Get your prayers answered at the Prayer Wall!
The Power of One Word
Scripture: "The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit." (Proverbs 18:21)
One Powerful Word
2
of Jesus' greatest miracles—feeding thousands of people from a few
loaves and fish and raising His friend Lazarus back to life—have 1 word
in common. Can you guess what that word is?
Let's See if You Can Find It
1st
Miracle: "Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, 'I have
compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days
and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or
they may collapse on the way.' His disciples answered, 'Where could we
get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?' 'How many
loaves do you have?' Jesus asked. 'Seven,' they replied, 'and a few
small fish.' Then He took the seven loaves and the fish, and when He
had given thanks, He broke them and gave them to the disciples,
and they in turn to the people. They all ate and were satisfied."
(Matthew 15:32-37, excerpts)
2nd
Miracle: "On His arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in
the tomb for four days. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank
You that You have heard Me. I knew that You always hear Me, but I said
this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe
that You sent Me.” When He had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice,
"Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped
with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face." (John 11:11, 38-44,
excerpts)
The Power of Thanks
Did you notice that both times Jesus said "Thanks" before
the miracle? One time it was incredible provision, and another time it
was incredible life from death. Now, I bet you can think of places in
your life where there is lack or death. It could be in your finances,
emotions, or your health. The tendency is to get down and depressed and
maybe say "Thank You" if it changes. But God wants us to reverse that
order. He actually wants you to say "Thank You" before He provides.
Say Thank You First
Think
of it like this—Imagine 2 children: one has his arms crossed and is
looking angrily down at the ground; and the other is looking up at you,
smiling, with his arms wide open. Which child, do you think, is ready
to receive something? That posture of "Thank You In Advance" is what God loves from you. When you say "Thank you" before
you get His answer, you are telling Him just how much you trust Him.
Hebrews 11:1 says, "Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will
actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see."
That means, you are so convinced that God is going to answer you that
you are already thanking Him as if you have it.
Thank-You Sandwiches
I believe God wants you to make Thank-You Sandwiches with Him, starting this week. Think of the bread as your thanks and the meat as His answer. You lay one slice of the bread down first, and then comes the meat. And then you put down one more slice of bread to make it a complete sandwich. Thank You-Answer-Thank You...A
complete sandwich! Think of it like the question of the chicken or the
egg coming first...whichever it is, one thing is for certain: the egg
leads to the chicken which leads to more eggs and more chickens. It's
just the same with your thanks. One thanks leads to one answer which in
turn gives birth to more thanks and so on. So just think of it this
way: The more thanks you are giving to God, the more answers you are
going to receive. What a wonderful cycle!
Start Making Sandwiches Today!
Imagine a clear kitchen counter and a full loaf of bread. Now take a piece out for each answered-prayer sandwich
you want to start. Maybe there's one sandwich for your health, one for
your children, and another for your finances. You can put out as many
slices as you want back answers to prayer! I'll start with mine:
Lord, I thank You in advance for:
*having great health and tons of energy
*having a wonderful, loving, godly family
*having no debt and living simply and contentedly
*having a wonderful, loving, godly family
*having no debt and living simply and contentedly
Now what are yours? Start making answered-prayer sandwiches by laying down the bread of your "Thank You in Advance" today! He loves
you putting down the first slice and will come to bring the meat as you
continue to trust Him! "And it is impossible to please God without
faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and
that he rewards those who sincerely seek Him." (Hebrews 11:6)
We love you!
Your Friends at GodLife
Just for You
I want to answer your questions about how to connect with God this week! I will be on YouLive TV
this Tuesday from 3-3:30 pm PST to answer any of your questions about
how to connect deeper with God and pray for you! I would love you to
join me! Just visit www.godlife.com/live on Tuesday at 3! I will send you a reminder on GodLife Facebook too!
Prayer Wall
One of the greatest things you can do for someone is pray for them. Who do you want to pray for this week? A friend, relative, coworker? Say a blessing for them on the Prayer Wall
and let others join you in prayer for them! Who knows what could happen
to them this week if we join together and pray for them!
Prayer Points
Would you pray this week that:
• We would begin to make Thank-You Sandwiches-everyday!
• We would see answers to our prayers and others would be encouraged
• GodLife would thank God in advance for the great things He is going to do
GodLife Family
Let's make Thank-You Sandwiches every day this week on GodLife Facebook!
Every day, I will ask you what you are thanking God for in advance. I
believe God will really love our faith and respond to our prayers!
Also, you can follow us on Twitter and get encouragement and inspiration sent straight to you!
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