iShineInMinistry

Lord Jesus, I thank You for Your love, grace, truth and blessed hope that I have in You. Thank You for inclining Your ear to me and giving me the comfort that comes from the promises in Your word. Thank You for healing me when I’m brokenhearted and blessing me even though I don’t deserve it. Thank You for giving me joy, faith and hope in the middle of storms.

Lord, I ask for a special blessing upon each of us ladies and ask for You to move mightily in our lives. Please help us surrender and submit to Your will and let our spirit yield to Your perfect plan. Remind us of Your faithfulness and help us to trust, believe and obey. Continue to minister to our hearts, be the lifter of our heads and give reminders of Your perfect love when we are discouraged, frustrated, dismayed and losing faith. Remind us that You will show us the way that we need to go and light the path as we take this journey of faith. Remind us that Your are a strong and firm foundation that we can trust at all times.

I pray that we will love, serve and obey You with genuine and sincere devotion. I pray that we will turn from our sins and unrighteousness and stop lying to ourselves. Please search our hearts and bring to light the things that hinder us from fully trusting Your plan, then give us the strength to relinquish those things to You.

We love You, Lord Jesus and thank You for Your faithful, perfect and amazing love. Please hear us as we cry out to You and let us wait in patient, hopeful expectancy as You get ready to answer our prayers. In Jesus name we pray all of these things, amen.

Psalm 94:19 (NKJV)

In the multitude of my anxieties within me,

Your comforts delight my soul.

Lord, You know all of the tasks, duties and plans that are set before me today and in the upcoming weeks and months. I know that with God all things are possible and that I am more than a conqueror with You. I know that Your word says I can do all things through You, because You give me strength. I am feeling restless and overwhelmed right now, knowing that I will have to rely solely on Your strength to make it through all the things before me. I know that I need Your peace, Your truth and promises…and rest that comes from You. I thank You that I can come to You and seek after You to help me in these times of need. I thank You that You are strong in my weakness and that You go before me in all things.

Lord, I ask and pray that You will calm my anxious heart and allow me to be more intentional and well-balanced as I steward my time serving You. I pray for You to order my steps and make my plans…I pray that I will be flexible as You change the path and make detours along the way. I pray that I will not try to rely on my own strengths and abilities, but allow You to stretch me in this time as I seek after You with my whole heart and allow You to guide the way. I know that in the end You will be glorified, so I ask that I will be a joyful handmaiden of the Lord as I walk in this calling.

Lord I thank You for calling me faithful to do all of these things and I pray for a steadfast, diligent, devoted and obedient heart to do all the things that You have shown me to do for Your purpose and plan. I thank You for Your matchless love, Your grace and mercy, Your faithfulness and Your promise to be with me always. I thank You for Your promise to give me rest and stir the Spiritual Gifts needed to fulfill all the plans that You have placed before me. I Love You Lord and praise Your perfect and amazing name. In Jesus’ name, so be it…amen.

Psalm 56:3 (ESV)

When I am afraid,

I put my trust in you.

We are starting off 2017 with a fabulous guest psot from Dasia...one of my favorite teenagers! Take a look at her exhortation to us as we start this new year of wonderful blessings!

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.

~ Proverbs 16:3~

This has been a crazy, unpredictable year, and a new start is about to come: 2017! With the New Year comes more goals and resolutions from people set for a different outlook on life, attitude, or anything else. Usually, these "resolutions" only last for a few days at the most. But as others want to be new for 2017, we as Christians should have goals to serve God and spread His word. And not just for a week or so, but forever! For all of our lives we should show who we are and how God is working in us.

When people set goals such as getting fit, it's a great motivation to work hard and look good. But striving for Christ is so much more rewarding in the long run. You are receiving eternal life.

Like any normal person trying to follow God, it's hard. It can be super challenging to stay with Him throughout all of the hardships and distractions of the world; this was especially true in 2016. I know for me, sports, school, and just everyday life always sidetracked me to a place where I'm basically almost blinded. I'm so caught up in the ways of the world I forget the most important thing in my life!

For 2017, being close to God is the best aspiration you can have. Whatever happens this year, decade, or lifetime, He's going to be there for you.

We are literally in the last five days of 2016…the year of #TheCharmedLife. The last 361 days truly have been filled with ups, downs and everything in between. Now, with all of the year’s events behind us, we get to sit in the presence of the Lord, seek His face and ask for a sparkly-lit path as we enter 2017.

What are you thinking of for this upcoming year? Do you feel called to pray more? (we all should). Are you thinking about serving more? Would you like to change jobs, be more active in your plans for a future husband and family, move to another state (or country) or in one statement, just surrender to the Lord more? Whatever your thoughts for the year, I think we need to make sure that our number one focus is Jesus so that the most amazing plan will fall into place.

Personally, I have decided that 2017 is going to be the year of great expectations. God is clearly up to something in literally every area of my life…so I can expect amazing things to come of it if I’m faithful and obedient. I can also expect to praise the Lord as I grow in godly character when the trials and valleys hit in addition to having a grand old time when life is glitter and rainbows. I can expect opportunities to grow my trust in Him, step out in faith and learn how to be more diligent, more patient, more kind and gracious. I can expect the joy of the Lord to be my strength and carry me through the next 365 days (or less depending on what the Lord has in store…rapture perhaps)!

Let’s make the most of the next five days, enjoying life, seeking God and asking for Him to show us the way that we should go. It will be wonderful to start the year off in the right perspective…won’t you join me?

On Saturday, December 31st at 1pm (Eastern Time), please take 30 minutes to pray about the upcoming year with me. We can pray about our lives, our country, our church, our friends, family and other things that we would like to bring to the throne of grace. I look forward to being on one accord with you on that day.

Blessings, Hearts and Hugs,

Jacquelynn Marie

Matthew 7:7-9 (ESV)

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

Are you a patient person? Do you wait nicely (that’s what I used to tell toddlers in Children’s Ministry) and remain faithful in prayer until God shows you the plan? Or, are you a “one and done” kind of girl that prays fervently one time and then waits for God grant you the desires of your heart? I have to be honest with you…I’m a little bit of both depending on the situation. Some days, I am all about the “keep asking, keep seeking and keep knocking” exhortation given in the above scripture. Then other times, I’m just like, “Maybe I don’t really want that!” and stop the whole process for a season, only to realize that I did want what I was praying for…then start this little cycle all over again.

Here are a couple of things I would like to encourage each of us with as we continue to pray for _____ (fill in your blank as needed):

Be Consistent and Devoted – Sometimes (most times) things don’t just happen overnight. We have to let all the pieces fall into place, let our character grow and allow lessons to be learned as we start the race that we want to run with endurance. When you are trying to find a job, you don’t just send out one resume and wait until you get that ONE job…you are persistent and dedicated to making life happen. Why not be that way with your prayer life too?

Realize Your Desire May Change – There is a possibility that God is using this exercise in persistence to redirect your desires to His will for your life. While you may be asking to become a missionary in Southeast Asia, He may be prepping you to become a wife in Wisconsin. The possibilities are endless and as we pray, we will surrender to the Lord and then things will start to line up according to His plan and purpose.

Keep going and keep lifting your requests up to the Lord; He is the God who sees and HEARS what you are asking for. Let Him lead the way and then let Him give the answer (even if in your mind it doesn’t look like an answer). Give all to Him and see how much more joyful life can be (for you and me)!

Have a blessed week as you live #TheCharmedLife