved me and whom I had not forgiven.

2. I asked God to forgive ME for the sin of not forgiving each one.

3. Then, I forgave each person, asking God to give me the strength and ability I needed.

4. I asked God for love towards each person, brotherly love.

5. I asked God how I should show my love for each person, and waited in silence for His answer.

6. I did each thing God told me to do.

I did each person separately---no group rates.It was definitely difficult in some cases, and the things God asked me to do in each case varied. They ranged from praying earnestly for that person each time I thought of them, to writing a letter, or making a visit. The point is, it was His choice, not mine. I did what He said...and it was all fine.

I still do these steps today, when I feel a nudge from the Holy Spirit....I like my life free of grudges. When I stand praying, I want God to forgive me ALL---'as' I do others. It is about offering Him my will, sacrificing my wants and desires, keeping myself free from weights.

I do my best not to complain about others, or point out their failings. I do not take account or keep score any more of things done against me. I slip up at times. But God is always willing to forgive me....as I forgive others.

Forgiveness is an extremely important part of preparing your heart for effective prayer. It means you are willing to do away with 'how you feel', and give reverence to what God asks of you. It means you can get sin out of the way, and talk to God without anything in the way...from your heart to His.

I hope this has helped you, my friend. I pray you will open your heart to receiving forgiveness, and practice it in prayer. Let God guide you, and do as He asks you to. Come back soon, ok? God's grace and mercy to you, Kim.

It's difficult, when we face extreme trials, to keep our faith from taking a hit. We are tempted to doubt God, and want to know why we are dealing with suffering. We sometimes worry, and fear, and have anger over what is happening to us. Didn't Jesus deliver us by going to the cross? Doesn't God care about our situation? Will He do anything about it?

Yes, Yes, Yes. God never stops loving us, never deserts us, always has a plan for our good. But we have to do our part. We have to remain faithful to Him by doing what we know to do....trust Him. Easy? No. Worth the effort? Always.

The first thing we do is determine--choose-- to put down worry and doubt. Both will kill your faith if you allow it. How is it possible? ONLY through Christ. He has overcome anything we might face, including fear. Worry is fear. Doubt is fear. Fear that God won't do what He said He would, or won't do it for us. Fear that we won't see an end to our suffering, that it will get worse.

So, we need a plan of attack. This fear is from the enemy, not God. Do you believe there is an enemy? You'd better. He roams the earth like a roaring lion, seeking folks to devour. His plan is to tear down your faith and destroy your life.

Don't let him. Don't fall for his lies about God. God is faithful and true. God believes in you. Here's the plan for victory:

Father, I love You and worship Your Holy Name. Jesus, You have overcome the world, and I have joy in that. You are worthy to be praised. You are mighty, to the pulling down of strongholds, those things in my life that seek to destroy me. I'm thankful that You have not given me a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind. In this spirit, I decide to focus on Jesus and His delivering power instead of my situation. I choose to stand firm in my belief in Him, and I bind up the evil one from operating against me. I loose ministering angels to come to my aid. I put on the full armor of God, so that I have the strength to stand. I keep myself in the Word of God day and night, delighting myself in You. I am excited to see how You will move in my life, Father! I worship You in truth and in spirit, because I know that's what You are looking for. Thank You for loving me. In Jesus' Name, amen.

Your plan of attack is prayer. It's worship and praise, no matter how you feel. It's joy in the fact that Jesus sacrificed His life for yours. It's reading the Bible faithfully, and putting into action the instructions you find there. And it's love. Love for God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Love towards the people in your life. The plan is victory!

Scriptures:

John 16:33
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

2 Corinthians 10:4
The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.

2 Timothy 1:7
For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

Matthew 16:19
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Ephesians 6:13
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

Psalm 22:8
“He trusts in the LORD,” they say, “let the LORD rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.”

John 4:23
Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.

Trouble in marriage is always an emotional subject and affects far too many of us. This next series of prayers addresses first of all, peace for a troubled marriage, secondly, divorce, third, prayer for when children are involved. You won't find a discussion of the rights and wrongs, but more a focusing on the care and concern of God as we go through difficult times.

God always cares about what is happening to us, and most important is prayer to stay close to Him. Jesus is our comforter and deliverer, only through Him do we become healed from damaged emotions, able to move forward and face the future with peace. As Jesus did, we pray the answer, not the problem...God already knows the problem. He wants to hear our faith in Him.

We say what we want to happen,( not what is happening), so that we can show our faith and trust that God will do what His Word says He will do.

God won't control other people's actions or emotions for us, but our prayers do make a difference in maintaining our peace while all around us might be trouble and strife.

Peace for a troubled marriage:

Father, I come before You knowing You are a great and mighty God. You are a very present help in times of trouble. I am fully convinced You are more than able to do all things.

My spouse and I let go of all bitterness, anger and arguing. We become helpful, kind and compassionate towards each other, forgiving each other quickly in every situation, as You in Christ have forgiven us.

We follow Your example, walking in love, constantly renewed in the spirit of our minds. We keep ourselves in light, in love, and the wicked one does not touch us. We submit ourselves to Your will, and we resist his temptations.

We thank You, that in Jesus Name, our union is renewed and strengthened as we commit to love one another as Christ loves each of us, unselfishly. We have the peace that passes understanding in our marriage and in our lives. Amen.

{{ If the two of you can pray this together, it is wonderfully effective. If it's just you, God still hears and works in your situation. It's also important to keep your speech from becoming angry or unloving---those things can hurt your prayers. Keep yourselves close to God and His bible teachings, keep them in your heart and mind.}}

Prayer for healing during or following divorce:

Father, I love and trust You with all my heart, soul and strength. You are my God, and I am Your child. Thank You for never leaving me, I know You are always with me, no matter what. In Your Word You say that Jesus came to heal the broken-hearted, and to bind up their wounds. I'm thankful He is doing that for me, as only He can.
When I feel that no on else understands, I rely on Your Holy Spirit to comfort, counsel, strengthen, and help me. He intercedes for me in prayer when I don't know what to say. I look to Him as my guide through this difficult time in my life.
Thank You Father for Your Word that never comes back to You empty...it goes where You say it will and does what You promise. As I read it, it's power gets into my spirit and replaces all the hurt and pain with peace.

Nothing and no one can separate me from Your love. My hope is in You alone, because in You I have life through Your Son, and life more abundant. I remain connected to the True Vine of Jesus Christ. I put Him first in my life. Your will be done in everything, Father. In Jesus' Name, amen.

{{ Again, it's important that the words we speak line up with what we say in prayer. Don't defeat your prayers by repeating over and over to people how bad things are. Tell them God is working in your life and you believe things will improve. Godhas a perfect plan, the more we confess His plan, the more it happens. Speak your faith in Him.}}

Prayer for the children:

Father, I hold up my children before you and ask Your blessing over them. Thank You each child is precious to You.
I confess Your Word over my children and surround them with my faith in You and Your saving grace. Great is the peace of my children because you deal with everything that affects them.
I commit the care of my children to You, Father, because I know you are trustworthy to keep all I have committed to You, You give them safety and ease their hearts.
I confess my children love You and follow Your ways, as I (we) teach them Your Word. You give Your angels charge over them to keep them safe in all their ways. No evil comes on them, no chaos comes near them, and in their pathway is life, health and happiness.

As parents, we are kind and caring to our children, keeping them lifted up in prayer, showing them the love of Jesus in everything. They are loved and secure in that love. In Jesus name, amen.

{{Please know God is on your side, and knows you hurt for your children in these situations. Look to Him for the strength to comfort and reassure them. You are their way to Him and His love. By praying for them, and with them, you share Jesus with them. Make your words about your children match your prayers.}}

God bless you and hold onto Him. Kimberly

Scriptures:

Psalm 46:1
God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.

Romans 4:21
and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.

Ephesians 4:31-32
Let all bitterness and indignation and wrath (passion, rage, bad temper) and resentment (anger, animosity) and quarreling (brawling, clamor, contention) and slander (evil-speaking, abusive or blasphemous language) be banished from you, with all malice (spite, ill will, or baseness of any kind And become useful and helpful and kind to one another, tenderhearted (compassionate, understanding, loving-hearted), forgiving one another [readily and freely], as God in Christ forgave you.

Ephesians 5:2
And walk in love, [esteeming and delighting in one another] as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a slain offering and sacrifice to God [for you, so that it became] a sweet fragrance.

Ephesians 4:23
and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,

1 John 5:18 We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.

Philippians 4:7
and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Deuteronomy 11:13
And if you will diligently heed My commandments which I command you this day--to love the Lord your God and to serve Him with all your [mind and] heart and with your entire being--

Isaiah 61:1
THE SPIRIT of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed and qualified me to preach the Gospel of good tidings to the meek, the poor, and afflicted; He has sent me to bind up and heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the [physical and spiritual] captives and the opening of the prison and of the eyes to those who are bound,

John 14:16
And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby), that He may remain with you forever--

Romans 8:27
And He Who searches the hearts of men knows what is in the mind of the [Holy] Spirit [what His intent is], because the Spirit intercedes and pleads [before God] in behalf of the saints according to and in harmony with God's will.

Isaiah 55:11
So shall My word be that goes forth out of My mouth: it shall not return to Me void [without producing any effect, useless], but it shall accomplish that which I please and purpose, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

Romans 8:38-39
For I am persuaded beyond doubt (am sure) that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things [a]impending and threatening nor things to come, nor powers, Nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

John 15:5
I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing.

Isaiah 54:13
All your children shall be taught by the LORD, And great shall be the peace of your children.

1 Peter 5:7
Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.

Psalm 91:10-11
No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways.

Have you been hurt by another person? There aren't very many people who haven't been.

No matter how badly you were hurt or abused, Jesus knows what you are feeling. He suffered extreme abuse; physical, mental and emotional; from His accusers before He was crucified. The mere fact that there were others on a cross the same time He was shows some of us will surely suffer that deep pain as well.

But there's an answer...and deliverance from it all. As Jesus hung on the cross, two others hung there with Him. They were both criminals. Here's what happened:

Luke 23:³⁹ One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at Him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”

⁴⁰ But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? ⁴¹ We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

⁴² Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.^[a]”

⁴³ Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Now, why did Jesus tell the second criminal he would be with Him in paradise? If you read closely, you will see the guy: 1- confessed faith in God; 2- admitted his guilt; and 3-stated his belief that Jesus was who He said He was! It was that easy to receive forgiveness and release from sin, and a promise of eternal life.

But wait, you're the one who's been hurt and wronged...why am I talking about guilt and sin to you?
Because most all of us who have been hurt are sad, bitter, revenge-minded, angry, upset, ...how many of those do you feel?

Hanging on to any of those means we haven't turned to God and told Him we trust Him to take care of it all. Telling our story of how another hurt us over and over means we believe more in the hurt and pain than we do in the One who came to deliver us from those things.

The guy on the cross wasn't moaning about his pain or those who put him there.

He didn't keep trying to justify his actions. He spoke of God, and asked Jesus for His promise.....same as saying he believed Jesus could deliver on it.

Which do you believe in more? The ones who hurt you, or Jesus who came to take the pain away? Is it better to tell your story of hurt, or to tell about Jesus, who can solve it all? Which one offers you more relief...reliving the pain, or Jesus?

Hopefully you trust that God, through the saving power of Jesus' sacrifice for you, can do away with all your anguish. Jesus died so it would be possible for you to live an abundant life. That means free from pain and hurt of past events. Here's how:

Father,

I come to you with trust and faith that You can do all things. I know I won't forget what happened, but I can forget the pain of it through Jesus Christ, my Savior. I confess my guilt in making my hurt more important than You are. I commit to speaking right words, words about the delivering power of Jesus I forgive all who have hurt me and place their deeds in Your hands....do what you will with these people. From now on, when I have a thought about them or the pain they caused, I will give it to You, and think instead of those things that are true, pure. and worthy. I lay down anger, fear, hatred, and vengence. I stand on Your promise that You will make all things new again. I love You more than I love my past....You are my future, and the future is Light-filled, because there is no darkness in You. In Jesus Name, amen.

This might take some time to develop....be patient. God is ready, but depending how deep you have sown the seeds of your hurt, you might require time to dig them out with prayer and worship. Read the scriptures, pray everytime you feel the pain coming. God is faithful, you can be faithful to Him too. The future with God holds much more premise than the future in pain and sorrow.

Scriptures:

Mark 10:27
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

Philippians 3:13
Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,

Proverbs 8:6
Listen, for I have trustworthy things to say; I open my lips to speak what is right.

Galatians 3:22
But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.

Psalm 31:15
My times are in your hands; deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me.

Philippians 4:8
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

1 John 1:5
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.

Joy and peace be yours in the delivering name of Jesus. My prayers are with all those who hurt and desire relief.

Kimberly

I will be adding more prayers and personal confessions continuously, so visit often, friend. Let the Word be constant in your life.