Prayer
If Christ is the cornerstone of our life, then prayer represents the bricks that support it. It is through prayer offered with a humble spirit that we grow in our relationship with God and are guided by the Holy Spirit’s leading. Without it, we are relying on our own strength and power, which is displeasing to God. How can we claim to know Christ if we do not communicate with Him regarding everything we do, think and are?
It's hard to imagine that the Almighty Creator of everything desires to be in constant communication with us, but He does! The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, "Pray without ceasing." God desires this continuous fellowship with us.
Most of us believe that when we “cry out” to God—that is, appeal to Him through prayer—He always hears those prayers. “Ask,” we read in Matthew 7:7, “and it will be given to you.” But what about Bible passages that suggest that sometimes God doesn’t listen to our prayers? (read more)
Years ago, I was taught to order my prayer after the "ACTS" method of prayer, which stands for :
Adoration - Praising, worshipping God, for Who He is
Confession - Asking God to cleanse us from sin
Thanksgiving - Believing, acknowledging God's grace
Supplication - Our specific prayer requests
The first, and, most important element is always begin prayer by getting our heart, soul, mind, and strength fully focused on our GREAT BIG GOD; our problems will soon look not very big in comparison. (read more)
Regardless of where you fall in the political spectrum, there are things that happen in Washington that probably frustrate or upset you. It’s easy to fall into the trap of complaining about how our federal government works—or doesn’t. That’s the easy way. The hard way is to actually do something about it. And as followers of Jesus, one thing we can do is pray for those in positions of authority—something the apostle Paul exhorted believers to do. (read more)
A sermon by Charles H. Spurgeon
These three precepts are an ornament of grace to every believer's neck, wear them every one of you, for glory and for beauty; "Rejoice evermore;" "Pray without ceasing;" "in everything give thanks." We shall ask and answer four questions. What do these words imply? Secondly, What do they actually mean? Thirdly, How shall we obey them? And, fourthly, Why should WE especially obey them? (read more)
by Andrew Murray
The power of intercessory prayer is a great gift from God. God listens to those he loves, and works all things for their good. Murray, in his classic work With Christ in the School of Prayer, calls the church to exercise that powerful gift. Murray skillfully describes the role of the Holy Spirit within the church and exhorts Christians to use the blessings God has given us. This book is a guide to living a life as a temple of the Holy Spirit. Available in several formats including PDF and mp3. (read book)
by Charles R. Swindoll
Chuck Swindoll states that sometimes God has to blow away all of our props before we’ll turn our stubborn hearts to Him. But out of that humility, we can finally sense and respond to God’s comfort and healing presence.
(read articles)
by Andrew Murray
"Thou, when thou prayest, enter into thine inner chamber, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret, and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly" Matthew 6:6. The spiritual life with its growth depends a great deal on prayer. My life will flourish or decay according to how much or how little I pray, if I pray with pleasure or from duty, and if I pray according to the Word or according to my own inclination. In the word of Jesus quoted above, we have the principal ideas of true prayer. (read more)
by Michael J. Svigel
Most of us have struggled at times with our prayer life and with understanding how and when God answers prayer. This article gives a unique and valuable perspective to keep in mind when we aren’t seeing the results we’d like from our times of prayer. The three suggestions made here may help you pinpoint any errors you may have in your own thinking when it comes to prayer.
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