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Post by 4him on Nov 26, 2009 21:11:13 GMT -7
Dear Saints,
I've found that lately, my patience has been wearing thin with my kids and I have been losing my temper more often. Can you please pray that I would 'put off' these types of reactions and attitudes, and that I would 'put on' the Lord Jesus Christ ?
In Jesus, John
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Post by Eli Brayley on Nov 27, 2009 12:53:00 GMT -7
Amen, brother. A friend of mine said once, "Irritation is seeing sin without seeing the blood of Jesus." God wants us to see sin clearly, but to see it in light of the cross. I pray that the Spirit enables you to be patient with your children just as God was with you, John. Ephesians 5:1-2.
Yours, -Eli
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Post by alan4jc on Nov 27, 2009 23:10:46 GMT -7
Hi John, I'll pray for you and how about you pray for me along the same lines.
Thanks Brother~Alan
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Post by 4him on Nov 28, 2009 12:12:23 GMT -7
Thanks guys, for the prayers, the good words, and the verse. I'll definitely pray for you about this as well, Alan !
In Jesus, John
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Post by mitchie2006 on Nov 28, 2009 16:00:07 GMT -7
Perhaps it would be more constructive to try to find and address the source of your frustration, stress and lack of patience, rather than skipping that step and jumping straight into prayer. Given prayer's negligible track record, it may likely be far more beneficial to consult your family doctor. That is, if it becomes something that is unmanageable.
I had the same issues with my partner and children. One day at a time, and with effort, along with a few healthier nutritional choices, excercise and better sleep habits things have improved dramatically. I didn't require any prayer or a doctor at all.
Hope this helps. :-)
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Post by 4him on Nov 29, 2009 22:59:50 GMT -7
Hi Mitchie, I agree with you that it’s important to look at the source of frustrations with your kids and to determine as best you can what can be done about the situation, to make it better. However, I also believe that human wisdom, human reasoning, will only take you ‘so far’. If God has much greater wisdom than I do, then it makes sense to look to him because he is all-knowledgeable, and also because ‘prayer changes things’. It not only can change kids, when they’re being difficult, but it can also change dads like me, who are needing to react much better than I do sometimes. When we pray, we are ‘taking it by faith’ that God has heard our prayers. I truly believe that it can be demonstrated that all people, whether Christians or Atheists are operating by faith. For instance, some put their faith in God while others may put their faith in scientists. Personally, as a Christian, I have experienced God answering my prayers and the prayers of others. But, the Bible also teaches that in order for prayer to be ‘effective’, certain things need to be in place. For instance, we need to have a relationship with God , through his son Jesus, in order for him to see us as sons and daughters and therefore to listen to our prayers. Also, the Bible teaches that sin can hinder our prayers being heard by God, so it’s important for us to confess sins that we are aware of in our lives, in order to experience all that God has for us, including answers to prayer. I believe that answers to prayer will be recognizable by those who are coming to God with faith in their hearts. The Bible teaches that whoever comes to God must, “believe that He is (he exists) and that he is a rewarder of those who dilligently seek him”. If we come with a heart of unbelief....the same things which can convince some people .... will always seem to remain beyond the reach of ‘proof’ for us. If one reads the life of George Muller, a Christian man who lived over 100 years ago, you will see an abundance of answers to prayer in his life, in fact answers to prayer on a day to day basis. Why do most Christians not experience such answers to prayer ? I believe it is because they are not living their lives in absolute dependence upon God. When Muller set up his orphanages, his agreement with God (if I can reverently put it that way) was that he would be expecting God to provide for his daily needs in answer to prayer. George would be trusting God to meet those needs, and his trust was evidenced by the fact that he determined never to advertise for any of his financial needs. Instead, he chose to look to God alone to meet them. Not many of us...certainly not myself, have ever trusted God so wholeheartedly, and consequently not many of us have ever seen God answer prayers so powerfully. thepathtosimplicity.blogspot.com/2009/02/im-officially-fan-of-george-mueller.htmlIf you want to look for a modern day example of a great answer to prayer, listen to this sermon on prayer. This sermon is preached by a pastor who is in charge of a church which has an outreach to people in inner city, New York. www.youtube.com/watch?v=U79YOKje2zUI could share and I’m sure others on this forum could share many examples of amazing answers to prayer. But the question is....what would it take to believe ? God will always ‘hide himself’ from those who come to him in unbelief. But he will never turn us away if we cast ourself upon him in an attitude of submission, and put our faith in what Christ did for us through his death on the cross. Talk to you later, John
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