No More Safe Prayers; Asking Big, Believing Big

Alfred Lord Tennyson, a British Poet Laureate during the nineteenth century, wrote, "More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of." Our lives prove how truthful this statement is.

Oh how I would love to have a record of every answered prayer, wouldn't you? So many are answered each day and I do not recognize them or sadly, do not thank the One Who provided the answer.

Our Sunday School lesson last Sunday was on Acts 12 and the church that prayed for Peter's release, then didn't believe their prayer was answered when he arrived at the door. I have to admit, I have prayed, then been surprised at the answer, too. Maybe I've been surprised because I thought I was asking for something too hard for God. Something that seemed so far out there and so beyond His ability to give, that when He answered, I either did not recognize the answer, or was so surprised I had to process it for a while, know what I mean?

I believe God wants to do so much more in our lives than we are willing to ask Him to do. I've gotten comfortable with "safe prayers", and maybe I've missed some supernatural things that He wants me to ask for. Safe prayers are those comfortable prayers that we feel confident God will do, whether we ask Him or not. Safe prayers do nothing to build my faith and expand my world view, but oh, when I ask for big things, for what we call "impossible things", for things that to an unbelieving world make no sense at all, I believe God says, "That's what I've been waiting to hear you say." God is not offended or intimidated by our "impossible things" prayers. In fact, He takes great delight in taking "impossible" to "possible". The greatest hindrance to unsafe prayers is unbelief.

I love the honesty and transparency of the father in Mark 9. This man had a son who had an affliction similar to epilepsy; a hopeless disease of that time. He had brought his son to the disciples, hoping they would heal him, but v18 simply says, "They could not." After questioning this man about his son's disease, Jesus looked him in the eye and said, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes." And I believe v24 is the heart cry of most of the people I know: "Lord, I believe You. Help me with my unbelief."

I'm sure you know the rest of the story; Jesus healed this man's son and don't you know he was so thankful that he did not resort to a safe prayer? In v29 Jesus tells us that this kind of miracle can only come by prayer and fasting. (we'll tackle the fasting thing in another post. hint; fasting doesn't always include not eating!! amen, right??) This Dad knew he had a tendency toward unbelief and He needed Jesus' help. I, too, can have a spirit of unbelief. And this is the neat thing about praying big, unsafe prayers; the more unsafe the prayer, the bigger the answer and the bigger the answer, the bigger my belief. I don't think this Dad suffered much with unbelief after witnessing Jesus heal his son, do you?

So here's the challenge; choose an unsafe prayer to pray for your husband today. I am a huge fan of books by Stormie Omaritan; especially her series on the power of prayer. (she also has books about praying for our kids.) Her books have taught me to pray "big things" for the people I love. One of her first books that I read is:

The Power of a Praying Wife.
I believe every Christian wife should read this book at least once. (you'll read it more than once, trust me)

Here are 5 chapters titles; (things wives should pray for their husbands)

His Work.

His Finances.

His Choices.

His Integrity

His Fatherhood. (and lots of other great chapter titles.)

Do you want to see God do something miraculous in his life? I encourage you to get the book, read it, then begin to pray big things for him.

After you pray an "unsafe" prayer for your husband, pray an "unsafe prayer" for you.

"The Prayer that Changes Everything" is my most favorite spiritual book in my library and I have almost worn it out! Every page has something hi-lighted or under-lined, and I have written notes throughout the book. It literally transformed my prayer life and I believe it will do the same for you. Every situation, every problem, every hurt, every good thing, every question you ever had about prayer, I know you will find the answer here. 

My SS class gave me a gift card to LifeWay, (one of my favorite places to shop) and of course, I wanted to use part of it for books. I am now in the process of reading Stormie's book, "Lead Me, Holy Spirit: Longing to Hear the Voice of God." If you long to know the Person of the Holy Spirit in a more intimate way, you will enjoy this book. As you can see, it still looks pretty good; I haven't worn it out yet!!

I'd love to hear about your "unsafe prayers." Some are too personal to share, I know, but if you have one that isn't, tell me about it and I will be glad to help you pray for the impossible, for the unsafe. I want to see some things "wrought by prayer" don't you? If we want to see it, then we have to be ready to pray in belief, (Matt. 21:22) and pray unsafe.

Blessings, Blessings, Blessings to my blog members and to all who read this blog!!

Penny

What I Learned From the Hilldale MOPS!

Hilldale MOPS you are an awesome group of Moms!! I came to share the Word with you, but you taught me a thing or 2!

1. God is faithful to bless our efforts. (1 Thess. 5:24)
Your group has grown by more than 20 Moms this year. You were faithful with your efforts and God was faithful with His blessings.

2. You reached out to a Mom with a special need. (Proverbs 31:9) You are women of virtue.

When I arrived, Diane (Hilldale MOPS coordinator) shared with me that a new member, Cherry, was deaf, and asked if I would be comfortable with an interpreter present. She explained that Yvonne, the interpreter, would sit with her back to me and interpret for Cherry as I spoke. My first thought was that I might be distracted, but I was not in the least. Our God is faithful. I met Bro. Larry, the pastor of Hilldale, and he told me how he had encouraged Cherry to join the MOPS group and I am so glad he did. I can only imagine how lonely I would feel if I was deaf, and this group of Moms is doing a great job of making Cherry feel included. (and isn't what we all want and need? Ask any teenage girl!!) Just being with them makes me want to look around my own church and community and see the lonely and include them more in the life of our church family. Great job Bro. Larry and great job Hilldale MOPS Moms. And Yvonne, oh my word, what a great job you did with this fast talking, Kentucky twang of mine. I couldn't even begin to interpret "myself" for "myself", but you did a great job.

Know how I could tell?? By the look on Cherry's face. She looked from you to me the whole time and I am so blessed by this experience. (Cherry has the pony-tail)

Hilldale MOPS has a great group of Mentor Moms who take the commands of Titus 2 seriously. Ladies, let's never forget the words of Paul in Titus 2:3-5: we are to reach out to the young women and girls in our sphere of influence and teach them things like, "holy living, to be more serious about spiritual things, to love their husbands and children, to be discreet, pure, keepers at home, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed!!" (ouch. Not popular in our culture, but biblical truth, without error, just the same.)

I met 2 new mentor Moms this year: Paula did a great job with our devotional, and I enjoyed talking with Mary, a new mentor Mom.

Hannah is one of the newest members of my blog and she shared with me that her husband has recently been deployed to Afghanistan. Oh how thankful I am for the men and women who defend our country and for their precious families who give up so much for our safety. Bless you!

Hilldale MOPS, it was a pleasure to be with you again this year. You are doing a great job encouraging young Moms to be all they can be for Christ, their husbands, and their families.

And.....my driver picked me up, we had lunch at Chick-fil-a, and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon.

Thanks again Hilldale MOPS Moms!!

5 Ways to Keep Our Heart and Spirit Tender Toward God

Happy New year!! Did you make any resolutions or set any goals for 2013? I've made a few resolutions,
(stay calm, trust more, etc) set a few goals, (the everlasting 10lbs) but what I really want to do is be more "consistent" in my faith. It's easy to have faith and trust God when things are going well, but at the first hint at trouble, the enemy is an expert at setting up a stronghold around my heart, and that stronghold is usually fear.

I jotted down 5 things in my journal today that I want to consistently do throughout the year to keep my heart and spirit tender toward God. I do so want to be more committed to Him this year than last and if you feel the same way, then maybe these 5 things will help you, too, and together we can keep each other accountable.

1. Spend time in the Word each day.
David said in Psalm 119:11, "Thy Word have I hidden in my heart that I may not sin against Thee." If we aren't reading the Word we can't hide it in our heart. It is the Word that keeps us from sin. And reading the Word everyday keeps my heart in sync with the heart of God. And a heart in sync with God's heart means I'm more aware of the sin in my life and my need for forgiveness.

2. Learn what it means to "pray without ceasing." (1 Thess. 5:17)
For me, praying without ceasing means my heart is focused and there is a constant awareness of my relationship with God. I have often been praying, have to deal with an interruption, then my mind and heart goes right back to my prayer. To pray without ceasing means I have an open line of communication with God that I can access at any time during the day or night.

3. Ask the Holy Spirit to bring to the surface of my mind any sin that I haven't asked forgiveness. (Oh....this is so not fun.)
Everyone goes through times when we don't feel as close to God as other times. I've discovered in my own life when I feel God is distant, it is because I haven't been honest with Him about some things. James 4:8 says this; "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." Unconfessed sin keeps God at a distance. But when I keep "short accounts with God" as I heard a preacher once say, I desire to draw near to Him. Asking Him to help me remember what I haven't confessed keeps us close.

4. When I read a command in the Word, obey it.
The Bible is meant to be obeyed. (ouch) The next time you read a chapter in the New Testament, look closely for any "commands" and write them in your journal. (You do have a prayer journal don't you??)
Things like:
Return good for evil. Romans 12:21
Respond with a soft answer to a hard question. Proverbs 15:1
Be discreet. Titus 2:5
Give cheerfully. 2 Corinthians 9;7
Be a peacemaker. Romans 14:19
Romans 12 has 31 commands in it. (if I've counted correctly.) It's a great place to start. Writing them down makes them more personal and helps us remember to obey. And there definitely is a link between parents who make a conscious effort to be obedient to God, and kids who make a conscious effort to be obedient to their parents. Let's set a good example for them.

5. Forgive those who have hurt me, including me!
For me, it is easier to forgive others than to forgive myself. And I often say things to myself that I would never let someone else say to me. (I'd get fighting mad if someone talked to me the way I talk to myself, know what I mean??)
Sometimes we have to cut ourselves some slack and get over the embarrassing or silly things we say or do. How I feel about myself often dictates how I treat myself (how I talk to myself, eat, exercise, etc) and how I treat others. (with kindness, acceptance, love, or rejection, judgment)
The Bible says in Mark 11:25, if I want to be forgiven, I need to forgive. And that includes forgiving myself for sins and failures that God has already forgiven me for.

I love the beginning of a new year. It holds so much promise and so much hope. But I also love the fact that God doesn't wait for a new year to bring new things into my life. Lamentations 3:3 reminds me that His mercies are new each morning, His compassion never fails, and "Great is Thy Faithfulness."

When you awake in the morning, take a few moments to bask in the knowledge that you have new mercies for the problems of the day, you have new compassion for all your hurts and needs for today, and He will forever be faithful to you.

I'd love to hear your New Year's Resolutions! Leave a comment or send me an email.
Can't wait to be with you again Hilldale Baptist MOPS! See you January 18.

Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas!!

No long blog post today; just a Christmas greeting from the Noffsinger family to your family.
I want to thank each of you for all the encouraging emails, texts and words of encouragement that you have given me this year through this blog. I can honestly say that when I began blogging, I had no earthly idea what I was doing, but with each blog came so much encouragement that I have discovered I am not scared of blogging anymore!! I actually enjoy it.

I'd love to hear your favorite Christmas verse, so send me an email or leave us a comment.
Mine is John 1:14;
"The Word became flesh and dwells among us."

Do you know how hard it is to corral 7 little Noffsingers around the Christmas tree?? (especially right after Thanksgiving Dinner!)

This is our Christmas card to you! May you and yours have the merriest of Merry Christmas' and may 2013 be a blest and Happy New Year for each of you.

The girls l-r
Katie, Olivia, Sarah, Emily and Kara.
The boys are Alex and Tate. (and of course David)

Don't Let Your Marriage Become a Statistic

I am a great admirer of Billy Graham. When I was a child, tv was much, much different than tv today. We had 4 or 5 channels that we received into our home through a large antennae at the corner of our house. Along with regular programming, those stations would broadcast the Billy Graham Crusades, and they would advertise for days or weeks in advance that the "Billy Graham Crusade would be broadcast on their channel." My Mom and Dad and grandparents were Billy Graham admirers, too, and with much anticipation we would look forward to watching those crusades on our television. We could never have gone to those far away, often exotic places, but we could hear the Word and watch as hundreds, often thousands of people responded to his clear presentation of the gospel.

Several years ago, Billy Graham came to the Papa John Stadium in Louisville, Ky. My sister, Sherry, called me and said she wanted us to take my Mom to hear him "live and in person." We did, and what a thrill it was for my Mom to get to experience what she had only been able to watch from a tv screen. I am so thankful for that experience and so thankful Sherry included me in sharing it with our Mom. I enjoyed it so much that 2 nights later David and I attended the last night of the crusade.

I am also an admirer of Mrs. Graham and their daughter GiGi, and the entire family. I have several of their books and would one day love to go the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, NC. And then this past week I read something that shocked me; in my Home Life magazine I read an article by Tullian Tchividijian on "becoming an adult child of divorce." Surely not...surely I had read that wrong, but no, there it was in black and white. You see, Tullian is the son of GiGi and Stefan Tchividjian. GiGi and Stephan were married 41 years...they have 7 children and lots of grandchildren. Surely not them, she is Ruth and Billy Graham's daughter; it can't happen to them.

Then I heard of a couple who were married about the same time David and I were married and just a few months ago, after 41 years of marriage, they divorced. Surely not them, it can't happen to them, but it did.

In his article Tullian writes, "There had been no infidelity or abuse---in fact, my siblings and I are still scratching our heads, wondering exactly what happened." He and his siblings are not alone; statistics say that divorce among believers is the same as divorce among unbelievers and in most cases, their adult children have no idea what happened.

David and I are far from experts on marriage, but we do have a long track record. We have been married over 42 years, and while he would be the first to tell you, they haven't been perfect years, we are so thankful that we "stuck it out" and "stuck together" when it would have been so easy to become one the statistics.
We are blest to have parents and grandparents who stuck it out, too. My parents celebrated their 70th anniversary just 2 weeks before my Dad passed away. David's parents were married almost 58 years and we both had grandparents who were married 60+ years.

So in this day when marriage is being re-defined (there is no such thing, by the way, marriage is marriage the way God says it is marriage; 1 man 1 woman, final.), and when Satan is determined to destroy every home that he can possibly destroy, how do we stay married?

I have such a tender heart for young couples and, 2nd only to teaching my SS class, I love speaking to wives and Moms in the throws of those early years of marriage and raising their children. One thing the young women enjoy is a time of q & a at the end of the event. As a teacher and speaker, there is no way to prepare for this time, and sometimes I have to say, "I don't know", but I love their questions and love the transparency of those moments. Young married couples need older married couples to mentor them through those first years of marriage; they don't want to see "perfect", they want to see "real".

I teach a multi-generational SS class and have women of all ages and stages of life who read the blog. If you have been married for 25 years or more, will you respond with a word of encouragement for our younger married couples that just might be the very thing they are needing to hear today?

My word of encouragement for them is this; REMEMBER!
Remember the vows you made on your wedding day. Weren't they something like "for better or worse" (that takes in everything), "richer or poorer" (can't get too rich, can't get to poor to call it quits),
"in sickness and in health" (can't get too sick and sure can't get too healthy to chuck it all) "till death do us part" (that's a lifetime).

When he/she is driving you nuts, when you feel like you can't take it another minute, when you want to quit and move on, just remember anger and hurt feelings will pass in time, and remembering our commitment helps tender our hearts toward our mate.

Marriage is a covenant agreement between a man, a woman, and God. In preparing to write this blog, I asked David what one word of encouragement he had for you and your marriage and it cannot be love! That's a given, because without love, it can't be marriage. Plus, where would love and marriage be without 1 Peter 4:8; "Have fervent love for each other because love covers a multitude of sins!!"

He said it is important that at least one person in the marriage be an OPTIMIST. (and he is saying it with a smile.)
Yes, he is definitely an optimist. I prefer to say he has "deep faith." When things go wrong, I tend to panic, worry, fret. I say things like, "What are we going to do now?" He says, "Things will get better. God is in control." David looks for the good in people and the good in every situation.

A few years ago, we were praying about a certain situation and it seemed as if God didn't hear us. (ever felt that way?) I said to David, "Do you think God is even listening?" And he said, "If I didn't think He was listening, I wouldn't pray." That's faith. Faith in God and in His power to bring good out of everything and blessing out of ashes (Isaiah 61:3). For marriage to endure, we gotta have faith; faith in God and His sovereignty over our lives, and faith in each other.

So please...don't be a statistic. Give marriage a fighting chance by remembering your promises to each other. And look for the good in each other and in every situation. One day, you'll look back and be so glad you did.

Let us hear from you!!

Getting Rid of the Clutter

I am a "pack rat". I do not like to throw anything away. The problem is, many of the things I hold onto need be thrown away!

I have some of the clothes my boys wore as children, toys, books, school papers, ball cards, and these are good things to keep. But some of the other stuff that fills the floor and walls of my basement......... who needs a broken mixer or mini blinds with bent slats??? And in 2012 who needs orange kitchen curtains and an avocado can opener from the '70's? (yes the 70's)

On the few occassions David and I have tried to clean out the basement we didn"t get very far because I wouldn't let him throw away anything. Needless to say, no one is invited into our basement. David says in case of a tornado, he'll take his chances upstairs not downstairs; it's safer.

Now, I wouldn't tell him this, but what needs to happen is for him to catch me gone for a day and clean out that basement and tell me about it after the orange curtains and avocado can opener are a part of our 1970"s history!!

But my real problem is...I have a hard time letting go of "stuff" that clutters me spiritually. Hurt feelings from umpteen years ago, anger over an unresolved issue, fear, worry, jealousy, (yes I admit it) and even letting go of pre-conceived ideas from decades past.

Since women tend to battle the same issues, I thought maybe you might have a problem letting go of some
"stuff", too. I'm a big fan of writing scriptures on index cards and keeping them where I can easily find them. Here are some scriptures for those times when you just need to "let go" of the stuff that clutters your mind and heart and keeps you from experiencing the true freedom in Christ that He purchased for us on Calvary.

When I need to let go of:
Fear: 2 Timothy 1:7; For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
Isaiah 41:13; For I the Lord thy God will be thy right hand, and say to you, "Fear not, I will help you." (There are 365 "fear nots" in the Bible. Is there one for each day of the year? I think so.)
Hurt Feelings: How often are we to forgive those who hurt us? Jesus said to Peter, "7X70!!"
Worry: Psalm 91:15; He shall call upon me and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him.
Jealousy: Psalm 37:7; Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; fret not thyself because of those who are prosperous in his way.
Anger: Proverbs 15:1; A soft answer turns away wrath; but harsh words stir up anger.
Prejudice: All prejudice is rooted in pride. (and God hates pride; Prov. 8:13)

So... the only way to get rid of the clutter in my basement is to throw away the things that aren't worth keeping and bring some order and organazation to the things I want to keep. (easier for me to say than do.)
And the only way to get rid of the clutter in my mind and heart is to throw away those feelings and emotions that keep me from experiencing true freedom in Christ. And I do that by attacking them with scripture.

I just have to show you one little thing that I will keep forever!! A Fischer Price Farm Set from the 70"s with most of the pieces. (of course, I wouldn't have thrown any of them away)
It was such fun watching my grandkids play with
something I watched my kids play with. Now what could be a better reason for being a "pack-rat"?







Share with us some of your favorite scriptures for decluttering your mind and heart. We'd love to hear them.

And thank you so much for sharing this blog with your friends and family. And a big welcome to our sisters from Israel!

Penny

A Great Book and Other Stuff

Have you ever said something you wished you hadn't said? Several times a day, right? The proverbial "putting my foot in my mouth" syndrome gets me into more embarrassing situations than I care to share with you on this blog. I have made a discovery about myself; I am more likely to say the wrong thing, when I am in a situation where I don't know how to respond, and at those times when I just need to keep silent.

At the SBC in New Orleans last June, Dr. Dennis Swanberg (with a great deal of humor) shared several experiences he has had with being in situations where he spoke when he really didn't have anything to say. The one I loved best was when he and Dr. Billy Graham were sitting in rockers on the porch of Dr. Graham's home in North Carolina. Dr. Swanberg commented on how nice the rockers were and Dr. Graham said that he and Ruth had rockers on all the porches and how much they enjoyed inviting friends over and "sitting and rocking". After a few moments of silence, Dr. Swanberg said, "Cracker Barrel has nice rockers", to which Dr. Graham said, "Cracker Barrel has too many people." When I heard him tell that story, of course I laughed, but I could also identify with Dr. Swanberg and how he felt in that moment, in the presence of the most beloved preacher of our time. It reminded me of Peter's experience with Christ on the Mt. of Transfiguration.(Matt. 17:4) (I guess that's why I love Peter so much....I can identify with his impulsive-ness when it comes to speaking.)

Well, if you ever wished you could be more effective with your words, or if you long to respond in the right way, not react out of fear or impulse, then I have a great book I would like to recommend; "Unglued" by Lysa Terkeurst. I bought mine at Life Way for $10.00 and it is worth every cent. It's a great read and a fast read, so have your hi-liter handy because it is a book you will read again and refer to often.

September was a busy month at the Noffsinger household. Sarah had her 10th birthday and Kyle and April celebrated their 12th wedding anniversary. We celebrated Sarah's birthday on Labor Day with pizza and a flip-flop cake that Kesha created especially for Sarah.

This is Sarah, Emily and Kara. These 3 Noffsinger cousins are 10 years old.

The whole crew!!

When Katie saw this pic of her and her cousin Olivia, she said "MeMe, this would be a great pic for your blog." She is right, it is a great pic for the blog. This is our oldest granddaughter Katie and our youngest granddaughter, Olivia.

And of course I couldn't leave out the boys. Here are Tate and Alex.

I really hope you'll read the book, and if you do, let me know if it gives you some insight into those times when you come "unglued" and how through the power of the Holy Spirit, you can choose to respond instead of react.

Learn more about Lysa and her ministry at P31ministries.org

Love Ya'll,

Penny

Sarah and me leaving for church last Sunday!!