Prayer as defined by Houghton Mifflin (2009) is a reverent petition made to God, a god, or another object of worship. However, when we make an appeal how do we capture His attention? It is through prayer that we are able to petition God and ultimately develop a consistent prayer life that pleases Him. Reading the word of God and prayer draws us closer to Christ. We begin to have His mind and His spirit living in us because of this Holy communication. Most Christians pray all the time. Our Prayers are usually self-serving. God help me with this problem, God these people are hurting me, God I need a miracle for my child, and in these prayers we are the beneficiaries. Although God does want us to pray and communicate our needs to Him, as stated in 2 Chronicles 7:14-15(KJV), we are also called to be an intercessor. Ezekiel 22:30(KJV) says God is looking for intercessors, “Someone to make up the hedge and stand in the gap for the land before Him but He found none”. In order to intercede for others we need to know what it means to be an intercessor and embody the character of Jesus.
The act of intercession is praying for someone else’s needs or desires without direct benefit to oneself. While reading I thought, who is fit to be an intercessor and why would they want to do this? It is sometimes a burden to pray for family, so why take on another load praying for others but the word of God says in Ephesians 4:16 that we are ‘fitly joined’ together. This means we have been brought together by God for specific purposes and one is to be co-laborers in prayer. “An intercessor is a man, woman, or child who fight for others and it is the activity that identifies us most with Christ. To be an intercessor is to be like Jesus becaus...
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... be filled through prayer and my responsibility starts but does not stop with prayer. Those dying and hurting souls who don’t know Jesus, or have just lost their way must be prayed for. Pleasing God, not man, will receive the greatest attention in my busy life, Galatians 1:10 (KJV). I will be a minister of reconciliation unto the Lord. Jesus does it and I am called to be like Him, so I am also called to intercede for others. I will pray the Word daily because it is my reasonable service. Romans 12 will be my platform: “To love and respect others and while rejoicing in hope; being patient in tribulation; and continuing instant in prayer”. To be more like Christ is my goal and “It is not the will of the Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish (Matthew 18:14)”. For it is truly Christ to bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2).
...hat share my faith and together worship Jesus. I believe that by being in fellowship with other believers I will have a strong opportunity to pursue and fulfill God’s purpose in my life, whether it is a daily or lifetime calling.
The ideal action we would take as God’s people would be to help those in need, but like the Good Samaritan parable in the Bible, many would not help those in need. It is not always easy to see Christ in the people around us because we are human and we are not perfect. Dorothy explains this statement when she says, “It would be foolish to pretend that it is easy always to remember this” (Room for Christ 2). We need to make room in our hearts for Christ, and also the people that presented to us as Christ.
E.M. Bounds wrote a wonderful book devoted to prayer entitled Power Through Prayer. This book encourages the preacher to become a true prayer warrior. E.M. Bounds has written many books on prayer, encouraging Christians to devote their life to prayer. Since the writer is coming from a preacher background himself, one can clearly see the passion he has for prayer in his life. Fellow preachers will hopefully be encouraged by this and want to devote their life to prayer, so that they will better their preaching. Bounds exemplifies through his work that preaching has no power without prayer. He also sets forth the idea that prayer is the life-giving force behind our work for God. In reading this book, it inspires one to pray more and be able to be more effective in their ministry.
I serve to Jesus every day by taking time out my day to help others. When my classmates or friends are struggling with something I try to assist them
The cornerstone of any relationship with someone is the ideal of grace and mercy. When grace is absent, dealing with people becomes difficult we develop issues with trust. Grace involves hoping that God is listening and will answer all prayers in ways according to His will. Digging into the cross of hope and prayer, this paper discusses the theological definition, biblical foundation, and practical application in order to identify how the two connect. These principles have helped me learn what it means to be a Christian.
I grew up in a home with a family that attend church weekly and was active in the church family. I knew about God and about His son but I never remember the story of salvation and the personal need for a savoir. As a teenager I walked away from the religion that I thought did not offer my anything. In my thirties, my husband was diagnosed with cancer and I immediately started my negotiations with God. Little did I know that He was not a negotiator but it was during this time in my life that I needed God more than He needed me. Since accepting the gift of God’s love, the salvation of a Savoir, and the renovation of my heart, I look to God for the path of my life. I share Gods truth through my career change to a Christian nob-profit that’s vision is to share God’s love to the community through the platform of pregnancy care and family services. Personally I have fulfilled God’s call to help the less fortunate by adopting a sibling group and participating and supporting mission trips to third world countries to support his children and missions there. My final piece of God’s plan I feel lead to complete is to volunteer my professional expertise and finances to work with a mission group that provides laboratory services to third world mission hospitals. I have done one trip for them and am currently planning a trip to Honduras in the new year. My day to
One should continually quest for spiritual growth and the practice of grace-full leadership. Ultimately, let me fight the good fight of faith, (1Timothy 1:18; 6:12, King James Version). I hunger for Christ and seek His presence in every facet of my life. I strive to deepen my spiritual habits to support my walk in Him. I want to fellowship with other Christians, learning from and sharing with them.
... By having them journal their prayers to God daily and encouraging them to read these entries frequently to refresh the memories of those prayers and seek for those that are answered allows for each client to find their way to a spiritual understanding that is not necessarily demonstrated by my impact, but that of God Himself. I am available to answer questions that pertain to the bible, but allow clients to interpret the teaching to their lives and recovery. These approaches allow clients to not rely on my experiences, but on their own encounters and knowledge. Gently guiding them to hear and see how God works in a client’s life is a rewarding and satisfying experience.
...all life even those who choose to reject him. I need to live in such a way that if today was the last day I had to live, I know I have done Christ’s work and brought others to Christ. Till his return, I believe it is my duty to spread the word and to do my part for God.
In the book, Unleashing the Power of Praying in the Spirit, Oral Roberts teaches the reader what praying in the Spirit means and explains why it is important to Christians. He goes further with his demonstration by depicting real life situations that he personally was delivered from. As the reader obtains this information from the source, they achieve a greater and deeper understanding of what praying in the Spirit is, how one attains this gift of the Spirit, and why it is necessary to live a true Christian life.
Focusing in on the commitments that I have made will place order and hierarchy in my life so that God may work in it as He pleases. I want to fully commit my life and vocation to God so that His glory may be seen in every aspect. Since the most important thing to God is building His kingdom by constantly bringing home His children, I plan to order my life in such a way that allows me to be a blessing to others. To live a sacrificed life means giving up things that this world labels as riches. Living for others and with others is the way lived His life and Jesus knew that He was modeling it for the generations to come. We cannot do life or ministry alone as we do not and are not able to possess all of the spiritual grace gifts. This sacrificed life indeed requires a disciplined life and a genuine commitment to fulfil God’s will in our
Gandhi once said that “Prayer is not asking. It is a longing of the soul. It is daily admission of one's weakness.” Despite the fact that Gandhi was not a Christian he understood the significance of prayer and the futility of man. But long before Gandhi’s time lived a humble man of God named Daniel. It was “In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah” that God called Daniel, an Israelite of the tribe of Judah, out of a life of obscurity to accomplish His will. Although outwardly Daniel resembled a slave under the control of a foreign king he was in fact a godly ambassador to King Nebuchadnezzar and a servant of the Lord by God’s own design. Daniel had a longing deep within his soul placed there by God. He was a man who recognized his need for God. Daniel had a heart for the things of the Lord and was a man who lived righteously before the Lord walking in humility. Daniel was a man who had his priorities in order and his prayer life followed his theology. But what exactly was Daniel’s view of God and how did his prayers reflect that view – what was the theology of Daniel’s prayers? I believe the book of Daniel reveals seven main principles of theology concerning prayer in general. Beyond that, I believe Daniel’s prayer in chapter nine provides a model of intercessory prayer that we all can learn from.
Our affections cling to self and to worldly objectives; our prayers cannot rise above their level, no matter what words we use. In Luke 11:1 it says, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” We should be taught to pray either from the church or from the people around us. Taught in a sense of listening, not actually taking lessons from it. We need to pray because prayer is the most important part of the thankfulness that God requires of us.
...st always pray to God with such great and deep belief that everything we ask for, He will give to us and we will receive, of course if it is reasonable. Putting every single ounce of faith and belief that we have installed in our mind, body, and soul into God is the state we should always pray in. Making your requests to God specific and making them known to Him is absolutely crucial.
Prayer is an intimate one on one conversation with the almighty, wonderful God that you are having a relationship with. It is a special time and you are going before God who is above all.