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Prayer Requires Action

Prayer Requires Action

Recently, I heard someone saying ‘Christians are stupid when they think prayer changes things’. He thought Christians only pray and do nothing. But that’s not the way prayer works. Praying does not mean we sit on our hands the rest of the time. It’s not an excuse to do nothing. We are to go forward in faith. First, we pray as it all depended on God, then we work as everything depended on us. Because prayer requires action. Prayer is…

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How to Pray without Ceasing

How to Pray without Ceasing

I’d always kind of wondered how to pray without ceasing (1 Thess.5:17, NRSV,*) as the Bible tells us to do. You know, we have normal lives to live, right? We can’t drop everything to just pray. So what is the secret for praying without ceasing? I had already learned to pray while working or driving and I cherished my special times of prayer but then I noticed that my whole internal monologue had become a dialogue with God. I seem…

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The Kingdom and the Power and the Glory

The Kingdom and the Power and the Glory

Do you value the Lord’s Prayer? It is a fixed part of worship services and also a regular part of my family’s evening devotions. Jesus himself taught it to us. It is wonderful that we can approach God as our own Father and we can address him informally, ask him whatever we need and surrender to his care. As a friend of my youth once said ‘if something has been forgotten when prayed in our words, the Lord’s Prayer will cover…

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Pray It Possible

Pray It Possible

Very often we feel that there’s nothing we can do to make things better. We feel helpless and discouraged and don’t know how to go on. The most important thing – and hopefully the first thing – to do is to pray. Really. Because prayer works. Indeed God works in and through our lives. Don’t ever forget that. Whatever dilemma or problem you’re facing, pray it possible. With all prayer and petition pray [with specific requests] at all times [on…

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A Call to Pray with Jesus

A Call to Pray with Jesus

Jesus asked his disciples to pray with him at Gethsemane, yet they slept. Just the same way, Jesus is asking us to pray with him too. How do we respond? Do we sleepwalk through our life? Or do we obey and pray with Jesus? Because we have a call to pray with Jesus. And that’s a high calling. Then he [Jesus] said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch…

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Pray because Jesus Prayed

Pray because Jesus Prayed

I’ve written lots of posts on prayer. I’ve talked about how our prayers matter. How we are supposed to pray without ceasing. And how we should be persistent on prayer. I’ve talked about the power of prayer and how wonderful it is that we have a prayer-hearing God. Also, I have mentioned how blessed we are that both Jesus and the Holy Spirit prays for us. All these are wonderful things. We truly need prayer. But there’s one thing that…

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Close to God in Prayer

Close to God in Prayer

How does it feel listening to someone praying for you? Isn’t it delightful and utterly precious? It is a huge blessing. Like Charles Finney has said “Nothing tends more to cement the hearts of Christians than praying together. Never do they love one another so well as when they witness the outpouring of each others’ hearts in prayer.” Exactly. We can get a glimpse into people’s hearts while praying. People don’t lie before the Lord. Hence when others earnestly pray…

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Good Morning, God! (or How to Start Your Day Right)

Good Morning, God! (or How to Start Your Day Right)

How do you start your day? Do you have some routines that are always the same? How long do you go until you greet God each day? You answer defines the robustness of your faith. Really. Either you lean on God or on your own strength. Either you live for God or for yourself. Either you put God first or yourself. In the morning You hear my voice, O Lord; in the morning I prepare [a prayer, a sacrifice] for…

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The Spiritual Immune System, part 4/4

The Spiritual Immune System, part 4/4

Spiritual exercise is necessary for robust spiritual health. There is no way around it. Any muscle that goes unused becomes weak. Any faith that does not get exercised becomes weak. So what are you waiting for? You even have your own spiritual trainer, the Holy Spirit, available 24/7. Let’s continue our journey towards a strong spiritual immune system. In the first part of the series I presented a formula for spiritual health. We need to have a healthy diet and…

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Is Prayer Necessary?

Is Prayer Necessary?

Why do you pray? Is prayer necessary? What do you think? God knows everything already anyway. Why should we take time to pray then? What’s the point of prayer after all? Good questions. Let’s find out whether prayer is necessary at all. Sometimes when we don’t understand something, it helps to change perspectives. So let’s do it now. Let’s take God’s perspective on prayer. Why do you think God wants us to pray? God does not need our list of…

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