You Need to Approach God Boldly

spirituality Aug 18, 2024

When communicating with God, approach your prayers with assurance and conviction. Express your thoughts, desires, and concerns openly, knowing you are heard and understood. This confidence in prayer is not about arrogance or demanding, but about trusting in God's love and His desire to hear and answer our prayers.

 

Come to His throne in full confidence.

Do not come as a beggar hoping for scraps of affection. Arrive instead, knowing that you are a beloved child of God. You come not as a beggar but as an heir.

In Hebrews 4:16, Paul instructed the children of God, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

Not only should your approach be bold, but so should your prayers. Phillip Brooks said, “Pray the largest prayers. You cannot think of a prayer so large that God, in answering it, will not wish you had made it larger. Pray not for crutches but for wings.” This bold...

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What About When You Cannot Pray Now?

spirituality Aug 11, 2024

Engaging in prayer is considered one of the most powerful and meaningful practices for fostering a deep and meaningful relationship with God. However, there are moments in life where connecting through prayer may seem unattainable or difficult to achieve.

Often, my clients will say that the topic of prayer is well and good. They agree that conversation is wonderful to have with God…but what about the days when your heart is too full to pray? When life once knocked you down, and it feels like you will never rise again, what do you do on those days?

I tell them that in those moments, it can be helpful to remember Romans 8:26, “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”

 

Your prayer life has a major impact on your faith life.

The Holy Spirit, residing within you as a beloved child of God, intercedes on your...

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Our Powerful God Is Never a Passive Listener

spirituality Aug 04, 2024

 

Prayer, a potent and transformative practice, serves as a conduit for our intimate connection with our Heavenly Father. When we, as women, earnestly seek the Lord in prayer, the transformative power of His presence is unleashed in our lives. As you cultivate an active prayer life, you will witness the transformative responses of God to your requests. This is beautifully illustrated in David's account in Psalm 18.

Psalm 18:6 - "In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears."

David was surrounded by Saul's forces during a crisis, feeling trapped and hopeless. In his distress, he turned to prayer, seeking help from God. His plea for assistance was answered when the Lord responded to him from heaven.

David talks about God hearing his prayers and then makes another beautiful point in the next verses. He describes how smoke poured from God’s nostrils and His righteous...

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Prayer Like A Normal Conversation Starts with Authentic Sharing

spirituality Jul 14, 2024

We can look at conversations simply as “sharing” in many ways. Maybe you share how your day went with your kids, spouse, or pet. Perhaps you share about a fight with your co-worker or a funny moment at school.


Tell God about your day.

Let Him know what happened, good and bad. Share your feelings, fears, hopes, and dreams. Ask Him for what you need. You may need wisdom to navigate a challenging project at work or strength to continue caring for an ill family member. At first, it may not feel like God is listening to you.

Remember, patience is a virtue. You may hear only silence. And in that silence, believing that God is ignoring or has forgotten you is tempting. But, when you truly listen to someone else, are you not silent? Do you allow the other person enough space to speak?

You are not ignoring the other party. You still remember them. You are simply respecting their right to speak. God, in His infinite wisdom and love, values your thoughts and feelings, and He...

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Why In The World Should We Bother Praying?

spirituality Jul 07, 2024

You may wonder why you should bother praying. After all, God, in His infinite wisdom, has a plan for every woman and will work everything out for our good. You might think the conversation has no real point, as God's plan is already set. However, prayer is not about changing God's plan but about aligning our hearts and minds with His will, a comforting and reassuring act.

Christian prayer is a deeply personal spiritual practice that fosters a unique, intimate connection with God.

It is a way for each woman to express her faith, seek guidance, ask for help, offer gratitude, and communicate with her Divine Creator. As children talk and listen to their father, prayer is their special way of conversing with God. Each woman's conversation with God is unique and precious, making prayer the most intimate communication that connects us to God. 

Throughout the Bible, there are numerous verses and passages that not only encourage us to pray but also highlight the transformative and...

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God's "No" is Actually to Prepare, Not Punish

spirituality Jun 09, 2024

In the past, I have been deeply troubled by the fact that I have prayed to the Lord for things that I feel align with His will as stated in the Scriptures, yet He has not seen fit to grant my requests, at least not in the way I had hoped for.

This is not a mere theoretical problem of unanswered prayer but a deeply personal and, at times, gut-wrenching struggle that I know many women share. You are not alone in this. But I fully understand that God's "No" is actually to prepare, not punish.

Here is what Jesus says in Matthew 7:7-11: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is...

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Pray to God in faith Never as the Vending Machine

spirituality Jun 02, 2024

Numerous scriptures throughout the Bible encourage us to pray and highlight its true power. But in certain communities, prayer is sometimes depicted as a transaction with God. Believers think that merely reciting the correct words at the right time will result in God granting their wishes, akin to using a vending machine.

Remember, prayer is not a mere transaction but a deeply personal conversation with the Lord. He intricately weaves every cell of your being and understands you more intimately than you understand yourself.

"For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well." - Psalm 139:13-14

It does not matter what specific request you bring to your prayers, whether related to health, happiness, success, or any other aspect of life. When you humble yourself and recognize that without God’s help, this will not happen, then you...

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Every Prayer In The World Is Answered

spirituality May 12, 2024

It is a common misconception among Christian women that their prayer is left unanswered if God does not grant their request. However, it is crucial to remember that God always responds to His children—without exception, every time, and every prayer. Throughout history, there has never been, nor will there ever be, a prayer left unanswered.

Every prayer is answered, but only sometimes in the way we hope or the timeline we hope. God's answers are deeply personal and tailored to our unique circumstances and needs. For instance, you might have prayed to be married by twenty-five, but instead, you found a fulfilling career that brought you joy and purpose. Or you might have prayed for your daughter’s illness to be cured, and while the disease may not have been cured, you found the strength and resilience to cope with it.

God hears these prayers and responds in His way.

If you are a parent, you understand this. How often have your kids come to you with requests or desires you...

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Understand What Prayer Is For The First Time

spirituality May 05, 2024

As Soren Kierkegaard wisely said, prayer does not change God, but it changes the one who prays. It is a transformative act that shapes our hearts and minds.

 

The concept that prayer is a dialogue seems straightforward at first glance. But when you first start praying, it may feel more like a one-sided conversation. After all, you are talking, but you are not hearing anything...

...or are you?

 

It is easy to miss God's voice because He does not always respond immediately or in the exact manner we hoped. The phrase 'still small voice' is found in 1 Kings.

 

1 Kings 19:11-13 KJV - "And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but...

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Make Your Prayer Life a Powerful Conversation with God

spirituality Apr 14, 2024

 Like many of us, my client Barbara struggled with prayer for years. She longed to be close to God, to hear His voice, and to walk with Him as others did. But when it came to prayer, she felt awkward and unsure what to say.

During our coaching session, I encouraged her to spend fifteen minutes a day trying to pray. I explained, "It feels awkward because God is a stranger to you. You have heard about Him. And you have accepted Jesus. But you do not truly have a relationship with Him...yet."

Many women are like Barbara. They want to develop a relationship with God but struggle with prayer. It might be helpful to consider your early prayers a "blind date." Naturally, you will feel awkward—you do not know God yet. Not personally.

 

When we persist through the initial awkwardness and continue to 'meet' for regular 'dates' (i.e., prayer time), we will cultivate a relationship—a profound, enduring relationship with God that will carry us through life's trials. This...

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