The power of prayer by faith

Today's affirmation: #prayer #faith

Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.  Psalm 107:28-30

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Good Morning! ~ Dead without the Holy Spirit

Good Morning! ~ God's Compassion Can Change

Another Voice in the Choir

Be merciful to me, LORD, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and body with grief. My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak.  Psalms 31:9-10


Heading to a doctor’s appointment I crossed paths and spoke to a tender natured old lady in the corridor; I acknowledged in my typical manner “all is well”. Her quick response back was “that is good because no one would listen if you where complaining.” As we walked, the conversation continued, as this noble lady told me a story of a prisoner who professed his innocence until arriving to prison. Once in the hallowed walls of confinement he found that every prisoner claimed their innocence too. Though the man knew he was not guilty, the grumbling stopped after discovering he was just another voice in the choir.

God’s word tells us not to swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation. As the victim in this story, who claimed his innocence, there are times when regardless how truthful one is it can land a person a guilty verdict. We also know that Jesus was falsely accused and did not commit a crime yet he was crucified. So it is safe to assume through life, we are not immune from lies, conviction, or some form of character assassination. The Lord is a fortress in adversity; either stand on His word or become another complaining voice in the choir.

Not too long ago the world witnessed Georgia Prison inmate Troy Davis who song to the highest courts in the nation that he was innocent. In contrast Troy’s conviction enabled others to join his chorus all singing for justice being serviced. When facing perplexed times opposed to kicking up a fuss by complaining, pray and seek God for direction which can bring peace to your soul. Learn to sing praises of joy regardless your predicament and not tunes of grief during your misery. See your situation as the glass of water half full or half empty either way, take a stance as did Troy Davis who continued to fight his fight of innocence until his last breath. Though you maybe in the pit, God have kept you a live! The take away from both stories is to recognize we have to stand on God’s word, even if the end result may mean death, like Troy Davis.

Tigner J.


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An unspeakable act: Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords shot There is still hope through the power of prayer



Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords

 The tragic shooting of Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and innocent by-standers is heartbreaking.
A gunman open fire on a crowd, which snuffed out five lives: one federal judge along with a nine year old girl. This unspeakable act was a catastrophe for Arizona and our country.


Events such as this are hard to comprehend let alone understand however, I stand with the belief that for every heart breaking misfortune God still has the power to heal and show his presence through all the pain. “What Americans do is come together during times of tragedy”. We need to get behind Congresswoman Giffords along with the other families who suffered and begin to pray.


I ask that each of you who read this to please take time to pray daily for the injured individuals in Tucson, Arizona, as well as healing of this land. Pray that through this horrific shooting our government can bridge the gap which divides them. At the end of the day this shooting has affected our entire government not just Congresswoman Giffords and other victims. It is easier said than done but we also have to pray for the shooter and others like him asking God to restrain people who harbor hatred and bitterness toward this Country or people.

We will get through this pain and I believe that there is still hope. It is power in numbers so let us all take the time to pray in the name of Jesus.


Be encouraged and God Bless America!


Tigner


For more posts check http://thesoulsremedy.blogspot.com/



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Your PATIENCE can be a Virtue

There is an old saying, I’m sure we have all heard in our life time; Patience is a virtue. When hearing this quote one has to ask what is patience? It is the quality of being patient, as the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, or irritation. Now I don’t know about you but it has taken a life time for me attain a few of these qualities. It is still a work in progress. Now virtue is moral excellence; goodness; righteousness conformity of one's life and conduct to moral and ethical principles; uprightness; rectitude. Many of you possess attributes of virtue however your misfortunes, pains, or irritation impedes your development of patience. Realize, there is still hope with some effort you can develop endurance which will give you the strength to handle storms, run life’s races, or climb rough mountains. The reward will be for those who wait on the LORD which shall renew your strength; you shall mount up with wings like eagles, you shall run and not be weary, you shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

Why is it hard for people to gain patience or find it a challenge to wait through the storm for their break through? One quick simple answer is society has conditioned us to believe that we can get what we want instantaneously, with no wait. We see and hear the subliminal messages daily from various marketing campaigns; why one should not go home and cook a wholesome meal when you can stop by the grocer and pick up an eight piece meal for only $8.99! Or how about complete meals in a bag that can be cooked in a microwave in less than twenty minutes! Don’t leave out instant coffee, ATM machines, and our favorite fast food restaurants. Personally, I love home cook meals (smile).

How does this affect our living habits and Christian beliefs? It desensitizes us to the point that we expect and look for all aspects of our lives to respond the same way. When we pray we want an answer instantly. You’ve prayed for a break through, jobs, answers from doctors, friends and family members and when there is no response, many have gone as far as to demand God to quickly answer our prayers and when our patience has grown short due to no reply we find it quite appalling causing many to abandon the Father. Remember God is the Father He does not operate on a time schedule regardless as to how bad the situation may appear. According to the word be patient and wait on the Lord; He will turn to you and hear your cry. Psalm 40:1

James 1:3-6 sums up what it takes to strengthen our patience. Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubt is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
One analogy I often quote to describe time and patience; it’s like watching a tree grow you can’t expect to plant a tree today and be capable to bare fruit tomorrow. The Tree has to go through the germination process, sprout, grow, mature and then produce. That course of action takes many years. In comparison, we may have to go through many trials, tribulations, and wavering faith before reaching a level of patience before one can yield fruit or reach the prize!
To bring this story closer to life another great illustration on patience is of a man who watched a caterpillar as it headed into the next development stages of life. This man quietly waited as the transformation of change took place. When the metamorphosis was complete the new butterfly began its break through the chrysalis. Struggling to free its wings the man felt compelled to assist by gently cutting away the casing which liberated the butterfly. Thinking he has done a great deed this man’s impatience created a disaster, the butterfly cannot fly. For you see the great effort it takes a butterfly to break out its part of building wing strength which will enable flight.
Don’t be like the impatient man, Learn from the butterfly by fighting through your obstacles while growing in faith. Make your virtue a necessity; seek God through prayer which will allow you to make the best of a difficult or unsatisfactory situation. You can win in the end keeping your faith growing patience and continue trusting in God!

Tigner Rand
For more posts check http://thesoulsremedy.blogspot.com/

The Desires of your Heart

Desires of the Heart

There is a man named Blake who works hard for his family of four. He manages to live a modest life. He is a caring, loving and giving man who would lend a hand or give his last dollar to any person under the pretense of getting a blessing in return. 

On paper, Blake believes in the Holy Trinity: The Father Son and the Holy Spirit, occasionally attends church and only pray when he has trouble. As the sands of time flowed in his life, he begin worrying about evildoers and corrupt people,  who don't believe in God. They are happier and financially secure while Blake’s life spirals closer to a dismal end. He is just two pay checks away from being without a roof over his head.

A Generous Heart

There is Joyce, a woman of God with eight children from 10 to 28 years old. Since the passing of her husband Joyce has managed to maintain her house. She has kept the family together, food on the table, bills paid, and put three children through college. Joyce is always full of joy with a kind word to say everyday. Joyce is a generous person, giving from the heart with no false pretense. This woman’s cup continuously overflows with blessing for her and others.

Envious Heart

Two people who both accept Jesus Christ as being true. Both are caring and giving individuals. Blake has a small family while Joyce has a large brood. Why is it such a contrasting difference in their blessings? One would assume that Joyce would be the one struggling, disgusted, and questioning why her prayers have not been answered on the other hand she is happy blessed and highly favored. Based on this situation there are loads of legitimate discussion points we could focus on: Pride, Self-righteousness, being Humble, giving from the heart, trust, faith and the list can go on. But for this topic of dialogue I’m focusing on not being envious.

We all know someone who depicts the lives of Blake and Joyce. It’s also safe to say many of us may portray some of these attributes albeit the good or bad traits. By all means there is yet another sect of people who will argue the point that God has not given you your desires, yet you keep knocking, seeking, all while trying to get an answer just as Jesus told us in Matt. 7:7. Often times God don’t always make sense on how and when he will answer our prayers and desires. We have to implement what David wrote “Trust in the Lord, delight yourself in him and commit your way to the Lord.” Psalms 37:3-7. Reading these verses David emphasized the word trust several times which tells us trusting in God is the key to your desires. Remember trust is a form of faith. However to get the wishes we also need to rest, commit, don’t worry and wait patiently on the Lord. By doing this God shall bring to pass the desires of your heart.

The question you need to ask yourself is “Can you not be envious of men who “have it all” and not believers? Can you not worry about the evil doer nor be envious because the day will come when they are cut down like grass Psalms 37:1. The solution is for us to REALLY become committed, trusting, and not worrying. But most important patiently on God by aligning ourselves with Christ by asking to be in his Will as well as learn to TRUST Him. 

A Sharing Heart 

A sharing heart allows you to give ungrudging to those less fortunate your:

• Time 
• Talent
• Treasures 

Regardless to your current state - Blake or Joyce - maintain a praising heart to God during the excellent and unpleasant times. Have a caring heart, and love others as you love yourself. No matter what render your heart to God and he will bless you with the desires of your heart.

Tigner J. Rand
For more posts check http://thesoulsremedy.blogspot.com/