PRAYER - What Does Your Prayer Life Look Like?

Yesterday was a busy day for me and I wanted our post on prayer to be one that we not only read but one that we can put a vision to.  Many of us need a vision to put what we know is right and we know is God's Will to action.  For that reason, I waited until this morning when I had time to focus and put into words what is truly on my heart because I am lacking.

Prayer is something that is lacking for many of us - not that we don't pray or talk to God, because we do, but ask yourself these things:

• Are you giving Him quality time?  Have you set a time to reach out to Him each day?  A time that is not rushed - a time when you are truly reaching out to Him with all of you? or are you praying in the midst of trying to wrap up a list of a million things you have to get done?

 Don’t pray when you feel like it. Have an appointment with the Lord and keep it. A man is powerful on his knees. ~ Corrie Ten Boom

Prayer is an effort of will.  ~ Oswald Chambers

Prayer is a shield to the soul, a sacrifice to God, and a scourge for Satan. ~ John Bunyan

If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our bodies. If they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees. Let no one go there unwarned and unprayed for.  ~ Charles H. Spurgeon 

The quote below is intense. I have printed this and placed it where it is visible to me throughout the day.  Read it not only once, but read it multiple times! Let it sink in - hear what it is saying. 

It is because of the hasty and superficial conversation with God that the sense of sin is so weak and that no motives have power to help you to hate and flee from sin as you should. ~ A.W. Tozer

Is your prayer time intense? Are you on your knees reaching out to ABBA begging for grace and mercy in your life and the lives of those that are in such dire need His presence? or are you having 'hasty and superficial' conversation with Him.  The needs of the world are HUGE. The needs of our own families and friends are HUGE. We should be so full of His presence in our hearts that we can do nothing else but wear out knees regularly BEGGING him for for healing, for intervention in the lives of the lost, for his presence in all we do.

 In Pastor Mark Batterson's book, The Circle Maker Mark says:

“Bold prayers honor God, and God honors bold prayers. God isn’t offended by your biggest dreams or boldest prayers. He is offended by anything less. If your prayers aren’t impossible to you, they are insulting to God." - Mark Batterson

If your plans aren’t birthed in prayer and bathed in prayer, they won’t succeed - Mark Batterson

Go home. Lock yourself in your room. Kneel down in the middle of the floor, and with a piece of chalk draw a circle around yourself. There, on your knees, pray fervently and brokenly that God would start a revival within that chalk circle.”  - Mark Batterson

 The other thing that Mark reminds us is that you must never give up.  Pray.  We know that everything comes in God's perfect timing if it is of His Will.  It may not come today, it may not come tomorrow, and it may take years.  But if it is of God's Will, it will come.  We must continue praying. We may be on the verge of an answered prayer and give up right as God had planned to bless us with answered prayers.  Never give up. Always believe. Pray. 

The biggest difference between success and failure, both spiritually and occupationally, is your waking-up time on your alarm clock. We won’t remember the things that came easy; we’ll remember the things that came hard. - Mark Batterson

The more you have to circle something in prayer, the more satisfying it is spiritually. And, often, the more glory God gets. - Mark Batterson

I don’t want easy answers or quick answers because I have a tendency to mishandle the blessings that come too easily or too quickly. I take the credit or take them for granted. So now I pray that it will take long enough and be hard enough for God to receive all of the glory. Change your prayer approach from as soon as possible to as long as it takes. - Mark Batterson

• In your quality time with God, make time to listen.  God does communicate with us - it may not be audible, but he will provide us with direction if we pray and stop long enough to hear Him.  As fervent as we are about praying, we need to be just as fervent about listening.

 Prayer is not monologue, but dialogue. Gods voice in response to mine is its most essential part. ~ Andrew Murray

Remember:

 
Our prayer and God’s mercy are like two buckets in a well; while one ascends, the other descends.  ~ Arthur Hopkins 

Prayer is the acid test of devotion. ~ Samuel Chadwick

Prayer – secret, fervent, believing prayer – lies at the root of all personal godliness.  ~ Williams Carey

Today's Assignment:  Pull out your bibles and find scriptures that reveal what we have read in the quotes above.  I know there are scriptures for all of these things.  Let's have a bible dig to find them.

If you have a specific prayer request, please leave that below in comments as well.  Let us pray for you as we intensely and prayerfully reach out to our Heavenly Father today.

Prayer:  Father God, thank you in advance for answering our prayers. For providing us with your Grace and Mercy every day of our lives.  Thank you for this group of prayer warriors and for the lives we lift up to you each and every day.  We love you Father and are so thankful you are a God of answered prayers.  We worship and praise you today and always.  Amen.

Prayerfully and in God's Love, 

Kelley <3