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Call to Me and I will Answer you and Tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know. -- Psalms 50:15 Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me. -- Psalms 66:16-20 16 Come and listen, all you who fear God, And I will tell you what He did for me. 17 For I cried out to Him for help, Praising Him as I spoke. 18 If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, The Lord would not have listened. 19 But God has surely listened and heard my voice in Prayer. 20 Praise be to God, who has not rejected my Prayer or withheld His love from me! -- Psalms 55:16-17 16 But I call to God, and the LORD saves me. 17 Evening and morning and at noon I will Pray, and cry aloud, And He shall hear my voice. -- Psalms 5:3 In the morning, O LORD, You hear my voice; In the morning I lay my requests before You and wait in expectation. -- Hebrews 4:16 Let us then approach the throne of Grace with Confidence, so that we may Receive Mercy and Find Grace to Help us in our time of need. ------------------ If the spiritual life be healthy, under the full power of the Holy Spirit, constant Prayer will be natural. -- Andrew Murray -- 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 17 Pray without ceasing, 18 In everything give thanks; For this is the Will of God in Christ Jesus for you. -- Ephesians 6:18 Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your Prayers for all Christians everywhere. -- Jude 1:20 But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy Faith and Pray in the Holy Spirit. -------------- When cell phones were introduced to the American public in 1984, people weren’t quite sure what to make of these little glorified walkie-talkies. But as the technology developed over the next few years, people gradually began to realize all the benefits that cell phones could provide. In many ways, Prayer is like your direct cell-phone to God. No matter where you are or what you happen to be doing, you can simply call up God and talk to Him. And when you Pray; He can speak to you just as easily. He is available 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, whether you have something very important to talk to Him about or you just want to tell Him about your day. And when you find yourself in a jam, Prayer can do much more than put you in touch with a mechanic or a locksmith – it can instantly connect you with the One who knows all things and is in control of everything that happens. God wants to meet your needs and give you all kind of blessings, but He also wants you to call Him up and tell Him what those needs are. It is amazing what God can do in your life when you simply ask Him! In the Bible, when Hezekiah was suffering from a grave illness and was told by the prophet Isaiah that he was going to die, he asked God to let him live a little longer. Because of his Prayer, God added fifteen years to his life! When King Herod arrested Peter and was about to put him on trial, the church Prayed earnestly for his release. That very night, an angel appeared and broke him out of jail. Prayer allows miracles to flow in and through your life. But perhaps the greatest benefit of Prayer is that it allows you to develop the close relationship with God that He wants to have with you. He’s always listening. Through Prayer you can receive His power when you are tempted to do wrong. Through Prayer God can instruct you on the right course of action. When you do mess up, Prayer enables you to confess what you did directly to God and ask Him to forgive you. And through Prayers of praise and thanksgiving to God, you can express your appreciation for everything that He has done for you. For all these reasons, the Bible tells us that we should Pray continually and constantly seek fellowship with God. With all the activities and events that go on during the day, however, it can be hard to find the time to Pray. Even when you are able to set some time aside, it can sometimes be a little awkward knowing exactly what to say to God. It’s important to remember that God doesn’t expect you to create some special environment to Pray. He just wants you to talk to Him as you would to a friend, whenever you do have a free moment. If you’re not used to Praying, it might be helpful to set an initial goal of five minutes of Prayer a day. Talk to God while you’re alone in the car or during your evening walk. Talk to Him while you’re taking your morning shower or right before you go to sleep at night. If you don’t know what to say, just tell Him about your day. Share your feelings and experiences, like you would with any good friend, and don’t worry about saying something profound. God just wants to hear from you. Developing an effective Prayer is less daunting than most men realize. God doesn’t even care if your Prayers take the form of spoken words or inner thoughts as long as they are directed to Him. All He wants is to be there with you and for you throughout your days and nights. -- Checklist4Life ----------------- The ACTS of Prayer: Adoration + Confession + Thanksgiving + Supplication -- Matthew 6:9-13 9 This, then, is how you should Pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your Name. 10 Your Kingdom come. Your Will be done On earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us. 13 And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. ------------------
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