Money on the Move – Part 2 of 4

Please read Part 1, if you haven't already.

On our first morning there, they invited us to their apartment for breakfast. We could tell by the questions they asked us that they thought we were crazy to make the trip to Japan without concrete arrangements. When we had finished eating, they read their morning Bible devotional with us. The topic happened to be about faith and trusting God for the impossible.

We were about to pray together when the wife mentioned that Japan was experiencing a serious drought (the year was 1996). It had become a national crisis. As we bowed our heads in prayer, I asked the Lord to please bring rain. The wife looked out the window, and the next thing she saw was a pedestrian pulling out an umbrella. She couldn’t believe her eyes. Perhaps God had sent us there for that short time just to refresh them in the area of their faith.

Having heard our heart for Tokyo, they felt moved to connect us with another missionary family, who invited us for dinner. We discovered that the husband was the overseer of all the regional mission organizations. They were just the right people to learn from and they eagerly shared from some of their years of experience with us. We mentioned that we were on a short-term visit and they invited us to come and stay at their house for a week.

The following morning we said our goodbyes to the first missionary couple that had welcomed us to Tokyo. They gave us a little Japanese outfit for the baby on its way and surprisingly told us that we didn’t need to pay for our stay. We went onto our new host family and continued to learn much from them. While we were there, they arranged for us to stay with a Japanese family for a week so that we could have first-hand experience of Japanese culture. This turned out to be our toughest week emotionally and spiritually, but we learned a lot.

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The Blood – Part 2 of 3

My daughter, Jessica, as a small child

Several years ago, my girls were having bad dreams. I thought it was strange since we were still praying the same way we did every night, but now those prayers no longer seemed effective. Soon after, my husband and I discovered some satanic paraphernalia just outside our property.

It was strung-out cassette tape which looked harmless, but we had learned previously that Satanists record curses on them. After they record their curses, they pull the tape out, twine it around brush or fencing, or secure it under rocks. This “weapon” is very unassuming and, therefore, easily overlooked. In our case, these strips of tape were placed on opposite sides of our neighborhood road. They were probably not specifically intended for us, but they were a problem.

I took my authority in Jesus Christ and dealt with it. I took oil in my hands and then prayed in Jesus’ name for the curses to be broken. I picked the stuff up and threw it away with the rest of our trash. I also replaced the curses with blessings while sprinkling the area with olive oil. Then I applied oil to our outside walls, windows, and doors for God’s protection. From then on the girls slept peacefully, and the oppression stopped.

We lived on a corner property, and the area where the tape had been placed was an accident-prone zone. Visibility for motorists turning left or right was poor because of low-growing tree branches obstructing the view. The same morning I removed the tape, my husband prayed that the municipality would come and cut the excess foliage away. Amazingly, they arrived that afternoon. There were no more road accidents at that spot while we lived there.

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Poem – In His Care

I cannot be everywhere all the time,

But for God there are no limitations.

So, I trust my children in His care

That He may be in all their situations.

I ask the Lord to send His angels

To minister, guard, and protect.

Daily praying for my children,

I know that He will not forget.

By Christina Morley

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Spiritual Warfare – Part 4 of 4

Another tactic the enemy uses is silence. Anything that is not brought into the light has a certain hold on us, so the devil tries to keep us locked up with secrets. I think we all go through times in our lives that we don’t want to tell the truth about things in our past or present. Usually, we’re too ashamed to talk about them. However, not talking about these things can hold us back in our spiritual growth. We need to step out of secrecy, which holds us captive, and walk into His light and into His freedom.

Sometimes it’s up to us to defend the cause of others and to speak out against injustices. Keeping silent doesn’t help our cause, but it does help the devil’s. Speaking out the truth disarms the devil, and for this we need wisdom and boldness. For example, what do we do if we hear our friends gossiping? Do we join in by agreeing with them? Do we hold our tongues because we don’t want to come across as being too Christian? Or, do we take the opportunity to speak words of life and love?

Another weapon at our disposal is praise. In the time of King Jehoshaphat, a great multitude had come out against the nation of Judah (2Chron. 20:1-30). The king was afraid, so he set his face to seek the Lord, also calling all of Judah to fast and pray. God responded by telling them to go and meet the enemy, but said that they wouldn’t need to fight. They were to stand their ground, and see the salvation of the Lord.

King Jehoshaphat trusted the word of the Lord and put his faith to work. He appointed singers to go out in front of the army to praise the Lord. As they began to praise, the Lord sent an ambush against the enemy. Where there is praise, there is God. Where there is God, the demons tremble. Prayer, praise, and faith in God’s word tie the enemy’s hands and render him powerless. This is supernatural protection.

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Spiritual Warfare – Part 3 of 4

Another strategy Satan uses is fear. Satan relies on fear tactics to paralyze and overpower his victims. Sometimes he does this through criminals who prey on unsuspecting citizens. At other times, he uses fear to keep us from doing great things for God. Jesus has given us His authority to defeat the attacks of the enemy. First of all, God says He has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind (2Tim. 1:7). He also says that perfect love casts out fear (1John 4:18). Once we no longer allow fear to paralyze us, we no longer need to fall prey to fear tactics.

In order to do this we must allow God’s love to rule our lives by filling our hearts and minds with His Word. His Word builds our faith and is an effective weapon against spiritual and physical attacks. We can also pray scriptures that God has given to us for our families. Two excellent passages concerning divine protection are found in Psalm 91 and Isaiah 43:1-21.

We also find safety and refuge when we call on the name of the Lord in our time of need. He has myriads of angels at His disposal and He’ll dispatch them when we cry for help. God and His angels really are just a simple prayer away.

Besides praying to God for help, we can also rebuke whoever or whatever is threatening us. Occasionally, I ask my children to practice saying something like “Stop in Jesus’ name!” and encourage them to use a commanding voice. Demons operating through people tremble at the name of Jesus and are unable to withstand Him.

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Spiritual Warfare – Part 2 of 4

When Adam and Eve sinned, they unknowingly relinquished to Satan their authority on earth. But now, through the work on the cross, Jesus has been given all authority in heaven and on earth. He now sends us out into the world with that authority. We just have to learn how to walk in it.

Satan has two major goals. His first goal is to keep as many people as he possibly can from following the Lord. His second goal is to keep those who do follow the Lord from ever reaching their full potential. As with combatants in any battle, Satan not only has goals, but he also has strategies.

This is not the time for us moms to be spiritually asleep. God’s people are perishing for lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6). Ignorance is no excuse. The Bible warns us to be always alert, prayerful, and wise.

One of Satan’s best strategies is to try to distract our focus from the real battle. The real battle is not against people, but against evil spirits. When we get tangled up in resentment, jealousy, anger, and hatred toward others, we lose the battle. We also end up wasting a lot of energy and a lot of negative emotions. To win this kind of war, we need to keep our eyes on Jesus, remain in His word, keep on praying, and keep on flowing in His love and forgiveness.

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Poem: Who’s Praying for the Children?

Lord, who’s praying for the children
When they’re lost and alone
And their houses are too sorry to be called a home
When they’re growing up and their parents aren’t there
And the children soon wonder if they even care


Lord, who’s praying for the teens
When they’re not at home
And they’re running around, lost on their own
When they’re pushing drugs and doing crime
And you wonder why parents never had time


Lord, who’s praying for the adults
When they start their own home
And now their children are left alone
When the parents are struggling and wondering why
Things haven’t changed, they pass on the lie


By Christina Morley

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Prayer is Powerful – Part 5 of 5

In my previous post, I asked how often do we pray for those who are following Christ? We might think that since they are already saved by God’s grace, we should place the focus of our prayers on non-believers. Let’s take a look at the Apostle Paul’s prayer life.

In Paul’s letters to the churches, we see that he prayed night and day for his fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Likewise, he asked them to pray for him. He knew that they were together in a spiritual battle and that prayer would help them stand firm in the faith.

There are lots of believers that we can pray for. Usually, it helps to pray for those we know personally. We should especially remember to pray for married couples and their children. Satan targets the family unit, making married life and parenting even harder than it already is. He knows that if he can get at the families, he can reach the societies and destroy the nations. The nations, however, are our inheritance in Christ. So, when we pray for our nation or other nations, we should remember that any healthy nation is built on healthy families.

We should also be praying for pastors, missionaries, evangelists, and teachers even if we don’t know them personally. We can also pray for Christians in government, courts of law, politics, the arts, and sportsmen and women.

We are also instructed in the Word of God to pray for our leaders, the godly and the ungodly alike (1Tim. 2:1&2). God is the one who puts people in authority. Even if we don’t like our leaders, we should still pray for them and show them honor. Even when freedom of speech is regarded as one of our basic rights, that doesn’t mean that God gives us the freedom to say whatever we like. We need to check our attitudes and keep our hearts and minds pure from wanting to see the demise of those with whom we disagree.

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Prayer is Powerful – Part 4 of 5

Prayer walking is another great way to pray. Just take a walk around the neighborhood, and pray for your neighbors. They don’t have to know you’re praying, but God knows. He will honor your prayers.

God wants us to commit everything to Him in prayer, but do we? Often we assume that God is right there tagging alongside us, so we don’t see the need to pray. Sure, God is there, and He’s promised never to leave us or forsake us. However, God gave us the earth to have authority over it, and through Adam we gave it to the devil. Now, we must take our authority back in Jesus’ name. As we pray, we bind the work of the enemy and release God to do His work.

Does that mean that God can’t work if we don’t pray? No, God often works despite us, but He has chosen to partner with His children. If He wanted to do everything on His own, then there would be no reason for us to pray. Instead, He commands us to pray.

As we pray, we also need to consider where we focus our prayers. When I was frustrated with fruitless prayers, the Lord showed me that I was focusing on non-believers more than on believers. At the time, I thought that this was what was expected of me.

Actually, the truth is that we should pray for both. We need to cultivate a heart for the lost and pray for them, but not to the detriment of fellow Christians. How much of our prayers are actually spent on praying for those who, because they chose to follow Christ, would doubtless be under attack? The devil tries hard to stand in the way of believers who are trying to make a difference in their world.

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Prayer is Powerful – Part 3 of 5

My husband and I have made it a habit of praying every morning with the kids, either before leaving the house or once we’re all in the car together. We also pray every night for each child, sometimes while they’re still awake or when they’re already sleeping. Part of our prayers includes asking God to give them good dreams.

When I was a small child, I remember many times waking up from nightmares. As I grew older, those nightmares became less frequent. As an adult, I almost forgot they ever existed, but one day they suddenly came back.

I began to notice that there was a pattern for when I had a good night or a bad night. It seemed that the night before I had to lead a youth group or Sunday school class, a nightmare would strike. The dreams would be so graphic and gruesome that I realized they couldn’t be from my own imagination.

I tried praying scripture promises from David’s psalms concerning peaceful sleep. I also anointed every room with oil, but nothing I did seemed to work. Finally, I tried another tactic. It was so simple that I was surprised to find that it worked. All I did was pray that God would put His angels around our home to protect our sleep. I continued to pray that prayer every night, and from then on the nightmares stopped.

Now, every morning and evening we ask God to place His angels around our family. It might sound tiresome to follow such a routine. I know that after a while I had to make peace with it. We never question the need to brush our teeth every day to keep cavities away. The experts say that twice a day is better than once. It’s the same with prayer. My husband and I have seen such an improvement as a result of praying preventative prayers that we’ve chosen to make it a lifestyle.

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Prayer is Powerful – Part 2 of 5

The best thing about prayer is that you can do it any time of the day. It’s like having a conversation with God. The moment you feel prompted to pray for someone or something, share it with God. Sometimes, when I’m driving and I see someone who looks like someone else I know, I think, “Hey, I wonder how so-and-so is doing?” Then I pray for that person. Even a quick prayer can be powerful.

At other times, I might be having a conversation with a friend and the conversation leads to the friend having a need. Perhaps she hasn’t asked for prayer specifically, but I recognize that if I offer to pray, she’d probably appreciate it. Depending on the situation, I might even offer to pray for her right there.

Your prayers don’t have to be done in “the closet.” The less you worry about having the right place and the right atmosphere, the more spontaneous and natural your prayer life will be. As long as you are praying to be heard by God and not by man, then pray without holding back. Don’t allow inhibitions to keep you from being utilized by God.

Of course, you don’t want to draw unnecessary attention to yourself, so decide when it’s more beneficial to pray silently rather than vocally. Things to take into consideration are: the purpose of your prayer, the situation, and the suitability of your environment. Even though it’s good to be aware of your environment, this should not primarily govern how you pray. As you flow with His Spirit and with His love, you’ll know how to respond appropriately in every situation.

One place where people pray out loud is when they are together in a group or with a prayer partner. It could be at a large prayer meeting or with just a few moms. God promises that where two or three gather together in His name, He hears and will answer (Matt. 18:19&20). This means that if people are genuinely gathered for Christ’s purposes then His Spirit will lead them to unity of thought and they can confidently pray, knowing what they have agreed on will be answered.

A safe place to practice praying out loud is when you’re alone at home. You could try walking through the house praying from room to room. As you reach your kids’ rooms, you could pray for their safety. You could pray that their spiritual, mental, and physical development will be healthy and balanced so they can reach their full potential. You could also pray for their unknown future spouses.

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Prayer is Powerful – Part 1 of 5

Prayer is an integral part of a vibrant Christian life. Fortunately, God does not grant us everything that we pray for, especially when those prayers are misguided. Usually, we start out praying the best we know how without properly tapping into the Holy Spirit’s leading. These self-led prayers are not all bad. God will listen to anyone who reaches out to Him; He’d rather we try than not pray at all. He also desires that we grow in our ability to pray as His Spirit leads. The more we pray God’s way, the greater the results will be.

God had to deal with me regarding my prayer life. There was a time when my prayers mostly revolved around me and what seemed missing in my life. My prayers were the kind that flowed from a discontented heart. The discontentment stemmed from the many sacrifices I was making to try to create a happy family, and it culminated in self-pity.

This self-pity became the driving force behind my prayers, which seemed to be going nowhere. Finally, I realized that I had to make a shift from selfish prayers to outward-focused prayers. The more I took the focus off myself and tapped into what was on God’s heart, the more my prayers took a positive outlook. No longer were they weak, directionless, and powerless. They were now taking a turn toward being dynamic, effective, and power-filled.

It’s difficult to look outside of yourself when you don’t know who or what to pray for. You might even need to ask God to give you a compassionate heart. Next, become aware of those around you. Once you notice the need around you, recognize that God has blessed you so that you can be a blessing. Then, ask God to lead you so that you can pray pinpointed prayers. Specific prayers bring about definite results. Pray that God will lead you according to His desires and have faith that God will answer. It’s all about “God’s will be done” and not “my will be done.”

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Thankful in Times of Drudgery – Part 3 of 5

Besides being on the same diet for forty years, the Israelites also had to follow the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. God required that at any time, day or night, if the pillar moved they had to move. Imagine how much work it took to pack up and move a nation of people with their tents and animals at a moment’s notice. What fun that must have been!

God had a reason for this. He was teaching them obedience and dependence. He wanted His children to keep their eyes on Him. Otherwise, they would have forgotten about Him long before and gone their own way.

Aren’t we the same? When things are going well, we forget to pray, but when troubles strike, we pray. Then when we do pray, we try to force His hand to fix things our way. That’s because human nature doesn’t really like submitting to God’s way. His way often seems to be the harder way. At least He cares more about us becoming like Christ than we do, so He doesn’t give in to our little tantrums.

The Israelites had a forty-year sentence. God mercifully numbered the lifespan of the first generation so that the next generation could enter the Promised Land. Sadly, the second generation didn’t learn from their parents’ mistakes. The time spent in the desert was meant to prepare them for a supernaturally blessed future, but they were slow learners.

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