Leigh's World: Mass

Leigh's World: Mass

Prayer a Joy Beyond Measure

My desire to pray grew, but still could not open my mouth. I would pray in my heart. I would ask family and basically anyone to pray for me that God would open my mouth so that I could pray. About three months later one Sunday evening ,Sharon and I were putting Jonathan to bed, she asked me to pray. That was a challenge for me even though it was just us. In my heart I was saying Lord you know I love you, Sharon was silent and waiting for me to pray, what took about a minute seemed like eternity for me. It was like someone held me by the throat, that I could not speak. Eventually the words that came out of my mouth were THANK YOU JESUS, my first prayer . I experienced a joy that over whelmed me. Tears rolled down my face ,the Joy of THE LORD flooded my soul. It was like I was been set free! The devil was preventing me from speaking to my Father, fear and now I could open my mouth and say what was in my heart!
Thinking about this ,the Lord had to fill my heart with His word ,love, so that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh!

Prayer a Joy Beyond Measure

Sharon and I gave our hearts to the Lord the same day,however she could talk to the Lord freely and with compassion,in other words she could prayer.
I on the other side could not, I did not know how to prayer.
She did all the praying in the home . Fear was a factor in me not praying, and been the man ,I'm the one that is expected to lead!
Sharon instantly had this deep prayer relationship with the Lord,where she would talk to Him and He to her.He would tell her things,show her things.
For me this was a whole new experience,watching people been healed,delivered and set free,God Almighty working through my wife.She had'nt been to any bible school,or taught in anyway.She would enquire of The Lord, and what ever He told her she would do.
Still on the subject of prayer,I would read the bible,go to church,prayer meetings and read other books,but still could not prayer.There was this hunger on the inside of me to have this relationship with God the way my wife was
.

You determine the Heart you want!

"But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred." - Mark 4:8

The human heart is like receptive soil to the seed of the Word of God. Jesus used this analogy in the parable of the sower (see Mark 4:3-20).

The soil that the seed fell on represents four categories of hearers' hearts, four different reactions to the Word of God: the hard heart, the shallow heart, the crowded heart, and the fruitful heart.
First, there is the hard heart, the seed that falls along the roadside. This represents people who hear the Word of God, but never really believe.
Then there is the shallow heart. That is the seed that falls on stony ground. This signifies the people who hear the Word of God and receive it with joy, but because there is no root to sustain them, they wither.
Next, there is the crowded heart. That is the seed that falls on ground where weeds choke out its growth. Slowly and surely, these people, busy with the cares and riches of the world, just lose interest in the things of God.
Finally, there is the fruitful heart that receives the Word. The seed falls on good ground and the plants produce a rich harvest. We are the ones who determine what kind of soil our hearts will be.

We decide whether we will have a hard heart, a shallow heart, a crowded heart, or a receptive heart. This is exactly what James meant when he said, "Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls" (James 1:21).

The Word of God cannot work in our lives unless we have receptive hearts.