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Prayer Guidelines
Prayer is communication with God.
Talking with Almighty God is the greatest privilege you have.
God desires a growing relationship with you. Communication is essential for
a relationship to develop. Involve God in every part of your life: every
decision and every action. In that sense you should pray without ceasing --
always being in communication with God.
However, we need special prayer times focused completely on the Lord. He is
worthy of our time and attention -- and we require this time with Him to
develop spiritually.
Remember the instruction given in Psalm 100:4, "Enter into His gates with
thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise." If you seem to run out of
words to praise God, use some of the Psalms, or praise and give thanks in
tongues (1 Corinthians 14:16-18).
Many use the model prayer our Lord gave in Matthew 6:9-13 as a guideline for
their special daily prayer time. Some of the
principles taught are:
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You are
praying to your Father.
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First worship
and honor God.
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Pray that
God's will be done before praying about your own or others' needs.
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Ask for God's
forgiveness and help.
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Finish by
praising God.
During times of prayer many
find it helpful as a memory aid to have a prayer list of people and things
to pray for. Also,
keeping a journal of your prayer requests and answers is
beneficial and will bless you tremendously as the years go by.
Always base your prayer on Scripture. Scripture is God's
answer. Receiving from God in prayer involves taking His answer
(His Word) to Him and receiving your
request by faith.
Also, every believer can and should develop the habit of
praying much in tongues. This not only edifies you spiritually
(1 Corinthians 14:4, Jude 1:20), but allows you to pray with a
wisdom beyond your ability and knowledge (Romans 8:26-27).
SAY THIS: Prayer is a privilege.
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God's Word Will Make You Free!
Many people are afraid that God's Word will put them in
bondage. But Jesus said God's Word would make you free.
JOHN 8:31-32 NKJ
31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you
abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.
32 "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
Abide means to live, to continue, or to spend time somewhere.
If you continue to spend time in Jesus' Word -- you will know
the truth.
When you know the truth, you will act on that knowledge, and acting on the
truth will make you free!
The Bible, especially the message of Jesus Christ in the New
Testament, will set you free if you continue in it.
We are not guaranteed instant results, although they sometimes do happen.
Freedom is certain, however, if you stick with God's Word. Jesus gave His
guarantee!
If you are not enjoying freedom in any area of your life, you
have not continued in God's Word enough in that area.
God's Word has the information that, when acted upon, will make you free!
SAY THIS: I will continue in God's Word
and it will make me free. |
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Cast Your Cares
1 PETER 5:7 Amplified
7 Casting the whole of your care -- all your anxieties, all
your worries, all your concerns, once and for all -- on Him;
for He cares for you affectionately, and cares about you
watchfully.
God is not just mildly interested in you. He cares for you just
as a good mother cares for her infant child -- affectionately
and watchfully.
Would it be reasonable for a well-loved infant to worry?
Neither is it reasonable for you to worry when God loves you
and has promised to take care of you.
To worry you must believe one of two lies: God can't take care of you, or
God won't take care of you.
PHILIPPIANS 4:6 NRSV
6 Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication
with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of
God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your
minds in Christ Jesus.
Worry is not appropriate for a child of God.
SAY THIS: I throw all my cares on God because He cares
for me. |
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Does God Test Us?
Yes. But it's always an open-Book test. With the
help of God's
instruction Book -- the Bible -- you can always pass the test.
1 THESSALONIANS 2:4 NKJ
4 . . . even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts.
God doesn't test you to hurt you, but so you can experience
victory. He walks in faith and believes you will win every
test. He is like a proud parent who tells their child to "Go
out there and show them what you can do," expecting them to win.
In all schooling there is testing to determine whether the
material taught has been mastered.
Testing is necessary and even beneficial for the one being
tested. You may think you're ready to graduate -- but testing
confronts you with reality.
Testing lets you know how you're doing. If you're not doing so well, turn to
God, asking for His help. Spend more time in
God's Word and in prayer.
Remember that God's tests are different than the temptations of the devil.
God's test is whether you will act on His Word.
God never tempts you to do wrong! He never uses evil to test
you (James 1:13). God just allows you to overcome evil by
acting on His Word -- which is more than enough to put you
over.
PSALM 105:19 NKJ
19 Until the time that his word came to pass, The word of the Lord tested
him.
You should always stand in faith, resisting the devil. God's
Word always works -- but not always instantly. From when you take your stand
on God's Word to when the answer manifests, constitutes the test.
Remember, God is for you -- He's on your side. He sent His
Word, His Holy Spirit, His angels, and His ministers to help
you.
SAY THIS: I can pass God's tests by acting on His
Word.
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