Smart Phones Not Needed

What are some things to keep in mind when you begin praying? The following website has made some good points and I have listed them below.   What Does the Bible Say About Prayer?

God may be urging us to take some particular action. But how are we to know? Here are some ways to judge our thoughts and ideas.

1. Listen to your conscience. Acts 24:16, Hebrews 13:18
2. Does your prayer line up with God's word? Will it interfere with God's love or Christian love for other people? Mathew 24:34-40
3. Would you be proud or ashamed if your actions were published on the front page of the newspaper? John 3:19-21
4. Make sure your motives are pure. Do not seek revenge. Mathew 5:3848, 1 Timothy 6:5,10

A few months ago, I wrote about a friend that would call me about her boyfriend who mistreated her. And she would ask me to pray for her about her situations with him. The problem with that though was that as a single woman she lived with him as his wife but not in a legal context. And he was not a Christain and he had a drinking problem. Is it any wonder that she had problems with him? It got so bad between them that she finally left him because he ended up "cheating" on her. Which made her hate him and she spued terrible things about him over the phone while talking to me Instead of just leaving him, repenting for her own sin and praying for him, well...revenge was clearly on her mind and she would pray for God to take his life. Not that I blame her for all of it, but she shouldn't have ever considered being with him in the first place.

That is what it means to not seek revenge. It belongs to God. Deuteronomy 32:35. In that verse, it says that he will repay those that deserve it in his time. And in the meantime, we need to make sure that we are not doing something that is against God's laws. Living with a man that is not a Christian and drinks? It is any wonder this woman was having problems with someone that mistreated her?

Also, consider these points from this site: Principles of Prayer from Luke 11 | Bible.org

1. Prayer is not for emergency use only. To bail us out of difficult situations or when we or someone we love is sick or dying.
2. It is for every day, moment by moment
3. It is the means to claim God's promises and know and adhering to his will.

If we go to God with the right attitude, he will be faithful to answer our prayers. As stated before. In his own time. His own way. In his own form. We need to accept the fact that he always knows what is best for us. Whether at times we like it or not. Like his ways or not. It is his will that counts just as when Jesus was in the garden on that fateful night. "Let this cup pass from me. However, not my will but your will be done." And God's will was done because Jesus knew what was in the best interest of the sinfulness of man. Our eternity was at stake and without his shed blood, we had no hope. Thank God that Jesus took it on even under the stress of that awful event. That because of him, we have life eternal. 

For more information on prayer please visit the two sites mentioned above. Coming tomorrow, more about prayer but under a little bit different heading about what is also involved. Stay tuned.


Thanks for coming by today. I pray God's richest blessing on this the Lords Day. Remember that is this the day that the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it! Psalm 118:24