Greetings! BlogFam, PRAY. Do YOU Pray? Friends, I was taught at a very young age to PRAY and as an adult, at this stage in my life, I can say that I pray about everything and everybody. Nothing and no one is off limits in my prayer life. I do not know another, more intimate way to stay connected to my Creator. Through prayer, we have access to the Almighty in heaven and through Jesus, as our advocate and the Holy Spirit as our intercessor [interceding when we do not have the words to say] and interpreter [teaching us to obey exactly what God says], we can seek and stay in the center of the divine will for our lives. In prayer, I am able to worship and fellowship with God. I am able to receive direction and correction, comfort and peace of mind. Honestly, I can feel when I have not laid my all on the altar through prayer. There is a certain heaviness that I have in my spirit that is only lightened when I lay it at His feet through prayer. I have cried and laughed during my prayer time. I have been angry and felt relieved through prayer. I have even taken on different postures during prayer. I am not one of those who believes there is only one way to bow your head and close your eyes for prayer. I also believe that prayer can happen at any time and in any place. Prayer is always appropriate with others or all alone. Prayer is such a wonderful gift. Paul was a major proponent for the discipline of PRAYER. We have already mentioned how he opens his letters with prayer and Colossians is not any different. But today I want to highlight one particular line in his prayer for the church at Colossae... 9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. [Colossians 1:9a] I have a question. Is there any-thing or any-one in your life that you have heard about AND that you have NEVER stopped praying for? The answer is YES or NO. I know that there are probably situations in your own life that you are personally praying for without ceasing but Paul's prayer is distinctive in that his continual prayer is for this church, this group of men and women, families and probably some friends. His prayer, his continual prayer is for others. And as we will see in the days to come, Paul's prayer is very specific concerning that community. He is not praying some generic "God Bless the whole world" kind of prayer..... although that has its place. Instead, Paul is focused on the particular needs and the godly desires he has for this group of believers. Now I admit that there have probably been way more opportunities that I have missed to pray for others continually than the few that I keep on my heart or that the Lord brings to my remembrance. I have prayed consistently for others but the continual petition to the throne on their behalf may come in spurts. I get distracted. I forget. I believe God for whatever it may be and let it go. I turn my prayer attention elsewhere. I slack up on the continual intercession on behalf of others, whomever they might be. Maybe I could keep a prayer list to help me or share the concerns with others who will pray with me to help me to stay on track. Either way, I admit that there are others situations that I have stopped praying for for any number of reasons. But today I am reminded that I must keep some people and their needs, concerns, and desires in my prayers. There are certain people - family and friends - that I must not stop praying for. So, LET US PRAY... Lord, We thank you for this time of PRAYER. We are grateful to be able to talk with you on behalf of ourselves and others. Forgive us for only focusing on our personal concerns. Jesus prayed for us and so we must pray for other people. Teach us and help us to know how to pray for others. May we not get weary in our prayer life. May we not stop praying for others. May we not forget to pray for others, sometimes even before we pray for ourselves. May we intentionally and sincerely bridge the gaps in our lives through prayer and may our prayers connect others to you. Lord, this is our prayer. IN JESUS NAME... GOD LOVES YOU and I DO TOO!!! Blessings, Glory, and Sunshine! Delesslyn FOLLOW ME on Twitter @AudraSunshine or @SpiritedConcept |
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Categories#100PoundsOfExcuses#FREEFlowFriday #iThrive #LentInAugust #TheAffirmation #TheSHIFT 2012 End of Year Reflections 3:17 40 Days of Fasting A NEW DAY!!! 8-1-2012 A Proverb A Day Keeps the Foolishness At Bay AFTER He Rose! Best Practices COPYRIGHT - Permissions Policy Cover Up! CROSS-Eyed Decisions. Decisions. Decisions. Disciples Dos and Don'ts G.R.A.C.E. GAIN SOME WAIT!!! GET A CLUE...About Me HOME is Where YOUR Heart Is HOPE & HEALING HOPE! INTRODUCTION Isaiah Reflections John 3 MY VISION FAST NEW YEAR, NEW LOVE NOT SO RANDOM THOUGHTS ONE WORD REST. Period. Saying Goodbye Starting Over Starting Fresh STEP OUT OF THE BOAT - Matthew 14 The EIGHTH Day The EIGHTH Day 2 The Good Samaritan The KEY of LOVE The Living Room Christian Fellowship The POWER to be PERFECT! The Prayer Bridge Things We Left On the Mountain! VISION Wholesome Habits of Healthy Disciples WWJD = What Would JUSTICE Do? |
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