Let Prayer Change Your Life
I am grateful for the focus I have had on bible reading each day with the One Year Bible and exercising each day with an exercise ball, random workout DVDs from the library, and dancing to the oldies with my kids. I feel so much more centered, energetic and satisfied. I am still lacking in the discipline of prayer. It's not that I don't pray at all--I pray constantly about the little things, and remember urgent needs of people throughout the day, and occasionally have focused prayer for 5 or 10 minutes with my bible reading. And I pray with others corporately. But I need more.
I just picked up an old copy of the book, Let Prayer Change Your Life, How You Can Release God's Power, by Becky Tirabassi. I know that she has been responsible for organizing campus prayer meetings across the country that have been bearing tremendous fruit. I especially feel that I need to grow in this area so that I can lead my children and my students in this discipline and so that I can be more of a blessing to my family, friends, neighbors, church and ministry.
And so I begin my reflections on Chapter 1:
As I think of prayer I think of becoming a "prayer warrior". This is something I have always wanted to be, and have been for specific situations on a limited basis, when a family member was facing a major crisis, when a friend was ill, or when my world was falling in around me.
Positive ideas I have about prayer: power, freedom, battle for good, holiness, transformation, miracles, closeness to God, usefulness, submission, eternity.
Negative ideas I have about prayer: time consuming, not outwardly active (sitting still). Is God really going to answer me anyway? Doesn't He do what He wants for His good purposes with or without me? Am I trying to prove I'm more spiritual than others by praying? Do I think I can make God do what I want?
In Luke 11, the disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray. It was something they saw Him doing, and they wanted to be like Him. He taught them that God is their loving Father, holy and worthy of glory, and that His reign is coming and should be their goal. They should ask God for daily needs, pray for forgiveness and give forgiveness, and ask not to be lead into a place of temptation. He went on to tell them that boldness is answered in prayer, that they should ask, seek, and knock with trust that their Heavenly Father will hear them and give them good things. He urged them to ask for the Holy Spirit.
Tirabassi talks about prayerlessness as sin that can be overcome spiritually like alcoholism and suggests 4 steps:
1. Let God convince you that prayerlessness is sin
2. Admit your helplessness
3. Confess your sins and accept God's forgiveness
4. Be encouraged that you are not alone in the world, but may be a trailblazer for others.
Lord, guide me to be a woman of prayer, a woman of discipline, a woman who grows more like You each day.
Micah Girl
I just picked up an old copy of the book, Let Prayer Change Your Life, How You Can Release God's Power, by Becky Tirabassi. I know that she has been responsible for organizing campus prayer meetings across the country that have been bearing tremendous fruit. I especially feel that I need to grow in this area so that I can lead my children and my students in this discipline and so that I can be more of a blessing to my family, friends, neighbors, church and ministry.
And so I begin my reflections on Chapter 1:
As I think of prayer I think of becoming a "prayer warrior". This is something I have always wanted to be, and have been for specific situations on a limited basis, when a family member was facing a major crisis, when a friend was ill, or when my world was falling in around me.
Positive ideas I have about prayer: power, freedom, battle for good, holiness, transformation, miracles, closeness to God, usefulness, submission, eternity.
Negative ideas I have about prayer: time consuming, not outwardly active (sitting still). Is God really going to answer me anyway? Doesn't He do what He wants for His good purposes with or without me? Am I trying to prove I'm more spiritual than others by praying? Do I think I can make God do what I want?
In Luke 11, the disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray. It was something they saw Him doing, and they wanted to be like Him. He taught them that God is their loving Father, holy and worthy of glory, and that His reign is coming and should be their goal. They should ask God for daily needs, pray for forgiveness and give forgiveness, and ask not to be lead into a place of temptation. He went on to tell them that boldness is answered in prayer, that they should ask, seek, and knock with trust that their Heavenly Father will hear them and give them good things. He urged them to ask for the Holy Spirit.
Tirabassi talks about prayerlessness as sin that can be overcome spiritually like alcoholism and suggests 4 steps:
1. Let God convince you that prayerlessness is sin
2. Admit your helplessness
3. Confess your sins and accept God's forgiveness
4. Be encouraged that you are not alone in the world, but may be a trailblazer for others.
Lord, guide me to be a woman of prayer, a woman of discipline, a woman who grows more like You each day.
Micah Girl
posted by MicahGirl at 8:38 AM
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