How to pray
(Part I: Prayer and Praise/Christian Ministry Workshop)
There is one ministry that most everyone can do, regardless of whether
- You live in a country where persecution is the order of the day, - You are a caretaker and cannot get out of the house
- You have a disability that limits your mobility
- You consider yourself "too young" or "too old" - no such thing!
- You are from another country than the one you live in
- Etc., etc.
I will share a few tips that will help you become a more effective "prayer warrior:"
To begin with, prayer is communicating with God. But how do we approach the most holy Creator of the Universe? With reverence and humility. Here is a fuller map or outline of how we can become serious prayer warriors:
- You must make Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior of your life, with absolute surrender, no holding back anything. This is the starting point for your life to change.
I John 2:2 - "He [Jesus Christ] is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world."
You can find more details about God's "rescue plan" at https://www.gotquestions.org/plan-of-salvation.html
- Ask the Holy Spirit to show you areas of your life that you have not surrendered to the Lord. Believe me, the Holy Spirit is very thorough. It's important to repent of sins (don't hold onto any of them; it's not worth it), and the Holy Spirit might even lead you to make restitution where possible and to ask others for forgiveness. Your healing may depend on obeying the leading to the best of your ability.
Psalm 66:18 - "If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened;"
Matthew 5:23-24 (NIV) - "23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift."
See more on this at https://billygraham.org/…/seek-the-forgiveness-of-those-yo…/
- Some of these things may apply even if you have been a Christian for sometime, for years.
The best way to jump start your Christian walk is to seek God's help on what He wants you to do.
- Seek the help of mature (mature in the faith) Christians if you have lingering issues that you have had trouble overcoming. James 5:14-16 (NIV)
"14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective."
If you have access to a professional Christian counselor, then take advantage of that opportunity and make an appointment. If not, then remember that one of the Lord's names is "Counselor." Get with other believers, be honest , and ask them to pray with and for you.
We cannot pray effectively for others if we ourselves are weighed down with a multitude of unresolved issues.
I'll mention an example here: A member of a prayer team that I am familiar with happened to mention one day that (the team member will remain unnamed) was suicidal. I thought to myself 'what???!!' I prayed for this team member and recommended to this team member to follow up with a church counselor.
Another
example from another church family is a young woman who wanted to serve
the Lord and was involved with a married man at the church she
attended. Both of them found it comfortable to attend the same church,
and for some reason, did not see (then) a reason to end the
relationship.
Repentance is a regular event for Christians. We must stayed "prayed up" and be walking in the light we have with the faith we have at the time. Otherwise, we're just causing others to stumble and are setting a poor example of what "victory in Jesus" is all about.
Being in Christian fellowship is very important for encouragement and accountability. I am fortunate that I have Christian friends that I was able to turn to as my "accountability committee." Amen! I praise God for that privilege.
Look, I once stood in front of a bunch of strangers (though most of them knew who I was), probably more than a 100 people, to confess a certain sin. The service called on those sitting there to do so if they felt led ... Well, I got up there and died a thousand deaths before I blurted out what I wanted help with. I don't recommend this process for everyone, but I felt then that it was important to break the hold the sin had on me and to stop being a hypocrite.
Did it help? Yes, but you still have to stay prayed up and repent of whatever you may start doing that is not pleasing to the Lord.
Out of His mercy, later on God literally plucked me up from a situation that was perilous. I have so much more over the course of my life thus far to be thankful for to the Lord. How can I not serve Him with every ounce of my being? I shared this personal tidbit to encourage someone out there! And, to bring Glory to God! He is able!
- Read and study Bible verses about prayer and faith (this should be an ongoing process) before you get started on praying for others, before embarking on the prayer of intercession.
We get our issues fixed, and then we can focus on others. There's an old hymn called "Trust and Obey" that says "Trust and obey, For there's no other way, to be happy in Jesus, But to trust and obey."
The Lord has already done the hard work - through his crucifixion, death and resurrection - and so we can turn to Him as children with simple faith and trust.
The next segment will deal with the aspect of praise, which is fundamental to how we approach God, the Creator of the Universe. Praise tends to get short shrift. Thanksgiving and
Praise - that how we approach the Lord before we present our list of petitions. More details on that next, along with some tips on praise music ...
Psalm 100:4 (KJV) "Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name."
Start building up your repertoire of praise songs - some are short choruses that are easy to memorize and sing at home or in Bible studies, etc. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kgQNT6MIIw
See the order, thanksgiving at the gates, and praise inside the courts as we get closer ...
Shalom!
Faith Today Christian Ministries
Yours truly
(Rev) Diana Washington Valdez
(Part I: Prayer and Praise/Christian Ministry Workshop)
 |
| Courtesy graphic. |
- You live in a country where persecution is the order of the day, - You are a caretaker and cannot get out of the house
- You have a disability that limits your mobility
- You consider yourself "too young" or "too old" - no such thing!
- You are from another country than the one you live in
- Etc., etc.
I will share a few tips that will help you become a more effective "prayer warrior:"
To begin with, prayer is communicating with God. But how do we approach the most holy Creator of the Universe? With reverence and humility. Here is a fuller map or outline of how we can become serious prayer warriors:
- You must make Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior of your life, with absolute surrender, no holding back anything. This is the starting point for your life to change.
I John 2:2 - "He [Jesus Christ] is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world."
You can find more details about God's "rescue plan" at https://www.gotquestions.org/plan-of-salvation.html
- Ask the Holy Spirit to show you areas of your life that you have not surrendered to the Lord. Believe me, the Holy Spirit is very thorough. It's important to repent of sins (don't hold onto any of them; it's not worth it), and the Holy Spirit might even lead you to make restitution where possible and to ask others for forgiveness. Your healing may depend on obeying the leading to the best of your ability.
Psalm 66:18 - "If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened;"
Matthew 5:23-24 (NIV) - "23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift."
See more on this at https://billygraham.org/…/seek-the-forgiveness-of-those-yo…/
- Some of these things may apply even if you have been a Christian for sometime, for years.
The best way to jump start your Christian walk is to seek God's help on what He wants you to do.
- Seek the help of mature (mature in the faith) Christians if you have lingering issues that you have had trouble overcoming. James 5:14-16 (NIV)
"14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective."
If you have access to a professional Christian counselor, then take advantage of that opportunity and make an appointment. If not, then remember that one of the Lord's names is "Counselor." Get with other believers, be honest , and ask them to pray with and for you.
We cannot pray effectively for others if we ourselves are weighed down with a multitude of unresolved issues.
I'll mention an example here: A member of a prayer team that I am familiar with happened to mention one day that (the team member will remain unnamed) was suicidal. I thought to myself 'what???!!' I prayed for this team member and recommended to this team member to follow up with a church counselor.
[We can have "wounded" prayer warriors, same as wounded warriors from combat, but wounded in spirit. Proverbs 8:14 (NLT) "The human spirit can endure a sick body, but who can bear a crushed spirit?" If you're a wounded prayer warrior, don't hesitate to get help for healing ....]
Repentance is a regular event for Christians. We must stayed "prayed up" and be walking in the light we have with the faith we have at the time. Otherwise, we're just causing others to stumble and are setting a poor example of what "victory in Jesus" is all about.
Being in Christian fellowship is very important for encouragement and accountability. I am fortunate that I have Christian friends that I was able to turn to as my "accountability committee." Amen! I praise God for that privilege.
Look, I once stood in front of a bunch of strangers (though most of them knew who I was), probably more than a 100 people, to confess a certain sin. The service called on those sitting there to do so if they felt led ... Well, I got up there and died a thousand deaths before I blurted out what I wanted help with. I don't recommend this process for everyone, but I felt then that it was important to break the hold the sin had on me and to stop being a hypocrite.
Did it help? Yes, but you still have to stay prayed up and repent of whatever you may start doing that is not pleasing to the Lord.
Out of His mercy, later on God literally plucked me up from a situation that was perilous. I have so much more over the course of my life thus far to be thankful for to the Lord. How can I not serve Him with every ounce of my being? I shared this personal tidbit to encourage someone out there! And, to bring Glory to God! He is able!
- Read and study Bible verses about prayer and faith (this should be an ongoing process) before you get started on praying for others, before embarking on the prayer of intercession.
We get our issues fixed, and then we can focus on others. There's an old hymn called "Trust and Obey" that says "Trust and obey, For there's no other way, to be happy in Jesus, But to trust and obey."
The Lord has already done the hard work - through his crucifixion, death and resurrection - and so we can turn to Him as children with simple faith and trust.
The next segment will deal with the aspect of praise, which is fundamental to how we approach God, the Creator of the Universe. Praise tends to get short shrift. Thanksgiving and
Praise - that how we approach the Lord before we present our list of petitions. More details on that next, along with some tips on praise music ...
Psalm 100:4 (KJV) "Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name."
Start building up your repertoire of praise songs - some are short choruses that are easy to memorize and sing at home or in Bible studies, etc. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kgQNT6MIIw
See the order, thanksgiving at the gates, and praise inside the courts as we get closer ...
Shalom!
Faith Today Christian Ministries
Yours truly
(Rev) Diana Washington Valdez
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