Awesome Quotes

When you pray, rather let your heart be without words than your words without heart.

~John Bunyan

Awesome Quotes

We have to pray with our eyes on God, not on the difficulties.

~ Oswald Chambers

Awesome Quotes

I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go.

~ Abraham Lincoln

Prayer & Fasting

My husband and I start prayer and fasting for Lent today (along with so many others around the world). We are giving up desserts, and I am giving up caffeine. Yikes! We will certainly have to pray a lot to get through the next 40 days.

Have you ever fasted before? Here are some of the things I have learned over the years.

Fasting is personal.

Fasting is between us as individuals and God. There is nothing wrong with telling other people that we are fasting, but we should not do so in an attempt to make ourselves look good. Sometimes it is helpful to tell others what you are fasting in order to keep you more accountable. The key to a successful time of fasting is our attitude. We should be humble and repentant.

"When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

~ Matthew 6:16-18

Fasting can be from things besides food.

The range of things to fast is endless. I know people that have fasted smoking and were able to kick the addictive habit. I know others that have fasted TV. I have fasted shopping (other than for the necessities). Pray beforehand and ask God what you need to give up. He may end up asking you to make a non-food sacrifice.

Fasting is worship.

Prayer and fasting are both acts of worship. They bring us into a deeper relationship with God and develop a consistency of devotion.

Then she (Anna) lived as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the Temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer.
~ Luke 2:37

Fasting is beneficial.

• It does not change God. It changes us.
• It draws us closer to God.
• It helps us be more consistent in our spiritual lives.

                                                                                      

Are you fasting for Lent?

If so, what are you giving up?

Awesome Quotes

Prayer is where the action is.

~ John Wesley

Bold

I read a devotion recently by Lysa TerKeurst that really spoke to me.

Why Am I Scared to Pray Boldly?

Lysa starts off saying:

I have to admit I'm sometimes scared to pray boldly.

It's not at all that I don't believe God can do anything. I absolutely do.

The reality is sometimes God chooses not to do things. And if His will is no - while I am boldly praying for a yes - it makes me feel out of step with God.

I can completely relate to that! I know that God can do anything. I believe that with my whole heart. Yet I find myself almost unable to pray boldly. I am uncomfortable with it. I am afraid to get my hopes up. I am afraid of disappointment. It makes me feel out of step with God. Absolutely. And he has said no so many times.

That makes me wonder then, why pray boldly?

The reality is, my prayers don't change God. But, I am convinced prayer changes me. Praying boldly boots me out of that stale place of religious habit into authentic connection with God Himself.

Ah, pray boldly for my own sake, to change me. Prayer connects me to God. The more connected I am, the less likely I will be out of step with God. It strengthens my relationship with him.

My other problem is that I am not a bold person. Nope, that is not in my personality. I am careful, thoughtful, and sometimes indecisive. Bold is not in my vocabulary. Given that, I was happy to read what came next.

Not bold as in bossy and demanding. But bold as in I love my Jesus with all my heart so why would I offer anything less than an ignited prayer life.

Oh, I get it! I think even I can do that kind of bold! I can pray boldly as an offering…offering up myself entirely to my King. I can offer my hopes and dreams, fears and regrets, imperfections and failures, and even bold requests.

What do you need to pray boldly about today? Don't delay - go ahead and ask. And ask again. Not so that we can cause God to move, rather so that we can position our souls to be able to see our sweet Jesus move in any which way He pleases.

I love that last sentence. “Not so that we can cause God to move, rather so that we can position our souls to be able to see our sweet Jesus move in any which way He pleases.” Yes! I have been praying anxiously for something the last couple weeks, well, really the last six years. This is a hard thing for me to pray boldly about. I do not know if it is in line with what God wants for my life even though it is a good thing. I am making a choice to pray boldly for it, petitioning my Father for his blessing in my life – for one particular blessing. This is not an easy request for me to make. I have tears in my eyes while I ask. I am afraid of my heart breaking if the answer is no…again. But I have decided that I will still praise him even if he says no, simply because he is worthy.

I have realized that I need to be praying boldly again for Rusty’s job situation – for his current company and his future (at his current job or a new one).

Do you need to learn to pray boldly too?