Happy Easter everyone.\u00a0 I hope you are experiencing the joy of Resurrection Sunday in your heart.\u00a0 I wrote about prayer a few weeks ago, but it came up again this week for me.\u00a0 So, I want to revisit it from a new perspective.\u00a0 I had several prayers answered this week concerning my ministry in a manner much greater than I had in mind.\u00a0 Fortunately, God has much better plans!\u00a0 A definition I found this week about prayer: \u201cPrayer is more than talking to God; it is a conversation with God.\u00a0 It involves speaking AND listening.\u201d This is something I always knew but seeing the words on the page made it more real.\u00a0 We should pray first, and then pray again!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At a men\u2019s group this week we explored the Lord\u2019s Prayer and examined it as a pattern for all prayer.\u00a0 The components of the Lord\u2019s Prayer can be used as a daily outline for our conversation with God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOur Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Begin each day with thanks, praise, and worship, acknowledging God and he is via his names, titles, and attributes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYour kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Prayer recognizes that God is God, and we are not.\u00a0 In prayer, we yield our desires to God.\u00a0 Jesus repeated this in Mat. 26:39<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNot as I will, but as you will\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In prayer, we ask God to change the way we see others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGive us this day our daily bread\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 God invites us to come to him each day for the provision of our needs.\u00a0 God cares for and provides for all of our needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cForgive us our trespasses and we forgive those who trespass against us\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Don\u2019t let unforgiveness grow within you.\u00a0 Pray blessings over those you forgive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Daily put on the armor of God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFor thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Commit yourself to live daily for his glory alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After our prayer time, we need to be quiet and wait on God. (This is very hard for me\u2026.)\u00a0 Waiting on God refers to the state of ACTIVE stillness!\u00a0 God says: \u201cBe still and know that I am God.\u201d\u00a0 Waiting on God rests in knowing his will and settling for nothing less.\u00a0 We are to wait upon God with the attitude and expectancy of the watchman waiting for the morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One suggestion at my men\u2019s group was not to say Amen<\/em> at the conclusion of our morning prayers, but to keep the prayer (conversation) going all day!<\/p>\n\n\n\n What do you think about this quote?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe men\/women who have done the most for God in this world have been early on their knees.\u00a0 He who fritters away the early morning, its opportunity and freshness, in other pursuits than seeking God will make poor headway seeking Him the rest of the day.\u00a0 If God is not first in our thoughts and efforts in the morning, He will be in the last place the remainder of the day.\u201d\u00a0 E.M. Bounds<\/strong> 1830-1913, American Pastor and man of prayer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ask first for God\u2019s guidance and blessing in everything you do. Through prayer, ask for wisdom and for God\u2019s will to be done. \u00a0Pray for others as well, that God\u2019s love and blessing would be revealed to them in good times and in bad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTrust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.\u201d<\/strong> (Proverbs 3: 5, 6) \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMay your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.\u201d<\/strong> (Matthew 6: 10)<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.\u201d<\/strong> (Ephesians 6: 18)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ideas for Action:<\/strong> Start each day with a conversation with God.\u00a0 Be prepared to continue that conversation all day with God.\u00a0 On your next walk, run, or in your quiet time, intentionally pray for neighbors, other churches, schools, EMTs, police and fire personnel, and local officials. Use the Lord\u2019s Prayer as a template\/outline for your prayer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n HAPPY EASTER!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Happy Easter everyone.\u00a0 I hope you are experiencing the joy of Resurrection Sunday in your heart.\u00a0 I wrote about prayer a few weeks ago, but it came up again this week for me.\u00a0 So, I want to revisit it from a new perspective.\u00a0 I had several prayers answered this week concerning my ministry in a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-168","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lovingcultureministries.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lovingcultureministries.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lovingcultureministries.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lovingcultureministries.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lovingcultureministries.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=168"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lovingcultureministries.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":169,"href":"https:\/\/lovingcultureministries.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168\/revisions\/169"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lovingcultureministries.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=168"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lovingcultureministries.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=168"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lovingcultureministries.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=168"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}