He is the very God whose words spoke all into being-from the vastness of the universe to the complexity of the human eye.

He is the One who knit me in my mother’s womb, crafting every hair in my head and He remembers each one.

He is the One who passionately pursued me when my heart desired the many pleasures of this world.

He was the One who gave His Son who emptied Himself at the cross paying the price for my sin with His precious blood.

And yet my flesh wants what it wants. Even in the midst of His many blessings, it seeks to bend Him to my will instead of bending me to His as I pray.

For we need Him to continuously remind us of His great love and teach us to surrender completely to Him. For when we commit our way to Him, and trust Him, He will do it. Our relationship with Our Heavenly Father is not about us launching requests for Him to project manage and solve. It is about us drawing close to Him, committing all of ourselves to Him and seeing the beauty of His work in and through us for His glory.

If we truly want to see powerful prayer, we must surrender completely to His will and way.

Reflection

In what ways have you been going on your way with life without surrendering completely to God?

Repent and ask for forgiveness for these and commit your way to the Lord’s mission (Matt. 28:16-20)

Delight yourself in His ways and plan!

Prayer

Father you are our LORD and Our Trust. Help us completely surrender to You and Your mission. Help us to see Your power. Bend and comfort Our will to Yours that we may draw close to You and live in Your powerful presence. Let us not hurl requests at you according to our will, but instead in alignment with You pray in accordance to Your will and see the abundance of Your answers in Jesus, Amen!

When we humbly submit to the dominion of Adonai, we experience life free of iniquity. This is not a one-time decision, but instead a battle of many decisions for Him day in and day out. We cry out to Him asking That He May keep us from sin, that He would guard our minds that we would desire Him only on the throne of our lives. For He is faithful and has the power to grant that request.  

Reflection

Are you actively praying for a hunger for His Word?

Are you diving deep into that Word equipping your feet to walk in it?

Are you petitioning our Heavenly Father to prevent any iniquity from having dominion over you?

Prayer

Father, You search and know our hearts. Give us a hunger for Your Word that is everlasting.  May our footsteps be established in it moment by moment.  Guard our minds to know the truth and keep our hearts under Your dominion.  Let no sin overtake us.  May our eyes be fixed on Christ now and forever more. Amen!

Years ago, I had quit my job to follow the LORD’s leading of adopting a sibling group of 9. (That’s not a typo.)  As a matter of fact we had 18 kids at home all together.  No job plus 20 of us was not a great combo for our budget.  We survived because of God’s provision through His people.  Many lessons were learned through this time including humbling myself to receive blessing through the body of Christ.  

We had reached a point when things were settled, that I needed to return to work.  I wasn’t sure how hat was going to work because all of the jobs near our home didn’t pay very well and the company I had worked for previously was 2 hrs away. I had already forgotten the power of our God to provide. 

 I spent hours in prayer asking God to find me a job that paid well and was close.  God demonstrated His power in His timing, by providing a consulting opportunity to work from home with my former employer.  I saw God’s ability to not only provide but also His abundance poured over us as I made more money and my job had less responsibility.  

God knows your need and desires to show you His power to provide abundantly.  Humbly ask and expect Him to do immeasurably more, and by all means let your lips continually praise Him!

Reflection

Do you really believe that nothing is impossible for God?

In what ways has He done immeasurably more than you have asked or imagined?

Praise Him out loud for His mighty works!

Prayer

Father, nothing is impossible with You! We praise You, that when you answer us you do it abundantly.  For the earth is Yours and everything in it.  Thank you for blessing us beyond measure.  May our lives be a continual blessing and glory back to you, in Jesus’ name, Amen!

Paul, in His letter to the Ephesians, rightly concluded there is something that surpasses knowledge and it is outside of his control.  That something is the love of Christ.  Earnestly he prays on his knees:

“that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, 

so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, 

being rooted and grounded in love, 

may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, 

that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.” ~ Ephesians 3:16-19
‭‭Paul knows it is the power of the Spirit that reminds us of our adoption, brings all things into remembrance, and strengthens our inner man.  Paul’s and our words cannot force the Spirit upon someone. It is only when God “grants” this and such is the reason for his earnest prayer for the Ephesians. 

So Paul’s progressive prayers builds up into the love of Christ. Why do I say progressive?  The chapter is filled with “So that…” and “may be…”.  It signifies God’s organized plan and the power of God’s work unleashed in His children.   Check out the steps:

• God grants strength in inner man
• Christ dwells in our hearts
• We are rooted and grounded in love
• Comprehend and know the love of Christ
• Filled up to the fullness of God

Clearly the answer to our problem is to deeply understanding and experiencing the love of Christ. So how does this help us overcome sin? Grasping how much God loves us, would cause us to lose our desire for anything that damages our relationship with Him and His children. 

Love changes our patterns of thinking, our affections and our motivations.  Love has the power to overcome where our performance falls short.  It brings freedom from worry over those we love who do not know the Lord and opens our eyes to see His power in action.  Ultimately is results in being “filled up to the fullness of God”.  That’s what I desire!

Reflection

Where have you been trying to force the gospel and not trust that God will grant an understanding “according to The riches of His glory”?  
Action

Confess any sin and distrust of God and surrender to Him.  Begin praying earnestly for those around you that:

• God grants strength in his/her inner man
• Christ dwells in his/her heart
• He/she is rooted and grounded in love
• He/she would Comprehend and know the love of Christ
• He/she Filled up to the fullness of God

Watch for God’s power to be unleashed. May God bless you deeply with knowing the love of Christ!

@brianfriedl

#truthtalk4life #knowlivespeaktruthinlove #theloveofGodsurpassesknowledge

I thoroughly enjoy food. I pretty much eat whenever I want to. Healthy stuff, but often.  As a matter of fact I have coined the phrase,”I don’t like to eat on an empty stomach” to justify snacking (make sure your metabolism is high if you go this route).  My favorite meal of the day is breakfast so that is where I decided to start; fasting breakfast for one week.  What follows are my observations of this event.

While fasting is not commanded in the Bible, it appears to have been expected as part of regular activity as Jesus said to His disciples, “When you fast…”  I can honestly say I would recommend it to anyone interested in seeking God’s presence and guidance.  Note: you know you’re body and its health best.  You make your best choices for you.  fasting is normally to be done privately but I wanted to share the benefits and encourage you. This may be my last post in fasting because the rest will be private.  

I was hungry on day 1. My mind continually thought about food.  After preparing breakfast for 10 of our children I went in my office and prayed specifically for my family, friends, and breakthroughs for those held in chains of sin, and those imprisoned for their faith.  I could still smell the food and it was trying to distract my prayer time

Day 2 seemed a little easier.  My mind diligently desired to hold to this fast believing that it would be effective for the LORD not in my strength but His. 

By Day 3, I began to notice my clarity of life, my mission, the vision for our family and many other things had intensified. I no longer was thinking about food when I woke up, but how sweet the time of worship and prayer would be. 

On to Day 4.  I distinctly remember my patience being like iron as I had some children really trying to test me :).  I was committed to the vision for our family and was unwavering; even more patient than normal. 

Day 5 – Thoughts of just having an “early lunch” we’re trying to creep in as I smelled the sausage cooking.  My daughter who is an amazing cook was at the helm so I went outside to pray.  Every prayer time was more blessed than the day before. 

For Day 6 I had the wonderful blessing of finishing water removal from our basement.  Normally I would have been tempted to complain, but that line of thinking was far from me.  I was so thankful for everything God has done for us.  The task was finished swiftly and without complaint. 

Day 7 was yesterday; filled with the smells of breakfast delights and yet I knew what waited for me in my office was even more sweet!   

Some quick observations:  

1) I found that my attachment to food was greater than I knew.  Denying myself even just one meal revealed this truth as well as how much more satisfying God is than food. 

2) My prayer times were more focused and intense. Often times my eyes filled with tears of sorrow or joy. 

3) Fasting removed distraction so I could hear guidance from God for our family, ministry, and business.  

4) fasting help direct my need to draw even closer to my Heavenly Father. 

5) I prayed specifically for breakthroughs for some individuals and that remains to be seen what God will do. 

Personal Reflection

What is it that would be the hardest thing for you to give up?  Have you considered fasting that for a week?  If not give it a try and comment on here the results.  I’d love to hear how it’s impacted you and your relationship with God and man. 

Prayer Focus

Father, thank You for Your presence with us.  You are all we need to be satisfied and yet You give abundantly beyond!  Our lips are filled with Your praises.  For You have brought us out of darkness and into the Light of Your Son Jesus.  We have new life! As we seek to deny ourselves , take up our cross and follow, be the strength in our bones and the breath in our lungs to intercede on behalf of those around us.  May we shepherd well for You and for Your glory in Jesus Name, Amen!

#truthtalk4life

@brianfriedl

 I did everything to avoid the confrontation.  I tried to get there early and even left a door open and walked outside around the entire school with no success. 

A couple of years ago I friended one of these bullies on Facebook. My plan was to see how his life turned out.  What I found was that his life was hard.  Rather than celebrating, my heart was led to compassion by the LORD.  I reached out and offered to pray for him. 

He responded with gratitude and commented that he has been reading my blog posts and to keep writing because it encouraged him.   So what did I learn?  Love is what breaks open a hardened heart that it may be set free and be restored.  When we seek revenge we miss and opportunity to love another into the kingdom. 

Personal Reflection

Who is your #1 enemy?  Who causes you more strife and takes you to the edge, or just plain annoys you like crazy?   Have you tried to change them?   How about trying to love them?

 I challenge you to love them for a day.  Take notes, in a journal, their response.  If you survive, love them for a week. Again, journal the results.  Now try a month.  At the end of the month, compare their responses in your journal between day 1 and day 31.  Has their heart broken open yet?  If not repeat this process as many times as necessary.  It’s now your mission!

Prayer Focus

Father, no greater love have we seen than Your love for us through Jesus Christ. May we be filled to overflowing with that love and intentionally spill it on those around us.  Let forgiveness run free in our heart and veins that we may be free to love without limit.  May it bring joy, honor and glory to You in the Name of Jesus, Amen!

We all need knowledge of His will, spiritual wisdom, so that we may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, bearing fruit, and increasing in knowledge of Him.  (Col. 1:9-10)

Personal Reflection

Are you that person for others?  Do you have people in your life that do this for you?  This is but one of the privileges we have for one another as the body of Christ. Let’s live it to full measure!  Take time to pray today for family, friends, and co-workers.  Be in constant conversation with God today!

Prayer Focus

Father we know that You can do all things so we ask that you would give us a heart for prayer. Call to mind those around us that need prayer.  Give us boldness to reach out and ask to pray with them.  May You hear our prayers and strengthen Your people.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen!

Prayer was not meant to be an escape from action: it precludes and leads to action.  While Jesus took time by Himself to pray, he followed it with action.   Nehemiah is yet another great example of a prayer warrior.  He prayed four months and it ended with the bold action of rebuilding the walls.  During prayer, God readies our heart for action, aligning our vision with His, preparing us to take action.

Prayer in itself can be action. There are times when we pray, when we cannot see steps of action that can be taken because our Father is teaching us to depend on His action.  He is faithful and nothing is impossible with Him.  Again He will always act in accordance with His will and perfect plan and we may not always fully comprehend that.  So sometimes our action is to learn to wait on Him.

Personal Reflection

Do you pray expecting action to be taken; by the LORD and(or) by you?  How have you seen God answer prayers in your lifetime? This year? This week?  It’s healthy to pray and praise God for His answers. Make time to thank Him out loud today!

Prayer Focus

Father, continue to align us to your vision and equip us for Your action.  Break our hearts for what break yours and fill us with your joy.  May we live for you today praising you for all your mighty works!   In the Name of Jesus, Amen!

This is the same God who gives us strength and peace.  There is no need to fear or worry, God is for us.  He chose to use His power to satisfy the law and to bring an eternity of peace for us.  What a mighty God we serve!

Personal Reflection

Do we really believe that nothing is impossible for God?  If we are honest we have all prayed prayers that were not specific because we were fearful they wouldn’t be answered.  Or sometimes we just avoid praying all together. The LORD is mighty in power and can do all things.  We ought to pray, boldly trusting Him.  Whether He chooses to grant what we ask is obviously up to Him.  Sometimes we give up asking because He hasn’t answered according to our will, but His and we don’t see the answer as a result.  Don’t let any of this stop you from asking your Father in heaven. What bold prayers need to be prayed today? Let’s pray them!

Prayer Focus

Father, we confess that we don’t ask sometimes because we are afraid you won’t answer.  Help us in our unbelief.  Give us the courage to pray bold prayers. We pray for our nation, we see our wickedness and we cry out to you asking for revival.  May we see our need and come running.  Change our hearts to desire only you. Teach us to walk in your ways. We will praise you forever, in the Name of Jesus, Amen!

#prayboldly #powerfulprayers #truthtalk4life

@brianfriedl

Recently my two boys were wrestling on the trampoline. It got a little rough; one of them ended up getting thrown off and bumped his head.  This moved him to a place of vengeance coming after his brother. Took about 20 to 25 minutes to disarm and settle down. Had I not intervened, more damage most likely would have been done.

When it comes to the family of God, the same thing can happen, even as adults.  People can sometimes get a little rough and end up hurting one another.  Despite this reality, the church body is critical and part of God’s plan of redemption and our growth (See Ephesians 4).

If you’ve had an injury from the church as I have had, you may be tempted to take out your vengeance.  I urge you instead of repaying evil for evil, do good to your brothers and sisters.  For perhaps God is teaching you the truth that vengeance is His. For when we repay with evil we simply do more damage. We do not restore anything, God desires restoration and wants us to desire it also.  The verse above is sandwiched between appreciating those who lead and that familiar passage of rejoicing and praying without ceasing.

Personal Reflection

No doubt that following the Lord’s instruction takes rejoicing and prayer.  You see when we are hurt we usually shift our focus to ourselves and thereby skewing our perspective.  We stop rejoicing, start complaining and devise plans of revenge or watch and wait for whoever wronged us to fail.  Sometimes, we even invite others to take our side and are used as Satan’s instrument to divide the family of God. Put an end to the evil by desiring restoration, rejoice in all that the LORD has done for you, and pray without ceasing that your focus would be there.  You will not heal if you are clinging to your hurt like a security blanket and hurt never comforts. God does!

Prayer Focus

LORD help us to let go of the chains of hurt that bind us and corrupt our desires.  May we find forgiveness and release at the cross. Draw our eyes to you and all of what you have done for us.  Let our lips overflow with your praises! May we desire restoration, rejoice, and pray without ceasing; In Jesus’ Name, Amen!

@brianfriedl

#forgiveness #novengeance #truthtalk4life