Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Work-To-Do-Wednesday - Eleven Suggestions on Prayer

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1.     Pray more. The average Christian spends a very limited amount of time in prayer. We often reserve prayer for emergency use only. How much time would you estimate you spent in prayer yesterday? How much time last week? More Daniels are needed today (Daniel 6:10).

2.     Be more specific in prayer. Prayers are often far too general, too vague. More praying should be done for specific people, specific needs. Prayer should be fitted to the occasion and need. Too often our prayers are like that of the young boy when he and a friend found themselves in the pathway of what appeared to be sure disaster with no way of escape. One of the boys prayed the only prayer he had ever heard his father pray, and before meals. He said, “God, make us thankful for what we are about to receive!” It may be that our prayers are often no more appropriate for the occasion.

3.     Pray with greater faith. James said that weak faith and futile prayers are connected (1:6). Doubts and uncertainties hinder prayer. The source for a greater faith is God’s Word (Rom. 10:17).

4.     Rise above the sin of covetousness. A covetous spirit hinders prayer (Jam. 4:2). Selfish hearts do not gain the ear of God. A loving and giving God is seeking to bless those with generous spirits.

5.     Pray with greater zeal and fervency. Another important ingredient of acceptable prayer is enthusiasm and fervency (Jam. 5:16). Prayers coming only from the lips, and not from the hearts, are hollow and empty. The Pharisees of Jesus’ day prayed such prayers (Matt. 23).

6.     Grow more godly. The more righteous we become, the prayer accomplishes (Jam. 5:!6; 1 Pet. 3:12). Elijah success in prayer was directly related to his righteousness in life. The rebellious spirit and the unrepented sins will always hinder our prayers (Prov. 1:28; Isa. 59:2).

7.     Improve martial relationships. Peter tells us that relationships between husbands and wives either help or hinder our prayers (1 Pet. 3:7). When relationships break down between marriage partners our relationship with God is affected.

8.     Grow in humility. The first beatitude in the Sermon on the mount was on humility (Matt. 5:3). The proud heart is rejected by God (Jam. 4:6). The Pharisee’s prayer was rejected because of pride (Luk. 18).

9.     Cultivate a forgiving spirit. Jesus declared that we cannot expect forgiveness from God if we refuse to forgive our fellowman (Matt. 6:12).

10.  Persist in prayer. Jesus taught two parables regarding the importance of persistence in prayer (Luk. 11:18). In each instance, perseverance was a key ingredient to success.

11.   Combine action with prayers. Pray as if everything depended on God. Then work as if everything depends on you. Somewhere, I read about a farmer with this sign on his farm: “Pray for a good harvest, but keep on plowing.”

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