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Why Should I Pray?
You can change the world through prayer! If you?re so sick of seeing sin taking over in our world, and seeing Satan deceive so many, prayer is the answer! The Bible clearly states to us that when we pray, the impossible becomes possible. Therefore, you can change others through prayer, and you can change yourself through prayer. In other words, you CAN change the world with the help of God! We are told that,
You must pray in order to keep yourself from falling into sin. Of course we?re not perfect and we will always mess up, but I truly believe that we would mess up a lot less if we would ask God daily to keep us on the straight and narrow. In Matthew, Jesus says to his disciples,
When you feel temptation coming on, and even when you don?t (because that?s when Satan will deceive you the most), stop and pray. Ask the Lord to give you the strength and the courage to overcome the temptation so that you can turn from the sin instead of falling into it. Do you want to please God? As a Christian, the answer should be a resounding YES!!! Well, if you truly want to please God, as every Christian should, then check this scripture out...
"The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, BUT the PRAYER of the upright, PLEASES HIM." (Proverbs 15:7-9)
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Pray can heal you physically and spiritually. If you feel far from God, like you've messed up one too many times, prayer can and will help you! Through prayer, God will hear you and bring you back to Him. If someone needs to be healed, use prayer! God is the almighty doctor! I know from personal experience and through the testimonies of others, that prayer can heal you physically. The Bible tells us that,
Once again, you can do ANYTHING when it comes to the power of God. If you have faith in God and trust Him enough to spend time in prayer, God will work wonders in your life! No, you won't get everything you ask for or everything that you want, but you will get everything that you NEED from Him. If you have a dream that you want to fullfill, or even an obstacle (whether person, place, or thing) that you're trying to overcome, put your trust in the ONE who can and will get you through it! Remember the words of Jesus Christ...
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The Bible gives us many instructions on exactly how to pray, and how not to pray, so let's begin.......... The one most important thing you must remember if you want prayer to work, is that you CAN NOT give up! You have to pray without ceasing. Simply put, ceasing basically means to stop, and that's one thing you don't want to do! No matter how tough things get, don't give up! If things seem to be getting worse, pray harder because that means it's working! The more you pray, the harder Satan is going to try to make things worse to discourage you. Don't fall for his lies! Like the famous saying goes..."Sometimes, for things to get better, they have to get worse! That is so true. But God tells us specifically NOT to give up. He tells us in His word that one such believer, known as Aaron, was heard because he prayed without ceasing:
Other scriptures on this type of prayer, include the following:
"Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's Will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:16) "O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water." (Psalm 63:1-2) "And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground." (Luke 22:43-45) "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him" (Hebrews 11:5-7) "Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years." (James 5:16-18) The Bible is very clear on quiet time. We are told to pray to God in secret, where only He can see and hear us. I believe that this is very important. Spending time alone with God is one way to remain focused on Him without being disturbed. It's also important to tell God what you want/need and leave it at that. Don't worry about using fancy language or rambling on and on and on. God knows what you need and you don't even have to go into great detail, trying to explain it to Him. The following scripture proves that both of these points are true...
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YES....and no. The Bible tells us that there are times in which we should pray with others, and it also tells us that we need to spend time praying alone, just us and God. It's good to pray with others because as Christians, we need to help build one another up. When Christians pray together in agreement, God goes to work! That's not to say that he doesn't work when you pray alone. He works both ways! However, sometimes when you have another Christian praying with you, it helps you to feel stronger. It's also comforting to know that you're not alone and that someone else is praying to God on behalf of you. In the Bible we are told,
"They all joined constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary, the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers." (Acts 1:14) However, as I said earlier, we are also told to pray alone. Even Jesus went away from everyone and spent time with God all by himself.
"Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed." (Mark 1:35) |
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ANSWER.....EVERYONE! Christians spend so much time complaining and criticizing everyone from celebrities like Britney Spears to politicians to anyone who they just don't like or get along with. If those Christians, spent as much time in prayer for these people, as they do putting them down, think of what would happen! How anyone thinks people will change or things will get better through mocking, criticizing, and being arrogant, is beyond me! PRAYER is what works, not mean spirited comments or thoughts, even if they seem justified! A great sign of faith and love is when you pray for those who seem to be the most unlovable or the most annoying! The more someone bothers you, the more you need to PRAY! That is proof that you are truly doing your best to be Christ-like. Jesus reached out to the lost, he didn't shun them or even mock them. Yes, He told them sin was wrong, but he did so in a loving way.
"In EVERYTHING, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." (Philippians 4:6) "I urge you then, first of all, that ALL requests, prayers, intercessions and thanksgiving, be made for EVERYONE: for kings and all of those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in godliness and holiness." (1 Timothy 2:1-2) While there is nothing wrong with praying for people you like or those you know personally, I urge all of you to begin praying for those who are the hardest to like. I also urge you to pray for those you don't know personally, like celebrities and politicians around the world (both Christian and non Christian). When you find yourself about to slam someone, make a joke about them, gossip about them, etc., stop yourself and PRAY! But pray in a loving manner, not in a condescending way. Pray for GOD'S WILL to be done, NOT your will! You may think you know what's best for this person, or you may think it's okay to say something like, "Lord, please get this person out of the music business and make them go away," but that kind of prayer is not okay! God knows better then you. He knows their hearts and what they truly need. Nothing in this world will change for the better if we don't pray for people around the world, and nothing will ever get better if we continue acting as if we know what needs to be done! God knows, so let him do the work, okay?! |