Scriptures: Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. Jeremiah 29:12 NIV
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6 NIV
Not too long ago, God gave me the desire of strengthening my personal prayer life and I decided that I didn't want this experience to just be for me. I wanted to share my journey with others and make it OUR journey!
We can go to church every single Sunday, quotes hundreds of scriptures off the top of our heads, we can even serve in our respective ministries and do a phenomenal job, too! All these things are nice, but at the end of the day, do we know how to PRAY? (And I mean REALLY know how to pray?) Maybe you're saying "Yes, I have a prayer life, and I know how to pray, but my prayer life isn't where I want it to be. I want God to take me a little higher." Or maybe you're saying, "Well, I'm not really sure how to pray or how to develop a prayer life, but I want to learn."
If you're in one of those two categories, this blog series is for YOU: #LetsPrayTogether and strengthen our prayer lives over the next six weeks. Even if you don't really find yourself in the two categories above, I encourage you to continue reading this post and the rest of the series that is to come. I believe everyone that has come across this post is reading this for a reason, and God is getting ready to do something amazing in your life! All He wants to do is hear from you. He just want you to communicate with Him...and that's all prayer is...just talking with our Father.
Prayer is so important...SO important! It is one of the many successful keys to living a Christian life. As we pray, we must also have a listening ear. Notice how I previous said prayer is talking with our Father, not 'to'. Because communication is at least a two-way street, right? In order for there to be communication or a conversation with God, there needs to be an exchange of information: what you have to say to Him, and what He has to say to you.
See, we sometimes just define prayer as requests we send up to God. For those that may not know, that's not all prayer is. Though the above definition is true, there is so much more to it. 1) Whatever you ask of Him, you must have faith that He will do it. James 1:6-7 says, If you doubt, you are like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. And you should not expect anything from the Lord. (We want to receive what we ask for, right?) So remember, faith-building is a part of prayer. 2) Forgive. Forgive! FORGIVE! Sometimes when we hear people pray, we might hear them say, "Lord, forgive us of our wrong doings, knowing and unknowing," Which is great! We want the Lord to forgive us, but we must first forgive others. Mark 11:25 says, "But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too." 3) You must be obedient. It's almost like when a child ask of something from their parents, and the child's parents say they must behave in order to receive what they want. Well, it's the same thing with God. For God is our Father and we must obey His word. John 15:7 says, "But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted."
God already knows how your life is going to play out because He's an all knowing God! (Isaiah 46:9-10) He's just waiting for you to step into your destiny. You may ask, "Well, how do I know what my destiny is?" Just talk with Him. Pray unto the Father and get a clear understanding of what you ought to do as His child. Starting a prayer life may not be the easiest thing and may seem a little fuzzy at first, but this is what this blog series is all about! #LetsPrayTogether and help one another communicate with OUR God and eliminate the fuzziness and confusion of developing an effective prayer life. For Jesus said, "If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my father in heaven will do it for you. For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them." (Matt. 18:19-20)
Will you be my prayer partner for the next six weeks? Will you make the declaration to strengthen your prayer life? God is getting ready to move in your life, but you have to let Him. You have to be willing...
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Can you do me a favor? If you don't already have one, get a prayer journal for this prayer journey. Let's document this journey we're about to encounter. While you're waiting for the next part of the series, just take this upcoming week to write down your experience(s) and just talk to God in your own way.
This Week's Journal Prompt: Write a letter of prayer to God. Tell him what you want to receive and achieve over the next six weeks. Confess where you're at in your life and where you want Him to take you.
If you say you will be my prayer partner for this series, please comment down below to let me know!
My Prayer
Father God, In the name of Jesus, we come before You because we want to strengthen our prayer lives. We want You to draw us nearer. Help us to forgive those who have hurt us. Give us a forgiving heart, so that you may forgive us. We stand together as your children, ready to experience change for the better. Guide us, Lord. Help us to get where you want us to be.
I pray that these next six weeks brings forth a revelation. I pray that those who may not know you will begin to know you by the end of this prayer series. Faith is the key to receive what we want, so we believe you will do it. We thank you for it now, in Jesus name. Amen.
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