All whom My Father gives (entrusts) to Me; and the one who comes to Me I will most certainly not cast out [I will never, no never, reject one of them who comes to Me].John 6:37
Prayer
"Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He has chosen as His heritage." Psalm 33:12
WARRIOR'S PRAYER
HEAVENLY FATHER, YOUR WARRIOR PREPARES FOR BATTLE, TODAY I CLAIM VICTORY OVER SATAN BY PUTTING ON THE WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD!
I PUT ON THE GIRDLE OF TRUTH! MAY I STAND FIRM IN THE TRUTH OF YOUR WORD SO I WILL NOT BE A VICTIM OF SATAN'S LIES.
I PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS! MAY IT GUARD MY HEART FROM EVIL SO I WILL REMAIN PURE AND HOLY, PROTECTED UNDER THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST.
I PUT ON THE SHOES OF PEACE! MAY I STAND FIRM IN THE GOOD NEWS OF THE GOSPEL SO YOUR PEACE WILL SHINE THROUGH ME AND BE A LIGHT TO ALL I ENCOUNTER.
I TAKE THE SHIELD OF FAITH! MAY I BE READY FOR SATAN'S FIERY DARTS OF DOUBT, DENIAL AND DECEIT SO I WILL NOT BE VULNERABLE TO SPIRITUAL DEFEAT.
I PUT ON THE HELMET OF SALVATION! MAY I KEEP MY MIND FOCUSED ON YOU SO SATAN WILL NOT HAVE A STRONGHOLD ON MY THOUGHTS.
I TAKE THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT! MAY THE TWO-EDGED SWORD OF YOUR WORD BE READY IN MY HANDS SO I CAN EXPOSE THE TEMPTING WORDS OF SATAN.
BY FAITH YOUR WARRIOR HAS PUT ON THE WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD!
I AM PREPARED TO LIVE THIS DAY IN SPIRITUAL VICTORY!
AMEN
Prayer is communication with God.
Speak to God in prayer, and show Him you trust Him and depend on Him and your love is true. Then wait for answer from Him, which comes in various ways. Sometimes one won't recognize answer to prayer, possibly because they prayed with a heart that was already set to one solution. God answers all prayers according to His plans. Prayers can contain confession, praise, thanksgiving, and requests for physical or mental health, protection, safety, or sometimes we might know someone who needs to have a personal relationship with Jesus. Pray for them. Think of the lost as "pre-christian" . Nice concept huh? "I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see." Amazing grace how sweet it is! God loves you and me, believe this, it is true. When you pray make your prayer intimate between you and God. As you talk with people, interruptions can distract you and before you know it you have lost substance to that conversation. Don't let a distraction come between you and your prayer to God. Take the gift of prayer seriously and watch what happens next. A new Christian asks, "What words would I use when I pray?" They could be told that prayer is simply talking to God. Perhaps He isn't as interested in our words as He is with the attitude of our heart.
How do you teach a new Christian the words to use to begin to talk to God? When a mature Christian has walked and talked with God for a long time, they forget what it was like at the beginning of their walk with Christ. Because more mature Christians often pray long prayers (whole paragraphs even a whole book) in one sitting, new Christians are intimidated. They know they can't pray like that - nor do they need to. Using Confession, Thanksgiving and Asking, teach them to pray short, simple sentences - something like this: Father God, I love You. I was (attitude or action) today. Thank You for cleansing my heart from these sins. Please fill my heart with Your Holy Spirit and empower me to please You and get to know You better. When a new christian begins to feel comfortable praying one short sentence, they could begin praying several sentences. Too simple? For some people it would be. Others will welcome a very simple how to pray outline. Regardless of how few or how many words we use, we can be sure that God listens to us and to our hearts.
Jesus, Your disciples asked You to teach them how to Pray, we ask You to teach us to pray
PRAYER JOURNEY By Katherine Kehler
Have you ever taken the time to evaluate your journey with God? Are you growing in your love relationship with Him? You may be thinking, "Can you really know if you are growing spiritually?"
Yes, there are ways you can evaluate. One way is to think through your prayer journey.
Are you praying more? Because prayer is talking with God, ask yourself if your communication with Him is getting better.
The following are some of the elements in my prayer journey that show me that I am growing spiritually (this is over a period of 32 years). I encourage you to take the time to think through your prayer journey. 1. Beginning to trust in His promises -- "Up to this time, you have not asked a single thing in my name; but now ask and keep on asking and you will receive, so that your joy may be full" (John 16:25).
2. Asking Specifically -- you will recognize when your prayers are answered if you ask specifically. "For God is at work within you, helping you want to obey him. And then helping you do what He wants" (Philippians 2:13).
3. Intercession -- praying for others. "I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone" (1 Timothy 2:1).
4. Cultivating a Quiet Heart -- panic and peace cannot occupy the same place. "When He gives quietness, who then can make trouble?" (Job 34:29)
5. Resting, Trusting, Leaning -- "But I have stilled and quieted my soul...." Psalm 131:2
6. Thankfulness, Praise and Worship -- "A single grateful thought toward heaven is the most complete prayer." ~ Gotthold Lessing
7. Spiritual Warfare -- "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against authorities, against the powers of the dark world and against the forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Ephesians 5:12).
8. Pray without ceasing. Talk to God about everything -- "Pray continually" (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
"The real reason for prayer is intimacy with our Father." ~ Oswald Chambers
Father, we know You want to have a close, growing relationship with You. Lord, we also want to know You more. Deep within our souls we want to know You. Amen
Enhancing Your Prayer Life by Christine Crowley
Start where you're at and go from there. If your prayer time is limited to a quick blessing before meals, try setting a goal of praying for five minutes a day. If you're currently praying that long, then make a commitment to pray 10 minutes every day. Don't set a goal to pray for 60 minutes a day when you're struggling to get through five minutes now, unless you feel the Holy Spirit leading you to do this.
Begin your prayer time with prayer. Before jumping right into what you want from God, or what you want Him to do for you, spend a few minutes acknowledging who He is and praise Him for who He is. Confess your sins before Him, and then thank Him not only for His forgiveness, but also for what He has done for you and given you. Now you can let your request be known. There will be times when you want to pray for someone or even for yourself, but you're not sure how to pray. Ask the Holy Spirit to come and show you how to pray.
Pray the Scriptures when you pray. God's Word is full of promises that we can request of Him and claim for ourselves, and those we are praying for.
Don't forget to read the prayers of the great men and women of faith in the Bible.
Have a place set aside in your house where you can go to be alone with God. Go there every day with the expectation of hearing from God. Have your Bible, pen and a notebook handy so you can write down what God is saying to you.
Find a prayer partner. Pray that God will lay someone on your heart to ask to be your prayer partner. Remember a partnership involves more than one person, so as you expect them to pray for you and your needs, you also are to pray for them and their requests.
Carry 3x5 cards with you. Write your prayer requests and the names of those you are praying for on the cards and carry them with you wherever you go. During the day when you have a free minute or two you can pull the cards out and pray. By doing this you will find that what would have been unproductive time (standing in line at the grocery store, sitting in a doctor's office) can become time spent with the Father in prayer. You will also notice that you are spending more time in prayer, and everyone on your prayer list is being prayed for and often more than just once a day. You can also carry blank cards with you so that when you run across someone during the day you can write down their prayer need. Also when God brings someone to mind, write their name down and begin praying for them. There was a reason you thought of them.
Keep a prayer journal. Keeping a prayer journal helps us not only to remember who and what we're praying for. It also encourages us in our prayers as we look back and see how God has answered our prayers. It's easy to forget answered prayers especially during a season of not hearing from God. Prayer journals can be purchased at your local Christian bookstore or made. They are a simple, but effective way of recording the day you started praying for a certain request and the day it was answered and how God answered it.
Remember, the most important thing to do regarding enhancing your prayer life is to pray. No matter how many books we read on prayer, how many prayer seminars and workshops we attend we won't be effective in praying till we actually get down on our knees and begin to pray.
United Prayer Partners Part of Basic Ministries is ran by John and Theresa Carle. They also run the web site Gods Amazing Grace Stop by and visit their home page.
"Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." Do you want to truly connect to God when you pray? Then remember that God draws near to those who have a humble, broken spirit.
