Have you ever received a piece of news that just about knocked you off your feet?

It may be that everyone else around you could see it coming, but for whatever reason, you were blindsided by the revelation. That happened to me a few years ago. It was a challenging situation to handle, and I knew I needed to pray about it. Honestly, the situation was so overwhelming and foreign to me that I didn’t know where to begin.

Then I heard about the idea of prayer strategies.

While this is not a new concept, it was new to me. Basically the idea is to ask the Lord to reveal how you should pray about a difficult situation. I found the basis for this in Romans 8:26, 27.

Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

I also like Psalm 119:169.

“Let my cry come before You, O Lord; give me understanding according to Your Word.”

So I set aside some time to pray and seek the insight of the Holy Spirit as to how I could attack this situation with prayer. I wanted specific guidelines. I grabbed my journal and then I waited.

While I was praying, the Holy Spirit began to give me phrases to pray, and many of them had to do with being set free. At the end of that time, I actually had a list of 12 things to pray about. I ran through my list and made sure that none of the ways I was going to pray conflicted with scripture. And they didn’t. Always make sure that your prayer strategy aligns with scripture, because the Holy Spirit will not ask you to pray for things that are contrary to scripture.

Specific Scripture

Since I could see the theme of freedom in these prayer requests, I then looked up some specific scriptures dealing with freedom that I could pray into this situation. I simply turned to my concordance, looked up the word freedom, and read through the scriptures. I asked the Holy Spirit to quicken my heart to the ones I should pray, and then chose the ones I felt led to.

You see, praying scripture is like throwing spiritual dynamite into the situation because God tells us in Hebrews 4:12 that His word is “alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” It is the most powerful weapon in our arsenal.

I was so relieved to go from not knowing how to pray to having a very detailed prayer strategy in place. Each day I prayed using my strategy and trusted God with the results. This is important. Let go of any pressure. The results are up to God—your job is to pray.

“How long do I keep doing this?” you might be wondering.

Well, every situation is different. Often times we don’t get to see the results of our prayers. Some requests may need years of intercession; others only a short time. Basically, as long as God still puts the request on your heart or until you see victory in the area is how long you should keep praying. God will release you from the prayer burden when it is time.
I would encourage you that if you are feeling overwhelmed with a situation to ask God for a prayer strategy.You will go from feeling helpless to being powerfully equipped to pray your way through.
Drop me a comment or question and let me know if you use prayer strategies.
Pray on!

Do you struggle with praying to God?

Well, you’re in good company. Prayer is the foundational way for us to talk to and hear from God, and it’s one of the most important spiritual practices. But just because it’s foundational and important doesn’t mean that it’s intuitive.

Many of us struggle with knowing how to talk to God. We wonder if we’re doing it correctly. We may feel like our prayers are hitting an invisible wall and never reaching God. Well, we can be assured that God does hear our prayers and in fact longs for us to spend time with Him.

This page is devoted to curating resources from our site and other sites that will encourage you in your prayer life. Whether you’re looking for resources to empower your personal prayer life or for ways to pray for people and issues nationally and internationally, you’ll find suggestions here. Check back often for updates to this page.

New to Prayer? Start Here

1. Our book Pray for the USA
2. A Bundle of Prayer
3. How to Pray Podcast: Praying God’s Word
4. Prayer Strategy: When You Don’t Know What to Pray
5. Sacred Reading, Lectio Divina
6. Morning Prayers by Renovare
7. The Spiritual Discipline of Silence and Solitude (podcast)
8. Practicing Silence Before God

Prayer Events

1. 5 Days to Pray for the Election This is an event that Mary and I (Jane) are running October 28 to November 4 of 2020. We’d love to have you join us.
2. 24-7 Pray. Their first ever online conference will be held in October 2020.

Prayer Ministries

1. How to Launch a Church Prayer Ministry (Lifeway)
2. Every Home for Christ’s Prayer Resources

Persecuted Church Ministries

1. The Voice of the Martyrs
2. International Christian Concern

 

I sat on the couch sick again from vertigo, an unending cycle of debilitating illness the doctors could not control. My health had literally been progressively spinning out of control for the last few years. I was sick and sinking into depression over how this disease was changing my life.

It was during this unlikely time that God birthed a dream in me, a dream to start a website. I remember thinking “But I know NOTHING about technical things, Lord, and am barely able to use my own computer.”

To which He replied “You have plenty of time on your hands to learn.”

I’ve learned a few things since that day nine years ago—one lesson in particular I am still growing into: God  wants to do much bigger things in our lives than we imagine, and when we work in tandem with Him, He shows up in big and little ways that always exceeds our expectations.

How about you? Have you ever felt totally inadequate to a dream or calling God has placed on your life? Then you’re in a good place, a place where God can move.

So let’s dive in and look at this process of partnering with God in your dream or calling. To be clear, this blog post is for the person who has already gone through the initial steps of establishing that dream or calling. If you’re not there yet, first work through this post 4 Steps to Starting Something New. Then come back here.

What Was I Thinking?!

But once you’ve started and are into the process, it is an exhilarating, scary place. The enemy will try to fill your head with doubts and at some point you’ll probably wonder “What was I thinking?!” God, however, is more than equal to the the task.

When doubts assail you, here’s an anchor to secure your floundering self to God: “The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple,” Psalm 19:7.

Now don’t be deceived; this one tiny verse is packed with power that can help you overcome hurdles and break through confusion as your pursue your God-given dream. Let’s look at it, two words in particular: making wise.

Making Wise

When I looked up the meaning of the phrase in the Hebrew (Hakam), I was astounded at all that it includes. According to my Keyword Study Bible, Hakam means “to be wise, act wisely, be intelligent, be prudent, become wise, to teach, to be skillful.” Do you already see some ways God is going to equip you for what He has called you to? But it doesn’t end there. I especially love the insight the author shares in the keyword dictionary about Hakam.

Denotes an intelligent attitude toward the experiences of life, including matters of general interest, basic morality, prudence in secular affairs, skills in the arts, moral sensitivity, and spiritual matters. The Hebrew concept of wisdom was very different from other ancient world views. Israelites believed in a personal God who is holy and just, who expected man to live according to His principles. They emphasized the human will rather than just mere intellect. The Hebrew concept of wisdom was therefore very practical, being based on what God had revealed concerning right and wrong.

This is huge for us. God shares His wisdom with us in all areas of life: our work, whether it’s secular or spiritual; our creativity in the arts; our moral compass and minds; and of course, spiritually. God wants us to consult him about every area of our lives, work, family, calling, dreams, relationships, and spiritual matters.

So how can you apply this when you are feeling overwhelmed in the birthing process of your dream or calling?

1. Pray specifically. Set aside time each day to pray and ask God detailed questions about your situation. Whether you’re trying to meet a certain financial goal, you need new customers, or  you want wisdom on how to best serve your small group, God is in the details. And He wants to be your partner in what you are doing. So treat Him like a partner. Ask questions. Discuss perplexing problems. “Prayerstorm,” as Mark Batterson calls it. The excellent book Starting Something New by Beth Booram (see resource below) will help you work through the details of birthing your dream.
2. Listen and write down what you feel like He is saying back to you. I really caught on to this from a free teaching iBloom recently shared. It’s called How to Create a Prayer Strategy for Your Business, but the core principles apply to any area of life. I highly recommend it. It’s changed my life and the way I approach my dreams.
3. Follow through on what the Holy Spirit shows you. Obedience is key when partnering with God. He may give you some ideas on whom to contact, a class to take, someone to pray for, a blog post to write, a resource to study, and so on. As you are obedient, He will continue to bless you and entrust you with more ideas and things to do.

When you realize that God is your source of help and strength and you follow His leading, He’ll take you on an exciting dream journey that will far exceed what you would have ever been able to do yourself

He did that with me. My website has grown into a ministry called Only By Prayer that my sister Mary Kane and I manage together. God continues to bring new things to our journey and He “makes wise the simple” on a daily basis.

How about you? Where are you in the process? Share your thoughts below.

Dream on!

Starting Something New: Spiritual Direction for Your God-Given Dream By Beth A. Booram / InterVarsity PressSpiritual director Beth Booram has written this book to guide you through the spiritual process of defining and acting on the idea stirring within you. Interviews from people who have courageously embraced a God-prompted idea are included with each chapter to add further vision and insight. Carefully designed exercises at the end of each chapter will guide those in the beginning stages as well as provide practical help and support for those who are actively tending a God-given dream.

Being one of those people with a “sensitive nature,” (read that as touchy and taking myself too seriously), I spent many years of my life in inner turmoil of some kind. If I received what I thought was a wrong look, harsh comment, or short response, I stewed on it forever, analyzing and reanalyzing what I did wrong, why  that person didn’t like me, how could they be so mean … you get the picture. I could worry myself into a frenzy.

Worries Everywhere

I’d also worry about any perceived threats: storms, accidents, bad grades, and so on. My mom was always telling me to quit being a worry wart! Maybe you can identify with that struggle. Goodness knows, there’s plenty of things to be anxious about in the world today.

Over time, however, I realized that worry is actually a bad habit, a sin, that God tells us not to do.

As I’ve grown in my faith, I’ve thankfully gotten over myself, although I will always have to keep a check on this area.

Now don’t mistake peace for sweeping things under the carpet. If an issue needs to be addressed, address it. What I’m talking about is the daily drip of worry and anxiety that drains the life out of you and robs you of peace and joy. If your first waking thought is a rehash of all your current worries and problems as you readjust the load into your mental backpack for the day’s hike, then it’s time to break this cycle.

3 Steps To Ditch Worry and Get Peace

We’re going to take our steps from Philippians 4:6-7 NIV:

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Step 1, Pray

This step is pretty straightforward. God tells us to pray. The thing to note here are the words every situation. Nothing is too small or too big for God to handle. Skinned knees, injured animals, and hurt feelings should all be taken to God. So should accidents, job loss, sickness, and death. Everything falls under His jurisdiction.

Step 2, Petition

At first, I didn’t see much difference between this and prayer. But when I looked at the Greek meanings, the subtleties became clear. in the Greek, one definition of petition is “prayer for particular benefits.” God wants us to be very specific in our prayers. Dig in. Rather than praying general prayers of “Help John feel better,” we can pray targeted prayers. “Help John acknowledge this addiction and seek healing for it.”

We can pray a verse of scripture for added power “Lord, we thank you that you sent your word to heal John and deliver him from his destruction,” (Psalm 107:20). If you have a particularly difficult situation and just don’t now how to pray, a prayer strategy may be helpful.

Step 3, Thanksgiving

The third step to peace is that we are to have a heart of thanksgiving. In the Greek, the word is eucharistia, and it means “actively grateful language (to God as an act of worship).” So as we are praying, we salt and pepper our prayers with thanks for what God has already done and is in the process of doing.

In Ann Voskamp’s book One Thousand Gifts, she discovers how offering thanks in every circumstance is necessary to us finding the miracle of a joy-filled life. Notice I did not say offering thanks for the circumstance, but in every circumstance. For example, When a spouse loses a job, we can say “Thank you, God, for the meal the neighbor sent over. Thank you that you are providing for our needs and are working to lead us to a new job.”

Sweet Peace

As we make a practice and habit of continually praying our worries and fears and thanking God for what He’s doing, something happens: the peace of God guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. We exchange worry for peace through the power of the Holy Spirit. Does that mean that everything in our lives is perfect? No, it means that we can choose peace no matter the circumstance.

Application

I know worry is a hard habit to break. But we now have the key to breaking this vicious cycle. Let’s make 2016 the year we embrace the peace that only Christ can give.

To make it personal:

1. Step one: Write down a worry.
2. Step two: Write down a specific prayer concerning this worry, incorporating a verse of scripture into the prayer
3. Step three: Write down something you are thankful for.

Repeat your prayer as much as needed, especially when you feel yourself taking the worry back and becoming anxious. With practice you’ll soon be a reformed worry wart, known for your peaceful spirit.

What have you learned over the years about handling worry? Please share any strategies you use to cultivate a peaceful heart in times of stress.

Pray on!

Resources:

The Armor of God, Bible Study Book By Pricilla Shirer / LifewayAll day, every day, an invisible war rages around you. A cunning, devilish enemy seeks to wreak havoc on everything that matters to you – your emotions, your mind, your family, your future. But…when the enemy meets a woman dressed for the occasion, he fails miserably. Join Priscilla Shirer in a 7-session Bible study that will challenge you to suit up, stand firm, and secure victory in your life. This study guide is designed to be used in conjunction with the DVD sessions and includes 5 days of study per session, leader tips, and prayers strategies. In the back are perforated prayer cards for you to craft your own prayers.

One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are By Ann Voskamp / ZondervanIn One Thousand Gifts, author and blogger Ann Voskamp invites you into her own moments of grace, gently teaching you how to biblically lament loss, turning pain into poetry and intentionally embracing a lifestyle of radical gratitude.Discover a way of seeing that opens your eyes to everyday amazing grace, a way of living that is fully alive, and a way of experiencing the constant presence of God that will bring you deep and lasting joy. There is purity in simplicity and a breathtaking beauty that can be found even in life’s slightest details and heartbreaking moments. Ann Voskamp welcomes you in to explore her grace-bathed life of farming, parenting, and writing, and encourages you to live a life filled with gratitude, no matter where you are.Not a book merely to read, One Thousand Gifts begs to be embraced as a dynamic, interactive primer inviting you to engage with truths that will serve up the depths of God’s joy and transform your life forever. Hardcover.

*Just a note, Mary and I are affiliates for CBD bookstore. If you buy any resources from them using our link, we will receive a small donation from them. We only recommend resources we ourselves use and benefit from. Thank you!

Day 3

To Do-ers List: Pray ’bout Everything

6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

Philippians 4:6-8

Be anxious for nothing.

In today’s verse, God tells us to be anxious about NOTHING. Speeding tickets … tests … denting the car (I did that this week, ugh!) …  broken relationships … money … college …  kids … etc.

NOTHING.

How are we to be anxious about nothing? Instead of worrying, God gives us something else to do. Pray. Pray ’bout everything. Big things, little things, hurtful things, fun things, special things, ordinary things … everything. The Greek word for everything used in today’s verse is the little tiny word pas, which simply means every thing. As my favorite Bible teacher says, If God tells us to pray ’bout everything, it’s because everything can be affected by prayer.

When you pray, tell God everything on your heart. Pour out your feelings. Finally, (gulp, big leap of faith) ask Him to answer your prayer according to His will.

What happens after we pray?

And the peace of Christ will guard your hearts and minds …

I have dealt with stress in my life; I know this one. Anxiety has left its mark upon my soul. But, God promises to guard our hearts and minds if we offer Him our prayers and supplications (confiding in God about personal needs) with thanksgiving. In general, when do we offer thanks for something? When someone has completed a service for us. God knows our prayers before we offer them. He is already acting before we say Amen. That is why we can thank Him.

When I have finished praying, I can’t say I have always felt peaceful. But, this is where faith comes in. Remember,

If something is true, it is true regardless of how we feel. Truth is not based on feelings. If God says He is guarding our hearts and minds, we can believe it, despite our feelings.

After we pray ’bout everything and thank God for acting according to His will, we have one more job to do: we meditate. Meditate on what?

Good things.

True things.

Lovely things.

Beautiful things.

Praiseworthy things.

Why?

Because prayer is a battle of the mind.

Satan will try to knock us off track. The world will entice us to worry. Our mind will try to lead us back to our familiar comfortable habit of worry. We must control our thoughts and focus our mind. What we think about is our choice. Stop the worry cycle. Turn your worries into prayers.

Worry-prayer-thanksgiving-true thoughts.

Worry-prayer-thanksgiving-true thoughts.

Prayer-thanksgiving-true thoughts. Leave the worry out.

Pray ’bout everything.

For Today:

As you go about your day, pray ’bout everything. Laundry, dishes, driving, washing your hair, mowing the lawn, exercising, texts, phone calls, chores, friends, enemies. Cover it all in prayer. Pray ’bout everything.

Use the To-Doers List Study Guide or a journaling app to plan and journal your day.

• To Do-ers List Study Guide PDF
• Days Lite: My Wonderful Life App free app from App Store.

Prayer Resources:

• The Prayer Notebook App  I love using this app! You’ll never forget a prayer request again. The Prayer Notebook even comes with an alarm for specific requests.
• How To Pray Read this post for suggestions on how to enhance your prayer life.
• Prayer Strategy:  When You Don’t Know What To Pray This post outlines a strategy for praying through life’s difficult and tragic situations.

 

Start the day off on the right foot. Pray now for God to show you things to pray for and to remind you to pray throughout the day (or set the timer on your prayer app). Don’t forget to leave your comments below. I can’t wait to hear from you!

Have a prayerful day.

In case you missed the first two days, click on the links below.

To Do-ers List, Day 1: Love God

To Do-ers List, Day 2: Love Others

Mary Kane

copyright 2015

all rights reserved

There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved [Jesus].” Acts 4:12

We all remember taking tests in school. Fill in the dot, multiple choice (otherwise known as multiple guess), true and false, short answer, and the dreaded essay question.

If I had prepared for THE TEST, I actually liked working through the process of multiple choice questions using the “Cross Out Strategy.”

The Cross Out Strategy:

1. Know the truth.
2. Examine all the questions and search for truth.
3. Cross out the obvious wrong answers.
4. Analyze remaining answers.
5. Cross out answers that contain a bit of truth.
6. Circle remaining answer.

The key to the Cross Out Strategy is knowing the truth. Without having access to the true answers, the Cross Out Strategy is futile.

The same strategy works when looking for the answer to life’s biggest question: How may we be saved?

1. Know the truth.
2. Search for the truth.
3. Cross out wrong answers that contain a bit of truth.
4. Accept the correct answer.

The answer to our biggest question is contained in our verse above: There is no other name by which we must be saved. Jesus. It is only by accepting His sacrificial death on the cross that we are saved.

It all comes down to the cross: cross out all other answers.

Action Points:

1. Is Jesus your Savior? Have you crossed out all other options?
2. Do you depend only on Him for salvation, restoration and forgiveness?
3. Do you allow others to rest only on Jesus, or do you require others to continually pay for their sins?
4. Are you hanging on to something Jesus has already nailed to the cross?

Life is sweet.