Prayer
I’d Never Do That
The other day someone shared with me that they struggled to have time to pray and read the Bible. I didn’t say anything to the person, but I thought to myself, “Not me. I always have my prayer time and daily Bible reading first thing in the morning.” Wouldn’t you know it – the next morning, as I began my Bible reading and prayer time, a thought popped in my mind. Instead of jotting it down as I typically would and continuing my Bible reading, I decided to make the note on my computer. That led to me checking my email. Before I knew it, I’d done the very thing that I’d smugly thought to myself that I didn’t do. Micah 6:8 is a good reminder to us to walk humbly with God. When we do, we’ll also walk humbly with others. That’s a good reminder in case we ever think, “I’d never do that.” The fact is, we just might.
Do you struggle with staying focused in prayer? If so, you may want to consider journaling.
Prayers of My Heart – a tool to help you stay focused in prayer.
It’s Never Too Late
The other day I was surprised to hear a popular singer refer to herself as a god. I was shocked. I wondered how the singer could so pridefully say she was god. Then, God directed me to do a little self-examination rather than be critical of her. Although the musician might say she’s god, do I ever go about my day and act like I am? Oh, I would never intentionally do that. But, do I ever do what I want instead of what the Bible teaches? Do I ever place my desires above those of Jesus? Am I ever more focused on my interests than Christ’s? God put a check on my critical spirit and used the moment to lead me to ask God’s forgiveness. What about you? Could you use a prayer to ask God to forgive you for something? If so, God’s arms are open wide as 1 John 1:9 reminds us. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
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It’s Never Too Late – A Prayer for Our Nation
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A – Z Names of God with Verses
Friends,
At the last P.R.A.Y. with Passion Conference, I promised my Wisconsin sisters I would provide the A – Z list of God’s names and attributes from my book, Pray With Purpose, Live With Passion. You will find them listed below. I suggested that a great way to begin your day is by looking up one of the Scripture references and praising God for how He is revealed in that passage. You can then continue your prayer time, repenting and confessing ways in which you realize you may be missing the mark in relation to that aspect of His divinity. Then, you can ask God for help in that area; as well as intercede for others. As discussed at the PRAY Conference, our prayer lives expand as we focus our prayers on God’s attributes.
For instance, we might worship God saying, “Lord, You are the Almighty God! I praise You.” Praising God for being Almighty may then cause me to contemplate on how I don’t always bend my will to His. Neither do I walk by His strength which He so willingly offers. With that prayerful realization, an opportunity to repent presents itself.
Next, I open my heart to God. “Fill me with Your power. Help my husband and children walk in Your strength today. Help the unsaved turn to You, the Almighty, and be saved.”
Having praised, repented, and asked, I now focus on yielding to God. My prayer time doesn’t end with my “Amen.” It begins as I listen to God’s voice and yield to the Holy Spirit’s promptings.
The following list of A-Z attributes contans 26 names and attributes to get you started. If you’d like to continue broadening your praise, repentance, asking, and yielding, I have a complilation of 225 + Names, Titles, and Attributes of God. In addition, Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion provides valuable Scriptural insights, personal examples, stories, and guided prayer opportunities for you with each A-Z attribute. It also has discussion questions if you’re reading it with a group or using it for your Bible study. You’ll also find a P.R.A.Y. chart that gives examples for how to praise, repent, ask, and yield in relation to the 26 A-Z attributes included in the book.
For those new to Prayers of My Heart Prayer Journal, I suggest you label your first column in the Week at a Glance section, “LORD.” At the Wisconsin P.R.A.Y. Conference, we labeled April 5, “Almighty” and agreed to lift our voices each morning, praising God for a different attribute each day. This morning as I praised God as Immanuel, it was a blessing knowing that my Wisconsin sisters were joining me.
I pray the following is just the beginning of a lifetime of praising God!
Love,
Debbie
Sunday Almighty, Ps 91:1
Monday Beloved, Mt 3:16-17
Tuesday Comforter, 2 Cor 1:3
Wednesday Door, John 10:10
Thrusday Eternal, Deut 33:27
Friday Faithful, Rev 19:11
Saturday Guardian of My Soul, 1 Peter 2:25
Sunday Holy, Psalm 99:5
Monday Immanuel, Is 7:14
Tuesday Just, Deut 32:4
Wednesday King of Kings, Ps 5:2-3
Thursday Light, John 8:12
Friday Majestic, Psalm 8:1
Saturday New Life, 2 Cor 5:17
Sunday Overcomer, John 16:33
Monday Potter, Is 64:8
Tuesday Quickening Spirit, Ps 80:18 KJV
Wednesday Righteous, Psalm 7:17
Thursday Shield, Psalm 3:3
Friday Tower, Proverbs 18:10
Saturday Upholder, Is 41:13
Sunday Vinedresser, John 15:1
Monday Wonderful, Psalm 105:2-5
Tuesday eXalted, Psalm 34:3
Wednesday Yahweh, Exodus 3:14-15
Thursday Zealous, Is 9:7
PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO OTHERS SO THEY CAN JOIN US AS WE P.R.A.Y. Across the Nation. If I haven’t been to your state and your church can host 200+ women, email me about having a P.R.A.Y. with Passion Conference. debbie@hillcountryministries.org.
Defender
Friends,
Do you ever feel like you need someone to defend you or your cause? This morning in my reading of Isaiah 37, I came upon verse 35, in which the Lord is speaking. “For I will defend this city to save it for My own sake and for My servant David’s sake.”
In this passage, the king of Assyria has threatened King Hezekiah of Jerusalem. Hezekiah, realizing he could not defend Jerusalem against the armies of Assyria, grieved and prayed. He asked others to pray with him. When the threat intensified in the form of a letter, Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the messenger and placed it in the hand of the Lord. Isaiah 37:14 states he literally gave the letter to the Lord. What a lesson for us! “Then Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it, and he went up to the house of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord.” God answered Hezekiah with reassuring words and a promise to defend and save Jerusalem.
What problem or challenge do you face today? Why not literally follow Hezekiah’s example? Though he was king, he depended on a higher power. The result? God answered in a god-sized way that man could not have accomplished.
God is still on our side if we are living to bring Him honor and glory. Why not go before the Lord today? Spread out your situation before Him. Kneel in His presence. Acknowledge that although you may be king of your castle, queen of your home, or president of your business, you need a higher power. After you spread out your situation before God, stay quietly in His presence. He directs our thoughts in the silence of meditation moments.