The Powerhouse in the Home

Recently a friend shared with me an email from an acquaintance of hers. This woman had written to her about the reasons a woman needs to be prayerful. She referred to Luke 7, an occasion when Jesus went with His disciples into the city of Nain, near Nazareth. Luke tells us that a large crowd accompanied the Lord. As they approached the city gate, another large crowd was coming out from the city. It was a funeral procession—“a dead man [was] being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow.” (Luke 7:12 AMP)

 

Now if you’ve heard anything at all about Jewish funerals at the time of Jesus, you would suspect there would be loud weeping and wailing in abundance. And you can probably picture those accompanying Jesus stepping aside to let the procession go by. Perhaps you can even see the fear in their eyes. Death.

 

But Jesus didn’t step aside. He saw her and—

 

…felt great compassion for her, and said to her “Do not weep.”

And He came up and touched the bier [on which the body rested],

and the pallbearers stood still.

And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise [from death]!”

The man who was dead sat up and began to speak.

And Jesus gave him back to his mother.

Luke 7:13-15 (AMP)

 

The writer of the email, whom I have yet to meet, said—

 

It was the cry of a mother that moved the Heart of God. Still today, mothers who cry before the Lord…move the Heart of God. When mothers stop praying, their families (especially their children) perish. Satan gets a foothold and starts to destroy the home, yet when they return to their rightful place as the anchor of the home, demonic strongholds get demolished. … the “devil is terrified of mothers (the powerhouse in the home). Today, as the woman of the home, consider yourself blessed. Consider yourself highly favored and consider yourself dangerous when you pray.

 

Do you consider yourself dangerous when you pray?

 

You are when you use your weapon, the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, in prayer with intent, with  passion, asking for the Lord to give His life to your children, to your home.

However, there’s no danger from a weapon that lies motionless.

 

As Priscilla Shirer said, the Holy Spirit is giving us His Sword to use so we can stand firm against the schemes of our enemy, the same sword Jesus used. 

 

Let’s keep our weapon unsheathed and in hand. May our praying be “pressed and pursued with an energy that never tires, a persistency which will not be denied, and a courage that never fails.” (E.M. Bounds)

 

Let’s be the powerhouse in our homes!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Maestro Difference

Do you know the difference between a symphony conductor and a maestro?

 

It’s one of heart, it seems.

 

One does the job. The other takes it to the heart level.

 

A maestro is said to lead with confidence, with exactness and with inspiration. (Of all things, I learned this from a GMC auto commercial!)

 

Wouldn’t you say that is true?

 

It’s a reflection, I think, of doing what you do with wholeheartedness, with excellence.

 

It’s what Paul wrote to the Colossians (3:23 AMP):

 

Whatever you do [whatever your task may be], work from the soul [that is, put in your very best effort], as [something done] for the Lord and not for men…

 

Phillips puts it “as a sincere expression of your devotion to God.” And the Message, “don’t just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God.”

 

This, ladies, is what the Lord desires of us—taking whatever we do, prayer included, to the heart level. As the commercial says, it’s that kind of performance that deserves a standing ovation.  Yes! And it’s that kind of work that the Lord gives, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

 

May we all be maestros!

Effective Prayer

When it comes to prayer, we often hear quoted James 5:16b—

 

The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. (NIV)

 

In the case of this verse (and of course many others), there is an advantage to our having different translations. Here is the same verse from the Amplified.

 

The heartfelt and persistent prayer of a righteous man (believer) can accomplish much [when put into action and made effective by God—it is dynamic and can have tremendous power].

 

And listen to the words used by the English Standard Version—

 

The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

 

What caught my attention today as I read it first from the ESV is “as it is working.” Hmm. So, I looked it up in the Amplified, which says, “when put into action.”

 

It’s so easy to think that our prayers are not work, not action. But, the truth is just the opposite.

 

Here is the same verse from the New American Standard Bible—

 

The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.

 

The word “effective” is the Greek word energeō

, which the New King James Version translates as “effective fervent.” This Greek word, according to Strong’s means to be operative, be at work, or put forth power. It is anything but passive. In fact, this word is used to describe the work of God by Paul in 1 Corinthians 12:6 and of the Holy Spirit in verse 11, as well as in other scriptures. And, interestingly, the NASB doubles the word using it at the beginning, “effective,” and at the end, “accomplish,” as if to emphasize the working significance of prayer.

So, praying moms, be sure that the time you spend in prayer IS work! And be sure that it will make a difference.

 

Samuel Davies, an 18^th century minister, evangelist, and religious reformer said, “And how are we to expect His sacred influences? The answer is , Pray for them: pray frequently, pray fervently.” He also said, “The most important blessings of my life I have looked upon as immediate answers to the prayers of a pious mother."

 

Praying moms, you are moving the Hand of Heaven to accomplish much.