Day Nine
I have found it a helpful practice to regularly make a list of things that I needed to see happen through prayer. The list contains people’s names, problems, finances, situations and breakthroughs. I would encourage you to do the same - it certainly helps you to focus in daily prayer.
As each week rolls by I adjust the list accordingly. My list is very specific in content and came about as a result of reading this verse over 40 years ago:
Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Each time that I make a specific list, I have a date at the top of the page so that I will know how long it took for the prayer to be answered.
I usually only remove something or someone from the list when I see the answer to prayer.
One of the first occasions in having such a list saw me praying for four years before receiving the answer. My longest prayer to date took seventeen years.
PUSH...is a great acrostic that will help you to grow some serious prayer muscle during this time of prayer and fasting and beyond.
Pray Until Something Happens.
Jesus made up this great story to show us how important this is...
Luke 18:1-5 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: ‘In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, “Grant me justice against my adversary.” For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, “Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!”’
Feeling bad that you keep asking God for the same thing time and time again?
Often, God wants to test you to see if what you're asking for is really important to you.
Remember...pray consistent, pray persistent and pray specific prayers, but always pray in faith believing.
Vague prayers = vague answers.
Specific prayers = specific answers.
As each week rolls by I adjust the list accordingly. My list is very specific in content and came about as a result of reading this verse over 40 years ago:
Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Each time that I make a specific list, I have a date at the top of the page so that I will know how long it took for the prayer to be answered.
I usually only remove something or someone from the list when I see the answer to prayer.
One of the first occasions in having such a list saw me praying for four years before receiving the answer. My longest prayer to date took seventeen years.
PUSH...is a great acrostic that will help you to grow some serious prayer muscle during this time of prayer and fasting and beyond.
Pray Until Something Happens.
Jesus made up this great story to show us how important this is...
Luke 18:1-5 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: ‘In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, “Grant me justice against my adversary.” For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, “Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!”’
Feeling bad that you keep asking God for the same thing time and time again?
Often, God wants to test you to see if what you're asking for is really important to you.
Remember...pray consistent, pray persistent and pray specific prayers, but always pray in faith believing.
Vague prayers = vague answers.
Specific prayers = specific answers.
Thought For The Day
The wait is never wasted. Take time today to start a new season of praying specifically by making lists of prayer requests.
Verses For The Day
Matthew 6:5-8
‘And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.’
‘And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.’
Champions Daily Prayer Focus
Pray for our church prayer gatherings to explode in size this year as we each catch the revelation that prayer is the key to a move of God in every area of our lives.