Ralph's profile"OUR" Prayer JournalPhotosBlogListsMore  |  Tools Help |
|
Watch and Pray with us. . .  "OUR" Father's Mercies are new every morning" CYBER CHURCH
Ralph's Site
Cyber church group site
PRAY-ers Closet
Glen Beck: 9/12 Project
Tweet on Twitter
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
"OUR" Prayer Journal "OUR" "FATHER" "Deliver Us" "From Evil" July 05 How To Pray 'Write' A WayHave you ever fallen asleep while praying? Have you ever hit the “snooze” button on your alarm clock rather than getting up to spend time with God? Have you ever spent your prayer time just talking To God but not listening to Him for answers? If you answered “yes” to any of the above questions—you’re not alone! I think everyone struggles with the spiritual discipline of prayer! It was Andrew Murray, author of Christ in the School of Prayer, whose words radically changed my lazy, haphazard view of prayer! He said that “the devil’s greatest tool is to keep the believer from praying.” When my eyes were opened to the importance, strategy and power available in prayer, I could understand why the enemy of my soul fought so hard to get me to avoid, ignore, or minimize it. And I rallied. In my own struggle to overcome prayerlessness, I first had to get rid of my misconceptions about prayer. I had to admit that I was too busy, too lazy or too tired to pray. I had to acknowledge that prayer was the VERY method of communication that Jesus used to talk to God! And if Jesus needed to pray, wanted to pray, was compelled to pray…what made me think I could ever live without it? My first step in attaining a powerful, consistent daily prayer time started with a humbling, surrender of myself and my sin of prayerlessness. Yes, I admitted to God in front of another person that I was being arrogant and even stubborn by avoiding time alone with Him! And if anyone needed to be pruned and corrected and nurtured by God, it was me (at that time), an overweight, screaming mother of a toddler who worked in ministry and coached fifty students weekly. Second, I made a decision to pray every day for the rest of my life. Rather than considering it a legalistic gesture, I actually equated daily prayer to my unwavering commitment to sobriety. Being a recovering alcoholic, I never think that daily sobriety is a mental hardship; it is a life-saver. I finally understood that prayer in the life of a minister, parent, and community leader is an essential discipline not only to stay “clean” and above reproach in all areas of my life, but to stay in love with and “on fire” for God! Third, I had to find a way to overcome my A.D.D. personality of flitting-and-floating through each day. Prior to praying every day, I struggled with disciplining my time, curbing my appetite or my anger, and finishing a project. Because of my poor track record, I knew that adding “prayer time” to my life was close to impossible. But God gave me a key inspiration and challenge: Every staff meeting, aerobic class, luncheon, or favorite TV show was usually one hour in length. If I could enthusiastically give one hour of my day to one or more of those activities, then there was no excuse for giving less than one hour a day to God! Period. On February 18, 1984, I made a decision to spend one hour a day with God—both talking and listening to Him—for the rest of my life. Finally I needed a design for prayer that kept me focused! So every single day for over 24 years, I have had an appointment with God—in writing! By using My Partner Prayer Notebook, a 3-ringed, refillable notebook as a tool that includes 10 sections for written conversations with God, I have developed a passion for prayer—and never missed my hour of power. I’ve found that it doesn’t take spirituality to pray one hour a day—it just takes time. Daily I talk to God through prayers of Praise, Admission, Requests, and Thanks. Then I listen to Him, by recording His words in sections titled Listening, Messages, New Testament, Old Testament, Proverbs, all the while recording any “marching orders” I receive during the hour in a final To Do section of my notebook. When I made a decision to pray the “write” way, I stopped falling asleep or day-dreaming. I also found that written prayer proves that God answers prayer! This has been the significant and necessary motivation to keep me coming back day after day! I am living proof that if you discover for prayer for what it really is—a conversation with the One who loves you most—and decide to pray using a design for prayer that keeps you coming back, you will be a passionate, powerful and effective pray-er! Frankly, if I (someone who can barely sit still or be quiet for 10 minutes) can do it…you can do it, too! It starts with your time. July 04 PRAY-ers Post
Lightning Rods
Sarah Palin comes to mind. Concerned young citizens impressed with her Spirit are thinking: “Lord, give me her spunk.”
“OUR” Father knows best how to get you into position to receive her message to “BE” like Sarah. We may all never attend Spirit filled meetings like Sarah but that Spirit is not limited to just to meet with you there. You may “BE” strangely warmed when you get Word from above that seems right to you and you know it’s right from Heaven. You first guess where it comes from creates a rule of order coming to rule over you. This sense of right and wrong governs and guards your very soul.
There is no price tag or cost of doing business with your Creator. It is free from the burden of house rules that man made controllers would place on you and now unable to escape their rules that cover unlimited debt. This knowing of whose right comes down on center stage with a spotlight right where you are. This Word is above you and surrounds you with others who agree; “This is the way, you walk in it.” This may be scary at first to find those on the same pathway with the same message to help you on your way. They pop up every day with a Word of encouragement as partners in the blessing. No one is preaching at you and you love the song of this choir.
Walking this way without stumbling involves give and take from one another together in agreement and when you do stumble they are there to lift you up because they all have been there and done that. That’s the kind of leadership that takes not into difficulties of the past but is able to free you from what is owed to the evil one. Think about it, who is it influencing your life? If it is good to you, let Him “BE” King. You want to name it and claim it soon but for now relish the thought of belonging to a Kingdom with power to overrule the evil and give you victory in honoring the One who made it all possible. |
"OUR" Prayer Requests
TODAY'S RELIABLE NEWS SUMMARY FROM A CHRISTIAN SOURCE
CLICK ON AND LISTEN HERE WHILE VISITING OUR PRAYER JOURNAL.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
