I have been thinking about resources lately. Resources that can help in our prayer lives and so from time to time I get on world network of prayer a link from the UPCI website and there is usually an article or two or three or four that really ministers to me. So I wanted to share with you bits and pieces of those today. The first one is titled Hindrances to Prayer by Lisa Marshall and so I have included her list of what hinders prayer.
1. Not Fellowshipping with God
To fellowship means to partner or spend time with. Why would God answer prayers of someone who never speaks to Him? An example is a friend vs. a total stranger asking you to borrow $100. If a close friend asked, you would probably give it to them – but if a stranger asked, you would be less likely to do so. What if I pledged my loyalty and love to you and then we left church and I refused to speak to you all week. We went back to church on Wednesday and I did the same thing, yet when we left, nothing but silence all week. You tried to talk to me and I ignored you. You wanted to spend time with me but I refused your request. After a few times of this, how much confidence would you have in my words? We say, “God, I will do anything you ask.” He’d better ask on a Sunday or Wednesday or many will never hear the question.
2. Not Asking According to God’s Will
God won’t answer a prayer that’s against His will – even if you have faith. For example: “God would you let lightening strike that person who cut me off in traffic!.”
3. Not having God’s Word in You
John 15:7 “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask what you will and it shall be done unto you.” Reading the Bible is important. You may even get the answer you need from God – after all, it is His Word.
4. Doubt & Unbelief
James 1:5-8 says to ask God in faith without doubting for your request to be fulfilled.
5. Not praying in Jesus’ Name
“Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name.” Colossians 3:7
6. Not Asking or Asking with Wrong Motives
If you don’t ask, your prayers won’t be answered for sure. Don’t pray selfishly. God wants more than your grocery list. “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss.” (amiss defined as wrongly) James 4:3
7. Giving Up
Luke 18:1 says to “pray and faint not”. We must be persistent even if it looks impossible. Don’t give up; the next prayer may bring the answer.
8. Unforgiveness
“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your father will forgive yours.” Matthew 6:14
9. Unconfessed Sin
Psalm 66:18 “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:” You may hide sin from others, but you can’t hide it from God.
a. Now that this is out of the way, try the key again.
Another article and resource I thought was really good is titled Creating a Vocabulary of Praise and in this article the writer gives us 31 scriptures with an attribute of God to be praised and he uses them as “Praise Starters” and says this has just been wonderfully helpful. So what he does is uses one scripture a day for a month and starts from at the top of the list the next month. I believe I will be giving this one a try. Here is the list of scriptures and it was taken from Pray Magazine.
1. God the Creator. “Creator God, I praise You because ’you made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you’” (Neh. 9:6).
2. The Only God. “God, I praise You because You are ’the LORD, and there is no other; apart from [You] there is no God’” (Is. 45:5).
3. The Almighty God. “’O LORD God Almighty, who is like you? You are mighty, O LORD, and your faithfulness surrounds you’” (Ps. 89:8).
4. The Everlasting Father, the Ancient of Days. “I praise You, Lord, as the ’Ancient of Days’ (Dan. 7:9), the ’Everlasting Father’ (Is. 9:6), who lives forever and ever.”
5. A Loving God. “I praise You because You are a loving God, whose very nature is love”
(1 Jn. 4:16). 6. A God of Justice. “Lord, I praise You and magnify You, who is ’just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus’”
(Ro. 3:26).
7. A Faithful God. “Heavenly Father, I give You my praise and adoration, because You are a ’faithful God, keeping [Your] covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love [You] and keep [Your] commands’” (Dt. 7:9).
8. A Merciful God. “’You are a gracious and merciful God’ (Neh. 9:31), and I praise You for Your great mercy.”
9. God, My Refuge, My Fortress. “I praise You, Lord, for You are ’my mighty rock, my refuge’” (Ps. 62:7).
10. A Patient, Persevering God. “Father, I praise You because You are ’patient with [Your children], not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance’
(2 Pet. 3:9). Thank You for Your patience with me.”
11. Eternal, Saving God. “I give praise to You, Father, ’the only God our Savior.’ To You ’be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore’” (Jude 25).
12. The Holy One. “Holy, holy, holy [are You] Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come”
(Rev. 4:8).
13. A Personal God. “I praise You, God, because You are a personal God, who gives me the honor of knowing You personally, even inviting me to feast at Your kingdom’s table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” (Mt. 8:11).
14. A Giving God. “All praise and honor be Yours, O God, because You are a generous God, who did not even stop short of giving Your own Son” (Jn. 3:16).
15. A Provider God. “I praise You today, Lord, as my Jehovah-Jireh (the Lord Will Provide), who makes all grace abound in me and generously provides all I need”
(2 Cor. 9:8).
16. God, My Shepherd. “I bless Your name and praise You as my Jehovah-Rohi (The Lord My Shepherd), who will shepherd me and guide me in the paths of righteousness for Your name’s sake” (Ps. 23:1-3).
17. God, My Victory. “Praise to You, my God, because You are my Jehovah-Nissi (The Lord My Banner), God, my victory, ’who always leads [me] in triumphal procession in Christ’” (2 Cor. 2:14).
18. God, My Peace. “I praise You with all my heart, Lord, because You are my Jehovah-Shalom (The Lord Our Peace), ’the God of peace [who] will soon crush Satan under [my] feet’” (Ro. 16:20).
19. The God Who Heals. “Father, I praise You because You are the Lord who heals me” (Ex. 15:26).
20. The God of All Comfort. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort” (2 Cor. 1:3).
21. The God of Miracles. “Lord, I praise You because ’you are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples’” (Ps. 77:14).
22. A Forgiving God. “I want to bless You with praise, Father, because ’you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love’” (Neh. 9:17).
23. The Burden Bearer. “Praise be to the Lord, to God [my] Savior, who daily bears [my] burdens” (Ps. 68:19).
24. A Faithful God. “I praise You because ’your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies’ (Ps. 36:5), and ’great is your faithfulness’” (Lam. 3:23).
25. King of Kings and Lord of Lords. “All honor and praise be to You, my God, ’the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light’” (1 Tim. 6:15).
26. God the Liberator. “I will praise You because ’you are my help and my deliverer; O LORD’” (Ps. 70:5).
27. The Lifter of My Head. “Father God, I praise You because ’you are a shield around me, O LORD; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head’ when I am weary or despised” (Ps. 3:3).
28. God of Light. “I praise You, Lord, because You are ’my light and my salvation’ (Ps. 27:1), and because You know ’what lies in darkness, and light dwells with [You]’” (Dan. 2:22).
29. God of Joy. “I give You praise, O Lord, because ’you have granted [me] eternal blessings and made [me] glad with the joy of your presence’” (Ps. 21:6).
30. The God Who Answers Prayer. “I praise and honor You, Father, because You are a God who loves to answer prayer and who begins to answer even before I pray”
(Is. 65:24).
31. The God of All the Earth. “I praise and adore You, Lord, as ’the Holy One of Israel . . . [my] Redeemer . . . the God of all the earth’” (Is. 54:5).
Oh, that all just makes me so excited. I don’t know about you but when I read about all the good things my God is and does and will do. I get an untamable excitement deep down in my heart. It makes me what to just go have a time of praise. So this is what I have for you on Thursday. Until next week and I hope you just go have a Praise Session with Jesus after reading these scriptures. Another thought I am so glad we praise God because he is worthy and not we ourselves because my list would be very short of my worthiness and definitely would not provide untamable excitement down in someone’s heart but YES it is God and God alone who is worthy. Until next week!
Sis. Kim
Thursday, May 21, 2009
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Beautiful post. I love this. I'm going to try all of these. Just think...if the ladies of GP are all doing this, can you imagine what we will generate in our city? God will be moved by our praise...Great post, Sis. Kim.
ReplyDeleteThank you Sis.Kim this has been very helpful!
ReplyDeleteYes, I know and believe it. Today is one of my favorites it is the 21st God of miracles!
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