Discipleship 101

How to Ask God to Guide You to Make the Right Decision (from Tithe.ly) Doubt is a common thing almost everybody experiences when making decisions. Fortunately, we don’t have to make these decisions ourselves. Our wisdom is limited, but God’s wisdom is limitless. James 1:5 states: “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”   Praying for God’s guidance doesn’t mean you can just say, "Lord, help me make the right decision," and get the answer immediately. While God’s wisdom is limitless, it helps to be specific in your prayers. Here’s how to guide your prayers when you're about to make a decision. Choose the Right Prayer Points in Decision Making There are many prayer points when it comes to making a decision. When praying about decisions, you can ask for: Wisdom to make the right choice Patience to prevent you from making rash decisions Direction on which way to go Protection fro...

In the Lord’s prayer, one of the most important lines is, “deliver us from evil.” One of the roles that God regularly took on in the Bible was as the Deliverer. He delivered Isaac with a ram, the Israelites from bondage in Egypt, and David from the predations of King Saul. The Lord is always there, prepared to deliver the poor, the weak, and the sinner.  Some of the most powerful prayers and Psalms are prayers for deliverance, or thanking God for it. Deliverance is bringing someone from a place of destruction, negativity, or sin and taking them out of it and into a place of safety, strength, and spiritual healing.    When you are in need of a spiritual breakthrough you can glean from deliverance prayers in the Bible that empower you to step into your God-given freedom. I listed some Bible Scriptures that can inspire your prayer life. Using The Lord’s Prayer As A Blueprint Using Psalm 51 To Bring Deep Deliverance Breaking The Curse According To Galatians Praying Deliver...

  Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:18 This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. ~ Psalm 118:24 What Is a Prayer of Gratitude? A prayer of gratitude is simply giving thanks to God in humility and love. We are called to love God by Christ Himself and this means gratitude of the heart for the mercy and grace of God! When we’re willing to come before Him with gratitude and humility, we realize that no matter what we face, God doesn’t just work to change our situations and help us through our problems. He does more. He changes our hearts. His power, through hearts of thankfulness and focused minds on Him, releases the grip our struggles have over us. We're strengthened by His peace, refueled by His joy. What Did Jesus Say about Gratitude? Read some quotes from Jesus in the Gospel about the themes of gratitude, thanksgiving, and praise: ...

You may be as surprised to learn this kind of prayer saturates large portions of the Scriptures. It’s more than forty per cent of Psalms; the central theme of the book of Lamentations; and is modeled for us by Jesus when he cries out from the cross, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”  This form of prayer is called  lament : the honest expression of our sorrows to God. And tragically, lament has been lost from the vocabulary of many followers of Jesus today. How to pray a prayer of lament 1. Turn to God The first feature of lament is an address to God. The direction of the prayer matters here; it’s not grumbling to others—it’s intentionally coming before God in prayer. Anyone can cry, grumble and complain—but only the righteous offer their cries, grumbles and complaints as prayers to the Living God. The difference between the two is the  direction . Notice how this is expressed in the opening verses of these three psalms; “How long,  LORD ?” ( P...

  Praise expresses recognition, reassurance or admiration. Praise is expressed verbally as well as by body language (facial expression and gestures). “ Praise and worship of God a re always acts of will . We praise God even when we don’t feel like it. Sometimes our problems choke out our good intentions, so we have to make the effort to establish praise as a way of life. And it becomes a way of life when we make it our first reaction to what we face and not a last resort. Now is the time to lift up a prayer of praise to God for everything in your life. Thank Him for His Word, His faithfulness, His love, His grace, His healing. Thank Him for what He has done for you personally. Keep in mind that whatever you thank the Lord for — peace, financial blessing, health, a new job, an end to depression — will start the process of its being released because God ALWAYS answers our prayers. Apart from His gifts – which are bountiful – God is w...

2 Corinthians 7:10   "For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death." The Bible speaks often of a contrite heart. In Isaiah 66:2 , the Lord says, “These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word.” And in Psalm 51:17 , David writes, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” Contrition is spoken of as something God likes, and it is linked in these verses to humility, brokenness, and a healthy fear of God’s Word. Standing at my kitchen sink, I heard the screams from down the hall. “No, mine!” my youngest yelled. Another little voice quickly followed, “Oww, you hit me! I don't want to play with you.” Stomping neared as I turned around to address the inevitable tattle-telling heading my way. My two littles stood...

What Is an Adoration Prayer to God? To adore someone means to show a deep love and respect for that person. Therefore, an adoration prayer includes addressing God Almighty with love, admiration, devotion, awe, and high regard. Some practice adoration prayers by repeating back to God His attributes, acknowledging His worthiness, and praising Him for Who He is and all He has done. Because Scripture provides our basis for knowing Who God is, adoration prayers can be full of Scripture, and that’s one way to ensure that we are praying “according to His will” ( 1 John 5:14-15 ). There are many adoration prayers throughout Scripture. Here are just six that you can pray to God as a way of praising Him for His character and many attributes. 1. An Adoration Praye...