Category Archives: Prayer

Another Adventure in Favor!l

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God is showing my husband great favor these days (or maybe we are just more attuned to it!).

As a private investigator and security consultant, he often contracts with major corporations to find missing goods, expose shady operations, or discover counterfeit sources. He quite enjoys it.

This work has given him extensive travel experience (www.AmericasTravelExpert.com),  but he is always looking for new places to go and write about. He is also a man after God’s heart, and he loves meeting new people and spreading God’s love wherever he goes.

Recently he was saying he would love to go to the Middle East or China…. and then the call came… an interesting case that pays very well.

And if that wasn’t favor enough, the company might need him to go to ….. YES!  the Middle East or China. In 25 years of investigative work, this offer has never been presented!   Hmmmm…. He jumped on it!

The forces that oppose us, however, do not like us experiencing the favor of God, His promises, or any good thing actually.   They would like us to be frustrated and then, blame God.

And so, many times since Gene began this case, a wrench was thrown into the works where it looked like his desire would not be coming to fruition.

The favor of God is always at work, even if our heart’s desire is not fulfilled at the moment. God makes sure we have golden nuggets strewn along our path. We can rest in that.

However, we had a “knowing” that Gene was supposed to go, not just for him, but for the success of the case. Often corporate budget constraints can make executives short sighted and settle for inadequate results. Gene wanted win-win for everyone.

So, our spiritual training kicked in. We said “No!” to any and all obstacles. We proclaimed God’s love, delight and pleasure to have Gene go. We did not accept, “No”. This was a big lesson for us.

Three times we saw his travel threatened. Three times we declared he was going. Each time there was a temptation to roll over and just accept the company’s decision. But God trains us well.

Ps 32:8 says, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you shall go. I will guide you with my eye.”

Gene is now in Istanbul, Turkey, and next month he will go to Hong Kong!

God delights in delighting us.

Do you have a desire on your heart that He would delight in giving you? Let the Lord train you in appropriating His favor.  It’s there for you, too!

Have a blessed day!
Maryann

PS  Speaking of traveling…. this airport video will put a smile on your face!!

Airport Fun

From Hint to Heavenly Perspective

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Welcome to another edition of Java, Jammies, and Jesus!

Agree with God
You are the crowning achievement of all His creative power!
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I’m sure you have noticed this, too…. as you go through life, God shifts the direction of your path, or so it seems, sometimes ever so slightly, giving you a new focus or renewing a previous one.

How do I know it’s God?

Because, for me, it starts with a small hint in my heart, a fleeting thought in my mind, but often a persistent and inescapable one.

This particular thought was simply, “I need more of You today, Lord.”

Nothing revelatory, extraordinary, or pivotal.

I often think, “I need more of You, Lord.” After all, that is why I began the practice of being in His presence and writing to Him daily.

So, why does this thought have … this day …. an edge of distinction?Could it be another lesson or a prior lesson tweaked?

The Lord has taught me to come to Him with all my problems, issues, or concerns.  He has shown me His faithfulness over and over.

However, I noticed recently that my letters to Him have become too focused on my concerns.  I’ve talked to the Lord enough about them.  I can definitely sense that.

And yet, I’m not settled or satisfied.

Something is still missing.

Peace is not flowing like a river, and I want it to.

I need it to.

I am looking for that rest that only He can give, but seaching for it does not yield it.  It only seems to make it more elusive.

And then the spontaneous utterance, as if God is forming the thoughts in my mind, only in first person.  “I need more of You, Lord. Not solutions.  You.”

Ah, yes, I detect a slight shift in my soul.  I know there is more.But now what?  Worship?  Pray?  Yes, and sweet it is…. but there’s more… there’s always more…and I want it.

Again, the tug in my heart, “I need more of You, Lord.”  My concerns begin to take a back seat, fading into faith.  I am sensing a heavenly perspective, and it brings relief.

But there is more.

I am drawn to watch a Bill Johnson message. I cry.  My heart throbs for God.  He is all I want.  Any disturbance my concerns had to my peace has dissolved.

I just want Him, His purposes, His manifestations of power and love.

And then, there’s the book.

That book that has been sitting on my nightstand for, how long?  Months maybe?

You know how books and magazines pile up on our nightstands, with every intention of reading them before we drift off to sleep.

But for me, in 2, maybe 3 paragraphs, I’m snoring, glasses still on my face, the book waving up and down as it wants to fall to the covers.  Often my dear husband, takes the book and the glasses, and quietly turns off my light, mostly without my knowledge.

Well, last week I put away all those books, except for one.  One I started months ago, but just couldn’t get into.

This night though, with undeniable attraction, I picked it up, and captured by the love and power of God revealed in those pages, I couldn’t put the book down.

Don’t you love how God moves within us, sometimes so subtly, drawing our attention to what He knows will enrich and elevate us?

The book?   Expecting Miracles, by Rolland and Heidi Baker. Not your typical missionary book where you marvel at the missionary, but end up feeling small and inadequate yourself, maybe even guilty that you are not having such “strong exploits.”

No.  This book is a most inspiring, magnetizing, and hopeful book.  God knew what I needed to read.

In the coming days, I would like to bring you some of the excerpts that have delighted my heart and renewed my perspective.

The point of today’s encouragement for you (and me) is:  God loves us and is in charge of our paths.  He is actively working to bring us into greater and greater awareness of His desire, love and esteem for us.

He speaks, often subtly through our own thoughts, in a first person voice.  So, don’t ever dismiss the power of the heavenly hint.  He wants to lead us, so He can pour out His richest blessings upon us, not the least of which is Rest.

I leave you with one sentence from the Baker’s book that touched me immeasurably:

“In Jesus we are the crowning achievement of all His creative power.” (p. 185)

Meditate on that one for a century!

To His Glory and Love for you all,
Maryann


What? Me Worry?

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Good morning and welcome to another edition of Java, Jammies, and Jesus!

Often I will get a word from the Lord that is not just for me, but for others as well,  a word that I am supposed to share.

But quite frankly, I don’t always do it.

Maybe I hesitate at times because I still have a little apprehension that you all might think that I’m a tad loony because I say God speaks to me.

Other times, I might drawback because I fear you thinking, “Who is she to say, ‘God told me'”?

And still other times, the message is so simple that, for a split second, I worry, “Well, Lord….. who doesn’t know that?”

This is one of those times.

But here it is, from God to you: “Life is simple. I have only 2 requirements. Love Me and love others as you love yourself.”

That’s it.

Now maybe you would like to have some insider info as to what the Lord and I were discussing before I received that reassuring message.

Why did He say that to me? You’d be right if you thought it didn’t just come out of nowhere.

Well, when I got up this morning, I came to our meeting spot with a number of concerns that had had their way with me over the past couple of nights, disturbing my sleep.

I call it the collision of the concerns … you know, when there are too many that they just collide with each other creating confusion and unwanted negative energy.

Some of the concerns were obvious, in your face ones, like what the heck is going on in our world and the economy? And Wall Street???

Arghhhh…!!

Others were related to some devastating tragedies that our friends are experiencing.

Still others were more personal related to self imposed deadlines and the feeling of too much to do with too little time, our youngest son, yes, the “baby”, being 3000 miles away at school, or financial demands being greater in this season than usual.

Nothing out of the ordinary. Just life, or so it seems.

In thinking about these concerns, I was tempted to think too much about what I should or could do about them.

I thought I needed wisdom, strategies, and an action plan. And maybe I do need them, but when concerns are colliding at a blinding speed, those precious things are hard to come by!

And so, I began to tell the Lord about it and affirm His majesty and glory for me and others.

And just then, making a path through the noise in my brain, the Lord with His words, carved a way deep into my heart and mind saying,”Life is simple. I have only 2 requirements. Love Me and love others as you love yourself.”

Somehow in that instant it was clear to me what I must do: Just sit back and Rest in His love. Fill up on His love. Bask in it, revel in it, appreciate it, and bathe in it. Don’t go anywhere, do anything, attend to anyone until I feel satisfied, at peace, and happy. When I feel the smile on my face, I know I’m there.

Yes, contrary to what is going on in the world and the people and situations with which I am involved, I feel deeply within, that all … is ….  indeed …. well. The muscles in my neck relax, my breathing evens, and in the midst of the turmoil, I have found a restful pond in which to float, held up effortlessly by natural buoyancy.

The abundance I feel is tangible.

Don’t worry. Be happy. I couldn’t make that happen myself, but God can…. and did!

Like every other morning, all I had to do was show up, share, listen, agree, and receive.

I realized, once again, at that moment, that we are not victims of the circumstances. We are always meant to be victors.

I realized that while I feel helpless, in reality I can do something about Wall St. and even the economy at large, something powerful and effective:

I can pray, trusting Him to work all things together for good.

I realized that I can rest in His love and know that I and my family are well cared for and will continue to be. He will lead us in whatever personal decisions we need to make.

I realized that in His love I have an abundance of time, energy, and creativity to do whatever I really need to do.

In His love I can count on Him protecting, guiding, and enriching us, our son, and our friends.

In His love there is more financial provision than the vaults of Knoxville, and He delights in providing for us.

So, like old Alfred E. Neuman used to say, “What? Me worry????”

Have a great day! And oh, if you have a moment,  I’d love to hear your comments!

Cheers!

Maryann

God loves to hear about your concerns!

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Welcome back!

As I said in this edition of Java, jammies, and Jesus, it is my passion and desire to assist you in taking your rightful place, in the magnificent throne room, where you belong, and in enjoying His presence as He richly pours blessing upon blessing on, in, and through you.

Will you join me?

Please let me know by commenting below!

To His and our glory!

He can and will quench your thirst!

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Good morning,

Today is the day the Lord has made. Will you rejoice with me and be glad in it? (You know, it is a choice you can make!)

Here, this will help: Stop right now, take a deep breath, close your eyes, and think of 3 things for which you are grateful. Take another deep breath after each one.

So, is the desire to have that intimate connection with God getting stronger? If not, ask Him for it! God is more than happy to honor such a request!

Remember, He longs to reward you as you diligently seek Him!

When the kids were younger, we found the study of Ancient Egypt fascinating, particularly the importance of the Nile River.

The Nile was called the River of Life. It was and is a rich source of nutrients for Egypt, so much so, that the annual flooding of it was considered a high and holy religious event.

Once a year there was much to celebrate as the River left its gift of fertile silt deposits, causing the flood plain to flourish and thrive.

Click here to see a good picture or go to:

You can see the vegetation in the forefront.

But unless these living waters were pumped from the River or irrigation trenches were connected to the land beyond the flood plain, little could grow in the dry, parched desert lands. Notice the sandy terrain in the background of the picture.

I’m sure you see the parallel I am making. But think about it a minute. Reflect on this: How much do we try and do in a day without drinking deeply from our Living Water? Don’t you notice a feeling of dryness, staleness, and loss of joy? Does everything seem like it’s so much work and effort?

Yes, many are like that desert. Yes, the River is there, and available, but somehow, either it has to come to you, or you have to come to it, in order to truly benefit from its nutrients!

Jesus said, “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and heavy with burdens.” (Mt 11:28)

Why? Because He has something for you! Bread! Living Water!

Rest! Power! Come and get it!

Did you know that verse also means to come toward Him, and be by His side? (I cheated and looked it up in the Greek.)

In a week I will address the commonly held sentiment which keeps many from coming to Him…..

“I don’t come because I think He is disappointed in me. And He is disappointed in me because I don’t come. I don’t believe as I should, I don’t do what I should….” Note the vicious cycle!

Have I missed anything?

Until next time! May God bless you with rich times with Him! Email
me with questions, if you like! maryann@AgreewithGod.com

Maryann Ehmann
AgreewithGod.com

Thoughts…

God has always been my Source. It just took me a while to know it

and agree with it! But as I’ve done so, He has transformed my life,

and the life of every single family member. From lack to plenty,

sickness to health, worry to peace, guilt to freedom, darkness to

light… this is His mission for you, too.