by Apostle Gabriel Cross Thank God for your Enemies Prayer! (POWERFUL DELIVERANCE PRAYER) I want you to open your mouth and thank God for your enemies! Your enemies serve a purpose, in your God-ord…
Author: Laura Grace
I was that "unpopular" weird kid, that didn't fit in anywhere, in High School. I guess I never knew my place in life, until Jesus took me in. I've been rejected, misunderstood, left out, bullied, abused, scandalized, and labeled.
In 2002 I got on a bus and left a marraige of sixteen years, that was fraught with abuse and heartache. In school, I used to be so afraid to stand in front of the class and speak, my hands would visibly shake, and I could not look at my audience without being terrified.
Years later, I find myself leading a school music production, speaking in front of churches, and walking around with confidence, because I know the King of Kings is at my side.
My ministry, prayers and blogs are directed toward those who feel like they were never enough. You never fit in.
If I can help you in any way, if you need a special speaker to speak hope to the hurting, or if you would like a copy of my Testimony book (Grace to the Rescue) let me know. I am here for you.
https://www.amazon.com/stores/Laura-Grace/author/B00DLYKCOQ?ref=ap_rdr&shoppingPortalEnabled=true&ccs_id=2ee12b01-8592-43a4-b4b8-daec0a37d906
With Love, Laura
I can be reached at sisterzeal@yahoo.com
Getting the gunk out!
It’s funny how we all know we should get the Junk (or Gunk) out of our lungs when we are sick, or we need to clean the house (because we can’t see the treasure, for all the clutter) and it’s just so obvious to us, but not always so with our soul realm!
It’s funny, how everyone thinks it’s awesome when we get physically healthy, but not so interested in becoming spiritually healthy.
Anger, malice, grudges, un-forgiveness, Pride, smugness, and yes even the vanity of thinking ourselves “oh so wise” in our own opinions…….
All these (and more) rob us of finding our way in Jesus, to see what more he has to teach us today. We all want to graduate, (finally) to say we’ve arrived! With God we never do arrive. Not until we get to heaven. There is always more to learn from him!
And notice I said “from Him.” Come, Follow me, means Follow Him! (not every wind of doctrine that blows my way) 🙂
OH Father, continually remove the leaven of sin from my life. Help me to share what i do know confidently, while learning still from you, forever and ever, Amen! Help me stay teachable always, even if you give the opportunity to share what is real in my heart. If I ever start becoming a pharisee or even like one, Spank me! Cut me off at the pass! Take me aside and deal with me Father! I pray for your discipline continuously in Jesus’ name. amen. And please Father, remove the gunk and junk from my soul! deliver me From THIS evil, the evil of old hurts, wounds, old grudges. all that JUNK! In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen! -Laura Grace PS; Praying like this, is a great way to love yourself! 🙂 Amen!
COL 2: 20 “Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations— 21 “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” 22 which all concern things which perish with the using—according to the commandments and doctrines of men? 23 These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.”
That Time we saw a house in need of repair and it reminded us, of us…..
Many years ago (almost 14 now) Tim and I were in a small town in Idaho, and we saw this house. It was empty, and had been standing empty for quite a few years.
“Let’s look!” He said, so we went and looked through this house. It used to be grand, we could tell. I remember how he said “Look at the wood work!” On the inside, beautiful wood work, a large and beautiful stair case (going to the upper rooms) and just stately, grand, high ceilings, lovely window frames, the house (used to be) exquisite. The windows were broken, the rain was getting in, and the house had been battered by many storms. Me, being the deep thinker that I am, said “That house is us!” Tim looked at me a little startled, and I said again “Don’t you see, this house is us!” We stood outside this house, and we prayed. “Dear Father I said” (tears in my eyes) This house reminds me of us! “RESTORE US” I prayed, and let us minister to others who need restored someday. IN Jesus’ name, amen” Tim said, “Amen” and, being the practical person he is, wanted to find out if the house was for sale.
“We could restore this,” He said. He began to tell me what needed to happen, and that we could do it! The Price was $40,000, and we didn’t have the funds. No bank was going to loan us money, our financial reputation had been compromised.
So we prayed for the house (that reminded us of us). And life’s journey continued on. Many prayers after this, as we moved on, and eventually wound up in Montana, managing a motel together.
You’ve read in the bible right? In Matthew where Jesus said the storms came, and great was the fall of the house? We were teetering on the verge of falling away……
Well in this case, this old house was abandoned, nobody wanted to buy it. This means: nobody wanted it! (How sad!). Thankfully, GOD ALWAYS WANTS US and he gave us his spirit as a down payment (on this old house, called us) and promised to pay the whole deed price! He sees the price (of you) and he paid it all! And he will fix you up too! and restore you to your former glory! (and then some). Thank you Father for that old house so long ago, that reminded me of the Price you Paid (to restore me). Halleluiah!
Laura Grace Author Grace to the Rescue, Grace to Grow, Grace to Soar and more……
The Favor of God
Acts 2:47 “they found favor”
The Lord’s Favor be upon us!
You know, the Lord’s favor comes upon us, when we least expect it sometimes. When you pray (for something) and something good happens, that is God’s favor. Now, we know Jesus quoted Isaiah 61, and we know that Jesus did not say he was limiting his favor to one year of blessing. In the year of Jubilee captives were made free (from debt) and property restored, (and many other blessings) but with Jesus, the day he walked into the lives of anyone, was the day of His favor, to them.
For some, favor was a healing. For others, it was listening to teachings and being fed with bread and fish. His disciples found favor in the sight of God, when they witnessed a storm miraculously calmed, or even had their nets laden with fishes, just because Jesus was their friend. They followed him, and the reward was very great.
The disciples lacked for nothing (good) but they had to trade their ideas about what was good, for Jesus’ ideas about what was good. It seemed good to them to build a temple in his honor, but he wanted them to just follow him (and learn), instead. Why?
In the book of Acts (Chapter 2) we see the early church celebrating, telling testimonies, breaking bread, and singing and worshiping. Why? Nobody had lack, everyone was taken care of, and their love for one another was abounding. In fact they were so “on fire’ if you will, their numbers were increasing daily. Everyone wanted to know what all the celebrating was about! People were getting healed, delivered, and set free from bondage, demon torment, and all kinds of things (and they were testifying about this!).
The Lord’s favor does not come of us impressing him with tall buildings, our great achievements in ourselves, or showing off to him how theologically impressive we can be.
The Lord’s favor is given to a humble heart, who just trusts in him. A willing heart who just follows him. An obedient heart, who does what he says, even if man is not impressed.
I have had so much favor on my life through the years, I have almost lost track. Thank you God for your favor! Thank you! I praise you! I rejoice over this! You are so awesome Lord!
PRAISE YOU! and I say this with all sincerity too, because God has done so much for me.
THANK YOU FATHER! PRAISE YOU LORD! -Laura Grace Author, Grace to Grow the Study Guide (Available on Amazon)
Psalm 90 “The Favor of the Lord be upon us”
Isaiah 61 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; because He has anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor…………
There are many more scriptural references, regarding the Lord’s Favor. http://www.blueletterbible.com
New Beginnings, in 2017
GOOD MORNING! Here I am, just last week, when the temps were below zero (without the wind chill factor). I think it got down to 17 below here. Certainly 2017 is off to a cold start. If you have been reading my blog, I want to say thank you, for allowing me to share with you, the treasures of my heart. That sounds silly doesn’t it? Thank you for allowing me to share?
It’s like saying “thank you” for trying my banana bread! (It’s very good by the way). I have a new life, new home, lots of wonderful things I could be doing right now. Life is good! I was recently chosen to teach music at the local school for a time, and it was a hit! I just marvel at the things God has done in my life, and I truly do…..
It’s truly my heart’s desire that no GOD child be left behind……and I am on a mission to share all the fabulous testimonies, encouragements, and words of wisdom God has placed in my heart. So, I built a new web page. Last summer I lost it, and now it’s been restored. There will be videos added soon! SO Keep an eye on it k? Or if you hear of anyone struggling, falling through the cracks, telling you “church” didn’t work for them or things are just too hard …… please tell them about my site.
Thanks! With love! . -Laura Grace
Here’s the site: http://www.gracetotherescue.com
Destined for Greatness! He and We!
Hi! Good Morning! (or afternoon!) This morning I was reading some passages on Greatness, and the Greatness of God. In My Study, I noted that Mordecai (Who helped Esther achieve greatness in the book of Esther) was also Honored and called “GREAT.”
If you don’t know the story, Mordecai counseled her, and gave her wise words of wisdom (From the Lord) and although another sought to exalt himself, Mordecai was exalted instead. So, when Jesus said “He who humbles himself” Will be exalted, he wasn’t kidding around. I also noted the following passage of scripture:
Isaiah 9:7
Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.
He Is speaking Of Jesus, ahead of time. (the Prophet Isaiah)
“For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.”
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.”
Isaiah 9:6
Jesus was (and is) destined for Greatness.
Because of Him, so are we! See?
No plan can succeed against God’s Plan: EVER!
Here is the best one:
Acts 5:38
And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; 39 but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even be found to fight against God.
and so it was that a Pharisee named Gamaliel defended the early Apostles, speaking words that prevented them from being killed. This man, was destined for greatness as well. So you see? Sometimes God even uses “a Pharisee” 🙂 Peace!
“THANK YOU FATHER” That because of You (and Jesus) we are destined for Greatness. Whatever that means to you, We know that you will surely achieve this, and that no plan can ever succeed against your Plan, Father God! In Jesus’ name! amen
Laura Grace, Author, Grace to the Rescue
What is Discipline? Do we like it? No!
That picture is me! Hard to believe, that was so many years ago. This morning I was thinking about how most people really hate (and don’t even like) the word, Discipline.
There are exceptions of course, but if you take a good hard look at society (as a whole) and even your own heart, chances are you hear the word, DISCIPLINE and probably shrink back, just a little. The bible says discipline is not fun, but painful, at the time.
Do you find discipline to be: Fun?
I sure don’t! On top of that, we have a whole lot of people out there that think God uses sickness, broken legs, car crashes, and all kinds of horrible things, to do his job of “disciplining us.” Not true.
When I was in the military, discipline (training in Military ways), came through marching, learning, constant reminders of what we were to be doing. Repetition and doing the same thing over and over again, until it became a part of us. See, military people may have to be in life or death situations, and need to know how to follow orders, do things the Air Force way, and so on, and so forth.
So really, what is discipline?
Relentlessly keeping you on the same topic, doing the same thing, over and over again, until you get it right, and not only that; THIS TRAINING becomes a part of you, and you don’t forget when you are under pressure. So, if you find yourself doing some of the same things over and over again, Think of this: “IF you are not disciplined, you will never be the very best you can be! Thank you God, Thank you Father…..for your discipline …..I love you! so Thank you! Thank you so much for training me!
Amen -Laura Grace
What Lies Ahead
“If you continue in my word, then you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” ~John 8:31-32
Source: What Lies Ahead
Little Kids in Big Kid’s Clothing……What is a mature Christian? Do we even know?
Good Morning! 
A lot of stuff we call “sin” is just simple immaturity. I’ve watched Christians for years now, and I’ve been one myself! Still am! But here’s the thing, k? We go to church, we get saved, we are told that God doesn’t see sin when he looks at us anymore, He sees us In Christ (because of what Jesus did for us, amen?).
Then we start to worry about sin. I feel fear, I must be sinning, I looked at someone and thought bad thoughts …..oh dear I am sinning again! When will this ever stop? We feel good when we overcome what we deem to be sin, such as overeating, not caring about church, honoring or not honoring our parents, and so on, and so forth, and so on.
This type of thinking also leads to hyper-vigilance about other people’s sins. “DID YOU SEE THAT?”(We say), “The way she was dressed, in church?” DID YOU SEE (that she is not married, and lives with a guy?) Did you KNOW “I heard” he’s a thief, and a liar!
Sin sniffers! They remind me of children. “Mom, Jeffrey is touching the grapes, that you told him not to touch, MOM MOM MOM!” People go to church, they hear a great sermon, and go out into the world. The sermon was about how drinking and carrying on is the “way of the wicked,” so when they see someone doing those things, they go up and say, “You know, I pray for you, Jesus loves you, he doesn’t want you doing that stuff.” That is not Evangelism. And, It’s not what we are called to do.
One who considers themselves to be MORE Mature might just pray, and when the party animal tells them how much they drank yesterday, they might say “I see, well, I don’t do that stuff anymore, since I met Jesus!” (and consider this to be witnessing for Christ.). As children, while we may be “cute’ to our parents……WE really don’t have a clue (for quite awhile!) Do we? Furthermore, if we don’t listen to the life lessons (that our parents are trying to teach us) we remain clueless!
God doesn’t mind if we are immature, he probably even thinks we are cute! The problem (that we fail to see at times) is that the rest of the world can see it, also.
Most Christians want to learn how to be a better witness, but deep down, they really don’t know how. That’s why I share what I share (and I hope to get better at it) And why I will continue the mission of sharing (for the sake of God’s people) WE NEED TO GROW CHURCH! When I have had the honor of leading someone to Christ, they were ready (God drew them, seeds had been planted, and were watered) so I am nothing but a harvester (by his Grace). I am not a policeman for Jesus! (Selah, think on this)
Then they got “BORN AGAIN” Not just talked into going to church…….(and maybe stopped going, because they weren’t born again, not hungry, it did nothing for them.)
I have not come this far (In Christ) to go back and play “Little Kid Games’ when the world so desperately needs to see Jesus. Look, I’m not trying to be mean here, but really? REALLY Church? THE MANDATE we see in our bible IS Grace to Grow! This is for the believers. GROW……GROW it says……(Ephesians 1) GROW IN Grace…..
What non believers are doing is not really our business…….Come on church! I heard a preacher say once “When I was on my way to hell, I was going in style, with a bottle in one hand and a girl on each arm.” …….to run up to someone and point out how sinful they are is childish, trespassing, and it’s wrong. GOD doesn’t even do that!
How did you come to Christ? Were you drawn by his love and Grace, or were you told what a big hairy sinner you are? (And beaten into submission?). If you went to church to be moral, straighten up your act, and become a self-righteous Pharisee, you are in worse shape than those who are drinking, drugging and living it up! A rampant sinner that cries for mercy has “MORE HOPE” Than you have!!! ……….
So let’s get our eyes off what “everyone else is doing” and how wicked they are, and get back to growing up ourselves! Amen! -Laura Grace, Author, Grace to Grow, Grace to Grow the Study Guide, Grace to soar…….and others. Peace! 
Harmless as Doves…… what does it mean?
It Means ……..None of that eye for an eye stuff! None of this, get them before they get you! No tit for tat. No retaliating. There is a passage that says:
Matthew 10:16
“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.
Words of Jesus. I have left a trail of blessing my enemies and people who hurt me. I had one he tried to take everything, I gave him the rest!
Now Here is the balance of things:
WE have to walk that balance of resisting the devil and learning to bless our enemies at the same time. This isn’t either or. Not pacifist or warrior for the sake of self.
JESUS Is so smart! you know? Wise as a Serpent. Not being duped. Not believing every con artist that comes along. Checking things out and Watching over the family, the goods and the blessings God has bestowed on you. (Being a good steward!).
Many think this stuff is either or….either you bless OR you resist the devil and he flees. Nope! You pray about each case, and you ask the Lord what to do. I am assuming you believe in being filled with the Spirit daily? Jesus wasn’t kidding when he said “MY SPIRIT” will teach you (to his disciples) No he wasn’t joking around.
He did not say, “Here is my new 220 commandments,” Now, write it all down and post it on the church wall. How do we teach people to walk by the Spirit?
We really don’t. We can’t! We can only exhort, encourage and TESTIFY!
We can try to teach and by the way giving knowledge is teaching (breaking things down so we understand it) but we add to our faith Knowledge, Self Control, we do the next thing God asks …………So I’m testifying……
God has never led me to retaliate or “Pay someone back” …..He always leads me to bless whether it’s praying for them, giving more somehow or maybe leaving them alone because that’s what they wanted from me.
Gentleness is not for wimps! It takes guts! Courage! Help from GOD to do it! I have great respect for the Holy Spirit. He does what God tells him to do. God said Let there be light, His Spirit went and THERE IT WAS! LIGHT!
that’s enough for now. Love peace and blessings! Father give us the GUTS to do things your way! Give us the FAITH (even though you already have) Help us find within ourselves the courage to make decisions that glorify you Father! IN Jesus’ name! amen.
Laura Grace, minister of the Lord Jesus Christ. Peace!
gracetogrowdaily 