Report shows Christian persecution in some parts of the world is close to genocidal levels
Iraq Christian Relief Council president Juliana Taimoorazy says that one out of nine Christians across the world are being persecuted.
As a millennial woman, I’ve been inundated with messages telling me to lean in, speak up, and ask for more. Today’s culture tells us we are all exactly where we want to be — if we don’t like our circumstances, it’s because we have done nothing to change them. We are all our "own masters."
I believe there is something in our DNA that causes us to light up when we hear these phrases because we were in fact designed to desire more. There is something inside every person that ignites at the thought of "bigger things." So when we hear modern messages encouraging us to chase after our dreams, we latch on to them, not pausing to think about the methods suggested to achieve such dreams. But there is a right and a wrong way to channel our natural yearnings.
God created us with free will, therefore we all have the ability to make our own decisions. But He also designed us to talk to Him and surrender our worries, problems, and yes — even hopes — to Him. This doesn’t mean He doesn’t want us strive to achieve our dreams. On the contrary; when we put our wants in God’s hands, He makes our possibilities endless.
PAUL BATURA: WHAT JUSTIN BIEBER'S VERY PERSONAL JOURNEY CAN TEACH ALL OF US (EVEN YOU NON-BELIEBERS)
As the Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Ephesians, "God is able to accomplish infinitely more than all we ask or imagine."
Really think about that! I don’t know about you, but my imagination has proven to be incredibly weak compared to the events God has unfolded in my life. God loves us more than we can imagine, and He wants us to come to Him and ask Him for more.
I’m still learning how to pray bigger prayers — prayers that sound ridiculous when I say them out loud. Because the truth is that nothing is too big for God to help us achieve — but our motives should always have His glory in mind, not our own.
Jesus said, "You don't have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong — you want only what will give you pleasure" (James 4:2-3).
I’ve learned from personal experience that God does place certain desires in our hearts, but oftentimes He has to weed out our selfish impulses before He can grant us the root of such desires. We have to shift our thought processes from praying for things because WE want them to praying for things because we want to use those things for God’s ultimate glory.
There is no greater feeling than the joy that comes when you’ve asked God to use you, and He grants your request. It’s a feeling none of us will ever get enough of. We will always want more once we’ve gotten a taste of it.
So we SHOULD ask God for more — more knowledge of Him, more discernment of His will, more awareness of opportunities to share His love, and more tools to put His plans into action.
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Put your energy into ambitions that can positively affect your own life, the lives of the people you interact with and even the lives of people in generations to come. That is the capability we ALL have when we bring our requests to God.
"Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son" (John 14:13).
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