Too many people do not pray regularly …and if they do, their prayers are not much more than wish lists they want God to fill. To help us balance our prayer lives, listed here are prayer suggestions from our weekly emails that encourage us to go to the next level in prayer.

2-8-2008	Accept the Invitation and Beginning Praying
2-10-2008	Never Stop Praying
2-17-2008	They Called It “The Mid-Life Crazies” but I Called it “Get on Your Knees”
2-24-2008	Don’t let the power of prayer rust in your life!
3-2-2008	Why We Don’t Pray – Does God even care?
3-10-2008	I Got Your Back!
3-16-2008	But I Don't Have Time to Pray.
3-23-2008	Praying for Others
3-30-2008	Experiencing God
4-6-2008	God Listens
4-13-2008	Prayer is Valuable!
4-20-2008	“Is any one of you in trouble, he should pray.” (James 5:13 NIV)
4-27-2008	The Kingdom of Heaven
5-4-2008	Neglecting Prayer
5-11-2008	Spiritual Warfare
5-19-2008	Answers to Prayer
5-25-2008	Seeking God in Prayer
6-1-2008	Don't Say Good-bye
6-8-2008	Prayer & Worship
6-15-2008	Does Prayer Work?
6-22-2008	Prayer and Worship
6-29-2008	Supernatural
7-6-2008	Prayer and Relationship
7-13-2008	Just Do It!!!
7-20-2008	But will we?

God invites us to pray! God invites us to ask for those things we need, to bring our requests before Him, not because He doesn’t know what we need, not because He is ignorant of what we need, but because He desires to be in relationship with us. When we pray we participate in a relationship with God. Our words may not be perfect, our hearts may be heavy, our minds may be distracted, our motives may be impure, and our lives may be a mess but the invitation still comes: the invitation to begin or continue to have a relationship God. Will you come today?

Oswald Chambers - Prayer is not simply getting things from God…prayer is getting into perfect communion (relationship) with God.

Now What?

1) Accept God’s invitation and begin to pray.

2) Choose a place and time that you can pray each and everyday.

Pastor Kenneth

Have you ever had one of those days that you didn't want to pray? Most of us have a day like that once in a while. Maybe you spend time praying in the mornings before the craziness of the day kicks in. When the alarm goes off, a few more moments of sleep sound appealing. Or, maybe something bad happens in your day and you become so consumed by that occurrence that everything else gets set aside. Sometimes things happen that try to keep you away from your prayer priority.

The Bible teaches us about the importance of praying constantly. Making this a part of your life brings renewal in all things that happen in life. It even brings renewal to others that you might pray for. Get into the practice of praying constantly. It will widen your awareness of needs around you.

Now What?

1. Pray sentence prayers throughout your day--for you, your family, your coworkers, Parkgate, unchurched people, etc.

2. Ask God to give you more awareness of needs around you.

Pastor R.W. Moody

People used to ask me why I left the ministry. I resigned in 1977 from being a clergyman where I had preached for the preceding sixteen years. The issue was whether or not I actually believed what I preached.

What I taught was what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount: “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)

I preached that promise of Jesus for thirty-two years to the three congregations I served during that time. But the response of many was, “You haven’t really tested that for yourself because the church always provides your needs.”

To make a long story short, after months of agonizing in prayer, Wilma and I decided to resign and accept no money from any church, and we would really test if God’s word is true. Well, it has been a thrilling adventure the past 31 years, because we found His Word really is true.

Why don’t you discover that, too? You begin on your knees. I still promise that He listens to you when you listen to Him.

Pastor Key

Charles Spurgeon wrote, “O God, You have given us a mighty weapon, and we have permitted it to rust. You have given us that which is mighty as Yourself, and we have let that power lie dormant. Would it not be a crime if a man were given an eye that he would not open or a hand that he would not lift up? And what must we say of ourselves when God has given us power in prayer- matchless power, full of blessedness to ourselves, and of unnumbered mercies to others-and yet that power lies still.”

Don’t let the power of prayer rust in your life! Begin/continue praying today!!!

Kenneth J. Spiller

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Why do so few people pray consistently? One reason may be that people think God’s doesn’t care or that He only cares about the big stuff. But listen to this perspective from Pastor Craig Groeschel’s book, “Confessions of a Pastor.”

“Does God care about my sick goldfish?” my six-year old daughter asked. Her question made me pause. I don’t really care about the goldfish. Why would God? Then I noticed a tear begin its long slow trek down my little girl’s cheek. Because I cared for her, suddenly I cared for the stupid goldfish.

God is like that. Because He cares for you, he cares about what you care about. Because God is our loving Father, He cares about what you care about, so seek Him in prayer and this week, instead of carrying all your burdens and anxiety, give them to God.

1st Peter 5:7 - Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you (NIV).

Pastor Kenneth

One of the most important ways to put feet to your faith is by praying for other people. When you stop to think about it, intercessory prayer is a tangible way to wash the feet of those around you. When you become aware of a person's need, you simply say a sentence prayer for them. It is an incredible way of serving others--or as today's culture would put it--how to have somebody's back. Intercessory prayer is a way to support people in need.

There are a couple of ways to put intercessory prayer into practice. These are not the only ways, just a couple of possibilities. First, keep track of people in a journal. All you have to do is write the person's name and need. Pray over those names and needs frequently. Second, you can associate something with that person to remind you to pray. Here's an example. I have made it a practice to pray for the families of the September 11th victims every time that I see the numbers 911. Those three numbers together take my mind back to the occurrences of that day which, in turn, remind me to pray for those families.

Who are you interceding in prayer for today? I've got your back whenever you need it!

Pastor R.W. Moody

What would you think of a carpenter who said, "I'm too busy building this house to take time to sharpen my saw"? Or what would you think of a soldier who said, "I'm too busy fighting the enemy to stop and reload my weapon"?

What does God think about His "carpenters" and "soldiers"…?

In this connection, Mike Gonzalez, upon seeing a plaque in my bathroom, suggested I pass it on as "Prayer Thought for the Week." The poem is titled:

The Difference

I got up early one morning,

and rushed right into the day;

I had so much to accomplish

that I didn't have time to pray.

Problems just tumbled about me,

and heavier came each task.

"Why won't God help me?" I wondered;

He answered, "You didn't ask."

I wanted to see joy and beauty,

but the day wore on, gray and bleak;

I wondered why God didn't show me;

He said, "You didn't seek."

I woke up early this morning,

and paused before entering the day;

I had so much to accomplish,

that I had to take time to pray.

Author: Grace L. Naessens

Pastor Harold Key

The beauty of praying for others is: you may be involved with the very beginning of a new life with Jesus, a new revelation in an older life, healing or just simply encouragement for a rainy season. When you speak your loved ones name to Him (God) it causes a stir in Heaven and even the angels are given instruction concerning them.

The beauty of praying for others is: it is not just words but action. Once you have asked, develop a "wait to witness” mindset. Wait and see what the Holy Spirit will do or Wait to see if He tells you to do anything.

The beauty of praying for others is: It is a win-win situation. You get to be in the presence of a profoundly Holy and Loving God and your loved one reaps the benefits of you having been with Jesus.

What a connection!!!

Who can you pray for today?

Wanda Martinez

We look upon prayer as a means of getting things for ourselves; the Bible idea of prayer is that we may get to know God Himself. Oswald Chambers

Most of us want to commune with God. We want to meet with Him and experience Him, not just once in while, not just for an hour on Sunday, but daily. But we need to realize that communion with God is not something we institute; it is not something that we create. It’s like sleep. You can’t make yourself sleep. Have you ever tried? The harder you try to sleep, the longer you stay awake. You can’t make yourself sleep, but you can create the conditions that allow sleep to happen.

We need to create the conditions for communion, for intimacy, for experiencing God. How? Here are five suggestions for this coming week.

Open your Bibles,
Read it slowly,
Listen to it,
Reflect on it,
Obey it.

God wants to meet with you. Will you meet with Him?

Pastor Kenneth

This idea came from Richard Foster’s book, Prayer. HarperSanFranciso. New York, NY. 1992. Page 144

You can talk to God because God listens. Your voice matters in Heaven. He takes you very seriously. When you enter His presence, He turns to you to hear your voice. No need to fear that you will be ignored. Even if you stammer or stumble, even if what you have to say impresses no one, it impresses God, and He listens. He listens to the painful plea of the elderly in the rest home. He listens to the gruff confession of the death-row inmate. When the alcoholic begs for mercy, when the spouse seeks guidance, when the businessman steps off the street into the chapel, God listens.

Intently. Carefully.

Taken from Max Lucado’s book, The Great House of God.

Have you ever wondered about the importance of prayer? I am sure that you have heard it said before that prayer is a very important part of a person's spiritual journey. I believe that prayer is one of the most important things that a person who follows Jesus can do because it is a way for a person to verbalize, whether out loud or silently, the needs of life. It is a conversation between a person and God. And it is a very important part of being a Christ follower.

I just finished reading a book entitled 90 Minutes in Heaven (available in the LRC) by Don Piper. It is an incredible story about the value of prayer. Don Piper, who is a pastor here in Pasadena, was involved in a terrible car accident outside of Huntsville back in 1989. The accident killed Don instantly. Coming upon the accident was another pastor and his wife. After investigating a little bit about what was going on with a law enforcement officer, this pastor felt impressed to pray for the man in the red car even though the officer had told him that the driver of the car was already dead. Being obedient, the pastor began praying for the driver of the car. He prayed that God would not allow any internal injuries to occur as a result of the accident. While praying for this driver and singing the song entitled "What a Friend We Have in Jesus," the driver of the car, Don Piper, came back to life. Don had several major injuries, but nothing internal. His major organs and brain were fine. The pastor that stumbled upon the accident was being obedient to God's leading and God honored his requests.

I tell you that story to ask you this: Do you think that prayer is valuable to Don Piper? You better believe it! And just like it is valuable to him, it is valuable to you, too. You need to talk to God about your own journey as a follower of Jesus Christ. You need to ask Him about the areas of your life that need to look more like Christ--those behaviors, attitudes, etc. And other people around you need it, too, for their needs. Prayer is valuable and it works!!!! If you aren't in the habit of talking to God, now is the time to start. Just start small and work from there. You will see just how important it is to your journey!

Last week my sister died. My remaining older brother in Katy and I made reservations to fly Saturday to the funeral in North Alabama. But when I got to his home, he was at the point of collapse himself. Besides his own feebleness, his wife is seriously ill in a nearby nursing home. I made the decision to cancel our plans.

Instead of going to my sister’s funeral, I stayed four days with my brother. On Monday I took him to his doctor who confirmed that he was in no condition to travel.

What did we do during those four days? We did what the Bible says to do. We prayed. We prayed for him and for myself. We prayed for his wife (and for the other residents and the staff of the nursing home). We prayed for his children and their families. We prayed for my sister’s family. We prayed for my family. We prayed for you. We prayed for the entire family of God.

                        Listen to my cry for help,
                         my King and my God,
                           for to you I pray.

                        In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice;
                           in the morning I lay my requests before you
                           and wait in expectation.

Psalm 5:2-3

Are you in trouble? You should pray too.

Pastor Key

The Kingdom of Heaven is within you, and outside of you is the "other" kingdom. Our job as Christians is to release what is inside out into the world and help facilitate the building of God's kingdom in other people's lives.

Prayer allows God to reign over our lives and gives us instruction to "build" according to His master plan. The time you spend with God in "humble submissiveness" will show in your work for the Lord and in your temperament. Spending time with Him allows you to bear the fruit of His spirit and will cause others to invite you to come help them build.

Be still and know He is God. (Ps 46:10) Be still and trust Him. Take time to be still before the King of your universe.

Wanda Martinez

The Art of Prayer compiled by Igumen Chariton

1st Thessalonians 5:17 - pray continually…

In one area of Africa where Christianity began to spread, converts were zealous about daily devotions. They would find their own spot within the wild thickets and pour their hearts out to God. After some time, the spots became well-worn, and paths were created. Soon, one's prayer life was made public. If someone began to neglect his or her devotional life, it would soon be noticed by others. Believers would then gently and lovingly remind those in neglect, "The grass grows on your path."

Has the “grass grown on your path?” Do you need to visit with your Lord again? He is waiting and He’ll listen.

Pastor Kenneth

Have you ever thought about the war that is taking place in the world? I am not referring to the wars in Iraq or in Afghanistan. The war that I am referring to is an unseen war that has been going on for years. It is a war not between man, but between supernaturals. The war is between God and Satan for the souls and lives of every living person. It is not a war that one can take lightly. It is a war that affects every person, whether they realize it or not.

Spiritual warfare is taking place all around us. And it comes in many different shapes and sizes. For one person, the battle might be the question of whether or not God can truly do something. For another person, a lifelong struggle with an addiction might be knocking that person down every time that they seem to become free from the imprisonment. And yet for another, the disbelief that God exists. Satan creates a stubbornness in that person that becomes stone cold.

1 Peter 5:8 tells us that we should always be on our guard, because Satan is prowling around like a lion ready to attack. This is true. There is nothing that the devil wouldn't like better than to take out a person who is a totally devoted follower of Jesus Christ. So with this in mind, we must be ready, willing and able. Ready, by keeping close to Christ through time in God's word and prayer. Willing, by sticking it out in all that life delivers, because there will be tough moments. Able, by seeking the help of God and others, when you don't think that you are capable of putting up a fight. God has promised us that He will never leave or forsake us. That is a promise that you can stand up under when your life seems to be a battlezone.

Talk to God about spiritual warfare. Recognize that it is taking place in your life and the lives of people around you. Hold steady to the promise that Jesus gave in Matthew 28:20 when He told us that He would always be with us. Through every campaign, Jesus will be there. Finally, hold onto the fact that Jesus has already won!

Blessings!

Pastor R.W.

Last week a repeat visitor looked me up after the Sunday morning worship service to hug me and tell me that after we prayed for his father, who was critically ill with kidney failure, the risky dialysis went very well. Tony’s father is now strong enough to actually take walks.

I don’t know why all our prayers are not answered like that—immediately—as we want them to be. But I suspect God knows quite well. Most of such times He probably wants to answer in His way in order to meet a deeper need.

And sometimes, I suspect it is because the spiritual Enemy of God has something to do with delaying God’s answer. That’s what Daniel said about his prayer being blocked. Daniel said he kept fasting and praying even in sackcloth and ashes. But the answer didn’t come.

That is, it didn’t come for an agonizing long time to him.

Although Daniel was doing the right thing back then, there is always something else involved when God’s people pray. Something that is really supernatural. An angel told Daniel: “As soon as you began to pray, an answer was given…your words were heard…but the Prince [of Darkness] resisted me twenty-one days…” You can read all about it in Daniel, chapters 9 and 10.

Something goes on beyond human understanding when you really pray earnestly. In the spiritual realm there’s a supernatural warfare going on. A war that we humans do not see or hear.

Daniel said it was beyond his understanding. But God eventually answered Daniel’s prayer because Daniel was on God’s side. And God’s side wins!

That’s something that’s worth remembering as you pray, isn’t it?

Harold Key

I love this prayer devotional:

May the Lord give you the blessing of a strong desire to stand inwardly before Him. Seek and you will find. Seek God: such is the unalterable rule for all spiritual advancement. Nothing comes without effort. The help of God is always ready and always near, but is only given to those who seek and work, and only to those seekers who, after putting all their own powers to the test, then cry out with all their heart: Lord, help us. So long as you hold on to even a little hope of achieving something by your own powers, the Lord does not interfere. It is as though He says: "You hope to succeed by yourself--Very Well, go on trying! But however long you try, you will achieve nothing." May the Lord give you a contrite spirit, a humble and contrite heart. Jn 15:5 ...apart from Me you can do nothing.

From The Art of Prayer

Wanda Martinez

Don’t let your “Amen” mean “Good-bye.” Whenever we finish speaking with someone, we usually use some form of good-bye: bye, see ya, later, adios, TTFN, or my own creation “lubaybye” which means “I love you baby, bye.” Each of these signifies that the conversation is over and it will pick up again at some point in the future. So whenever I pray, I often subconsciously say “good-bye” whenever I say “amen.” But if we are to remain in prayer without ceasing, then we have to break that subconscious habit of thinking that we are only communicating with God if we have our eyes closed and our hands folded, and that we are done once we say “Amen.” Let your “Amen” be your “Let it be so” and not your “Until we speak again”…..

Mike Gonzalez

Have you ever stopped to think about the connection between worship and prayer? It is more than just a specific component of the worship celebration that takes place every week. Prayer is in itself an act of worship. When you take the time to pray, you are giving of yourself in honor of God. Here's how. First of all, you are giving of your time. Time is your most precious commodity. There are so many different things that you could be doing with your time. The fact that you give your time to talk with God acknowledges the need for Him in your life or the lives of other people. Secondly, prayer adores God for who He is, thanks God for what He has done and is doing, confesses to God the areas of life that need to molded by Him, and humbly seeks God's help. Prayer is an act of worship unto the Lord.

This week, be reminded that prayer is an act of worship. In Romans 12, the apostle Paul instructs us to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice to the Lord which is an act of worship. Take some time to be intentional about your prayer time with God. It will honor Him.

Pastor RW

Have you ever heard anyone say this? Many years ago I was a visitor in a group discussing whether prayer works. And I heard a man actually make the statement, “I tried prayer once and it didn’t work, so I gave it up.” And then he said no more.

I was disturbed. I later discovered the man had made that remark in an attempt to be humorous. But I was still concerned about the very underlying premise in the group’s discussion about whether prayer “works.”

Whenever we use prayer, as a device to get something from God, how is such a prayer different in principle from a telemarketer using a “line” to get something from you?

Such a concept of prayer as a “device” that “works” leads us not to focus primarily upon God and His desires, but rather upon our human technique to get God to do something that otherwise He wouldn’t do.

Don’t you suppose God recognizes it whenever we try to manipulate Him?

Be careful when you talk to God. God does the working. Our prayer is the trusting communion of a child with our Heavenly Father. If we submit ourselves to Him as we pray, He will do the working as He sees best.

Harold Key

Through the course of your day, worship the Lord in little moments. Let Him keep you centered and at peace.

You can worship Him by realizing who He is compared to who you are:

Father, behold your child:

Creator, behold your creature:

Master, behold your disciple:

Saviour, behold your redeemed one:

Spirit, behold your cleansed one:

Comforter, behold the one you uphold:

So I come to You,

The infinite and unimaginable,

To Worship You.
Margaret Cropper, 1886-1980

Or realizing His wonderful work:

As the hand is for holding and the eye for seeing, you have fashioned me for joy. Give me the eyes to find it everywhere: in the wild violet's beauty; in the bird's melody; in the face of a steadfast man; in a child's smile; in a mother's love; in the purity of Jesus.
Alister MacLean

Or in the Sacrifice of Jesus:

O Lord, let me rest the ladder of gratitude against your cross, and rising, kiss your feet.
Prayer of an Indian Christian

Keep a mind of worship and your life will reflect the gratitude of your heart for what God has done for you.

Wanda Martinez

How can we ever expect something supernatural to happen if we excuse away or deny its validity whenever it shows up?

This past week I had two conversations, heard two messages in a convention service, and had one potentially life-changing encounter. All of those separate events were used by God to speak directly to my heart and answer some of the prayers I have been offering for me and for our church. The last encounter involved a woman who I have never met before who came to me following a service convinced that the Spirit had told her to pray for me. She was with a woman who is part of the congregation I grew up in in Illinois. I knew that woman (which is to say I knew who she was), but that's about it. These two ladies asked to pray over me because they believed they were directed by the Holy Spirit to seek me out in the crowd for that purpose. In their prayer they spoke words of knowledge and encouragement to me concerning issues I am facing or I believe our church is facing that they would know nothing about except that God prompted them to share that with me in prayer.

Now, experiences like this are strange and out of the ordinary. Only two other times in my life has something like that happened and both times resulted in real blessing.

In my prayers over the past few months I have asked God to do something supernatural in me and in our church. The past couple of days I believe he may be starting to answer those prayers. Time will tell, but one thing I do know is that I can't expect God to do something supernatural if I excuse away or deny the validity of it when it shows up.

So, in your prayers this week don't hesitate to ask God for supernatural things and keep praying faithfully until something good happens. And when God begins to move, don't miss it or try to explain it away.

Pastor Jim

Jonathan Aitken, a former member of Parliament in Great Britain, compares his early relationship with God to that with a bank manager: “I spoke to him politely, visited his premises intermittently, occasionally asked him for a small favour or overdraft to get myself out of difficulty, thanked him condescendingly for his assistance, kept up the appearance of being one of his reasonably reliable customers, and maintained superficial contact with him on the grounds that one of these days he might come in useful.”

How’s your prayer life? Hot or cold? Joyful or dreadful? A privilege or a duty?

Prayer is based on an authentic relationship with God. Develop that relationship today!!! Jonathan Aitken did. When convicted of perjury and sentenced to prison, Aitken decided to pursue a more personal relationship with God. You can begin taking your relationship with God to the next level of intimacy today…and it begins with prayer!!!

Taken from Philip Yancey's book entitled, Prayer.

Whenever I read the phrase "Just Do It" I think about those old school Nike commercials where Michael Jordan is shown in mid-flight on his way to dunking the basketball into the cylinder. Those of you that are at least close to my age remember those commercials. Some of you may even have thought to yourself that if you could get your hands on a pair of Nike Air Jordan shoes that you would be able to jump and dunk just like that great basketball player could. The slogan made any normal joe think that they could hang with the pros in their respective sports. But more than that, the slogan "Just Do It" gave people purpose. It created the desire within people to do something--buy shoes, play basketball, be like Mike--anything really. As long as you had a pair of Nike shoes you were good to go.

You know, prayer is something that everybody can do. If you were to stop and think about it, chances are good that you had a conversation with a friend today. Prayer is just that. It is talking to a friend. That's right, God is your friend! So, why don't people do it? Here are a couple of possibilities. First, some people think that you have to say the "right" words. God just wants you to say what is on your mind. Second, some people think that you have to pray for a designated amount of time. God doesn't regulate the amount of time that you spend in prayer because He just wants you to pray. People just don't pray!

Prayer--Just do it! How? First, let God know your thoughts. Talk to Him like you would talk to a friend. Use language that is common to your vocabulary. You don't have to spice it up for God. Just share your thoughts and be straight with God. Second, start talking to Him for five (5) minutes a day and work up from there. Speak sentence prayers every once in a while to be in constant conversation with God. Pick a specific time of the day to pray and stick with it. Whatever you do, just do it! I guarantee that God will bless you for it!

Peace,

Pastor R.W.

Many years back I read about a family driving by their church building on the way to the beach. The little boy asked, "Aren't we going to worship God first?" The father replied, "We can worship at the beach." Then the little girl asked a sobering thought, "But will we?"

The theme for Prayer Thoughts this month is, "Just Do It." Yes, we know we can pray anywhere and anytime. The question is, but will we?

Although I pray quickie prayers many times during the day, I also start and end each day beside my bed on my knees. I find that this disciplined routine helps me to answer that question, "But will I pray?"

You don't have to do like I do, but what disciplined routine of praying do you have?

Harold Key

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