The Power of Prayer

Praise the Lord! He has heard and answered your faithful prayers. Our power problems have been fixed at this time. On Monday, our landlord finally realized that the problems were bigger than he could fix on his own and told us to get an electrician. Praise God that we know an Albanian contractor in our church who brought over an honest and hard-working electrician. He came over and found quite a few problems that he fixed.

We are so thankful that now our power is only out, like everybody else, for 6 hours a day instead of a 10-24 hours. Perspective makes everything look different. A friend, here in Albania, read a piece of work to me that was truly convicting. It had great bearing on how God helped me to deal with the electricity problem and so I thought I would post it for everyone to read.

Dying to Self

When you are forgotten or neglected or purposely set at naught, and you sting and hurt with the insult or the oversight, but your heart is happy, being counted worthy to suffer for Christ—that is dying to self.

When your good is evil spoken of, when your wishes are crossed, your advice disregarded, your opinions ridiculed and you refuse to let anger rise in your heart, or even defend yourself, but take it all in patient loving silence—that is dying to self.

When you lovingly and patiently bear any disorder, any irregularity, or any annoyance, when you can stand face to face with waste, folly, extravagance, spiritual insensibility, and endure it as Jesus endured it—that is dying to self.

When you are content with any food, any offering, any raiment, any climate, any society, any attitude, any interruption by the will of God—that is dying to self.

When you never care to refer to yourself in conversation, or to record your own good works, or itch after commendation, when you can truly love to be unknown—that is dying to self.

When you see your brother prosper and have his needs met and can honestly rejoice with him in spirit and feel no envy nor question God, while your own needs are far greater and in desperate circumstances—that is dying to self.

When you can receive correction and reproof from one of less stature than yourself, can humbly submit inwardly as well as outwardly, finding no rebellion or resentment rising up within your heart—that is dying to self.

Ouch!!! God is so faithful to reveal the true state of our sinful hearts, bring us to repentance and then bind up those wounds. Job 5:17-18.

Anyhow, thanks for you prayers. We rejoice that He answered in such a short time. Now, we are enjoying the snow on the mountains nearby from a cozy, warm house.