Happy Advent! Mary and I would love to have you join us as we discuss Advent and how you can get ready for Christmas during this time of preparation. We’ll be discussing the background of Advent, ways you can celebrate it with your family, and the meaning of Isaiah 7:14. Don’t let the busyness of the season prevent you from truly celebrating Christ’s birth.

Only By Prayer

Celebrating Advent

In  this episode, we'll meditate on Proverbs 11:23. Do I have a mindset that expects failure or success in my life? Do what we think and say influence our reality?

Reflections #23: Expectations

The healing of the paralytic man is an incredible story. Jesus is preaching in Capernaum when four men go to extraordinary lengths to get their paralyzed friend in front of Jesus. Their faith simply wouldn't let them stop until they got him some face time with Jesus. Do we have the faith that lets miracles happen? Let's explore that question today.

Reflections #22: The Faith of Miracles

When it was time for Elizabeth's baby to be born, she gave birth to a son." Luke 1:57 Elizabeth and Zacharias had waited a lifetime for their son to be born. Long past childbearing years, they thought that this blessing had passed them by.  But God had big plans for them-- in His timing.  How does that relate to us?  We'll discuss that in the podcast. Thanks for listening. May your soul's meditations be fuel for Spirit-led actions today!

Reflections #21: The Waiting Game

Today's verse is Nehemiah 9:31, but if you have time read all of Chapter 9.  Three thoughts stand out to me from Nehemiah's reflection on Israel's history.  Join Only By Prayer in listening to this reflection to see how it may relate to your life today. 

Reflections #20, Your Promised Land

If we are to be effective workers for God's kingdom, we first have to be effective pray-ers.

Reflections #19, Could You Not Tarry?

 The whole human race is foolish and has no knowledge! The craftsmen are disgraced by the idols they make, for their carefully shaped works are a fraud. These idols have no breath or power. Idols are worthless; they are ridiculous lies!  On the day of reckoning they will all be destroyed. Jeremiah 51:17-18 NLT In this passage, God is disgusted with the craftsmen. He couldn't understand why they were suing their gifts in a way that disrespected Him. That lead me to evaluate my talents and gifts, and I realized that ultimately there are only three ways I can use mine ...Resource In this podcast I recommend a book I'm reading called Called to Create, A Biblical Invitation to Create, Innovate, and Risk by Jordan Raynor. I have links to the book in the podcast blog on my website at OnlyByPrayer.com. SaveSave

Reflections #18: The Craftsmen

 short meditations on scripture intersecting life As the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand. Jeremiah 18:6 I have a college friend who has started a second career. She is an artist, more specifically a sculptor, or potter. Recently she posted pictures of some of her work online. I studied her nature sculptures of rabbits, loons, owls, and a cheerful little bird—I think it was a Carolina wren.  Now we don't live close to each other, so I haven't seen her at work, but I can imagine her hands sculpting a big lump of clay into exactly the form that she wants it to take. As I zoomed in on the photos I could see all the amazing detail work that gives life to each of her pieces ... To hear the rest of this podcast as we discuss being the clay in the Potter's hands, listen by simply clicking on the arrow below. You can also subscribe to the podcast on iTunes so it's delivered to your podcast library every week. What Do You Think? Finally, what are your thoughts on the process of being the clay in the Potter's hands? How is God shaping you today? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below. Thanks for listening! May your soul's meditations be fuel for Spirit-led actions today. 

Reflections #17: The Potter

 short meditations on scripture intersecting life Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and his brethren, arose and built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God. The backstory for this verse is that the Israelites had been released from exile and were back in Jerusalem to rebuild the temple of God. I can only imagine the feelings the older exiles must have felt after living for many decades as servants in Babylon. To set foot in their homeland again must have been such a joyful time. And I wonder about the younger ones who had been born in captivity, and Babylon was all they knew. I'm sure they had heard stories of their homeland and to see if for the first time was an experience they would never forget. The First Thing They Built Was ... After they were settled, they started building the temple. They needed to put first things first, and they did because the very first thing they built was the altar so they could make their burnt offerings to the Lord. They needed to have a way to take care of the sin problem between them and the Lord. And we need to do the same thing when we sin. We need to "rebuild our own altars" too. Join Jane from Only By Prayer on today's podcast by listening below. You can also subscribe on iTunes to have each new podcast sent right to your device. Thanks for listening, and please leave your thoughts below. 

Reflections #16: First Things First

 short meditations on scripture intersecting life Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him. Zechariah 3:1 Whether we have been "living in exile" as the Israelites were by pursuing a selfish, sinful lifestyle for a long time, or we had a fight with our spouse or other "quicker" sin, as soon as God calls us back to Him, Satan is right there doing what he does best to us: accusing and deceiving.  Join Only By Prayer today as Jane talks about this problem and how to overcome it.  To listen to the podcast, click below or subscribe to it on iTunes. Thanks for listening, and may your soul's meditation be fuel for Spirit-led actions today!  

Reflections #15: The Accuser

 short meditations on scripture intersecting life Then he said to me, "Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia. Daniel 10:12-13 Prayer is powerful. It changes situations, people, and events. Daniel was one of the most faithful pray-ers in the Bible. We can take away much from his example. Let's dive into these two verses to see how they can impact our prayers today!  Please subscribe to us on iTunes and leave a review too. Thanks so much for listening! Jane VanOsdol 

Reflections #14: Prayer Is Powerful

 Thank you for joining us for Reflections, short meditations on scripture intersecting life Ezra 1:1-5 In today's podcast, we're talking about the phrase "stirred up." Have you ever felt stirred up about something? Yesterday you weren't the least bit bothered, but now all of the sudden it seems that a certain situation, person, or injustice is all you can think about. Well in these verses, and many other places in the Old Testament, we see God stirring up people to do something, and it just may be that God is doing the same thing in your life. Thanks for listening. What is God stirring up in your heart, in your life today? We'd love to hear about it in the comment section below. SaveSave SaveSave

Reflections #13: When God Stirs Up Your Spirit

As I read through the Bible, I can't help but be in awe of the amazing characteristics of God. In today's scripture focus in Ezekiel, it struck me how the Lord always strikes the right balance. As a parent, I know I sometimes struggled with finding the right tone. I could be overly harsh or too permissive. It was difficult at times to not be swayed one way or the other. But we can take our cue from God. Today we are going to reflect on Ezekiel 20:27-49, where we see God finding the perfect mix of righteous judgment and mercy. I can trust Him because I know He always has what's best in mind. Pray on!   SaveSave

Reflections #12: The Perfect Mix

 Thank you for joining us for Reflections, short meditations on scripture intersecting life. But I will gather together the remnant of my flock from the countries where I have driven them. I will bring them back to their own sheepfold, and they will be fruitful and increase in number. Jeremiah 23:3 Some of you may know that I am on a cross-country journey with my husband. He is riding his bicycle, and I am pulling the travel trailer. One of the things God put in my mind to do on this trip is to pray for our country while I'm driving. So I started Prayer Across America. Check it out if you'd like to join me in praying. Well, this week I was feeling a bit discouraged (read that as sorry for myself) as if I was the only one praying for our great nation ever. God used a few things to encourage me, including the above verse. Listen in to the podcast to hear the rest of the story. Listen in to the podcast to hear the rest of the story. You can also subscribe on iTunes. Thanks for listening and ... Pray on!     SaveSave

Reflections #11: Be a Remnant

  Thank you for joining us for Reflections, short meditations on scripture intersecting life Jeremiah 7:24 NLT Are you discouraged with your journey with God? Sometimes we need to step back at look at the big picture rather than just where we are at the moment. Assess your progress over one year, 5 years, 10 years for an accurate picture of your spiritual life. Join me today in Reflections as we talk about forward progress. Leave your thoughts in the comment section and thanks for listening!

Reflections #10, Forward Progress

Exploring healing, health, and wholeness through the lens of a Christ-centered life.

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