But where to begin? I believe praying for Canada is a good example of how we can feel ...
Happy Canada Day! This is a day for us to remember how blessed we are to be Canadians living and worshipping freely every day. It also reminds us that we have a responsibility to pray for God's blessings and will over our nation throughout the year. You might say we are ALL called to pray for Canada.
But where to begin? I believe praying for Canada is a good example of how we can feel ...
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If someone asked me what the most crucial part of my Christian life is, I would say prayer. It is through spending time with God that I am changed, strengthened, and guided each day. During times in His presence, I am reminded of His unfailing goodness and love. I cannot help but be humbled by His holiness, cleansed by His forgiveness, and empowered by His Spirit. Prayer is not just a time of sharing our needs with God, although that is an important part. Here is a 7-minute video on Persevering Prayer! Simply click on it. We are excited to also be providing closed captioning. If it is displayed when the video starts and you don't want it showing, simply click the CC down in the lower right, off. I pray it blesses you as you persevere in prayer! GIVING BIRTH TO GOD’S PLANS THROUGH PRAYER - TRAVAILING PRAYER Romans 8:26: In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. In the last month or so, 3 friends (two are members of this group!) have given birth to precious, healthy, and beautiful babies! I have so enjoyed seeing the pictures on Facebook and on Sunday I was blessed to see two of them in person. Those babies are scrumptious! Well, I’ll stop myself from going on about their cuteness as I realize this is a group for prayer and not babies! You may be asking: Where is she going with this or how can this have anything to do with prayer? Well, these wondrous events reminded me of how we, as God’s children, can give birth to His plans through our prayers and intercession. You might say that many of us at this very moment are pregnant with God’s plans and need to learn how to release His plans and purposes. One powerful way we do that is through TRAVAILING PRAYER. Webster’s New World Dictionary defines Travail as: “ 1. Very hard work; 2. The pains of childbirth. 3. Intense pain; to suffer the pains of childbirth.” Further, the definition of TRAVAILING PRAYER is: To birth; to bear, to have a conception and then deliver it; to be troubled. To toil and writhe in pain; to feel a weight upon you. If you have ever felt so heavily burdened as you pray for a person or situation that you begin to cry, moan or groan, you have experienced Travailing prayer. Travailing prayer is given to us by the Holy Spirit and releases His power into a situation to produce or give birth to something. It is hard work and can be very exhausting but God’s grace and power bring us through. It is a privilege to be used by God in this way! We read of Jesus travailing in John 11:33-44 at the death of Lazarus: v. 33 – He was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled; v. 35 – He wept;v. 38 – He groaned within Himself; v. 41 – “Father thank you that You have heard me.” Notice as you read these verses that Jesus travailed and released the Holy Spirit’s power before He even commanded Lazarus to come forth! Jesus also travailed in the Garden of Gethsemane, in Luke 22:44: “And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.” Hebrews 5:7 speaks of Jesus’ travailing prayers: “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission." CLOSING: It is important that, as we travail, we pray until the burden is lifted. Also, this type of praying is usually best done in the privacy of our own prayer times and is also more effective that way. More about that another time! God bless you and your loved ones. I have often thought that the importance and impact of Prayer is underestimated. The fact is that to bring the situations, requests, and problems of God’s people before Him is truly a holy and selfless ministry. It has been said that we are never more Christlike than when we intercede for others. I was so touched and inspired by this poem about the Ministry of Prayer by Annie Lind Woodworth, a ... Remember to praise and give thanks to God everyday! Ephesians 5:19b-20 Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. “Can we really give thanks for EVERYTHING? Much depends on our perspective. In the verses preceding this one, Paul encourages us to make the most of every opportunity to do good. He doesn’t say everything is good or easy. In fact, he comments that we live in evil days. But we can CHOOSE HOW WE RESPOND to good and bad. So, Paul says, do good, sing songs, make music to God. Not necessarily because life’s events inspire melody and dancing, but because the One who watches over all of life’s events sees the beginning and the end. God knows the final outcome and asks us to trust Him for it. Knowing that God has an eternal perspective produces a heart of thanks to Him for EVERYTHING.” The Prayer Bible p. 1539 18 “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. 19 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:18-19 I always look forward to the New Year and “the new thing” the Lord will do in my life! I also enjoy ending the year by prayerfully reflecting on ... PRAYER 101 - The Prayer of Petition, Part 2: How God answers our Prayers OUR PART IN RECEIVING GOD’S ANSWERS TO OUR PRAYERS We play an important part in receiving God’s answers to our prayers, whether His answer is yes, no, or not now. We must first examine ourselves and learn what we need to do in order to hear from Him. ... |
AuthorPastor Patricia Bryan is the founding Pastor of His Path Christian Centre and the Pastor of Prayer for Foursquare Canada. She is also the founder of The Prayer Canopy, Christian Women's Heath Network and holds seminars and workshops for pastors, church leaders, and all those interest in prayer. Archives
May 2015
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