A WORD FOR YOUR SOUL Archives – RhonieSays

Releasing our Prayers: Confidence

RhonieSays — Mon, 22 Feb 2021 11:00:00 +0000

A funny thing has happened to me over the last few years as I walk in intercessory prayer, especially on social media. As I try to stay as consistent as possible sometimes the assumption has become that I’m some type of prayer guru. On several occasions, I’ve been sought out by people who feel as if somehow my prayers carry more weight in God’s eyes than their own and that is simply not true.

I believe the way I pray and what I pray has a drawing that explains the workings of the Holy Spirit. What I’ve learned is that God has laid out a blueprint for us to follow when we pray and I try to follow that blueprint. It’s not something I came to know overnight and I’m still constantly learning but I believe if more people shared what they have learned concerning prayer it will help others become more confident in their prayer life. You heard correct, I said confident so let’s start right there.

Ephesians 3:12 – In whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.

Let me give an example for my own life. There was a time when I disliked prayer because I felt God wasn’t listening to what I had to say. That’s where my lack of confidence began because I didn’t know anything about the Lord therefore, I felt He wasn’t listening. I wasn’t abiding in Him so I didn’t have confidence in what I was praying and who I was praying to, my faith was fleeting. I needed to invest the time to learn about “in whom” I was putting my trust or how else could I be confident in what I was praying?

This is a key scripture from Hebrews 12:2, Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. When I look to Jesus and rest in the finished work He has done on behalf of my soul, then my prayers took on new levels of confidence.

John 15:7 – If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

There’s another area that lacked my confidence and that was knowing God’s will. When I began to learn more about His will, then my prayers automatically steered that way. He answers prayers that line up with His will. Many are led astray into thinking we can ask anything we want and He will give it to us but that is not true, we must line up with His will which is always conveyed in his Word. When I look at a few of my past prayer journals you can see that I was praying about things that were not lining up to His will in any way, shape, or form.

Most of those prayers were very self-centered, selfish prayers. I’m not saying we aren’t supposed to pray about our needs but page after page of my journals were nothing but what was going on in my personal life with no regard to praying for others’ welfare and well-being. A big part of God’s will is praying for the needs of others and I was mainly focused on my own needs. I didn’t realize neglecting to pray for others consistently kept me drowning in worry and not confidence in God’s ability for my life as He moved in other people’s lives.

1 John 5:14-15

And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

Let’s stop there for now because I hope sharing some of my insights will help build more confident prayer lives in all of us.

BY: Rhonie McBerry

Rhonie is a licensed radiation therapist providing care to those battling cancer. She learned to embrace a new normal after being diagnosed with Crohn’s. disease and uses the power of words to encourage others to see past their darkest day to a brighter horizon.

She is the author of Embracing a New Normal, God Has Drawn The Blueprints Vol I & II, Words That Surround Your Soul devotionals, and a host of blog posts on her website www.RhonieSays.com

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Psalm 27:7-8

RhonieSays — Mon, 01 Jun 2020 10:42:00 +0000

Psalm 27:7-8 (AMP)

⁷Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud; Be gracious and compassionate to me and answer me.
⁸When You said, “Seek My face [in prayer, require My presence as your greatest need],” my heart said to You,
“Your face, O Lord, I will seek [on the authority of Your word].”

What a privilege to share scriptures that impacts my heart. Isn’t that what scripture ought to do? It ought to jump into our hearts, swell within us, change the beat of it, and create a newness that pumps into our entire being.

This week lets jump into Psalm 27:7-8. By the way, all Psalm 27 is a phenomenal read but these two verses really leaped out at me. Let me take a moment to express why my utter joy from these two verses.

To begin with look at what the psalmist is doing, he is making a demand. He is calling forth the attention he seeks when he says “ Hear”. Who is he expecting to hear him? Well, the answer is right in the text when he states “O Lord” so he is not addressing just anybody but the Lord strong and mighty, the King of glory. This makes me reflect on how I address the Lord, who is strong and mighty, do I do it with assurance or do I shrink back? One signifies trust the other the exact opposite.

Then there is the crying out, with ‘my voice.” I have to pay attention what to is being displayed …confidence to speak. There is no shame or any questioning of being worthy enough to cry out to the Lord. Absolute boldness in the Lord is what is being displayed loud and clear. Also, a demonstration of transparency has arisen by trusting in the grace of God to intervene on behalf of the one crying out. The psalmist expects compassion to be the answer received. God is not an absentee God, He is present in the times of trouble.

Now we come to what I love in that the psalmist mentions God’s request to him ” You Said“, God actually speaks to us and has requests of us. God wants us to seek His face. He wants a personal relationship with us more than anything. This encourages me as I’m sure it did the psalmist to seek God with His whole heart. I must allow God access to those hidden deep places that I often shield from Him. My heart cries “Your face O Lord I shall seek.”

My sincerest desire is that my enthusiasm for these scriptures will rub off on you and help you to cry out to the Lord with confidence and trust in His compassion as you seek His face.

By: Rhonie

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Psalm 94:18-19

RhonieSays — Sun, 26 Apr 2020 08:46:54 +0000

Psalm 94:18-19 (NLT)

18 I cried out, “I am slipping!” but your unfailing love, O Lord, supported me.

19 When doubts filled my mind your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.

I cannot think of better words to comfort the soul in times of uncertainty. The world is going through a pandemic and doubts about God’s will, grace, & existence is running rampant. The noise of anxiety is extremely loud in many of our ears.

It can feel like we’re constantly slipping never gaining a strong foothold but the scriptures above give us traction. We can cry out to the Lord! We can let the Lord know exactly how we feel with the expectation that He will help us. Why? Because His love for us is unfailing. That love can never be defeated or trampled upon, disease can’t make it fail, worry can’t make it fail, nor will a pandemic make it fail. We are covered in love and that should be reassuring to many a weary soul.

The comfort we gain from the Lord will renew our hope. That hope is in better days to come because we have strength and grace through our Lord Jesus Christ. He will help us get past difficult times. The slipping will cease as God catches us and places our feet on the solid rock of Jesus.

Be of good cheer!

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Hebrews 13:20-21, Final Exhortation

RhonieSays — Sun, 19 Apr 2020 08:58:45 +0000

I was excited when I started my journey in the book of Hebrews and that same excitement carries me to the end of this amazing book of the Bible. There’s an immense amount of scriptures that have wrapped themselves around my soul including the concluding benediction to this book.

The exhortation in 20 and 21 have captured me because of the encouragement that is expressed within them. Take a read and let me share with you what I love about them.

Hebrews 13:20-21 New King James Version (NKJV)

Benediction, Final Exhortation, Farewell

20 Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21 make you [a]complete in every good work to do His will, working in [b]you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Can you feel the present tense of what you just read? It starts with the word “now” and last time I heard, now, means now. It doesn’t mean later or in the distant future. This exhortation is something I can gravitate towards right now.

Then move with me to who is offering peace? None other than God Himself the true source of serenity and well-being. Peace amid the storm, peace during chaos, & peace in a pandemic. We can have peace through God Himself. What a place of rest this can be when we tap in.

Not only is God bringing peace, but He brought up Jesus, our Shepherd from the dead. Not any Shepherd but as the text says our Great Shepherd. Jesus is our keeper and laid down His life for His sheep (us) in an everlasting covenant that brings us the good news of salvation.

This is where my heart leaps for joy in a very personal way because the exhortation is for God to make our completeness and wholeness in every good work to do His will. This gives me encouragement and confidence that it is God’s will in EVERY good work that I am whole not broken or battered while trying to do His will. While in every area and working in me what is pleasing to Him through Jesus Christ my Great Shepherd.

In conclusion, I am overjoyed that God is doing a work in me that is pleasing in His sight. That work will lead to more goodness that’s complete according to His will. This brings peace to my mind and soul that all things will work together for my good according to God’s will.

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A Word For Your Soul: Hebrews 1:1-3

RhonieSays — Tue, 03 Mar 2020 21:23:50 +0000

I’m returning to the book of Hebrews for my biblical studies. It has been quite some time since I’ve dived into all the timeless treasures this book of the Bible has to offer. In fact, right off the rip, the first three verses captivated me which makes it a perfect place to bookmark as a word for your soul. I want to do a dissection of these verses to get to those precious gems.

Hebrews 1:1-3

1 Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. ²And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe. ³The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven.

Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets.

The first thing to reflect on is the fact that God has always spoken in many ways to His people. That lets us know that He is relational, He’s not somewhere leaving us to figure out life on our own… He speaks.

And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son

Now He speaks through His Son. Why is that key and critical? Because His Son Is the Lamb who has taken away the sins of the world. He is everything that we need to bridge the gap between us and the Father.

God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance

Did someone say inheritance? That inheritance also includes us. Romans 8:17 tells us,And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ, we are heirs of God’s glory. We are heirs in Christ so this inheritance allows us to live a life abundant in Christ.

and through the Son he created the universe

All of us as created beings have been made so by Christ that means we were thought of and if thought of that means provision for all that we need comes through Him.

The Son radiates God’s own glory.

God’s glory is the beauty of His Spirit and Jesus has that same beauty. His glory is reflective in and through us.

And expresses the very character of God.

Jesus expresses love which is the very nature and character of God.

and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command.

This one hits me really hard because it reminds me that He is present tense in my life therefore issues and problems cannot overcome me. By His power I am more than a conqueror, I am healed, and I am delivered because HE is my substance. He has command over my life and all that it entails I am taken care of by Christ Jesus who has my soul in His hands.

When he had cleansed us from our sins.

This is not an IF He cleansed us. He is our righteousness, our ability to come before the throne of grace unashamed because His blood is covering us and makes us right in God. The gap is closed, and we will have eternal life with the Father because of Jesus our sin-bearer.

He sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven

Christ is now seated because He finished His work. He has brought us to a place of honor as He sits in honor. I am free and delivered!

Wow! Look at all those priceless gems that Hebrews 1:1-3 holds. These verses wrap everything up in a nutshell as to the purpose and the power of Jesus Christ. These verses give me love, hope, knowledge, and power to face every day knowing that Christ is upholding me as He sits at the right hand of the Father. My desire is that you feel the same way and will allow these verses to provide a word for your soul that will keep you lifted.

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A Word For Your Soul: John 15:1-5

RhonieSays — Wed, 29 Jan 2020 12:41:47 +0000

Jesus Is the Vine—Followers Are Branches

15 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. ²Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. ³You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. ⁴Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. ⁵I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

What an amazing moment in scripture to reflect upon. Jesus was addressing His disciples even while Judas was meeting with the Jewish leaders in plans to have Him arrested. Still, Jesus took these last few hours to encourage His remaining disciples. What’s so great is that the same encouragement applies to us today.

Jesus is the true vine! He is not just any vine amongst many vines; He is the only true vine. That means He is our source, our connection to God, the vinedresser. What encouragement is Jesus extending to us? The same words “abide in Me and I in you” He spoke to the disciples, He is speaking to us. There is a reciprocity that must take place and through that connection, we become branches to the true vine of Jesus. As branches, we bear fruit, not just any fruit but faithful fruit that comes directly from the vine. Jesus states that remaining in Him we will bear much fruit…not barely enough or blemished fruit but exceedingly good fruit.

That fruit is in abundance because the Father prunes us so that we can hold fruit that is living versus the dead. This ought to bring us joy even as we go through the pruning season. The cutting shears may be sharp and even hurt but the result is a healthy fruit that is tasteful in the service of the Lord.

Rhonie McBerry

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Psalm 33

RhonieSays — Sun, 19 Jan 2020 10:52:14 +0000

Psalm 33 calls for us to praise God for His loving kindness. How has He been kind? He spoke and it was done. God’s word accomplished creating the heavens, earth, and us. Through the faithfulness of His works we can reflect in awe and wonder about all, He has done as stated in verse eight.
As we go through life there aren’t worldly standards of might and strength that can save us. The world’s standards only give us false hope that can’t deliver what we truly need for our soul’s redemption. Victory only comes as our hearts cry out to the Lord for His loving kindness through His son Jesus Christ.
I love giving thought to this Psalm and it’s amazing attention to our soul’s care even as we go through life. Knowing that God’s eye is upon us as we hope in His loving kindness. My heart rejoices as He shields and helps me through any challenges that I may face. As you read this Psalm I pray that you get a sense of how worthy God is to be praised.

Psalm 33 (NASB)

Praise to the Creator and Preserver.

33 Sing for joy in the Lord, O you righteous ones; Praise is becoming to the upright.
²Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre; Sing praises to Him with a harp of ten strings.
³Sing to Him a new song; Play skilfully with a shout of joy.
⁴For the word of the Lord is upright, And all His work is done in faithfulness.
⁵He loves righteousness and justice; The earth is full of the loving kindness of the Lord.

⁶By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, And by the breath of His mouth all their host.
⁷He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap; He lays up the deeps in storehouses.
⁸Let all the earth fear the Lord; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
⁹For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.
¹⁰The Lord nullifies the counsel of the nations; He frustrates the plans of the peoples.
¹¹The counsel of the Lord stands forever, The plans of His heart from generation to generation.
¹²Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, The people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance.

¹³The Lord looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men;
¹⁴From His dwelling place He looks out On all the inhabitants of the earth,
¹⁵He who fashions the hearts of them all, He who understands all their works.
¹⁶The king is not saved by a mighty army; A warrior is not delivered by great strength.
¹⁷A horse is a false hope for victory; Nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength.

¹⁸Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, On those who hope for His loving kindness,
¹⁹To deliver their soul from death And to keep them alive in famine.
²⁰Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield.
²¹For our heart rejoices in Him, Because we trust in His holy name.
²²Let Your loving kindness, O Lord, be upon us, According as we have hoped in You.

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Psalm 121

RhonieSays — Sun, 05 Jan 2020 23:18:00 +0000

A Word For Your Soul!
Psalm 121

Our help comes from the Lord just as the Psalmist states. The Lord, our Father never sleeps nor slumbers which means He is not taking a nap in the midst of your trying times. Don’t be fooled by what looks like a standstill in your life but take rest in the Lord’s protection over your very soul.

My hope is that the words of this Psalm will encourage you to no end.
Blessings,
Rhonie

Psalm 121 (NASB)

The Lord the Keeper of Israel.
A Song of Ascents.

121 I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From where shall my help come?
2 My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, He who keeps Israel Will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade on your right hand.
6 The sun will not smite you by day, Nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord will [a]protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul.
8 The Lord will [b]guard your going out and your coming in From this time forth and forever.

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