“And said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments: Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father’s house have sinned.”–Nehemiah 1:5-6

Prayer that gets past the living room ceiling is prayer that recognizes, first and foremost, that God is sovereign and man is nothing more than a servant. Proper praying places God on His throne and mankind at His feet.

Prayer is not having our way with God—it is God having His way with us. Prayer is not our manipulating and controlling God—it is God influencing and controlling us. It is not our putting pressure on God—it is God putting the pressure on us!

If you are not willing to change, to submit, to work, then whatever you do—do not pray!

The great preacher, Donald Grey Barnhouse, once shocked his congregation by beginning a sermon with these words, “Prayer changes nothing.” You could have heard a pin drop. His comment was designed to make Christians think about the sovereignty of God—that God is seated in the heavens and nothing ever surprises Him or falls outside His control.

We’re due a good reminder as well. Prayer isn’t our attempt to bribe, cajole, or convince God to change. In the scriptural accounts that seem to indicate that God changed His mind, the broader context reveals that it was actually part of His sovereign plan. He is unchangeable.

I think Barnhouse’s statement is correct but incomplete. When Nehemiah fell on his knees before God, begging God to show grace to His people, something did change. Was it God’s will? No!  It was Nehemiah’s heart. To Barnhouse’s statement I would add that prayer changes nothing about God . . . but everything about us.

Powerful prayer does not change God’s heart . . . it radically changes ours.

Pray and commit your plans to the authority and will of God, rather than asking Him to make certain things happen. Thank Him for His unchangeable character and faithfulness. ( A Wisdom Retreat)

This is no reason for us to expect to hear God’s voice in the clouds. Since the completion of the Bible He speaks to us through His Word. Like someone said, “If you want to hear the voice of God, read the Bible out loud”. However there is a great lesson in this story for us. God does have a way of communicating with us through circumstances. In commenting on these verses J. R. Miller wrote:

I have often said that backsliding is more like a “slow-leak” than a “blow-out”. We see someone make a mess of their life and we assume that it happened over night. The truth  is that it was a process. Little by little they entertain thoughts and make decisions that put them in harms way. The sad story of Lot is a good example of what I’m talking about. Dr. Paul Chappell described it like this:

“The story of Lot documents for us the process by which a Christian places himself (and often his family) on the road to ruin. Though the Bible does not describe for us much that is positive in Lot’s life, Peter tells us that he was part of God’s family. “And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)” (2 Peter 2:7–8). So how does a just man end up in such a bad place?

Often a fall begins because of complacency regarding sin. The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were renowned for their wickedness, yet when Lot left Abraham, the Bible tells us: “Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom” (Genesis 13:12). Because Lot didn’t worry about the sinfulness of Sodom, he was able to rationalize moving into town, no doubt for the business opportunities it would present. Lot didn’t go intending to live there permanently. The men of the town said he came “to sojourn”—just to stay for a little while—but Sodom became his home. In the end Lot’s family was destroyed because he was comfortable with sin and over time tolerated it more and more.”

When we depart from the will of God we not only hurt ourselves, we do great harm to others as well– even to those we love the most, and that is perhaps the saddest part of the story. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and he is safe. So, watch your step,and stay safe dear friend!

“A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.“–Proverbs 22:1

In the late 1800s, the Louisiana State Lottery rose to prominence, as well as to infamy, as it was plagued with scandal after scandal when rumors and evidence surfaced that its leaders were illegally pocketing money.

So in an attempt to boost their credibility, the managers of the lottery approached an aging General Robert E. Lee to see if he would provide an endorsement. They promised that if he did, he would become rich.

In response, Lee straightened up and shouted, “Gentlemen, I lost my home in the war. I lost my fortune in the war. I lost everything except my name. My name is not for sale, and if you fellows don’t get out of here, I’ll break my crutch over your heads!”

What is the integrity of your name worth? As we look at leaders who’ve had major moral failures, their downfalls didn’t come about with one bad decision. Instead, it was small decisions over time, exchanging their integrity for something else, that ultimately brought them down.

Don’t trade in your good name. Instead, maintain your integrity in the small decisions each day. When you do, your good name will gain you a platform for sharing Christ with others!

Pray that God will help you make the daily decisions that will maintain your integrity and give you a platform to share Christ with others.(Senior Living)