DO NOT PRAY LIKE A POLITICIAN…THE POWER OF UNCENSORED PRAYER!

October 13, 2015

 

Politicians are notorious for telling voters what they want to hear. To win your vote, they make promises they know they won’t keep. They sing us sweet lullabies of better days ahead. They go to great lengths and hire people to write speeches that will evoke loud applauses. Election time can become one big circus.  If I am not careful, I can fall into the trap of praying like a politician.

God is not concerned about me giving speeches in prayer; telling Him what I think He wants to hear. He is not asking me to make empty promises. He is not asking me to have well thought out phrases and giving Him my resume. He is not impressed by any of this.
I had the privilege to once again hear this dynamic man of God speak this weekend.  He spoke on being a house of prayer.  He reminded me that in order to get to this point, I must be like Jesus and pray RAW HONEST prayers.  Jesus is inviting me and you to come and tell Him all, withholding nothing.

He invites me to cast all my cares on Him.  Telling Him the good, the bad and the ugly.  Allow Him to see my heart, inviting me to replace my filth with His righteousness and giving me a greater level of freedom.

He invites me to come and tell Him that I really don’t want to forgive because the offense just seemed too great and the offender never said sorry.  RAW HONEST EMOTIONS.  He invites me to cry out and ask Him to help me go beyond my feelings and ask Him for the grace to walk in forgiveness as many times as it is needed!

He invites me to be honest, take off my church face, abandon my well-crafted speeches and tell Him that I feel doubt overtaking me. When I have been in the wilderness longer than I would like and I begin to wonder if He has forgotten about what He has promised.  He wants me to have raw conversations with Him about my doubts and then sit long enough to get His faith infused answer giving me the proper perspective to continue to believe!

He invites me to be honest and tell Him that my flesh loves the applauses of man making me sometimes more focused on pleasing them instead of pleasing Him.  He wants me to be honest and tell Him that I struggle to not think too much of myself.  It is then that He begins to show me how to be like Him, how to imitate His humility.  Jesus type of humility can never be fabricated, only in prayer can pride be put to death!

I officially resign from praying like a politician.  I want to be a house of prayer, flowing in the power of God.  Teach me Lord.  How about you?

 

 

 

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Use Your Prayer Power

September 4, 2015

James 5 reminds us that the prayers of a righteous person are powerful!  Getting caught up in life and our struggles can make us forget this.  Please listen to the below clip and be encouraged! Have you been tapping into your prayer power?  After watching, please leave a comment and let me know.

 

Prayer Is The Ultimate Ice Breaker

In a previous post I mentioned a life changing leadership conference I attended.  I am still processing all that I learned.  I took note of what the speaker used as an icebreaker on the second day…PRAYER.   He told us to find someone in the room that we did not know and pray for his/her need.  I quickly found a sweet young lady.  We exchanged names and she asked me with a smile, “How can I pray for you?”  HOW. CAN. I. PRAY. FOR. YOU?  And before I could filter my thoughts and give her a general and “safe” prayer request, I found myself opening up and spilling some very personal information about myself.  Information that I would have preferred not to lead a conversation with, especially to a total stranger.  But that was the point she wasn’t a stranger she was my sister in the Lord.  There was a great sense of comfort as I shared.  She listened with a smile, and then it was her turn.  She gave her prayer request and then we took turns and prayed for each other.  Then just like that the ice was broken for me.  Whatever walls or inhibitions that were up came down.  My heart was prepped through prayer. This prayer set the stage for me for the rest of the conference, it was the icebreaker.

That simple demonstration greatly impacted me.  Allow me to explain.  The speaker mentioned how we have complicated a simple thing.  We go to extravagant lengths to do “church.”  But what if, what if we returned to one of the traditions mentioned in bible…PRAYER!  Prayer doesn’t require any special fund raising, or man made strategies.  All it requires is a heart after God and a desire to see His kingdom manifested here on earth as it is in heaven.  Prayer breaks every ice because it brings us directly before the throne of God. As we seek His face in genuine prayer He sends the fire.  The fire that revives, purges, and makes new. I have fallen in love with prayer all over again because I have fallen in love with Jesus AGAIN.  I am seeing Him in a totally different light.  SIMPLY beautiful.  SIMPLY.  Prayer from a pure heart is one of the most beautiful things to listen to.  I love to hear passionate people pray.  I feel like I am getting the inside scoop between two friends.  Real prayer that breaks the ice is not about proper grammar, volume, or even length .  Real prayer is birth from a humble(repentant)  and hungry heart.  PERIOD.

Be Blessed!

Anika

 

Hitting the floor and dropping the weight in 2015

It is the start of a new year and many including myself have health goals. Most have a few extra pounds to loose and a desire to be more toned.  While I have put together an action plan to meet my goals, I have another method to drop a different kind of weight.  This year I am gonna hit the floor more… on my knees in prayer to drop all the weight that is not mine to carry.

Before I go pulling out my violin and telling you all that’s wrong

Before I run to the pantry for a treat to calm my nerve and give me temporary relief

Before I get all worked up trying to explain and convince my husband of my point of view

Before I say yes when the answer should be no but I am looking for your approval

Before I start feeling discouraged that I have entered another year and I still have not seen the manifestation of hair growth that I desparately desire

Before I get burderened down with your situation and feel bad that I cant fix it and make it all better

BEFORE I DO ANY OF THAT…I am gonna drop to the floor and unload that weight in prayer.

Prayer is so POWERFUL when coupled with Faith.

It moves mountains.

It heals the sick.

It changes my perspective causing me to praise instead of complain, bringing peace to the storm.

It helps me to rejoice in ALL Things, even the bad.

It fuels my faith to speak those things that are not as though they were and then I stand back and watch GOD WORK IT OUT!

It gives me the inside scoop on God’s will for my life, and I come off my knees with such confidence and fierce faith!

Prayer is free therapy and you can rest assure that the therapist understand what you are going through, He’s been there and came out victorious. It is always convenient to pray, as a matter of fact we are told to pray at all times. God’s ears are always open to our cry.    And when you earnestly pray, it produces great results.  So… are you ready to hit the floor in prayer with me this year?  Leave a comment below to let me know.