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More prayers of praise!

We continue today sharing devotionals from the book Let’s Pray: Talking to God with the Words of the Bible, by Dr. James Banks, who serves as a pastor at Peace Church in Durham, North Carolina and is a regular writer for Our Daily Bread.

In this short book, we are reminded that the prayers of the Bible are an amazing gift from God and they have so much to teach us. They help us understand how our Bible heroes like Jesus, Job, Mary, Moses, David, Samuel, and many others talked with God. These prayers can also help us talk to God. Just as Jesus used several of David’s prayers in his final moments on the cross in Matthew 27, we can find the prayers of scripture.

This is what Alex and Stephen Kendrick talk about in their book The Battle Plan for Prayer in the chapter called ‘Praying the Word.’ In the prayers of scripture, we find words that can help carry our thoughts and emotions to God. When we use the prayers from God’s word, humbly and with expectation, to encourage us in our own prayers, we can open our hearts and lives to deeper faith, renewed strength, blessings and God’s power. God invites us closer to him through the prayers of the Bible.

Today we’re going to share a couple more prayers to praise and honor God.

This is what Dr. Banks writes: true praise is praise with an active faith that is greater than just emotion. It is a daring thing. It challenges us to reach for something beyond ourselves, giving ourselves up to God.

Our first prayer today from the word comes from Psalm 104, where we are reminded that he created EVERYTHING:

Praise the Lord, my soul.Lord my God, you are very great;
you are clothed with splendor and majesty.
2 The Lord wraps himself in light as with a garment;
he stretches out the heavens like a tent
3     and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters.
He makes the clouds his chariot
and rides on the wings of the wind.
4 He makes winds his messengers,[a]
flames of fire his servants.

5 He set the earth on its foundations;
it can never be moved.
6 You covered it with the watery depths as with a garment;
the waters stood above the mountains.
7 But at your rebuke the waters fled,
at the sound of your thunder they took to flight;
8 they flowed over the mountains,
they went down into the valleys,
to the place you assigned for them.
9 You set a boundary they cannot cross;
never again will they cover the earth.

10 He makes springs pour water into the ravines;
it flows between the mountains.
13 He waters the mountains from his upper chambers;
the land is satisfied by the fruit of his work.
14 He makes grass grow for the cattle,
and plants for people to cultivate—
bringing forth food from the earth:
15 wine that gladdens human hearts,
oil to make their faces shine,

19 He made the moon to mark the seasons,
and the sun knows when to go down.
20 You bring darkness, it becomes night,
and all the beasts of the forest prowl.

24 How many are your works, Lord!
In wisdom you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.

The next prayer is: NO ONE CAN MEASURE YOUR GREATNESS from Psalm 145:

 1 I will extol you, my God and King,
and bless your name forever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless you,
and praise your name forever and ever.
3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
his greatness is unsearchable.
4 One generation shall laud your works to another,
and shall declare your mighty acts.
5 On the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
6 The might of your awesome deeds shall be proclaimed,
and I will declare your greatness.
7 They shall celebrate the fame of your abundant goodness,
and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

Thanks for listening!
– Joe and Todd

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Rhythms of Prayer

Good afternoon! Still kicking with the ‘Battle Plan for Prayer’ Praise Thursdays!
Today, we talked about the rhythms of prayer.

The fervent call for revival in the final chapter of the book is not merely wishful thinking. God has poured out his spirit and moved among cities and nations in times passed, stirring up the church, bringing countless thousands to salvation. But you can see that kind of revival right here as well. In your city. And in your country. God works revival on the waves of united, fervent, persistent prayer.  The great, known revivals that have left the most indelible mark on the past generations grew in the fertile soil of prayer closet in prayer groups and playing churches – often few months and years of cultivation among the leaders who refuse to stop believing that God will hear and respond.
 That’s why number of ministries and churches today or championing are united rid of a prayer, inspired by what was known centuries ago as concert of prayer. He’s involve willing individuals and groups would commit to regular cycles of prayer, which would been spread to other places were people were following a similar schedule. God response to the surrendered, repentance, expect a part of his people, and he blesses and moves even more when we’re working together.
 Consider rallying your church to adopt the following rhythm of prayer in the days ahead.
Weekly prayer: individually.
At least once a week, whether alone or in a small group, set aside a particular time to pray specifically for revival and your family, and your church, and spiritual awakening in the nation. Pray for the affected preaching and active listening of the word throughout your city during that week.
Monthly prayer: churchwide
 Preferably as an entire church body, but at least as a whole group, Bible study class, or larger prayer meeting, come together at least once a month and a special meeting for the sole purpose of praying for revival and spiritual awakening.
Quarterly prayer: community
Consider gathering once a quarter with multiple churches in your area, united in prayer for an enormous day, evening, or afternoon, of prayer for the spiritual needs of your city. Even if you’re not able to gather together, in a separate location, all over your community is going to be praying together about the same thing, at the same time, will be a powerful experience and effort.
Yearly prayer: nationally
 The national Day of prayer which is the first Thursday of May, offers an annual opportunity for believers across the country to focus as one on revival and repentance, coast to coast. Don’t let this day slip up on you, or become lost in the days business. Carve out this time to pray for relief with Christians revival and awakening in our land.

Thanks for listening!
-Lilly

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Totally Tasty Tom Turkey Game-Time Tuesday – Round Two!

Today Joe and I played three games! Song Poetry, Name that Tune and the Totally Tasty Tom Turkey Hunt!

Congrats to David from Fredericktown and Kassandra from Gambier for being our caller number five’s – they were both entered to win a Turkey. If you want to know more about the Totally Tasty Tom Turkey Hunt click HERE!

Congratulations are also in order to Clorisa and Marcia both from Mount Vernon! They correctly guessed these answers below to our Song Poetry and Name that Tune! They both won $5 gift cards to Troyer’s of Apple Valley!

Our song poetry lyrics from the song “Wonder” by Hillsong United were :

“I see the world in life
Bursting in living color
I see the world your way
And I’m walking in the light ”

Our Name that Tune song for today was “Revelation Song” By Phillips, Craig and Dean!

Joe also shared an uplifting (and funny)  news story about a ten-year-old boy who got bored, found some car keys and……click HERE to read the full story.

I shared an uplifting Devo from Sarah Young’s “Jesus Always” devotional today! If you want to know more about Sarah Young click HERE.

Thanks so much for listening to the Afternoon Drive!
– Hannah

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Praise Thursday – Preemptive Prayer

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What would you do if you knew someone was getting ready to attack you?  If you were the leader of a country and you knew attack could happen any day?  You would start doing everything possible to prepare – looking at resources, evaluating troop placements and developing a strategy.

This is what Chapter 27 talks about in The Battle Plan for Prayer. Alex and Stephen Kendrick remind us that our preemptive plans start in prayer. Last week, we talked about OFFensive prayer – seeking to take new ground for the kingdom. So, the spiritual battle for our heart is real. The Bible reminds us that we have a real enemy who is out to steal, distort, distract and destroy.

Christ himself recognized Satan – he resisted and rebuked him throughout his ministry on Earth.  I John 3:8 says, “The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.”

Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that Satan is simply a symbol of evil. He is not a fable. Not a figment of our imagination.  The Bible specifically mentions Satan by name in more than one dozen books. So, taking a posture of preemptive prayer is critical.

Today we’re talking about taking a stance of preemptive prayer. Because we have a real enemy seeking to attack us at any moment. How do we know Satan is real?  We have the story of Peter in the Gospels.

Jesus taught Peter and the rest of the disciples to preemptively pray, “do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” (Lord’s Prayer, Matthew 6:13). Then, on the night of Christ’s betrayal, Jesus warned him, “behold Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you” (Luke 22). Later that same evening Jesus instructed him to “keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

But…Peter fell asleep instead, and a few minutes later he was awake and off guard. Peter emotionally overreacted, hacked off a man’s ear, abandoned Jesus, then adamantly denied Christ three times instead of being loyal like he had promised a few hours earlier. He never prayed preemptively, so as a result he wept bitterly, was devastated and depressed for days, until Christ restored him.

We must learn to pray preemptively, lifting everything in our lives to the Lord. Prayer is the way we spiritually fasten in our armor and ask God to protect us before stepping into the heat of combat.

How can we pray preemptively? By understanding how the enemy attacks. If we know his moves, we can prepare and pray more specifically.

The book gives us four of the devil’s signature schemes.

#1 – Distraction. Psalm 55 reminder that David wrote, “I’m restless in my complaint and I’m surely distracted because of the voice of the enemy.” Satan will constantly try to get us off track.

#2 – Deception. Jesus said whenever Satan speaks lies because he speaks from his own nature, “for he is a liar and the father of lies.” That comes from John 8:44. Strongholds, addictions and sins are founded upon lies…promises never delivered…false advertising. Sin will fail you, let you down and leave you empty. We are not strong enough to stand on our own. We need God’s presence and the Bible’s trustworthiness.

#3 – Derision. Satan’s lies include running you down or running down (deriding) someone else in your mind. Bringing up things from your past. Falsely presuming someone else is guilty.  Yes, we’ve been forgiven in the blood of Christ, but he keeps reminding us of old wounds and inciting doubt. In order to the fight the accusations, you need to be studying the Word; to help you find your identity in Christ. We also continue to pray for wisdom and discernment.

How can we pray preemptively? By understanding how the enemy attacks. If we know his moves, we can prepare and pray more specifically.

The last scheme is #4 – Division. One hallmark of the gospel is the unity it brings to everyone, since we are all one in Christ. But Satan knows that the “house divided against itself will not stand” (Mark 3:25).

Anger and argument among God’s people may not destroy the gospel, but it can destroy our testimony and our effectiveness in sharing it. Disunity paints Christians and our faith as weak, hypocritical and phony.  So, we can’t live foolishly, ignorant of Satan’s devices (2 Corinthians 2:11). We should pray for God to help us stay focused on his will.

Ephesians 6 reminds us of the spiritual armor: truth dispelling his lies; righteousness from Christ worn around our chest and lived out in bold active and grateful obedience. Prayer is how we stay together. It’s what unites us and it’s what helps protect us.

The question is not whether the enemy is coming out to engage you in battle. He will. Seen or unseen. The question is whether you’re going to prepare in prayer first, or wait until the devil has you in his grip before you call on the One who has already defeated him.

Lord, thank you for alerting us in your words to the tactics and activity of the devil. Thank you also for equipping us with spiritual weaponry to stand firm and push back against his assaults and his campaign of lies, distortions, distractions and accusations. Help us not to be ignorant of his schemes. Give us the grace to discern how the enemy will try to attack so we can wisely pray preemptively and prepare ourselves to stand firm. Keep us steady, Lord, clear-minded, braced, ready, walking wisely and living in victory. Fix our eyes upon you by faith, kept by your power. In Jesus name. Amen.

Thanks for listening!
-Joe, Lilly and Hannah

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Prayer and the Word of God

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Today our Praise Thursday focus on prayer is about using the Bible as an inspiration and model for prayer. All inspired by the book from Stephen and Alex Kendrick.

The command of the Lord is pure; enlightening the eyes (Psalms 19:8)

If your heart is right with God and others, and you are ready to pray, then what should guide your praying?

Prayer doesn’t need a script. It is personal; unique.  Even with this much freedom, God provides powerful resources for us to pray specifically and strategically – this helps us know that our heart is in sync with God’s.

We are fickle – hot and cold.  Emotions today, forgotten tomorrow. But when we pray with words inspired by scripture, we are assured that our prayer is anchored in bedrock truths!
———-
Maybe you think you don’t know the Bible well enough to do this…so…

Pray about it and God will guide you.  James 1:21 says “Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.”

John 15:7 says “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”

God can help you find the right verse for the right time!
——
We can easily recite and use our favorite lines from TV shows and movies.  The same principle can apply to the Bible – but it’s better because it’s alive, active and not stale or generic.

Unlike other books or movies or shows, the author and inspiration for the book is RIGHT THERE with you as you read!  Like Paul said, “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6:17)

The whole story of Nehemiah’s prayer in the Old Testament is an example of this type of prayer strategy – we can do the same thing.  When we are fatigued, we can remember Isaiah 40:31 “but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.”
——-
When stressed out or outmatched by situations and stress, we cry out to him like David did in Psalm 61:2:

“From the ends of the earth I call to you,
    I call as my heart grows faint;
    lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”

If you doubt yourself, remember Psalm 9:10, 63:5, 17:15, 51 verses 10 and 12, 118 verses 1 and 21; 84 verses 8 and 11; and I Chronicles 29:11-12.

OUR CLOSING PRAYER:
“Thank you Lord, for your word. Thank you for not leaving me here to guess what you’re like or what you’ve promised to do. I pray you not only fashion your word in my mind, but also use it to direct my hands and feet to serve you, obey you and stay clean-hearted before you. May I truly love your word and cling to it as my lifeline; to your truth, love and wisdom. Amen.”

We’d also like to wish congratulations to Monica from Mt. Vernon who won our How I Became a Pirate tickets! And to Ruth from Howard who won our Sonfest Artist Trivia!

Thanks for listening!
– Joe, Hannah and Lilly

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Repentance Vs. Pride

How do you approach God in prayer? Humbly? Or pridefully?
In humility, we more clearly see our need for God’s guidance, grace, and forgiveness. And in humility we honestly admit our sin and willingly cry out to Him while turning away in repentance from anything that displeases Him. Pride, however resists this attitude – too vulnerable, beneath us, a sign of weakness. Pride assumes self sufficiency, and boasts of self righteousness.
We get in to trouble any time we overlook the fact that our lives are a gift from God, and we are undeserving of the mercy, grace and blessings He’s given us.

See Galatians 6:3 and Proverbs 6:16-17

Prideful people see themselves as wise. They’re looking to gain honor believing they likely deserve it. But a prideful attitude hurts and disqualifies us, while a humble attitude is what God blesses and builds up.

See Proverbs 29:23

To sum up, God hates pride and loves humility. It’s that simple. This truth should be branded on our hearts as we seek to walk closely with Him. The only way to properly approach a holy, sovereign, omnipotent God is in total humility and in total confession of sin. We must stay at war with our own pride, resolving to quickly deal with anything that displeases Him so we can stay unhindered in our relationship with Him, and mighty in prayer. Humility is a fundamental attitude of the heart for maintaining intimacy with God and a vibrant prayer life. By repenting of our sins and humbling ourselves daily before Christ, we please the Lord and pray much more frequently and much more powerfully.

 

Thanks for listening!
-Lilly

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Praise Thursday on the Road!

On the Road with Big Blue once again today for the afternoon Drive!
Today was the sale of champions at the Knox County Fair and we purchased four hogs to give away on Saturday! If you would like to register to win, you can come visit us at the fair, or you can register online at WNZR.fm!
One registration per person, per day, and we will be drawing this on Saturday, the 29th, at 6:00pm. If we draw your name, you have 9 minutes and 9 seconds to either come to the WNZR tent at the fair, or call us at 740-392-9090.

Our For King and Country trivia question today was as follows…
Zach Williams debut song broke records, holding the number 1 spot for radio at 15 weeks, surpassing the previous record by 3 weeks. The song also received a Grammy Nomination, Billboard Music Award Nomination and a nomination at th K-Love fan Awards. What was his debut song?
the answer? Chain Breaker.
Congratulations to Jennifer from Mt. Vernon! She wins the tickets!

For Praise Thursday today, we talked about the Cross of Christ.
The beginning of the chapter comes out swinging. Incredibly convicting. They say that people don’t have evidence of a real prayer life because they don’t have a relationship with God to begin with. Check out this convicting passage from Matthew…

“21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”
If you think you’re going to heaven just because you walk an aisle or prayed a prayer, you should be concerned. You need to stop and take a step back and reevaluate your life and make sure that you truly have God in it.

So, the cross of Christ is telling us to have a relationship with The One who saved us. We’re not the ones who save ourselves, but it is God alone. We need to have a relationship with Him before we can expect an exceptional prayer life.

Thanks for listening!
Hope to see you at the fair!
-Lilly 

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The Keys of Prayer

 

Last week we talked about 10 ‘locks’ that hinder and muddy our prayer life. This week, we’re talking about 10 ‘keys’ to ‘unlock’ and enhance your prayer life.

  1. Praying persistently by asking, seeking and knocking (Matthew 7:7-8).  We have to make time to pray.  We shouldn’t hold back in our asking and we should be doing it every day.  Remember, He will answer when the time is right!
  2. Praying in faith.  We should pray with confidence; Jesus praised those who asked in faith. (Mark 11:24) “ 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”  Prayer is not a magic genie lamp – it’s based on our loving relationship with God, so we can more clearly come to know what He’s wanting to give us.  Where He’s wanting to take us.  We can believe and know that it’s coming to pass in His time.

  3. Praying in secret (Matthew 6:6). “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
    Galatians 6:7-8 reminds us not to pray for show; that is sowing to the flesh.  We need to seek Him with grounded humility.

  4. Praying according to God’s will.  We think of this as hidden and mysterious, but the Bible reminds us in Romans 12:1-2: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
    Prayer can show us where God is willing to go and where he’s not ready to go. In John 5:14-15 “14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.” When we genuinely desire the knowledge of His will and are committed to following it, He will inspire us with a new level of assurance in prayer.

  5. Praying in Jesus’ name.  It’s not just a “sincerely yours” at the end of prayer, it’s reflective of an unselfish, God-honoring heartbeat within ourselves.  It’s a statement of of worship and admitted need. John 13:13-14 says “13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”
    Praying in HIS name is to pray as HE WOULD.  We don’t approach God based on us, our authority or what we’ve done; it’s on what He’s done!

  6. Praying in agreement with other believers.  Matthew 18:19-20 19 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”  Praying with other believers really zooms your prayer experiences off the charts! When we pray in a group with one heart and one mind. It pleases God.  He loves and honors the synergy with others when we pray.

  7. Praying while fasting.  This can mean going without food or other things, which allows us to focus.  Acts 14:23 reminds us of the fasting pattern of Paul and Barnabas.  It helps open our spirit to God instead of just feeding the flesh – seeking Him above all your other appetites.

  8. Praying from an obedient life. I John 3:21-22 “21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him.”
    The intimacy you desire with God travels through the connective bond of your obedience to Him.  When we pray with an obedient heart, we can make requests without shame, working with Him and not working against Him.

  9. Praying while ABIDING in Christ and His word. This means staying close in fellowship with someone.  It involves spending time in God’s word, allowing it to fill our hearts and guide our thinking.  It also means staying clean before God, not allowing sin to build up or go unconfessed.  John 15:7 –“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you.”

  10. Praying while delighting in the Lord.  When He is our greatest delight and first love above all else…then we’re in a position to have God bless us with our heart’s desires.  It’s only when we receive His salvation that we can truly begin to love Him. John 14:15 – “if you love me, keep my commands.”
    Psalm 37:4 – “take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” He takes delight in us when we do the same.

    Here’s the prayer from the end of the chapter!
    Lord, you are a good and loving God, You didn’t need to allow us to know you and pray to you, but you did.  I thank you that through Jesus, we can boldly approach your throne of grace in our time of need. Make me a strong and effective prayer warrior.  Help me walk closely with you, to pray in faith, in Jesus’ name and in agreement with other believers.  May I delight in you above all else. Give us grace and faith to trust you for great things. Prompt us with great requests so we can lift them back up to you and watch you answer them for our delight and for your glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

    Our word of the day today was an early hat tip to the Knox County Fair!
    Ovine
    pertaining to, of the nature of, or like sheep.

    Ovine comes straightforwardly from the Late Latin adjective ovīnus“pertaining to a sheep.” The Latin noun ovis “sheep” is identical with theProto-Indo-European noun owis “sheep,” the source of Greek óïs (dialectal ówis), Lithuanian avìs, Sanskrit ávi-, Germanic awiz, which becomes ēowu inOld English and ewe in modern English. Ovine entered English in the 17th century.

    Thanks for listening!
    -Lilly

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The Locks of Prayer

God has given us rules to help our prayer life and battle plan be successful.

Stephen and Alex have categorized these biblical principles into the locks and keys of prayer.  The locks are things that can bring down or muddy our prayer life.  The keys give prayer a boost beyond any earthly limits.

There are ten locks:
1. Praying without knowing God through Jesus (John 14:6)
Like people who don’t share much common ground in a relationship have a hard time keeping conversations going, those who haven’t believed in God for the forgiveness of their sins cannot expect God to feel obligated to respond.

2. Praying from an unrepentant heart (Psalms 103:14)
God looks at our hearts and He knows when we are broken by our sin. Being broken by our sin isn’t the problem. The real trouble comes when our hearts aren’t broken by sin at all, and when we’re cold and indifferent toward His word and our transgressions.

3. Praying for show (Matthew 6:5)
“When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites.” Public prayers that have not been seasoned by private prayers are hardly worth the hot air it takes to speak them. Don’t forget that when you’re leading others in prayer, you’re still praying to the audience of One.

4. Praying repetitive, empty words. (Matthew 6:7-8)
Prayer can be off the cuff, it can be written out and read word for word, it can be so deep and heartfelt that out only comes out as single syllables. The thing that makes prayer a string of wasted words is when we talk and talk but we’re not listening to anything we’re saying.

5. Prayers not prayed (James 4:2)
The most ineffective prayers are the ones we never even take the time to pray. How many times do we just ‘motor’ past God, not even braking for direction or advice? We’re too busy or in too much of a hurry to seek His counsel. We mean to pray; we thought about praying; we just never got to work it in to our schedule.

6. Praying with a lustful heart (James 4:3)
If lust, greed, bitterness or pride are our motives to request something, then God will not be pleased to respond. Like a wise parent with a pushy child, God knows what to give us for our good, and what not to give us for our good as well. If we love Him most, He takes delight in giving us good things.

7. Praying while mistreating your spouse (1 Peter 3:7)
When we’re not treating our spouses with respect, God makes a special mention of that as an inhibitor to prayer. How can we expect to be at unity with God while sowing disunity throughout our homes? Being ugly to our spouses is a backbreaker in prayer.

8. Praying while ignoring the poor (Prov 21:13)
When you show compassion to those in need, God shows favor on your request. But the opposite is true as well. If you snub the poor and destitute like they’re less than human, an eyesore, or invisible, expect to feel a blockage in your prayer.

9- Praying with bitterness in your heart toward someone (Mark 11:25-26)
It’s sinful to receive God’s forgiveness then consider ourselves exempt from ‘forgiving if we have anything against someone.’ Bitterness is a toxin that’s not only harmful to us spirtually, mentally, and physically, but it also poisons the effectiveness of prayer and the full experience of our relationship with God.

10- Praying with a faithless heart (Hebrews 11:6)
Whenever we don’t trust someone’s ability to do something a breach clouds that relationship. We should ask in faith without doubting because anyone who doubts is driven and tossed by the wind. Lukewarm belief is the weakest form of prayer, and doubt locks us out of our prayer closet.

Here’s the prayer from the end of the chapter…
“Lord , reveal to me anything that is hindering my prayer life, and help me get rid of it quickly. IF there is any arrogance in me, pretense, manipulation, bitterness, ruthlessness, or a lack of faith in You, Forgive and cleanse me Lord. Lord I forgive those who have wronged me as you have forgiven me, I thank You for your kindness and patience, I am tired of being the one who is blocking myself from being as close to You as possible, and receiving what You desire to give me. Unhinge me, I pray, from any locks of prayer. Open me up so You can work, without hindrance, through me.
In Jesus’ name, amen.

Thanks for listening!
-Lilly

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