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Prayer Prayer: (as defined by webster) a devout petition to or spiritual communication with God So, parayer... it is a huge part of our relationship with Christ. It is our way of communicating of talking to Him. Some people want to give a big definition for prayer but all it really is, is a conversation between you and your Lord, your Savior, your Father. I have always wondered why do I need to pray? I mean God knows everything right? He knows my thoughts before I think them so why do I need to tell Him? Just seems like a pointless conversation. But the thing is, praying to God is a choice. You can't chose to let God hear your thoughts. When you come to God in prayer, you are pretty much saying "God I want to talk" It helps build your relationship with God which is what every Christian should strive for until the day he dies. What still amazes me is my God who created the heavens and the earth, the land and the oceans, who moves mountains, who is without sin and perfect and has billions of people just like me on the earth, wants to hear me. Wants to hear what I am going through. Little me, just a high school student in Bastrop, LA. (fill your self in) Since not one of us can go through his or her life without controversy or struggle or heartbreak, we should all have someone to lean on. I am a firm believer that we should all have a close friend that we can tell anything and that will always be there for you. But reality is they can be extremely occupied or you can't get in touch with them. No matter what time it is or where you are, there will always be someone there for you and that person is GOD. Whenever you are faced with struggles call on Him. It says in Matthew 7:7-8 "Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, and knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." When you pray always know that God is listening. It says in Jeremiah 29:12-14 Then you will call upon me and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with your whole heart. I will be found by you, says the Lord..." Psalms 91:15- "he will call upon me and I will answer him..." This summer I had a huge decision to make in my life. And so I went to God in prayer. I ask for an answer and it was given to me. Now, one thing that I have had a problem for a while when involving prayer, and I think everyone else does to, is that I sometimes ask knowing that God could do what I ask, but not always believing He will. Perfect example, about a year ago, one of my mom's best friends and somone I looked up to,Mrs. Jeanie Harklroad, was diagnosed with cancer. I prayed every night for her and I still do. Though when I asked God, I asked thinking, that God could heal her (I mean He is God) but not 100% believing that He would. (if that makes since) Well, that applys in just about everything I used to ask. When praying to God and when asking for something or in anything don't just ask it with your mouth, but believe it with your heart. In 1 John 5:14-15 it says: "This is the CONFIDENCE we have in approaching God: that if we ask ANYTHING according to His will, He hears us. And if we know He hears us- whatever we ask-we KNOW that we have what we asked of Him." Mark 11:24- "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have recieved it, and it will be yours." In James 1:6 it says: "But when he asks, he must believe and NOT doubt, because he who doubts like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind." * "wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind" is a refering back to Ephesians 4:14 where it says, "Then we will no longer be infants tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming." So when you ask God ask in confidence, knowing that you will receive what you ask if it be in God's will. Do not ask and doubt that you will receive what you ask. As it says in James, if you doubt you are like an infant in your faith. When you do not believe that God will answer you, that is a lack of faith. So once I started to believe with my heart, Go gave me the answers I had been asking for. He pointed on verse out to me in the middle of it awe that I must of read, 50 times that week. Matthew 21:21-22 "Jesus replied, 'I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, you can also go say to the mountain, 'Go throw yourself into the sea' and it will be done. IF YOU BELIEVE, YOU WILL RECIEVE WHATEVER YOU ASK FOR IN CHRIST.'" So, I encourage you all to pray! You want to know how much it says to pray? It says it about as simply as you can put it. In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, it says this, "pray continually" Just two words sums it all up. Pray, pray, pray. Never stop praying to God. Whenever in struggle pray but also in happiness. It is almost second nature to people to pray to God when life knocks them down, when they are in the valleys, but we should also pray when on the mountain peaks. We should always strive to get closer to Go. So when you lay your head down tonight and you go to pray, when you ask God for help on something, do this. Ask with your mouth, but most importantly believe with your heart that God will answer you. |