Because He lives, We live!

lifewords 4.26.11 Tuesday living in the His Kingdom! He is risen! And because He lives, we live!  Oh the power of Jesus' blood, His substitutionary death on the cross and His resurrection!  I'm praying for you according to our King's instructions...that His Kingdom would be established in your life and His will be done in your life on this Earth as it is in heaven. I'm agreeing with you for His will in your life in all areas. Prayer is awesome!  And the Word of God is powerful and alive.   Remember, we are in His Kingdom, the Kingdom of God. Col. 1:13  says  "Who delivered us out of the authority of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love." We've been translated, relocated, moved out of darkness and all of its power. He has given us a new location. Our life is now in Him.  In His love, In His Light! In His light we see light!   His Kingdom is also in us! Jesus said that the Kingdom of God is within you,  inside of you!  I'm so thankful we are not in darkness today, but in the Love Kingdom of our Jesus! He is love....He is light.....and He is life.....everything about Him and His Kingdom demonstrates the essence of these three. And our very lives should permeate with these characteristics, because we are in Him and He is in us.    No matter what happens today, let's not allow anxiety or fear to grip us. Let's decide, intentionally, to fix our mind on the truth of God's Word and rejoice! Psalm 27:1 says  The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"  Then let's not forget Psalm 46:1  "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."    He is with Us! He is our Light! He is our refuge and strength! Rejoice today!   He IS a very present help in time of trouble. And He is YOUR very present Help. So today, on purpose, let's  abide in Him, worship Him continually, pray without ceasing, give thanks always, keep His Word our priority and be desperate for His presence and His will.   And remember always that you are His beloved, and He loves you with an everlasting love. praying for you, amy.

Lifewords 4.23.11

o lifewords April 23, 2011    I pray you are celebrating the power of the cross and also the reality of His resurrection today.  I love John 11:25. It is such good news. These are the Words of our Savior.  "I am the Resurrection and the Life.   Whoever believes in Me, yet shall He live..."   This must be real to us! Let's determine to rejoice and praise our King this day and every day of this next year. I love these verses from 1 Peter on this Easter weekend celebration.   What HOPE we have in Him!  Whatever our temporary trials and circumstances, we have reason to rejoice! Let's keep our eyes fixed on Him and on His eternal purposes. Its ALL for His glory! He is RISEN! amy.   1 Peter 1:3-7   Blessed  be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!    According to His great mercy,   He has caused us to be born again to a living hope, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,   to an inheritance that is  imperishable,  undefiled, and unfading,   kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.    In this you rejoice,   though now for a little while, if necessary,   you have been grieved by various trials,   so that the tested genuiness of your faith, --more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire--   may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Good Friday

lifewords 4.23.11 Good Friday   I'm so honored to be able to pray for you and your family this morning. It's Good Friday today, a day to think about our Savior on that Cross at Calvary... to think about God's  incredible love for the world, for each of us, and the power of that precious, redeeming blood......to identify with Him in His death, so that we can identify with Him in His victory over death, His  resurrection and eternal life!   I encourage you to spend time in John chapters 15-20 over the next few days.  I know the Lord will reveal to you the reality of the power of his death, burial and resurrection.   Specifically today, I'm praying that He would give us greater understanding of the power of His blood that has redeemed us from sin,  sickness, death,  and hell. I'm praying that the Holy Spirit would open our eyes to what it really signified when, at the moment of Jesus' death, the veil of the temple was rent in two from top to bottom, showing that there is now no more separation between God and man!  I'm praying that as we think about those precious words of our Savior on the cross, "IT IS FINISHED," we will understand clearly what that finished work means for us as His children today! Oh the Lord's great love for us and for all of mankind that He demonstrated on that Cross.   For today's lifewords, I want to give you Ephesians 1:7-10.  It is an appropriate and powerful verse  to meditate on for this Good Friday, and I know it will bless and encourage you. Oh Lord, thank you for that redeeming blood, for your amazing grace, for forgiveness of our past, and for your purposes for us in Christ.   Ephesians 1:7-10 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our sins, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of His will, according to His purpose, which He set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Him, things in Heaven and things on the Earth.   You are His beloved one, today and forever. praying for you, amy stoehr

Forgiveness and Prayer II

lifewords 4.21.11 Forgiveness and prayer II It is a privilege to pray for you today !  Yesterday's lifewords focused on  the necessity of  receiving forgiveness as we  pray. Equally important in prayer, is forgiving others.      In Matthew 6, Jesus  is teaching his disciples how to pray.  He concludes the sentence about asking for forgiveness with "as we also forgive others". In Mark 11:25 Jesus says "And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that you Father also who is in Heaven may forgive you your transgressions." This is a clear instruction regarding prayer, yet so many believers miss this.   When Peter asked Jesus how much do we have to keep forgiving, Jesus responded, " I do not say to you up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven."  He then tells the account of the slave who was forgiven much, but refused to forgive his fellow slave. Because of his hardened heart and unwillingness to forgive, the great grace and forgiveness he previously received was replaced with being handed over to the torturers until He paid back everything. Then, these sobering words, "So shall My heavenly Father also do to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart."  Our obedience to forgive others is huge with God.      For our praying to be effective, we must intentionally forgive all who have hurt us, offended us, betrayed us, wounded us.  We have been forgiven much, we must extend forgiveness freely. As you go about your day and have an opportunity to be offended or hurt, forgive instead! When it is difficult, forgive by faith. You don't have to feel it.  Do it out of obedience.  Forgive the person, whether or not they deserve it or ask for it.   Bring that hurt in your heart to the altar. As you obey in forgiving, the precious healing balm of our Lord will take the sting out of that wound. Practice a lifestyle of forgiving others and you will be so free! Your prayer life will be so powerful. Don't allow unforgiveness to take residence in your heart and become a root of bitterness that will spring up to defile you and those around you.   Practice forgiveness every day. Make up your mind you will not be offended. Ask the Lord to help you.   Matthew 6;14 is sobering and powerful. Jesus speaking: "For if you forgive men their transgressions your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men then your Father will not forgive your transgressions."  Paul exhorts in Romans 12:14 that we are to "bless those who persecute us....never pay back evil for evil...and as far as it depends on us to be at peace with all men.  We are to not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."   Receiving and extending forgiveness is a prerequisite to effective praying. Learn to do both regularly and freely. You are His beloved forgiven one! amy

Forgiveness and Prayer I

lifewords 4.20.11 Forgiveness and Prayer I     Today and tomorrow's  "lifewords" on Prayer will focus on forgiveness and its relationship to prayer.  Receiving and extending forgiveness is very crucial to our  effective prayer life.   First, receiving forgiveness! Our access to the throne room is only by the blood of Jesus.  Oh that precious blood, that precious sacrifice that purchased our redemption and forgiveness! Thank Him every day for that powerful blood that blots out our sin and made a way for us to come into His very presence. Incredible!   Let's be sure to understand this. Because of Adam's disobedience, every one of us was born with a sin nature, separated from God (Romans 3:23),  but our trust in His finished work on that Cross, our repentance and receiving of His grace caused a great exchange! (Romans 6:23) The old nature was covered by that blood and we became a new creation in Christ. (2 Cor. 5:17) Now, we can come boldly to the throne of Grace to find mercy and grace to help our time of need. (Heb. 4:16) At the moment of our new birth in Him, the Holy Spirit  came to dwell inside of us and will never leave us. This was God's amazing plan.....He wanted to dwell, not in a  man-made temple, but live in us through the Person of the Holy Spirit.  ( John 14:23, 2 Cor. 6:16)   But, while we are on this Earth, we still deal with our carnal nature, our flesh, emotions, and will and we have need of our Advocate with the Father, Jesus!  Every day we need the power of that blood that forgives and cleanses.  1 John 1:9 is a scripture I acknowledge every single day.  "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." It's so amazing to know that when we miss it, when we disobey God's ways, we can ask for forgiveness,receive it and go forward in His grace.  The Holy Spirit will not only reveal sin, but link arms with us to walk us out of it into victory. I love fresh starts!   You must know this about prayer. We can't just approach God any old way! We approach Him by faith , cleansed by the blood, clothed in His righteousness.  Psalm 66:18  says "if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me." That is a pretty clear prayer scripture. We can't ignore our unconfessed sin and disobedience.  He doesn't either!  But He has made provision for us to be forgiven and cleansed and  able to come into His presence boldly, because we have exchanged our filthy rags for His robe of righteousness. We must allow His Light to expose sin in our hearts, repent, receive forgiveness and ask the Holy Spirit to help us walk in obedience to Him.   I'm so thankful for forgiveness. Receive it.  It's by faith. Then knowing you are forgiven, forgive yourself. Don't allow condemnation to keep you from prayer. What is covered by the blood is gone. What is forgiven is forgiven. Move forward! And keep short accounts. Receive forgiveness throughout the day, and ask Him to fill you afresh with His presence and you will enjoy the abiding fellowship of the Lord on a whole new level.   Jesus, when teaching the disciples about prayer  in Matthew 6, speaks about  the necessity of asking the Father for forgiveness. Before you pray, humble yourself, ask the Lord to search your heart and reveal areas of sin and then repent, receive forgiveness and cleansing and  go forward in His grace.  "God resists the proud but He gives much grace to the humble." (James 4:6) As we walk in the Light, with humility and sincerity of heart, He will meet us in prayer and He will answer!

Our Father is Faithful to Answer Prayer LifeWords 4.19.11

Our Lord is awesome, faithful and true this day! It has been such a privilege praying for you this week. Faith-filled praying, directed by the Holy Spirit, according to God's Word and in the matchless Name of Jesus is the most powerful force in the universe. God responds to the call, the cry, and the prayer of His people. Prayer is the greatest responsibility and also the greatest adventure of our lives. It is God's method of operation whereby His will is released into the earth. It is so powerful that our enemy will do everything possible to keep us from it. Stay alert in prayer, don't grow weary, for you will reap if you do not faint! Isaiah 30: 18,19 is an amazing prayer scripture beckoning us to come to our Father in prayer continually! The Lord is speaking through Isaiah to Israel and I believe these verses are also for God's people today. I encourage you to read it out loud. Isaiah 30:18-19 "Yet the Lord still waits for you to come to Him so He can show you His love; He will conquer you to bless you, just as He said. For the Lord is faithful to His promises. Blessed are all those who wait for Him to help them. O my people in Jerusalem, you shall weep no more, for He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. He will answer you." (TLB) Powerful! The Lord will be gracious to YOU as you call upon Him today, He will answer you. Keep praying. Be intentional about it. Continue to learn to pray well. The Holy Spirit is your Teacher. Jesus is your example. The Word of God is your handbook. With child-like faith, come to the Father in prayer, so He can show you His love..........He will conquer you to bless you, just as He said, for He is faithful to His promises!!!! He will hear and He will answer. Much depends on our prayer! Remember that you are His beloved one, greatly cherished, and loved with an everlasting love. amy

A Life Fully Pleasing to God 5/5

Colossians 1:9-13 is my prayer for you this week:   "... that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord,  fully pleasing Him,  being fruitful in every good work ,, and increasing in the knowledge of God;"   This morning on April 8, 2011, Psalms 105:33,34 is so precious to me, and I know it will bless you as well. I am 50 today, overwhelmed with the love and faithfulness of our Lord. I want to live every day of the rest of my life according to these verses.   "I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God, while I have my being. Let my meditation be pleasing to Him; As for me I shall be glad in the Lord!"   Oh that our meditation, our thoughts, our way of thinking, our mentality, our mindset, would be pleasing to the Lord. I pray that the Word of God would saturate our thinking. That we would not be conformed to this world but transformed by the renewing of our mind with God's Word. (Romans 12:2) I pray His love would govern our motivations.  I pray that our thoughts would be for His purposes. I pray that this day we will meditate on His greatness, faithfulness and love and about how to please Him in this life. You are His beloved one today, greatly cherished. Be glad in Him!

Pleasing God 4/5 Lifewords 4.7.11

I hope you are praying Colossians 1:9,10 with me for our families, church leaders and the Body of Christ that we would "be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God." To live a life fully pleasing to our Lord! That is our intentional aim. Today let's look at Enoch. He was the seventh man from Adam. The most remarkable aspect of His life was that He walked with God and pleased God. Instead of dying he was just translated right into God's presence one day!   We first see Enoch in Genesis 5"11: "And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. 23 Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. 24 Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away."   He is mentioned again in Hebrews 11. "By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken,  he was commended as one who pleased God.   And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek Him." Hebrews 11:5,6.   Enoch pleased God.  He walked with God. He had fellowship with God. He honored God. He was in a relationship with His God. And what caused God to be pleased with Enoch?  His faith. I pray this will be our testimony, that our faith pleases God! How is your faith in God's Word and His faithfulness today? A life fully pleasing to God is a life lived with child like faith in the Living God and  trust His Word and faithfulness.   Faith believes that God is, and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Pleasing God means being people of faith, not feelings of doubt or worry.  Pleasing God means trusting the Word of God, and His faithfulness, not in circumstances.   Faith is acting like you believe the Bible is true.     People of faith are people of prayer. People of faith are people passionate about God's Word. People of faith are worshippers. You can tell just where a person is in their faith by listening to their words. Enoch pleased God because He walked with God and He lived by faith. If we want to live a life fully pleasing to God, we must learn to live by faith. The Holy Spirit will teach us as we yield to Him.  Always remember, You are His beloved!  Praying for you, amy.

Pleasing God 3 of 5 Lifewords 4.6.11

I'm praying for you and myself this morning according to Colossians 1:10 that the Holy Spirit will help us to "walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God."   Fully pleasing to the Lord! How He delights in us as we yield ourselves to Him, not motivated by pleasing ourselves, or pleasing others, but honoring HIM.  A life fully pleasing to the Lord is a collection of days where we made the decision to submit ourselves to obeying Him in our thoughts, our words, our intentions, our actions, our desires. One day at a time. Trust Him for THIS day!   What does a "life fully pleasing to the Lord" look like? It is a life of loving Him and worshipping Him.  It is a life of delighting in and obeying His Word. It is having a pure heart toward Him and a hatred for sin.  It is a lifestyle of prayer.  It is a life of faith, because we know from Hebrews 11:6 that "without faith it is impossible to please Him." It is a life of loving people with God's love and rescuing them from darkness, because this is the heart of God. It is being consumed with the Commission He gave us. It is loving justice and being His ambassador in the Earth. Our example is the life of Jesus in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, seeing that He  "only did those things that please the Father." (John 8:30)   A life fully pleasing to the Lord is not so much a checklist, but a heart attitude of yielding to Him, joyfully, with childlike faith. It has nothing to do with an external legalism, but is born out of  relationship with Him. It is lifting our hands in worship to Him at the beginning, middle and end of each day, saying, Lord I love you so much and I yield all to You.   I'm thinking of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, where He yielded His will to the will of the Father's saying "Nevertheless, not My will, but Your will be done." This is the key to a life fully pleasing to the Lord--daily submitting to the will of God, through help of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.  Prayer for Living a Life of Pleasing the Lord   Lord, I belong to you.  I love you. I live for You. I trust in You.  I humble myself. I don't want my own way. I don't want to have any other motivation than what pleases you.  Search my heart.  Reveal areas in which you want to bring me into victory and freedom. Thank you for forgiving me of my failures.  Because you forgive me, I forgive myself and I extend forgiveness to every person in my life. Help me today to please you and honor You in all.   Holy Spirit lead me,  guide me and fill me afresh today. Help me to love well, and live for your purposes. Deliver me from myself and help me walk as a new creation in Christ, not pleasing men but you alone.  I desire to take my thoughts captive to Your will, and to set a guard over my lips that my words would be words of life love and wisdom. Help me to understand Your leading and obey Your Word. I delight in your Word. Help me to choose Your Way, Your path, and Your will. Not my will but Your will be done. Expose selfishness.  Help me to live a life fully pleasing to You this day. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Pleasing God Part 2 (Lifewords 4.5.11)

Jesus gave us this example of a life completely yielded to pleasing the Father in John 8:28-30.     "I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him."   I love these Words of our Master. Every  moment of His life on this earth dwelling among us, Jesus only did what pleased the Father. Though He was God, He became a man and lived a sinless, victorious life, yielded completely to the Holy Spirit and in fellowship with His Father.    The Amplified translation will really bring clarity:   "I am able to do nothing from Myself [independently, of My own accord-but only as I am taught by God and as I get His orders]. Even as I hear, I judge [I decide as I am bidden to decide.], and My judgment is right (just, righteous), because I do not seek or consult My own will [I have no desire to do what is pleasing to Myself, My own aim, My own purpose] but only the will and pleasure of the Father Who sent Me. Our Savior's life  of "always doing those things that please the Father" is our example!  It is a lifestyle birthed out of time spent with the Father in prayer and His Word and an intentional yielding to His will.  It is all by His grace and the help of the Holy Spirit.   A life fully pleasing to God, this is our intentional aim! Lord, I yield my thoughts, my will, my emotions, my ideas, my ambitions, my words, my relationships, my everything to YOU. Help me to please You in all.   You are His beloved and I am praying for you this morning. amy