WEEK TWO: A HEART FOR PASSION IN PRAYER

"I will lift up my eyes to the hills... from whence comes my help?  My help comes from the Lord." 

Psalm 121:1-2   

This week we will be studying about a heart committed to prayer.   There are blessings that we can know as we work more toward a heart of prayer.   These are not the only blessings but these are some to name a few.

1.  A Deeper Relationship with God  When we communicate to God in prayer, we grow spiritually in a many ways.  

•    Prayer increases faith!   It's been suggested to me and I started this today...  to keep a prayer list.  I had a composition book on hand that was given to me from a friend.  It's decorated with lace, a ribbon and a piece of scrap booking paper with lovely women on it.  You don't need anything like that.  Find something that you can use that is comfortable for you.   
•   Prayer provides a place to unload burdens.  Wow!  I need to be reminded that I can take my burdens to God.   He mentions this in one particular verse, I Peter 5:7 "Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you."
•   Prayer teaches us that God is always near.  Psalm 46:1, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."  

•   Prayer trains us not to panic.  Not to worry.  That's easier said than done, isn't it?  There are so many things that may worry about.  Have you ever considered the birds in the winter?  I do.  I like to feed them in the winter months because I know that they have a difficult place finding food but they never seem to worry about their food.  They get up early in the morning here and start going from one bird feeder to another one.  I like to feed the ones in the street.  My husband bought a bag of bird food for me to feed the pigeons, the doves and the all the other small birds!  God's word speaks about this in Matthew 6: 25-27, "  ²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life^[a]?"
•   Prayer changes us! Let's accept this challenge to pray more often and see how prayer changes us!

2.  This blessing is Greater Purity.  I'm looking forward to this chapter this week as I know I need this in my life.  

3.  Confidence in Making Decisions.   Maybe in our prayer book we can also be writing about the decisions we need to make.  I'm going to be doing this in my prayer book.    Let's be praying for each other in the decisions that we need to make daily.   I want to make it my motto to "Make no decision without prayer."

Susan Wesley has a prayer for direction.  "Forbid that I should venture on any business without first begging Thy direction and assistance."

4.  This blessing is Improved Relationships.    I found this today in one of my groups on FaceBook called Our Daily Bread.   

5.  Another blessing is Contentment.  We'll be studying what it means to be content, how to be content and a number of verses and examples of people in the Bible who learned contentment.

6.  Blessing of God-confidence!  God-confidence comes as the Holy Spirit works in us.  

7.  The Blessing of  The Ministry of Prayer.  I'm looking forward to this and all of the days we spend together this week in God's Word.  

Well that is our overview for the week ahead!  Please pray for me that I will be more like Him, that I will always share the words of God and be God-centered.    And let's pray that we will learn from His Word and that we will find time each day for PRAYER!   Thank you for your time ladies.