Praying the scriptures

FAITH:

1 Samuel 17: Goliath, the Philistine, challenges Israel's army.

When God goes to war, there are no accidents. Just as He uses Gideon and an army of only 300 to rout the Midianite army that was "without number," so He uses a boy with a slingshot to rout the Philistine army. In 2 Chronicles 18:33, "a certain man drew a bow at random," but it "struck the king of Israel between the joints of his armor." There are no accidents when God goes to war.

We can take comfort in this fact in relationship to the spiritual warfare in which we all find ourselves. The obstacles may seem insurmountable. But if we are on God's side, no foe is too great.

PRAYER

· Offer to the Lord this psalm of praise as you rejoice in the power He uses in controlling the events of history:

We have heard with our ears, O God,
Our fathers have told us,
The deeds You did in their days,
In days of old:
You drove out the nations with Your hand,
But them You planted;
You afflicted the peoples, and cast them out.
For they did not gain possession of the land by their own sword,
Nor did their own arm save them;
But it was Your right hand,
Your arm, and the light of Your countenance,
Because You favored them
(Psalm 44:1-4).

· Pause for personal praise and thanksgiving. Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:

O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your anger,
Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure.
Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak;
O Lord, heal me, for my bones are troubled.
My soul also is greatly troubled;
But You, O Lord-how long?
(Psalm 6:1-3).

· Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind. Now pause to pray this affirmation to the Lord:

Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
You will revive me;
You will stretch out Your hand
Against the wrath of my enemies,
And Your right hand will save me
(Psalm 138:7).

· As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for:

· greater courage in the midst of trials,
· your pastor,
· whatever else is on your heart.

· Finally, offer this closing prayer to the Lord:

Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever;
Do not forsake the works of Your hands
(Psalm 138:8).

FRIENDS:

Father, Thank you for calling me to prayer and I know how important this is to my relationship with you. I promise to share my inner thoughts and feelings with you and to Praise and worship You for all that You have done for me. I am so grateful for your answers to my prayers and I need you help in carrying out what you would have me do. I can not do anything in my own strength, but only in Yours. In Jesus' name, Amen.

FOOD:

Crockpot Tamale Casserole

1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 box Jiffy cornbread mix
1 C milk
1 egg
1 package chili mix
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
1 can corn, drained
1 can sliced black olives (optional)
1 C Mexican style cheese

Brown and drain ground beef. In the meantime, mix the next 3 ingredients together. Batter will be thin. Add browned ground beef and next 3 ingredients. Pour into crock pot. Cook on high for 3 hours. Top with olives and cheese, cover and cook another 15-20 minutes.

Notes on cooking....
I cooked mine on high and the edges were a bit brown, as my crock pot cooks a little high, so I would probably cut my time down a bit or cook on low for a longer time. Also, I used half a can of corn and a half a can of black beans, drained.

FUN:

An Old Farmer's Advice:

Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.

Keep skunks and bankers at a distance.

Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.

A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.

Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled.

Meanness don't jes' happen overnight.

Forgive your enemies. It messes up their heads.

Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.

It don't take a very big person to carry a grudge.

You cannot unsay a cruel word.

When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.

The best sermons are lived, not preached.

Most of the stuff people worry about ain't never gonna happen anyway.

Don't judge folks by their relatives.

Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll enjoy it a second time.

Don't interfere with somethin' that ain't bothering you none.

If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.

Always drink upstream from the herd.

Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.

Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it back in.

If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around.

Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you.