Pat's View: Inspirational Stories

There are so many reasons we pray...but the primary reason is we need God's involvement in our lives. We need Him!   Prayer is God's idea.  We can come boldly into His presence because of the finished work of Jesus on the cross.   One of the reasons we pray is we need...we want God to answer our prayers. Charles Finney shares a vital key for getting answers to our prayers. In this teaching I want to share that answer with you.

Isaiah 60:1Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. 2For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory  will be seen upon you.   What a beautiful portion of Scripture!   What did God have in mind when He inspired the writer to pen these words?    I think it's important that we find out, so we don't miss what God has for us.  

Jehoshaphat knew what to do when he didn't know what to do. Let me share his powerful keys with you, so you can walk in the victory God has planned for you!   Jehoshaphat Invaded by Moab (Obadiah 1:1-14)   1It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle. 2Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria; and, behold, they be in Hazazontamar, which is Engedi. 3And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. 4And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the LORD: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD. Jehoshaphat's Prayer 5And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court, 6And said, O LORD God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over

As you list your gifts, don't fail to enjoy the most wonderful gift of all because you fail to open it. Let me explain with a story. Open Your wonderful gift. You are valuable. You were made in God's image. That alone makes you priceless. Open your Bible.   Open your eyes. Open your heart. Open your worship. You are not alone. You will never outgrow your need for a Savior. Peace is not the absence of problems, it is the presence of the Prince of Peace.  

    That’s strong language, huh, to beg you to do something , but I feel like it's that important. People everywhere are feeling the pressure.   The pressure is real. It’s coming from every arena of our lives. It’s hit our pocketbooks, our ability to interact with friends, jobs, activities and hobbies.   Some of it is from the natural realm and some of it is the devil. Yes. I said it. I know there’s not a devil behind every bush, buttttttt I also know there is a devil that hates our guts!   Here the reference for the verses I used in this podcast. Add them to your prayer list.   Luke 11:2 Isaiah 49:24 Isaiah 33:15 Paul shares about the pressure he felt in Asia 2 Cor. 1:8,9 NIV

Abba is only used 3 times in the New Testament and it is always combined with Father…Abba, Father. Could it be that the word Father is not just one more way to identify us as His child, but that it is used strategically and purposely here in Scripture? Could it be that this combination is critical in understanding Who He is as our Father?  Galatians 4:6 NLT And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” Mark 14:36 NLT Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane  “Abba, Father,” he cried out, “everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”  Romans 8:15 NLT So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”  

I pray, first of all because I love God. I love His Presence. I love spending time talking to Him. I've loved God since I was a little girl and He is my dear friend.   But I also pray for results. Whether we like it or not, asking is the rule of the Kingdom. -- C. H. Spurgeon   While I don't believe we need to have all the right words to get our prayer answered, I believe what we believe when we pray definitely affects our results.   When we know, really KNOW this one thing it will affect our outcome.     SHOW LESS      

Are you white knuckling anything? For me it was the dentist. He had an emergency so I had to wait. I was in the dentist office for 3 1/2 hours. I white knuckled the whole 3 1/2 hours. It was awful. When I got home I was totally drained... but I learned Fear is the big deal, not the dentist. Maybe the dentist is no big deal for you… but the world around us is giving us dozens of reasons to be afraid. We’ve believed their reasons for being afraid. We have believed the lie that fear is normal! When we think it’s normal to be afraid the fear rages inside us instead of around us. Response to Fear Some people respond to fear with anger.                 And some retreat. Then there are times we do both. The paralyses of fear keep us from seeking answers,  truth and peace. Fear of Man We think it’s NORMAL so we embrace the fear of man instead of humbling our hearts and walking in the fear of God, which by the way results in peace. REAL PEACE! The Answer In the previous teaching I s

  I have done so many dumb things... some people are wise enough not to mention them; I mention my dumb thing because I think it drives home an important point.   I am constantly amazed at how precise the Word of God can be in times of need. Recently, as I spent time in the Word I came across a verse in a different version than I normally read. Boy, did it ever jump out at me!   "Patient endurance is what you need now..."   Wow! God had my number that morning! There comes a time when you just gotta hold on...that's endurance. The patient part is a matter of attitude. I'm the only one that can control my attitude. I can get in a tizzy or I can be patient. There's peace in patience. Fear in tizzy.   Hebrews 10:36 NLT the verse continues "so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised."   It was exactly what I needed to hear, because I am desperate to receive God's promise. What about you?   I know! I know! It is so much easier to

Are you hangry? I’m hearing that word used more and more these days. Merriam-Webster has added it to their dictionaries; so, it’s officially a word. Maybe you’ve seen or experienced the irritability that is caused from hunger displayed publicly. You know if you’ve listened to my 21 Day Think God’s Way for a Change that I don’t believe we have to allow our emotions to drive our actions, but the fact remains they often do.   But  have you ever thought about the fact…  that your actions are affected by another kind of hunger…God’s Word.   I don’t have to tell my husband if I haven’t been feeding my spirit…he can tell. I don’t have to tell my kids either… they can tell.   God’s Word nourishes your spirit. You can’t live off an occasional sermon. You need DAILY BREAD.   May I suggest that you add God’s Word to your breakfast? If you skip breakfast, please don’t skip God’s Word! You need it right now more than ever. One more thought to leave you with… it’s not how much you eat of God’s Word that nourishes you; it’s

In Math we don’t have any problem understand 8 is less than 9 11is greater than 9  Greater than and less symbols are very important Math symbols. They are used in writing computer “if then” statements. But this kind of comparison is very destructive and divisive when we try to use them to establish a persons worth. My Mother called it the Big "I" and the Little "u". We all lose with this kind of mentality becomes the norm. Mark Twain said "Comparison is the death of joy." Research indicates that it is the breeding ground from some of the life's most defeating emotions...low self-confidence, jealousy and depression. There is a diabolical spirit behind the greater than less than comparison. I want to talk with you about what it means to bear the image of God. It's an exciting reality.

I absolutely love the picture that Acts 10:38 NLT gives us of Jesus. “And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.”   Does that verse excite you?  Does it inspire you…does it make you want to see the sick healed? Does it make you hungry for miracles? How it affects you will depend on how you read it.   In preparation to talk to you about Pentecost I looked at Robert P. Menzies’ book Pentecost This Story is Our Story. At the very get go a quote absolutely seized my heart “The hermeneutic of the typical Pentecostal believer is straight-forward and simple: the stories in Acts are my stories—stories that were written to serve as models for shaping my life and experience.” Did you see that? “stories that were written to serve as models for shaping my life and experience.” How do I read the gospels and Acts? Do I believe His story should be my story? Of course

                 Resurrection is a powerful word. From life to death…that we can comprehend, but from death to life is impossible…until you meet The Resurrection. John 11:25 NIV "Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;”   Wow! Resurrection life lives in us when we believe on Jesus. Don’t you wish everyone knew Jesus?                                                One of the most powerful illustrations of the resurrection in the Old Testament is found in Ezekiel 37.   Ezekiel was both priest and prophet to the Jewish exiles in Babylon. He encouraged them to take responsibility for their sins, to stop rebelling against God and never stop believing that they would one day inhabitant the land God had given them. They would once again be one nation instead of two.   The Jewish people were so discouraged. To express their hopelessness They coined a phrase, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.” They repeated it amo

Praying the redemptive names of God brings me so much peace. His name reveals His nature. Here are the 7 names and the scriptures that link them to the cross. Below I quoted from F.F. Bosworth's, Christ the Healer. I changed the verses to NIV version unless otherwise noted.   JEHOVAH-SHAMMAH is translated "The LORD is there," or present, revealing to us the redemptive privilege of enjoying His presence. Ephesians 2:13 NIV (©1984)"But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.”   JEHOVAH-RA-AH is translated "The LORD is my Shepherd." John 10:11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.   JEHOVAH-SHALOM is translated "The LORD our Peace" Jesus said, "My peace I give you." John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.   JEHOVAH-NISSI-"The LORD is our Banner," or "Victor," or "Captain." 1 Corinthians 1

Effective partnership with God! What an amazing thought. We understand the power of partnership in business, marriage and sports...but how do we partner with God? Philemon 1:6 BSB says "I pray that your partnership in the faith may become effective as you fully acknowledge every good thing that is ours in Christ." It's a powerful thought and can be a powerful reality when we follow this tidbit of advice tucked in the greeting of Paul's letter to Philemon. Here's some key verses I want you to read. Ephesians 3:8 NLT "Though I am the least deserving of all God’s people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ."   1 Corinthians 2:12 "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God." 2 Corinthians 4:13 NIV “It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken." Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak,

God was talking to Joshua, but this is a good reminder for you too! Deuteronomy 31:8 NIV The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." What do you do in difficult, trying times when it is dark everywhere you turn? As I began to pray and seek God about the whirlwind of trouble facing the world. I didn't hear much at all. As I talked with my husband he felt God was saying reset. I began to pray, "Father, what are you saying to us?" Basically God gave me 5 words… Reset: Refocus Repent Replace Rejoice That was it. He didn't say much else, so I kept praying. Father, what does this mean. Give me understanding. On Sunday I listened to Dr. Tony Evans, how I’ve prayed for that dear man in the loss of his precious wife so recently. His sermon Divine Disruptions https://youtu.be/fZYSxs5pS0M was the edge pieces of the puzzle that the 5 words God had given me had been for me. After I listened to the sermon and returne

Quiet Your Spirit. The engineer sounded his whistle long and LOUD at the little guy watching beside the tracks. It was loud. The ground rumbled under us as the black train engine roared past. I held Brayden's hand to keep him safe, but I wanted to put both hands over my ears. Brayden loves trains. And I love Brayden. Noise isn't just at railroad crossings…it's everywhere. Loud radios. Screaming sirens. Angry voices. Crying babies. Phones demanding our attention. Email alerts screaming to be read. Social Media nags us to peek. Work drives us. And that's just the outer noise. As much as noise is a part of the world around us; we need some quiet too! How do we find it? In this podcast I look at the railroad warning to give us 4 Ways to Quiet our Spirit. I've used them for years and what a difference they have made in my quiet time with God.  

Feeling the uncertainty of life right now? Feeling like the world is swirling in a storm around you? It's time to pray AND it's time to worship. Your worship is powerful. Here are some important verses I want to share with you.   Psalm 8:1 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory above the heavens. 2From the mouths of children and infants You have ordained praiseb on account of Your adversaries, to silence the enemy and avenger. 3When I behold Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place— 4what is man that You are mindful of him, or the son of man that You care for him?     Psalms 8: 2 New International Version Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. This verse is so good that I had to share a couple different translations with you. New Living Translation You have taught children and infants to tell of your strength, silencin

Filled with Holy Spirit? Sometimes God raises up trail blazers, people that go before us, who pay the price so that we can enjoy the benefits that come from their sacrifice. William J Seymour, an African American pastor, was one of those people. He was one of the most influential men in the revival that birthed the modern Pentecostal movement. A movement that includes 600 million people. I want to do more than just tell you about Him. I want to look at his life, because he modeled some attributes that we need to possess as believers.

A Love Letter Everyone wants to feel loved. It makes you feel treasured...valuable. The experts tell us feeling loved makes you live longer, less doctor visits, healthier, happier, even less anxiety. One thing I know for sure it makes you feel happier.   I read my sweetheart's letters eagerly because I loved the author and I wanted to know what was on his heart. Also, I wanted to hear how much he loved me and I wanted to get to know him better. That's exactly the same reason why I read the Bible. You see I... know the author and I love Him! want to hear how much He loves me! am desperate, absolutely desperate to know Him better. His Words give life Proverbs 4: 20-23 NIV 20My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. 21Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; 22for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body. 23Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Life. Health. To all that find them. To