PRAYER THAT KEEPS ON GOING

 

1 Thessalonians 5:17

 

"Pray without ceasing." ESV 

 

How can we pray all the time? We have to do our jobs, do things with our families, and we have to sleep! Prayer is so much more than a few moments of bowing our head and uttering words to God. That is certainly praying and we should be doing that every day. But, continual prayer is a conversation with our constant companion, the Lord Jesus Christ. It may be thoughts, feelings, action, or words. In our hearts we never cease to thank Him, praise Him, seek Him, and need Him. We are in ongoing communion with Him. That put's continual prayer in a different light doesn't it?

 

Lord, how we thank You that we can come directly to You and talk with You anytime, anywhere. Help us to be aware of our continual prayer of intimacy and fellowship with You. In Your gracious name we pray, Amen.

©2008-2014

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

 

http://insidetheshrink-dailygrace.blogspot.com/

 

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PRAYERS FALLEN IN THE FLOOR

Lamentations 3:44

 

"You have wrapped yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can pass through." ESV 

 

The Word of God has spoken to us time and time again about coming to Him in prayer with unconfessed sin in our hearts. We are much like teenagers who disregard their parents instructions and come to their parents wanting money to go to the mall. When the parents refuse to give them the money, the teens get insulted and angry. The parents did not refuse out of selfishness or lack of love. The teens created a situation where the parents kindness was blocked because the teens refused to obey. This is how the Lord deals with us. We are to examine ourselves and confess any sin. Then, we have removed the barrier that hinders our prayers.

 

Lord, examine our hearts and reveal any sin that hides there. Convict us so that we will confess and repent. Then we will know our prayers are not stopped from reaching You. In Your name we pray, Amen.

©2008-2014

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

 

http://insidetheshrink-dailygrace.blogspot.com/

 

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THE BLOOD AND THE EARS OF THE LORD NEVER FAIL

 

Isaiah 59:1

 

"Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear." ESV 

 

Some people believe that their lives are so far into sin that they can never be saved. There is no sin that the blood of Jesus Christ cannot cleanse. Some people believe the Lord does not listen to their prayers or does not care. Every prayer that is spoken from the heart to the Lord Jesus Christ is answered. His answer may not be what we had expected, but it will be answered. His blood cleanses, His ears hear and move Him to answer.

 

Lord, we give You praise for Your precious and powerful blood that covers all sin. We thank You for hearing all our prayers and for answering them in Your time and in Your way. In Your gracious name we pray, Amen.

 

 

©2008-2014

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

 

http://insidetheshrink-dailygrace.blogspot.com/

 

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BY THE WAY, LORD, CAN I HAVE MY PRAYER ANSWERED NOW?

 

Romans 4:17

 

". . .in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist." ESV 

 

People have always been intrigued by magic and miracles. People who gravitate and put their trust in magic are those who want instant answers and a showy display of amazement. After all, we are an "instant" society where things are done by the touch of a button. If we pray and do not get our desired answer immediately, we get disappointed and "faith disabled." If we are walking in the Spirit of Truth, we will know the miraculous workings of God and we will wait with faith and anticipation for His answers to our prayers.

 

Lord, You are the One who created all things and who has all things ordered to play out in time. Forgive us for getting caught up in the spirit of this world where we miss Your mighty works because we are looking for instant and glorious answers right now. Help us to stay focused on You and Your plan for us, so that we will not focus on what we want. In Your gracious name we pray, Amen.

 

©2008-2014

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

 

http://insidetheshrink-dailygrace.blogspot.com/

 

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WHAT ARE WE SEARCHING FOR?

 

Isaiah 55:6

 

"Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near." ESV 

 

Seeking the Lord is a matter of opening ourselves to being in uninterrupted communion with Him. This is the key to all things falling into place in our lives. Praying for needs is important. But unless we seek after the Lord to be able to simply be with Him, we will not be successful intercessors.

 

Lord, how we must grieve You with our endless petitions for You to carry out for us. We don't even take the time to just bask in Your presence and tell You that we know what an awesome God You are. Keep us aware that seeking You and being in Your presence is all we need to live victoriously on this earth. In Your name we pray, Amen.

 

©2008-2014

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

 

http://insidetheshrink-dailygrace.blogspot.com/

 

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ROOTS, FRUIT, AND PRAYER

 

Matthew 6:6

 

"But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you." ESV 

 

The root of the tree produces the large and fruitful branches that are seen by everyone. But the root itself is not seen at all. That is how our prayer life should be. The deeper and more widespread the root, the more lofty and fruitful the tree. How can we get our prayer lives like deep and widespread roots? Not by praying from the lips or from memory, but from the soul.

 

Heavenly Father, our prayer lives are so inadequate. Give us a burning desire to spend time alone with You in prayer so that we will have deep and widespread communion with You and be able to see the wonderful fruit that is born out of our prayers. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

 

©2008-2014

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

 

http://insidetheshrink-dailygrace.blogspot.com/

 

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TELL IT LIKE IT IS

 

Philippians 4:6

 

 

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." ESV 

 

None of us are strangers to worry and anxiousness. This is a normal human condition when things are overwhelming or we're not sure about the future. But if we talk to the Lord about our worries and concerns, turn them into prayers, God will hear us. If we learn to deepen our prayers to petitions, which are more specific in details about what we need, we will be better prepared to recognize the answer when it comes. Our heavenly Father already knows what we need. We are the ones that need to be able to see and accept the answer.

 

Heavenly Father, forgive us for staying worried and concerned without taking time to talk with You about it all. Help us to pray about those things that keep us stuck and anxious, and to tell You more detailed things about our needs. Give us spiritual eyes to see the answers when they come. We thank You for this, and in the name of Jesus we pray it, Amen.

 

©2008-2014

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

 

http://insidetheshrink-dailygrace.blogspot.com/

 

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I WANT MY PRAYER ANSWERED NOW

 

Luke 24:21

 

"But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things have happened." ESV 

 

Most of us are guilty of praying, then immediately looking for the answers. Then, we get disappointed and lose faith because, after all, it has been plenty of time for Him to have answered and He hasn't. Are we praying for answers or are we praying for the Lord to work in our daily lives and looking for Him? When we get our eyes off Him and just look for evidence that He is answering our prayers, we have lost the purpose of prayer. The purpose of prayer is to seek Him, be with Him, and find Him.

 

Heavenly Father, forgive us for seeking answers rather than trusting You and seeking Your face. We believe that You will take care of our needs when we ask. Inspire our hearts to seek You and worship You, while knowing You are accomplishing great things in our lives. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

 

©2008-2014

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

 

http://insidetheshrink-dailygrace.blogspot.com/

 

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DO WHAT?

 

1 Peter 4:7

 

"The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers." ESV

 

 

Think for a moment how much thought we put into what we will say to someone we are going to meet for the first time. How much effort do we put into making ourselves presentable to others? Are we putting that much thought and effort into our prayers, knowing Jesus Christ is coming back very soon?

 

Heavenly Father, we earnestly ask You to help us stay focused and aware of the coming of Christ. Give us hearts of prayer for the lost. Help us to always be about Your business, that You may find us faithful servants. In Jesus' name, Amen.

©2008-2014

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

http://insidetheshrink-dailygrace.blogspot.com/

 

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POWER PRAYING

  James 5:16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." ESV 

 

We often take the precious gift of prayer for granted. We many times use prayer as a needs list for God to complete. Prayer is a powerful communion with Creator of the universe that allows us to bask in His presence, hear Him, and worship Him. It is the way to healing and forgiveness. If we are living right through the eyes of God, our prayers are immeasurably powerful.

 

Heavenly Father, You have shown us how to pray. Forgive us for neglecting this very source of our strength and closeness with You. Put within us the desire to commune with You at every level of our lives. We pray in the name of Jesus, Amen.

 

©2008-2014

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

 

http://insidetheshrink-dailygrace.blogspot.com/

 

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RECIPE FOR FREEDOM AND PEACE OF MIND

 

Job 42:10

 

"And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job, when he prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before." ESV

 

Someone in our lives has wronged us, hurt us, betrayed us, caused us grief. Our human nature responds with resentment and anger. The truth is, if we are merciful to those who have wronged us, and we pray for them, the Lord will show us mercy and release us from the chains of resentment and anger. His Word says He will show us mercy in the same way we show mercy to others.

 

Heavenly Father, forgive us for allowing our natural emotions to fill our hearts with resentment and anger when we are wronged by others. Help us to open our hearts to Your Holy Spirit who will give us the desire to pray for them, show mercy to them, and free us from the cage of resentment, anger, and the desire to get even. We pray in the name of Jesus, Amen.

 

©2008-2013

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

 

http://insidetheshrink-dailygrace.blogspot.com/

 

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LOVE PRAYS FOR ENEMIES

 

 

Acts 7:60

 

"And falling to his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, 'Lord, do not hold this sin against them.' And when he had said this, he fell asleep." ESV

 

 

 

How easy would it be for us to pray for someone who was harming us, slandering us, robbing us, plotting against us? In our human nature, it is impossible. But when we are following the Lord in the power of His Spirit, we can love our enemies and pray for them.

 

 

Heavenly Father, we fall so short of the sacrifice of praying for those who are against us. It is far easier for us to fight back, taking action to get them before they get us. We praise You for saving us and filling us with Your Holy Spirit, so that we can love those who hurt us and pray for You to forgive them. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

 

©2008-2013

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

 

http://insidetheshrink-dailygrace.blogspot.com/

 

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LISTEN UP!

 

 

1 Peter 4:7

 

"The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober minded for the sake of your prayers." ESV

 

These times of the end are so chaotic and difficult. It requires very deliberate effort to stay focused on the things that are really important, that are of eternal consequence. Let's make every effort to keep our attention on God's unfolding plan so that our prayers will be in harmony with His will, not ours.

 

Heavenly Father, forgive us for getting so distracted by this chaotic world that we fail to remember You are unfolding Your plan. Forgive us for continuing to ask for our wants and fretting when things seem to be going against us. Put the fullness of the Holy Spirit within us so that we will be self-controlled and attentive of the working of Your mighty hand in our world today. We pray in Jesus name, Amen.

 

          

©2008-2013

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

 

http://insidetheshrink-dailygrace.blogspot.com/

 

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WHY ARE YOU ASKING?

 

 

James 4:3

"You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions." ESV

How could anyone think we would pray for the Lord to feed our passions or desires? The Word is pointing right to us. When we pray, we ask that our problems be solved, so we don't have to go through them anymore. We ask for financial relief in spite of having made unwise financial decisions. We asked for mended relationships with the belief that God will change the other person. We want everything to be comfortable and peaceful. Have we forgotten that we live in a cursed world that bombards us with everything but comfort and peace. Should we rather be praying that the Lord increases our faith, strengthens our perseverance, and helps us grow spiritually through all that we experience?

Heavenly Father, You have instructed us to pray. Forgive us for making our prayer time a list of things we need You to do for us. Fill our hearts with overflowing love and thankfulness for Your unending grace and with the wisdom to know You will work all things out for Your glory and for our good. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray, Amen.

         

©2008-2013

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

http://insidetheshrink-dailygrace.blogspot.com/

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SWEET MINUTE OF PRAYER

 

Luke 6:12

"One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God." NIV

"And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God." KJV

When is the last time you or I spend a whole night in prayer? Some of us remember the lovely hymn "Sweet Hour of Prayer." Not too many people these days even take five minutes to really get alone with God to pray. Jesus went off to a quiet place and prayed all night. The next day He chose twelve men that He would teach and prepare to carry the Gospel message to the world. In our world today, there are so many important things that require us to spend time alone with God to accomplish His will. If Jesus felt the importance of choosing this team deserved a whole night of prayer, how much more should we be in our quiet places, with our hearts turned to Him in prayer, for those who are perishing in this evil world.

Heavenly Father, please forgive us for being so lax in our prayer life. Forgive us for hurrying through our time with You so we can get on with our lives. Give us a hunger for prayer and the burden of the needs around us. Help us to be more like Jesus, and take time to be in communion with You. We pray in the name of Jesus, Amen.

       

©2012

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

drbobbijo@yahoo.com

http://insidetheshrink-dailygrace.blogspot.com/

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WORK HARD, PRAY HARD

 

Luke 5:15,16

"Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed." NIV

"But so much the more went their a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities. And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed." KJV

Jesus spend much time with the crowds of people, teaching them, talking with them, and healing them. This is very taxing activity for anybody, even the Son of God. If He saw fit to get away from the hard work and take time to talk to His Father, how much more should we make time to get away to pray and seek our Lord? Jesus was our example of how we are to live in this world. We would do well to follow the ways He showed to us while He was here on earth.

Heavenly Father, how humbled we are by the way the Lord Jesus always made prayer a priority in His life. We tend to grab a few minutes here and there, if at all and continue on our many tiring activities. Give us a hunger for prayer and communion with You that we might spend more time with You and make it our priority. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

       

©2012

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

drbobbijo@yahoo.com

http://insidetheshrink-dailygrace.blogspot.com/

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HOW TO GET GOD'S ATTENTION

 

Psalm 40:1

"I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry." NIV

"I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry." KJV

The ways of the world teach us from a young age that the 'squeaky wheel gets the grease.' Whoever yells the loudest gets heard. When we become Christians, we tend to carry this worldly teaching with us and expect God to answer us when we wail with tears and loud prayers, falling on the floor, and shouting our needs to Him. Then we become disappointed when the answer is not here as soon as the request leaves our mouths. That kind of intense praying is not wrong. There are times when we are in such critical urgent need, we should cry out to Him with all our being. Most often, though, God will turn and attend to us when we wait patiently with quiet trust for Him to answer.

Heavenly Father, forgive us for expecting the world's ways from You and expecting You to jump at each request we bring to You and deliver immediate response to our needs. Help us to wait with gentle patience when we bring our petitions to You, because we know Your timing is perfect. We pray in Jesus' name, Amen.

           

©2012

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

drbobbijo@yahoo.com

http://insidetheshrink-dailygrace.blogspot.com/

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LET'S GET DOWN TO BUSINESS

 

Psalm 95:6

"Come let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker." NIV

"O come, let us worship and bow done; let us kneel before the Lord our maker." KJV

The gesture of bowing and kneeling before another is a true representation of humility and giving honor. How many times do we "pay our respects" to the Lord God Almighty as we rush through our morning routine, as we fight the traffic to our place of work, as we wrestle the children off to school? Or do we squeeze in a quick prayer of "God help me" when we get carted off by the stress of the day? Shame on us! If we are truly sincere about worshipping our God, we will prepare our hearts before Him in humbleness and sincerity. We will set aside time, often, to bow before the Creator of the universe, and offer to Him the worship He so rightly deserves.

Heavenly Father, search our hearts and reveal to us the manner in which we offer worship to You. We may not like what we see about ourselves, but we ask for Your forgiveness for rushing through such a critical time with You. Give us hearts of true worship and a hunger to set aside things that are unnecessary so that we can give of ourselves in the right manner of worship to You. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

           

©2011

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

drbobbijo@yahoo.com

http://insidetheshrink-dailygrace.blogspot.com/

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TELL GOD WHAT YOU NEED

Philippians 4:6   "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." NIV   "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." KJV   How many times have we found ourselves minutes, hours, or even days into worrying about a matter before we realize we have been wasting precious energy on anxiety? At the moment an anxious thought, or troubling situation arises, we can go directly to the throne of grace and let our God know about it. He will comfort us and give us peace, so we will know He is taking care of it for us. After all, He is in control of all things, and nothing is impossible for Him.   Heavenly Father, forgive us for worrying and fretting over things. Help us to come instantly to You when we become anxious about a matter. Increase our faith as we seek You to take care of those things that bother us and keep us upset. We praise You for Your peace and comfort You lavishly pour out on us when we come to You. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.             ©2011 Daily Grace Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC drbobbijo@yahoo.com http://insidetheshrink-dailygrace.blogspot.com/ No Copyright Infringement Intended Personal Use Only

PRIORITY PRAYING

 

Ephesians 6:18

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people." NIV

"Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints." KJV

Prayer is such a special gift the Lord has given us to communicate with Him. Too many times, we get our "list" of things together that we need from the Lord or we get into a great difficulty and call out to Him to help us. If we are praying always in the Spirit, we are praying with the will of God for our lives, the lives of others, and for all situations. It's not what we want God to do for us, but being trusting in asking God what He wants for us to do for Him.

Heavenly Father, forgive us for the lack we have in our prayer life. Help us to keep from using our prayer time as a list of things we need from You, but as a time of praise and thanksgiving. Let it be a time of refreshment and asking for Your will to be done in our lives, in others' lives, and in all the things that are going on with us and our world. We pray in Jesus' name, Amen.

           

©2011

Daily Grace

Bobbi Craigmyle, Psy.D., BCPCC

drbobbijo@yahoo.com

http://insidetheshrink-dailygrace.blogspot.com/

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