In 2014 my focus was on prayer. I felt the growth in my faith
as well. I believe God is working in the areas I have prayed for even when I
don’t see any results yet.
I like the example of a pregnant woman.
When my
niece first told me she was pregnant, I couldn't see that she was pregnant. I didn't say, “Well you don’t look any different, so I don’t believe it’s true. Nothing
has changed.” She looked just like she did before, but I believed her. As I waited and believed and continued my
relationship, she started looking a little bit different! Not a big change but
a little bump. As I continued waiting the little bump grew. Each month I
noticed a bigger change until eventually she really does look very pregnant. So
it is with answers to prayers. We believe and expect that God is working even
when we don’t see it. He has a lot of ground work to do! We expect results and results take time!
I learned the importance of God’s Word! When we pray God’s
Word, we are taking a positive approach to prayer, praying the answer rather
than the problem. Have you ever spent time in prayer telling God all about the
details of your problem?
You repeat to God all the negative things your spouse is saying and
doing that hurt you, all the bad reports the doctor gave you, the gossip that’s
going around about you and how hurt you feel that your friends have let you
down, all the trouble your children have gotten into, how you were treated
unfairly at work and someone else got the promotion you should have received, as if He doesn't already know? Then
at the end you may say something like
“Oh God I know you are a Great and
merciful God so please show them how wrong they are and help them to change; vindicate
me!” How do you feel when you finish praying?
You just occupied 30 minutes of
your prayer time reviewing and rehearsing your problems
while only giving about 5
seconds to recognizing God for who He is and petitioning for His answer. Of course you feel rotten! You just
relived the hurt and rejection you felt when it occurred the first time! Don't multiply your suffering in this way! Instead, come to Him and relax in His peace. He wants to give us rest!
Keep your prayers positive. Instead of repeating all your
problem’s details, and the negative stuff try something like,
“Dear Father, You know the problems I’m having with my spouse. I
praise you for bringing us together and I know that you love (him/her) even
more than I do, so I know that you are working to bring unity into our
marriage.”
Thank him in advance for the
victory He will bring.
His Name is greater than any other name under heaven, this
includes names like rejection, cancer, fear… and the list goes on.
Don’t ask God to do for you what He has already done. Instead
thank Him for it and receive it. Keep it simple. Sometimes less is more!
Wordy
prayers don’t impress him! He hears our simple cry “Help me!”
Could I suggest that at least 90% of our prayer time, maybe
95%; should be occupied with praise, adoration, thanksgiving, & worship. The
other 5-10% will be adequate time for petitions and requests.
I find when we sense the Glory of God, His worth, His awesomeness, how
good a Father He is, and all that He has done for us, it seems our problems
fade into the background and as we praise Him and glorify His Name, and put our
trust in Him, we will find that He takes care of our requests even if we don’t speak
them. Matthew 6:33 Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness
and all these things will be added to you. We don’t need to beg and plead
with God to pour out His Spirit or for his mercy. He has already done that.
God loves you! He can't wait to fulfill the desires of your heart!
He has planted those desires inside you! He is a good Father. He
takes good care of his kids!
Have faith and believe that He has answered your prayer. Do
you question whether you are saved? Romans
10:9 If you confess with your
mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the
dead, you will be saved. Do you believe that Jesus died for your sins? Do you believe that
He was raised from the dead?
If you answered “YES” Pray this prayer out loud,
“Jesus I believe that you are Lord, and that
you died to pay the price for my sins and that God raised you from the dead.”
This scripture says you are saved. Believe it.
In the same way we believe that we are saved we can believe
that our prayers are heard and He will answer. Mark
11:24 NIV Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that
you have received it and it will by yours.
We are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus! (2
Corinthians 5:21) When we received Jesus into our hearts He placed
a robe of righteousness on us and that is what He sees! In Isaiah 61:3 he says “(we) will be called oaks of righteousness, a
planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor.” I love
that!
Sometimes we destroy our own prayers! Our unbelief shows up.
Have you ever prayed & asked God to intervene in a situation. The phone
rings and you start telling your girlfriend all about the problem that you just
gave to God? You say lines like “He always does/says ______. _____will
never change!” These conversations destroy the prayer you
just prayed! They reinforce our unbelief!
We need to reinforce our faith by saying things like...
- “I believe that God is working.”
- “I am one day closer to the breakthrough.”
- “I trust you God.”
- “I believe that the outcome will be even better than I can imagine.” Thank Him for these truths.
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