Posts

How’s Your Prayer Life?

How’s Your Prayer Life?

 

I mean really….How’s your prayer life?

 

I recall being asked a question by my uncle-in-law before my husband and I got married. He said, “You know what you’re doing, don’t ya?” By this, he was asking did we know what we were getting ourselves into by getting married. I recall diving head first into a monologue about love and wedding details. You see, I completely missed the point. The question was one that need to be mined in order to uncover its treasures.

 

So I ask you again, “How’s your prayer life?”

 

Yes I’m sure you pray.

 

Yes I bet you even get specific in your prayers.

 

Hey you may even talk to God using His very WORD.

 

Yup, I don’t doubt your taking time to talk to God in prayer.

 

But are you really PRAYING?

 

Or are you merely informing God?

 

I consider myself a woman of prayer. Very early in my Christian walk I learned several models of prayer. I learned to pray the Lord’s Prayer. I learned to pray using the ACTS method (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication). Then there’s listening prayer and contemplative prayer and Matthew Henry’s method. Yup, most days I would say I’m REALLY praying. But then again…

 

I’ve heard it said that prayer is just talking to God. Be that as it may, there is an essential component that gives prayer its power. And that is FAITH. If we are praying the most heartfelt, scripture laden prayers but lack faith are we doing any more than just talking?

 

Last October, Charne Pretorius spoke at a Women’s Conference held at my church. There were many speakers on the lineup and many enticing topics to choose from. I was already in the room she was scheduled to speak in and didn’t really feel like going anywhere so I stayed and boy am I glad I did. She spoke simply yet so profoundly on prayer. And I was very much convicted.

 

Yes I had been praying.

 

Yes I had been specific in my prayers.

 

Yes I was even praying according to God’s will.

 

But even in that my prayers were lacking.

 

They were lacking a bit of faith. The kind of faith that SEES angels being dispatched to move on behalf of my prayers. The kind of faith that can let go of whatever I’ve prayed for because I can rest in knowing God has heard and is faithful to answer. The kind of faith that knows my prayers live on for ages, continuing to minister from heaven even to my children’s children. The kind of faith that knows that I know that I KNOW my God will do what He said He will do. Bold faith. Radical faith. Undaunted faith.

 

My friend you are a HOUSE OF PRAYER. Just as Jesus said, “My house shall be called a house of prayer” (Matthew 21:13), because you are a temple that houses the Holy Spirit, you are a house of prayer. Your prayers coupled with your faith create an atmosphere conducive for DUNAMIS – miraculous power, strength, might.

 

And just as JESUS drew strength directly from heaven through prayer, you are strengthen, emboldened and bring heaven to earth when you pray. When you pray, you take a direct, first-class journey to heaven. As a citizen of heaven (Philippians 3:20), prayer is your Visa, granting you access to travel back and forth from heaven to earth.

 

When you pray in faith, heaven touches earth.

 

When you pray in faith, God hears.

 

When you pray in faith, God moves.

 

When you pray in faith, things change.

 

When you pray in faith, hearts are mended.

 

When you pray in faith, bodies are healed.

 

When you pray in faith, minds are transformed.

 

So set your heart on having a prayer life that is fervent, vibrant and active. Get before the Father, still yourself and seek His heart. When you do that, you will tap into the heartbeat of heaven. He will pour His heart out into yours. You will be two hearts beating together in synchronicity. Faith is the metronome allowing you to keep time with the heartbeat of heaven.

 

So how’s your prayer life? I’m praying even now that you’ve been inspired to BELIEVE in what you are asking God for. I mean really believe. I pray you SEE God moving on your behalf. Yes, you’ve got to SEE it before you get to see it. And I’m praying your faith is activated. Your prayer life is literally causing heaven to touch earth. Yes, you’ve got that kind of power.

 

So how’s your prayer life?

 

DYNAMITE!

 

And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. 1 John 5:14-15

 

As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!

 

Happy to connect with these friends sharing the Good News Mommy Moments, Purposeful Faith, Grace and Truth

 

/9 Comments/by

Prayer: The Default Mode

When beginning a word a document, I defer to the settings already established. I rarely change the margins, spacing or font. I go right in and get to work! When I am confronted with any life situation or circumstance, I want my prayer life to mirror how I begin a document; I go in and get right to praying.

 

Instead of focusing on what’s not right about the situation or person, how I could change or fix it or complain about it, just get RIGHT to praying. And while that is my frequent mode of operating, it isn’t quite my DEFAULT mode yet, but I’m working on it.

 

The Lord crashed this into my consciousness the other day, as I was texting a friend about what someone had done to me. As the chain of texts grew in length, the Lord gentle whispered, “Have you talked to ME about the situation yet?”

 

Ah, I hadn’t. So it made me aware that my mode was to sort through my feelings then pray. That’s when the Lord said to me, Prayer: The Default Mode. I’ve heard my Pastor John K. Jenkins say many times, “You turn to other before you turn to God.” And when he says that, I nod my head in agreement, “Mmm-Hmm they sure do. Running to complain to someone else. Talk to God first”, is what I utter under my breath about THOSE people.

 

Well excuse me Miss; you would be one of those people too. Oh no, not Tyra. Well sorry to burst your bubble Little Miss, but yes, that would be you. No you don’t usually call to talk to someone about it but you do engage in dialogue in your head on how you’ll fix the person, what you’ll say to him or her and how you’ll say it. All before talking to God first.

 

But I’m recalibrating. I’m tweaking the settings. Now it will look like:

 

Prayer: The Default Mode

 

So how does one make prayer the default mode?

 

[bctt tweet=”Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. Colossians 4:2″]

 

By praying: praying in faith, praying with a clean heart, praying in alignment with His will, praying with thanksgiving and praying without ceasing.

 

Like Nike says, Just Do It!

 

For those who are recently establishing a consistent prayer life, there are recommended models of prayer to help get you into the habit and routine of praying. Years ago I was in a ministry meeting and we were told to pair up and pray. Well the person I was next to was uncomfortable with praying especially aloud as she had come from a Catholic background. So let’s take some of the mysticism out of prayer and make it accessible to all.

 

Jesus himself provides a perfect model of prayer in The Lord’s Prayer

 

In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,

As we forgive our debtors.

And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one.

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Matthew 6:9-13

 

Here are two similar models.

 

PRAY

Praise

Repent

Ask

Yield

 

ACTS

Acknowledge

Confess

Thank

Supplication (ask for what is needed)

 

For those with a vibrant, fervent prayer life, keep the fire burning. Are you writing down your prayers? Are you recording the testimonies of answered prayers? Do you have a prayer partner? Are you praying without ceasing?

 

Pray without ceasing.

1 Thessalonians 5:17

 

And what I’m personally working on here lately is making my prayer more specific. For example a daily prayer of mine for my children is that they will continue to grow in wisdom and in stature, in favor with God and with man. Ok great, praying the scriptures over my children. But what does that look like real time? How can I make that even more specific? My specific prayer last week was, “Lord, I thank you for my first born. You’ve given her a spirit of discernment. Let her couple that with the wealth of information she easily retains and empower her to apply it as wisdom when in situations with her friends as school. Let her be a leader among her peers leading them in paths of righteousness for your namesake. Let her find favor among the teachers and administrators to be selected for special projects, tasks and programs in which she can shine bright for you. Thank you for ordering her steps as she walks out your plans for her future and hope.”

 

I also pray all throughout the day. It begins from the moment I awake. Every morning I awake with a song on my heart. I sing the song in my head, and then I pray specifically related to whatever the song was talking about. Then I read my morning devotions and pray and listen for what they Lord has to communicate with me that morning. Then as I’m driving I continue to pray. Mid-morning prayers, lunchtime prayers, homework time prayers (thank you Jesus for modeling patience) and evening prayers. Then one of my most special times of prayer, shower time prayers. The Lord just really seems to show up in the shower.

 

Indeed, praying without ceasing.

 

And they include all types of prayers. Prayers of thanksgiving, petition, supplication, intercession, pleas, repentance and more.

 

Two excellent new resources out now on prayer are:

 

The Battle Plan for Prayer

Fervent

 

[bctt tweet=”As automatic as breathing is how I want my prayer life to be. To flow effortlessly from my heart to His.”]

 

As you draw near to Him in prayer, He’ll continue to draw nearer to you.

 

The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,

To all who call upon Him in truth.

Psalm 145:18

 

As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!

 

Photo Credit
Happy to connect with others sharing the Good News Grace&Truth #DanceWithJesus

/4 Comments/by