[Faith-talk] Prayer, not pressure, changes people

[Poppa Bear]

This is so true and something I really need to hear on a regular basis.
Thanks for sharing
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <halinawoch at gmail.com>
To: "Faith-talk,for the discussion of faith and religion" 
<faith-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, August 25, 2013 8:23 AM
Subject: [Faith-talk] Prayer, not pressure, changes people


>            PRAYER, NOT PRESSURE, CHANGES PEOPLE
>            'But we all...are changed...by the Spirit of the Lord.' 2 
> Corinthians 3:18
>            Jesus asked the question, 'Why do you look at the speck of 
> sawdust in your brother's eye and pay
>
> no attention to the plank in your own eye?' (Matthew 7:3 NIV). Expecting 
> more out of people than they're
>
> able to give will hurt your relationships, not help them. People need the 
> freedom to be who they are. That
>
> doesn't mean they don't need or want to change. But nobody appreciates 
> being given the message, even
>
> subtly, that they must change in order to be loved and accepted. We're 
> more likely to change for those who
>
> are willing to accept us with our shortcomings, than for those who demand 
> we live by their rules. One thing
>
> is certain: God won't change the people we're trying to change until we 
> adopt a 'hands off' policy. We must
>
> get out of His way and let Him work! Even when we think we're hiding our 
> disapproval, people still feel it.
>
> It's in our voice and body language. Prayer is the greatest agent for 
> change, not pressure. If we truly love
>
> people we'll pray for them and allow God to work on them His way, on His 
> schedule, and for His glory.
>
> Many of those who irritate us are simply being themselves; their 
> personality just doesn't mesh with ours.
>
> Sometimes we want them to change when we need to change. Often the things 
> we require in other people
>
> are already available for us to enjoy, if we'll just stop judging them. 
> For change to be lasting, it must come
>
> from the inside out. And only the Spirit of God can bring that kind of 
> change.
> _______________________________________________
> Faith-talk mailing list
> Faith-talk at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/faith-talk_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
> Faith-talk:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/faith-talk_nfbnet.org/heavens4real%40gmail.com