Guest Blogger… Jessi

Hi everyone… or just maggie.. depending on if anyone else reads this lol.. Sooo Janet has asked me to be a guest blogger… by the way I had no idea this little blogging world existed and its pretty cool… Anyways, So prayer in my life is what Jan Jan wanted me to talk about. Well, last spring, for whatever reason.. Im pretty sure I heard it in a message or something (I think when Grace Community was focusing on evangelism or something), but forwhatever reason I believe that God really just layed on my heart that I needed to be praying for my unsaved family and friends. Not just praying every so often, but like all the time. Well, first I think he just really started giving me a burden for my friends and family, and I kept thinking, ” ok, so how am I, gonna convince them that they need a savior?”  At some point during the spring of 08 God was gracious enough to show me that duh– it’s not me that is going to change their hearts but it’s God who is the only one who can be the revealer. DUH! Im so stupid! Well, despite my arrogance and stupidity, God still used me to evangelize through prayer. So after this realization, (oh, and Im pretty sure this was the time the prayer wall came into effect) I made up a list of people that I wanted to start praying for. It was kinda a big list and i was starting to think that it was to much to be praying for and God was gonna have a hard time accomplishing it.. well also this was a dumb assumption… really it was just me being lazy and not wanting to have to spend that much time praying.   Anyways, I made a list that had: Josh Price, Ashley (my cousin), Kristin (a work friend) Sarah and Mel, Lauren (other friends), my family (Ashley’s immed fam) and Mr. Larry (Mel’s Dad). So that was my list. The more I realized that I wasn’t going to be the one to change them and God was the only way, the more I was determined to pray for them. I started praying for them the next day.. oh and this was right before New Attitude… I began praying for hours at work and just went down the list. Oh– also on the list a “starred” four people on the list that I felt like God really wanted me to focus on and concentrating most of the prayer first. — So, I just kept praying everyday and I started looking at my day like.. “ok, I can pray here, here, and here.. and just got myself into the habit of praying whenever I wasn’t talking to other people. My job at the time did allow a lot of that because i was cleaning cages for like 3 hours every morning… so that was a blessing. I started my picking out specific things  i knew about them and i tried to see where I thought they were in relation to God and how they felt or if they felt about him. From there I just kept building on the prayers. For example, my friend Mel ( who has lived across the street my whole life and were basically sisters), wasn’t really interested in God or church or anything at all. We hung out but she lived her life and I lived mine. She had boyfriend that was just really driving her further and further away from friends, family, and anything related to God. So I started praying that If it were God’s will that he would just strip her of any comfort (her BF) and that he would just bring her to rock bottom if thats what it took for her to see her need for a savior. I prayed that she would begin confiding in me and talking to me about her life. I prayed that if it was Gods will he would take her BF away and drive to the arms of God. Her relationship was not healthy, and she wasn’t happy at all, but it was something that when you get to deep into it’s hard to get out of. So, as time passed she began coming across the street to tell me her problems and what was going on with marc. When that happened I was like wow ok, soemthings going on. Then after a couple months they broke up. Which was amazing because I just didn’t think that was gonna happen. So I just kept praying for her. She immediately came over my house and started hanging out with me everyday as she was getting though this break up. I kept thinking.. “Why me? why not her other friends?” I knew God was doing something. Anyways.. about prayer… I kept praying and praying and praying… ( I also was praying for other people on the list but I wanted to share how i meant I was praying in specifics for people). Basically I just kept praying… and I will tell you what, I have NEVER seen the Lord work in so many people so fast and so amazingly. I mean I literally can barely believe it. The people on my list that were starred– Josh.. he got saved at New Attitude.. Kristin.. she was saved in the beginning of that summer.. Ashley.. THANK THE LORD! I love her and is such a blessing to me!– Just was saved at YA  ’09!! Freaking awesome!.. and Mel.. the Lord is working so much in her life.. She has not quite repented and given her heart to the Lord, but isssss soooo close! She is to the point where she has said she wants to be saved and she wants the Lord to meet her… She has more questions.. but I am confident that God has her exactly where he wants her ( lol that sounds creepy but you get what I am saying.) So those are the people I concentrated on the most.. the other people on my list (Mr. Larry, Ashley’s family, Lauren, and Sarah) I have def seen the Lord doing something in some way.. Mr. Larry and his wife Mrs. Marry now come to church and Mr. Larry is taking the Alpha course. Ashley’s family is coming around and we have many more convos about the Lord and church with them. Her little sister is extremely interested and comes with Ash some times. Her Mom
(Susan) has commented on how Ashley is completely different and has changed her attitude toward her family completely. I know God is working in them and I will continue to pray. Also, I know this has absolutely nothing to do with me and I am so grateful and blessed to have God using me in this way of evangelizing… I really would encourage anyone who is interested to make a list and start praying specifically about each person.. and remember no list is to big.. if you think it’s to much.. then test it out and you will be amazed! Also, when you started praying more and more it’s really just an awesome habit to get into. I LOVE prayer and im pretty sure it’s the only way I get through the day.. cuz I would be a freak with out it and it and freak out about life in general if I couldn’t talk to God about everything… Ok, so I think thats all for now.. maybe more later.. and hopefully I’ll keep you posted on my list (if Jan ever lets me back on cause I’ve been hoggin her comp for like an hour) lol I hope I didn’t bore you all with my huge story! BYE! Oh and if anyone wants to talk to me and hear more about Mel or anyone I would love to talk! K BYE AGAIN!

Jessi