What If I Do Not Feel Like Praying? Luke 18:1

Prayer is essential, but we don't act like it.

We know we should pray and that prayer is supposed to be a good thing, even essential, but a lot of times we just don't feel like it. What do we do then?

"Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up." Luke 18:1.

In the parable that follows this verse, Jesus tells the story of a woman who repeatedly goes to a judge to seek justice, but he continues to refuse her. Eventually, he gives in because she has worn him out. Jesus makes the point that God responds to our request more willingly than the judge who does not, and therefore, we should always pray and not give up.

The type of prayer that the woman portrayed was the prayer of need. We may feel that our needs are insignificant or not worthy of God's attention, but the opposite is true. Every need and situation, no matter how small, is deserving of the attention of Him who sent his only begotten son to die for our sins.

ALWAYS

Always can refer to time. It means we should be ready and willing to engage in prayer at any time of day, whether it is morning, noon, or night. It means we should be willing to pray on any and every day of the week, regardless of the season of life.

Always can refer to any place. You should pray in your church as part of your community of worship, but you should pray at home, at work, in the place of leisure, or in the marketplace.

Always can refer to circumstances. When you face problems, trials, and tests, pray. When you have times of refreshment, peace, and relaxation, you should pray. Whether it's good times or bad, you should pray in those times.

Always refers to the practice of a daily discipline of prayer, where we have a habit of praying at specific times.

Always refers to a prayer that is spontaneous and offered on the spur of the moment.

We should pray in the morning and at night, both at work and at rest. We should not allow other things to crowd out the importance of prayer.

NOT GIVE UP

There are many hindrances to prayer, and there are numerous obstacles that hinder prayer in our lives.
Such as...
     * We are attacked by doubts, guilt, or a sense of unworthiness.
     * We may not see the answers we expect or desire.
     * We may have doubts that God is interested in our prayers.
     * Our sins may have made us feel distant from God.

But knowing that God is good and trusting in His goodness should encourage us to pray.

If you don't feel like praying, you should pray even more. If you are discouraged in prayer, you should resolve not to give up.

NOT JUST ADVICE

This passage has many parallels in the Bible where we are admonished to pray, and there are more where we are commanded to pray.

If we don't feel like praying, we shouldn't give up; we should still pray.

If you feel that you are distant from God, maybe you need to come to Him and receive his gift of 

(c) Adron 6/1/16

Should You Pray To Be Happy? Prayer John 16:24

Is personal happiness something we could get through prayer?

Jesus said, "Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete." John 16:24.

"ASK"
To ask someone for something is to take a position of being inferior to the person you are making the request of, at least at that moment.  The very act of asking is humble.

This verse has no reference to earning- just asking.  Asking implies relationship; you need to know the one you are asking.

You do not come with an offer to earn or buy, but you must simply ask.

"AND YOU WILL RECEIVE"
This is a promise, but Jesus did not say exactly what you will receive.  You may receive what you asked for, but the answer may be no, or wait while God works in your heart to change your desires.

HAPPINESS VERSES JOY
The word happy refers to good happening, so happiness is circumstance driven since it is our positive response to the events around us.  We are made to respond to our circumstances, if things go well you are likely to be happy.

Joy has no regard for circumstances; you can experience adverse events and still have joy.  Joy is from within; it comes by the spirit and is a fruit of God's Spirit living in us.  Joy may find expression through prayer.  God makes a promise that in prayer we will experience joy.

"IN MY NAME"
We represent Jesus in our prayers to the Father.  We are bringing his kingdom interest before God. On one hand, this is very open and on the other, this is very restraining.  Open because it suggests anything may be asked for since he represents the authority of God's power, and restraining since it is saying your request represents his desires.  Meaning we would pray for the things he wants, and we would not pray for things that are opposed to his holiness.  For example, we would not pray for revenge since Jesus taught love and forgiveness, or we would not pray for idle wealth when Jesus taught to sell all you have and give to the poor and follow him.

As in all things Christian, this is tied to our relationship with Jesus.  We cannot pray in his name if we do not know his interest or his desires.  We cannot pray in his name if we do not know him and his teaching.

PRAY ON
We all make mistakes in prayer but we must press on and pray.  It is worth the effort to know God better through prayer and to experience the spiritual joy He gives.

Note: There are other conditions of prayer in scripture, such as prayer must be according to God's will and not for self-gratification, but this verse is one of the foundations to prayer.


To learn more about how to have a relationship with God CLICK HERE.

(c) Adron 2/5/16

Does God Hear The Prayer Of The Heart

Sometimes we pray aloud, maybe in church or a formal setting, and sometimes we have to pray silently in our heart; does God hear the silent prayer, does he honor it as much as public prayer?

"Before he had finished praying, Rebecca came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel, son of Milcah who was the wife of Abraham's Brother Nahor." Genesis 24:15. "Before I finished praying in my heart Rebecca came out with her jar on her shoulder..." Genesis 24:45.

A LITTLE BACKGROUND
Abraham told his servant to go the land of his relatives and bring back a wife for his son Isaac. The servant arrived at the town where he waited by the well and prayed for God to show him by a specific test who was the one he should bring back. While he was still praying the answer literally walked up to him.

GOD IS PERSONAL AND INTIMATE
Only a real friend knows your heart and God is more attentive than any friend, He searches your most deep thoughts. He knows your history and what brought you to this point. Your heart has no secrets from him.

GOD IS WAITING
God gives us free will and will not violate that, so He does not force answers to the prayers we have not prayed. He is waiting for our declaration of faith by our request.

WHILE HE WAS STILL PRAYING
It was a prayer of faith. The servant had learned faith from Abraham. Perhaps he saw faith in action through Abraham's great struggles or the servant watched it in his master's daily life. It was a simple faith and God honored it immediately.

GOD HEARS
God knows the thoughts of your heart; he knows your fears and your feelings. It is logical that he hears the prayer we pray in silence without uttering a word out loud.

If you pray out loud or silently you can pray confidently, God listens to what is in our hearts as much as what comes out of our mouths.

To learn how you can know God personally see my other blog.

* To read Genesis 24 in it's entirety follow this link to Bible Gateway.

(c) Adron 4/5/14

What To Do When Prayer Seems To Be Dead And Useless. Help From The Bible, Romans 8:26

Few people are satisfied with their prayer life. We feel we are not putting enough in it or we are not confident in the discipline of prayer. We ask, "Are my prayers are any good?"

"In the same way the spirit helps in our weakness, we do not know what we ought to pray for, but the spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans." Romans 8:26

WEAKNESS
We are weak because we are human and do not know the mind of the Almighty, and we are far from his counsel.  In our human flesh, we doubt and question prayer or our proper use of it. When we struggle with our prayer life, we can count on the Holy Spirit.

KNOW
Prayer is a mystery in many ways, but that need not keep us from it. What we do understand is marvelous, and in Romans 8:26, we are told that the Holy Spirit helps us pray to God the Father.

INTERCEDES
Someone who intercedes is a go-between, often when there is a conflict or much at stake. Sometimes, they prevent ruin or disaster for the one or the other for whom they are interceding. God's ways are higher than ours, and we cannot comprehend his purposes. We are at a disadvantage in prayer; we must have someone who can be a go-between, not because the All-knowing One cannot hear our words but because we are so off the mark that our efforts are pathetic.

PRAYER CHANGES US
Prayer has transforming power, and people of faith have credited it with changing their lives. Knowing that the Holy Spirit is active in our prayers explains this. As he intercedes for us, his intercession leaves a mark or a fragrance in our lives, not unlike when Moses came down from the mountain wearing a veil because of the holy light that glowed from his face.

WORDLESS GROANS
Wordless groans give the image of a deep, raw need. Here is an expression of need and dependence. The Holy Spirit is in touch with the passion of our hearts and is making our feeble language pure expression before The Lord in Heaven.

FAITH
Prayer is an expression of faith, and we must keep the attitude of faith before us. If prayer seems to be a struggle and you feel it is useless, the best solution is to continue to pray to know the Holy Spirit is involved in making what we say holy and acceptable to the Almighty. With that confidence of being heard, we can be assured of the Power of God in our lives.

(c)Adron Dozat 12/20/13

How To Pray To God in Times Of Trouble.

The prophet Jeremiah was in trouble, in prison and facing death. What words did God have for him? Would they be the same thoughts for us in our problems today?

"Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you did not know." Jeremiah 33:3

CALL
God is waiting for us to call to Him. To call to Him is not just a little grace prayer at mealtime but to pray earnestly with desperation as if we were calling out loud enough for heaven to hear us. The way someone would call out if they had fallen down in a well, they would call as loud as they could so anyone passing by would reach down and lift them out; that is what it is to call out in prayer. This is prayer as few experience it- but it is prayer as we all should experience it.

WHY
The Lord is not ignorant because as the All Knowing God he knows our situation; but we need to pray, prayer is for us not for Him. We need to express these dark thoughts and fears to the God of light and love. He has bound himself by the principle of prayer and waits for us to act on it so He will act.

WHAT THEN
What can we expect of The Almighty if we call to Him? We are told one of the things is that God will do is to reveal great and unsearchable things. He will open our minds to truths we would not be able to discern otherwise. He will let us in on his plans. We may begin to understand the Bible or have a perceptive on our troubles that lifts us up onto a higher ground above the troubles.

THE NEED TO KNOW
There is much going on in our lives that we are in the dark about. Much happens beyond our field of view. We are living in a world that is ruled by ungodly powers and The Lord is in conflict over the kingdom of men's hearts.

Jeremiah was the only one in tune with God in his day, but even he was blind to the plans and activities of God. God told him he needed to pray to see. It is no different today, even with our technology and social development we still need to pray, indeed more than ever.

We all have dark problems in our lives but God is Lord of all and will give us insight into them if we pray.

To learn more about having God in your life follow the link to my other blog.

(c)Adron Dozat 9/17/13

What To Do When Your Faith Is Weak

There are times when we all doubt and our faith wavers. Sometimes we wonder if our faith is strong enough.

The Bible tells of a father's struggle with faith when he brought his son to the disciples so they can cast out a demon; the disciples were not able to drive it out, so they brought the boy to Jesus.  The father says, "But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us."  "If you can?' said Jesus, 'Everything is possible for him who believes.'  Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, 'I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!'" Mark 9:23, 24. NIV. The passage ends by describing the healing, where the demon is cast out.

A LITTLE BACKGROUND

The guy deserves credit because he has seen his son suffer since his youth, and when he brings him to the disciples, they are not able to help, he had despaired hope, yet he did not give up.

JESUS

Jesus addresses the real issue first.  Jesus could have condemned the man's lack of faith in harsh words but the question, "If you can?" is a gentler rebuke.  I am sure He could lecture us all on our weak faith, but he speaks kindly.

FAITH IN WHOM

The father asked if Jesus could do anything.  Of course, he can heal, heal, restore, and put to right all wrongs we have experienced.  "Everything is possible for him who believes."  As long as we have faith in the right person, the one who is the all-powerful God.  There is no limit to the possibilities of God.  There is no mountain that He can't move.  There is no darkness He can't shine in.  There is no grief He can't comfort. There is no hurt He can't bring blessing to.

WE TOO

The man sought the Lord's help with his unbelief. We all have times of unbelief when doubt is mixed with faith, and he had reason to doubt. His request was an example of desperate prayer; "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief."  He asked The Lord to help with his unbelief.  It is a simple thing to do; just pray.

Do not overlook the necessity of prayer in the actualization of our faith.
     * We must pray that the Lord will give us a correct understanding of who He is.
     * We must pray that our hearts may be ready to obey the call to act on our faith.
     * We must pray to the Lord to prop up our faltering faith.
     * We must pray to know the Lord that our faith is in.

Faith must be in the correct thing.  We must have faith in Jesus. Faith in anything else has no real power.

Everything is possible for him who believes art.

Blessings

(c)Adron 7/16/13

Five Surprising Truths About Prayer Isaiah 37:16-20

We want powerful prayers that get dramatic answers. There are some truths about prayer that may surprise us.

"And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: O Lord Almighty, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth, You have made heaven and earth. Give ear, O lord and hear; open your eyes O Lord, and see; listen to all the words Sennacherib has sent to insult the living God. It is true. O Lord, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste all these peoples and their lands. They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands, Now, O Lord our God, deliver us from his hand so that all kingdoms on earth may know that you alone, O Lord, are God." Isaiah 37:16-20

Because he was king of Israel he did not have any special privileges than the lowliest believer today does not have in greater abundance.  The same God who heard Hezekiah's prayer rules today.

Here are a few observations.

1. Prayer need not be long to be effective.  Considering the crisis, an invading army, impending destruction, enslavement, and death, the prayer is very short.  Most of us would have gone on and on and on just to make sure God got the message.
2. Prayer should include worship. The first part of this prayer is pure worship and had nothing to do with the request.
3. Prayer should be honest. God wants us to come to him in truth, Hezekiah doesn't pad the truth or play anything up he tells it simply.
4. Prayer request should be clear. The actual request is short and sweet. "Now O, Lord our God, deliver us from his hand..."  Most of us would have spent a long time saying that and filling in all our plans and details.
5. The Motivation is as much for the glory of God as for deliverance, "So that all the kingdoms on the earth may know that you alone, O Lord our God"

The answer to this simple prayer:

1. The Prophet Isaiah brought a special revelation to the king, vs 21 - 35.
2. The angel of the Lord put to death 185,000 men in the enemy camp in one night, vs 36.
3. The enemy leader, Sennacherib, broke camp and returned to Nineveh, and stayed there, vs 37.
4. One day while he was worshiping his pagan god his own sons slew him, vs 38.
5. And Sennacherib's sons became exiles, they did not inherit the throne and did not threaten Israel ever again, vs 38.

This was all because of a short humble prayer. May we learn to pray like Hezekiah.

To learn more about having a relationship with God follow this link to my other blog: Click Here.

(c) Adron Dozat 3/14/13

Why Should I love God?

We know we should love God, the Bible commands us to "Love the Lord your God," Deuteronomy 6:5; it is a good command and a right thing to do, but somehow we are still indifferent to God and struggle with loving him.

"I love the Lord, for he heard my voice, he heard my cry for mercy."  Psalms 116:1, NIV.

This Bible verse shows a person who says they love the Lord. This person is not secretive, but is passionate and publicly declares that he loves God.

LOVE
Love is relational.  This person must have had a growing relationship with God that led to loving God.  This relationship seems to be built on communication, for he talks to God in prayer.  There is a suggestion of something more because he goes on to say that God has heard his cry for mercy.

HE HEARD MY VOICE,
We want to be heard, and acknowledged; it validates us and gives us self-worth; but for God to hear our voice is far more.  The barrier between God and man must be dealt with to the satisfaction of our Holy God.  We cannot overcome the barrier of our wrongs but God can by His forgiveness to those who seek it.

CRY FOR MERCY
Mercy is what you need when you are in trouble with the judge.  We might say, "I throw myself upon the mercy of the court."  There are times in your life when you sense that you have done wrong by God or your fellow man.  You may feel guilt and shame and are aware of the judgment for the wrongs we have done.  You can cry out to God and confess your wrongs and ask his forgiveness.  From this verse, you can be assured that the Lord hears your cry for mercy.  God hears our cry for mercy because He has the power to grant mercy and forgiveness.  When you need mercy, then you need a relationship with the One who has the power to pardon your sins.

THE SUPREME REASON
We should love God because
     * He is good.
     * He is right.
     * He is generous.
     * He gives us life.
     * He gives us His blessing.
     * He loves us.
     * And many more reasons.
But there is one above the others- we should love God because he loves us and so forgives our wrongs when we can't do anything about them ourselves.  We should love God because He sent His son to die in our place to pay for our wrongs, and offers eternal life to those who come to Him and accept his gift salvation.

To learn more about how to find God see my other blog just follow this link: Click Here.

 (c) Adron Dozat

Where Is God When We Need Him?

Sometimes we feel like God is so far away. We seek him, and we need him but where is he?

"The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth." Psalm 145:18, NIV.

NEAR
So often we feel like we are slouching through life's dark challenges alone, but here is a reminder that "The Lord is near..." It is a fact we can count on, and rejoice in. We can be confident he understands and he cares. We do not need to say, "I wish someone knew what I am going through," because He is near; He knows.

WHO
Just who is he that is near? The LORD of the Universe, The Owner Of All things, The Creator, The All-Powerful God who angels obey and demons fear. No president, dictator, general, bully, or any other mean thing can resist him! He is the one who is near!

CALL ON THE LORD
We must remember to "call on the Lord," often in prayer. This is not just quick to the point prayer in the midst of trials, or the "Hour of Prayer, but to "Call on the Lord," has the idea of being urgent; it is here and now while the battle is fought. There is no need to fight on alone, we have a companion near actively fighting alongside us. The Lord is as near as our prayer.

All
The Lord wants "all'  of us to "call on him." He is not waiting for just the select few or the super holy people to "Call on him." he is near to all. Whoever you are, whatever you have done, or wherever you came from He is listening for you to call.

TRUTH
God does want us to "Call on him in truth." God does not like to be used any more than we do. He wants us to respect his holiness and come truthfully and honestly. God can see through our falsehoods and phoniness. We need to examine our motivations in our prayers often to see if we have some hidden agenda or pride or selfishness in them. Many times when we call on the Lord in our daily trials we find we need to bring in confession and humility with the cry.

No one truly understands the help He brings but we know that the Lord is near and waiting for our invitation for Him to join in our struggles.

(c)Adron Dozat

What is The Worst Thing You Can Do?

There are many wrongs we can commit and wrongs we can do by omission. Some transgressions are against God and others hurt loved ones. What if there is one sin that is worse than all others? Shouldn't we want to be aware of it, especially if it hurts a loved one? The ancient prophet feared one sin in particular.

"As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against you by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right." 1 Samuel 12:23, NIV.

SAMUEL'S RESOLUTION
Samuel as one of Israel's greatest prophets led the nation spiritually and politically. His leadership was not always well received by the people even though it was endorsed by God. The verse above comes from the time when the people asked for a king to rule over them, this was a rejection of God and of Samuel. Samuel could have said something like, "OK. if you wash your hands of me I wash mine of you." Instead, he reaffirms his commitment to the people. The greatest thing he can do for the people is to pray for them. The prophet had a duty to pray for the people but he takes it further saying it is a sin not to pray for them. He says, "Far be it from me..." To not pray is the last thing he would think of doing.

IS NOT PRAYING FOR YOU A SIN?
Not to pray for the people was a sin for Samuel. The Bible teaches that all who believe have the responsibility of priesthood. We are commanded to pray for one another, so is a sin to not pray for others.

WHY PRAYER?
God has given the gift of prayer to mankind.  He always wanted to share his power and make mankind the partner in his works*. He seems to hold back the good he would do waiting for our partnership expressed by prayer to enable him to do wonders.

Since God has made us his partners in doing good and if we fail to pray we are not doing our part to allow the good God would do to be done. Being God his ability to do good is infinite, so we have the power to see infinite good happen in the lives of our family and friends.

THE FAILURE
Believers who come to God through faith in the work and sacrifice of his son on the cross for sins have a relationship to God with the great blessings of son-ship and a special privilege to pray. If The All-powerful Creator of the universe has promised that if we ask anything in his name he will give it1 and if we fail to pray we rob others of the possibility of the actions of The All-powerful God in their behalf. Could we commit a greater sin against another by not praying to The All-powerful God to move on their behalf?

Let us all be people of prayer.

Footnote
*God the Creator did not need a gardener if he has the ability to create the universe and gardens so he must have another reason to put Adam in the garden. As soon as God created man he began to share with the man a partnership of some kind. The Bible teaches a progression of God sharing his partnership in glory starting the account of Adam serving in and sharing God's garden in Eden and ends with a man sharing God's glory in heaven.

1 John 14:14

© Adron 1/5/13

How To Learn Way Of The Lord. Psalm 86:11

How can anyone learn the ways of God? This would be a very wonderful thing, but isn't God beyond our understanding? There is a way and the Bible tells us how.

"Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name." Psalm 86:11. NIV*.

THE POINT
This Bible verse answers our question by giving us a prayer to pray. It is the simplicity of the concept that causes us to miss the point, the point is that to know God and his ways we need to pray and ask him. He is willing to share himself with us but we are so busy and obsessive that we neglect to bring him in by prayer or other disciplines such as reading the scriptures, service, fellowship, etc.

WHAT THE PRAYER SUGGESTS
Where else can a person learn the ways of the Lord than by the Lord? We may read books and take courses, but we must ultimately be taught of the Lord by the Lord. We need to sit at the Lord's feet and listen and learn. We need to set aside time to spend with Him daily.

THE WAY OF THE LORD
The way of the Lord is how he acts based on his character. Knowing what God is like helps us to please him. When we learn the "Way of the Lord," the natural result is that we live the life he wants us to; that is why the verse says "I will walk in your truth." This world is full of falsehood and darkness, we even doubt ourselves, and we need God to show us his truth.

OUR DIVIDED HEART
We need an "undivided heart," a united heart that is all put together for God. Sometimes we are pulled in two directions when it comes to the spiritual. We are torn between God and the world; on one hand, we love God on the other, we may love a particular hobby, or interest, or image, or just ourselves, and it pulls us away from spending time with God. Those things are not bad but we just spend too much time with them.

We need God to give us this "undivided heart," because it is nothing we could ever achieve ourselves; there is not a course or pill or philosophy that will give it to us. We need to make this prayer our daily prayer that today and every day he gives us an undivided heart.

Adron

* To read this verse in other translations follow this link:Psalms 86:11.

© Adron 12/12/12

What Keeps Prayer Unanswered? Psalm 66:18, 19.

We pray, over and over, or we pray for a long time, even years, yet the answer is nowhere in sight. God is sovereign, the answer may be no, or later, or you are not ready. What if the problem is on our end of the prayer?

"If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened, but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer." Psalm 66:18-19; NIV. *

This verse is a challenge for us.

CHERISH
When we cherish something, we lovingly treasure it; we set it aside and keep it safe. We may pick it up and hold it, or we may put it in a special place under a light just so we can admire it. There may be some sin we cherish in just this way.

SIN
To cherish sin is to say to God, "I prefer this wicked evil thing that is destroying me, separating me from you and robbing me of your blessing." When we cherish sin, we forsake our son-ship rights to the Father; we cannot then expect Him to bless us or hear our prayer.

Sin counterfeits the truth and destroys the person who believes the counterfeit truth. Jesus gave his life to break its power over us and free us from sin's judgment. The same sin I am in love with is sending loved ones to a hopeless eternity.

SINS OF THE HEART.
We think we can get away with the sins of the heart. They are more hidden than an out-of-control temper, impatience, or dishonesty. These sins may lurk in our thoughts for years unsuspected by others; maybe covetousness, greed, lust, jealousy, or bitterness is gently nurtured in our quiet moments. We justify it by saying, "It is only a thought or just a feeling. I will never act on it. It is safely hidden in my mind."

UNANSWERED PRAYER
Unanswered prayer may be because of cherished sin. God would be a hypocrite if he blessed someone while they treasured a pet sin. Are the answers we receive only a trickle of what we might have? If we deal with our sins, what oceans of blessing might we experience!

• We should pray for God to reveal the sin in our hearts.
• We should ask God to correct our attitude of that sin, to see it as He does.
• We should confess.
• We need to repent.
• We need to forsake.
• We need to accept forgiveness.
• We need to replace sin with a holy occupation.
• Above all, we need the Savior's help.

May you be free from heart-dwelling sins, and may you know the wonders of God who answers prayer.

* To read this verse in other translations, follow this link: Online Parallel Bible.

© Adron 11/14/12

What Does God Want In Our Prayers? Psalm 62:8

Often our prayers are unsatisfying to ourselves and we wonder if they please God. We need more than answered petitions; we sense there is an intimacy with God available but it is somewhere beyond our reach.

"Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge." Psalm 62: 8. NIV.*

TRUST
Of course we should trust in him, but what does it meant "at all times?" We trust Him for the gift of salvation, when we put our soul in his hands once and for all; but at all times suggest an everyday practice of trust, we must trust God today for our need. There is no vacation when it comes to trusting God. We may have had a recent victory, or miracle, but we don't put trust on the shelf for the next upcoming event. We must trust him in good times, bad times and the boring every day times.

POUR
To "pour out your hearts to him," is a picture of a container being emptied of its contents, like a can that is tipped over and what is inside dumps out without control. Often our prayers are "Quickies" where we list our needs, and then trot off. There is nothing wrong with quickies, but God longs for us to go deeper; we need to tell him ALL ABOUT IT. We might say, "God, I need a new job," but instead we should pray, "God, I have trouble at work, I haven't gotten advancement though others have, I feel belittled, I feel trapped, my family is stressed out with bills, I feel like a failure, that I am wasting my gifts here. I wanted to do something more creative..." etc. in other words, empty your heart, or, dump it all out.

We tell God the details, not just the big facts, we tell God what we are feeling and why, not because he doesn't know but because we need to say it, and he blesses intimacy with him. This takes time, time away from TV and Hobbies. This could change one's walk with God; it will change of our view of God, and change in our heart.

REFUGE
A refuge is a place of safety in times of danger. When we trust God we begin to experience him and we find that he is a refuge. He accepts our broken dreams and heartaches, our disappointments, and failures. We can hide our heart in God, and trust Him with all our feelings; we know He is gentle and caring, patient and understanding with our heart.

Whatever frustrations, trials, or hurts you have may you find refuge in pouring out your heart to God.

To learn more about trusting God for salvation follow this link: Click Here.

To read this verse in other translations follow this link:
Online Parallel Bible.

(c)Adron Dozat

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Adron

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Why Does God Not Heal Some People? 2 Corinthians 12:9

What does the Bible say about why some people don't get healing? We wonder why some of us have chronic illnesses or conditions, and others have disabilities. Why do we not receive a miracle of healing or a great cure?

"But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness," Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness, so the power of Christ may rest on me."
2 Corinthians 12:9, NIV*.

This Bible verse is from the writings of Paul the Apostle, where he describes his struggle with his own infirmities. Like many of us, the Apostle sought to be healed of a disease that troubled him. There is no explanation as to which disease, but its extremity is clear by his many prayers for deliverance.

PAUL PRAYED
Being an apostle, we can be assured of his correct prayer. If anyone should have gotten the answer he wanted, it should have been him. He did not get the healing he sought. Instead, he got an explanation.

GRACE
The grace of God is greater than healing. Some explain grace by the acronym, "God's Riches At Christ Expense." It is a nice way of putting it, but here God's grace is more; it is an active manifestation of the power of God in the life of the person suffering. God's grace, or favor toward him, is supporting him, encouraging him, and lifting him above in his sufferings. This grace is more valuable than healing since he would experience God in a greater way than if he was just healed.

PERFECT POWER
God's power is not lacking and does not need to be finished or brought to perfection since it is perfect already. This perfect is like when one is trying to turn a 10 mm nut using a 20 mm wrench it will not work, but when one takes a 10 mm wrench, they have the perfect tool to turn the nut, we didn't remake the tool into a new one we choose the perfect tool.

The "Perfect" here is the action, manifestation, expression, and experience of God's power. Our weakness is the perfect place to experience the power of God; if we were never weak we would not see the power and glory of God in our lives in the same way.

BOAST
Why would Paul boast about his weakness? We boast about things that we feel are exalted or better than inferior things. We boast about achievements because it sets us apart and above others. Paul felt that the power of God he experienced in his weakness was superior to just being healed. In boasting about his weakness, he was boasting about God's power that is his strength.

*To see other translations of this verse, click on this link: Online Parallel Bible.

(c )Adron Dozat 10/22/12

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How To Become Wise, James 1:5

How do you find wisdom?  Do you adopt a philosophy, study the teaching of a great man, or practice some mysterious discipline?   The Bible suggests from James 1:5 that getting wisdom is not a matter of finding or learning but of asking.

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS:

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously and without finding fault, and it will be given to him. James 1:5 NIV.

This verse is so straightforward that it barely needs any comment, but it is deep.  There is an idea that God will give wisdom to those who ask.  This reveals that wisdom can't be bought, earned, or learned, but it can be provided, and God is willing to give it to those who ask him.

Diploma And Miterboard

There are many promises in the Scripture. Some have conditions that must be fulfilled for the promise to be received.  Here, we have an unconditional promise that we will receive wisdom if we ask.  It is that simple, and that is why so few find it.

WHAT WE MUST DO:

We can ask Him for wisdom with confidence. You don't just pray for wisdom and hope for the best, but you can be assured that if you pray for wisdom, The Lord will give it to you.  God does not find fault in the prayer for wisdom; it is always right to do and never wrong.

WHAT GOD DOES:

God is generous, and we are daily recipients of his generosity.  No one could earn His favor, so He grants His gifts freely.  Our Heavenly Father is not only generous in the fact that He gives at all, but He is generous in the vast measure of the gifts He gives.  He will not just give us a little like a sample taste; he overwhelms us with an abundant, exceedingly great amount of his favor.

WHO MAY BECOME WISE:

This promise is for anyone. It begins with "If any of you." It is not addressed to the kings, the powerful and learned of this world, but "Any." The All-wise, All-knowing, and All-Powerful One will give his gift of wisdom as an endowment to anyone humble enough to ask. He gives it without respect of status or class; even a janitor, a cab driver, or a waitress may receive this awesome gift.

PRAYER:

We wonder if we are praying correctly; we get tangled up with rules and forms in prayer.  We know we must pray according to His plans, and if we ask for something against God's revealed, we won't get our answer, but here we see it is his desire and will to give us wisdom.  It is a prayer we can pray with confidence, knowing that it will be granted.

(c)Adron Dozat 6/26/12

How to Become a Prophet, What The Bible Teaches 1 Samuel 3:9

The Bible says to desire the higher gifts like the gift of prophecy. What instruction does the Bible give on how to become a prophet?

"So Eli told Samuel, "Go and lie down, and if he calls you say, speak Lord, for your servant is listening." 1 Samuel 3:9, NIV.

This may be the primary verse directed to a prophet on prophet training.

Samuel was a boy living in the tabernacle, where the people of Israel would worship and sacrifice to God. He heard a voice waking him calling his name in the night. He goes to the high priest who sends him back to bed; but the third time Eli realizes God is calling to Samuel and Eli gives Samuel the crash course in being a prophet, the only such instructions in the Bible.

THE PLACE OF TRAINING:
It is significant that Samuel lived in the tabernacle, the place of worship and service since it is in the place of worship that we are readied to develop the gifts that God gives us; for the ultimate purpose of our spiritual gifts are to worship and serve God

THE PRAYER:
Eli's instruction was essentially a prayer. Prayer is critical to seeking anything from God, more so if it is a spiritual gift. We need to pray and ask again and again for the gift, if we truly desire it we must persist in prayer.

LORDSHIP:

What Does The Bible Say About Becoming A Prophet

"Speak Lord." We must be obedient to God. Jesus put it this way, "Why call me Lord Lord and do not do the things I say?" (Luke 6:46).  If we are not obedient to the former we cannot expect the next blessing.

SERVANT:
The purpose of the gift is not to promote yourself but service, all the spiritual gifts are for service to God and to his church.

LISTENING:
In today's world, we do not listen.  We don't listen to each other or to God. We need to take moments daily and stop and listen to what God has for us.

• Some people practice a discipline of silence in prayer as part of their daily worship; it is a time of quiet waiting for God to speak. 
• Some people read their Bibles with the attitude and expectation that God can and will speak to them through his Word. 
• Some people have an attitude of listening throughout the day where a conversation is lived out with God.
• Some people take time in their day when to stop their busyness to wait quietly and ask God to speak to them.

Books have been written on the spiritual gift of prophecy but the Bible says little about it because God is not a God of living by the recipe but a God of relationships; we must each find God's will for us personally.

(c) Adron 6/16/12

Encouragement From The Bible For The Barren Woman 1 Samuel 1:27

No one can really offer counsel to the hurt a woman feels when she is struggling to have a child to love and hold. No one else can feel the pain she feels- it is a very private grief. I do not wish to be trite or to belittle the deep hurt but in love to offer a few words of hope from the Bible.

"And she said to him, 'As surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the Lord. I prayed for this child and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the Lord.  For his whole life, he will be given over to the Lord.'  And he worshiped the Lord there." 1 Samuel 1:26-28. NIV.

BACKGROUND
The story of Hanna is familiar, she was one of two wives, and she was taunted by the other wife for being without a child. Hanna prayed silently at the Tabernacle, pouring out her heart for the Lord to show mercy to her and give her a child. She promised to give the child to the Lord's service. God chose to honor her prayer and gave her a son, and incredibly, she keeps her promise when the child is weaned, she drops him off at the Tabernacle to serve God. That son of Hanna's became a great prophet, maybe the greatest in the Old Testament, and God gave Hanna other children.

HANNA
Hanna was truly an awesome woman and there are few like her. She walked humbly with God. She prayed earnestly and in details expressed her grief to the Lord. She kept her vow and gave her son to the Lord.

GOD
When you are hurting, people say these platitudes over and over, and they sound empty and old, but they are true. We don't understand why God does what he does, but we do know that God loves us, he is good, and his actions in our lives are wise. Hanna's resolution of trust in God, whatever the outcome, illustrates to all of us what faith is.

God may in his wisdom deny the prayer for a child. No one has all the answers for why he does for some and not for others. Hanna's example of pleading devoted prayer offers hope for the soul. We do not need to bear our hurts alone but can bring them to one who will gladly lift them. Consider Hanna's example and pour out your heart to the Lord.

A Prayer:
Father in Heaven,
How we long for the day when our pain will be taken away,
When we dwell not in sorrows but in the joy of your kingdom.
You know my pain and understand it far better than I do.
You understand the disappointment and sorrow.
I do not understand why this has happened,
Except we live in a fallen world.
Hear my plea for your grace and show me your loving mercy.
May You be for me that which I have not found.
I bring my hopes, and dreams, my pain, and sorrow to you,
and present them to the cross where the blood of Jesus' love covers all.
I accept on faith from your peace and the beginning of healing.
I accept that your will for me is wise and good even though I do not understand.
Thank you, God, for your love.
Thank you that you see and know and care.


To learn more about God's lover for you follow this link to my other blog.

(c)Adron Dozat 3/10/12

How To Pray For A Friend Ephesians 3:19

The apostle Paul gives us many examples of prayer, and in one makes some beautiful requests for his friends- beautiful but not shallow.

"And to know this love that surpasses knowledge- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:19, NIV.

IT IS THE BEST
You can pray many things for a person, but the best is that they know the love that comes from God: forgiving, patient, sacrificial, fatherly, kind, and more than we can contemplate here.

This love surpasses knowledge; it is big beyond the limits of our capacity to contain it. If you sum up all of your knowledge, it would not approach the volumes yet to know about God's love. Yet it must be knowable, or else the apostle would not pray that the Christians would experience that love.

Ephesians 3:18

KNOW
"Know" has many meanings. There is "to know," as with your mind, the intellectual knowledge of learning and study. We should all strive to learn about God, read His Word, and learn from others what they know about God. "Know" can be used as the knowledge of experience, the intimate knowledge that comes from a relationship with God. If all you know about God's love is from books, you will have shallow knowledge. If all you know about God's love is from experience, it will be sentimental and immature. The knowing of God's love must have a balance of both learning from His revelation to us and learning from his relationship with us.

GOD'S LOVE
Some do not know God's love. They have not come to God through the loving work of his Son, Jesus, on their behalf when he died for their sins on the cross. In rejecting the ultimate expression of love, they reject the ultimate love in their lives.

Even those of us who have come to God and have a relationship with him are far from understanding the depths of his love for us.  We need God to show us and teach us the dimensions of his love.  We need to make it a priority and a goal to know his love, experience it, and share it.

As we pray for our friends, we should earnestly pray that they come to know God's love more deeply and personally. If we do not know God's love ourselves, we need to pray and ask God that we may know it.

(c)Adron Dozat 11/21/11

What Is The Main Purpose Of Prayer? Psalm 141:2

Millions of people pray every day in many different ways, but what is the essential purpose of prayer?

"May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice." Psalm 141:2 NIV

OUR REASONS
We pray for different reasons.
     * We get in a crisis.
     * We are in need and call to the Lord.
     * We want something and God has it so we ask him.

THE PSALMIST'S REASONS
Such concepts are foreign to the spirit of this verse. The psalmist desires for his prayer to be a blessing to God not a source for a blessing to himself.

MAY...
The humble psalmist saw no guarantee that his prayers were heard because without demand he says, "May my prayer be set before you..." We in the church should be deeply grateful to live in this age where through the blood of Jesus we have access to God the Father. In ancient times the faithful had little assurance as we have. We understand that God in his infinite knowledge knows all things and is aware of every prayer prayed, but only Christians have the assurance of being heard because Jesus bought us access by his atoning death.

INCENSE...
To the psalmist his prayer is an offering before God, it is "Set before you…” Too unworthy to hold his prayer up instead his prayer of praise was placed, or lay down at the Almighty Father’s feet, as the ultimate act of worship.

WORSHIP
In our materialistic age, we have turned prayer into a wish list that we bring to God like a heavenly Santa Clause asking for healing, possessions, comfort, and deliverance. There is nothing wrong in praying for our needs and giving to God our wants, Jesus taught us to pray and to ask the Father to give us our daily bread; but the example of the verse is worship, the reference to incense and sacrifice are both pictures of worship, devotion, and thanksgiving. Incense was used in the temple to symbolize the worship prayers and the evening sacrifice was the thanks at the end of a day of work where you were safely brought home.

THE ESSENTIAL
There are many purposes for prayer and many types of prayer but worship is the foundational essential. How often do we truly worship our God and what caliber of worship is it? Let’s follow the example of this verse and use our prayers to give passionate worship and thanksgiving to our heavenly Father.

(c)Adron Dozat

What is God Looking For? Ezekiel 22:30

What is God looking for?

We are all looking for something but what about God, what is God looking for? Could we ever know just what God wants? Yes, and God used an ancient prophet to tell us exactly what He wanted.

"I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it but I found none." Ezekiel 22:30. NIV.

GOD IS SEARCHING

"I looked for a man..." God is gazing upon humanity and he is trying to find something. It is incredible that the All-Knowing God would search as if in spite of His omniscience He is still hopeful of finding a certain man; As if God is hoping he is wrong, and that he somehow overlooked this special man.

A MAN

You would think God is looking for someone who is a PhD., or a philosopher, or a Nobel Prize laureate, or a great humanitarian, or one who is the head of a university, a government, or a charity. God is not looking for any such celebrity; He is looking for “a man.” This definition is unexceptional, common, and mundane as if just a man; any of us could be that one!

THE GAP

The walls were the city's defenses, but these walls were broken down and weakened, they were a danger and not a security. The man the Lord sought then and seeks now is one who will build up the walls, to protect and defend the people of God's affection. We as a church and a world need a man to build up the walls of prayer around our communities.

What does it mean to stand "in the gap?" It is a term that comes from ancient warfare, it meant to fill in part of the defenses with your own self thereby becoming part of the wall against defeat and disaster.

There is a gap today between lost humanity and God's wrath. We need one who stands before God in the priestly function of intercessory prayer. We need to be people who pray for our nation and our brothers. We need to confess our own sins and the sins of those of our community. We need to plead with our God for mercy on our houses and our neighborhoods.

OUR WORLD IS SEARCHING
Our world today is looking for solutions through movements, government, institutions and even guns, but God is looking and waiting for one to stand in the gap, the gap between us and his judgment. In the ancient time of Ezekiel he found none, may it not be the case today. May you and I be such people that God seeks, who stand before him in prayer for those around us.

To learn how to know God in a personal way see my other blog, CLICK HERE.

(c) Adron 2/22/11