Learning To Pray

TODAY’S VERSE
“One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.’ He said to them, ‘When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.”’
Luke 11:1-2 (NIV)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
There is much to learn about praying. It seems so easy, “just talk to God”, but then why don’t we do it? Instead we act as if we are calling in a take-out order at a restaurant. Nothing really personal just putting in our request. Or we leave messages on the heavenly answering machine because we don’t expect God to “pick-up”. Where is the relationship? The disciples saw Jesus pray and they knew the impact it had on His ministry. They saw the relationship. Can you imagine how that must have been? It was enough that one of His disciples asked Jesus to show him how to pray. And what was the first thing Jesus modeled? He said, “Father”. Prayer for Jesus was about His relationship with His father. Larry Crabb in his book The Papa Prayer writes, “The chief purpose of prayer is to get to know God, to deepen our relationship with Him.” God wants a relationship with you! He created you for fellowship. Prayer is more than just a shopping list, more than simple confession, more than a one way conversation. It is a dialog, a relationship. It is you getting to know God and fellowshipping “with” Him not “at” Him. Might your prayer be today, “Dear Lord, teach me to pray.”

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, I come to you now and ask you to teach me to pray! I want a real relationship with you. I want to know you and fellowship with you. I want to know your thoughts, your desires, your direction for my life. Help me relate to you throughout the day so prayer becomes second nature to me. In Jesus Name.
AMEN

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION & MEDITATION
I partner with God in prayer
Today, picture yourself with Jesus. As He is near, look at Him and ask, “Jesus, please teach me to pray.” As you wait on God, feel your heart yearn for a deeper relationship with Him. As you sense His presence, talk to Him, share your thoughts, ask Him to share His thoughts with you. Be still, listen, share, fellowship with Him. As you do, He will do with you what He did with the disciples. He will teach you to pray.

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Let’s Do It Again

TODAY’S VERSE
“Give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word. Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.’ After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness. All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all. There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need.”
Acts 4:29-35 (NLT)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
Is there any wonder why the Church grew so mightily in the first century? Men and women who had known Jesus Christ, who had experienced mighty miracles and had seen Jesus rise from the dead, were now filled with the Holy Spirit. They were on a mission to share the glorious THOUGHT of God’s forgiveness and grace to everyone they could. How does today’s passage compare to your church or personal Christian experience? Erwin McManus in his book, “The Barbarian Way,” writes, “Somehow Christianity has become a non-mystical religion. It is about reasonable faith. If we believe the right things, we are orthodox. Frankly, whether we ever actually connect to God or experience His undeniable presence has become incidental if not irrelevant.” Sadly, what McManus is saying is true. Today let us repent of our “reasonable faith” and join those in Acts asking God to fill us with His Spirit and give us boldness in sharing about Christ. Let us ask God for His healing power and miraculous signs and wonders. Finally, let us share with those in need, be united in our hearts and mind and testify powerfully of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus. May it be said of us that “God’s great blessing was upon them all.”

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, forgive us for powerless orthodoxy. Forgive us for our lack of faith and sacrifice. We pray for a holy boldness in our church. We pray for Your miraculous hand to come upon us and do mighty works. We pray for unity of hearts and mind. Might the places we worship be shaken. In Jesus’ Name.
AMEN

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION & MEDITATION
I am a disciple of Jesus Christ
Today stop and meditate with a conviction in your heart. You have committed yourself to follow Christ with passion so now spend time visualizing what that means. Picture yourself living for Him. Sense His power alive in your life. Picture mighty things happening because of your faith and expectancy. Finish by asking God to make you visions come true. Go and live as a Disciple of Christ.

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Fear No More

TODAY’S VERSE
“I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.”
Psalm 34:4 (NIV)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
Fear comes in different shapes and sizes. To be sure, there are full-blown phobias and crippling fears that can interrupt our life; but for most of us, fear is more insidious. Fears of rejection, insignificance, and abandonment may not interrupt our life but they can sure influence the way we think and act. You see, our thoughts, motives and behaviors are constantly shaped by either faith or fear. The Psalmist found the secret. He said that if we seek the Lord, He will deliver us from all our fears. Turn on the light of faith and the darkness of fear will dissipate. Decide to seek God today. Move away from fear, toward faith.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Lord, I want to trade my fears for faith. Today, when fear comes to my attention, I will seek You. I will seek You with all of my heart. Thank You that You promise to deliver me.
AMEN

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION & MEDITATION
God delivers me from all my fears
Which is it, “I am afraid.” or “I am fearful?” The truth is, you are not your fears, you have fears. You can separate yourself from your fear and observe it. So today, meditate on Christ being there when you have a fear and picture yourself giving it to Him. Watch Him take your fear and experience your heart slowing down, your body loosening up and a peace returning to your soul. Picture your fear coming to you like a wave in the ocean coming to shore and as you give your fear to Christ watch it come to the shore and dissipate on the sand. Say aloud, “God delivers me from all my fears.”

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It’s About Forgiveness

TODAY’S VERSE
The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.
Psalm 103:8-13 (NIV)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
If I had to pick two words to describe Christianity, it would be “love and forgiveness.” There is something about God’s love and forgiveness that is unique to Christianity. Jesus made it possible to really experience it. Read the verses again and then ask yourself, “Do I really believe that these verses apply to me?” This personalization is where change comes from. What you read in the Bible won’t change your life if you choose not to believe it. God says, “As high as the heavens are, so great is my love for you.” If you know Jesus as your Savior, then really know that your sins, yes all of them, are forever forgiven and forgotten.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for dying on the cross so that ALL my sins can be forgiven. Take my heart and draw me to Yourself even now. Surround me in Your love and forgiveness while I wait on You. Help me to really know and appreciate Your love and forgiveness, in all of its fullness, throughout this day. In Jesus’ name. AMEN

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION & MEDITATION
God is compassionate, forgiving and loving toward me
It is so easy to read those words and not really sense that they are true. Stop and muze on God’s compassion toward you. Feel His tenderness and mercy. Sense His forgiveness and His affectionate fondness toward you. Picture God’s loving gaze fixed upon you. Today know that God is compassionate, forgiving and loving toward you.

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Waiting On God

TODAY’S VERSE
“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
Isaiah 40:31 (KJV)
 
TODAY’S THOUGHT
Today’s passage is one of the secrets to living a joyful life. Other translations use the word “hope” or “trust” instead of wait. But with the word “wait” you have hope and trust in action. Waiting is a verb. So often WE want to do something and don’t wait to let God do His will. We want to “fix” things when God wants to bring change. Waiting is often the hardest work we can do. And the most profitable. So when you are worried sick – wait on the Lord. When you first get up in the morning– wait on the Lord. When your child is late getting home – wait on the Lord. When your money is running out – wait on the Lord.
When you get discouraging news – wait on the Lord. Today, wait on the Lord and He will renew your strength. He will help you soar like an eagle. He will help prevent you from getting weary or fainting. 
 
TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, help me to learn to wait on You. Help me trust You and put all my hope in You. Thank You that You have promised that I will not grow weary or faint.
AMEN
 
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION & MEDITATION
When I wait on God, He renews my strength
How do we wait? Chances are slowing down and meditating is hard because our tendency is to be busy, be thinking, be doing. So today, STOP! Take a deep breath and give yourself five minutes to just “wait” in God’s presence. Just wait. Nothing said, nothing done, just wait. When you are through, thank God for His presence with you and set a time to do it again. Watch, over time, He will renew your strength!

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Perfect Peace

TODAY’S VERSE

“You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock.”
Isaiah 26:3-4 (NLT)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
Every day is a new day. Every day! That means that today you have a choice. You can choose to move toward peace. You do this by trusting God. Trusting that no matter how you feel, no matter what the circumstances that God can still give you peace. He promises. Now peace may not take away the problems you are facing. Peace may not change any consequences you have or change the events of the past. But the peace that God offers passes our understanding. It supersedes our circumstances.  It brings hope where there is no hope. Today, come to God, fix your thoughts on Him and may He fill your heart with peace.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Dear Father, you know my heart. You know my circumstances. You know my needs. I come to You today and am fixing my thoughts on You, Your love for me and Your ability to overcome all my negativity. I ask for Your peace to fill my heart and mind.
In Jesus’ name I pray.
AMEN

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION & MEDITATION
God gives me peace!
Quiet your heart and go to a peaceful place in your mind. When you are quiet, picture God’s presence there. Invite God to invade your space. When you are conscious of His presence, tell Him that you want to put all your trust in Him. Give Him your worries, fears, concerns. Ask Him for faith, courage and peace. Hold your hands out to Him and receive all the faith, courage and peace your heart can hold. Be at peace in Him.

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Wholehearted Devotion

TODAY’S VERSE
“Acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you.”
1 Chronicles 28:9 (NIV)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
Have you ever felt like the famous U2 song, “And I still haven’t found what I’m looking for”? Perhaps the song, “Looking for love in all the wrong places?” What are you looking for? What is it that your heart desires? What does your soul seek? If it is unconditional love; if it is a deep sense of fulfillment; if it living a life with significance and purpose; then come to God and you will find it. God is the source of everything that you will ever need and the good news is that today’s passage promises that if you seek for God with all your heart and soul, He will be found. It is when you acknowledge that He is the ruler of your life and you serve Him with your whole heart that you will be able to find Him ever near. Today, seek Him. Open your heart and ask God to reveal Himself to you. Come to Jesus, admit your need, accept His gift of salvation and you will find His love to be more than enough, more than you will ever need. You will find what your heart has been looking for.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, I admit how easy it is to take my eyes off of you. How easy to focus on temporal earthly matters and miss what really counts. You are what my heart has been searching for. You are all that I really need and I come now seeking you with my whole heart. Guide me, and lead me to a deeper understanding of your love and grace. In Jesus’ name.
AMEN

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION & MEDITATION
My deepest needs are met in knowing God
As you quiet yourself, focus on the uneasiness of your own heart. Sense the anxiousness and uneasy feeling you go around with. Visualize yourself putting these uneasy feelings into a bag. See God offering you peace, joy and a deep sense of purpose. He is offering it to you in trade for your anxiety and uneasiness. Come closer to God and trade your bag for His new coat of peace and purpose. Take it from God and put it on. As you do, feel the deep warmth as His peace invades your being. Feel God meeting your deepest needs. This is it. This is what you have been looking for. This is the right place. Say out loud, “My deepest needs are met in knowing God.”

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Take Comfort, Then Give It Away

TODAY’S VERSE
“For when we came into Macedonia, this body of ours had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn—conflicts on the outside, fears within. But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus.”
II Corinthians 7:5-6 (NIV)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
It is hard to make it a week without feeling hassled. Frustrations, aggravations, conflicts, and temptations seem to be at every turn. Paul the Apostle certainly knew what it was like. Listen to his language: “harassed at every turn – conflicts on the outside and fears within.” And yet Paul shares with all confidence that he was comforted by God. In fact, he calls God the “God who comforts the downcast.” No matter what we go through, we can go through it knowing that God is committed to our comfort. He understands, He cares, He comforts. And notice one of the ways God comforts. He uses people like you and me to comfort others. God used Titus to be a comfort to Paul.  Today, be comforted by God. Let your soul be at peace. But don’t stop there. Go and help comfort someone else. Be a Titus to someone who is in desperate need of help.   

TODAY’S PRAYER
Lord, comfort my heart today. Might I find peace, joy, patience and hope in Your love. Might I find all I need in the love You have for me. At the same time, Dear Father, help me comfort others the way You have comforted me.
AMEN

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION & MEDITATION
God comforts me
As you come to God ask Him to show you any areas where you need comfort. Anxiety, fear, concern, anger, sorrow, shame. Let God bring it to your mind. As you sense what it is, visualize putting it in a box. Put it all in box and put the lid on it. Now take the box and bring it to Jesus. He is waiting. He wants to trade your box for comfort. He knows you and loves you. Give the box to Him and as you do let your body relax. Take a deep breath and say, “Comfort me Lord Jesus.” Relax and soak in God’s comfort. Ask Him, “More Lord, comfort me, give me peace deep in my heart.” Smile as you experience His presence and let His comfort fill your heart and mind.

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Move Closer

 TODAY’S VERSE
“And Peter followed at a distance.”
Luke 22:54 (NLT)
 
TODAY’S THOUGHT
Is that how your spiritual life seems? Jesus was taken away by an angry mob. Most of the disciples scattered in fear. Peter too was fearful but at least he decided to follow Jesus. However, he kept his distance. Fear does that. We become consumed with it. We think of the past and our failures and we look at the future with more pessimism and we miss the closeness of the Lord in the presence. We don’t give up on our faith, but its relevance to influence the immediate is lost in worry and fear. Today decide to move in closer. God has not abandoned you. He has not turned His back. Peter failed to remember what Jesus had told him only hours earlier. “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail.” Likewise, Jesus intercedes for you. There is no reason to keep at a distance. Instead, we can do what the author of Hebrews tells us to do. He writes, “Let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.”
 
TODAY’S PRAYER
Dear Jesus, I confess I have been following You at a distance. I have let fear, doubt and worry take place of my faith. I come today in obedience, boldly to Your throne and ask for Your mercy and Your grace. Thank You for interceding for me. Thank You that You have promised to help me when I need it the most.
AMEN
 
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION & MEDITATION
I am bringing all my cares and concerns to Jesus
Today’s devotion is full of imagery. Jesus told Peter, “I am praying for you.” The author of Hebrews told us to come boldly to the Throne of God. Let’s use our meditative ability to picture that and fill our hearts with peace. Quiet your heart and see Jesus praying for you. His love for you is evident and you can see it. See Him bidding you to come to the throne of God and get all the help you need. He is saying, “Come boldly because of the love He has for you. So come. Come to God now. Worship Him, love Him, give Him all your cares. In this moment, draw close to God.

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Grace, Mercy and Peace

TODAY’S VERSE
“May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy, and peace.”
II Timothy 1:2 (NLT)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
Could Paul possibly fit any more into one sentence? I don’t think there is a time I read this salutation that I don’t sense a deep stirring in my soul. It stops me dead in my tracks. I don’t need to go any further. It is all here. What else could we possibly need in life? Grace. God’s love, attention and salvation given to you freely, just because He wants to. Mercy. God’s forgiveness of your sins and provision for your life when there is no way in this world you deserve it. Peace. A peace with God and from God, deep in your heart, passing all your understanding. What a privilege, what a blessing, what an unbelievable gift from God. Will you receive it today? Will you agree with Paul? Will you request what God is freely giving, what Christ has so graciously provided? Today, may God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy, and peace.
 
TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, I come now to freely receive what You so freely offer. I ask to be filled with Your grace, mercy and peace. Make me so conscious of these gifts that my heart overflows with praise and thanksgiving and my life reflects the joy of this reality. In Jesus name.
AMEN

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION & MEDITATION
God fills my life with grace, mercy and peace
Picture yourself as an empty vessel. Ask God to fill you with His grace, mercy and peace. As you focus on God’s peace feel your body start to relax. Peace wonderful peace. Next focus on His mercy and let Him speak to you. Mercy… think of mercy and how God extends it to you. Finally grace… let His grace fill your mind. How He extends His favor toward you. Today let your mind focus on His grace, mercy and peace.

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