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 “alone time” with God. It says, “Early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up and slipped out to a solitary place to pray.”

We need our own prayer time. We need our “alone time” where it is just “me and God” and nothing else. I am more convinced, than ever before, that there’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 “saints” such as A.W. Tozer, Charles Spurgeon, D.L. Moody, and Billy Graham, we must realize “the saints became saints” because they understood the incomparable power of prayer!

They knew that prayer has the power to change our lives and the lives of others — 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 “ask God for stuff?”

Have I ever thought of prayer as an intimate conversation and do I honestly expect God to “show up” to meet with me? Psalm 145:18, “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” Jeremiah 29:12, “Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.”

Will you take a moment to reevaluate your prayer life? Is it becoming routine? Do you find yourself doing more “asking” than “seeking and listening?” Do you keep a prayer list or perhaps a journal?

Whatever your method, seek to do it more….to include more….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.

Learn from Lydia

There are a lot of interesting mentions of women in the Bible. Whether it is the Old Testament or New Testament, there are many strong, yet oddly missed, lessons from women that we can familiarize ourselves with to strengthen our faith. One such woman is named Lydia. She provides a very powerful lesson for us. We find one particular mention of her in the book of Acts. Acts 16:14 , says that Lydia “reverenced God, and the Lord opened her heart to accept what Paul was saying.” Lydia is actually a significant person in the New Testament. She is described as “a dealer in purple goods” (Acts 16:14). Pointing that out is quite a clue. Dealing in “purple goods” was considered a luxury in the ancient world. It is probably safe to say that she was both a woman of great financial means and able to deal successfully with the influential people of her time. She was also noted as having a great gift of persuasion. I think she might have been the only perso...

Tetelestai!

Just before Jesus gives up His spirit on the cross, He utters a very powerful word. The word that He cries out is “ tetelestai” (tih-tellis-tie). When literally translated, this word means, “It is finished.” It can also refer to something completed or accomplished. The word occurs in John 19:28 and 19:30 and these are the only two places in all of the New Testament where it is found. In the John19:28 passage, it is translated, “After this, when Jesus knew that all things were now completed , in order that the scripture might be fulfilled, he said, ‘I thirst.’” Two verses later, he utters the word himself: “Then when he received the sour wine Jesus said, ‘ It is finished ,’ and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” Did you know that the word tetelestai was also written on business documents or receipts in New Testament times to show indicating that a bill had been paid in full? The Greek-English lexicon (by Moulton and Milligan) sa...

The Power of Words

We’ve probably have all heard the little tune “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” I learned this as a child, but as I grew older over the years, it became more and more apparent that this small jingle is far from the truth. Words can hurt me. Words can be deadly and even life-threatening. I have concluded that the only form of homicide that goes unpunished in the world today is “verbal homicide.” We can use words to “kill” the self-esteem of another person. We can “kill” their potential or "kill" their momentum and ability to grow and learn. All by the words we use. Proverbs 18:20 (NLT) tells us, “Wise words satisfy like a good meal; the right words bring satisfaction.” Proverbs 11:9 (NLT) also says “With their words, the godless destroy their friends, but knowledge will rescue the righteous.” We need to seriously consider the choice of words we use when speaking to others. We must formulate in our minds, before speaking, wo...

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