Year: 2024

Lord, thank you for blessing me. I live and walk each day in your blessing. Help me to never forget how blessed I am. Forgive me when I haven’t used my blessing appropriately. Help me to always be aware of ways to bless and be a blessing to others.

Thank you for the area of influence you have given me. Forgive me when I haven’t used my influence appropriately. Help me to always remember who I possibly influence and help my motives to be pure. Help me never to be a stumbling block to anyone I influence. Help me to be a good steward of my influence.

Thank you, Lord, for your presence in my life. Help me to always be aware of you and how you are working on my behalf every minute of every day.  I am so thankful for the power of your Holy Spirit active in my life.

Lord, thank you so much for your protection. I can look back on my life and see how you have protected me in so many situations. Thank you for your continued protection in my life and the lives of those I love and of which I have influence.   

In Jesus Name,

Amen

And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done.” Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. Luke 22:41-44

This morning as I was getting ready for church, out of nowhere the term “Pray through” came to mind. This week I’d been praying over and contemplating a few issues in my own life.

I hadn’t heard the phrase “Pray through” in a long time. It reminded me of “alter calls” at the end of sermons or revival services when the preacher would ask anyone who was dealing with a certain issue or wanting to get saved to come to the alter. He would urge you to stay at the alter until you “prayed through”

I began thinking about what the term “pray through” really means. I can always talk to God about what I’m struggling with, but was I really “praying through”? Was I really having a life changing encounter with God? Am I really willing to put in the time, energy, and faith that would allow a forever change to take place and spiritual breakthrough?

I think “praying through” means life change. We may not see manifestation, but victory has occurred. We know we’ve left our struggle at the feet of Jesus. We know we’ve prayed through when we’re finished praying and inner life change has occurred.

After the last supper and before Jesus was taken away to be crucified, in Luke it says “He prayed earnestly”, meaning, with sincere and intense conviction. He said to the Father in his humanness, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done.”

With all sincerity and with intense conviction He prayed…Not my will but your will. Not my will but your will. May we all “Pray through” with sincerity and intense conviction until heaven is moved and life change begins. Thank you, Lord, for the out of nowhere reminder about “praying through.”

Over the course of 2023 God placed within me:

1. A strong understanding that the time is now for those who left the church to come back and for the church to experience revival.

2. God needs “The Church” to be in a place of strength now more than ever.

3.There is no more important time in history than now to be making sure we are living for and serving God as well as winning others to Him.

This has prompted in me to study the 7 churches in Revelation 2 & 3.

1. All 7 churches have characteristics of “The Church” of today. We who consider ourselves Christians, are part of “The Church” of today. “The Church encompasses all church denominations and cultures who preach Christ crucified, etc. (The loveless, persecuted, compromising, corrupt, dead, faithful, lukewarm)

2. Because He says at the end of every church description. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” That means he is talking to everyone. Do you have an ear? Do I have an ear? Is there something in me that needs to change when I read any of these church descriptions? I can personalize this and see how I need to be warned that I should not allow corruption or compromise to enter my life. I need to ask myself the question am I on fire or have I allowed myself to become lukewarm? Has my love grown cold? Am in danger of spiritual death?

3. Good news! God doesn’t give a warning to every church without hope. He says each time “Those who endure to the end” this tells me 1. People will endure till the end. 2. There are people who won’t endure to the end. Which do I want to be? Which do you want to be?

4. Even in the 2 churches he doesn’t have anything against, (The faithful church and the persecuted church) He gives the understanding you still need to be faithful to the end, meaning, no one is above slipping. We have to be on guard so that we don’t fall away.

5. We are given warning but equally given opportunities to be overcomers, victorious, and conquerors. There is hope.

As I’ve studied these 7 churches, God is now prompting me to dive in to these to subjects/ questions:

1. At what point do you go from being part of ‘The Church” to being just part of the world?

2. A study on “the love of many will grow cold” scripture found in Matthew 24 where the last days are discussed and the dead church found in Revelation.

3. The correlations between the 7 churches in Revelation to the scriptures in 2 Timothy 3 and Matthew 24 which both discuss end times last days behavior of people and happenings in the word.

As many of us typically do at the end of a year, I find myself looking back over the last 12 months and setting goals for the year ahead. I look back with gratitude and joy at the opportunity to take advantage of a trip we had planned during COVID lock-downs we thought we lost.  It was a special time I thought I may never get to experience again. Great trips, weekend get-a-ways, and time with family all helped make ’23 a good year.  Randy and I also put a little time into podcasting, and I’ve exercised blog therapy a little more often this year.

One of the hardest things about 2023 has been navigating the nursing shortage and how it affects Wedgewood. This problem has been nagging me for a long time. I am very grateful to God for continuing to provide. My heart is still heavy as I think about the nurses who have had to work extra so often over the last few years because of the shortage. It’s taken a toll on them, and it bothers me immensely. It has caused me to question if we can sustain this business. Being honest, fear creeps in when I think of the “what ifs”. Then, God gently reminds me that He has gotten us this far and He will make a way, no matter what comes. He has us where He wants us in that regard.

Watching my daughter-in-law lose her precious mother was also a difficult time. A few other family issues have been difficult, but God is faithful.

Looking ahead, I want to draw closer to God and dive more into His word. I would love to find new ministry areas and I’m open to God’s leading no matter how that might be. I also wish to put aside my caring too much about what others think. I have struggled in this area for a while now and 2024 is where I get it figured out and let it go. Caring way too much about what others think, or my perception of what they think, is paralyzing. God knows my heart. I can be free to serve God better as I fix this area. It holds me back from my very best service to God.

I’m blessed. I have a wonderful husband, kids, and family. God has provided beyond anything I could ask or think. He has brought us out of difficult times and reestablished my steps. I look forward to a great 2024!