I woke up Sunday morning exhausted and mad. I found myself lying in bed arguing with my husband and he wasn’t even awake yet. We had spent all day Saturday out at the soccer fields with our 3 children . Beat by the sun I had collapsed into bed after haphazardly dumping some clothes into the washer and making a lame attempt to cook dinner. Still tired when I woke up the first thing that crossed my mind was I needed more help. I fumbled through making the coffee, glaring angrily at the dinner dishes that were still sitting in the sink and gleefully took the last clean coffee cup, thinking ’serves him right’. Walking outside I quickly sidestepped one of the kittens that had perched itself in front of the door demanding to be fed. You’re just going to have to wait, I told him, I can’t do everything. I sat there sipping my coffee watching the day dawn, getting angrier and angrier the more I thought of all the things that needed to be done. None of the kids had probably had a bath. I was sure the clothes were still sitting in the washer right where I left them. We still didn’t have anything to cook for the church pot luck picnic and it was highly unlikely we were going to make it to Sunday School…again. I heard my husband searching for a coffee cup in the kitchen and the guilt hit me. I looked back at the rising sun and started to pray. Dear Lord, I know there’s something wrong with me this morning – - I don’t want to take it out on my family. Please help me, I can’t do this alone, not today.

I peeked inside the window just in time to see my husband grabbing one of my collectible cat china cups then I fed the kittens so he didn’t blindly trip over them and break my china on the way out. With a smile on his face, he came out, gave me a kiss and asked if I was feeling better. All of the hostility I had felt for him all morning vanished. I sat there stunned for a minute – I have always believed in the power of prayer, but even so, I never stop being amazed when He answers them so efficiently.

My grandmother taught me when I was little to pray about everything, big and small. When I got a little older, I felt silly praying because none of them were ever answered. The boy I wanted to ask me out never did, the stylish clothes that would make me popular never appeared, my parents divorced, even though I prayed constantly that my family would stay together. My grandmother had fed me hogwash and I ate it up because I was a little girl stuck in a fantasy world where happily ever after still existed. As I continued to age, my prayer life became non-existent, and I got increasingly lost in a world that would never make sense. Bad things started to happen to me; drugs, alcohol, bad friends then eventually homelessness. That was the point that I decided to try the prayer thing again, after all it couldn’t hurt right? But these prayers were different than the prayers said by the little girl I had once been. They were angry prayers; I hate this, change this and give me, give me, give me. Did He answer? I didn’t think so at the time, but looking back after 15 + years, I can say absolutely, without a doubt. He took the hate and showed me how to love, He changed me, but not the things, and He gave and gave and gave, to this day He is still giving but I have learned now the importance of asking.

I come across so many people in today’s world that say religion makes no sense, Christianity is too hard and they are too busy to pray. These same people are also the first to complain about their lives, their circumstances and what they have in life. How is prayer hard? How can you be too busy to pray? You can lie in bed and mentally justify your actions because of what people have done to you. You can list all the ways you’ve been neglected, ignored and mistreated. You can have imaginary conversations where you put these evildoers in their place and plan ways to exact your revenge, but you don’t have time to pray?

You hear it over and over that there is power in prayer but have you ever truly allowed it to sink in. When you pray, the Lord gives you the power to accomplish the things that you can’t. When YOU pray, the Lord GIVES YOU THE POWER, but you must pray in order to be given that power. It doesn’t matter what you are praying about or what you are praying for, what matters is that you are praying. The Lord said, draw near to me and I will draw near to you. How much more simple can you get?

Philippians 4:13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength

The world seems to be going so fast in the wrong direction. I don’t know if any of you have ever listened to any of Bishop Jakes sermons – but they are pretty powerful. I work for several different churches and faith based ministries and I can’t tell you how tiring it is to try and figure out what each one truly believes.

Traditional churches are dying. I’m not saying that to be confrontational, I wouldn’t work for so many religious organizations if I didn’t believe that there was something in them worth saving. I’m sure many people would disagree with me very passionately on that issue as well, especially with all of the media exposure regarding different “Churches” in the news right now.

This link to T. D. Jakes sermon (7 Steps to a Turn Around) is about exposure. Exposure is a good thing but we have to remember that “pain is not prejudice”. We can’t judge all of the people within a church based on one or two worshippers that have chosen greed and fleshly desires over Christ. Satan’s mission is to destroy the actual body of Christ – which is made up of many wonderful Christians that exist in all churches, denominations and walks of life.

The persecution of the churches is beginning.
Don’t be so blind that you don’t see what’s coming.
People need to really start feeling what is going on
in their own homes, their schools and their communities.

Call it whatever you want to – but if you are in a church where there is no Spirit – you need to have faith and move on;
and if you are in a church that is being persecuted but full of Spirit – you need to have faith and stand strong;
and if you are in no church at all but know the Lord – you need to have faith and step outside the box;
and whatever you do – remember that the word of God is the supreme authority – NOT the words of man.

Nobody has the power to judge you or what you believe, that will always be between you and God alone.
It’s time to test all spirits and expose them for what they are – as painful as it may be on us all.

People need to step outside the box – get out of the closet – do something – walk the walk – make a difference in whatever walk of life God has placed you – there is a reason!

This is a snippet of a CNN commentary given by TD Jakes on behalf of the Potter’s House.  It just really hit me hard. The oppression of this world is getting heavier each day – we all need as much hope as we can find.

 ”…..Many people can talk the talk of King and his messages, but there are many who choose to focus on walking the walk. We walk the walk……”

“…In light of Alan Greenspan confirming what many of us have already suspected — that we are in the midst of a recession, I would ask all churches as well as the media to help guide and encourage us through the storm of fuel bills, lost homes, lost jobs and the untold effects of this recession.

I see this article as providing a battle cry to churches of all ethnicities and denominations to not allow the perceptions of the few to distract us and prejudice us from the needs of the many.

On behalf of the 30,000 members of our church and the 4,000 volunteers who work in our various programs, not to mention the staff and our countless supporters around the world who love our church and its work, please do not malign our identity or castigate our mission.

In the final analysis of why people attend church or why they select this church over another one, or follow this minister over that minister, the answer is simple; people go to a church where they feel comfortable, where they feel their needs are being met and where they feel that they are getting assistance with the many issues that confront them in these troubled times.”