I know a friend of mine who went through severe financial crisis sometime back. He had a passionate desire to conduct open-air Gospel meetings at different rural areas in Kerala. But since he didn’t have sufficient financial backing, He gave the matter into the Lord’s hands.

After sometime, he got a witty idea. Why not construct a facility on top of his house and rent it out for business? He began working on that idea. With the help of a substantial bank loan, he hired a construction company to build his dream facility.

To cut a long story short, now his facility houses three business groups and his financial woes have ended. Besides, he is following his passion and hosting open-air Gospel meetings at different places!

Psalm 37:5 declares, “Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you” (NLT). Why should we commit our plans to the Lord? The reason is simple: God is omniscient (all-knowing) while we don’t know everything. He knows our past, present and future while we know much of our past and present with less knowledge about our future. So God knows well what we should do for growth and productivity. And He is ready to tell us if we ask Him!

Check out this beautiful passage: “Put God in charge of your work, then what you’ve planned will take place” (Proverbs 16:3 MSG). It’s not about asking God to bless your plans. Rather it’s about asking God to work out His plans on your plans! And the result will be, His plans work like a catalyst on your plans and transform it to something beautiful and powerful.

Here’s a smart way to commit your plans to the Lord: start a Plans Journal. You may use a diary, notebook or A4 paper for journaling. Make two columns on the selected page. On the left column, write “Plans I commit to the Lord” as the heading. On the right column, write “How God worked it out!” as the heading. Fill out the left column with your plans that you commit to the Lord. And as results start showing off, log it in the right column. By the end of the year, you will be so amazed at how beautifully God transformed your plans and brought huge blessings out of that!

So, remember: Committing your plans to the Lord helps you start 2012 afresh!

In the next post, we are going to analyze the 4th step to starting this New Year afresh. Meanwhile, what are some of the benefits you reaped by committing your plans to the Lord in the past? Add your comments in the comments section below. Also share this post with some of your friends to help them start this year afresh!

- – - written by Joe Abraham from www.joeandancy.com

Once a Jewish Rabbi started his prayers for the people in the congregation. He wanted that God should listen to his prayers and forgive the sins of all those who had assembled in the synagogue. That moment he heard the voice of God. It was something like this: “Let Tam pray for you. If Tam prays for you, I shall forgive your sins and bless you.”

When the Rabbi heard the voice of God he was terrified. However he gathered courage and turning to the congregation, he asked, “Tam, where are you? Come forward quickly!” The Rabbi did not know who Tam was. As he was waiting anxiously for Tam, a poor man came forward trembling all over with fear and anxiety.

As the poor man was standing there quiet puzzled not knowing why he was called, the Rabbi told him what he heard from God. Tam told the Rabbi, “I will pray for you, let me go and take the prayer.” But Tam returned to synagogue with a small earthen pot in his hand. He raised the pot and prayed like this: “Holy God, You know that I don’t know how to pray. But whatever I have I offer You. This pot contains my tears.”

“When I pray to you in the night, I remember my wife and children. My eyes get filled with tears when I think that they cannot get to Synagogue because they do not have proper clothes. Then I remember the poor people and the beggars. I see how they suffer from bitter cold, scorching heat, hunger and thirst. Then I cry again. Before those tears are dry I remember how we brothers scream and fight with one another. Then again I cry. I further remember how you suffer and cry remembering our trespasses. My sorrow then overflows beyond bounds. All these tears I have collected in this pot.”

The prayer of Tam was heard by God and He blessed all those who were present in the Synagogue.

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The Bible asks us to be always ready because the Son of Man may come at the most unexpected time. Reciting prayers by rote in a mechanical fashion, without meditating upon their content and meaning will not bring Heavenly blessings. Build up your life by meaningful prayers. Become aware of the miraculous strength of prayers. All prayers reach God and He responds.

The divine spirit that flows into us through prayers will help us to face any crisis of life with equanimity and optimism. God knows all our needs. What we need to do is keep close proximity to God. Jesus asks us to pray constantly. It is when we pray for others that God showers us with greater blessings. So let’s become children of prayers.

It is when we pray regularly, heartily and sincerely that God interferes in our lives and good things happens to us. Let us believe in God firmly and behave sincerely with our brethren.

- – - written by Surjith Jacob

25 Beautiful Christian Phrases

1. Give God what’s right… not what’s left.

2. Man’s way leads to hopeless end… God’s way leads to an endless hope.

3. A lot of kneeling will keep you in good standing.

4. He who kneels before God can stand before anyone.

5. In the sentence of life, the devil may be a comma, but never let him be the period.

6. Don’t put a question mark where God puts a period.

7. Are you wrinkled with burden? Come to the church for a face-lift.

8. When praying, don’t give God instructions… just report for duty.

9. Don’t wait for six strong men to take you to church.

10. We don’t change God’s message… His message changes us.

11. The church is prayer-conditioned.

12. When God ordains, He sustains.

13. Warning: Exposure to the son may prevent burning.

14. Plan ahead… It wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark.

15. Most people want to serve God, but only in an advisory position.

16. Suffering from truth decay? Brush up on your Bible.

17. Exercise daily… walk with the Lord.

18. Never give the devil a ride… he will always want to ride.

19. Nothing else ruins the truth like stretching it.

20. Compassion is difficult to give away because it keeps coming back.

21. He who angers you controls you.

22. Worry is the darkroom in which negatives can develop.

23. Give Satan an inch and he’ll be a ruler.

24. Be ye fishers of men… You catch them and He’ll clean them.

25. God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

I hope you liked all the 25 beautiful Christian phrases given above.

Also please read Beautiful Quotes For Your Beautiful Day