prayer

Prayer.

What is prayer??

it basically is a conversation with God. but then again it is so much more.

I just heard a sermon on this very exact topic. and it blew my mind away. The speaker Tony Nolan put it in the most practical terms where i could really grasp the whole meaning and then remember it so well to put it into practice.

to sum it up it went like this:

He used cell phone companies to relate prayer to us.

1. Sprint. - sprint to God. We are called to go to God with our needs and desires. In James 4:8 it says "Draw close to God and God will draw close to you.
2. AT&T- approach the throne. we can approach God directly now because of the sacrifice Jesus made for us. We can boldly approach him with no problems. Hebrews 4:16 "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
3. MCI- make clean intercession- praying for others. James 4:8 the latter part: " Cleanse your hands you sinners and purify your hearts you double minded." May you be clean before God- confessed of all sin.
4. Excel- when you do all these things, you excel in your relationship with God. James 5:13-18 "Are you hurting? Pray. Do you feel great? Sing. Are you sick? Call the church leaders together to pray and anoint you with oil in the name of the Master. Believing-prayer will heal you, and Jesus will put you on your feet. And if you've sinned, you'll be forgiven—healed inside and out.Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. Elijah, for instance, human just like us, prayed hard that it wouldn't rain, and it didn't—not a drop for three and a half years. Then he prayed that it would rain, and it did. The showers came and everything started growing again."

This sermon can be found at this link:
https://www.liberty.edu/index.cfm?PID=9002

it is the last one on the page: Tony Nolan SEW- Cell Phone Prayer- 9/2/08

I would SO encourage you to listen to it. It explains so much :)

there is so much more to prayer, its a learning process:
pray continually, when you do not know what to pray the Holy Spirit will help you
God gives three answers- yes, no, wait.
prayer is talking and listening. "Be still and know that I am God" Psalm 46:10
praythat you may not fall into temptation, for the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak Matt 26:40
pray specific

When i pray, I journal because i can stay focused and really see how God answers prayers. But i am in continual conversation with Him all day.

one resource that really helped me learn how to pray is "Becoming a Woman of Prayer" by Cynthia Heald.

there is power in prayer and God will hear your prayers...they do make a difference, and even when you cannot see the answers sometimes, God does know best and you will look back and see that He did have your best interest in heart and He did answer your prayers, just not the way you thought...but in such a way that mattered.

i pray that you may seek God with all your heart and seek these things you are wondering about and seek answers and pray that you may find Him. you will...you certainly will. Jesus is living and He will change your world in such a way that is life changing and you will never want to go back to anything you ever were before. you will find it hard to believe, but its so true.

I am praying for you, SS.

{embrace the journey}