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| October 17, 2001 |
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| "We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints, For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth." Colossians 1:3-6 We should always pray ~ without ceasing ~ giving thanks and praise to our Lord. Prayer is never the first word in a conversation ~ Prayer is always an answer ~ the answer of faith to the Word God has spoken to us through the Holy Bible. It is pertinent for us to listen to God's Word about Himself. We take the time to pray because God has revealed Himself to us as the Father who cares for us. We mention our cares and concerns to Him because we know He listens and cares for us. Please be honest with yourself here ~ How many times has someone asked you to pray for them, or how many times have you said, "I'll pray for you," and then walked off and completely forgot about that counted on prayer? Prayer is serious Christians! Let us not take it lightly. There are folks out there, loved ones, our country, and people who rely on our prayers. We know that God hears even the simplest little one. What are we doing about it? Prayer is just not merely an emergency call! Nor is it a way of getting something we want when we have exhausted ourselves by all other means first! Prayer is bringing our needs, plans, and proposals before our Father. It is sharing the burden of our hearts ans our ideas with Him, asking that we may have His blessing, bounty, and guidance. May I suggest that we surrender ourselves to prayer in every thing. Let us not say, "I'll pray for you," and then forget ~ take the time right then and there to fulfill that promise you gave to that person who is counting on your prayer ~ because they know you are a Christian and can count on you! We are here to serve, and we must keep our prayer promises!! Application: Our prayers are sometimes demanding, but only because our Father invites us to make demands of Him. But our prayers are never just demands, but always, at the same time, the surrender of our will to do God's will. Because we know Him as our Father, our will is to do His good and gracious will ~ and that would include praying for those who believe and trust in our prayers for them. Let us reassure our fellow brothers and sisters and especially those lost folks out there that they can be confident in our prayers for there special needs. God knows, it may even bring someone to Jesus for it! Have a wonderfully blessed day in the Lord as you surrender yourself to prayer ~ without ceasing! If you have a special prayer request, I would love to add you to my list if you would care to e-mail me. You may also count on prayer through [email protected] if you will send your request to him. Love in Christ, Sandy |