Posts by Debrabo

Check the Soil of Your Heart

Posted by admin on Apr 6, 2012 in Journaling, Prayer | 0 comments

One of the first things a Gardener does when planting a garden is test the soil’s condition, ensuring that the seed will take root.

What is the condition of your heart soil?

In Matthew 13, God likens the condition of our heart to 4 types of soil, describing what happens when the Seed of His word is planted there.

The Message Bible describes it well.

14-15″The farmer plants the Word. Some people are like the seed that falls on the hardened soil of the road. No sooner do they hear the Word than Satan snatches away what has been planted in them.

 16-17″And some are like the seed that lands in the gravel. When they first hear the Word, they respond with great enthusiasm. But there is such shallow soil of character that when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it.

 18-19″The seed cast in the weeds represents the ones who hear the kingdom news but are overwhelmed with worries about all the things they have to do and all the things they want to get. The stress strangles what they heard, and nothing comes of it.

 20″But the seed planted in the good earth represents those who hear the Word, embrace it, and produce a harvest beyond their wildest dreams.”

Conditions of Heart Soil

1. Hard soil (weeds planted fall by the wayside and the birds pluck them up). Satan steals it.
2. Rocky soil (seed can’t take root). Satan brings persecution and trials to wither it.
3. Thorny soil (weeds – anxieties of life and deceitfulness of wealth) choke the Word and it becomes unfruitful.
4. Soft, fertile soil (seed takes root) and produces a harvest.

When was the last time you checked the condition of your heart? Is the Word of God taking root — do you remember and act on what God teaches you through His Word? What does your harvest look like?

Surveying the land of your heart should be done on a regular basis. I have found journaling and prayer to be an effective way to check what is in my heart and to guard it. Unless the Seed of God’s Word grows, you won’t bear fruit.

Jer. 4:3 says to plow up the hardness of your heart or the seed will be wasted among thorns.

The condition of your heart is your responsibility.

Guard your heart above all else for it determines the course of your life. Prov. 4:23 NLT

Take time today and allow the Holy Spirit to reveal the condition of your heart.

In Ezekiel 36:26, God promises to take away your stony heart and give you a heart of flesh!

Heart Preperation

Posted by admin on Mar 27, 2012 in Prayer | 0 comments

The battle is raging around you and you are standing on the promises of God’s word, using His word as a sword. And yet, it seems as though you are not breaking through to victory. When this happens it is important to make sure there is not sin in our hearts.

In Joshua 7, Israel was defeated in war because there was sin in the camp. Barbara Wentroble, author of Prophetic Intercession says,

“Israel’s defeat at Ai was not a failure of God’s promises; it was caused by man’s disobedience … cleansing had to take place before the enemies could be defeated.”

It is the same in our lives – cleansing has to take place before our “enemies” can be defeated, whether those enemies are physical, emotional or spiritual.

Joshua chapter 7 says that the Israelites were defeated by their enemies because of sin in the camp – the sin of a few men who stole and lied affected more than themselves. When the Israelites went to war, the men of Ai killed about 36 of them.

The sin in your life will affect those around you as well. How will your prayers protect them if you are losing the battle due to sin?

The Israelites became fearful. Joshua 7:5 says that the hearts of the people melted and became as water.

Josh 7:6-13 “And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the LORD until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads. And Joshua said, ‘Alas, O Lord GOD, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? Would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan! O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies! For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what wilt thou do unto thy great name?’ And the LORD said unto Joshua, ‘Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant, which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff. Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed. Neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you. Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against tomorrow: for thus saith the LORD God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you.’” KJV

Do you want to be victorious in spiritual battles? Then take time in the presence of God and ask Him to reveal if there is anything in your heart that needs cleaning before you go to battle. Journal what He reveals. Ask Him to forgive you and turn from your sin. When you sense God convicting you that something is wrong in your life, pay attention and obey Him immediately. This is a daily cleansing of your heart. It is vital to keep your heart clean if you are to stand victorious in spiritual warfare.

~Debra

Washing With The Word

Posted by admin on Mar 15, 2012 in Journaling | 1 comment

Journaling can help you work through a bad attitude. When I am struggling with bad attitudes, I have found that writing out my thoughts to God helps me to unload them and sort them out and keep accountable to Him. And if I still can’t seem to break through, I will wash with the water of God’s Word.

Take your life continually before God and He will change you into the likeness of His Son. Stuffing feelings might eventually lead to outbursts of emotions. Colossians 3:8 says that we are to put off and rid ourselves of unhealthy emotions.

“But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.” (Col 3:8 NIV)

You can unload them and sort them out when you feel angry, confused, or hurt. We usually suppress them and put a lid on them or we explode. If they are stuffed, they can eventually become volcanic. Journaling is a healthy and safe way to take the lid off and diffuse them.

When your emotions feel like they are going to erupt, look at them by bringing them to God and sharing them with Him. He will pour the oil of His Holy Spirit on them and diffuse them. He will show you why you are so angry and how He wants you to respond.

Pay close attention. Many times as I write out my emotions I begin to see things I never saw before about the situation and about myself. I finally see why I do the things I do.

If you don’t deal with your feelings, they’ll deal with you or others in an unhealthy way. As you write them out before God, surrendering them, He will change your character into the likeness of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Journaling your emotions will reveal to you how you are really feeling. Many times people do not even remember why they are so angry. Have you ever had that experience? Once you journal if you are still struggling, it’s time to wash with the water of God’s Word. God’s word has a cleansing effect.

In order for God to mold you properly, there is a process that is required. Before a potter forms a lump of clay, it is washed in a vat of water and then soaked. And in order for you to be molded into the image of Christ, you, too, must be washed by water and saturated in it. But it is a special type of water that the Divine Potter uses in molding us. It is the water of His word. God’s word is alive, full of cleansing and energizing power that can change you into who He created you to be, someone with a beautiful heart.

Through your interaction with God, He will continually knead your heart – the clay and will add the water of His word in order to expose and work out all of your impurities. As He kneads, you may feel pressure.

For example, God continually kneads my heart trying to work His love into it. When I am tempted to turn away from walking in love, He lovingly washes me with His word knowing that with just the right amount of water my heart will soften.

One night when I was really struggling with loving someone, He woke me up two times with this verse:

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” 1 John 4:7-8 NASB

He was instructing me to love this person unconditionally. He seemed to be saying to my heart, “If you say you know Me, then you will walk in love, for God is love.”

Even though I struggle with it, and even though I might not feel like reading God’s word, I know I must, for He is trying to mold my heart into a vessel of love. It is never comfortable when God reveals my imperfections. And it will not be comfortable when He reveals yours. But if you yield to His hand, He will remove them.

Use the following prompts to help you get started.

Journaling Prompts:

Lord I feel like…

God, I am so angry about…

Why am I feeling so depressed…

He makes me so angry…

There are many booklets with catagorized scriptures. If you do not have one, you can find categorized scriptures to wash your heart in the back our Washing with the Word Journal.

Excerpt taken from “Intimacy with God through Journaling” – Coached Program

Salvation Scripture Seeds

Posted by admin on Mar 12, 2012 in Scripture Seeds | 0 comments

Father, Your hand is not so short that it cannot save, and neither is Your ear so dull that it cannot hear, for whoever calls upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved. Isaiah 59:1; Acts 2:21

I claim ___________ as God’s purchased possession, redeemed and loosed by the blood of Christ, and I present them/him/her to You, Father God, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:18-19

In the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, I come boldly before Your throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace to help on behalf of these who need You. Heb. 4:16

Father, I ask You to open a door for my message, so that I may proclaim the mystery of Christ clearly as I should, and that I will not be ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. Col 4:3-4; Rom 1:16

I commit them now to Jesus, my Lord and Savior, for He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen. Hebrews 7:25

*Please note these are not direct “quotes,” but prayers based on God’s precious Word.

Find more scriptures to pray in our “Mud on My Knees” prayer journal.

Prodigal Prayer

Posted by admin on Mar 12, 2012 in Scripture Seeds | 0 comments

Because I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, I declare that I and my household are saved! Acts 16:31

Lord, I thank You that You will deliver the one for whom I intercede that is not innocent. Yes, ________will be delivered through the cleanness of my hands. Job 22:30

You said in Isaiah 49:24 that even though ________ has become prey to the mighty or has been taken captive lawfully, she/he shall be delivered. For You will contend with those that contend with me, and You will save my children.

You have promised to pour Your Spirit upon my seed and Your blessings upon my offspring. Is 44:3 You will pour water upon them and floods upon the dry ground of their hearts because she/he is spiritually thirsty.

The seed of the righteous shall be delivered. Pr 11:21 Deliver _______from the snare of the trapper. Ps 91:31

I pray that ________ will come to her/his senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will. 2 Tim 2:26

In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

*Please note these are not direct “quotes,” but prayers based on God’s precious Word.

Find more scriptures to pray in our “Mud on My Knees” prayer journal.

Heart Scriptures

Posted by admin on Mar 12, 2012 in Scripture Seeds | 0 comments

Why Pray Heart Scriptures?

‘We can aim our prayers at circumstances, and we should, if God leads us to. But it is much more effective to aim them toward the heart. Your prayers will soften your loved ones’ hearts, so they can hear the voice of God and turn away from their sin. If you aim your prayers directly towards the heart, you will see answers more quickly. Why? Circumstances may change, but unless the heart changes, it is likely that your prodigals will repeat their past choices. When praying for someone else’s heart, it is their decision to respond, but your prayers will open the door for the Holy Spirit to cultivate and soften their heart. Praying daily will cause hearts to be more receptive to God’s voice. Then you can effectively zero in on the other promises they need for their situations.’

As you pray, the Holy Spirit will soften the stony heart and bring to the surface any rocks of offense, painful memories, or hard-to-break habits so they can be easily removed.

Father, I thank you that __________’s heart is in Your hand; turn it like rivers of water towards Your will. (Prov 21:1 NKJ)

Circumcise her/his heart and open it to the gospel; and remove all hindrances so she/he can obey Your truth. (Deut 30:6 RSV)

Thank You, Father, that You have promised to give ________a new heart and put a new spirit within her/him; and that You will take away her/his heart of stone and give her/him a heart of flesh.

*Please note these are not direct “quotes,” but prayers based on God’s precious Word.

Excerpt taken from Mud On My Knees E-Book.

Find the complete teaching and more heart scriptures to pray in our “Mud on My Knees” Prayer E-Book.

Prophetic Intercession

Posted by admin on Mar 12, 2012 in Prayer | 0 comments

Does God speak through dreams and visions? Most of the time, God speaks to His people through His still small voice; but at times He may speak to you through dreams and visions. God spoke this way to His prophets in the Old Testament. When God reveals something to you about a situation that you know nothing about, or gives you specific direction for the purpose of prayer, it is called Prophetic Intercession.

Prophetic intercession includes intercession and prophecy. It has been said that a prophetic intercessor has his ear in heaven hearing God and his mouth on earth declaring God’s will. As he prays what the Holy Spirit reveals, God’s will is released in this earth.

The Holy Spirit may give you an impression or a word of knowledge. He may reveal something about a situation or a person that you have no earthly information about. God is asking you to intercede.

God may show you something in a dream. Not all dreams are from God. Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit.

“Indeed God speaks once, or twice, yet no one notices it. In a dream, a vision of the night, when sound sleep falls on men, while they slumber in their beds, then He opens the ears of men and seals their instructions.” (Job 33:14-16).

Several years ago God spoke to me through a dream. I was praying scripture over the people that were standing all around me, when all of a sudden a booming voice came from Heaven and shouted, “Bart!” I awakened from my dream. “Bart”, I thought, I only knew one Bart therefore I started to pray for him. I fought to keep my heavy eyelids open. Sleep was beckoning me but so was the Holy Spirit. So I prayed before going back to sleep. The next morning Bart was on his way to the hardware store and as he went through the intersection, another vehicle ran the red light at around 40 miles an hour hitting Bart’s truck and overturning it. Even though Bart was not wearing a seat belt, he was not hurt.

The Lord knew what was about to happen and awakened me to pray. God intervened in a mighty way. This is an example of prophetic intercession.

Sometimes God speaks through a vision.

“if there is a prophet among you, I, The Lord, shall make myself known to him in a vision. I shall speak with him in a dream.” (Numbers12:6b)

A vision is a still or moving picture that you see while you are awake. God opens your spiritual eyes and gives you a visual aid, showing you how to pray. You may not even know the person that God directs you to pray for. Even though you may never meet them in your lifetime, because you are joining God in prayer for them, you can be certain that God is moving in their lives.

We are not supposed to chase after dreams and visions, but this does not negate the fact that God still speaks through His people this way.

Should God use you in this way, be faithful to pray through. God works in amazing ways through prayer.

Planting the Seed

Posted by admin on Mar 12, 2012 in Prayer | 0 comments

Sowing Scripture Seed

Posted by admin on Mar 12, 2012 in Prayer | 0 comments

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. (Galatians 6:7 NKJV)

When a farmer plants seeds, he expects them to grow. Even though he may see nothing for weeks, he knows that the tiny seeds are beginning to sprout and grow. He waits patiently for his crop because he knows that the law of nature and of the harvest is that he will reap whatever he sows. You may not be a farmer but if you are a Christian, God has called you to co-labor with Him in the Garden of the hearts of men.

For we are fellow workmen (joint promoters, laborers together) with and for God; you are God’s garden and vineyard and field under cultivation, [you are] God’s building. (1Corintians 3:8-10 AMP)

God’s word is a seed. When we pray God’s promises into the lives of our loved ones we are sowing God’s seed. Like the farmer who planted his seed into the ground you may not see anything happen for some time. But you too must believe that when you sow God’s seed into the hearts of your loved ones through prayer, you will reap a bountiful harvest. When you see nothing happen it is easy to give up. Don’t give up!

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. (Galatians 6:9 NKJV)

What kind of harvest will you reap? If you do nothing, you will reap nothing.

Start planting God’s seed through prayer. Go ahead, right now pick a promise related to the circumstance and write it in your journal. I am not talking about a ‘Name it Claim it’ theology but about finding those promises in God’s word that pertain to your situation and praying them. To get you started we put together some scriptures for you. You can find them under the Article Section on the side bar.

God’s word is filled with powerful scriptures that you can pray. His word is alive and active and has the power to change hearts. Plant God’s word and believe by faith for the harvest. Lives will be changed and you will reap bountifully! To learn more purchase Mud On My Knees Prayer Guide, filled with teaching and tools that will help you cultivate the hearts of others through prayer.