What is prayer?

Prayer is the practice of the presence of God. It is the place where pride is abandoned, hope is lifted, and supplication is made. Prayer is the place of admitting our need, of adopting humility, and claiming dependence upon God. Prayer is the needful practice of the Christian. Prayer is the exercise of faith and hope. Prayer is the privilege of touching the heart of the Father through the Son of God, Jesus our Lord.

The Bible speaks much of prayer. But, sometimes, too often, we ignore prayer and seek to accomplish in the strength of our own wills those things that we desire to have or happen. For those of us who are too often guilty of this, we need to bow our knees, confess our sin, receive God's forgiveness, and beg that the will of the Lord be done above our own. God is sovereign and loving and He knows what is best for us and others, even if it doesn't always seem to make the most sense.

We so often come to the Lord with legitimate requests for healing, conversions, and needs and yet the answers we hope for often do not come. We wonder and sometimes doubt. Yet, we persevere and praise God. We pray because we know that God hears us and because we desire to see results. We should pray by faith, trusting God. We should pray consistently, trusting God. We should pray for healing, trusting God. We should pray for others, trusting God. We should pray and when our prayers are answered or are not answered remember this: If we knew what the Lord knew, we wouldn't change a thing.

Prayer changes the one praying because in prayer, you are in the presence of God as you lay before Him your complete self in confession and dependence. There is nothing to hide when in quiet supplication we are reaching into the deepest part of ourselves and admitting our needs and failures. In so doing, our hearts are quieted and pride is stripped and we enjoy the presence of God. James 4:8 says, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you."

I am reminded of another benefit of prayer: peace. "Be anxious for nothing, 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 comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus," (Phil. 4:6-7).

I suppose that we can test our prayer life and dependence upon God by the peace or lack of peace in our hearts. In all things we are to seek the Lord and in His continued presence peace will surely be our gain.

Prayer is the practice of the presence of God.

by CARM.org

The Four Spiritual Laws

As Christians, we are to witness with truth, honesty, and integrity. The Lord give us opportunities to:

• witness to others
• defend our faith  
• or just give answers for anyone who wants to know about the Hope that is in us.
  
  Read - (1 Peter 3:15); (Isaiah 55:11); (John 12:32)
  

To accomplish these tasks we must Pray and ask the Holy Spirit for help, study Gods Word daily, be humble and point people to Jesus. Let them know that it is HE and HE alone who saves. You are delivering the Good News, Jesus is that Good news and Jesus is the one who saves.


There is only ONE way to Heaven and that way is through Jesus. All paths are NOT to the same place. The door is narrow and the path is single file.


“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. - 2 Timothy 3:16-18” - God gave us a tool to use and that tool is His Word!


*Here are the 4 spiritual Laws:

1. God loves you and offers a wonderful plan for your life: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life," (John 3:16). “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. “ (John 10:10)
   
   
2. Man is sinful and separated from God: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," (Rom. 3:23); "For the wages of sin is death," (Rom. 6:23); "But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God," (Isaiah 59:2). Man was created to have fellowship with God; but, because of his stubborn self-will, he chose to go his own independent way, and fellowship with God was broken. This self-will, characterized by an attitude of active rebellion or passive indifference, is evidence of what the Bible calls sin.
   
   
3. Jesus Christ is God's only provision for man's sin. Through Him you can know and experience God's love and plan for your life : "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me" (John 14:6); "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us," (Rom. 5:8). “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance[a]: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,..” (I Corinthians 15:3-6)
   
   
4. We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know and experience God's love and plan for our lives:  "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name," (John 1:12); "if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved," (Rom. 10:9); "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God," (Eph. 2:8).
   
   To receive Christ you must turn to God and away from self and repent. You must trust Christ to come into your life to forgive your sins and to make you what He wants you to be. Just to agree intellectually that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for your sins is not enough; even Satan knows know who Jesus is. It also is not enough to just have an emotional experience. You must receive Jesus Christ by faith, as an act of the will.

Gods Word will accomplish what God desires; that the Gospel has the power to save and  it is Jesus who draws men to himself. Jesus does the work, not us.

"Lord Jesus, I want to know You personally. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving me of my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be." Amen

Thanks for checking in and God Bless >>John


* William R. "Bill" Bright developed the evangelistic Christian tract of the “The Four Spiritual Laws” in 1952