When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your…
Yet those who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary. Isaiah 40:31 Believe it or not, I used to play football. I know some of you are laughing but I was a tall, lanky wide receiver. When you are…
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. John 10:27 We all know that a good relationship is a two-way street. In the same way, a proper prayer relationship should be a conversation, a dialog where both are listening to each other. As important as it is to pray, it is every bit as important to listen.…
Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. Luke 18:1 In Luke 11, as Jesus was instructing the disciples on how to pray, He began with, “when you pray.” Jesus said when and not if. This is important because we are commanded to pray, not just if we feel like it. Prayer…
Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4 Hey Guys, How many times, when faced with a difficult situation, do we manipulate, plan, scheme, dream, and yet we don’t pray? Sometimes we’d almost rather do anything than pray. I mean, why pray when we can worry about it or try to figure it…
Let’s continue to look at some ways the Bible teaches us to pray. 1. Believe God wants us to have faith that he will hear our prayers. Jesus said, “Whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive” (Matthew 21:22). The Lord promises to respond to our prayer of faith. 2. Pray in the Spirit Paul tells us to pray at…
Let’s look at some ways the Bible teaches us to pray. I will share some more ideas tomorrow. Try these out and let me know how they work out for you. 1. Pray in Jesus’ Name Real prayer is focused on Jesus Christ. Jesus Himself said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will…
Oswald Chambers once said, “We look upon prayer as a means of getting things for ourselves; the Bible’s idea of prayer is that we may get to know God himself.” As I said yesterday, prayer is first and foremost a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Some people think of prayer as a business transaction or as something they have to do just…
Being a Christ follower, at its core, is all about the relationship we have with Him. In the same way we build our relationships with others through time and communication, it is important to strengthen our relationship with Jesus by communicating frequently with Him. It is through a vibrant and healthy prayer life that we begin to hear His voice and live…
Recently I was reading the passage in Matthew 25 where Jesus separates the sheep from the goats at the final judgment? It’s a very familiar story and it even brings back memories of my high school performance of Godspell, where we crawled around the floor “baa-ing and goating” (not sure what goats sound like). As I read the passage this time, I…