"This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.” 1 John 5:14-15
Dear Prayer Warriors,
Understanding Prayer
Prayer is probably one of the most underrated and misunderstood aspects
of God and our relationship with Him. He is not the genie in the bottle we can call
on to fulfill our wishes. He is not the distracted old man up in heaven who is
too busy running the universe. He is also not the cold, calculated, moody being
as most of the Greek gods and goddesses were depicted. It is essential we know
who we are speaking with when we pray.
He is the one who loved us so much that He came to
earth to die on the cross for our sins to give us new life and a relationship with
Himself. He is the one who satisfies all our deepest desires if we will allow Him
to. He cares about everything that concerns you and He has a plan for your life.
This plan is not for a life of ease and comfort. That
would be unloving and feed into our selfish nature. His plan is for us to grow
in our faith after we commit our lives to Jesus through repentance and faith in
Him. After the new birth, He desires us to become more and more like His Son. Therefore,
trials, testing, and responsibilities are what He uses to make this happen.
He promises to give us all the grace we need to grow,
to mature as we face these challenges. “And God is able to make all grace
abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may
have an abundance for every good deed.” 2 Corinthians 9:8 How do we obtain this
grace to grow? Prayer! Prayer is our connection with our loving Father, the way
we communicate. It is not only asking for our needs and those of others. It is
how we express our thanks and praise – it is an expression of our trust on many
levels! And our faith pleases God!!!
All this to say, we appreciate your prayers for us
and for those we serve! “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great
power and produces wonderful results.” James 5:16
Atlanta House Church
We are also learning how to
pray for each other and for our non-Christian friends to come to Christ. God
wants to enlarge our compassion for others!
Prayer and Praise
1. Atlanta House Church Pray that each
member would grow in their love for one another and for those outside of
Christ. Ask God to help us see ourselves leading others to faith in Christ.
2. Family News We recently celebrated the 7 Nelson March birthdays with 31
of us gathering for dinner. (see photos below) Our dear mother is doing very well at 97! We thank
God for our loving family and pray for them every day. Thank you for joining us
in prayer as well. We need it!
3. Virginia (April 4-7) Danelle and I are going to visit
David and Stephanie and to minister to the house church they lead in Portsmouth.
Please pray for teachable hearts as we minister to the saints, build into David
and Stephanie, and love our 4 precious grandchildren. We are scheduled to meet
Wednesday evening with the church. Thank you for interceding!
Yours in Christ’s faithful love,
