prayer

The Narcissistic Prayer Warrior

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“Dear God,

It’s me. Of course, you should know that because I’m probably the only one in the world who is praying right now. I’ve got a slight headache. Can you take care of that for me? Thanks. Oh, and my little toe, on my right foot, still hurts from where I stubbed it when I got up in the middle of the night to get a beer. By the way, I need help with buying groceries, too.

I’m thrilled to inform you that I’ve found the perfect truck for me. I know it will be a gas guzzler, but I really want it. I will look so cool driving around town. People will think I am so successful. Of course, to pay for it, I will probably need a new job, a better job, so can you work on that?

I need someone to work on my house, as well. Someone who will be understanding and not charge me much or not at all. You know how the roof is leaking and there are two broken windows, and I can’t use the bedroom door because I think the floor is unlevel.

And speaking of the house, it would be great if you could get a woman to marry me who would cook, clean, and buy the groceries. She should also be able to keep my bank account straight and do my laundry. Can you make her cute with a nice body?

Thanks, God. You’re the best!”

The Bible instructs us to make our requests known to God, but this guy is acting as if God is his personal genie! And is he really a prayer warrior? Not once did he pray or intercede for anyone else.

You can ask God to meet your “needs”, and He already knows the desires of our hearts. With that said, praying for yourself is okay, but then trust in God to handle things as He sees fit. Then, turn your attention to praying for others. Prayers do work, and prayers become more powerful when more people agree together and pray for the same needs.

1 Timothy 2:1 (ESV)  First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people.

Ephesians 6:18 (ESV)  Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.

Philippians 4:6 (ESV)  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

1 John 5:14 (ESV)  And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.

Copyright © 2025 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.

Heroes of the Faith

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Moses, Abraham, Joshua, David, Elijah, and many more. They could all be counted as “Heroes of the Faith.” But today, I would have to add another name to that list. A true woman of God, Margie McQueen. I sat and cried, and laughed a little, as we celebrated her life today. A life lived so well that she had to have heard Jesus say, “Well done, Margie, and welcome home.”

How do I know she heard those words? There is no doubt that Margie loved God and people. Many spoke loving words about how she had touched their lives and the lives of their families. She was a prayer warrior to say the least. She was a prophetess as God would show her things while in prayer, sometimes well before they came to pass. Many times, in a church service, she would be used of God to exhort, comfort, and encourage the flock. She definitely had and operated in the spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit, which are still operating in our days if we will only listen and be willing to be used of God. (1 Corinthians Chapters 12 & 14)

As others shared their favorite “Margie” moments, I couldn’t help but remember my own. When I was thirteen, the Carbondale Assembly of God church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, hired me to mow the lawn. Margie was the pastor’s wife at the time. The property sat on ten acres and had a lot of grass, and Oklahoma summers can get extremely hot.

The pastor’s parsonage’s kitchen window faced the big front lawn of the church. I would be mowing and sweating. Margie would see me, and at times, would bring out the best chocolate shakes I have ever had, and probably ever will! They were so delicious and refreshing and full of love. In full confession, after the first shake, whether I knew if she was home or not, or watching me or not, when I was close to that kitchen window, I wiped my brow and acted as if I couldn’t make it in the heat unless I had a chocolate shake. Sometimes it worked, but not every time.

Thank you again, Margie, for the chocolate shakes, but more importantly for the love. And for showing all of us who were watching how to be a servant of the living God. Your daughter, Jeanie, said you liked to sparkle. Perhaps tonight, if I am outside, I will look up and smile as you do in heaven.

If God assigns me to mow grass in heaven, I’m going to ask to mow your lawn, Margie, and look for you smiling in your kitchen window. I know I thanked you for the shakes back then, but I don’t recall saying this when you were among us. “I love you, too, Margie.”

Copyright © 2025 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.

The Tale of Two Women

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Earlier today, I was doing our weekly shopping at Walmart. I ran into two different women, who had two different tales to tell. The first one made me laugh, but the second, the second one caused me to tear up.

The first one, Nancy, was shopping while carrying a new white, plastic step stool. I saw it and instantly knew why. I thought, if she was going to purchase it, then it would be in her shopping cart, but it wasn’t. That means she was using it to reach items on the top shelf that she wanted to purchase. I found her in the soda aisle.

I helped her by retrieving two two-liter bottles of Coke. Yes, I was tall enough to reach them, although I was standing on my tippy toes! I asked her about the stool, and she confirmed I was right. She mentioned that she had complained that they put items too high and that when her shopping was done, she put the stool back until next time. I laughed at her creativity.

The second one, Sharon (changed to protect her), works there. I see her most weeks. She always looks tired, and it bothers me to see a woman who looks as if she should be at home knitting, working. In the past, I have treated her with respect, as if she were the owner.

Today, she told me her daughter suffers from a mental illness and that yesterday, she had her committed to a facility. She said, “I’m her mother, but there is nothing I can do to help her.” I replied, “That is why you need God. He can.” Tears swelled up in her eyes as she asked me to be praying for her daughter,” I matched her with tears in my own eyes as I assured her I would. I asked for her daughter’s first name and explained that April and I have a board where we list people and needs to pray for.

Whenever you go out into the world, you never know who you will meet or see again. The ones that you see repeatedly, please, I hope you take the time to get to know them.  You never know when they will open up to you and share what is consuming them or their thoughts. A lot of people are hurting and dealing with heavy things in their lives. To them, the world is dark! We need to be there for them just as God is.

“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. Mat. 5:14 (NLT)

Copyright © 2025 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.

A 911 Story

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A man from Norfolk, Virginia, called a local radio station to share this on Sept 11th, 2003, two years after the tragedies of 9/11/2001. His name was Robert Matthews. These are his words:

A few weeks before Sept. 11th, my wife and I found out we were going to have our first child. She planned a trip out to California to visit her sister. On our way to the airport, we prayed that God would grant my wife a safe trip and be with her. Shortly after I said ‘amen,’ we both heard a loud pop and the car shook violently. We had blown out a tire. I replaced the tire as quickly as I could, but we still missed her flight. Both very upset, we drove home.

I received a call from my father, who had retired from the NYFD. He asked what my wife’s flight number was, but I explained that we missed the flight. My father informed me that her flight was the one that crashed into the southern tower. I was too shocked to speak. My father also had more news for me; he was going to help. “This is not something I can just sit by for; I have to do something.”

I was concerned for his safety, of course, but more because he had never given his life to Christ. After a brief debate, I knew his mind was made up. Before he got off the phone, he said, ‘Take good care of my grandchild.’ Those were the last words I ever heard my father say; he died while helping in the rescue effort.

My joy that my prayer for safety for my wife had been answered quickly became anger. I was angry at God, at my father, and at myself. I had gone for nearly two years blaming God for taking my father away. My son would never know his grandfather, my father had never accepted Christ, and I never got to say goodbye.

Then something happened. About two months ago, I was sitting at home with my wife and my son when there was a knock on the door. I looked at my wife, but I could tell she wasn’t expecting anyone. I opened the door to a couple with a small child.

The man looked at me and asked if my father’s name was Jake Matthews. I told him it was. He quickly grabbed my hand and said, ‘I never got the chance to meet your father, but it is an honor to meet his son.’

He explained to me that his wife had worked in the World Trade Center and had been caught inside after the attack. She was pregnant and had been caught under debris. He then explained that my father had been the one to find his wife and free her. My eyes welled up with tears as I thought of my father giving his life for people like this. He then said, ‘There is something else you need to know.’ His wife then told me that as my father worked to free her, she talked to him and led him to Christ. I began sobbing at the news.

Now I know that when I get to Heaven, my father will be standing beside Jesus to welcome me, and that this family will be able to thank him themselves. When their baby boy was born, they named him Jacob Matthew, in honor of the man who gave his life so that a mother and baby could live.

I had permission to repost the above story.
Copyright © 2025 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.

How to Train Your Wife

/ Mark Brady / 2 Comments

PLEASE READ IN IT’S ENTIRETY BEFORE FIRING OFF EMAILS!

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There is a new movie being advertised, “How to Train Your Dragon,” and for some “old-age” reason I heard, “How to Train Your Wife!” I know, right? I have no idea what caused such a brain fart to occur. I mean, is that even possible? And God help the husband who dares try! He will probably be speaking soon to the law firm of “You Dumb Butt” and “It’s Over!”

But seriously, what if your spouse needs “tweaking?” How does one go about it?

Our spouse is our helpmate, but if you cannot agree on an issue, what do you do? April allows me to be the head of the household. When it’s the other way around, people get hurt, and not just in the immediate family. She knows if we cannot agree, I will make the final decision. Now, this is not to lord over April, but she knows that I am accountable to God for the decision that was made. A position not to be taken lightly.

A few years ago, she revealed her secret as to how she gets (sometimes) what she wants or what she thinks is best for us. She doesn’t get mad, kick and scream, or give me any attitude at all. What she does is, she prays. She goes to God and appeals to him to speak to my heart. She asks Him to guide me and lead me as I do my best to lead our family. She knows that I know how to hear the voice of the Lord, and when I do, I have no problem changing my decision. And I certainly want God’s help. I know I definitely need it!

April commented the other day, “I pray every morning for God to change me.” What she meant was to help her in the areas of life where she struggles sometimes. I replied to her, “Maybe God likes the way you are or the way He made you?”

If there is a way to train your wife or husband, I would say it is through prayer. It’s a loving, gentle approach to changing someone. I have heard several testimonies of women praying, sometimes for years, without giving up for God to change their husbands. Don’t quote me on this, but I think Miss Kay of Duck Dynasty fame is such a woman. Not only did God change her husband, Phil, but his change also affected an entire family and perhaps countless others!

Thank you, God, for praying wives. Perhaps I should change the title to “How to Train Your Husband.” Encourage us all, Lord God, to pray without ceasing when the person or situation requires change. I, for one, am so grateful for change.

13b-18 Live together in peace, and our instruction to this end is to reprimand the unruly, encourage the timid, help the weak and be very patient with all men. Be sure that no one repays a bad turn by a bad turn; good should be your objective always, among yourselves and in the world at large. Be happy in your faith at all times. Never stop praying. Be thankful, whatever the circumstances may be. If you follow this advice you will be working out the will of God expressed to you in Jesus Christ.
1 Thes. 5:13b-18 (PHILLIPS)

The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working]. Jam. 5:16b (AMPC)

Copyright © 2025 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.

As if You’re Holding the Map

/ Mark Brady / 1 Comment

Have you ever sat and listened to someone share with you what is exciting news to them, but it triggered an odd feeling inside you? Something seemed off, not right.

April shared with me an event happening soon for a friend. As she told me the whole story, I started sensing a disturbance in the force. I mean, I felt sick in my spirit. In a moment, I saw what her friend was about to experience if they continued going down the road they were on. I could see the stops along her journey. Painville. Lied to Junction. Can’t Trust Street. It’s as if I was the one holding the map looking ahead.

In the days since, as I have been praying for them, I have felt so sick and have been grieving for them. They’re a nice person and don’t deserve what they are about to get.

April even shared that they quit talking to another friend because that friend raised all the “Red Flags” that are a part of their venture. April’s friend wants to be loved so badly that they are willing to accept Satan’s substitute instead of waiting patiently for the one God has for them.

There are two things I have observed in life: 1) You can never talk anyone out of getting married. 2) You can never talk anyone out of getting divorced. Once they have made up their mind to do this thing, they will begin to tell themselves they are doing the right thing even if it is not true! Yes, they will lie to themselves.

So what can one do? Yes, you can pray for them. You can intercede like crazy, but the better thing to do is join up with at least one other person and pray together.

I knew of a young woman who wanted to get married so bad she was willing to fly to Malaysia and meet the guy who was promising her the world. The challenge was this: she couldn’t pay for the flight herself or for her stay there while getting to know him. He said he would pay.

The problem was Malaysia is the second worst country for sex trafficking. Her father was okay with her going because he was greedy and wanted a portion of the money she would make in the high-paying job her boyfriend promised her. What happens is that when the woman clears immigration, the boyfriend demands the passport as collateral until the trip is paid back, which never happens. I knew in my spirit if she went, we would never hear from her again. So, a friend of mine and I prayed long and hard. After a few weeks, the whole deal broke down, and she didn’t go. Today, she is married to a lovely man, has a young son, and is living a good life.

I knew in my spirit the evil forces were defeated because two people prayed in unison.

“Take this most seriously: A yes on earth is yes in heaven; a no on earth is no in heaven. What you say to one another is eternal. I mean this. When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action. And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I’ll be there.” Mat. 18:20 (MSG)

Copyright © 2024 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.

Talking to God

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Some may not even know they can talk to God. Others may have learned as children to do it every night before going to sleep. How many genuinely believe that He hears you? A bigger question may be, how many believe that He can answer you?

God can answer in many ways. He can respond immediately with a supernatural act. Or He may use someone else to provide the answer on his behalf. The one way most dislike is with silence. In a world where we are used to “instant” anything, we may find it challenging to wait for his answer.

‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’
Jer. 33:3 (NIV)

Have you ever wondered what in the world He is doing while we sit in silence? He could be getting us, or our hearts, ready to receive his answer or action. He could be moving certain people into places that He desires to be a part of his master plan.

There was an elderly lady in the Walmart parking lot who was struggling to get 12 packs of soda out of the bottom of those mini carts. I was heading to Walmart but got mad when I didn’t go the route I had wanted to. I realized later that if I  had gone the way I wanted to, I would have arrived too early. As it turned out, I was right on time, God’s time to help the lady.

She let me help her but asked, Where did you come from?” I immediately answered, “God sent me!” The look on her face was priceless. She didn’t say if she had asked him for help or not, but she needed help. God does care.

God wants to hear from us. He loves us. Remember, before the fall, Genesis tells us that God walked and talked with Adam and Eve in the garden. He wants to know what is on our hearts and minds. There are times when His Spirit will whisper an answer into our spirits. You can learn how to hear and recognize his voice.

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. John 10:27 (NIV)

It’s comforting to hear God speak, but when He doesn’t, we have to trust Him. Know that He has heard us and is working on our behalf. Some may talk to God without even knowing for themselves that He is real and alive. If an individual is on a plane that is going down, they will cry out to God to save them just in case.

I recall the story of Beth. She was in distress over her home life. One day, when she got home from school, she found herself alone in the house. She sat at the kitchen table and said out loud, “God, if you are real, move this cup.” The cup didn’t move. Nine years later, she was sitting on a school bus talking to the driver. The driver had a great relationship with God. She paused the conversation and then said to Beth, “I feel like God wants me to tell you that the cup just moved.” when she witnessed Beth’s reaction of tears, she knew, somehow, the message made sense.”

God could have physically moved the cup, but how much more powerful was his demonstration of revealing that He is real? It was to use a friend who didn’t know what Beth had asked. Sometimes, people will refuse to believe in God no matter what they see or hear.

Talk to God. See and know that He is real and that He really cares for you. He already knows what you are going through and may be simply waiting for you to invite him into the situation.

Copyright © 2024 Mark Brady  All Rights Reserved

Enemies

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The last few nights, I have had dreams that included a person who was so unfair and mean to me that I had hoped I would never see them again. They probably wanted me dead. Not because of who I was, but because of Christ who dwelleth in me. I do my best to live my faith out loud. Ya know? They might have been part of the inspiration behind my novel, Kill the Preacher Man. (Available on my website, bradymarka.com.)

After I woke up this morning and had another one, I asked God, “Why?” He quickly whispered, “I want you to pray for them.” It is part of my spiritual practice to pray for people when I think of them. Especially ones thought of out of the blue. Honestly, I would rather not pray for this person, but I can’t ignore what God told me to do. I must obey.

This person’s sisters once told me that their mother took them to church regularly. That told me they knew of God. The problem is they are striving like crazy to do life their way, but it isn’t working, and they are extremely angry about that. So you see, they weren’t warring with me but God.

27 “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. Luke 6:27-28 (ESV)

“So, God, I pray for the individual you have brought to my mind. I pray that they stop resisting your love and they run into your waiting arms. Help them, Father, to know your forgiveness is waiting for them. Give them the strength to believe you and to stop listening to the lies of the devil. May they find the people you have put in their life, and may those people help them to get back into a Bible-preaching, love-flowing church. Thank you, God. Amen.”

Copyright © 2024 Mark Brady  All Rights Reserved

The 529 Plan

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In America, most of us are aware of “529 Plans.” A plan that allows you to invest in the college education of your child and not pay taxes on it if I remember correctly. I had one such plan for each of my children.

I was in the hospital over the last weekend. I know. I spent New Year’s Eve in a hospital bed. I’m okay now after having a procedure done yesterday, New Year’s Day, and I was released this afternoon.

After my procedure was over and I went to a room where I was allowed to eat again, I relaxed, and I asked God to give me the opportunity to have a meaningful conversation with someone before I left the hospital. The first one was at 12:01 AM. A young man came into my room and, of course, woke me up to see if I was being taken care of okay during my stay. I said I was, but then somehow the conversation turned to how he got to Tulsa, and then he even shared with me how he found God. It’s an amazing testimony that I may share later.

We spent forty minutes talking, and I was so moved about what he and his wife wanted to do in the future. Then I asked if I could pray with him. He agreed. As I prayed, I felt led by God to say certain words. Those words turned out to really minister to him. He said they resonated with him because they were along the line of thoughts and prayers with God he had been having lately.

If that wasn’t enough, this morning, a young woman came into my hospital room to draw blood. I tried to make small talk with her, but it wasn’t going well. Then I asked her, “Why are you so sad?” She immediately looked up at me and asked, “How did you know that?” I proceeded to share with her that I had the gift of discernment and that God had told me she was.

I asked if she wanted to talk about it, and she declined my offer. So I proceeded to share with her that it was going to be okay and that God had sent me there to tell her that. The countenance on her face immediately turned, and she began smiling. I told her not to get hung up on the discernment part but rather to focus on the message from God. I said, “He sees what you are going through and has heard you crying out to him. He loves you so very much.” She thanked me and then started crying. It was at that point my eyes leaked as well. She completed her task and thanked me again for being bold enough to talk to her.

I felt good in my spirit after she left. I recalled my request to God the night before. I was thrilled when I realized I got to work with Him to “invest” in those two individual’s lives/futures. Then I looked at the info board that the nurses write on. There, at the top, I saw it. My room number. “529!”

Copyright © 2024 Mark Brady

The End

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Reaching the end of something can evoke many emotions. The end of a good movie, a job, a family or friend’s life, or perhaps even a marriage. There may be mixed feelings about the end of the year. Most people said they were so happy to see the end of 2020!

We will come to the end of 2023 in a few days. In some ways, it was a challenging year for April and me, but we got through it. I remember at one point feeling as if God had turned away from us and left us to ourselves because we had made a wrong decision. We know now that He was busy orchestrating our lives, intersecting with another’s in order to fulfill His will.

At the time, it seemed so difficult to wait upon the Lord. I cried out many times for His help. For God to deliver us from ourselves and to set us back on the right track. God proved himself faithful again. God helped us. He gave me a clear mind to make sound decisions on what to do that would give us a chance to recover.

I have no idea what 2024 will have in store for us, but I know God is already working on our behalf. If you have never accepted God’s gift of Jesus Christ into your life and have asked for forgiveness, then now would be a great time. Wow! That would be a great way to end 2023 and start 2024.

Just think—you don’t need a thing, you’ve got it all! All God’s gifts are right in front of you as you wait expectantly for our Master Jesus to arrive on the scene for the Finale. And not only that, but God himself is right alongside to keep you steady and on track until things are all wrapped up by Jesus. God, who got you started in this spiritual adventure, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus. He will never give up on you. Never forget that. 1 Cor. 1:7-9 (MSG)

Copyright © 2023 Mark Brady