Prayer with an Attitude

The Bible tells us we should “pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Unfortunately, for many of us, a few minutes spent in prayer feels like forever. Why do we struggle so much with prayer when we know how vital it is to our relationship with God?

We certainly don’t lack information about how to pray. Christian bookstores are packed with books that explain in great detail the various methods of prayer. But perhaps we need to also direct our attention to our motivation, our attitude, in prayer. The following article, entitled “Focus on the Father” by Rusty Rustenbach(excerpted from Discipleship Journal, Issue 6), explores how our attitude can make prayer an adventure rather than a burden.  As you read through the article, underline any portions that stand out to you. Then respond to the questions and exercises.

Privilege of Prayer

Of all the ingredients in discipleship, the area many of us struggle with most is prayer. According to one recently published estimate, a typical Christian layman spends about three and a half minutes each day in prayer. Full-time Christian workers average about seven minutes per day. This pitiful situation must amaze even the Lord Himself, for Isaiah 59:16 records that when no one was found to intercede for His people, God was appalled. Why do we fail to take full advantage of the privilege of prayer? Is it a lack of discipline? Are we too busy? Are we unmotivated?

1. What things make it difficult for you to spend quality time in prayer?

_Too busy or tired

_ Can’t concentrate

_ Don’t know what to pray about

_ Don’t feel like it

_ Feel guilty

_ Not convinced it makes a difference

Perhaps the basic cause of our weakness in prayer relates to how we view God. We may have no genuine awe for the One “who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth (Isaiah 51:13). God seems more like a superhero from a child’s cartoon, whittled down to human size.

If we aren’t captivated by God, prayer is a tedious task. It becomes a discipline that only those with wills of steel can master. I once regarded prayer as “gutting it out” before God. It meant trying to bring reams and reams of petitions before the Lord. The more requests I could bring, the more spiritual I was.

2. What similarities do you see between the author’s approach (bringing “reams and reams of petitions before the Lord”) and Jesus’ admonition in Matthew 6:7?

3. How would you compare the focus of prayer in Matthew 6:7 with the focus in Matthew 6:9-13? Which of these is most like yourapproach to prayer?

Communion or Wrestling Match? 

4. Which of the following statements describe your general attitude toward prayer? Check all that apply.

_ Prayer is like a marriage—it is hard work but can be very rewarding.

_ I want to like prayer, but I really don’t.

_ Prayer is like writing “thank you” notes—it is an obligation I need to fulfill.

_ I look forward to prayer.

_ I enjoy the time I spend in prayer, but I would like to go deeper.

_ Other:

Yet God reminded me of the truth I was neglecting: He wanted to commune with me. What does this mean? Communion is defined as the intimate sharing of thoughts and emotions, and an intimate fellowship, rapport, or communication. This is the kind of relationship God wants with me.

5. How is God’s desire for communion (intimate relationship) with us expressed in the following verses?

c. Jeremiah 33:3

d. Matthew 23:37

e. Romans 5:8-10

6. Summarize in your own words the most significant or meaningful insight you gained from the verses above.

What Is Your Picture of God?

I saw I had become hardened to the excitement of walking in continual awareness of God’s presence. I realized afresh that He desires open communion with me. He has little interest in the petition gymnastics I was trying to perfect in prayer. He wants me to be preoccupied with Himself. Seeing God this way enables us to stand in awe of Him. It stimulates our heart to vital communion and conversation with Him. Seeing God as He is requires faith on our part, but whoever is enamored and thrilled with God is then rightly motivated to pray. Discipline will still be necessary, but prayer won’t be drudgery. I believe that is what John 4:24 is hinting at: “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth” (emphasis added).

7. Read John 4:4-30, the context of the story of the woman at the well.

a. How did the Samaritan woman’s inaccurate picture of God affect her ability to worship Him   “in spirit and in truth”?

b. What aspects of God’s character are hardest for you to grasp (for example, all-powerful, ever-present, all-knowing, sovereign, holy, righteous, loving, merciful, faithful, and so on)? How might this affect your prayer life?

By Michael M. Smith

SEVEN CHARACTERISTICS OF MERCY

Hello there,

I stumbled on this Powerful message On showing Mercy and decided to share here.Happy Reading!

Mercy is like a diamond; it is multi-faceted. Today we’re going to look at seven facets of mercy, because I guarantee if you’ll learn how to be an agent of mercy, it will transform your relationships.     “The wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy.” (James 3:17a NLT, second edition)

• Mercy means being patient with people’s quirks. How do you get more patience for your kids, spouse, or friends? The Bible says in James 3:17, “The wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy” (NLT, second edition). The wiser you become, the more patient and merciful you become.

• Mercy means helping anyone around you who is hurting. You cannot love your neighbor as yourself without being merciful. Proverbs 3:27 says, “Whenever you possibly can, do good to those who need it” (TEV). But God is not simply watching what you do. He’s watching your attitude: “[When you] show mercy, do it cheerfully” (Romans 12:8 NIV).

• Mercy means giving people a second chance. When somebody hurts us, we normally want to get even or write that person off. But the Bible says, “Stop being bitter and angry and mad at others. Don’t yell at one another or curse each other or ever be rude. Instead, be kind and merciful, and forgive others, just as God forgave you because of Christ” (Ephesians 4:31-32 CEV).

• Mercy means doing good to those who hurt you. Mercy is giving people what they need, not what they deserve. Why should we do it? Because that’s what God does with you: “Love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because [God] is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:35-36 NIV).

• Mercy means being kind to those who offend you. You’ve got to be more interested in winning people to Christ than in winning the argument. Jude 1:22-23 says, “Show mercy to those who have doubts. Save others by snatching them from the fire of hell. Show mercy to others, even though you are afraid that you might be stained by their sinful lives” (GW).

• Mercy means building bridges of love to the unpopular. This is what I call premeditated mercy, because you intentionally build friendships with people who don’t have friends or who are not accepted at work or in society. When the Pharisees questioned why Jesus ate with tax collectors and other unpopular people, Jesus said, “‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners” (Matthew 9:13b NLT, second edition).

• Mercy means valuing relationships over rules. Romans 13:10 says, “Love fulfills the requirements of God’s law.” If you want to show mercy, put people before policies. Put their needs before procedures. Put relationships before regulations. Choose love over law.

Action Points
In today’s cultural climate, why is it often easier to be more interested in winning the argument than in winning people to Christ? If mercy means valuing relationships over rules, what do you need to change about the way you interact with your coworkers? What about with your children? How can you be intentional this week about showing mercy to people around you who are hurting?

  Originally posted by Daily Hope with Rick Warren

Four Reasons God Expects You to Be Merciful

"God blesses those who are merciful,for they will be shown mercy."(Matthew 5:7 NLT,Second Edition)

Jesus says in Matthew 5:7, “God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy” (NLT, second edition). In other words, what you give, you’re going to get. You’ve got to learn to be a minister of mercy if you want God’s blessing on your life. But why does God expect you to show mercy to others? Why should you be merciful? Because God has shown you mercy. Ephesians 2:4-5 says, “God’s mercy is so abundant, and his love for us is so great, that while we were spiritually dead in our disobedience he brought us to life with Christ. It is by God’s grace that you have been saved” (TEV). God wants you to pass on the mercy that you’ve received from him.  Because God commands you to be merciful. Do you want a summary of what life’s all about? Here it is: “The LORD has told you what is good. This is what the LORD requires from you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to live humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8 GW). Because you’re going to need more mercy in the future. You’re going to make a lot of mistakes between now and when you get to Heaven, and you’re going to need God’s mercy when you do. But you cannot receive what you are unwilling to give. James 2:13 says, “You must show mercy to others, or God will not show mercy to you when he judges you. But the person who shows mercy can stand without fear at the judgment” (NCV). Because showing mercy brings or causes happiness. Matthew 5:7 says that God blesses those who are merciful. The word “blessed” also means “happy,” so the more you learn and demonstrate this quality, the more blessed and happier you’re going to be. Action Point What does it mean to “love mercy”? How have you seen God bless you when you made the sometimes difficult but right decision to show mercy to someone? Think of some ways that you could have shown mercy to others in the last week. How do you think it might have changed the outcome of the situation? Culled:Daily Hope with Rick W arren

3 THINGS ABOUT GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY

      “God never does anything accidentally, and he never makes mistakes.”

    – Rick Warren

1. There are No Accidents

God never makes a mistake and He even uses our mistakes for His glory and for His purpose. This “we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Rom 8:28). It doesn’t say that all the good things nor does it say that all the bad things work for our best but all things both the good and bad and even the evil done against us. Consider the cross. God was not caught off guard by Calvary. This was no “oops” moment. It had been foreordained for our redemption (Isaiah 53).

2. He is in Charge Always

Joseph’s story reminds us all that God is always in charge. He was abused by his brothers, thrown into a pit, they wanted to kill him, they sold him into slavery, he was unjustly thrown into prison, yet Joseph knew that “God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today” (Gen 50:20) and by God helping Joseph interpret Pharaoh’s dream, much of the civilized world was saved at that time.

3. He doesn't do anything without Purpose

We might think that what we are going through doesn’t have a purpose but God set in motion everything in our lives to make it known that “we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will” (Eph 1:11). Even when Paul was imprisoned unjustly, much like Joseph, this imprisonment allowed Paul to write much of the New Testament. I have always wondered if Paul hadn’t been thrown into prison, would we have had half of his letters, which were the “prison epistles?” Paul even used being chained to Roman guards as an opportunity to tell them about the gospel of Jesus Christ. Nothing in this life is ever wasted as far as God is concerned and nothing is without purpose in the sovereignty of God.

Conclusion

It is true that God never does anything accidentally and he never makes mistakes and will work all things together for our good; He will use even the bad for our good; and whatever happens to us in this life fulfills God’s purpose for our life.

Credit:Christian Quotes

4 Proofs That You Are Not A Mistake

“You weren’t an accident. You were deliberately planned.”– Max Lucado

Hello there,

At one point of our lives,we have felt like giving up or throwing in the towel because of a situation beyond our power or difficulties we didn't imagine to happen,but there is HOPE for us again.This post will give you reasons why You shouldn't give up so soon because You were planned for, not just  any mistake.YOU were designed  for a purpose right before the world began.

1. You were Predestined

Did you know that you were no accident? I have accidents ,yes, but God? Never! Paul writes 

that God “chose us in him before the foundation of the world” (Eph 1:4) and more specifically, “He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will” (Eph 1:5). To make sure we understand this, Paul again writes “In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will” (Eph 1:11). Imagine that; before the foundation of the earth was established, He “chose us in him” which I simply can’t wrap my mind around.

2. Named before Birth

The psalmist must have had this knowledge too, otherwise why would he boldly write “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb” (Psalm 139:13). That was no accident either. Indeed, “This is what the LORD says– your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb” (Isaiah 44:24). Now, let’s go back before you were even in the womb as Jeremiah writes “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations” (Jer 1:5). Yes, this was about Jeremiah as he was called to be a prophet but God also knew us…before we were in the womb. That is simply incredible.

3. In the Book of Life

When the disciples came back with joy after Jesus sent them out, Christ said “rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20b) but what does this mean? It is just as Jesus said “I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels” (Rev 3:5).

4. You were Foreknown

God obviously planned you because “for those who are called according to his purpose” (Rom 8:28b) and “those whom he foreknew he also predestined” (Rom 8:29) and to make sure we get it, Paul again writes that “those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified” (Rom 8:30). Make no mistake about it; you were called according to His plan and purpose; you who were predestined were the ones He called; and to make sure it’s abundantly clear, those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified (through Christ), and those He justified He also glorified, though it is yet to come.

Conclusion

Jesus gave us a hint of our planning by God as He said “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world” (Matt 25:34) so we know that you were predestined, you were known before birth, your names were written in heaven, and you were foreknown, so obviously, you weren’t an accident. You were deliberately planned.

Culled:Christian Quotes

How Gentleness Calms Conflict

“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” (Proverbs 15:1 NIV)

Have you noticed that human beings have a tendency to mimic the emotions of people across from us? The reason we do this is because of mirror neurons in your brain. They allow you to sympathize and also to mirror what other people feel.

For instance, if somebody gets angry with you, you get angry back. If somebody is really depressed and you hang around that person long enough, you get depressed.

In the same way, when people raise their voice against you, you usually raise your voice back. Then they raise their voice higher. Then you raise your voice higher. Then pretty soon it’s escalated, and your emotions are out of control.

The Bible says, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger”(Proverbs 15:1 NIV).

Let me give you a little tip that will save you a lot of heartache and conflict in your life: When other people raise their voice, lower yours — in your marriage, in your parenting, in your friendships, and at work. That’s called strength under control.

Gentleness defuses conflict. It deescalates anger.

Here’s a good verse you’re going to need someday — maybe even this week. Ecclesiastes 10:4 says, “If your boss is angry at you, don’t quit! A quiet spirit can overcome even great mistakes” (NLT, second edition).

When your boss rips into you or your spouse raises his voice in anger, you need to realize it may not have anything to do with you. Instead of getting defensive, practice gentleness. Let your gentle answer disarm the other person and diffuse the situation.

Action Points:

1. What is your normal reaction to raised voices, such as when your kids are misbehaving or there is a disagreement with your spouse or partner?
2. Why do you think responding in gentleness rather than anger is so disarming? Why does it get people’s attention?
3. Look for ways to practice gentleness this week. How do people react when you respond to them with gentleness? You may even want to record your efforts and their effect and share it with your small group.

Credit:Pastor Rick Warren

Sharing Jesus - Our Job! Our Responsibility!

Telling others the gospel can be a disappointing experience, but God wants us to continue!

That day was the happiest day of my life,knowing I had Jesus with me.And I had a desire to share Him with others.

Although I tried, most of the people I met rejected Him ... leaving me really disappointed and with a mix of feelings:

• Why try to share God if they won’t accept Him at all?
• God is offering them a free gift, what more do they want?
• It hurts to be rejected. The God I love and yearn for was just rejected ... and will be rejected by many more.
• The worst thing is that He loves them so much, and it means nothing to them.

These feelings and thoughts almost pushed me to stop sharing Christ. But Jesus said in Matthew 24:14:

And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations [all people] will hear it; and then the end will come.

The end will come—not when everybody has accepted Christ, but when everyone has heard about Him. And it is up to them (not me) whether they accept him or not. 

This made me realise that it's our job as Christians to let everyone hear about Jesus. But each person is responsible for their response (which is between him/ her and God only). We hope they will accept Him, but even if they don't, we need to keep going anyway!

So, let’s continue to share Jesus to others. Let everyone hear about what He has done. For when everyone hears about Him, then our God will come and receive the Glory He deserves.

“Success in witnessing is simply taking the initiative to share Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit, and leaving the results to God.” -Campus Crusade for Christ

                                                          This Post was originally seen on fervr