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When our Lord is up to extraordinary things in His world, is your family aware of it? Are you alert enough to be drawn into the deeper things of God as He creatively and sovereignly moves toward bringing the story of man to a close? Is your family preparing for the return of Jesus by paying attention to the signs of the times in which you live? Is your spirit in tune with the Holy Spirit so that you can hear His voice as He instructs you in the way you should live? These are some heavy-duty, but important questions, as we are, by virtue of the promises of Scripture, living in the last days: “The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray” (1 Peter 4:7). God calls us to have understanding of the times in which we live, and to be obedient in seeking wisdom from Him (Proverbs 2:1-6). Our families cannot afford to be spiritually lacking when so many people still live in darkness. It is not a time to rest or to be comfortable. It is a time for strengthening, for joyful expectation, and for determination to impact as many lives for His kingdom as we possibly can. It is a time to die to ourselves and live fully for Jesus Christ. It is a time to shake off self-indulgence and laziness and purposefully turn our focus upon God’s plans and purposes. It is, as Scripture clearly states, a time to be clear minded and self-controlled so that we can pray. Prayer is God’s way of accomplishing His will on this earth. When we are fervently engaged in intercession for those things upon the Father’s heart, He will act! The Holy Spirit must be actively engaged in our family life so that we can be characterized by wisdom, discernment and maturity. It is vital that we have a visibly defined, resolute purpose in our lives. Everything we do and say should be in the character of Jesus Christ, lived out in the power of the Spirit. Our lifestyles should be focused upon things of eternal significance and consequence. In Acts 2:17-18, Luke quotes the prophet Joel (Joel 2:28-29): “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on My servants, both men and women, I will pour out My Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.’” God promised to bestow His Holy Spirit on everyone – irrespective of gender or age: “…I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring, and My blessing on your descendants” (Isaiah 44:3). In this passage, the outpouring of God’s Spirit results in abundance of blessing. If God has chosen to pour out His Spirit on us, and has told us what He intends to do in the last days, we must not be complacent. We must be active! He cannot pour the wine of His power into unprepared or old wineskins. In order to be alert to the working of the Lord, we must learn and teach the discernment of our times with all urgency…and we must pray! If you, as a parent, grandparent or single person have not yet grasped the importance of understanding the times in which we live, it is time to diligently study the matter. God is moving all things toward a close. Each day we draw closer to the end of days. We should never be so presumptuous as to believe that His return will not happen in our lifetime. For the sake of the kingdom, it is critical that we teach our children to fully understand the times in which we live so that 1) they are able to live to the fullest potential of God’s plans and purposes for their lives, and 2) they can intercede for the things on God’s heart. There is no time to waste, yet the enemy would distract our families with entertainment and idleness that have no eternal purpose. I am not saying that there should never be any leisure time – of course there should; however, it is imperative that we are always in tune with the Holy Spirit so that we are ready to move with the heartbeat of the Father when He calls for our obedient action. What an exciting time in which to live! God is doing amazing things before our eyes and in our lives! We should be living in joyous expectancy of His return as we pray for the Bride of Christ to be restored to complete beauty in preparation – revive us, Lord! We should be earnestly praying for Jesus to receive His inheritance – the ends of the earth! Everything that is needed to complete the task of world evangelization is in place – we have all of the money, all of the people, all of the technology and all of the Spirit. All that is needed is for the Bride to wake up from her long nap and get the job done. We, the Beloved of the Lord, must understand the times in which we live and respond to the beat of our Bridegroom’s heart. Here are some specific ways that we, as families, can discern the times in which we live, being completely obedient to the will of God: Pray. Ask God to give your family wisdom and discernment. Philippians 1:9-10 says: “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ.” Ask God to give Jesus His inheritance – the nations. Psalm 2:8 is part of a broader conversation between God the Father and Jesus the Son: “Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, and the very ends of the earth as Your possession.” As He reveals His heart to you, pray for His will to be accomplished upon this earth through your lives and ministries and in the lives and ministries of others. Here are some powerful ways to pray: “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the Gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:3-6). “Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; may Your good Spirit lead me on level ground” (Psalm 143:10). Pray 1 Timothy 2:1-4 daily. “This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3-4). Our prayers should be Kingdom-focused: “Lord, what do YOU want? Reveal these things to our hearts so that we might intercede with passion and fervency for the advancement of Your Kingdom on this earth!” Pray Psalm 67 back to the Lord: “Father, please be gracious to us and bless us and make Your face shine upon us – that Your ways may be known on earth and Your salvation among all nations. May the peoples praise You, O God; may all the peoples praise You. May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for You rule the peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth. May the peoples praise You, O God; may all the peoples praise You. Then the land will yield its harvest, and You, our God, will bless us. You will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear You.” Pay attention to the news, to nature, and to the nations. “Jesus answered: ‘Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of Me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this Gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel – let the reader understand” (Matthew 24:4-15). Ask the Holy Spirit to help you to understand what God is doing! It is imperative that your family stays current with what is happening all over the globe. Hook up with Christian news that will give you biblical perspective on all that you see and hear. Pray that the devil will not deceive you through false reporting or bias. Check out sources and get clear confirmation about what is happening. Be watching to see what is happening in nature. Lately, we’ve had many “natural” disasters such as hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, etc. Never “assume” that something such as a hurricane or earthquake is or isn’t a judgment of God – ask the Father to reveal this to you if it is for you to know. Ask Him to show you how your family should respond to the needs created by such events. John 16:13 says, “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak and He will disclose to you what is to come.” Watch carefully to see what is going on in and around the world, especially in the nation of Israel. “He said to me, ‘Son of man, watch and listen. Pay close attention to everything I show you. You have been brought here so I can show you many things…’” (Ezekiel 40:4). Study the prophecies in the Bible that talk about the last days. For example, read the book of Daniel and spend time talking about how the prophecies apply to our day. Act obediently in response to the understanding God has given you. “‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord.’As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts’” (Isaiah 55:8-9). “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says” (James 1:22). Know what God wants to do in and through your family in these last days through the power of the Holy Spirit, and respond. After you have prayed and paid attention to the news, nature and the nations, it is vital that our families learn to discern the voice of God through the power and teaching of the Holy Spirit so that we will know how to respond in these times: “All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:25-26). “…but knowledge comes easily to the discerning” (Proverbs 14:6b). “Wisdom reposes in the heart of the discerning…” (Proverbs 14:33a). He wants us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling: “…continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose” (Philippians 2:12-13). The Father wants us to finish well, expressing our salvation in reverence and the ongoing process of spiritual growth and development. “Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life…” (Philippians 2:14-16a). He wants us to love Him passionately, to love others, to care for the poor and needy, to promote unity in the body of Christ, and to share Jesus with the lost. Are we willing to act as we discern the times? Be prepared for your sons and daughters to prophesy. God is uniquely preparing the next generation of youth and children for His purposes in these last days. Be diligent in their spiritual training! “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy…” (Joel 2:28). “ Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). What are we waiting for? Our Lord could return at any moment and our families should be ready to welcome Him with shouts of joy and gladness, standing alongside those whose lives have been impacted by the Lord Jesus in us!

There are days, seasons, or events in all of our lives that sometimes seem to paralyze our hearts and leave no words available to us for prayer. When this happens, the first thing to do is remember that God is still there. He is with you in whatever you are walking through. He saw what brought the grief, or the anger, or the frustration. He is there in the depression, the addiction, the pain of rejection, or the times of uncertainty. Your first step is to trust that He is right where Matthew 28:20 states He said He would always be – with us! He is with you – now and always! Next, simply breathe in His presence. Take the next breath…and the next…and the next. Adversity or dark times can suck the air from your being and it’s so important to breathe God in and breathe out the issues or circumstances that may be causing your inability to pray. Become aware of the presence of the One who gave you life, who gave you Eternal Life, and who is Himself Living and Active. He has not abandoned you. His presence surrounds you. Soak in the awareness of this reality! Turn your thoughts to Him. Take your thoughts and your eyes off of the difficulty, the dryness, the sadness, the anger, or whatever is keeping you bound up and put your eyes and thoughts onto Jesus – the One who can lift you out of the darkness or transport you from the desert. Worship is the best way to do this. Turn on your favorite worship music – even if you don’t feel like it. Surrounding yourself with the tangible life-giving words that feed your soul is crucial if you are to be able to express your heart in prayer. Sometimes the words themselves can give voice to what you are unable to say to God in the moment. Allow God to transform you by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2) and the healing of your heart…bit by bit. Sometimes all you can voice is silence, so in the silence…listen. Perhaps He has something lifegiving to say to you if you will allow Him the opportunity. How sad for us when we don’t listen to God until the moments when we are unable to speak to Him. Learning to listen well should always be a vital part of our prayer lives. Prayer is two-way communication within this love relationship with our Father. It could be that you hear nothing…but then you begin to experience His peace, comfort, strength, and a knowing that He is there with you. If you want to express something to God, let it out – it might just be a scream, a rant, or a groan. Romans 8:26-27 in the New Living Translation of the Bible says, “And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.” This is an absolutely astonishing gift! It means that when you don’t have a clue what or how to pray, the Holy Spirit comes alongside of your heart and aligns it with the Father’s heart. He expresses your inward thoughts, or lack of thought. He gives voice to your prayer when you have no voice of your own. He aligns your anguish, depression, anger, situation, weariness, etc. with the perfect will of God even as you struggle to find words to communicate with Him about it. One other thing to consider when you “don’t feel like praying” is that you may be involved in sinful thought or behavior that is eating away at you, and making you feel guilty. There is an enemy that wants to condemn us; however, we also have the Holy Spirit, who will convict us so that we can turn from our sin and walk again in righteousness. Sinfulness can keep God from listening to you. Take time to examine your heart, thoughts and motives to be sure that if what is needed is repentance and asking the Father for forgiveness, you take care of this right away. Psalm 51 is a powerful prayer of repentance to use and when you are unable, or don’t feel like praying, King David’s words will give you your voice! As a summary, remember these things when you don’t feel like praying: 1. God is still there! Trust Him!  2. Breathe in a fresh awareness of His presence!  3. Turn your thoughts off of your issue and onto Jesus, the One who can deal with your issue. Play worship music and join in! Focusing on Jesus is a good antidote to situations that keep us from wanting to pray or knowing what to say in prayer.  4. Silence/Listening – sometimes it is best to simply get quiet and listen for the voice of God. There is healing in stillness and wisdom in listening. Remember – even if you don’t sense that you hear anything from God, He is there.  5. Remember that the Holy Spirit is there to give voice to your prayers in alignment with the will of the Father when you are unable.  6. Consider that what might be causing your inability to pray or your lack of desire for prayer might be sinfulness in your life. Use Psalm 51 as your prayer so that God can reveal the hidden things, and so that you can take the time to repent and confess. Your relationship will be fully restored and a prayer of thankfulness will likely be the result.

Many churches have poor attendance at prayer gatherings. Here are two ways to boost attendance for those with families, as “child care” is often an issue: Offer Prayer Care instead of Child Care for young kids. If parents know that their kids will be trained to pray in fun, creative ways, and also be prayed for by loving people while they attend the prayer gathering with other adults, it is a good way to encourage them to come. This requires preparing some simple prayer materials and training for “prayer care volunteers” who love children and want to see them grow spiritually. It also is important to have a set time frame for the prayer gathering that releases parents to pick up their kids after an hour. Benefits: Parents can pray without distraction, kids are trained in prayer and prayed for by others, and the time is spent in a spiritual pursuit that is fun and engaging for the children. Parents and kids can talk about prayer and learn to pray together and for one another because they have each spent time with the Father. Have regular intergenerational prayer gatherings: On a regular basis invite entire families to attend the prayer gathering, preparing opportunities for all ages to be a part. For example, set up a few family-friendly prayer stations and allow families to walk from one to the next together along with others who are attending. Benefits: children feel valued by the adults in their church, adults learn that children do not have junior Holy Spirits, and everyone learns from one another how to pray with and for each other, and for what is on the heart of God. Plan periodic family prayer experiences: Perhaps quarterly, invite families to come together for a special learning and experiential experience in prayer. For example - establish a timeline on a Saturday morning from 9 - ll:30. Separate kids from parents for the first hour and teach/train on prayer. The kids can learn about how to pray for and with their siblings and parents, as well as their friends, classmates, neighbors, etc. Parents can learn some specific strategies for praying with and for their children. The second hour will bring the families together in a room/gym, etc. to go through several family-friendly prayer stations. At the end, debrief the experience together over donuts and juice - or lunch. Benefits: everyone learns, families have an opportunity to pray with and for one another in a fun, creative environment. Parents learn some specific ways to guide the prayer movement in their homes with practical ways - praying Scripture, blessing their children in prayer, etc. This will also make kids and their parents feel more comfortable coming together in corporate prayer settings with their children. For ideas, check out the book The Praying Family by Kim Butts and her Pinterest board: Kids and Prayer Also, if you would like more information about crafting a family prayer experience, connect with onecryprayer@onecry.com.

God can hear our prayers anytime, anywhere, and at any volume! He is able to hear us even when we think our prayers to Him rather than voice them. Yet, so many of us struggle and would like to be able to verbalize prayers in a group setting. Here are a few tips on how to stretch yourself a bit and grow in this area: One of the best ways to grow in praying out loud, is to practice listening to yourself reading prayers from Scripture. You could start with the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13. Hearing your own voice as you pray out loud is an important step. Read Psalm 145 out loud back to the Lord and then say, “Lord, You are___ (fill in the blank with some of the attributes you find in this Psalm). Looking for ways to praise God in His word is a powerful way to express your love for Him out loud. The more you know about Him and His goodness and love, the more you will want to express what’s on your heart to Him. After using Scripture to help you pray out loud for a while, try to voice your own prayers based on those you have been praying. Here is just one way: try looking at pictures of some of your family members and tell God what you want to pray for each of them. For example, “Father, my daughter Emily is really struggling to make friends in her new school this year. Would you bring her some godly young women to get to know?” Or, “Lord, my husband has such a stressful job. Please help him to feel Your presence and to be filled with peace instead of anxiety.” When you are ready to try praying in a group, first recognize that you are talking only to God, and not to the other people around you. Flowery or “super-spiritual” language is not required. Nor is adding extra information in your prayer for the benefit of others in the room. God knows the details. Talk to Him as you would talk to a good friend about the person or situation you are concerned about. Don’t worry about how others view your prayer; it is between you and God alone. Spend time with others who are in love with Jesus and listen to them pray. Ask them how they learned to pray out loud and see if they can give you some good ideas as well! As with anything new you undertake, the more you practice praying out loud, the more confident and comfortable you will become.

It may happen during worship, or in our daily quiet time. We’ve all experienced it and been frustrated by it – distraction! It is the number one enemy of our attempts to worship, to pray and to listen. How often do we find our thoughts wandering to events of the past or future, or to things which need to be done, when we should be giving God our full attention? Jesus spoke to the Pharisees of His day: “You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, "This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far away from me” (Matthew 15:7-8). Sometimes we come into the presence of the Lord lightly – even when we attend church. We don’t realize that when we enter into His presence, physically and spiritually, He expects us to come before Him sanctified, set apart from the world. In Leviticus 10:3, Moses says to Aaron, “…It is what the Lord spoke, saying, ‘By those who come near Me I will be treated as holy, and before all the people I will be honored.’” We should approach God with carefulness and thoughtfulness because of His glory and majesty – because of who He is. Have you ever found yourself thinking of other things while you are praying? The Bible warns us against this in Ecclesiastes 5:2: “Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few…” David Wilkerson, in his article “Distractions in the Holy Place!” says, “What a babble of praises Christians pour out – so little of it connected to our hearts! What a river of thoughtless hallelujahs and songs are mouthed by people whose thoughts ramble away like wild horses.” When we do not approach our Lord in holiness, and when we do not practice reverence before Him, we will begin to enter His presence carelessly or thoughtlessly. According to Wilkerson, this can lead to “spiritual death.” “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare in the eyes of Him with whom we have to do” (Hebrews 4:12-13). If your distraction is most evident when you are in church, it is probably because you do not experience intimate prayer and worship with the Lord Jesus at home. Our prayer and worship is devoid of life because we have separated ourselves from the Life-Giver! When we are distracted and our minds depart from our prayer and worship, there is no life in either one! We don’t, as Wilkerson says, “get spiritual credit just for planting our body in a pew,” or placing ourselves in a posture of prayer if our hearts and minds are far removed from the presence of Christ. Why should we expect God to hear prayers we mindlessly utter, or worship that is merely mouthing words we read or sing without paying attention to what they say? Wilkerson stated: “If you don’t worship God with all your mind and heart, little by little neglect will creep in and you’ll begin to worship merely out of habit.”  Test yourself by God’s Word:  1) Do you come boldly and regularly into the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus? (Hebrews 10:19) 2) Do you consistently draw nearer to God in full assurance of faith? (Hebrews 10:22) 3) Do you hold fast to Him, without wavering? (Hebrews 10:23) 4) Do you assemble together with other believers? Or have you forsaken assembling with the saints? (Hebrews 10:25) 5) Do you worship Him daily, with all your heart? (Matthew 22:37) 6) Do you dig into the Word of God as if your life depends on it? (Proverbs 4:20-22) What are some ways to deal with distraction and focus completely on God when we worship and pray? Here are three Distraction Busters to help us: Learn to bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ!  When our minds wander during prayer and worship, it is usually our flesh trying to get our attention in some way. We shift our focus from Jesus to other things. Here are some scriptures to commit to memory which will help in this area: “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5); “Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature” (Romans 13:14). We CAN take captive our thoughts, and with the help of the Spirit, we are able to resist the temptation to think on other things rather than centering our thoughts on the Lord.  Don’t allow the enemy to distract you – be aware of his schemes!  Satan would rather you did anything else other than pray, and he certainly doesn’t want you to worship! He will plant thoughts in your mind to draw your mind away from God, because he fears the power of prayer and dedicated worship. The devil will also try to make us feel unworthy to come before God by planting guilt in our minds over sins, or to make us feel despair and defeat over the burdens in our lives. James, knowing that we would be attacked by the enemy at such times, offered the solution: “…Resist the devil, and he will flee from you…” (James 4:7). In the name of Jesus, tell the enemy that he has no control over your life, and declare before him that Jesus Christ is Lord! When you keep your thoughts centered on Jesus, you will defeat the schemes of the enemy.  Don’t allow yourself to neglect the Lord and His Word.  “Does a maiden forget her jewelry, a bride her wedding ornaments? Yet my people have forgotten me, days without number” (Jeremiah 2:32). Hebrews 2:3 says, “…How shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation?” Our salvation is our most prized possession; however, we are constantly neglecting, or carelessly setting God aside for what we mistakenly think are all of the “important” things of this world. It is crucial to keep our minds, hearts and eyes fixed on Christ: “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart” (Hebrews 12:1-3). The more time you spend in the Word of God, the more you will grow to love the time you spend there. The Word becomes your “tent of meeting” with your Father.  Don’t allow distractions to rob you of intimacy with God. Give the Lord your very best in prayer and worship and then watch Him work in your life in powerful ways!

Consider a temptation you struggle with, or that someone else you know has difficulty overcoming. Imagine yourself, or this person, out in the wilderness as Jesus was, and the devil comes to bring this temptation once again. How would you fight back? We would strongly suggest reading and soaking in the account of the temptation of Jesus in Matthew 4:1-11. When the devil tried to tempt Jesus, He both resisted and fought back using the Word of God: “It is written…” This model, then, should become the template for His followers. Praying Scripture is a powerful way to pray. As we do, we are submitting to God. James 4:7 says, “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” Whenever you or someone you know struggles with temptation and it seems overwhelming, prayer can be difficult – unless you wield the only offensive piece of the armor of God – the sword, which is the Word of God! Remind yourself that this is how Jesus insulated Himself from attack and resisted the devil. These four Scriptures and prayers based upon them can help you to resist and fight off the enemy’s attacks. You can continually remind the devil, “It is written…”: Isaiah 40:31:  “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” Lord, I am facing temptation today.  Your Word says that if I will wait for You, You will renew my strength so that I can face the challenge and win the battle. I am tired, but Your Word says I can face this temptation without growing weary or faint. Help me to stand in the power of Your Word and face down what is tempting me right now! 2 Corinthians 12:10:  “Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.” Grace-filled Father,  Your Word calls me to be content even as I struggle with temptation, because for the sake of Jesus Christ, when I am the weakest…I am the strongest! In the flesh this makes no sense, but by the power of Your Spirit, I will stand up to my weakness, knowing that You are working on my behalf to strengthen me in the middle of it! Hebrews 2:18:  “For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.” Lord Jesus,  You completely understand the power of temptation and yet, You resisted it – every time! Because You know what it’s like I have the faith to believe that You will help me in my suffering and struggle. Philippians 4:13:  “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Light of the World,  I know that because of You I can do all things. Thank You for the strength to withstand the assault of the enemy who wants to destroy me just as He desired to destroy You. I believe that I can do all things through Your powerful Name. Praying Scripture gives you the truth of God’s Word to help you withstand and guard against temptation. The experiences of Jesus to endure temptation in the desert and resist the desire to save Himself from the cross, gives us the authority to do so. So, when you are tempted, reaching out to Him in prayer is Your best defense against the devil, who would like nothing better than to defeat you over and over again. Praying the Word of God into your situation, as Jesus did, is using the Truth to overcome whatever obstacle or temptation you may face in this life.

“Prayer is both conversation and encounter with God . . . We must know the awe of praising His glory, the intimacy of finding His grace and the struggle of asking His help, all of which can lead us to know the spiritual reality of His presence.” –Tim Keller When I was getting to know my husband, and throughout our marriage, I wanted to spend as much time with him as possible. I loved having conversations with him about so many different things! Sometimes when we were together, it was enough just to sit, walk or drive somewhere without saying a word. Amazingly, this is exactly how God feels about us and wants us to feel even more so about Him. Prayer is the key to awakening and strengthening such a deep relationship and desire for the Father. Here are some simple ways to practice intimacy in prayer as both a conversation and an encounter with God: Scripture  – as you read your Bible, ask God to show Himself to you. Spend some time writing down what God teaches you about Himself as you read/study His word. Know that the God who is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8) wants to have a relationship with you also! Make God’s word your personal “tent of meeting” (Exodus 33:7) with Him! Creation  – spend time looking around you and paying attention to all that God has created. Pay attention to small things like flowers and birds as well as extraordinary things like mountains, oceans, stars, rainbows and babies! Creation gives us confidence that God is who He says He is. Give Him thanks and praise His glory! Worship  – when you truly worship God, sometimes you can forget why you came to Him. You are able to lay down your list of needs and wants and just enjoy being in His presence. Simple times of sharing with Him how wonderful and amazing He is will allow your heart to grow closer to His. Find worship music that honors and glorifies the Father and join in! Listening  – most of us want to talk to or at God. Take time to say, as young Samuel did, “Speak Lord, Your servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3:9)! Write down anything you think you hear. Maybe it will be as simple as “I love you.” Other times it may be something He wants you to do, or something He wants to share with you about Himself. If you aren’t sure if He is speaking to your heart, show a trusted, mature believer what you have written to get confirmation. If it agrees with Scripture and if it is something that is like the character of Jesus, likely you have heard something from the Father. Silence  – there are times when just simply sitting quietly in His presence with no expectations other than just enjoying being with Him can be the most intimate way of developing your relationship with God. No agenda, no wants or needs expressed . . . just being alone with no distractions. Sometimes you can use some quiet worship music. But getting used to sitting with God in silence just as you would with another person you love dearly is a great practice. It’s okay to just be. Asking  – there are times when we have needs–our own, or those of others–that we want to express to God. It’s like saying, “Please, Daddy, I need your help.” In these times, there is no need for flowery language. Just talk to Him as a child sitting in a Father’s lap. God is continually present in each moment of your life. He has come to live within you always (John 14:23)! Cultivate nearness and affection for Him in prayer. When you draw near to God, He will draw near to you (James 4:8).

“I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally. My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how orderly you are and how firm your faith in Christ is”  (Colossians 2:1-5). This text discusses a step beyond where most of us have ever been in prayer. The idea of “struggling” (wrestling, travailing) in prayer is foreign to many. Yet, Paul is expressing a deep, heartfelt prayer for people whom he has never met. The older term for struggling in prayer is “prevailing” in prayer. Wesley Duewel states that “Prevailing prayer is prayer that pushes right through all difficulties and obstacles, drives back all the opposing forces of Satan, and secures the will of God. Its purpose is to accomplish God’s will on earth. Prevailing prayer is prayer that not only takes the initiative but continues on the offensive for God until spiritual victory is won.” HOW TO PREVAIL IN PRAYER You must be willing to take time.  In this busy day and age, it is difficult to find the kind of time necessary to “Pray through to victory”. You must pray in the Spirit.  Charles Spurgeon has said, “Prayer is an art which only the Holy Ghost can teach us. He is the giver of all prayer.” Therefore, our prayer must not be for selfish gain, but a channel for God’s power to be released upon this earth. You must pray with urgent persistence.  This is the kind of prayer which never gives up! Paul’s purpose in the prayer he struggled with was in order for the Colossians to be encouraged in heart and united in love. The opposites of these things, discouragement and disunity, can easily rob Christians of joy and strength. Discouragement comes when success is difficult to see, obstacles, large and small, get in the way, etc. Closely allied to this is disunity. In the church, it is characterized by grumbling and complaining, with people going in different directions. Discouragement and disunity are a distraction from what is really important–Jesus Christ. These things can keep us from fulfilling the task which Christ has placed before us by distracting us from our primary purpose–winning others to Him. Paul was attempting to share with the Colossians that if they could experience encouragement and unity among themselves, they would be able to focus on Christ with “the full riches of complete understanding”. A church that is focused on anything or anyone else other than Jesus Christ and Him glorified, is going to get into trouble–both doctrinally and in practical ways. Paul commended the Colossians for their ordered and firm faith. His prayers were working. They were, thankfully, NOT discouraged or disunited. Would you think about how you could “struggle” in prayer for someone, or maybe for an entire people group or country, that they would come to know Christ as Savior and Lord? Commit to “praying for one another” utilizing the following two prayer requests: For encouragement of the heart. For unity in love. When enough Christians take the time to “struggle” in prayer, then Christ will be known in our midst and glorified by our lives.

For those of you who have never heard this term, a prayer missionary is someone who takes on (or adopts) a country, a geographical area, or a specific unreached people group and starts praying on a daily and systematic basis. A prayer missionary does not physically go to the mission field (except if he or she goes on a prayer journey or a short term missions trip), but performs the work of prayer from his or her home or place of work. In this way the prayer missionary can prepare the harvest field so that the seed sown by missionaries will fall on good soil. A prayer missionary is part of God’s fighting team in the struggle against the kingdom of the darkness. He is a co-worker with missionaries, because without those who pray, missionaries cannot be effective. According to Bennie Mostert, “The advantage of being a prayer missionary is that one manages to get into places and countries where the preaching of the gospel is prohibited. No-one can prevent the prayers of the prayer missionary from having an effect across the borders of countries or over large distances.” Mostert, in his book, Change Your World through Prayer, gives several guidelines to anyone who wishes to become a prayer missionary: A prayer missionary may be any believer who sees his way open to do the work of prayer as commissioned by the Lord. Just as a missionary commits to one term or a lifetime of service, you will need to make a commitment to pray – one year, three years or as long as it takes for your nation or people group to be reached for Christ. Ask God to show you which country he would like you to do your mission work in. Having a copy of Operation World by Jason Mandryk would be a good resource. Pray for different countries each day until you gradually develop affection for one or more nation and/or its people. Perhaps God will lay it upon your heart to pray for Muslims, or for one particular people group within a country, etc. Begin to do research on your country or people group, watching the paper, news, magazines, etc. Find out the leaders of the nation and what religion(s) are practiced there. Begin keeping a file of information that will help you pray in an informed, specific way. Pray for the leaders of that nation – for their conversion and that they will govern wisely and with mercy. Pray for missionaries, pastors and church leaders in that nation, and for the firm establishment and growth of Christ’s Church in their midst. Pray for the unsaved, as well as for the believers and new converts. Pray for revival in the church in that nation. Pray for unity in the body of Christ Pray for open doors so that the Word may be spread rapidly and thoroughly. Remember to thank God continually as He works!

Living in difficult and challenging days requires leaning into God with all we have! It is so easy to fall into despair, or to be filled with anxiety. Sometimes we allow ourselves to be a target for the Enemy when we let our guard down.  As a friend of mine, Bill Elliff, recently quoted, “Don’t let the Devil rent space in your head.” This is great advice! The Devil would definitely like to take up residence to destroy our minds and our trust in the One whose…”divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness” (2 Peter 1:3). During the Collegiate Day of Prayer, held on the campus of Asbury University in February of 2023, a young college student gave a powerful testimony. She talked about how anxiety and depression “characterize” her generation and that she had suffered for many years with such feelings. However, after several days of experiencing the nearness and presence of God in the Asbury Outpouring, she said, “I wish I could say that my anxiety and depression was gone, but it isn’t. The difference is that because of Jesus, it  no longer has the victory over me! ” Here is a short prayer guide to help you fight back when the enemy of our souls is tempting you to sink into anxiety, despair, depression or defeat: Praise God as your Helper:  “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, so that He may be with you forever; the Helper is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him; but you know Him because He remains with you and will be in you” (John 14:16-17). Pray:  Father, You have given me the Holy Spirit to help me, to guide me, to reveal truth to me, and to remain in me always. Help me to seek out the Spirit’s help whenever the world lies to me and tells me I am not enough, or that my situation is impossible to conquer. May I trust His guidance through the pitfalls and darkness of a culture that seeks to destroy me, so that instead, I can focus on the promises of the word of God which teaches me the culture of heaven. Thank Him for being your Immanuel   (the God who is always with you): “Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and they shall name Him Immanuel,” which translated means, ‘God with us’” (Matthew 1:23). “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them; for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6). Pray:  Immanuel, thank You for always being with me in all things and wherever I find myself. I believe Your word that tells me to be strong and courageous in the face of people and circumstances that make me feel less than all You have created me to be. I trust You to remain at my side always, guiding me and protecting me from lies, doubt, discouragement, anxiety, dark thoughts, or anything else that would try to keep me from the light of Your perfect presence. Pour out your heart in confession for the times when you have doubted that God’s love and power has surrounded you completely, guarding your life: “You have enclosed me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me” (Ps. 139:5). Pray:  Lord Jesus, forgive me for doubting that You are able to do far more abundantly beyond all that I could ever ask or think according to the power that works within me. Forgive me for forgetting that the One who lives within me is greater than the world. I’m sorry that I fall short of living into the power and purpose of the life of Christ in me, the hope of glory! Help me to quickly remember how to fight back when I am tempted to allow struggle, anxiety, hurt, pain or any other emotion to overwhelm me! You alone have the victory in my life! Commit the times of your life into God’s hands : “But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord, I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in Your hand; Deliver me from the hand of my enemies and from those who persecute me” (Ps. 31: 14-15). Pray:  O Lord, I trust in You because You are my God! All of my times are in Your hand, every second of every hour of every day! Please deliver me from dark and evil situations, from people who are not following in Your ways and want me to join them, and from those who would harm me physically, spiritually or emotionally. O Lord, I trust in You, for You are my God! Ask the Father to show you how close He is to you as you call on Him and trust in Him: “The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth” (Psalm 145:18). Pray:  Father, I know in my head and through Scripture that You are near when I call to You in truth! Help that knowledge to go from my head to my heart! May I always sense the peace of Your presence in my life so that sin, evil, darkness, anxiety, depression and so many other problems can’t overwhelm me or defeat me! Show me how to trust You enough to experience Your victory in all things and through any situation that I face! As you use these Scriptures and prayers to jumpstart the prayers of your own heart, let this blessing take root in your life as God answers: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).