Habit of Powerful Prayer

    We have talked about how truly important prayer is. In the bible, prayer is a well known action on a wide scale. In most bibles there are dictionaries/concordances, this is where I found two huge sections jammed full with verses about prayer. So if it's in the bible pretty much 24/7 then you'd think that's when the red flag goes up. Prayer to most people is something you do every night before you go to bed to give yourself a good word with the big man upstairs. For the longest time this sad reality of prayer was being practiced through my life. I just saw prayer as one little piece of the puzzle to my relationship with Christ. I made prayer too small and I was made too small in return. When we rid of prayer we call it unimportant...we just stuff it into the back of our minds as fluff.

"I pray that you hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called- his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.       ~Ephesians 1:18

   

    Well pretty much anyone can pray. Anyone can think of a list of things they either need or don't need in their life. Anyone can then clasp their hands or bend their knees to speak to God...I like to think of these kind of prayers as costume prayers. The difference between a "costume prayer" and a "radical prayer" is passion. It takes a true Christian to pray with passion.....okay, hold the phone their Kaitlyn. So you're saying that if I don't put passion into my praying that I'm pretty much a horrible Christian? So when I pray I should speak or even think in a dramatic tone of voice and maybe even cry...alright I can do that.

"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done."

   ~Philippians 4:6

 

    Nobody is a bad Christian by all means just for not praying with passion. It is hard finding that feel for passionate praying. Especially when you're praying at night it's hard to stay focused or even keep yourself from falling asleep half the time. When we take the time and effort to really prayer you can almost feel the automatic change. I don't know about you but when I finally get that one time to pray a really good prayer. The one you just have that much needed convo with God just life he is your best friend here. Those prayers are SO FREEING! It's something about just knowing that God is right there with you listening and just taking it all in but give you the answers right back! Passionate praying needs to become a habit in our lives because this shows that we have crossed that fine line where we openly admit to God what we need to happen and what other need through Christ.

    THE POWER OF PRAYER

"Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You sing praises. Are any of you sick? You should call for elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such  a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayer earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops."

~James 5:13

 

 

This week CHALLENGE YOURSELF to truly submit to powerful prayer. Open your eyes fully to everything around you. The people, the places, the times, the love, everything and anything! Pray for things you love and need and things you really don't care for either. God listens to any prayer that we pray so why not get in as may as we can. Pray on your way to work, pray in school, pray before bed, pray when you wake up. You can simply think the needs in your head or just worship the man! These things are so freeing and this is what keeps us as genuine followers. Keep it real and make your words powerful. Make it important to pray. Have the passion to everything through Christ for the rest of your life.

 

 

 

Stepping out: Ask at two people this week how you can pray for them this week and console them if desired and pray for them. But of course pray with power:)