MORNING PRAYER

MORNING PRAYER: Lord please use me in a mighty way today. Let something I say or do be someone’s answered prayer. Coat my tongue with gentleness and kindness. Replace a cold and indifferent heart with love and compassion. Let my hugs convey warmth and care. Remove any hint of harshness or reproach from my tongue. Kill the spirit of criticism and renew a right spirit within me. Let my thoughts be pure. Where there is bitterness replace it with love, forgiveness and acceptance. Break down walls within and without created by doubt, fear and lack of trust. Surround me with an atmosphere of peace and tranquility. Replace turmoil and anxiety with great peace and calm. Season my words and make them pleasing and flavorful. Help me to be sensitive to the needs of those in my sphere of influence. Let me become a flowing brook instead of a stagnant pool. Chase away shadows of despair and hopelessness and flood my being with light and music. Let me become to the inconsolable a comfortable bench, a shady tree and a rippling brook.Strengthen me inwardly so that I can easily bear the weight from the burdens of friends and loved ones. Instead of crushing me, let the cares and vicissitudes of life sweeten my disposition and humble me to trust you and to depend on you completely.As I hand over the baton transferring some of my daily duties and responsibilities help me to do so with smoothness and efficiency so that I cause no one to falter, fumble or fall. Where there is lack, fill my life and my spirit with abundance. Remove all drought and bring back vigor, youthfulness and zeal. Let copious showers of blessings fall on me and let the heavy droplets permeate the lives of those around me. Help me to intercede for others today, and guide me so that my prayers will rightly correspond to their needs.Continue to transform my character so that I become more like you. All this I ask in Jesus name-Amen! (By Leila Rose-Gordon on 12-18-15, all rights reserved).

It's Your Time for a Breakthrough!

Hello Friends:

I was blessed recently with a Facebook post that I really grabbed hold of and the blessings started to pour in.  I am sharing the post with my readers as well as the poem I wrote that this post inspired.




Here's the poem:

Breakthrough

I wait for my breakthrough

As the sun waits for the morning

As day follows night

It’ll soon be in sight

I try not to be impatient

Not to strain or fret

Not to hold on to doubt

for which I’d regret

Having faith in Jesus

My Savior and Friend

Has helped me through

Every twist and bend

Faith is the key

that unlocks the door

To wonderful surprises

God has in store.

Your breakthrough is near

So be of good cheer

Let faith in God

Banish all fear

Pray and read

God’s word everyday

And live your life

The Overcomer's way!

Copyrighted 10-24-14 by Leila Rose-Gordon. All Rights Reserved

I have waded through many waters

I have waded through the slough of despond.
I have waded through the waters of bitterness.
There have been days when the slime of criticism
caused me to lose my balance completely

Teetering near the edge I have fought the darkness
that threatened to engulf me
and the self doubting that slurped up my
confidence like a starving cat slurping milk

Sometimes I could feel my grip losing hold of reasoning
and clutching onto nameless dread and fear
Swept up in a tornado of hopelessness
and despair

My mind spinning and my heart reeling
from the onslaught of unanswered questions
I have fought like a wildcat to keep
my sanity and hang onto my faith

When silence echoed back and I bit
my lip in sore vexation
When my thoughts were at enmity
with my quest for peace

Tasting on my lips the agony of defeat
I cursed my stubborn refusal
to acknowledge that I had come
to the end of  the road

Never wanting it to be said that faith
had died in me
I faced the hurt of knowing
I toyed with the steely chains
of disbelief

Begging your forgiveness
I acknowledged the pain
you bore for me
and bowed my head in grief

Wading through these murky waters
is not easy to do
and these are not places I care
to visit frequently

Seeing sunlight ahead
I summon my last ounce of strength
Feet heavy as lead I move slowly
purposefully towards the thin ray
of light

Dragging myself out of the murky depths
I grab hold of the vine as I am pulled
up the steep, slippery slope
for what seems like eternity

Then at last I feel solid ground
beneath my feet and I have to
put my hand over my eyes so
brilliant and dazzling
is the light

Safe at last I rest
happy and confident
Basking in love and grace
and yes, somewhat shamefaced.

Leila Rose-Gordon (9-12-14)
(c) 2014 Leila Rose-Gordon All Rights Reserved

ASK GOD FOR MIRACLES...

Recently I have been asking God for miracles. I am so intoxicated by His response that I don't think I can stop asking, now that I have started. It is so easy to ask Him for the mundane, so easy to settle for an ordinary humdrum existence, so easy to ask Him for less.

We do not challenge Him. Why? Do we fear that He cannot deliver, or do we think we are being presumptious? Well, I decided to ask for miracles after one of my pastor friends challenged us during worship to ask God for the seemingly impossible. That seemed easy enough-I had quite a few seeming impossibilities at the time. Things that I just did not think God could possibly work out in my life.

So I started with the first one. Less than four months passed before God worked out that first miracle. To this day I can hardly believe, although the facts stare me in the face. I am just astounded at the mighty God that we serve.

Well, you guessed it. I eagerly took out all my broken dreams and started to lay them before the Lord, one by one. And you know something? God has brought me sermons that have changed my perspective on life completely. My attitude has changed. I have grown in Christ in leaps and bounds. God achieved in a few weeks what I felt had not been achieved in years.

Why was that? It is as if I finally gave Him the keys to my heart. It was as if in challenging Him to do the impossible in my life I had said "Lord, I am giving you the authority to lead me." Strangely enough I really thought I had been saying that to Him all along. But it seems it was mainly lip service. In my heart of hearts there was doubt. Doubt that He would do it for ME.

Sure I had seen Him work for others, But ME? Now, that was a different story. One day the thought came to me so forcefully I jumped to my feet. The thought was so disturbing-that I had accused God of descrimination. Oh yes, I was telling God I was not good enough for some of His blessings, while others somehow had merited His favor.

Shame filled me when I realized that I had quietly harbored such thoughts about my heavenly father. God, who I knew was too big, too grand, too noble for such loathsome behavior, nonetheless had been weighed in the balance and was found wanting-by me. I was almost blown away by the nerve of the person who could think such things-and it was ME!

Luckily I did not stay there and wallow in self-pity over my arrogance. Quickly, I asked for forgiveness and assured God that I knew He was able to do more than I could ever ask or think. I hastened to tell Him that I was aware that Jesus had died for ME! That was the ultimate price and anything else He was willing to do for me was really secondary. A piece of cake, really.

Well, a lot has happened since then. I have acquired HOLY BOLDNESS. Things have CHANGED in my life. I have it going ON! Step aside world, here I come, in the name of Jesus.

And why did I write this blogpost? For you out there who might have been trapped into negative thinking for years. You too can claim God's promises. They are yours too! Why not prove Him today? THINK BIG! You have absolutely nothing to lose, and everything to gain. Enjoy the journey called LIFE. I am certainly enjoying mine.

PEACE!

Leila Rose-Gordon
11-11-11