Friday, December 18, 2015

Praying

But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. And have mercy on some, who are doubting; save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh. Jude 20-23.



Jude is only one chapter long—only 25 short verses—written by Jesus’ half-brother.

Pray—in the Spirit. Let the Holy Spirit speak to, in and through you as you pray. Don’t have your own agenda—let the Spirit tell you who, what and when to pray about or for. Be quiet before Him—and let Him guide your prayer time.

And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don't know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.

Romans 8:26 NLT

Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.                                                  Ephesians 6:18 NLT

I love that when I don’t know what to pray…the Holy Spirit takes over and prays for me. I’ve experienced that—groanings too deep to express several times in my life…and the Holy Spirit was right there with me—even when I felt all alone. God is good!



Pray. There is no better way to start or end your day. My favorite advice in praying is follow the ACTS acrostic. Give God the Adoration He deserves. Then Confess any sin in your life that you haven’t already addressed. Next give an adulation of Thanksgiving. All things come from God—so generously thank Him. Lastly, it is appropriate for prayers of Supplication. Ask…and you will receive. Keep on asking. Jesus taught that in Matthew 7:7 and Luke 11:9. The things for which we ask may be for others—like salvation, health, or physical needs. There is nothing that is too great for God. He has all the power—and it is His kingdom that we truly seek and for which we wait—with great hope!



Prayer ~ Holy Spirit, You are worthy of my praise and adoration—I adore You. Please forgive me for not showing more concern and care for my fellow Christians today…and during this holiday season as the time is racing past. I am truly Thankful for my wonderful family, friends and neighbors—and for Your love, guidance, wisdom, protection, and above all the prayers that You offer to the Heavenly Father when I can only groan. Please have the grace to help me be more loving…more forgiving…and more Christ-like in my thoughts, words and actions…today and all through the coming year. Please be a blessing to those who are struggling--with health issues...and death of loved ones...during this holy season. I praise You as I know You will wrap Your loving arms around them, comforting and strengthening them--as you have me in the past..



Friday’s Feast at the King’s Table

This recipe is not on my current diet—which has NO sugar and NO starches. It is a tasty treat that you can serve to your guests over the holidays. I took out some of the nut mixture before adding the sugar—just so I could enjoy it too. My new stove is super-HOT—so I’ve been burning lots of things lately getting used to it. Unfortunately I burned a small amount of these nuts…so do be careful. But even the burned ones were yummy!



Spiced Pecans

2 teaspoon kosher or ground Himalayan salt

½ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ teaspoon curry powder

1 teaspoon, heaping, ground cinnamon

Grated orange rind from one orange

2 pound pecan halves

1 stick unsalted butter (8 tablespoons), cut up into small chunks

½ cup packed brown sugar

 tablespoons orange juice (fresh squeezed from the orange used in the grated rind)



Line a sheetpan, or a couple of cookie sheets, with parchment paper and set aside.

Mix the salt, cumin, curry, cayenne, cinnamon and orange peel together in a small bowl and set aside.

Place the nuts in a 10-12 inch cast iron skillet and set over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, for 4 to 5 minutes until they just start to brown and smell toasted. Do NOT let them burn. Add the butter and stir until it melts. Add the spice mixture and stir to combine. Stir sugar into orange juice. Add to the nut mixture, stirring until the mixture thickens and coats the nuts, approximately 2 to 3 minutes.

Transfer the nuts to the prepared sheetpan and separate them with a fork or spatula. Allow the nuts to cool completely before transferring to an airtight container for storage. Can be stored up to 3 weeks.

© 2015 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.

Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.

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