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Daily Personal Prayer


Mark 1:35 is used often to support personal prayer time that is intentional, void of distractions, and interruptions. It tells of Jesus spending ā€œalone timeā€ with God. It says, ā€œEarly in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up and slipped out to a solitary place to pray.ā€
We need our own prayer time. We need our ā€œalone timeā€ where it is just ā€œme and Godā€ and nothing else. I am more convinced, than ever before, that thereā€™s no way any of us can reach our full spiritual potential as Christian men and women without developing an intentional, strong, deep life of daily personal prayer.
True love demands union. True union with God comes only through the life of prayer. I honestly believe God is not going to fully satisfy your spiritual needs, and you are not going to be entirely pleasing to Him, unless you make the time and the effort to have a strong, deep life of daily personal prayer.
Your relationship with God depends entirely on how much and how well you are willing to pray. When you hear the name of great ā€œsaintsā€ such as A.W. Tozer, Charles Spurgeon, D.L. Moody, and Billy Graham, we must realize ā€œthe saints became saintsā€ because they understood the incomparable power of prayer!
They knew that prayer has the power to change our lives and the lives of others ā€” and they proved it with their lives. So, ponder this: Am I truly convinced that there is power in my prayers? Or am I just praying out of a sense of duty? Have I just considered prayer as a one-sided conversation where I only ā€œask God for stuff?ā€ 
Have I ever thought of prayer as an intimate conversation and do I honestly expect God to ā€œshow upā€ to meet with me? Psalm 145:18, ā€œThe Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.ā€ Jeremiah 29:12, ā€œThen you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.ā€
Will you take a moment to reevaluate your prayer life? Is it becoming routine? Do you find yourself doing more ā€œaskingā€ than ā€œseeking and listening?ā€ Do you keep a prayer list or perhaps a journal?
Whatever your method, seek to do it moreā€¦.to include moreā€¦.to remember others and your Church, more. Sacrifice more time and seek the face of God in prayer. And, if necessary, like Jesus, get up early, while it is still dark, to find that solitary place.

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