Prayer

PPP ~ Privilege. Praying. Partnering.

January 6, 2018 By Eva Conner Leave a Comment

Prepare your plan today and see His provision as You’ve never seen before.

In the professional services world, PPP typically means “Personal Performance Plan.” PPP’s are completed by the professionals stating their goals for the year. However, this morning in my prayer time, God used this acronym “PPP” but showed me something else that ties into our personal performance planning.

Privilege. Praying. Partnering.

God has given each of us the privilege of praying and partnering with Him to do His work in this dark world.

It’s important for our growth to have a gameplan or roadmap that helps us stay on track in doing His work. This is what a personal performance plan is, or a vision board. I encourage you to get before God and ask Him to help you outline some goals for the year. Put pen to paper and list the deepest desires of your heart. Ask away. There’s nothing that we cannot ask of Him in prayer. We have not because we ask not.

As we write our personal performance plans, or vision boards, we’ll see one common thread in our dreams and goals ~ the need for provision. That provision could be the words to write in blog posts that will encourage and reach the hearts of the readers. The provision could be for time to pray for others who He is laying on our heart. It could also be for open doors, closed doors, money, food, faith, strength, good health, connections, platforms, etc, etc.

We need a clearer picture of God’s provision so that our dreams and goals don’t get stuck in lack.

God's provision will launch us into our destiny! Click To Tweet

I believe I could study God’s provision the remainder of my lifetime and never truly grasp the depths of it. But I welcome the challenge to go deeper and deeper as He leads.

This morning, He led me to the two books of Thessalonians. Let’s look in these two books for His provision. And actually I’m just going to share a glimpse of it from the first two chapters in the first book. I encourage you to also read these two books. It is an experience that will change the way you see provision.

1 Thessalonians

1:1 God provides grace and peace.

1:2 God provides people for us.

1:3 God the Son provides us enduring hope.

1:4 God provides us with His love and provides us with family because He chose us as His own.

1:5 God the Holy Spirit provides us with power to know truth.

1:6 God the Holy Spirit provides us with joy.

1:7 God provides our witness.

1:8 God provides our platform or stage to be heard.

1:9 God provides the ability to be hospitable to others.

1:10 God provides our hope for the future and for the return of Jesus Christ.

The first chapter in first Thessalonians has ten verses and each one of these ten verses contains God’s provision! A perfect 10.

So often, when we pray for God’s provision, we are praying for money to meet our needs. His provision is SOOOOO much more than money. Yes, His provision includes money for our needs but we need to open our eyes and ears and hearts to fully understand what His provision includes so that we don’t limit what we receive.

Let’s take a look at chapter 2:

2:1 God provides our success.

2:2 God provides our courage and boldness to declare the Good News of Jesus.

2:2 God provides a way through opposition.

2:3 God provides purity in the words we share.

2:4 God provides the ability to please only Him.

2:4 God provides purity in the motives of our hearts.

2:5 God provides us with a powerful witness in Himself in protecting our motives.

2:6 God provides us with NO desire for human praise.

2:7 God provides us with the discernment to care for His flocks.

2:8 God provides us with the ability to be transparent in our living.

2:9 God provides us with the ability to work hard.

2:10 God provides the strength to be steadfast and honest.

2:11 God provides us with the love of a Father.

2:12 God provides us with the encouragement to build others up in His kingdom.

2:13 God provides us with confirmation that His Word is being spoken through us and being heard by others.

2:14 God provides us with strength to withstand persecutions for His Son’s sake.

2:15 God provides us with strength to conquer death for His Son’s sake.

2:16 God provides vindication upon those who persecute us.

2:17 God provides heart connections among His people.

2:18 God provides open doors as well as closed doors.

2:19 God provides our reward and crown as we share His Son Jesus.

2:20 God provides pride and joy through the love and sharing with others.

Again, every single verse in chapter two is filled with God’s provision.

And chapter two has 20 verses – double that of chapter one! Double the provision. I won’t continue through these two books but you truly can see God’s provision throughout if you are looking for it.

As I mentioned above, in my prayer time today I received these words for the acronym PPP ~ Privilege, Praying and Partnering.

We have the privilege of praying with God as He chooses to partner with us to do His work.

And as we pray and partner with Him, He will provide all that we need! What a privilege it is to be able to not only talk with but to also partner with God Almighty! His ways are so perfect. Let Him start showing You provision today.

Here is my prayer for all of us:

Father,

As we come before You in our time of prayer, open our eyes, our ears and our hearts to receive all that You have for us. Please break down those barriers we’ve erected that hold us back from seeing Your provision in our lives. Help us cultivate a giving and loving and thankful heart. Create in us pure hearts and renew steadfast spirits within us.

Father, use us in mighty ways in Your kingdom. Show us those in need around us and give us Your Words to speak that will open their hearts to receive You. Thank you, Father, for Your Son Jesus and Your Holy Spirit which you have given so freely. Help us to give freely to others.

As we stand before You, enable us to live a life worthy of Your call. Give us the power to accomplish all the good things that our faith prompts us to do. Let us bring honor and glory to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. It is in His holy name we pray.

Amen♥

Stay in the Light and Love always,

Eva

31 Days of Joy ~ Day 24 Joy, Joy, Joy

December 24, 2017 By Eva Conner Leave a Comment

Let Jesus make your joy complete.

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.

John 15:9

Dear Father,

Thank You for the love You have so freely given to us. Thank You for giving us Jesus Christ, born to a virgin in impossible circumstances, to be our Savior. With You there is nothing impossible. You have conquered death and won! Our victory is complete in You.

Today we ask that You help us to keep our focus and gaze fixed on You and You alone.

We praise You that Your ways are so much higher than our ways. Take us deeper into who You created us to be. Show us the unseen. Transform us into the very likeness of Jesus.

It is in His holy name that we pray.

Amen♥

Today’s Transformation Tip

I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

John 15:11

True joy comes from Jesus Christ alone. We cannot manufacture or create joy in our own lives. The joy that Jesus spoke of is not equal to happiness. Happiness is an emotion we feel based upon our circumstances.

Joy is not based on circumstances.

It is based on the knowledge that Jesus Christ is in us and we are in Him. It is based on the knowledge that we will spend eternity with Him and nothing or no one can change that fact. Joy is truth settled deep in our soul that we are His. Period.

How do you get joy?

We get joy by being grounded in the Word of God. When we seek Jesus as our Rock and Savior and when our hearts are turned toward Him, He makes us complete .

Friends, get in the Word today. If you’ve never read your Bible that much, just open it up and start reading. Ask Holy Spirit to help you and He will reveal things to you that you would never perceive on your own. Daily devotionals help as well. Start reading the gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke or John. Or start reading any of Paul’s letters which are past the gospels in the New Testament. Just start reading today.

The Word will transform your life and you’ll never be the same!

Stay in the Light and Love always,

Eva

31 Days of Joy ~ Day 20 What is Prayer All About

December 20, 2017 By Eva Conner Leave a Comment

What is prayer all about anyway?

In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.
Ephesians 3:12

Dear Father,

I kneel before You, Father, from whom Your whole family in heaven and on earth derive its name. I pray that out of Your glorious riches You may strengthen us with power through Your Spirit in our inner being, so that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith.

And I pray that we, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that we may be filled to the measure of all fullness of You.

Now to You who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to Your power that is at work within us, to You be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations for ever and ever!

Amen♥ (Prayer from Ephesians 3:14-21)

Today’s Transformation Tip

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:4-7

Did you catch Paul’s words in verse 6 above?

In every situation, pray with thanksgiving.

Prayer is the opening to heaven. We are not residents of this world. We belong to heaven and are here on earth to share the message of Jesus Christ. This world is not what life is all about.

This world is merely a stepping stone to a greater, more wonderful eternity in heaven. Click To Tweet

How many times have you heard “well, prayer is the only thing we can do?” Prayer is not the only thing we can do, it is the only thing we SHOULD do.

We grieve God’s heart with our very small prayers.

For whatever reason, we don’t give Him all the burdens and worries and cares that are sitting heavy on our hearts. It’s as if we say we don’t want to burden God with all of it so we pick and choose what He can handle.

Guess what? God can handle it all. He is a big, big God and He created everything, including me and you. He wants us to take ALL of our small concerns to Him in prayer as well as ALL of our big concerns. In first Corinthians we are told that we are co-laborers with God. He desires to partner with us to transform our lives and the lives of those around us. We partner with Him in communication and relationship which is done through prayer.

Prayer is vital to our walk and growth in Christ.

It is vital to our transformation to become like Christ. It is vital to life itself.

Start talking to God today. Talk to Him as you would a dear, trusted friend. Your life will never be the same!

Stay in the Light and Love always,

Eva

31 Days of Joy ~ Day 18 Thank God for Jacob!

December 18, 2017 By Eva Conner Leave a Comment

We need to thank God for Jacob!

Just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
Romans 9:13

Dear Father,

We thank You for Your Word. In Your Word, You show us that Jacob gets the blessing. Jacob is the one You chose to love. And we know that Jacob is the one who deserved it the least! Jacob deceived his father and stole his brother’s inheritance.

This word is such a precious gift for us today. We are the least ones to deserve Your blessings, Your favor and Your honor ~ just like Jacob.

Yet, in Your sovereignty, You still chose us ~ just like Jacob.

We come before You humbled and in awe of Your magificent grace and mercy. It is humbling to think that the God of the Universe chose us to inhabit. Give each of us a fresh revelation of Your indwelling presence. Put us on our faces before You. Help us grasp those things that are outside of our ability to imagine.

Show us the things in the unseen world.

We know that You desire for us to bring heaven to earth through our worship, our praise and most of all our prayers. Thank You for giving us access and rights to Your throneroom in heaven. Give each of us a fresh revelation of the magnitude of this right. We love You and we praise Your name above all others.

Give us more Jesus!

It is in His holy name we pray.

Amen♥

Today’s Transformation Tip

27 So he went to him and kissed him. When Isaac caught the smell of his clothes, he blessed him and said,

“Ah, the smell of my son
is like the smell of a field
that the Lord has blessed.
28 May God give you heaven’s dew
and earth’s richness—
an abundance of grain and new wine.
29 May nations serve you
and peoples bow down to you.
Be lord over your brothers,
and may the sons of your mother bow down to you.
May those who curse you be cursed
and those who bless you be blessed.”

30 After Isaac finished blessing him, and Jacob had scarcely left his father’s presence, his brother Esau came in from hunting. 31 He too prepared some tasty food and brought it to his father. Then he said to him, “My father, please sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing.”

32 His father Isaac asked him, “Who are you?”

“I am your son,” he answered, “your firstborn, Esau.”

33 Isaac trembled violently and said, “Who was it, then, that hunted game and brought it to me? I ate it just before you came and I blessed him—and indeed he will be blessed!”

Genesis 27:27-33

In these verses we see that Jacob tricked his father, Isaac, into his older brother’s blessing.

Verse 33 tells us that the blessing stuck even though it was given to the wrong son in deceipt.

God’s ways are impossible to understand. His ways are so much higher than our ways and His ways are perfect. As we read in Genesis about Isaac and his two sons Jacob and Esau, it should give us great hope. God did not choose the firstborn son. He did not choose the one who deserved the blessing. He chose Jacob. We are Jacob.

As we focus on all the blessings and rights that Jacob was given ~ all the blessings and rights we are given ~ know that they are not just for us. We are to share the blessings and rights with others.

We deserve nothing but get everything.

This truth is needed in the dark world around us. There are hopeless people on all sides. As God reveals hearts of others to us, let’s share the beautiful message of Jacob with them. Let’s share that this truth because it is a game changer in all lives. It brings transformation and light.

We deserve nothing but get everything.

Stay in the Light and Love always,

Eva

31 Days of Joy ~ Day 17 ~ Only God!

December 17, 2017 By Eva Conner Leave a Comment

There is only one true God. Only God!

“Remember these things, O Jacob, for you are my servant, O Israel. I have made you, you are my servant; O Israel, I will not forget you. I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you.”
Isaiah 44:21-22

Dear Father,

Thank You for being our one true God. The Only God. We are so thankful that You and You alone are our Creator and our Maker. Help us to understand what this means in our life. Give us fresh wisdom and revelation of how very special it is that You made us in Your very image. And give us fresh wisdom and revelation of how very special it is that You swept away all of our offenses and sins.

Praise be to You for redeeming us.

Redemption and salvation are forever ours only because of You and Your grace and mercy. Empower us to share this special gift of redemption and salvation with others. As we share Jesus, please open eyes, ears and hearts to receive. For we know that You and You alone call men to You. You ask us to share the message of salvation and then You so mercifully and beautifully swoop in and lay claim to the spirit.

Thank You for Your ways being so much higher than our ways.

Help us to always know in our hearts that You are our one true God.

In Jesus Christ’s precious and holy name we pray.

Amen♥

Today’s Transformation Tip

All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless.
Those who would speak up for them are blind; they are ignorant, to their own shame.
Who shapes a god and casts an idol, which can profit him nothing?
Isaiah 44:9-10

In chapter 44 of the book of Isaiah, the prophet talks about turning away from God and making false idols from the very things that the Only God created! God created all things and when we use the very things that He created to make false idols, we are pushing His love and mercy back in His face.

Idols come in many shapes and forms.

Your children can become your idol. A spouse can become your idol. Positions and status can become an idol. A house and material possessions can become an idol. Even lack, sickness or disease can become an idol.

Anything that we allow to grow bigger than God is an idol.

Reading further in Isaiah 44, we see that God is willing to redeem us even after we worship false idols. He wants us to lay down all these things we worship and turn our worship to Him.

God wants His land and His house to be inhabited.

We are His house ~ His temple and He wants us to be inhabited with His very fullness. He wants His people to thrive and live in peace, joy and righteousenss. When we keep our focus on Him instead of our circumstances, He makes all things right. No matter your circumstances, praise Him for all that He is.

“This is what the Lord says – your Redeemer,
who formed you in the womb: ‘I am the Lord,
who has made all things,
who alone stretched out the heavens,
who spread out the earth by myself,
who foils the signs of false prophets
and makes fools of diviners,
who overthrows the learning of the wise
and turns it into nonsense,
who carries out the words of his servants
and fulfills the predictions of his messengers,
who says of Jerusalem, ‘It shall be built,’
and of their ruins, ‘I will restore them,’
who says to the watery deep, ‘Be dry,
and I will dry up your streams,’
who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd
and will accomplish all that I place;
he will say of Jerusalem, “Let it be rebuilt,”
and of the temple, “Let its foundations be laid.”‘
Isaiah 44:24-28

Praise God for His goodness and His love.

He is our Creator. Get in His presence today and ask for Him to reveal anything that You have made an idol in your life. When He does, work it out in your prayer closet with Him. He has a way of putting things in perspective for us and righting our wrong thinking. But we need to initiate the conversation with Him.

The joy you’ll receive will be worth it! Only God.

Stay in the Light and Love always,

Eva