Prayer

Does Prayer Really Work?

[392 words] One of the great privileges of the Christian life is the opportunity to approach the heavenly Father in prayer. God’s people are encouraged to draw near to the Father’s heavenly throne with boldness, seeking help in time of need. Sometimes, Christians get discouraged and may wonder if prayer really works. One might say,…

Things for Which We Must Pray

[392 words] It’s a simple enough title and concept, but for each season and busy opportunity in our lives, there ought to be a reminder, “this is something for which I MUST pray” (Ps. 55:7; Zech. 8:21; 1 Thess. 5:17). Here are some things God’s people need to be lifting up and praying about NOW: …

What Can I Do?

[504 words] “I do not feel as close to the Lord as I once did. I know that I do not study and pray as I once did. I want to be close to God again. What can I do?” We have all felt this way! We have awakened to find ourselves adrift from God.…

Pray for Others Without Ceasing

[288 words] Paul’s famously inspired words in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, “pray without ceasing” really come to light when observing all of his two letters to the church in Thessalonica. As documented in Acts 17, Paul, Silas, and Timothy establish the Lord’s church there after spending three Sabbaths reasoning with them from the Scriptures (v. 2).…

Enemies Surrounding Me

[177 words] Many of the psalms David wrote referred to his many enemies surrounding him. In Psalm 57, he says, “My soul is among lions; I lie among the sons of men, Who are set on fire, Whose teeth are spears and arrows, And their tongue a sharp sword” (v.4).  Despite his adversaries, David was…

Building a Better World

[553 words] Building a better world begins with me. I must be willing to give my time, talents, money and energies to make the world in which I live a better place. I truly believe that the only real way to make this world better is for me to be a faithful and dedicated child…

Does God Hear Prayers?

[253 words] Most of us have prayed and asked God for help with some burden or problem, but it seemed there was no answer. Have you ever wondered if God really hears your prayers? Does an unanswered prayer mean that God doesn’t listen to us? God’s word assures us that He does hear the prayers…

What Made Him Pray?

[339 words] The scriptures show us clearly that Daniel was a man of prayer (Dan. 6:10), so it’s no surprise to see him pouring his heart out to God in Daniel chapter 9. Several clues in this chapter teach us what motivated Daniel to pray on this occasion.  Scripture made him pray (Dan. 9:2,11-13). Realizing…

Keep Praying

[273 words] If there is one aspect that Jesus seems to emphasize in his teaching about prayer, it is that it is not a “one-and-done” thing (Luke 18:1-8, Luke 11:5-13). Prayer takes constancy to work. If I ask and don’t receive, it shouldn’t be taken as a reason to not pray anymore. Take the example…

Were You Praying for Us?

[255 words] It has always been difficult for this writer to understand why half the membership of the body of Christ finds no Christian joy or spiritual satisfaction in mid-week Bible Study. During this period, we sing, pray, and study the Lord’s Book. We enjoy the spiritual presence of our heavenly Master and add another…

Someone to Listen

[245 words] How often do you pray? Do you ever let a day go by without talking to God? When you pray is it out of habit, or is it the fulfillment of a need? Ours is an age of loneliness where millions are starving for someone to talk to. Many feel tense because they…

Thoughts and Prayers

[281 words] There has been a backlash in recent times against those who offer prayers during a tragedy. To some, the phrase has come to be an empty gesture, which acknowledges an issue but refuses to do anything about it. I’m sure that some of this is because of a growing atheistic mindset in our…

‘On Bended Knee, I Come’

[181 words] There are many things we can learn from nature. Recently, I read about “the secret of the bended knee.” Most birds sleep, perched on a limb, and do not fall. When I sleep, there is no rhyme or reason, I will move around on the bed during the night, occupying several different positions.…

God Listens

[416 words] Have you ever stopped in the middle of a sentence or in the middle of telling a story because you thought the person you were talking to was not listening? It is quite a joy when the person notices and encourages you to continue. You feel rather down and worthless when the person…

The Church is Praying

[215 words] “On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God” (Acts 4:23-24). Prayer is in everything that the people of God do. We are commanded…

The Prayer List

[260 words] I’ve read it in several bulletins from many churches. It’s called “The Prayer List” and consists of the names of people who have either requested that we mention them in our prayers or who have had a request given by someone in their behalf. Of course, there is biblical precedence for this practice…

Losing Your Connection

[414 words] With technology comes great gains in the way we are able to live our lives. However, nothing can be more frustrating than when that same technology meant to make our lives easier fails. One of the most frequent ways this can happen is to lose a connection. Cell phones, internet access, and satellite…

Don’t Forget to Use All Your Strength

[138 words] A father was watching his young son struggle to lift a heavy rock. The little fellow grunted and strained, but couldn’t move it. The father said, “Son, are you sure you are using all your strength?” The exhausted boy said, “Yes, I am!” The father replied, “No, you are not. You haven’t asked…

Can Any Good Come From Stress?

[549 words] Samuel was one of the best men in the Bible. We read about his good life of faith and justice in 1 Samuel, but it is a statement made hundreds of years later about him that tells us just how godly a man he was. In Jeremiah’s day the people of Judah were…

Psychics

[195 words] The March 2014 issue of Reader s Digest had an article by Robert Powell titled, “The Psychic, the Novelist, and the $17 Million Scam.” It is the true story of a writer who went to a psychic “on a whim” and would end up losing $17 million. The novelist was bored, had been…

Good Days

[224 words] Would you rather have good days or bad days? I know the answer to that question, but here is another question for you: do you know how to have good days? Many people pursue good days and never find them because they run in the wrong direction. God’s Word holds the secret to…

Watch!

[303 words] To “watch” is to be on the lookout, to be alert and vigilant. “Watch” is a constant admonition in Scripture. In addition to other words translated “watch,” the Greek word “gregoreo” appears 22 times in the New Testament. God wants us to watch, but for what? Many of the admonitions to “watch” have…

A Prayer for Our Elders

[181 words] Our Father, let me be a pillar of strength to them, not a thorn to sap their strength, nor a burden on their back to pull them down. Let me support them without striving to possess them; lift up their hands without placing shackles on them. Let me give them my help that…

Yesterday’s Prayers

[387 words] In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, we are admonished to “pray without ceasing” to accurately depict a constant prayerful attitude, or having begun a life of prayer to continue, or both. The Bible is replete with examples of the wicked suffering punishment, but it also describes what would appear to be “good folk” just as…

How Goes Your Battle? 

  [224 words] “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you” Matthew 6:6.  A big theme to come out of the latest faith-based film, War Room, is that we, as individual…

Do You Watch and Pray?

  [237 words] “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak” (Mark 14:38). In the midst of His own storm, our Savior prayed in the preparation He had made for Himself. He had brought three of his followers farther into the garden for…

Clear-minded and Self-controlled

[241 words] “The end of all things is near.  Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray” 1 Peter 4:7. This chapter is pivotal for living a life in Christ!  When we become a Christian, we admit that when we lived for “evil human desires,” we made a mess of our lives. …

What Will You Do With The New?

[336 words] Toward the end of the year, we begin to focus on the “new.” We enjoy giving and receiving “new” presents, and we look forward to the hope of a “new” year. A blank calendar page represents fresh opportunity, but what will we do with it? Hezekiah was known as a man who received…

Let Us Pray

  [373 words] How many times have we heard this expression as a prelude to a collective journey of the brethren into the presence of God? I wonder, is it used so much that we forget its importance? Here are some instances of corporate prayers found in the New Testament. In Matthew 26 and its…

A Prayer for Parents

  [361 words] Each of us know that prayer is very important. In our own lives we will pray at different times and for different reasons. We pray at meal times, when someone is having troubles in their lives (such as sickness, death or making difficult decisions). We also know that our Lord and Savior,…

Preparing for Prayer

  [187 words] Talking to the Creator is beyond human comprehension. We’re lifted up when we humble ourselves before him (James 4:10), because our sins can close the ears of God (Luke 18:9-14; Isaiah 59:1-2). Prayer requires preparation because approaching God isn’t a casual affair. The solemnity and reverence in the Father’s throne room in…

What Prayer Does

  [65 words] Prayer amplifies our feelings, certifies our relationship, clarifies our desires, dignifies our Christianity. Prayer exemplifies our commitment, fortifies our faith, identifies our needs, intensifies our emotions. Prayer justifies our belief, magnifies our hopes, notifies our Father, nullifies our fears. Prayer pacifies our worries, ratifies our conviction, sanctifies our lives, satisfies our longings.…

Psalm 119:18

  [74 words] Psalm 119:18 contains this petition: “Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things from Your law.” For some of us, reading the Bible has become dull, and consequently, unproductive. There may be any number of reasons why that tragedy has occurred. One may be that we have not saturated our Bible…

Growing in Prayer

[325 words] Most of us would like to be “better” at prayer. We’d like to do it more often and with more power. Just like the disciples of Jesus who came to Him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1), we long for divine guidance in this area. One of the great pertinent…

Caught Talking to God

[168 words] Two boys were put in I.S.S. (in school suspension). The one boy asked, “Whatcha in for?” “I got caught talking to Bill. You?” “I got caught talking to God.” Strange how talking to God can get one into trouble, especially when you consider all the benefits it affords. Martin Luther once said, “The…

Watch and Pray

“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak” (Mark 14:38). In the midst of His own storm, our Savior prayed in the preparation He had made for Himself.  He had brought three of his followers farther into the garden for the fellowship and…

Prayer

If Jesus felt the need to pray to the Father, surely we need God’s help in our own lives. God knows our needs even before we ask, but still He wants us to ask (Matt. 6:8); and Jesus tells us “that men always ought to pray” (Luke 18:1). James wrote that the fervent prayer of…

Prayer Helps

The inspired apostle Paul affirmed that prayer helps. In writing to the church at Corinth, Paul described how there had been a time, in Asia, when he was in danger and facing the possibility of death (2 Corinthians 1:8). However, Paul was delivered from death by God and also by the prayers of the brethren…

Pray Boldly!

Television interviewer and journalist Larry King describes three farmers who gather daily in a field during a horrible drought. The men are down on their knees, looking upward, and praying the skies will open and pour forth a much-needed rain. Unfortunately, the heavens are silent, and the petitioners become discouraged, but they continue to meet…

The Five Finger Prayer

The five finger prayer is a great way to teach someone to pray, or a good model for anyone to use to pray. Remember, James 5:13-16 teaches us to pray for one another. First, your thumb is nearest you. Begin your prayers by praying for those closest to you. Second, the next finger, is the…
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