Pray Network Forum

Do you long to hear from God better?
​*
Would you like to be mentored in your prophetic gift? 

Join Deborah online for the
E3 Prophetic Training Course!
​

Testimonies from Previous Graduates: 

Details: 

I fear many Christians have the notion that we are saved by grace, but we are trained for righteousness by legalism. This is a serious mistake for Christians and it misses one of the most wonderful truths of scripture. In Titus Chapter 2 Paul tells us the grace of God trains us for Godly living. Look with me at these verses.

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.”

Titus 2:22-14

Let me point out for you several ways that God uses His grace to train us to live Godly lives.

First, We Are Trained In The Gratitude of Grace.

We do not develop self control and godliness so we will be saved. We obey God out of gratitude that He has already saved us. This gratitude brings great devotion. “Look what  He has done for me!” It also produces humility in us that is foundational to a changed life. And focusing on His grace frees us defensiveness about our sin. Our sins were paid for on the cross.

We Are Trained In The Hope of Grace.

We are like a bride being adorned for our bridegroom. We love Him. And we are preparing our hearts to be ushered into His presence. We desire God's grace to be worked  into our lives more and more because we are looking forward to seeing Jesus face-to-face.

We Are Trained In The Transformation of Grace.

When we begin to follow Christ God brings about a radical change in our desires. But we still have habits of mind and behavior that must be changed on a deep level. Because the penalty for them has been paid we have freedom to deal with the root motivations of our pride, greed, lust, or whatever sin we would avoid dealing with if we were still being defensive. And God is planting more and more of His thinking and His holiness into our lives. The more we read His word, and live in fellowship with Him, the more like Him we become.

We Are Trained In The Fellowship of Grace.

God's Grace has appeared so that He might make us a people who are zealous for good works. We cannot do this, or be this, alone. We stand together. As we are united with Him by God's grace, we are united with others in the family. We love one another and encourage one another every day while it is still called today. (Hebrews 3:13)

http://theanchorofthesoul.blogspot.com/

http://thinkinginthespirit.blogspot.com/

http://watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/

http://writingprayerfully.blogspot.com/

Website

http://daveswatch.com/

YouTube

https://goo.gl/PyzUz7

If you aren't on my email list or a friend on Facebook, you wouldn't know that I have been posting a FREE series of prayer training videos online. In response to a comment last night, I posted the following manifesto on Facebook...
 

MY PRAYER MENTOR MANIFESTO--

For the life of me I can't find it, but on one of my video prayer posts someone commented, "Prayer is just talking to God. Don't over complicate it."
 
I absolutely agree that prayer can be just talking to God. So, why am I doing these videos? I have met many people (and I was definitely one of these people) who feel totally lost in just talking to God. Some don't know where to begin. Some don't know how to hear the other side of the conversation. Some are worried they aren't doing it right. Some wonder what to say and for fear of saying the wrong thing say nothing. Some are in A bad place with God.
 
For you beginner folks...
For you folks who are lost, I get it. And I am doing this for you (but not just you, others that I will mention in a minute as well) At one point, I was utterly lost about prayer and didn't know where to start. I was a high school kid with no one teaching me and limited role models. Laugh if you will, but I was so lost I looked up the Lord's Prayer in an encyclopedia (if you're to young to remember what one of those is you can read about it on wikipedia) and memorized the prayer. I didn't know what else to do. So, I am here for you to help you get started so you don't have to be as lost as I was.
 
For you folks who know what to do...
And then there's you folks who know what to do, but you're struggling to get it done. Been there, done that...err...didn't do it. Whatever. You get my drift. I am here for you too with strategies to help you make prayer the priority it should be. So God is that best friend your constantly spend time with rather than that best friend you regret not having seen in a while.  

For you folks who could have so much more...

And then there's you folks who are praying, but you are scratching the surface of the amazingly rich conversation and well-spring of life prayer can be. You drop into conversation with God fairly regularly, but not at a depth that's changing who you are and how you live in profound ways. It's not at a level where you have that peace that surpasses all understanding. I'll confess, I don't live in that space as much as I want, BUT I live in and experience it enough to have a handle on a number of best practices that can help it become more normative for you.  

From the deepest place in my heart...

So here I am to help. Yes prayer is just talking to God. But if it's a conversation that doesn't come easy for you, or you're neglecting it more than you like, or it's less than anything miraculous...then I am here, not to complicate, but to aid, enrichen and solidify the most amazing connection in life you can have.  

Peace and Christ's love to you all,

John Arnold The Practical Disciple  

p.s. You can get my free training and our conversation about prayer can start here...  

For the first time in almost 18 months, I’m leading a FREE 3-part prayer training series called, 'Surefire strategies to pray better and connect more deeply with God."

In the first video, I share a strategy that Jesus used in his prayer life that is seldom addressed--the use of  having distinct prayer spaces.  You get to see my three personal favorite prayer spaces and I'll share with you the unique role each one plays.  This strategy will keep you more consistent in prayer and help you more readily connect with God.

In the second video, I tackle the number one struggle people report to me, which is focus.  People are so busy and have been so conditioned by technology that being able to maintain focused thoughts during prayer has become almost impossible for many people.  In this video, I share some extremely quick and easy solutions for this epidemic problem.

Lastly, I just finished my third video and will be uploading it momentarily.  By the time you read this it will most likely be available as well.  In it I share my personal story of moving from learning to pray using an encyclopedia -- yes, you read that write "an encyclopedia -- to developing a very easy to follow system for evaluating and improving your prayer life called, "The Five Pillars of Life-Changing Prayer."  To get access to the entire series go to this link...

GET THE VIDEOS HERE:  Surefire strategies to pray better and connect more deeply with God.

These are strategies I have personally used and experienced the benefits of time and time again.  Don't take my word for it though.  Check them out.  I would love your feedback after you have had a chance to watch these videos.  I hope and pray that they are a significant blessing to you.

Peace,

John Arnold

The Practical Disciple

p.s. Warning: These aren't quick pithy videos.  Each one is about 25 to 30 minutes of solid practical training.

OnSite is currently offering a training that models what a quiet time can look like.  The training then gives all in attendance the opportunity to experience one-on-One time with God- to freshly allow each person to personally taste and see that He is good; in the model of Psalm 34:8.  See our schedule for upcoming trainings, or contact Rob to arrange this simple one-hour training for your church, small group, or neighborhood gathering.

Paul was not threatened by the prospect of working himself out of a job by training others—in fact, he saw this as the very goal of his life and ministry. Not only did he raise up Timothy and Titus for ministry, but a careful reading of his letters and the book of Acts indicates Paul had equipped a large number of leaders for ministry (for example, see Acts 20:4 and 2 Timothy 4:9-21). Many of these were a part of his apostolic team.

Success Without a Successor

Tragically, many of the otherwise great men and women of God throughout history failed at this key element of effective leadership. They were gifted theologians, but other theologians were not trained. They were successful pastors, but no one was equipped to take their place. They mightily preached the gospel, but no one of similar caliber was left after their death.

Many years ago, I was sharing the “train your replacement” principle at a leadership conference in England. Although I thought I had given an effective presentation, the man who had organized the conference seemed to publicly rebuke me when I was done. “I’m not ready to retire yet!” he retorted. How sad. He had entirely missed the point. By training his replacements, he wouldn’t have to retire at all: God could have promoted him to a level of even greater influence.

Let us learn the lesson well: Success without a successor is really failure. Because of this, some churches that seem to be flourishing are actually in a very precarious position: Too much of their success is built around the gifts and charismatic personality of one dynamic leader.

What about you? Are you pouring your life into others and training them to do the things you’re presently doing? Are you willing to train your replacement?

Good leaders are like training wheels on a bicycle. They are a indispensable to get you started, but they’re removed once you’re able to ride on your own.

The transition away from training wheels can be scary, but it’s exhilarating to discover you can succeed without them. You can travel farther, faster, and have lots more fun on the journey.

Good parenting is the same way. Newborn babies are utterly dependent on their parents for their very survival. But gradually they mature and become self-sufficient, able to navigate life on their own. Wise parents understand this process. They are willing to remove the training wheels at the appropriate time, even though this involves a certain degree of risk.

However, some leaders—and some parents—insist on keeping the training wheels on for too long. Either they are fearful of an accident, or they simply love the sense of being “needed” by those they lead.

Ephesians 4:11-12 says leaders are called “to equip God’s people to do his work.” You see, the purpose of “training” wheels is to train people to ride without them. Do you see the parallel here?

Any other kind of leadership is self-serving and even toxic. Wise leaders and wise parents will resist the urge to create a culture of dependency. Like a mother eagle, they will prepare the next generation to FLY!

Of course, some people don’t want their training wheels removed. They are scared to ride through life without constant supervision and control. No wonder there are so many codependent families and churches—not to mention codependent politicians and their constituents.

As you assess your own relationships today, consider taking a step of faith and removing some of the training wheels. Entrust yourself and the people you are leading to God (Acts 20:32). Yes, some oversight and accountability may still be needed, but learn to maximize freedom. Teach people to depend on the Lord instead of on you.

This is the only way people can soar into their destiny. I don’t think you’ll see any training wheels in heaven.

I would guess that most of our churches have a formal or informal group of people who minister to others after or during the service(s). And we all know that these people are truly pastors in some sense of the word as they love on and care for people through the power of prayer.  Thank God for people who love prayer ministry.

However, some well-meaning folks need a little coaching particularly in what to avoid when they have those few minutes of time with people in need.  So let me share a couple of items we cover with our teams that you might want to mention in your training or orientation as well.

First, don't scare people. Many of the people who will approach us for prayer are nervous to begin with so don't add to their fears.  How?  Several ways: using big words they don't understand, having several people they don't know lay hands on them or surround them so they can't get out. We might not see the problem but our team members need to be especially sensitive to just who is coming for prayer and do everything they can to help the people feel safe.

Second, don't promise more than you, the church or God can give. For example, don't claim that everything will work out or that you know God will heal them right then. Sometimes things go wonderfully and yes, God still does miracles, but He is in charge of that, not us.  Also, don't suggest that they call the church for more help unless the church leaders have offered that and can really assist people in need.

Third, don't pray long. Some people feel they need to pray for every possible thing they can think of related to the presenting problem. Most people however want us instead to go before God with them and share the basic need. Length is also another way to add to their fear quotient.

Fourth, don't break confidences. What happens in the prayer time should stay in the prayer time unless there is some indication that they or someone else could be hurt in some way. However, normally these requests are just that - requests for prayer - not announcements. Broken confidences during prayer times are great ways to send people to another church.

Fifth, don't talk with other prayer leaders or people in the church who are nearby. Prayer team members need to be attentive to those coming for prayer and that is it.

So, help your volunteers and staff make your times of prayer extra special and safe for those who need your prayer.  Prayer does make a difference.  Let's just make sure it's a good difference.

Bob Sjogren is a long time friend of mine who is well known in mission circles for his training on the Biblical Basis for Mission, or the Missionary Basis of the Bible. His book Unveiled at Last probably best capsulizes that particular training and I'll guarantee you won't regret getting and reading it. Additionally, his seminar, Cat & Dog Theology (and book by the same title) will rock your world as you discover how you are often more like a cat than a dog in how you relate to God -  and that's not a compliment (sorry cat lovers!).

    So where does Prayer to Go come in? Well, Bob has also created a excellent web site with free prayer training mp3s in various categories for both young and old. Check it out here and take a spin around the site and to see for yourself how this tool has considerable potential to jump start you into a life of prayer. It's like having a prayer mentor on your mp3 player.

    If you try it and actually take it to heart and put it into practice, please come back and let us know the benefit it has been to you ... and beyond you, through your prayers ... or how it might be improved or used in a different way that is already recommended. Finally, let Bob know as well and pray about partnering with him in the spread of Prayer to Go.

Blessings!

Dave Imboden

http://tinyurl.com/prayerwalking