thoughts by Sylvia Gunter Archives - Daily Thoughts about God

10 Things to Pray for Friends and Family

Published July 23, 2024

10 Things to Pray for Friends and Family

The Bible instructs us to bear one another’s burdens.

Many problems are too heavy for us to bear alone.

Faced with extreme hardship, Paul wrote that he counted on the prayers of his friends for victory (2 Corinthians 1:8-11, Philippians 1:19, Romans 15:30-32)

1. Pray that their love for others will grow. 1 Corinthians. 13:4-7, Philippians 1:9-11.

2. Pray for unity, agreement, unselfishness, humility, and oneness in Christ.
Philippians 2:1-5, John 17:11, 21.

3. Pray that they will have the mind of Christ and acknowledge the Lord daily to direct their lives. 1 Corinthians 2:11-16, Proverbs 3:5-6.

4. Pray that they will present themselves as living sacrifices to God. Romans 12:1-2.

5. Pray that they will know who they are in Christ. Colossians 1:28, 2:10, Ephesians 1:3-4, 7-8.

6. Pray that they will hunger daily for the word of God and grow daily in Christlike maturity. Matthew. 4:4, Ephesians 4:11-16, Philippians 2:12-13.

7. Pray that they will put on the full armor of God and be alert to Satan’s strategies. Ephesians 6:10-18.

8. Pray that they will not love the world system but set their mind on Christ.
1 John 2:15-17, Philippians 4:8.

9. Pray that they will have a servant’s heart with a spirit of brokenness and humility.
Mark 10:44-45, Psalm 51:17.

10. Pray that they will develop a praying heart, worshiping, praising, and thanking God as they see His hand of blessing extended to them. Psalm 103:1-2, 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18.

Holy Spirit, enable me to pray for my family and friends according to the mind of God. Thank You, God, for answering my prayers according to Your will as I plead Your promises.

By Sylvia Gunter
Used by Permission

Taken from Prayer Portions p. 321, © 1991, 1992, 1995 by Sylvia Gunter.
Available at www.thefathersbusiness.com

Christ My Life

“Although He was a son, He learned obedience from what He suffered and, once made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him..” Hebrews 5:8-9

What is our source? What sustains us?

What do we have or what do we do that we cannot lose without stripping us of identity: ministry, family, job, good opinion of others, success, possessions, etc.? What determines whether we are up or down? Can we say, “Jesus, you’re all the world to me.” Or does something else have our hearts? If everything else were stripped away and I was left with only Jesus, would that be heaven? Would he be enough?

Christ My Life

Christ for sickness, Christ for health,
Christ for poverty, Christ for wealth,
Christ for joy, Christ for sorrow,
Christ today, and Christ tomorrow;

Christ my life, and Christ my light,
Christ for morning, noon, and night;
Christ when all around gives way,
Christ my everlasting stay;

Christ my rest, Christ my food,
Christ above my highest good;
Christ my well beloved, my Friend,
Christ my pleasure without end;

Christ my Savior, Christ my Lord,
Christ my Portion, Christ my God,
Christ my Shepherd, I His sheep,
Christ Himself my soul does keep.

Christ my Leader, Christ my Peace,
Christ has brought my soul’s release;
Christ my Righteousness divine,
Christ for me, for He is mine;

Christ my Wisdom, Christ my meat,
Christ restores my wandering feet,
Christ my Advocate and my Priest,
Christ who never forgets the least;

Christ my Teacher, Christ my Guide,
Christ my Rock, in Christ I hide;
Christ the everlasting Bread,
Christ His precious blood has shed;

Christ has brought us near to God,
Christ the everlasting Word,
Christ my Master, Christ my Head,
Christ who for my sins has bled;

Christ my Glory, Christ my Crown,
Christ the Plant of great Renown,
Christ my Comforter on high,
Christ my Hope draws ever nigh.

Attributed to St. Patrick

by Sylvia Gunter
used by permission

More Poems Glorifying God

More than a Father

When I say… “I am a Christian” – by Carol Wimmer

I am Thanking You right NOW

thoughts by Sylvia Gunter Thoughts by Women

Refreshment

Published July 20, 2024

Refreshment

Hear God’s word for you in Isaiah 40:31.

“Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

You may be exhausted and at the edge of your endurance from running the race of life. You may be weary and weighed down by demands and tensions. You may need strengthening and refreshment with God’s holy strength to receive his enabling grace for each day. Be blessed as you are lifted into your Abba’s presence to receive his love. Lift your eyes to him, and receive his eye-to-eye, face-to-face fresh touch of his love in all its fullness. He sets the godly ones apart for himself. He committed himself to you as your Abba, and he will meet all your needs today, because those who seek him will not lack any good thing. He has covenanted to heal and strengthen you spirit, soul, and body. He pledges to defeat Satan’s plans of attack in physical and emotional areas that are vulnerable.

Receive his Spirit of revelation, wisdom and understanding, so that you take only his yoke and do the things that fulfill his divine purposes. You can be confident in his ability and presence at work in your life in everything that touches you. You have his favor and blessing as a shield.

Remember your God-given place in his scheme of things. See the cross and run there and hide from all stresses and pressures. His resurrection power and his ascended authority and glory outshine all the plans of the enemy to oppress you. He will lighten your steps as you mount up with wings as an eagle, as you run and do not grow weary, as you walk and do not faint. That’s his sure word to those who wait on him. Be still inside, and look to him and receive a fresh touch of the power of the Holy Spirit. Let him refill and rejuvenate you so that you will have a full supply from which to water others. Hear God speaking to you as you draw close to him.

God gives you grace for today, and then tomorrow he gives a whole new supply of himself. Receive his sweet presence each moment, and rest in feeling secure in him. When you don’t know the outcome of your situation, it is safe not to know, because he is good. Be blessed to open up to new trust in your Father. It is his will and design that you take your full God-given authority, evicting all fear and doubt and discouragement, because his perfect love casts out your fear.

The blood of Jesus heals where there is pain and hurt. His hands hold the answer in the situations closest to your heart, the ones that have wearied you the most. Know that God holds the key for every person and circumstance that has claim upon your spiritual, emotional, and practical responsibility. God’s reconciling grace is ready for all relationships to enjoy his unity and the sweet fellowship of his presence. Exchange your strength for his. Be blessed in the power and the glory of his great strength.

Be blessed in the name of the Lord who is your strength and your song (Isaiah 12:2).

by Sylvia Gunter
used be permission

God-Size Rest

In our culture and language the word rest can sound like a simple word.

We talk of taking a rest which usually means a short break long enough to regain some strength but never quite long enough for a full recovery before we have to start again. So it is no wonder that when we hear God say “rest in me,” we don’t begin to understand what He means. God is inviting us to a God-size rest.

In the Old Testament, one of the Hebrew words for rest is ‘nuah‘. It means absence of activity or movement, being settled in a particular place with finality, victory, security, or salvation. I love the strength of that definition. Finality, victory, security and salvation. Now that is a God-sized rest.

Rest is in God alone (Psalm 62:1-2, 5; 116:7).

It is a gift from God (1 Kings 8:56). God promises rest from the enemies called sorrow and suffering, turmoil and trouble, hard service and cruel bondage (Isaiah 14:3). Nevertheless, God warned that continued rest depended on their obedience (Numbers 32:15, Isaiah 28:12, Psalm 95:11). Continuing in God’s undisturbed composure requires that we keep our spirits and souls stayed on Him.

Another word for rest ‘shavah’ means to repose, to end, to observe the Sabbath, to cause to rest, to bring to completion. Can you imagine the dramatic change when all the whirl of activity in creating everything on Earth came to an end. When God rested from creation, He did not stop because He was tired, but because His work of creation was complete. It speaks again of the strength and finality of God’s rest.

God ultimately accomplished true rest for His people through Messiah to make for Himself a glorious name (Isaiah 11:10, 63:14). The fulfillment of this is expressed in Hebrews 3:7-4:13. This Greek word for rest ‘katapauo’ means to cease, refresh, give intermission from labor. This passage speaks of entering into God’s rest. We enter this rest through Christ’s completion on the cross of all the work needed for us to enter into His victory and grace. He has won the victory and the battle is over. We rest as we choose to have our total being, our spirit, our will, heart, imagination, and conscience centered in His perfect work. This is rest to be enjoyed in fellowship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is the rest of God Himself in our spirits and hearts, based on relationship with Him.

God is longing to give you His God-size rest of spirit, soul, and body as you abide in Him. Allow His God-sized rest full of victory, finality, security, and strength to take care of everything that concerns you today and enjoy Him in it.

By Sylvia Gunter
used be permission

Simple Devotion to Jesus

Hear God’s Word for you in 2 Corinthians 11:2-3.

“I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.”

God is jealous for your undivided affection.

He pictures this in the imagery of two lovers. He counts you as a pure virgin engaged to His Son Jesus. When you are madly in love, it is easy to have eyes only for the one you love. You listen in rapt attention for the next word from your beloved’s mouth, and any wish is your command. You let nothing disturb your communion.

Listen to the single commitment of a lover of Jesus. He said, “Only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Choose the one thing that cannot be taken away from you: fellowship in devotion to Jesus, filling your heart with Him, hanging on His words, and joyously abandoning yourself to Him. On earth Jesus was conscious of one thing: perfect oneness with His Father (John 10:30; 17:22). Be blessed with the simplicity that is in Christ, so that all you do aims for perfect unity with Him.

Feel the love hunger of a great lover of God. Among all the privileges of royalty, where no pleasure of the king was denied, David said in Psalm 27:4,

“One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.”

This was the priority of a man after God’s own heart, pure devotion to Him, being in His presence, drinking in the beauty of His holiness, wanting nothing and nobody else.

After Jesus ascended back to His Father, Peter and John amazed the most learned and powerful Jewish ruling body of the day. Dr. Luke tells us,

“When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished, and they took note that these men had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13).

Being with Jesus was their credential: being entirely dedicated to Him, letting nobody turn them aside, being faithful to the power He imparted to them. Be blessed with the courage and boldness that mark the devotion of being with Jesus. Be blessed with freshness and power that causes others to be amazed and marvel at your purity in Jesus alone. Live with no other agenda than being sold out to making the name of Jesus famous.

As Paul sat in jail near the end of his life, he boiled his life down to its essence. He said,

“One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).

His single-minded devotion to Jesus baptized him with love that did not shrink from pouring his life out as a drink offering. He had eyes only for the prize: Jesus Himself and His pleasure.

Be blessed with the integrity of loving Jesus only and following Him wholly.

Be blessed in the name of Jesus who is worthy to receive power and wealth
and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise (Revelation 5:12).

By Sylvia Gunter
Used by Permission

Taken from: You Are Blessed In The Names of God, page 120,
2008 by Sylvia Gunter. Available at www.thefathersbusiness.com.

Paradoxes of Prayer

“And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” Matthew 21:22

Let me share with you some of the paradoxes we all are learning about prayer.

Prayer is easy, even a child can do it.
And it’s hard. It requires positive commitment to pray and not to do other things.

Prayer is simple, as simple as obedience to the next thing the Father says.
It is complex, the inexplicable invasion of the invisible.

Prayer is dramatic enough that the answer makes headlines in the newspaper.
It is also without fanfare, as a matter of course, about the mundane, like lost keys.

Prayer works.
Sometimes it appears not to work, but always God is at work.

Prayer will be misunderstood and even resisted. (The seven last words of the church are “We’ve never done it that way before.”)
It will at times be grabbed like a life preserver thrown to a drowning man.

Prayer is rejoicing and hilarious at times.
Sometimes it is with tears, weeping with the Father’s heart over a city or the church or your prodigal.

Prayer is war, and the language of the war room is appropriate: strategies, targets, “Prayer Force” saturation intercession.
It is intimacy, our hope for peace and rest.

Prayer will be opposed by the enemy.
Yet it will hit the bulls-eye with the accuracy of a sharp-shooter.

Prayer is infinitely powerful and a priceless privilege.
It is abjectly humble and an absolute necessity.

Just do it! Your Father is pleased to hear His Son and His Spirit praying through you.

by Sylvia Gunter
Used by Permission

Show Me Your Glory

Hudson Taylor said, “We are changed by beholding.”

He may have had 2 Corinthians 3:18 in mind.

“But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.“

Isaiah was changed by beholding the glory of God, the awesome revelation of his holiness. (Isaiah 6:1-8).

For years every January I would take some time with God and ask Him what He wanted me to pray for And for years, the answer was the same, “Show me your glory.”

When you come face to face with God’s holy glory, you do one of two things: run away or run to His grace for transformation.

Ponder the prayer requests of Moses:

“Let me know Your ways that I may know You. Show me Your glory. Go among us” (Exodus 33:11-19, 34:5-10)

Consider the price of speaking intimately with God friend-to-friend. Is the price worth the glory? What heart attitudes does God need to transform, so that you can see all God’s goodness and know Him as He really is? As you are convicted by the character of the Glory at whom you gaze, make Psalm 51:10-11 your prayer: “Renew my spirit” from glory to glory.

Just between you and God, pray through these transformation points in the verses below.

“By your Spirit and for Your glory, renew in me a right spirit of___________. I want this to be a new beginning of Your glory and your Spirit unhindered in my life.”

Look up in your Bible those verses that God puts his finger on.

By Your Spirit, renew in me:

humble and contrite spirit Psalm 51:17

steadfast spirit Psalm 51:10

willing spirit Psalm 51:12, Psalm 110:3

a servant’s heart Mark 10:44-45

spirit of forgiveness Ephesians 4:32

quiet and gentle spirit 1 Peter 3:4

spirit of repentance Acts 26:20b

grateful spirit Ephesians 5:20

unity Philippians 2:1-8, Romans 15:5-7

weeping Psalm 126:5-6

joy in the Lord Psalm 33:1

return to first love, spirit of revival Revelation 3:18-20, 2:4-5

spirit of love 2 Timothy 1:7, 1 Corinthians 13:3-8

diligent spirit 2 Timothy 1:7

delight in the Lord Psalm 37:4, 40:8

longing for God Isaiah 26:9

yielded spirit Philippians 2:5-8

teachable spirit Psalm 25:4-5

spirit of truth 1 John 4:6

spirit of edification Ephesians 4:29

renewal/filling of the Holy Spirit Ephesians 5:18,
John 7:37-38

whole-hearted spirit Numbers 14:24

spirit of fear of the Lord Isaiah 11:2

rest in the Lord Psalm 37:7

undivided heart and new spirit Ezekiel 36:26, Psalm 86:11

spirit of praise Isaiah 61:3

strong in spirit Ephesians 3:16

worshiping spirit John 4:24

faith, rest in God Hebrews 11:6, Psalms 37:7

spirit of wisdom Deuteronomy 34:9

Thank God for the new thing that He is doing in your life.
Present to Him the clean empty vessel of your life to fill with His Spirit.

Pray always the prayers of Moses:

Let me know Your ways. Show me your glory.
Go among us.
Renew my heart from Glory to Glory by Your Spirit.

by Sylvia Gunter
Used by Permission

Fruit of Patience

“Beloved child of God, listen to your Father’s heart and his ways for you in Galatians 5:22-23,25.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control… Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”

Paul said in 1 Timothy 1:16.

“I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.”

Be blessed to know that your Father’s patience toward you is his mercy flowing to you. He is a God of second chances, for you and others. He welcomes you back to the Father’s house after the most outrageous violations of his covenant (Luke 15:20-24&32). He remembers your frame, and he knows you are dust. Be blessed to know that you are a work in progress, and he is not finished with you yet. He doesn’t give up on you, and he intends for you to mirror the likeness of Jesus.

In the gospels we see examples of the patience of Jesus with people in every circumstance of life…
…with the woman caught in the act of adultery and with her accusers (John 8:2-11).

“Let him who is without sin cast the first stone. Woman, neither do I condemn you.”

What restraint produced by patience!

…with his disciples, when they provoked him to cry out “O you of little faith!” or “Have I been so long with you and you don’t know me?”

…with his three closest companions whom he took into the garden in the hour of his greatest agony, only to find them sleeping. He gently and patiently said, “Can you not keep watch with me for one hour? The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”

You come to One who was like you in every way, so that he might become your merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Since he himself has gone through suffering and temptation, he understands your weaknesses. He can patiently help you (Hebrews 2:17-18). Be blessed with the unlimited patience that Jesus displayed, because he lives in you to show you his patience to you and through you. Let him work his patience in you to bring about his purposes and plans.

Be blessed with long-suffering, not just tolerance, and with grace and compassion with yourself and others. Be blessed with knowing that God is working patience in you, especially when others are trying you. Be blessed with his patient endurance and encouragement in long battles. Be blessed with a holy infusion of your Father’s patience when yours has run out. Patience is a marathon, not a sprint. Be blessed to keep the marathon of patience, even when your legs feel like lead and your lungs are screaming for relief.

Be blessed with the fruit of patience that the Holy Spirit produces in you, your grateful response to his patience (Galatians 5:22).

by Sylvia Gunter
Used by Permission

Fountain of Life

Hear the Word of God for you in Psalm 36:9.

“For with you is the fountain of life.”

Listen to God’s loving invitation. Isaiah 55:1-2

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare.”

You have received the water of eternal life that Jesus gave you. You are blessed with the Fountain of living waters of God’s presence welling up in you. Be blessed to drink from living waters that stream even from hard places because He is your Spiritual Rock (1 Corinthians 10:4). Psalm 107:35 says,

“He turned the desert into pools of water and the parched ground into flowing springs.”

God’s compassion will lead you beside springs of water. Drink often of His thirst-quenching water. Be blessed with rejoicing in His unfailing springs of joy and mercy. God will make the Valley of Trouble into a place of springs, and you will go from strength to strength in Him (Psalms 84:6). His righteous spring of blessing is flowing to you. Let Him fill you up and pour you out to others who are thirsty.

Listen to the promises of God for the poor, the needy, the thirsty. Isaiah 41:17

“I the Lord will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. 18 I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs. 19 I will put in the desert the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive. I will set pines in the wasteland, the fir and the cypress together, 20 so that people may see and know, may consider and understand, that the hand of the Lord has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it.”

You are blessed to stand in God’s river flowing from His throne, carrying the sound, motion, power, and fragrance of heaven to you.

Be blessed in the name of the One who is Living Water, who invites you to come to Him (John 4:10; Isaiah 55:1).

By Sylvia Gunter
Used by Permission
Taken from You Are Blessed In The Names Of God

A Daily Choice – Colossians 3

I am grieved by the tone of today’s rhetoric, as I am sure you are. There is so much toxic public conversation with accusation, shaming, vulgarity, you-name-it. It troubles me. Are we like the frog in the proverbial pot of water on the stove, with the temperature being raised so slowly that we did not jump out when there was still time before we boil? Can’t we all get back to more civil engagement with each other?

Colossians 3:12-15 As God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts… And be thankful.”

How often this standard is violated in me and in our fallen world. These simple commands struck deep contrition in my heart as I thought about each characteristic.

Compassion: identifying with the distress of others to relieve their discomfort. God is described as compassionate more than 50 times in the Old Testament. The Gospel writers described Jesus as having compassion 5 times. And in the magnificent portrait of the father of the prodigal son, he was filled with compassion for his son.

Kindness: choosing to be considerate, others-focused, and generous.

Humility: The opposite is pride, which destroys as it makes a person feel more entitled, thus more demanding, more insistent on control and having the last word.

Gentleness: responding so that a person feels safe with you, essential to a relational bond.

Patience: choosing to be willing to wait for gratification or vindication.

Forbearance: choosing patient self-control, restraint, and tolerance; choosing being long-bothered without showing any ill temper. In law, it is refraining from exercising a legal right.

Forgiveness: choosing to give up the delusion that you yourself have nothing to forgive.

Love: choosing to live in 1 Corinthians 13.

Peace: choosing to commit to making peace, not war. Letting Jesus referee in your heart.

They are all about the character of God. He has shown Himself to be this to each of us. We now get to choose to respond to others out of our experience of His indwelling grace.

We all make choices every day. I choose to walk the Colossians 3 way.

By Sylvia Gunter
Used by Permission

Healing Prayer for Hurting People

Isaiah 26:3
You will keep him in perfect peace. Whose mind is stayed on You

Philippians 1:6
being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ

Prayer

Come, Holy Spirit, into (my loved one’s) greatest need. Manifest the healing power of Jesus. Show (my loved one) You have forgiven his/her sins and are ready and have the power to heal his/her wounds. You are Jehovah-Rapha, the promise-keeping Healer. Let (my loved one) receive Your tender mercy in this time of need. In Your faithfulness, minister healing grace and love.

We bring (my loved one) under all the redeeming power of the blood of Jesus.

You are El Roi, God who sees these hurts, needs, and struggles. You have already made the Way of healing by the blood of Jesus. Heal all the woundings of childhood and more recently. Remove all the scars of rejection, shame, inferiority, guilt, fear, abuse, and (my loved one) (ask God to reveal others). Heal and remove all the barriers and hindrances in (my loved one’s) life that are keeping (my loved one) from being all Jesus died to make them to be. We bring the life of (my loved one) to the cross. Apply all the work of redemption to (my loved one’s) life for the transforming life of Christ to become theirs. We pray that (my loved one) will take everything to the cross, so that they can accept themselves as the new person in Jesus that they are.

Spirit of truth, Your truth shall set (my loved one) free.

Bring the truth of Jesus to counter the lies that (my loved one) has believed and to dispel the darkness and confusion caused by giving in to the lies. (My loved one) needs a work of your Spirit, because no amount of talking or teaching about this need will be effective.

Minister to (my loved one) these precious truths, that…

I am free from sin by my Savior.

I am free not to respond to the sins of others.

I am free not to be condemned by the sins of others.

I am free to express all my feelings to Father-God, without condemnation, secure in knowing that Jesus understands the feeling of my infirmities.

I am free to have Your truth as my truth, Your mind as my mind, Your freedom as my freedom, Your grace as my grace, Your love as my love, Your strength as my strength, Your holiness as my holiness, Your steadfastness as my steadfastness, and all the fullness of Jesus made real in my life.

I am free to receive all the new life Jesus gives me in exchange for my old life.

We thank You for heavenly Intercessors. Jesus is living in (my loved one) interceding. The Holy Spirit is agreeing with these prayers according to the will of the Father, and God of all comfort and Father of mercies is answering the prayers of His Son. Thank You for this three-fold cord of agreement that (my loved one’s) soul is being healed according to all Your perfect love, grace, and peace.

Thank You for the healing presence of Jesus the Son, God the Father, and God the Spirit, who ministers comfort, restoration, hope, trust, and rest, so that (my loved one) can live victoriously in the life of Jesus at all times. May (my loved one) receive complete wholeness from You, as (my loved one) practices Your presence each day and fixes their eyes on Jesus. Thank You that You keep (my loved one) in perfect peace as their mind is stayed on You, when they are confident in You (Isaiah 26:3), that You have begun a good work and will perfect Your work for Your glory in their lives (Philippians 1:6).

By Sylvia Gunter
Used by Permission
From: Prayer Portions

PRAYERS FOR THE WEARY

A Prayer for Healing

A Prayer for When You are Weak or Ill

A Prayer for When you Feel Like you have Failed

A Prayer for When you are Fearful

A Prayer for Strength during troubling times

A Prayer for Conflict Resolution

A Prayer for Those Carrying Heavy Burdens

Salvation Explained

Follow Us On: Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • Pinterest

thoughts by Sylvia Gunter Thoughts by Women

Snares

Published April 10, 2024

Snares

We had a plague of chipmunks at our house. They were making our yard “hole-y,” gnawing wiring, and making a general nuisance of themselves.

When one family of chipmunks moved into the space between the basement ceiling and the floor above for the winter, I took great offense. Something had to be done! I baited my Have-a-Heart trap with irresistible morsels– sunflower seeds. Within minutes, I had my first victim, and my re-location project began taking them to a nice wooded place far from my house. Thirty-six chipmunks later, it seemed the colony had been de-populated. However, the next year, I had to exercise the same due diligence when I saw those cute little critters scurrying around the lawn again. I had to keep alert to re-invasion. That season, more chipmunks were dispatched to another place. This year, I know what they can’t resist, and my snare with the irresistible sunflower seeds keeps watch near their runs.

The analogy is clear. If the chipmunks had assessed the danger of the snare as being more important than the instant gratification, they would not have been caught.

The Bible describes Satan as a hunter who sets traps (Psalms 91:3, 1Timothy 3:7). His traps take us by surprise (Ecclesiastes. 9:12). Snares are hidden and catch us unexpectedly (Amos 3:5, Obadiah 7). They hold fast their catch (Job 18:9). It takes someone else to get us out, in our case, God.

Can God’s children be captured? The obvious answer is “Yes” (Psalms 140:5). What are the snares that hold us captive and hinder us from going on with God? What prevents our freedom in Jesus? What is keeping us from liberty in His Holy Spirit? What does the Bible say about what entraps us?

What snares tempt us and entrap us?

Alliances, making peace with the world Exodus 34:12
False gods, idols, serving other gods, or serving God like others serve their gods Deuteronomy 7:16
Desire for riches Deuteronomy 7:25, 1 Timothy 6:9
Enemies of God Joshua 23:13
Relationships not ordained of God 1 Samuel 18:21
Good things Judges 8:27
Leaders Job 34:30, Jeremiah 5:26, Hosea 5:1
Prosperity and security Psalms 69:22
The wicked Psalms 119:110, 141:9; Proverbs 22:5
Proud men Psalms 140:5
People Psalms 142:3
Words of our mouths Proverbs 6:2, 18:7
Sexual seduction Proverbs 7:23, Ecclesiastes 7:26
Sinful talk (transgression of our lips) Proverbs 12:13
Ill-gotten fortune Proverbs 21:6
Our own sin Proverbs 29:6
Fear of man Proverbs 29:25
Reliance on religious tradition and wisdom of man instead of the Word of God Isaiah 8:14-15

We avoid being captured in the snares of sin by being warned by the Word of God and not straying from it (Psalms 119:110). To get out of the trap of the evil one, we must ask God to grant repentance, so that we can escape from being held captive to do the will of our adversary (2 Timothy 2:25-26). Then we cry out for God’s mercy, receive God’s forgiveness, and ask Him to empower us by His Spirit to obey from a heart that is totally His.

By Sylvia Gunter
Used by Permission

Be Blessed, Beloved Child

Receive God’s Word in John 17:23 NLT.

“I in them and you in me… Then the world will know…and will understand that you love them as much as you love me.”

At His baptism and transfiguration, God affirmed His love and pleasure in His Son. He said to Jesus, “You are the Son I love. I am well pleased with you” (Mathew 3:17; 17:5). Because you are in Him, the Father loves you with the same love (John 17:23,26). You are God’s beloved; that is the most intimate truth about you. It has to be true, because Jesus said it. Be blessed to live from the blessing of belovedness, not trying to attain it.

You are precious to your Father. He celebrates your existence. You were infinitely loved before you were wounded. That’s the truth of your life. There is no burden on you to prove you are worthy of being loved, of being heard, of being respected, honored, and given dignity. Your life is an unceasing “yes” to the truth that you are beloved because of God’s great love. In Him you are accepted and valued.

It is your spirit connection with your Father that matters. People do not give you legitimacy. True legitimacy comes from the One who chose you with everlasting love. Your Father says, “I called you by name from the very beginning. You belong to me. I know you as my own, and you know Me as your own true Father. I carved you in the palms of My Son. I hide you in My embrace. You have My infinite tenderness.”

Say “Yes” to your belovedness, your significance, your worth, and your belonging. His “Yes” is engraved on your heart. Rise up to discover how to fulfill your deepest essence of who you are, beloved in God your Father and kept in His Son.

Be blessed in the name of the Beloved Son.
Matthew 3:17 NKJV

By Sylvia Gunter
Used by Permission

Blessing of Trust and Healing

Father God has promised that He will never leave you or forsake you.

He has not abandoned you.

His perfect love casts out all fear.

Rest in His love. Receive from your heavenly Father all the father’s blessing that you craved from your earthly father.

Be blessed with life-changing encounters with the Father heart of God. Be blessed to receive His perfect healing that can make you whole. Allow Him to bring healing, recovery, and restoration of your broken trust. Your Father’s best healing work restores your heart and soul according to His design that He had for you before He laid the foundations of the world. As you drink in your Father’s love, He will re-innocence you, restoring your childlike faith and trust.

Respond this way:
God, I choose to trust you today. I choose to believe Your heart toward me is kind, good, loving, approachable, and accepting. I choose to bind my will to Your will. I bind my mind to the mind of Christ. I bind my emotions to the Holy Spirit for healing and alignment.

Thank You for wanting to be my Father, not my taskmaster or my boss. You are indeed loving Master, Sovereign, Judge, King, and so much more in Your universe. How majestic is Your name in all the earth (Psalm 8). I am in awe of all You are, but You are first of all my “Abba, Papa.”

Thank You that You created me to be loved as Your child and for me to love You. It’s that simple. You like me and You like having me around. Thank You that the greatest blessing is nearness to You, and You want me near You. Thank You for inviting me to draw near to You so that I may experience joy and peace in Your presence. Thank You for Your promise to hold me in Your everlasting loving arms.

I accept Your invitation to come closer to Your Father heart.

By Sylvia Gunter
Used by Permission

Blessing Of Your Belovedness

You are your Beloved’s and He is yours.

He called you His beloved from eternity. Your Father was pleased to make you His own (1 Samuel 12:22). The voice of your loving Father resonates in you in a deep place. He is blessing you every day with Himself, nothing less. He is there for you. Your Father wants you to know His deep bonds with you, His deep attachment to you with cords of never-ending love (Jeremiah 31:3).

Hear Him speak to you about trust, faith, and love that is much deeper than the mindset of survival. Listen to Him say,

“Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders” (Deuteronomy 33:12).

He is holding you close to Himself. He is whispering to you,

“I care for you. I know every detail about you, and wherever you go, I go with you. Wherever you rest, I keep watch. I give you food that will satisfy all your hunger, and I quench all your thirst. I will never hide My face from you. Nothing will ever separate us. Wherever you are, I am.”

Taste deeply of the love, of God, and of truth. Hear Him speak to you about your deepest yearnings, your wishes, your hopes, and your dreams. Know the treasure you are to your Father. You are a chosen one, a special person, noticed in your uniqueness, eternally valued. You are priceless and irreplaceable, safe in His everlasting embrace, at rest in His non-comparing love. Let your Abba protect your emotions, as He surrounds you with the shield of His presence (Psalm 5:12).

Be blessed by your Father who can never leave you or forsake you

By Sylvia Gunter
Used by Permission

Category: <span>thoughts by Sylvia Gunter</span>

The Bible instructs us to bear one another’s burdens.

Many problems are too heavy for us to bear alone.

Further Reading

What is our source? What sustains us?

More Poems Glorifying God

Be blessed in the name of the Lord who is your strength and your song (Isaiah 12:2).

FURTHER READING

In our culture and language the word rest can sound like a simple word.

Rest is in God alone (Psalm 62:1-2, 5; 116:7).

FURTHER READING

God is jealous for your undivided affection.

Be blessed with the integrity of loving Jesus only and following Him wholly.

FURTHER READING

“And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” Matthew 21:22

Hudson Taylor said, “We are changed by beholding.”

When you come face to face with God’s holy glory, you do one of two things: run away or run to His grace for transformation.

FURTHER READING

FURTHER READING

FURTHER READING

FURTHER READING

Prayer

PRAYERS FOR THE WEARY

We had a plague of chipmunks at our house. They were making our yard “hole-y,” gnawing wiring, and making a general nuisance of themselves.

FURTHER READING

“I in them and you in me… Then the world will know…and will understand that you love them as much as you love me.”

FURTHER READING

Father God has promised that He will never leave you or forsake you.

He has not abandoned you.

His perfect love casts out all fear.

FURTHER READING

You are your Beloved’s and He is yours.

FURTHER READING