Importance of Prayer

Temptations often appear irresistible because, through neglect of prayer and the study of the Bible, the tempted one cannot readily remember God's promises and meet Satan with the Scripture weapons.  

                                                ~ Ellen G. White, "The Great Controversy,  600 

It's absolutely necessary for me to start my day with prayer and worship! If I don't start my day with God, I can guarantee you that it's not going to be the type of day I look forward to. 

Often my first prayer of the day is sent heavenward before I even rise from my bed, because God has become such an important part of my life. Life without God would be for me like a ship without a rudder, or a car without a steering wheel. I want God to always be my Pilot! 

Daily answers to prayer are my greatest joy! For example, I'm not very tolerant of a bad attitude, and when I wake up grumpy, I know that I'm not going to want to deal with that all day. My solution is to pray and ask God to put me in a better frame of mind so that my grumpiness won't ruin my whole day. You know, He has never failed to answer that prayer for me!

So often I wish that I was better at showing God  my gratitude for His  guidance,and protection, and especially His unconditional love, by resisting temptation and walking only in His footprints. Too often I fall, and must ask Him to pick me up once again, - and He always does! 

I think for me, His unconditional love has been the greatest gift to me personally, mostly because I grew up with love that was conditional on the right behavior or the right opinions, or whatever it took to fit the mold that someone else thought I should fit into. The was no room for individuality or personal choices. 

God is so much better than that!  He gives us the choice to follow Him daily, or to go our own way! What more could we want? God loves us enough to let us go, if that's what we want. I'm so thankful to know that He will never let go, unless I absolutely pull away from Him!

Lord, please help me to never pull away!

Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.  Matthew 26:41.

He is my Rock!

The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2

As I was lying in bed this morning, still in the process of waking up, I started thinking about what my life would be like if Christ wasn't my Pilot and my Rock. 

I wouldn't have to worry about overindulging my love of sweets, nor fighting off all the temptations that come my way. I wouldn't have to deal with being concerned about other people, or whether or not I left a good impression. 

On the other hand, I have tried living my life without Christ. I made all my own decisions, told people off if they didn't like what I said or did, ate as much as I wanted of whatever I wanted, and got up every morning knowing the day was mine to do whatever I wanted and to behave in whatever manner I wanted to.

My life was a mess!! I wasn't very good at running my own life. I was an unhealthy workaholic, and things got very complicated and chaotic at times. I just couldn't seem to find balance or happiness. 

Now God is my Pilot and life is so much easier. Oh, I still have temptations, and I still fall, but at least now I have Someone to pick me up when I fall, comfort me when I'm hurting, and encourage me when I've lost sight of the Light. 

Life has simply become a matter of prayer for me. It's not difficult to raise one's voice in prayer, or to pray from the heart - without words. But the comfort of that Lifeline is ever with me, and if I didn't have that, I'm not sure I'd get out of bed in the morning. 

I have come to lean heavily on Christ, and have seen His answers to prayer, and His unconditional help and support in my many times of need. More than once, I have literally felt or seen His immediate answers to my prayers, and other times I've had to be patient because His decision was for me to wait. 

No sincere prayer is ever unheard, and every prayer receives an answer. Do you think because God says no, that He has not answered your prayer? Not at all. Sometimes the things we seek are not for our own good, or the time is not right. I can look back on my past and see how God's decisions have opened up doorways for me that I never could have opened, or even foreseen, or He has closed doors that weren't meant for me to open.

Yes, God is always there, and He is only a prayer away! Make Him your Rock and Foundation today. I guarantee you that your life will be more blessed than you could ever imagine! 

Confident Prayer Warrior

Maybe the title to this new blog seems strange, but I am a very confident prayer warrior. I'm confident of the Lord's blessings every day, and I'm confident in His answers to my prayers. The answers are not always what I had hoped for, but they always turn out to be the best!

What a powerful privilege we have in the gift of prayer! It's a gift that is usually underused and not appreciated to its utmost value!

Imagine, if you will, the privilege of being able to call the president of the United States any time you wanted to, or the governor, or even the mayor. We would think that was pretty cool, wouldn't we? I'd be willing to bet though, that those people wouldn't want us calling them at all hours of the day or night, or calling twenty times a day! In my human selfishness, I wouldn't want someone calling me that many times in a day!

But think about this . . . we have the privilege of being able to call on the King of kings, the mighty King of the universe any time of the day or night, as many times as we feel the need, to ask for help and guidance in whatever we are dealing with in our lives. Wow! What a privilege, and what a wonderful and unselfish Friend it would take to extend that privilege unconditionally, and without limits.

Our God is a mighty God, and an awesome Friend to us, day in and day out, without limit or conditions of any kind, other than that we give our hearts to Him in full measure. I'm so thankful for the gift and privilege of prayer. It's been an endless source of strength and guidance in my life! I hope that it is for you also!