7 to Thirty7: October 2013

October/2013

iPray eVotionals

Greetings!

iPray eVotionals exhorts those who pray. It's the glass of water held out around each month's turn for the runners who can use a quick and easy quench in order to finish strong.

iSpill

To Spill is to empty out on a surface, to overflow over the edge of a container, or to cause a liquid to overflow, or to reveal a secret, or to leave somewhere quickly as part of a big group. To allow or cause, esp. unintentionally or accidentally, to run, fall, or flow over from a container, usually so as to result in loss or waste...

(Approximate reading time: 7 Minutes)

What a build up! Time to PRAY!

Most of my spills come after prolonged build up and lazy procrastination. When I am preparing meals in the kitchen I am a clean-as-you-go kind of girl. By the time dinner is on the table most of the pots and pans I used are in the dish washer rather than piled up waiting to be dealt with.

I wish I was a clean-as-you-go kind of girl in all areas of the house. 90% of the time, tucked out of sight, I have mounds of layered projects and papers needing to be organized and gone through. When I need something on the bottom of the pile and try jimmying it out, piles of papers end up spilling every which way. That is when I finally spend the time I need to get organized and clean up what had built up.

When it comes down to it, the higher the piles get the more likely a spill is coming. An inevitable spill ultimately brings me to my knees to deal with what is being ignored. It's the issues that are tucked away in some corner, the ones that are harder to deal with that tend to pile up in my heart and in my spirit. They keep me from being a pray-as-you-go type of girl. They keep me from everyday going to God's word, allowing God's spirit to work in me and spilling my heart out so that my cup can overflow.

What a mess! Time to PRAY!

The other day I was having coffee with a new friend. We were talking about prayer and I guess I am passionate about the subject. As I got caught up in the moment the Italian in me must have taken over and before I knew it I had backhanded my Starbucks cup. The contents spilled all over my prayer booklet as well as my light grey pants. I'm not talking about a coffee sprinkle, I'm talking about a gush of steaming hot pumpkin spiced latte cascading over the side of the table and rapidly roaring down the canyon of my lap. Quickly absorbing the substance, my entire front end took on a messy brown demeanor. So much for stopping by the store before picking up the kids - I had to go home and get cleaned up. Funny thing is, my laundry basket at home just happened to be spilling over as well.

Spills are messy. For the most part the first reaction to a spill is not one of opportunity, it's more likely frustration about the mess it made or maybe embarrassment of what it says about me. I'm probably not the only one that avoids modeling my spills. Walking to my car with unnaturally brown pants shouts out, "Hey everyone, I'm a mess! Look at how clumsy I am. Look at how absent minded I can be. Look at the mess I make of everything I touch. Look at how lazy I am by not cleaning up."

The thing about sporting a mess is that until it's clean I make unnatural adjustments to avoid people seeing it. When my pants are messy I walk behind a row of cars acting oblivious to the sidewalk on the other side. When my house is messy, I forget my manners and keep people at bay. When a relationship is messy, I cover it up with awkward smiles. When my feelings are messy, I sweep them under a happy-carpet facade so nobody notices.

No matter how hard we try to keep our messes out of sight, it's only a matter of time before the mess starts to rear it's ugly head in public. Sometimes we need a good spill that forces us to go home and get cleaned up.

Sometimes it takes a spill to get us to pray. When we pray we are not returning to an orphanage to find a cold caretaker without the time or desire to know us personally. We return to our home to find a loving Father ready to take our burdens and make them light. A compassionate Father that is ready to give a yoke that is easy. We encounter a patient Father ready to forgive and a generous Father ready to pour out his blessings.

iSpill my heart out, as iPray

Just like my latte cup, my life cup tends to be the victim of unintentional backhands. As I harbor garbage to the very brim, holding the cup with both hands and walking slowly trying to protect it, there is no room for God to work on my heart. Even if there was a drop He could add, it would quickly be contaminated and disappear in the mess. I'm setting myself up for quite a mess after I carefully set the cup down and then my absent minded Italian arms go flying around.

When my life cup takes a spill it's my cue, time to spill my heart out! Get rid of the mess. God accepts it all. He wants us to be real before Him. When we pray to get cleaned up we must spill our hearts out before the Lord. No matter what it is. It may be an unresolved issue, a sin struggle, bitterness for the way something turned out, an unanswered prayer, built up pain, a need for understanding, a lack of trust, a wavering faith, perpetual apathy, an unwilling heart, or maybe it's something you think is just too messy to ever be cleaned up. Whatever it is, God's grace is sufficient for you, His power is made perfect in weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

It doesn't stop there. After the junk is gone the Holy Spirit is ready to rinse and renew. Why leave any drops of old, leftover latte in your cup only to have God's living water taste like watered down, stale caffeine?

God takes our spills so that our life cups are clean from even the tiniest drop of caffeine induced self-reliance, selfish motives and annoying attitudes. He wants us to be clean so that He can start to fill our life cups with His love, His way, His purpose...His living water.

My cup overflows, as iPray

When I am an empty mess I can say, "Lord, fill me up and send me out." That is just what He wants to do.

Psalm 23:5 says, "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows."

Notice that scripture does not say God fills us up to over spill. Spilling leaves us empty. He fills up our cup so that it overflows! Permanent life altering and everlasting beautified ingredients being graciously and continuously poured into our life cups. Filled up and overflowing with His kindness, goodness, compassion and so much more. His blessings never run out for His mercies are new every morning.

1 Peter 5:10 says, "And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you."

Nothing quenches like His living water. Nothing nourishes like His daily bread. Nothing else can fill us up with more satisfaction and wholeness. When we pray with a heart willing to receive the good stuff, our cups overflows!

Titus 3:5 says, "He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit."

Can you just taste it? I Spill but God Fills!

iPray 4 you...

Sometimes we need a good spill that forces us to go to our Father, get cleaned up, rinsed out, and filled up so that our life cup overflows.

iPray... against build-ups that can get in the way of a pray-as-you-go lifestyle.

iPray... that when you spill, you will not wait to get cleaned up.

iPray... that you will not use unnatural adjustments to hide your mess but instead give it all to the Lord.

iPray... that when you pray, you do not hold back but instead spill out your heart and be real before your Father.

iPray... that as you come to your God in prayer, that He will fill you up.

iPray... that your cup will overflow!

In Jesus Name iPray, Amen.

Broken and Spilled Out

ALL for Him,

Michelle Fozounmayeh

7tothirty7.blogspot.com

In This Issue

What a build up! Time to PRAY!

What a mess! Time to PRAY!

iSpill my heart out, as iPray

My cup overflows, as iPray

iPray 4 you...

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Michelle Fozounmayeh

Michelle Fozounmayeh
A joy filled wife and mom that enjoys writing, praying, speaking at women events and being an Area Coordinator with the ministry Moms In Prayer International.

Blog:

7tothirty7.blogspot.com

Website:

http://7tothirty7.com/