Pray Network Forum

"What Are You Going to do for your Grandkids at Easter"

 Are you going to share the real meaning of why we celebrate Easter with your grandkids this year? Let’s make Easter a special celebration of the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ for our grandkids.

 Here are a few suggestions:

• Send your grandchildren an Easter greeting card with a Bible verse and/or a note that you are praying for them. Grandkids always enjoy getting mail from their grandparents.

• Send a CARE package: Easter egg coloring kit, Easter craft, Easter paper plates, napkins, and cups for a family dinner or a storybook with the true meaning of Easter. Of course, Easter would not be complete without some traditional candy.
• Email an electronic Easter card.
• Send them Resurrection eggs which you can purchase at your local Christian bookstore or online at http://www.christianbook.com.
• Make Resurrection Rolls with the grandkids. Look for the recipe I will post soon.

Would you please share some of the things you have done with your grandkids to teach them the real meaning of Easter in the comments below the blog?

Lillian Penner

Pray for a believer who is working with a group of people who share his faith. Pray that they all will grow in the Lord, that they will have unity and that they will have the courage to proclaim the Good News with those who have not heard. Pray that when persecution comes, they will remain strong.

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching (Hebrews 10:23-25).

"Tom" has been told that he will be scrutinized in his university position for his proselytizing in the past. Yet, students and colleagues ask about or make reference to matters of faith.  Ask that "Tom" will have wisdom in his responses, and that those who are sincerely seeking truth will follow through in meeting with "Tom" outside the university.

The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold (Psalm 18:2).

The Syrian refugee crisis is the worst refugee crisis of since World War II. More than 13.5 million Syrians are in need of humanitarian assistance. More than 4 million have fled the country and are living as refugees in Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq, European countries and around the world.

This is how the PrayForRefugees website summarizes the huge crisis currently facing Syria and neighboring countries.  The realities faced by these refugees include child labor and exploitation, lack of education, squalid and unsafe living conditions, and lack of hope for a brighter future.  The crisis is now 5 years old; tens of thousands of Syrian children have  never known a real home.

PrayForRefugees encourages us as believers to hear the cries of these refugees and to respond in prayer.  From their website:

We can affirm some shared beliefs:

• Each human being is created by God, is loved unconditionally, and is of eternal value to the Lord
• We are all commanded to serve the poor, the suffering and the oppressed, regardless of where they live
• We are to find Christ in the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick and the imprisoned
• The Syrian refugee crisis breaks the heart of God

And as Christians, we can pray:

• For protection of civilians – innocent individuals, families and children – caught in the crossfire of this conflict
• For relief for the suffering – for food, clean water, shelter, clothing, health care and protection from the winter cold
• For a future for children – for education, for safety and security, for stability and emotional health in the face of their traumatic experiences
• For the work of groups responding tangibly to the needs of Syrian refugees
• For peace in Syria and an end to the conflict

During the period of Lent, PrayForRefugees is sponsoring a prayer campaign on behalf of Syrian Refugees.  Visit their website (click the image above) for daily prayer topics, or follow along and participate here on Pray.Network through the Prayer For Syrian Refugees discussion.

And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!"

Galatians 4:6

This is one of the most powerful statements of prayer in the entire Bible. It is a wonderful statement of intimacy. You may be aware that Abba is a Hebrew word. That is only partially true. It was, in fact, an Aramaic word. Hebrew was the language taught in the synagogue. It was the language of the Torah, the Old Testament law. But in the days of Jesus Aramaic was the language spoken in the home. Abba does mean father, but it might more accurately be translated, "Daddy." It could be translated, "Dada."

Before our first grandchild was born our family talked about grandparent names. Although I admit it is not as clever as some, I wanted to be called, "grandfather." My wife immediately said, "The poor little thing won't be able to say that." I answered, "I will answer to whatever she calls me." And sure enough, my grandchildren call me, "Gaga."

Abba would have been the first effort of a baby to say its father's name. The significance of Mama, Dada or Abba is intimacy. The baby saying that word is not asking for the car keys. She wants her parent's arms. She is clinging to your neck. The Holy Spirit inspires us to cry out for God's embrace.

Such a prayer is also passionate. You may note that the English Standard Version quoted above follows this statement with an exclamation point. That is because of the force of the word, "cry." The word Abba is only used once in the gospel accounts. In Mark 14 Jesus used this word to cry out to His Father as He sweated blood "with loud cries and tears" in the garden before the cross.

Abba is also used in Romans 8:15 which also says by the Spirit we cry, "Abba, Father." In the same context Romans 8:26 says the Spirit intercedes for us with groaning. We live in a groaning world. Romans 8:20 says creation itself was subjected to pain and frustration. The godly response to this world of suffering must include passionate prayer. And it is crucial to see that this verse is calling us to supernaturally inspired prayer. If the Holy Spirit is present in your life, He will inspire you to cry out, "Abba, Father," to our God. 

Everything you need to live an abundant life comes from the Lord. At least that’s what Jesus said – “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).  So how then, can you have an abundant life without continual communication with the Lord?  The answer is, “You can’t.”  Have you ever thought, how many things we think have to be modified by the adjective, ““abundant” in order to be meaningful, and successful?  Abundant money.  Abundant time.  Abundant health. Abundant friendships. Abundant resources. Abundant information. What about this for a formula: Abundant prayer leads to an abundant life!

YouTube Podcast Link: https://youtu.be/BLOLp__ZcQ8

Click to Read as a Blog: http://goo.gl/almGM7

Today, our grandchildren have many positive and negative influences we didn’t have when we were growing up. We didn’t have the many avenues of media, with the video games, and Internet that are desensitizing our grandchildren.  They are also faced with legal recreational marijuana, drugs, sex-trafficking, alcohol, sexual identity, Homosexuality, pornography, pre-martial sex and more.

At the Founders Day conference at the Moody Bible Church, Josh McDowell said,” Today there are over 1.5 billion pages of Internet pornography, and 90 percent of our 8- to- 16-year-olds have been exposed to it, even in our Christian homes. The issue is wrecking homes and capturing our children, and it's all just one click away.” I want to encourage you to take the time to listen to his message.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOSbUjmupWE

  “Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don't understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:4, NLT)

“Jesus said that the evil one comes and “snatches away” the seed of the gospel in those who don’t understand it (Matthew 13:19). They’ve been willingly confused by the enemy and don’t realize that they’re blind.

“Our struggle as Christians isn't against the people who do evil things. While they have no excuse for missing the obvious signs of God’s existence (Romans 1:20), they’re not the adversary. We read in Ephesians 6:12 NLT, “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

 In the present age, we know that Jesus has won the victory to set people free from evil, but we have yet to see that promise completely fulfilled. We see the hints of his coming  on the horizon, but we don’t yet see the Son. Here and now, we face the reality of wickedness and sometimes feel its sting. But even in the midst of that, we have no need to worry.”[1]

If you grasp the urgency of our time, then I urge you to signup for the Million Praying Grandparents. When you join the Million Praying Grandparents Movement you are declaring your commitment to pray regularly for your grandchildren.

As a way of saying thanks for that commitment, you will receive free printable copy of a Million Praying Grandparents Prayer Resource to help you intentionally pray for your grandchildren using God’s Word.

Now you must make a decision:

For the sake of the hearts, minds and souls of your grandchildren, will you say, “YES I will join the Million Praying Grandparents movement?”

Go to the Million Praying Grandparents website http://www.millionprayinggrandparents.com and follow the instructions to sign up to be a part of the Million Praying Grandparents movement?

I will appreciate it if you will share my vision of getting a Million Praying Grandparents to unite in prayer for their grandchildren with your friends. Will you encourage your friends to become a part of the Million Praying Grandparents movement to impact the next generation to know and follow Christ wholeheartedly?

Lillian Penner, National Prayer Director, Christian Grandparenting Network,  lpenner@christiangrandparenting.net

[1] John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com.

Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter-- when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? (Isaiah 58:6-7)

Praise God for organizations like the World Food Program who are doing all they can to fulfill Isaiah 58:6-7 in the war torn areas of the world. Pray for favor over their efforts.

Prayers for Wisdom
Abu H, his wife, and children have lived with Christ for a number of years already. There are no known believers around them. Abu H struggles as to how to raise his children. Young as they are he does not want them to reveal to friends, teachers, or cousins that they believe in Christ. Such knowledge coming into the hands of the wrong person would probably lead to severe persecution; perhaps even death. Should we therefore not speak of Christ to them?

Abu H is considering to immigrate. But this is not an easy option, first to be accepted as a refugee of religious persecution, but then also to consider what kind of effect immigration has on the image of Christ among their friends and family. They could think that the Christian message has been the cause for them losing their family members, resulting in even more anger towards Christ.

Will you pray that this family will be able to fix their eyes on Jesus rather than the waves, pressures, and fears of the world? 
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. (Psalm 32:8) 

Pray that God's great wisdom and council will fall on the hearts of this family allowing them to discern where God is leading them and how He would want to use them.

The etymological root of the word bless in the Old Testament is, to kneel! The implications of the idea are explosive. In northern Europe, inside one of the great cathedrals, there is a triptych of paintings depicting prayer. The first portrays a marketplace scene full of hurried activity, merchants selling and shoppers bartering. The second offers a window on a small sacred assembly, a handful of folks who have stepped from the busy streets into the temple for a moment of prayer. There, priests occupy themselves with candles and oil, lamps and basins. Even there, one finds bustling and busyness. In the final scene, behind closed doors, is a solitary seeker. He is alone, kneeling in the Presence of God, humbly, in prayer. Here at last is the hidden, secret life of prayer. It is the key to power. It is this calibration with heaven of our inner gyroscope that keeps us upright and sane in the crazy, covetous world in which we live.

To kneel is to position oneself for blessing from God. It is a declaration of dependence. It is an act of humility. It is the tranquility of stillness. How can we move about on our knees? It is the lowering of self. It is coming beneath the shadow of God. It anticipates God above, hovering, touching, giving life, brooding, anointing, imparting – blessing! It the opposite of arrogance, of self-sufficiency, of proudly standing by one’s own strength. It is the end of pride. In the Hebrew mind, the knees were an indication of strength and, therefore, to bend a knee was to subordinate strength to God. Prayer, kneeling, is learning to lean into His strength. To kneel is to seek the blessing of God. It anticipates a positive response. It expects the gift of grace. It awaits a sense of His loving Presence. It looks forward to what God might say or do!

In your prayer time this week, draw even closer to God by falling to your knees as an expression of humility to Him.

• This blog is part of The Praying Church Handbook – Volume III – Pastor and the Congregation which can be purchased at alivepublications.org>

Matthew 21:20-22

“When the disciples saw it they marveled, saying, ‘How did the fig tree wither at once?’ And Jesus answered them, ‘Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.’”

Frankly, powerful statements that Jesus made like this about faith unsettle me. Does this promise mean if I believe hard enough, God will enable me to rob our local bank and cause the bank guard to wither when he tries to stop me? Does it mean I can have a pink Cadillac, if I drum up enough faith, saying, “I believe! I believe! I believe!”?

Such declarations tend to make us uncomfortable because we do not understand what faith is or how to acquire it.

Biblical faith responds to God. It rests on what God’s word says and on what God speaks to our hearts. Romans 10:17 says,

“Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

Paul, of course, is referring primarily to hearing the gospel. But Jesus clearly told us no one could come to Him without the Father drawing. (John 6:44) This is not simply hearing the gospel from another person or reading it in the Bible. We must hear God speaking to us through the Bible or another person. As we respond to the gospel, we enter a relationship of faith by which we continue to hear God speak and trust in Him.

In Romans 12:3 Paul writes,

“For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.”

Paul goes on to list different spiritual gifts that God calls us to trust him for. God may or may not call you to turn the Potomac River to blood or part the Mediterranean Sea for refugees to walk through on dry land. But if you grow in hearing God's voice, you will be amazed at what He will do through your faith in Him.

I need to say, I have trouble believing God for what He desires to do in and through my life. I want to cry out with the man in Mark 9, “I believe; help my unbelief!” I think that man, in his desperation, grasped the key to growing faith. He asked Jesus. Jesus develops our faith as we seek Him and spend more and more time listening to His voice.

http://watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/

http://daveswatch.com/

There is a whole category of people who are called to Christ and have a passion for the nations & for the weak & marginal and have sought to go with a variety of service groups and who are repeatedly told no, don't go, be quiet, just settle down young man.

The reality is that if I were to go to my field of focus, I would probably die in short order because I would of my zeal or I would be disregarded as a lunatic because I would lose all my sleep because the medicines that help me relax & sleep sometimes would be unavailable.

Instead I pray.

I dare say that often my prayer lacks impact that I am aware of. I tend to pick certain countries & prayer goals and remember them as reminded, so I make lists.

Is this unfocussed? No, usually the only times I have observed the impact are when I stop praying and problems happen.

In retrospect, I have however seen the Lord start movements in various peoples that I prayed for and the timing was impossibly too neat to correlate due to chance. God uses our prayers for movements. Over and over, I find that God works far more in my absence than in my presence. He is a big God, and he wants us to pray big, foundation-laying prayers.

If the leaves of the tree in the Revelation of Jesus given to John are for the healing of the nations, then we must plead for that salve to be applied for the salvation of the souls of societies.

Praying requires a whole different category of action, it elevates us to the heavenlies, for we read the divine counsel in the Word and render judgements according to Psalm 2:8: the Son will have the inheritance that is His! HE shall possess the earth. HE is waiting for us to ask. He knows exactly what He plans to do and He is always on the right side of history.

Politicians will fail us.
Disasters are unpredictable.
The devil is dangerous.
The nations are too large for us to reach them in our own power.

But every time we kneel in prayer and cry out for help, God hears and acts. Every time we stand on His promises, the Lord proves His faithfulness. Every time we sit in His presence and ask for the nations, the Lord God sends forth His angel armies to intervene. Every time we fall flat on our faces and humble ourselves before the King of the Universe, the Lord God Almighty rejoices over us with singing and stands in the gaps that we cannot fill.

We cannot fill the gaps for we are sinners,
I am the worst
But He is perfect
We fail. He is faultless.
The Lord will succeed in every intervention He begins.

Our actions, our giving, our prayers, our sacrifices all must flow from our lives guided by the Word of God for them to be effective.
This is why years in prayer are often needed to accomplish what may take a season of actual service.
Then, when the doors close behind us after our work is finished, then the Lord Spirit goes to work most earnestly, with greater freedom than we could ever have.
This is the story of China.
This is the story of Iran.
This is the story of all who are bathed in prayer,
This is the story of all who are bathed in the Spirit.

This is why statistics lie about the future.
Statistics are based on what man sees.
Faith is about what God has promised.
Hope is the certainty that God will keep His promises to the end.
Love is behaving according to this confidence that God is love.

All prayer is not a struggle, but some of the best prayer is like Jacob wrestling with the Lord.

There are several reasons we must struggle in prayer. They are diverse enough that they could not be covered thoroughly in a single blog entry. I will pray about writing a series of blogs on this important subject. But for now I want to overview the issue.

We need to struggle in prayer because of the condition of the fallen world where God has assigned us to minister. In Joel's powerful call to prayer we read,

"Gird yourselves and lament, you priests;

Wail, you who minister before the altar;

Come, lie all night in sackcloth,

You who minister to my God;

For the grain offering and the drink offering

Are withheld from the house of your God.

We need to struggle in prayer over the condition of our country, our city, sometimes our churches. Jesus wept over Jerusalem. Have you wept in prayer over someone you love who is rejecting Christ. Have you fasted before God because of things were terribly out of His will?

We sometimes need to struggle to discern God’s will. Have you prayerfully poured yourself out over scripture and circumstances to clearly hear God’s voice?

I also have to struggle over my will. In a sense this is struggling over the will of God. Only saying it that way sounds like God is the enemy. But as a child of God, He is no longer the enemy. He is on my side against the selfishness and foolishness of my sinful nature.

It is almost blasphemous to compare my struggles with that of Jesus in the garden before the cross. But He showed us the right attitude of prayer. Even as Jesus was asking if there were any way "the cup" could pass from Him, He surrendered to His Father’s will. And after He had spent time in the presence of God, Jesus made peace with God's will even though it would cost Him everything. The struggles God leads you through are never so difficult or so crucial. But they are important. And they are a necessary part of spiritual growth.

http://daveswatch.com

http://Watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/

To continue our "Better Together!" series on Corporate Prayer, I want to introduce you to a pastor friend of mine. John Whitsett is the Lead Pastor at Lakeside Community Church of the Nazarene in Hastings, Nebraska. I first met him through Pray.Network,  where I read a doctoral thesis he wrote on corporate prayer and revival. John was buried in 15” of snow last week in the Midwest’s “Snowmageddon,” so I had the unusual pleasure of interviewing someone who is normally very busy! 

CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING

CCNews Portal invites praying people to PRAY the News and ACT Wisely or Responsibly.  https://www.facebook.com/CCNewsPortal

Believing it was essential to pray at the bridges on each end of our peninsula last month, we first prayed at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, then at the Bay Bridge-Tunnel. Afterward, we reported our strategic intercession to our network.

In response, one of our friends e-mailed, “I do not have a prayer strategy that I know of. I praise, then thank, then petition and thank. Is that what you mean?” We responded:

Strategic prayer involves specific targets. Example: In the last six years, we have led prayer at dozens of strategic sites in Salisbury, Maryland – schools, churches, neighborhoods, government installations, the hospital, homeless camps and shelters, crime hotspots and many more – for backsliders, prodigals, fathers, families, peace and safety, police and emergency responders, public officials, and unity in the Body of Christ. We speak life from God’s Word into these vital aspects of everyday life in the city.

These things need ongoing prayer because if we don’t stand guard in the spirit, Satan will try to recapture territory from us, just as in war. We have also prayed at hundreds of places all around the bay, but people are needed who will continue to intercede with their feet on the ground. 

We find that if we write out prayers or prayer points ahead of time, specific needs are targeted, we don’t get sidetracked as easily, and we are more effective. 

Our biggest strategy last year was to pray for schools. Here are some of the things we prayed for: students, teachers, staff, school board, bus drivers and passengers, athletes, protection from harm or destruction. Get names of individual students if you can and pray for them. Go on the property and pray discreetly – take someone else with you. 

Pray for churches, not just for your church. And the local government – for the mayor and council individually. Same for key community leaders. Pray for law enforcement (local police, county sheriff, state troopers, state’s attorney’s office), judges and the court system, legislators (city council, county commissioners, general assemblymen). Pray for salvation of gang members. You get the idea.

The previous day, Barbara and I attended a conference at Salisbury University on human trafficking so we can pray with insight for perpetrators, victims, clients, affected families, and the city itself. 

Everyone has certain routes they drive to work, shop or attend meetings. That is territory within your sphere of influence, where you have authority and responsibility to pray. Become prayer conscious! Ask the Lord what He wants your target to be. As in war, each soldier has individual as well as unit assignments.

The Lord told us this concerning intercession: “Prayer is more than a state of mind; it’s a condition of the heart.”

Love and blessings,

Randy & Barbara Walter

Salisbury Revival Prayer Network

Shiloh Ministries

shilohministries@comcast.net

PRAYING YOUR ANGER

Most of us are familiar with Paul's admonition in Ephesians 4:26,

"Be angry and sin not."

This command requires some thought for most moderns. Both verbs in the original language are in the imperative mode. We are not only told not to sin, but we are commanded to be angry.

This is actually a quotation from Psalm 4:4. Most of us are not aware of this because our English translations of Psalm 4:4 generally read "Stand in awe and sin not." But the New Testament quotes from the Septuagint*, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, which renders these words from the Hebrew, "Be angry." Modern English readers, with our many translations of Scripture, have an opportunity to understand something about translation that most readers down through the ages have not necessarily seen. Translating from one language to another can be complicated. The root of the Hebrew word in Psalm 4:4 means to tremble. It is used for trembling from great emotion, agitation, extreme awe, anger or fear. If your prayers are always calm, you are missing something. This reminds me of Hebrews 5:7. "In the days of his flesh Jesus lifted up prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears." Like God the Father, Jesus was angry from time to time. He demonstrated it when He drove the money changers from the temple. He trembled with anger as He stood at the tomb of Lazarus. He was angry at the stubborn scribes and Pharisees who perverted the law of God.

We are not sure how to respond to this. We may want to reprimand the Lord. "Now Jesus, we mustn't get angry." But there are times when not getting mad is sin. Of course, anger can also be dangerously sinful. So how do we find the balance of sinless anger?  And how do we keep the sun from setting on our wrath? We need to pray over our anger.

Psalm 4:4 completes the command, "Commune with your own heart on your bed, and be still." There are two applications of this. First, we need to commune with God. And we also need to talk to our own hearts in the presence of God.  

We need to wrestle in prayer over the reason we are angry. Am I angry because something is wrong or because it offends me? I may need to repent of my reasons for being angry. But if something is truly wrong, if it perverts or destroys something holy, then I need to join God in anger. I also need to put what angers me into the hands of God. Until I have communed with God over something, I will not know what I should do about what angers me. And by praying I recognize that even if I need to act on something, God is the only one who can make things right.

http://daveswatch.com/

http://watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/

*I believe this is always true, but I have never read this anywhere or traced it out myself.

If you were to create an annual prayer calendar with the most significant prayer events included, one of those "must-have" events would be Seek God for the City, the Lenten prayer campaign promoted each year by Waymakers.

So What is Corporate Prayer?

A Call to Action -
​and a Free Resource to Get You Started! 

God Wants an Intimate Relationship with you.

  Isn’t it exciting to have your precious grandchild come running

into your arms with hugs and kisses? Your six-year-old granddaughter calling to tell you she lost her first tooth and the tooth fairy is coming to her house or your seven-year-old grandson thrilled to tell you how many goals he made in his soccer game. Last Saturday my two youngest granddaughters came over to visit and we enjoyed making cookies 

together. Just as you enjoy your relationships with your grandchildren, God enjoys your relationship with Him.

This month as we celebrate Valentine’s we are reminded of our relationships, a time when friends express love to each other. However, it can also be a great reminder for us to express our love to our heavenly Father for the privilege of having a personal relationship with Him.

Prayer is about a relationship, our relationship with God, and those for whom we pray.

God gave us the gift of prayer so we could communicate with Him because He loves us and desires our communication. God does not want us to make our prayers a great production He wants to have a personal, intimate conversation with us speaking from our hearts, sharing our fears and struggles.

Paul Miller writes in his book, The Praying Life, “American culture is probably the hardest place in the world to learn to pray, we are so busy that when we slow down to pray, we find it uncomfortable. We prize accomplishments, production. However, prayer is nothing but talking to God. It feels useless, as if we are wasting time.” ₁ Our heavenly Father rejoices when we take the time in our busy, hurried life to communicate with Him in prayer, expressing our love to Him, since relationships thrive on communication.

The enemy, Satan distracts us with our busy lives hindering our walk with God by distracting our thoughts, making our prayers shallow, hurried, or rote. We face a great deal of stress, difficulty, and disappointments in life for which we need to be deliberate in setting a regular time to pray for our loved ones and ourselves, not just when we have a crisis.

Our lives will be less stressful if we bring our needy hearts to God asking Him to work out His agenda in our life and in the lives of our loved ones, instead of giving Him our agenda. As we see our prayers answered, we will grow into a more intimate relationship with God and experience more boldness in our praying.  

♥      Do you sometimes feel like you are too busy to pray?

♥      Are your prayers hurried or repetitious?

♥      When you pray do you find it hard to connect with God in our distracting world?

Read this great article: “Ways to Fight Distraction while Praying”                  http://gavinortlund.com/2016/01/24/7-ways-to-fight-distraction-during-prayer/?utm_content=bufferab17c&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Send your heavenly Father a Valentine telling him of your love for him by your obedience to him.

Prayer

Dear Father, I want to an open intimate relationship with You

 so I feel comfortable bringing my needy heart to You.

 I choose to make a daily appointment with You to pray intentionally for the hearts

of my children, grandchildren, and myself.

 I am going to trust you that the seeds of prayer I sow today

will bring forth a harvest of blessings in the days ahead. In Jesus Name.

Paul E. Miller, A Praying Life, (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress 2009), 15.

Used by Permission of NavPress, All Rights Reserved. www.navpress.com

© 2012 Lillian Penner