You can learn to pray only by praying. Helpful inspirational tips on prayer.
All of us have tried praying or happily listened to others praying, “I will not let you go unless you bless me (Genesis 32:26).” Easily said than done. Why?
Not one of us is willing to struggle with God and prevail. Jesus asked us not to go for vain repetition in prayer. At the same … Read the rest
Most of us pray. Yes, for an approaching exam, when sickness comes, during financial crisis, and when there is some other trouble. At other times it is just routine “Bless me O Lord and my family (and sometimes we add, “only ME and MY Family”; which means O Lord hope you understood that means bless … Read the rest
Nehemiah was the leader whom God used to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. A study on his life will help us understand how to be an effective leader.
First of all, Nehemiah was a man with a burden in his heart. As the Book of Nehemiah opens, we find Nehemiah weeping as he heard the … Read the rest
In prayer, Jesus showed us his total dependence on his heavenly Father. It was his goal to please him. In fact, Jesus did nothing without seeking God’s approval.
He addressed God as “Abba, Father (Mark 14:36).” (Abba is an Aramaic term which young children used to address their fathers. It can be translated as “Daddy.”) … Read the rest
A better understanding of prayer can help us be great communicators; for prayer is conversation with God. When Jesus taught about prayer (recorded in his famous Sermon on the Mount), he said:
“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who … Read the rest
Prayer is in an invitation to be in a closed room with God the Father.
It is a privilege given to you–to be alone with God. It also means that God is giving you absolute attention when you pray.
A closed room means that this is a private meeting. What you talk with God is … Read the rest
“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”1
There is an invitation. God is calling out to you to come and speak with him. Therefore prayer first of all is about listening to God
Then there is a promise of a response. I … Read the rest
This Lesson is part of John’s Gospel Easy Notes Series.
Jesus spoke hard-to-digest language when he spoke about having intimacy or close communion with him. He told: “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you (John 6:53).”
Do not say … Read the rest
This Lesson is part of John’s Gospel Easy Notes Series.
John 17
Isn’t it amazing that the Son of God prayed while on earth?
He lived without sin.
But he did not live without prayer.
Hope that gives you an idea of how much we should lean on God in prayer!
Here, like the high … Read the rest
This Lesson is part of John’s Gospel Easy Notes Series.
John 15:1
Israel the Vine and Jesus the True Vine
Jesus is speaking about the intimate union we can have with him. In a theological sense, Israel was the vine that God had planted (see Isaiah 5:1—7). But it continually failed to witness to God … Read the rest
We all love to run our own lives independently. But in David we find a man who tried his best to seek God for guidance in all situations of his life.
Of course he sinned and failed in the case of Bathsheba, Uriah, and the census he took of the Israelites to name a few … Read the rest
“There is nothing there (1 Kings 18:43).” Nothingness doesn’t matter if God has promised to send something.
Here was Prophet Elijah on Mount Carmel overlooking the sea. His prayer had just brought down fire from heaven. False prophets had been killed. And he already told King Ahab that there is a sound of heavy rain … Read the rest
Some religious thinking call for the suppression of desires. Some others say that desires are the root cause of much suffering. The Bible on the other hand says, “Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4).” What a positive statement of truth that is!
Our God … Read the rest
If at all you would like to end up in prison; for what crime might that be? Shocked? We now look at a man who landed in a den of lions for the sole crime of praying to God. That too at the age of eighty plus. His name is Daniel.
When a law was … Read the rest
So many youngsters are worried about finding God’s will. In today’s world they are more in confusion about right sexual conduct.
The Bible speaks about this in very clear terms.
Flee.
That means run away from sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 6:18, 2 Tim 2:22). So do not stay in a place, situation or in front … Read the rest
Luke says that Jesus spoke a parable to teach us to always pray and not give up (Luke 18:1). Plainly stated. But easily forgotten.
Why do we give up praying? It mostly happens because most of our prayers are wishes only. Such prayers cannot be sustained.
Then there is the problem of no visible change … Read the rest
Who is God to you? Creator. Provider. Almighty. Judge. All these are true. But there is something more we need to know and experience.
Jesus came to show us this “something more” about God. Jesus came to show us God our heavenly Father. Jesus called God “Abba, Father.” Just as a little one in a … Read the rest
It is amazing how one act of obedience can go a long way in fulfilling God’s purposes. Look at the case of Ananias. He was asked by God to “Go!” The reason was that a man named Saul was praying. And Saul was blind for a period of three days.
Ananias was the answer to … Read the rest
Jesus said, “Ask and it will be given to you” (Matthew 7:7).
At first look, this looks quite simple; isn’t it? But is it really that simple? If God gave you a chance to ask him something what would you ask? Are you prepared for such a chance?
King Solomon got such a chance. God … Read the rest
Dear Child of God, are you passing through some great difficulty? Are you finding it difficult to praise God during this time? If so, consider these things:
First of all, the more you keep away from God, the more misery you have to go through. He is waiting expectantly for you to come back to … Read the rest
Prayer the Answer to Worry
Most people constantly worry. You might be one among them. The Bible tells us that prayer is the way to conquer worry. It advises us not to be anxious, but with hearts of thanks and praise, present our requests to God.
God himself has initiated prayer. He has asked us to call to him in prayer. It is an invitation that we should feel welcome to respond to.
Jesus taught us to persist in prayer. He told that we should always pray and never give up. Therefore we should never be discouraged in prayer even when … Read the rest
Come into His Presence
Prayer is talking to God. Therefore the first thing to do is to come into his presence. The Bible clearly tells us that we have right of entry to the throne of grace by the precious blood of Jesus. So first ask Jesus to wash you with his precious blood even … Read the rest
We all had times when God did not answer prayer the way we expected. Some of us have grown discouraged because of that. But think for a moment. Has God changed? Has his promises to us about prayer changed? No.
Therefore let us not grow discouraged and stop praying. Instead of fighting with God about … Read the rest
Amazing it might seem! The Son of God, Jesus, prayed. In him was found a loveliness in prayer. It attracted his disciples so much that they asked him to teach them to pray.
The prayer life of Jesus Christ demonstrated his dependence on God the Father in heaven. He called God, “Abba, Father.” Abba is … Read the rest
There is something about prayer that demands that we be alone with God.This is of great importance in today’s world when we are distracted much by our busy schedules, pressures of work and family, sounds and sights of cities, and television, internet and mobile phones.
Jesus set us an example in being alone with … Read the rest
The Certainty of Trouble
We all pass through days of trouble. The Bible realistically speaks of days of trouble. Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33). Job who went through intense suffering said: “Man born of woman is of few days and full of trouble” and “man is born to trouble
I tremble as I read these words. I pray with the man in the gospel account who said, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief (Mark 9:24)!” Yes, God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). And unbelief is that one thing that can prevent it from … Read the rest
(Part 5–Your Relationship with God)
Most Christians learn this simple lesson only years and years after they come to have a relationship with God. But if you can start at this point, then you’ll enjoy your relationship with God much better.
After the initial joy of becoming a Christian, a person is soon faced with … Read the rest
Praising God is often associated with worship meetings. It is also associated with singing, dancing, clapping of hands or lifting up of hands in praise. Sometimes, enabled by the Holy Spirit, praise happens in languages foreign to the speaker which is understood as speaking in tongues. All this is part of praising God and generally … Read the rest
