Praying

Believe…Trust

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“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. 23 “Truly[a] I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

Mark 11:22-24 NIV

Father God, I believe in You.  No matter what comes my way…I believe You have overcome the world.  Even though trouble is all around me, You are my constant source of peace.  Nothing is too difficult for You to accomplish.  You guide me and protect me.  I praise You because You are the One in whom I trust.  Thank You for all that You have done and are doing for me.  In Jesus name, Amen.

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“Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight.[a]“

Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV

(This photo was taken along the North Shore of Lake Superior)

Change Lives With Prayer

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“Trust in him at all times, you people;
    pour out your hearts to him,
    for God is our refuge.”

Psalm 62:8 NIV

Opening your heart in honest, sincere transparency with God in a quiet time with Him is true prayer…an on-going conversation where you spend as much time listening as you do speaking on a daily basis is kind of prayer life that can change lives.  Amen.

“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”

Colossians 4:2 NIV

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“Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV

(This photo was taken in October of 2014 on the island of Maui, Hawaii)

Believe…Pray

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“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. 23 “Truly[a] I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

Mark 11:22-24 NIV

Prayer offered as a routine ritual is more about the ritual than meeting with God or crying out to Him.  Prayer that is sincere, honest and vulnerable is offered with belief and faith is the kind of prayer Jesus is talking about above in Mark 11.  Reflect on your prayer life and ask God to help and guide you.  Amen.

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“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

John 15:7-8 NIV

(This photo was taken in May of 2020 along the North Shore of Lake Superior)

Pray

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“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

Philippians 4:6 NIV

“Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV

When you don’t know what to do…Pray.  Cry out to God for help.  Tell God about your worries and fears.  He is with you.  He is for you.  He sent His Son to die on the Cross to save you…there isn’t anything He can’t do.  Surrender your ways and look and listen for His ways.

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“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”

Luke 11:9 NIV

(This photo was taken in May of 2014 at a lake in central Minnesota)

The Power Of Prayer

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“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”

Colossians 4:2 NIV

Opening your heart in honest, sincere transparency with God in a quiet time with Him is true prayer…an on-going conversation where you spend as much time listening as you do speaking on a daily basis is kind of prayer life that can change lives.  Amen.

“Trust in him at all times, you people;
    pour out your hearts to him,
    for God is our refuge.”

Psalm 62:8 NIV

IMG_20141016_115809289 publish

“Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV

(This photo was taken in October of 2014 on the island of Maui, Hawaii)

Pray

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“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

Philippians 4:6

“Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

DSC09023 publish

“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”

Luke 11:9

(This photo was taken in May of 2014 at a lake in central Minnesota)

Prayer And Faith

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“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. 23 “Truly[a] I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

Mark 11:22-24

IMG_20200528_162726 publish

“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

John 15:7-8

(This photo was taken in May of 2020 along the North Shore of Lake Superior)

Prayer Can Change Lives

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Opening your heart in honest, sincere transparency with God in a quiet time with Him is true prayer…an on-going conversation where you spend as much time listening as you do speaking on a daily basis is kind of prayer life that can change lives.  Amen.

“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”

Colossians 4:2

“Trust in him at all times, you people;
    pour out your hearts to him,
    for God is our refuge.”

Psalm 62:8

IMG_20141016_115809289 publish

“Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

(This photo was taken in October of 2014 on the island of Maui, Hawaii)

Pray Faithfully

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No matter what your circumstances are, make time to pray.  If everything is going well and you are feeling good, say a prayer of thanks.  If it feels like the world is crashing down around you, say a prayer for courage and strength.  Prayer is our primary way of connecting with the Lord.  It is about spending time with Him and walking with Him.  Think about it this way…if God is like that person you pass in the hall at work or at school every day and you only exchange a hello or hi and never have a real conversation, how can you know God and His plan for you any better than you know this person?  Invest time in your relationship with God, pray faithfully.  Amen.

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“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

Philippians 4:6

(This photo was taken in September of 2016 at a lake place in central Minnesota)

Change Happens When You Truly Pray

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How many times have we said, I will pray for you or I am praying for you…and then we never do it.  We never sit quietly with God and discuss the specific concern or topic with Him.  I know I am guilty of that and I am working really hard on not saying I will pray for you with out doing so the next morning during my daily devotions.  I am really working on praying for people in situations in my morning time and telling them afterwords, I have been praying for you when I know it is true.  When the words, my thoughts and prayers are with you, become just that a bunch of nice words with no action, we have really disgraced and disrespected the true power of prayer.  The recent protests and marches have shown me that we have turned the power and privilege of prayer into a trite saying that causes anger and does not bring peace.  True and honest prayer between you and God is powerful and it is one of the strongest weapons we have against evil and darkness…even the people that made the movie “Bruce Almighty” understand that, watch the scene near the end when Bruce is offering his prayer.  My last thought for you…every morning just before I hit publish on these posts I pray for you as I pray for anyone who reads my post each day…May God’s love, joy and peace be with you.

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“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send?  And who will go for us?”  And I said, “Here am I.  Send me!”

Isaiah 6:8

(This photo was taken in March of 2018 while driving through southern New Mexico)