If there is to be Revival in Your Heart, then you must set aside a time of quiet Prayer to God.  Prayer is a means of intentionally conveying a message to God.  You may say God already knows what I need–He is God.  True; but prayer is for us.  A moment to be alone with God and He being our only focus.  This must be more than just a whispered "God help me" which has it’s time and place; but we need to set aside a time each day to be alone with God.  Christ himself went out early in the morning to be alone with the Father.  So what did Christ have to say about prayer? 

Matthew 6:  ⁵ And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

⁶ But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

⁷ But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

⁸ Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

⁹ After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

¹⁰ Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread.

¹² And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

¹³ And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Prayer must come from the heart.  It is a means of communicating to God our desires, our hopes, and more importantly our loving devotion to Him.  So you may still say, "What do I say?"   That is the beautiful part–just get alone, intent on being near to God.  The Holy Spirit within you will intercede for you. 

Romans 8:  ²² For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.

²³ And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

²⁴ For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?

²⁵ But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

²⁶ Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

²⁷ And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDkTqC7h4zw

Join Christian Author Effie Darlene Barba

At the Miami Book Fair for the signing of her newest release, Ultimate Inspiration-God’s Plan of Love

The Initial 70 books will be given away to the first to arrive.

DATE:  Sunday, November 18th

TIME: 2:30-3:30

BOOTH NUMBER: 300

Miami Book Fair

Her other books Include: Mountaintop Experiences in the Valley, A Broken and Contrite Heart, and Mercies and Exhortations-A Book of Poems.

You may click on any of the links on the right to learn more about her works, obtain copies of the artwork of Ronald Barba whose art is featured on the covers of her latest works and the interior of her book of poems.

Revival is what we need within our own hearts and then spreading out to our nation.  For that to occur we need hope and hope is built upon faith.  If we look at the world around us, we see little to hold onto that builds hope.  I am a nurse practitioner in Cardiology.  As I look at the changes that are occurring in which the plans to save medicare dollars is a severe cut in the payments to the cardiologists and even to the extent that any testing done would be paid by medicare at below the cost to a private office, healthcare becomes a frightening place to work as budget cuts will be necessary and many jobs will be lost.  Our national debt continues to climb and the very ones we owe are a Communist Country.  If you read the Wikipedia account "China is estimated by the Federation of American Scientists to have an arsenal of about 180 active nuclear weapon warheads and 240 total warheads as of 2009, which would make it the second smallest nuclear arsenal amongst the five nuclear weapon states acknowledged by the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. According to some estimates, the country could "more than double" the "number of warheads on missiles that could threaten the United States by the mid-2020s" 

All of this I point out to say that if we look at the world around us there is no sense of hope, only panic and fear; but we who believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior do have hope which is founded upon faith in an Omnipotent God’s promises.

Hebrews 11: Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

² For by it the elders obtained a good report.

³ Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

We understand that the very God who created the heavens and the earth is still upon His throne.  So, stop wringing your hands in desperation and fear.  Look up and hold tight to the promises that God has provided for you.  Stand firm in faith.  Count the billions of times that He has provided for you when all around you seemed impossible. Rejoice in that hope which can only be found in Him. 

Ephesians 2:

¹² That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens…, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:

¹³ But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

¹⁴ For he is our peace,

Because God so chose to pay the penalty for our sin and to provide through faith a means of reconciliation to Himself to all who would believe, we have cause to rejoice no matter what is happening around us in this world. 

1 Peter 1: ² Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

⁴ To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,

⁵ Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

⁶ Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:

⁷ That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

⁸ Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

⁹ Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ea3x3B4HZ4

Ephesians 4: ²⁹ Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

³⁰ And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

³¹ Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

³² And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

If we are to have revival in our own hearts and in our nation then we must learn how to forgive.  Forgiveness is easy to say; but, I daresay not that easy to perform. How often do we say, "Oh, I forgave him; but let me tell you what he did to me." (So you can really understand how great I am to have forgiven him or her).   I am certain that I have failed in this area too often and must repent of the same.  So how do we learn to forgive and lay aside all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamour and evil speaking?  How do we learn to forgive the way God forgave us which went beyond forgiveness and included reconciliation to whomever would accept His forgiveness.  Perhaps if we remember how much God has forgiven us, then how much should we forgive.  Let us each pray that God give us His heart of love and compassion so that we might forgive in this manner and that He bind up our mouths to not speak until we have had our words seasoned by His wisdom.  Let’s look at a few scriptures that remind us of what God like forgiveness is.

1.  Jeremiah 31: 34  they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

2.  Psalm 103: ¹¹ For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear (revere)  him.

¹² As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

3.  Romans 5:  ⁶ For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

⁷ For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.

⁸ But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

⁹ Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

¹⁰ For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

¹¹ And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

4.  Matthew 18: ²¹ Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?

²² Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.

4.  Luke 6 ²⁷ But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,

²⁸ Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.

²⁹ And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also.

³⁰ Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.

³¹ And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.

³² For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.

³³ And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same.

³⁴ And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.

³⁵ But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.

³⁶ Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

Let us remember the great forgiveness that we have been given.  Let us pray earnestly for God to transform our hearts. 

One of the quotes that my son Alberto introduced me to is

"As we grow up, we learn that even the one person that wasn’t supposed to ever let you down… probably will. You will have your heart broken probably more than once and it’s harder every time. You’ll break hearts too, so remember how it felt when yours was broken. You’ll fight with your best friend. You’ll blame a new love for things an old one did. You’ll cry because time is passing too fast and you’ll eventually lose someone you love. So take too many pictures, laugh too much, and love like you have never been hurt because every sixty seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you’ll never get back."

Author: Unknown

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=h1Lu5udXEZI&feature=endscreen

Psalm 85: ⁶ Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?

⁷ Shew us thy mercy, O Lord, and grant us thy salvation.

⁸ I will hear what God the Lord will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly.

⁹ Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land.

¹⁰ Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

¹¹ Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven.

¹² Yea, the Lord shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase.

¹³ Righteousness shall go before him; and shall set us in the way of his steps.

Revival must begin with me.  We look around us and know that this great land of ours is in trouble.  National debt, crime, homelessness, joblessness, stress, pain, and sorrow fills our streets.  We have churches, TV ministries, Internet Ministries, Radio Ministries, and millions of Bibles available.  Yet, what we need is a revival so that we might once more rejoice in God’s love.  With so much available, we so often go about our busy lives with little thought of our Savior and Redeemer.  TV becomes more important than our Bible.  Prayer is that which we go through the motions before we eat or right before we go to bed and more often than not, only when we want something from God.  If revival is to come, it must begin within the heart of each believer.  Look at this verse as David prays for Israel (who so often got caught up in their pride-filled follies while ignoring the God of their salvation).  We must each as individuals begin by developing a reverence for the magnificent Holiness of God so that we clearly see the sin in our own lives for what it is– an abomination against God.  We must ourselves repent before Him and lay ourselves before Him as a Holy Sacrifice to denounce sin and put on His righteousness so that His Glory may dwell in our hearts and in our lands.  Only then can we demonstrate where mercy and forgiveness have met with the perfect truth of God’s Justice, Holiness, and hatred of Sin as He took on our penalty.  It is at the Cross of Christ where perfect righteousness with it’s condemnation of sin met with finding peace with God through His paying our penalty.  So get rid of your pride and in humble obedient love follow after Christ.  Only as we revive the heart within ourselves can we hope for revival in this our great nation.  Then, God will guide us in the "way of his steps", "righteousness shall go before Him" and "the Lord shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YTZq37OpMw