What would you look like as people of prayer? But it can be better. It can be different. You know what we need? A short course on prayer. Fortunately, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives exactly such a lesson. Look at Matthew Praying as the Lord taught will give us the groundwork for an improved prayer life, and help us use our superior weapon.
Edward MacHenry Baumn, a Civil War chaplain, was well known among his men because every day during the war he would arise at 4 a. It secures favors from God which can be secured in no other way, and which will not be bestowed by God if we do not pray. No part of this publication may be digitally reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, without the prior permission of Cru Press.
The Christian faith can sometimes feel like an uphill battle. But those things ultimately have no power. Here is an in-depth look at spiritual warfare. We live in very polarizing times. However, Jesus calls for us to be unified in Him with love for each other. How can we reach this unity? God calls us to pray for our leaders — that they would submit to His leadership for the sake of His will being done and for the advancement of His kingdom.
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City Reflecting Jesus together for the good of the city. Inner City Partnering with urban churches to meet physical and spiritual needs. Athletes Striving to see Christ-followers on every team, in every sport and in every nation. I mean, I do sometimes, but not like I should. So when I read the first chapter of Romans, I get that guilt in my stomach. Paul is writing to believers letting them know not only that he has been and still is praying for them, but that God is his witness to his prayers!
Can you say that? My failings to pray are too frequent. Paul does two things in Romans he thanks God for his fellow believers, and he expresses his desire to encourage them. To me, this feels like a great starting point when our prayer life needs a kick in the pants: thank God for those he has placed around you to love and care for you, then ask God to help you give them encouragement.
If we encounter God in prayer with a cheerful heart, praising him for his numerous blessings, we are more apt to hear what he wants us to do. Why do we sometimes get so distracted when we try to pray? Here are some possibilities:.
Have I lost my first love? You have not grown weary. These words tell us that it is possible to be working very hard for the sake of the kingdom of God, and yet lose our passion for the One for whom we are laboring. The people to whom Jesus was speaking here were active members of their church, and yet they had lost sight of what was meant to be at the heart of their faith: love for Jesus. How easy it can be to slip into a functional and duty-driven approach to our faith!
How easy to let the passion we once knew for Jesus fade away! Are my priorities out of order? It may be an old adage, but it remains true: Time is a statement of our priorities. Jesus told a parable about people who were invited to a banquet but failed to show up Luke One invitee chose to check on his real estate holdings instead. Another wanted to see the new yoke of oxen he had bought. And a third had just got married and was too absorbed in his marriage. How sad!
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