What Happens When Women (We) Pray

Throughout my life, I have experienced the power of prayer in so many ways. 

There is power in prayer, but the hard part is finding the time to pray.  As I have shared with you before, this has been a very hard year for me, filled with many challenges and growing times.  During some of those times, prayer was the only thing I could do.  T he circumstances were out of my control.  All I could do is pray, but there were days I was so broken that I could not pray. 

In many ways, reading Evelyn’s books have kept me trusting and believing that God was still there working everything together for my good.  Through the ups and downs of this year, I feel like I am ready to turn the corner.  I want to pray, pray, and pray.  To be more specific, I want to pray, pray, pray, for myself and my relationship with God and my family.    

Dear God,

Thank you for this challenging year.  You have taught me so many things.  One this day, October 22, 2013, I give my life and my family to you.  I want prayer to be the number one focus in my life.  As we begin a new book by Evelyn called, What Happens When Women (WE) Pray, I want to use the power of prayer in ways I have never experienced before.  Teach me all that I need to learn, and unleash the power of prayer in my life.  Thank you for what you are going to do. 

In Jesus Name, Amen.

Our New Book:  What Happens When Women (We) Pray by Evelyn Christenson.

Quote from page 17

Prayers, Not Plans or Programs

We learned that things could happen when we didn’t plan at all, but just prayed.

Quote from page 18

Pray First, Plan Afterwards

Even if you are plugged into God’s will and know we’re going in the right direction, we may be going at a snail’s pace.  God says, “Look, you see only a tenth of what I have for you.  There are nine-tenths that you’re not seeing that you don’t know anything about.”

Good wants us to make ourselves available to Him and to say before we start to plan, “Lord, tell me what You want me to do, where You want me to go, how You want me to do it.”  Then our omnipotent God, with all the abundance of heaven at His disposal, will pour out His power upon us.  Instead of following our tiny, tiny, plans, God wants to open heaven and flood us.  It’s exciting.

This sounds so refreshing to me.  I need to pray and not plan, but let God lead me.  Oh, how enlightening this is for me today.  I feel released from me doing it, and at peace giving God the controls in my life.  I am here to do whatever he wants.  I don’t want to plan my life, I want him to.

Set FREE from planning.  Released to let go and let God work his plans for me. 

Quote from page 19

In six months we had learned that “the effectual, fervent prayer” of a righteous person avails much—not plans or programs, but effectual, fervent prayer.

Yes, PRAYER is powerful, but what will happen if I don’t use it. 

Quote from page 28-30

A Prerequisite to Answered Prayer

Do you wonder why your prayers aren’t answered?  We’re going to learn many reasons why they are not, in the chapters that follow, but here is the first one:  sin (or sins) in your life.  It is “the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous person that availeth much.”  If your prayers aren’t availing much, this many be the reason. 

Your problem may not be sins, but sin.  And this is a very important point.  When our Lord was talking to His disciples just before His crucifixion, He told them that He was going to send the Comforter, the Holy spirit, who would convict the world –those who were not Christ’s followers—“of sin, because they believe not on me.”  (John 16:9)  This is the sin that will keep God from hearing intercessory prayer—the sin of not believing in “Christ as your person Savior.  If this is your sin, the only prayer from you that God promises to hear is one of repentance and faith as your invite Christ into your life.

Dear Father,

Bring to my mind that sin or sins keeping You from hearing my intercessory prayers.       I confess whatever You have brought to my mind as sin.

Thank you, Lord, for cleansing me as You promised in 1 John 1:9 and qualifying me for effectual, intercessory prayer.

1 John 1:8-9

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins a

nd purify us from all unrighteousness.

 

 

Chapter 12 Losing My Right to be Free from Suffering

This has been a perfect book to read during a challenging time in my life.  You know, life is filled with hard times no matter who we are.  Do we like going through these times in our lives?  No, at least not at first. 

This past year and reading this book has opened my eyes to a lot of things that I take for granted.  The first one that comes to my mind is that God has blessed me with the most wonderful husband in the world.  He is always there for me and supports me in whatever I feel led to do.  My niece is staying with us for awhile.  I asked her if she wanted to get married someday and her response touched my heart.  “Yes, if I could have a marriage like you and Dave.  You guys are so sweet to each other.”  I guess the happiness I enjoy with my husband shows.  So I can happily say today.

Dear God, thank you for my wonderful husband, Dave.

Then when I think of my children I am blessed.  Life is not perfect in our household, but we are supportive of each other.  This has been a very difficult year for us losing our right to have a completely healthy family.  I have been forced to accept that one of our children might be experiencing mental health issues.  It’s all been very hard, but we are in this together.  We recently had a family phone call to talk about the issues facing our family.  Every one of our children are very busy in their professions, but they stopped, took the time to talk together how we can help our son.  After the phone call ended I felt so blessed.  I did not feel alone in what we were going through.  Praise God.  We can gain in our lives, while losing. 

Dear God, Thank you for our four sons and three daughters in law. 

As I travel around speaking and sharing the gospel with women, I have seen so many women with REAL heath issues.  Many of these women experience pain all the time.  I can run, I can bike, and I can swim and do just about anything I want without pain.  Yes, I could be taking my health for granted, but not anymore.

Dear God, Thank you for good health.

What about life?  In the midst of the pain and suffering in my life, can I find something good to be thankful for, something to praise God for? 

As I finish the book Gaining Through Losing, I am encouraged as I go through the trial that I am.  

Quote from the book Gaining Through Losing. Evelyn:  page 172

The more I lose my right to have suffering removed, the more I gain the ultimate privilege possible for any human being: not only being like Christ—but actually sharing His suffering

Page 178

It’s the word commit in 1 Peter 4:19. 

So then those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.

When we suffer the same word Christ used on the cross when He was suffering while absolutely innocent.  Jesus, our example who all through His life entrusted Himself to His Father’s will.  Even at the time of His supreme suffering, the crucifixion, He committed His soul to the Father.

Page 179

And, because I too have LOST my right to be free from suffering, I have GAINED the greatest of all gains:  I will reign with Jesus.

Are you gaining through your losses—with God?

Honestly, I have learned from this book first hand, this year.  Even though I am not at the end of losing, I have the hope that “something to gain will happen through my story.”

Thank you dear Evelyn, for all you have taught me through this book.  I remember now, the first time I read this I had to stop in the middle somewhere because I did not want to deal with losing in my life.  Losing is not easy, and how well you know this, but through it all God’s reasons will one day shine through.  I do not know what is going to happen through my Losing Year, but I do know that I am a different person because of this year.

Dear God,

Thank you for opening my eyes to the fact that even though it has been a losing year in some ways in my life, I need to look beyond and realize the good that is still there waiting for me.  Thank you for opening my eyes. 

Chapter 11: Losing My Right to Be an Unfit Christian

Quote from the book Gaining Through Losing. Evelyn:  page 153

God’s Exercise Program

Before the foundation of the world, God knew we would need spiritual as well as physical exercise.  So He placed in the Bible His spiritual exercise program.  Surprisingly, I have discovered that, as does physical exercise, it produces the same exhilarating lifestyle, pleasant mental state, an antidote to depression, the ability to respond to stress and pain, and adds life to one’s years!

But what about spiritual exercise?  Don’t be surprised if you don’t know.   In the Book of Hebrews we are told that we have all forgotten God’s method of exercising His children, as set forth in Proverbs 3:11-12, so the writer reminds us:

“My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord…for whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth… afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are EXERCISED thereby” (Hebrews 12:5-11 Caps are mine)

Exercised by what?  By an often misunderstood biblical word—chastisement.     

Accepting this teaching is often difficult because of our negative concept of the chastisement—assuming it to mean “punishment.”  This causes us to think that all the hard things which come to us are God’s form of retribution for our wrongdoing.  But the accurate definition of that word is “discipline, training.”  How different!  The purpose is just the opposite – not punishing, but perfecting.  God assuring us that the things which come into our lives and the things which He sends will be used by Him to exercise us—to make us fit for the tasks and trails of life.

Chastisement is not a word that makes me feel encouraged in my Christian walk, but “discipline, training” makes me feel a lot better.

Is it ever easy to experience pain and suffering in our lives?  No, it is very hard.

Hindsight can be 20/20 vision.  Looking back on this past year I can see how the challenging times I have been through have “grown me”.  It has been a process. 

In the beginning, I felt wounded and somewhat angry for the suffering that was occurring in my life.  It was honestly hard to keep believing that what I was going through was for my good.  I actually felt mad at God.  I did not like those feelings, but they were there.  I felt like a spoiled child.  I could not pull together the strength to cope, so as a result I shed many tears.

I knew God was always there and as I read my Bible, he would encourage me with verses like Isaiah 41:10, 1 Thessalonians 5:24, Colossians 4:2, Isaiah 57:10 and on and on.

Nothing changed UNTIL I finally gave it all to God. It was my turning point and I knew it.  After surrendering my pain to God, I truly began to experience  “peace in the storm”.  Slowly my “discipline, training” was developing in my life.

Even though the life challenge is still there, I am different, changed, and experiencing God’s strength.  I have peace like a river in my life.

Thank you Jesus!    

 

 

 

 

Chapter 10: Losing My Rights to My Money

There is so much to gain by reading this chapter, so if you get a chance pick up this book and read it.  It was hard to decide what to share with you today.

Quote from the book Gaining Through Losing. Evelyn:  page 146

Confidence.  The Bible gives a tremendous reason why we should be free from the love of (one of those three little terms—WANT, LOVE, LONG FOR) Money.  Why?  Because it produces confidence.

Let your way of life be free from the love of money, being content with what you have, for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” so that we confidently say, “The Lord is my Helper, I will not be afraid.  What shall man do to me?”  Heb. 13:5-6

Am I content with what I have?  I might say I am, but am I really?  Am I happy with what I do have and not LONG FOR more money for something else?  I need to search my heart for the truth.

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5

Evelyn shared a wonderful “act of faith” that has inspired me with my own writing.

Quote from the book Gaining Through Losing. Evelyn:  page 151

Gamblers for God

It seems that without the willingness to risk losing, there can be no great gains in God’s economy.  Retired Bank president Chester Eggen said to me, “I’m thinking of doing some seminars on the spiritual application of ‘There Is No Gain Without Pain.’  As a bank president, I know we must let go of our profits in order that we can earn more profits.”

The following is what touched my heart.

Our Nonprofit United prayer Ministries organization decided to test that principle.  From its inception, the love offerings had never quite paid the travel, publicity, and mailing expenses.  So, after much prayer and with our treasury still in the red, we voted to launch a giving program –free books, tapes and leaders’ guides to missionaries and prisoners.  To our surprise, at the end of that fiscal year, we had enough money left over to buy a typewriter and a desk –and the trend has never reversed itself.  It worked.

The old saying, “I cannot out give God,” is true.  Do I dare try this in some way?  It will take some thought and a huge portion of courage. 

Maybe there is someone out there, right now, going through a financially hard time.  You are not alone.  God is with you.  Can you trust him?

I remember a time in my life where our money seemed to run out before the paycheck came.  We had always practiced ‘tithing’ from the first of our income and God always provided.  Then there came a time where we were really tested. 

We needed extra money for something real important and we contemplated using our tithing, but instead just trusted God to provide in another way.  We were faithful and so was God.  He provided more than we needed in another way.

God is so faithful.  We can trust him today with whatever we are facing.

Dear God,

Please go before me today.  I want to lose my right to gain any money for my work.     I leave it all in your hands.  Thank you for what you are going to teach me.  In Jesus name, Amen.

 

 

 

 

Chapter 9: Losing My right to Harbor an Unforgiving Spirit

Quote from the book Gaining Through Losing. Evelyn:  page 120

Have you ever battled with your right to harbor an unforgiving spirit?  When you are hurt by what someone says or does, do you feel you have the “right” to turn that person off, shun him, or even hate him?  When things just aren’t the way they used to be, do you feel you have the “right” to keep it that way?

I have been teaching the biblical precepts of forgiveness from my book What Happens When Women Pray for several years now.  I used to wonder how effective this teaching was—if the actual forgiving really worked.

But I don’t wonder anymore.  One of the greatest joys has been watching these instructions bring visible results in the lives of those doing the forgiving.  I have been astounded at the gains that have come to those who have been deeply hurt and then, by forgiving, have indicated their willingness to give up, lose their “right” to nurse a wounded spirit. 

Forgiving others does not come easy, but when I have seen the results in my own life, it motivates me to forgive again.

While living in the Philippines as a missionary I learned first hand that forgiving others is hard, but the rewards are a blessing.

We lived in what was called a Church House.  It was a large building that had two apartments on the first floor, an open space for a church, a small apartment, and then our 700 square foot apartment on the second floor.  At one point we had 26 people living, working, and socializing in this building. 

Now, I cannot stand bad relationships, so I was constantly working on the relationships in this living arrangement. 

There was one missionary woman that I really did not like very much.  She lived in one of the lower level apartments with her husband and three children.  She was not involved in ministry, so I wondered why she was there.

Many things happened that created negative relationships with her.  I did not want to even be around her.  I avoided seeing her.

Then one day God impressed on my heart that I needed to talk to this women and invite her to do a Bible study together.  My response to God was, “No Way!”  I tried to ignore God’s prompting in my life, but totally lacked peace in the situation.  Finally I said to God, “OK, I’ll ask her, she’ll say no, and that will be that.”

It took a lot of courage to talk to this woman.  I really could not do it on my own.  I asked God to give me what I needed to ask her.  Then one day, it happened.

I saw her outside and realized this was the time for me to talk to her.  So I asked her if we could talk.  I said, “I was thinking about doing a Bible study and wondered if you would like to do it with me.”  I was waiting for her to say, “No”, but I was shocked when she said “yes”.

We began to meet together once a week to go through a Bible study together.  What I discovered is when you have an unforgiving heart with someone, if you study the Bible together with them, everything changes.

Little by little as we talked together, I began to understand the “whys” in her life.  She had been on the mission field for a long time and was worn out.  She was due to go back to the States for good and she had shut down.  She was hurting.

When she ended up leaving to return to the states I could wrap my arms around her and tell her that I loved her, and really mean it.  Only God can do this in a relationship.

I gained a lot by losing my pride and just being obedient to God.  It felt wonderful.

Since then I have written a Bible Study called, “The Fruits of the Spirit”.  This study was written for people who are having relationship problems.  When you learn together about the Fruits of the Spirit, it is hard to stay mad at someone.  God transforms a bad relationship into a love relationship.  If you are interested in having this study, send me an e-mail and I’ll send it to you.  youjustwrite@gmail.com

Colossians 3:13

Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Dear God,

Please speak to me about any relationship in my life that requires forgiveness.  Please help me to follow through with actions.  Thank you for speaking to me.  Please help me to listen.

We have three more weeks in this book "Gaining Through Losing". 

1.  Losing My Rights to My Money
2,  Losing My Right to be an Unfit Christian
3.  Losing My Right to be Free from Suffering


The next book will be a 6 week study called, What Happens When Women (Men) Pray.  For the next 12 weeks, we are going to add men to this title.  I hope it will be ok with Evelyn.  I know this book is for everyone, so for the next 6 weeks we will call it, "What Happens When We Pray."  The chapters are shorter, so we will try and do two chapters a week.  Invite your friends to join us.

 

 

 

Chapter 7: Forsaken

Dear Friends,

I am posting the next two weeks on Sunday.  I will be traveling for my speaking engagements and I am not sure I will be around a computer on Tuesdays.  Blessings to all of you.

 

 

Quote from the book Gaining Through Losing. Evelyn:  page 86

Is separation by death the only cause of aloneness?  Is there a loss of human association that can be even more difficult to bear than death?  

In death there is generally the factor of God’s sovereignty.  We can find solace in the fact that the ultimate controlling force in death is God.  

Whether we accept it or blame Him, we still hide behind the knowledge that, after all, death is really beyond our control.

 But not so when a loved one deliberately chooses to sever or replace a relationship. Forsaken!  This can sometimes be a far more devastating loss than death.

 When a loved one severs a relationship—especially when it leads to that final loss, divorce—the wound can be even deeper than death.  It bleeds longer and festers.  Hereas, in death the departed one (if in Christ) gains, in divorce, both lose.

Quote from the book Gaining Through Losing. Evelyn:  page 87

I have listened, astounded, as the forsaken ones have told me how God has met them at the point of their devastatingly deep needs.  How He has taken over and filled the void with Himself.  How they have been able not only to cope, but actually to find something given to them by God to replace the lost relationship.

Divorce is all around us.  It is even present in our Christian world.  I have not experienced this painful life situation, but I have been around many who have.  Forsaken is a good way to describe how they feel, yet over and over in the chapters of this book we read that God meets us at our deepest need and people experience more of God.

This chapter of the book relates to a lot of different life situations where God meets people in the midst of their storm.

Recently I have experienced this first hand.  I have lived through one of the hardest years in my life.  When a child that you bear is going through tough times, it hurts more than anything.  Distance has separated us.  He believes he is following God, but nothing but challenges have been pouring down on him, so I began to question what is happening.

I spent many hours crying out to God.  I admitted that I was honestly angry at Him.  I was asking questions like why and where are you? 

Living over a year in this world of pain, I finally came to a point of total surrender.  I thought I had already surrendered, but I had not.  Once I did, everything began to slowly change.  I eventually came to a point that I was able to thank God for what my child was going through and give it all to him.

Here is the only way I could do this.  I prayed…

Dear God,

“I know I need to come to the point in my life that I can thank you for all our son is going through, but I cannot do this without your help.  You know my heart right now as I say, ‘thank you for all our son is going through’.  Please help me to believe this.  Thank you, Dear God.  

I was reading this chapter at a perfect time.  I’d like to share another quote from Evelyn. 

Quote from the book Gaining Through Losing. Evelyn:  page 101

Dear Father, only You can comfort him.  Please, come in proportion to his need.  You love him and comfort him the way I would if I could be there.”

When I gave my son totally to God, I needed to know that God was going to take care of him.  Evelyn’s prayer came at a time when I really needed to know God would take care of my son and comfort him in time of his need.

Everyone out there is probably going through something challenging in their lives.  Knowing that God will come to us in proportion to our needs is so encouraging to me today.  Thank you Dear God!

 

 

 

 

Chapter 6: To Die is Gain?

Quote from the book Gaining Through Losing. Evelyn:  page 76

I had watched the price my mother paid for the privilege of knowing that my father was prepared to spend eternity with Jesus.  For 25 years she had lived her Jesus before him, always in love and sacrificial giving of herself, never compromising—then came the moment when his doctors told him he was dying.  After calling his denomination’s pastor (whom he had never even met) to administer final communion, he said, “There’s more to it than this, isn’t there, Mother?”

“Do you think so?”  She once again repeated to him, “Just ask God to forgive all your sins, Daddy; and ask Jesus to come in as your Savior.”  He did.  Her Jesus became his Jesus!

For many years I lived with a tremendous fear.  I wondered what would happen to me if I died?  I lived with this fear until I was finally told the truth.  I did not have to be afraid of death, because I can know for sure that I will be in heaven one day. 

Evelyn says it all very clearly in the second paragraph above. 

1.  I needed to ask God to forgive my sins. 

2.  Then ask Jesus to come in as my Savior. 

I have had the privilege of traveling in Wisconsin, Minnesota and very soon into Nebraska and Illinois, sharing my life story of how Jesus took the fear of dying out of my life.  As I share my story I wonder why I waited so long to ask Jesus to be my Savior, but I am so thankful that I did.  My life changed.  Peace and joy were all around.  It does not mean I never have troubles, but no matter how hard, there is peace.

 …And one day, I know for sure that I will be in heaven. 

 

Quote from the book Gaining Through Losing. Evelyn:  page 80

Where All Losses Turn to Gains

How important it is for us to lift up our eyes to that place where all of the losses of earth turn to gains for the one entering eternity.

Angel Choir.  My husband had a unique glimpse of this after he returned to his cadet training in the U.S. Air Force following his father’s death.  As Chris and his flight team were flying out over the Gulf of Mexico, someone had switched the dial from the radio range station to a regular pass.  Chris had hung his radio headphones up in the cockpit and leaned back, deep in thought about his father’s recent death.  Suddenly from those headphones, ethereal strains of music filled the cockpit:

 There’s a land beyond the river,

That we call the sweet forever,

And we only reach that shore by faith’s decrees.

One by one we’ll gain the portals,

There to dwell with the immortals,

When they ring the golden bells for you and me.

 In his mind Chris was standing in the midst of that great celestial angel choir in the presence of both his earthly and his heavenly Father.  His emotions accelerated from awe, to joy, and then to hope.

For everyone who has made the choice to ask God to forgive their sins and invite Jesus to come in as their Savior, Heaven will one day be the GREATEST GAIN we could ever experience.. 

1.  I needed to ask God to forgive my sins. 

2.  Then ask Jesus to come in as my Savior. 

 Dear God,

Thank you that you forgive my sins.  I want you to be my Savior.  One day you will call me to heaven, but until then, I want to serve you in whatever way you choose for me.

 As I have shared with you over the past months, I have been experiencing a very challenging storm in my life.  Even though I have not understood, I know it has been in God’s hands. I do not understand everything, but the peace is there.  It still has been hard. 

Well, this past week there was a breakthrough in my life. I had to make some choices and when I did, the blessings began to flow again.  I do not know if you have been praying for me, but if you have, thank you and please do not stop yet.

It feels so good to see God working.  I still do not have all the answers, but my faith is trusting God with everything.  It has been like a fresh breeze has come into my life.  Praise God!

 What are you facing today?  Trust God.  Even though he may be silent, he is still there working all things together for your good.