Do Not Depart

Encouragement and Tools to Abide in God's Word

You are here: Home / Archives for Prayer

Planning to Pray

by 1 Comment

 

Make a plan to grow in prayer in 2016! Find lots of great resources at DoNotDepart.com
If the bible admonishes us to pray without ceasing, why should you need to plan to pray?

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

The reality is that we live in a world fraught with distraction. Most people in the Western world spend their days, and even nights, scurrying from one task, event or device to another. Having a prayer plan can help you be intentional about spending time in conversation with God.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Philippians 4:6

There is nothing off the table in our conversations with God. Bring every fear, need and joy to Him.

Let’s make a plan!

Plan Times to Pray

Do you find you need to make a date to talk to your spouse without interruption? Making a “date” with God is analogous, yet even more important.

God is waiting to hear from you every moment of every day and night. The one who needs the “schedule” is you! You can still pray any time, but planning for certain prayer times may help you develop the habit.

  • There are many ancient Jewish and Christian traditions of scheduling prayer. These might be a useful starting point.
  • Tie prayer to specific activities. Do you pray when you wake up? Before meals? As you lie down to go to sleep at night? These are natural examples of associating prayer with certain times of day or activities. My dear aunt used to have a long car ride alone to work every morning – this was her time for a long chat with God. I know women who like to pray when they do dishes, knit, jog… the possibilities are endless.

Plan to Pray With Scripture

If you are struggling with prayer, you may find it helpful to pray using scripture. Here are some resources:

Plan to Pray With Others

  • Ask the Lord to show you someone you can ask to be your prayer partner. Meet regularly with her, either in person or by phone, to pray.
  • Join a prayer group at your church, or start one! You can also find prayer groups associated with community activities, especially schools.
  • If you are isolated geographically, find a Christian ministry online, like Hello Mornings or Good Morning Girls, and become part of a community who prays for one another.

Plan to Record Your Prayers

Writing down prayer requests helps you to remember! Some people like to actually write out their prayers to help them stay focused.

  • Keep a prayer journal. You can see my current journal in the photo above. It is absolutely beautiful to look back through my prayer journals and see what God has done!
  • Use on app on your smartphone to record and organize prayer needs, like PrayerMate, Echo Prayer Manager or Pray!
  • Set up a prayer binder. For some ideas, check out these posts from Kari at Stone Soup for Five: part 1, part 2, part 3
  • Make a prayer calendar
  • Create a prayer album to tuck in your purse

Plan to Read About Prayer

I don’t think we will ever fully understand prayer, but it is a blessing to try. Reading about prayer can be another fruitful endeavor as you seek to grow as a prayer warrior. Here are some books to consider:

– What Happens When Women Pray by Evelyn Christenson
– A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World by Paul Miller
– The Complete Works of E.M. Bounds on Prayer by E.M. Bounds
– Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God by Timothy Keller
– Becoming a Prayer Warrior by Elizabeth Alves

Be Inspired!

I can’t skip recommending the absolutely wonderful movie War Room! If you want to get fired up about the power of prayer, give yourself a treat and make the time to watch this movie!

I hope that you have found some new ideas today that will help you as you become more intentional about meeting with God in prayer this year. Are there prayer resources that have blessed you that I did not include? Please share them in the comments!

Plan to spend more time this year in God's Word and pursuing a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. Find resources to help you plan in this month's series "Plan to Abide."

Do you pray without ceasing? Grow in prayer in 2016. #PlanToAbide

Click To Tweet

Have a prayer plan – be intentional about spending time in conversation with God. #PlanToAbide

Click To Tweet

Invite Jesus into every room of your house (literally!)

by 11 Comments

Make-our-home-John-14-23

With summer practically behind us, and the busyness of fall and upcoming holidays looming ahead, we need to store up our reserves now.

Here’s one way: Throw a private party in your home! Just for two. Jesus and you. Invite the Prince of Peace in to stay. Not just to live in the neighborhood. Or even next door. But right in your home, inside of you.

Jesus has already said He and the Father would love to make their home with you (John 14:23).

But is Jesus welcome in every room? To peek in your closets? See inside your pantry? Look under your bed?

We invite you to . . .

  1. Print this paper house. It has five rooms, each representing an area of your life.
  2. Pick a half-hour when your home is (mostly) calm (or choose five minutes a day for five days).
  3. Take your Bible and the printed house with you into each room of your home.
  4. While physically present, acknowledge Jesus’ presence there, too, through scripture readings and prayer.

House-welcome

Invite Him to renovate each space, bringing revival and renewal. . .

  • To the activities that go on in that space
  • To the people who walk through its doors
  • To the relationships lived out there

Allow the Spirit of the Lord to breathe replenishment and revitalization to spaces you’ve had locked up too long. He longs to awaken every area of your life for His purposes and His glory.

And when we allow Him into the center of it all—even our messes, perhaps especially our messes—He brings His peace along with Him.

Print this house to pray over your own home. #ReviveAndRenew

Click To Tweet

What room (or area) of your life most needs refreshing?
What room have you most recently renovated? Please share in the comments.

Revive and Renew

Are you on Instagram? Now we are now too! Please follow us for beautiful scriptures to encourage your faith.

Instagram-Do-Not-Depart

15 Verses to Pray for Personal Purity

by 2 Comments

Our personal purity has a purpose.  To live God’s way in an ungodly world, we need to engage the power of prayer in our lives. Not only do we need help to resist temptation, but we need God’s work in us to give us a truly pure heart. We only have to look to God’s own Word to find powerful verses to pray for Personal Purity.  At the end of this post you’ll find an easy printable list to make these verses part of your prayer time.

Purity for Today's Christian Woman

  1. I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. (Psalm 101:3a) ~ Help me choose things of value for my learning and entertainment.
  2. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. (Psalm 19:14) ~ May my words & thoughts please You.
  3. Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting! (Psalm 139:23, 24) ~ Please show the true condition of my heart and lead me to being pure of heart.
  4. How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. (Psalm 119:9,11) ~ Help me to know, remember, and obey the truth of Your word.
  5. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. (Ephesians 4:19) ~ Keep me from becoming callous to sensuality and impurity.
  6. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
    (Romans 12:2) ~ Renew my mind daily so I will know what is acceptable to You.
  7. Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways.
    (Psalm 119:37) ~ When I am tempted to look at worthless things, help me turn away and find life in Your ways.
  8. All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit.
    (Proverbs 16:2) ~ Please weigh my spirit and show me how to be pure in Your eyes.
  9. So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
    (2 Timothy 2:22) ~ Help me flee temptation & pursue righteousness, faith, love & peace.
  10. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. (Psalm 51:10) ~ Create a clean heart in me.
  11. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) ~ Give me a desire to glorify You with my body.
  12. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.
    (Romans 6:12) ~ Help me to be obedient with my passions.
  13. A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls. (Proverbs 25:28) ~ Teach me to have self-control that comes from your Spirit.
  14. Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. (Matthew 16:41) ~ Give me a desire to be a person of prayer so I will refuse temptation.
  15. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13) ~ When I am tempted, show me clear ways of escape and show me Your faithfulness.

Download your printable copy of 15 Verses to Pray for Personal Purity

Come thou Fount: a song for wanderers

by 3 Comments

Mighty truths and stirring melodies often meld in the forge of pain. Englishman Robert Robinson wasn’t the first boy to habitually wander from the narrow path. He only went to a meeting to hear George Whitefield so he could mock it, but instead, he changed. As a young adult trying to etch out a new path for life, he wrote down the anthem of his heart. It’s an invitation, a declaration, and a confession that resonates with anyone likely to drift off course and long to return.

Invitation to COMECome Thou Fount of Every Blessing

Having learned Jesus is the Fountain of every blessing and the changer of hearts, Robert invites Him to “Come” tune his heart to produce a song of God’s grace and mercy. Though writing in the 18th century, Robert recognized that God’s character calls “for songs of loudest praise.” This is the chorus of those who want more Jesus, who long to have the Living Water fill them to an overflow of praise. Robert longed to produce a song of praise.

“Come, Thou Fount of ev’ry blessing, tune my heart to sing Thy grace.”

Declaration of FAITH

“Jesus sought me when a stranger,” Robert admitted, but he declared recognition of how God helped him in his times of trouble. He had been wandering and in danger, but the blood of Jesus rescued him. In the Old Testament, Samuel set up an “Ebenezer stone” after God delivered the nation of Israel. Robert’s hymn was an “Ebenezer stone” of God’s rescue in his life. If you’ve experienced personal rescue, the words to this song may give your heart the voice of expression you long for.

“Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said, “Till now the Lord has helped us.” (1 Samuel 7:12)

Confession of NEED

Truth and music often meld in the forge of pain. This hymn is no different, revealing the writer’s desperate need for grace and his struggle not to wander from His Lord. No matter how much I want to cling to the Fount of every blessing, I know that I have a tendency to leave the Lord I love, to wander from the close fellowship I’m meant to have with Him.

“Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it; prone to leave the God I love,” he wrote.
Robert Robinson did stray from the Fount of every blessing after he wrote this hymn. He later recognized his folly, and in reflecting on the words he once penned, he confessed, “I would give a thousand worlds to enjoy the feelings I had then.”

Mighty truths and stirring melodies often meld in the forge of pain.

  • Every day must bring a fresh invitation for the Fount to “Come” tune our hearts to his praise.
  • Every day must resound with a declaration of our faith in God’s help for our trouble.
  • Every day must bring us down on a bended knee, where we beg God to come.

“Let that grace, Lord, like a fetter, bind my wand’ring heart to Thee. Here’s my heart; Lord, take and seal it; seal it for thy courts above.”

Download a printable Worship Worksheet: Come Thou Fount  Bible Study Tool.

Click to TWEET and share this > Mighty truths and stirring melodies often meld in the forge of pain. http://wp.me/p1Su7F-2Tp #ComeThouFount #WanderersSong

Cultivating the Habit of Prayer

by 7 Comments

Disclosure: Affiliate links are present in this post. Please see the Bookstore page for full disclosure details.

If you are convinced of the importance of prayer you may already have strategies for making prayer a more regular part of your daily life.

But perhaps you still need ideas for ways to incorporate prayer into the ebb and flow of each day. Having a plan can help you develop the habit of praying regularly.

Cultivating the Habit of Prayer - donotdepart.com

Associate prayer with an activity

If you associate prayer with something else you do regularly, you may find it easier to remember to do, and soon you will develop a habit.

  • pray as soon as you wake up
  • pray before meals
  • pray while folding the laundry
  • pray while riding the bus
  • pray while walking or jogging
  • pray in the shower
  • pray while washing dishes
  • pray as you are falling asleep

Use a prayer calendar

Weekly or monthly prayer calendars can help you remember to pray consistently for certain things. You can create your own, or find one online.

Pick up a topical book about prayer

There are many books on prayer in general, but for developing a habit of praying, you might find helpful one of these books with specific topics and scriptures to pray through:

  • [amazon_link id=”0805444203″ target=”_blank” ]Praying God’s Word Day by Day[/amazon_link]
  • [amazon_link id=”0736919260″ target=”_blank” ]Power of a Praying Woman[/amazon_link]
  • [amazon_link id=”0736919244″ target=”_blank” ]Power of a Praying Wife[/amazon_link]
  • [amazon_link id=”0736919767″ target=”_blank” ]Power of a Praying Husband[/amazon_link]
  • [amazon_link id=”0736919767″ target=”_blank” ]Power of a Praying Parent[/amazon_link]
  • [amazon_link id=”0736920862″ target=”_blank” ]Power of Praying for Adult Children[/amazon_link]
  • [amazon_link id=”031027351X” target=”_blank” ]Praying the Scriptures for Your Teens[/amazon_link]

Pray with others

Making a plan to meet with someone else to pray, whether at home or away, helps hold you both accountable.

  • Find a prayer partner and set a regular schedule for praying together in person or over the phone. If you can’t think of anyone, ask God to show you whom you might ask. You don’t even have to live in the same country! My prayer partner and I live in different countries and have prayed together weekly via Skype for the past three and a half years.
  • Make family prayer a normal part of every day. Most Christian families say grace before meals, but what other family prayer times could you add to your day?
  • Pray with your spouse. For ideas on making prayer with your spouse a reality, check out Lisa’s post Five Tips for Praying with Your Spouse or Friend
  • Join a prayer group. Your church may have a prayer group, or you can join one like Moms In Prayer that has groups around the world. If you can’t find a group, start one!
  • Start a prayer triplet. Pray regularly with two other people, each of you choosing three unsaved people for whom to pray. Learn more about prayer triplets from Evelyn Christenson here.

Keep a prayer journal

Keeping track of prayer requests in a dedicated journal can be a huge blessing. Not only does a journal help you keep track of requests, it will serve as an amazing encouragement in days and years to come. I sometimes sit with my prayer journal, reading prayer requests from years ago, and marvel at what God has done!

  • Buy a blank notebook. I use a pocket-sized Moleskin-like notebook that I keep by my bedside. It looks a lot like [amazon_link id=”8862930003″ target=”_blank” ]this[/amazon_link], except pink, because pink makes me happy!
  • Create a prayer mini-album. Julie shares instructions, as well as a free printable for divider tabs, in her post Prayer Album for Women on the Go.
  • Create a prayer jar. For a twist on the prayer journal idea, make a prayer jar. Keep the jar in a prominent place in your home and add scraps of paper with prayer needs to it. Set a daily time when you pull a prayer need out of the jar to pray over. This is a prayer activity that especially appeals to children.

 There are many more ways you can help grow the habit of spending time in prayer.
What tips would you add to our list?
Do you use a prayer calendar or book that you would recommend?
We love to hear from you – please share in the comments!

When Words Fail {Cultivating Prayer}

by 8 Comments

This guest post for our Cultivating Prayer theme is by Sandy Anker…

When Words Fail - DoNotDepart.com On September 30, 2004, a stunning fall day, we welcomed our fifth child, Lydia Faith, into the world. My husband and I and our four older children were completely enchanted by this pudgy little girl.

Two weeks later, after a fretful night and a long day of trying to soothe my baby, I put her down in her butterfly seat while I started a fire to take the chill off the October afternoon. When she started fussing again, I turned and picked her up. Something about her cry, rhythmic and weak, alarmed me. I held her out and watched in terror as her face turned gray, then bruise-purple, and her odd little cries faded into silence. I screamed for my sixteen year old lifeguard son who immediately started CPR while I called 911. Tiny puffs of air into the small lungs, little compressions on the still heart.

Thus began a years’ long odyssey that started with a month in the hospital. Weeks of the most desperate prayers I’ve ever uttered. The magnitude of what we were dealing with, however, often left me without words.

The Groans

In the same way, the Spirit helps us 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

Many of my prayers during this time were desperate, heart-wrenching groans. As my precious daughter faded away in my arms, all I could pray was “No, no, no, no!” As my son worked on his unconscious sister, as the police officer burst through my front door, as my terrified three year old took in the whole scene, the only words I could utter were, “Jesus, bring my baby back!” Over and over and over.

Sometimes my prayers were simply sobbing in His arms. At other times it was simply breathing in His presence. Obviously these were not eloquent prayers. I did not consciously craft my words in meditation. These prayers were raw and messy, cried out to my Father as I flung myself into His lap.

The Word

When the first ambulance arrived at our small regional hospital, Lydia was rushed into a small ER room and surrounded by doctors, nurses, and technicians. She was intubated while a nurse continued CPR and another doctor repeatedly injected her with epinephrine to restart her heart. In the midst of this chaos, the doctors encouraged us to squeeze in and touch her. As I whispered in her ear that I loved her and needed her to come back, I felt a strong burden to pray one line from the Lord’s Prayer. Words I didn’t want to say, but knew I must: “THY will be done” (Matthew 6:10) The most painful prayer I’ve ever uttered.

Lydia was soon transported to the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh where praying scripture over my baby became a vital part of my time with her. There were several verses that were meaningful to me during this time and I personalized them wherever I could.

“For I know the plans I have for Lydia,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper her and not to harm her, plans to give Lydia hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 (emphasis mine)

The whole of Psalm 91 was especially significant, beginning with verse 1:

Lydia dwells in the shelter of the Most High and will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

I distinctly remember one long scary night praying this psalm for her. When I reached verse 16, my pulse quickened,

I will satisfy Lydia with long life!

I felt like I had received a direct message from my Father in this verse.

Others prayed Scripture over Lydia, too. Especially precious was our friend Travis serenading Lydia in the ICU. I will never forget his passionately singing directly to my fragile, unconscious child:

You are fearfully and wonderfully made! Psalm 139:14

The Body

When we arrived at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, we were ushered into a private waiting room with one of the deacons from our church, our pastor, and one of our seminary professors. We waited for hours before the chief of the Pediatric ICU came to tell us our daughter might not make it through the night. We were numb and speechless. I am so grateful for those three godly saints who took this news in with us and interceded for Lydia and for us.

Like Aaron and Hur held the arms of the exhausted Moses (Exodus 17), so many faithful warriors held us up during this time. As Lydia’s story spread through our seminary and our home church in Texas, and was passed by each seminarian and missionary we knew to their home churches, a prayer net was cast for our tiny girl all around the globe.

We were often surprised by those who joined with us in prayer. One afternoon two of my husband’s seminary buddies came up to pray with us. At that moment Lydia was having electrodes attached to her scalp for an EEG to track her grand mal seizures. The technician said, “I want you to know that I’ll be praying along with you as I continue to work on Lydia.”

We are not meant to go it alone. Prayer is a vital part of our relationship with Him and each other. There were several people I knew I could call any time of the day or night to intercede for Lydia when a new crisis arose. Those dear people didn’t end our conversations with a promise of prayer. They immediately carried our burdens. (Galatians 6:2)

We Are Not Left Helpless

It has been nearly nine years since that horrifying night that started us on a prayer journey that continues to this day. I was rendered speechless so much of the time, but I was not left helpless. My loving Father sweetly gave me His grace to interpret my groans, His Word to speak over my child, and His body to envelop us in a blanket of prayer.

 

 

Sandy is a lover of Jesus, the wife of a pastor, the mom of five children, and the grandmother of two sweet babes. She lives, loves, and prays in Northern British Columbia. Lydia is now a spunky, long-legged nine year old rascal.

Save

Prayer never left school

by 8 Comments

How is a christian child supposed to live out their faith at school if they can’t pray? As a teacher, daily I heard the voice  over the intercom declaring a “moment of silence,” as if someone in an office far away had the power to stop or start it. A “moment of silence,” code words for prayer, was announced to appease those who objected to banishing of prayer in public schools. But prayer never left school.

As long as children know to turn to the ever-present God who hears them from their desk, their locker, the playground, or the cafeteria, prayer cannot be crushed. Heavenward cries cannot be legislated, though some may try.  Having spent years as a public school teacher, I have watched believing children shine as lights in their school. Praying parents are still able to send their children armed with the voice of petition when they head off to a traditional classroom.

The best lesson a child ever learns in public school may be how to pray, and they won’t be guide by that far off voice declaring “the moment of silence.” They will still tune in to the trusted and loving voice of their prayerful parent.  We can help children learn to make prayer their own, to make it personal, while in a not-so-open environment.

Teach children to initiate prayer.

  • Call on God anytime.
  • Call on God anywhere.

Teach children to make prayer personal.

  • Call on God in your own heart, thoughts, and mind.
  • Call on God for your own needs, concerns, and feelings.

Feeling prayer pressure forces a child to learn how to turn their thoughts and their silent conversations to the Lord, their Lord, as they encounter trouble of their own or see others in trouble. There’s no need to wait for a moment of silence or even the freedom of home; we can teach our children to be kids who pray in a world that won’t.

“In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,” (Ephesians 6:16-18).

Prayer depends on our commitment to communicate with our waiting God, not the setting where we do our days.

  • Start your child’s day with prayer, before they ever enter a “legislated” world.
  • Role play how to pray when they encounter a need or a prompting to talk to God.
  • Talk about how to use a “moment of silence” and what to do if/when it is announced.
  • Consider tools like keeping a small prayer notebook or card in their desk/locker.
  • A lunch box is the perfect place to insert prayerful words of encouragement.
  • Pray together about the concerns of the traditional school world.

Don’t wait for the designated moment of silence. Begin your child’s day with prayer and show them that prayer goes anywhere the people of God go.

Cultivating Prayer When You Aren’t Sure How to Pray

by 4 Comments

Disclosure: Affiliate links are present in this post. Please see the Bookstore page for full disclosure details.

Has a friend or acquaintance ever presented a situation to you and you didn’t know exactly how to pray for it?

Perhaps the situation is nothing like you’ve ever experienced yourself.

Or, none of the seemingly possible outcomes seem “good,” so what exactly do you ask for in prayer?

You might feel unsure how to pray in your own life or family’s situations at some point, not knowing what path would be better or more loving.

I’ve been in these situations, too, and here are a few tips and verses that help me when I’m not sure how to pray.

Cultivating Prayer When You Aren't Sure How to Pray via Do Not Depart

3 Tips When You Don’t Know How to Pray

  1. Pray anyway. It might be tempting to think, I don’t know how to pray here. What if I pray wrongly? I better just not pray. Pray anyway (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). Prayer opens our hearts to God’s gift of communication with Him (Psalm 116:1-2). Pray with praise, with tears, with laughter, or with hurt. God listens to it all.
  2. Follow Scriptural prayer methods. The apostle Paul sets up his prayers in a similar format through most of his letters. Julie Reynolds shared a guest post yesterday with a simple prayer model (called ACTS) to help cultivate deeper, more frequent prayer.
  3. Begin with someone else’s words. The best source to use would be Scripture. But, you can also grab your favorite devotional and speak a written prayer aloud. Sometimes all you need is a start, and then your heart might open to more specific need or that prayer may become your personal praise and petition to God.
    Want suggestions for books on prayer? We suggest A Praying Life by Paul Miller, Live A Praying Life by Jennifer Kennedy Dean, and Prayers for a Woman’s Soul by Julie Gillies.

5 Verses to Pray Anytime

Begin with these Scriptures and just pray them as your personal prayer to God, or add to them with specific needs and heart thoughts.

  • Philippians 1:9-11 – “And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”
  • 1 Peter 1:13, 15-16 – “Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’”
  • 1 Thessalonians 5:23 – “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
  • Hebrews 12:1-2 – “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”
  • 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 – “To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Kathy shared 21 spiritual things to pray for others earlier this week. Her post (and printable) includes many verses to pray over others. And, here are ten more verses for trying times.

What verses help you when you’re not sure how to pray in a situation? Share your ideas in the comments!

The ACTS Model – A Simple Method of Prayer

by 10 Comments

 

We are pleased to have Julie Reynolds guest-posting with us today. Julie is a seasoned women’s ministry leader who is very active in her local church and online. She has been involved with the HelloMornings ministry for several years. Today she joins us to share the ACTS method of praying, a simple framework that can help guide your prayer time. – Patti

How you pray is a very personal matter. I would not dare tell someone how to have a relationship with their best friend, so I won’t tell you how you need to have conversation/relationship with your most important friend, Jesus. But you can’t have a relationship with someone you never talk to, or take the time to listen to.

Still, sometimes it is hard to know where to start in prayer. The ACTS model is a simple method of prayer that I have used in my own quiet time.

ACTS model of prayer - DoNotDepart.com
With the ACTS model, we start by focusing on who God is, and praising Him for that (adoration). Then we move into confessing our sins and thanking Him for all He has given us. We conclude with our requests for others and for ourselves (supplication).

Adoration

We adore God and worship Him as we seek to fulfill the commandment to love him with all of our heart, mind and soul.

  • Spend time praising the Lord and adoring Him for who He is (Matthew 6:9)
  • Use scripture to praise Him (Psalm 103, Psalm 145, Psalm 150; Revelation 4:8, Revelation 5:12-14)
  • Be still before Him and enjoy His presence (Psalm 46:10, Psalm 16:11). Use this time to allow God to speak to you through His Word and Spirit (Psalm 40:1-3; Psalm 90:12-17)
  • Praise the Lord by praying scripture or hymns back to Him (Psalm 84; Revelation 4:8; Revelation 5:9-10, and “Great is Thy Faithfulness”)

Confession

Confession allows you to clear away the things in your relationship with God which are displeasing to Him. Confession should be an ongoing part of your walk with Christ (Matthew 6:9-13).

  • Spend time asking Jesus to search your heart for areas that displease Him (Psalm 139:23-24)
  •  Spend time confessing and repenting of (turning away from) specific sins. All of us have sinned. John writes “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:8-9)
  • Allow God to cleanse your heart of any unconfessed sin (Psalm 51:10-13)
  • Accept His forgiveness and cleansing (Jeremiah 31:34)

Thanksgiving

God is blessing us constantly. Every minute we can recall the wonderful things that God has done for us, and the gifts that we have been given.

  • Giving thanks for all things should be a part of our everyday lives as God’s people (Philippians 4:6-7)
  • This includes thanking God for specific things such as blessings, people, open doors, guidance, etc. (Ephesians 5:20)
  • Also give thanks for His salvation and the privilege to serve such a wonderful Savior (1 Chronicles 16:23, Psalm 118:21, Acts 4:12)
  • Thank Him for his goodness, loving-kindness, and faithfulness (Psalm 100:4-6)

Supplication

Finally we ask God for our needs and the needs of others. We call this supplication, or intercession. There are many demands on our prayer time – many topics and issues that we could pray for, so we need to choose, and to be specific.

  • We are called as believers to intercessory prayer (Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 18:1; Colossians 4:2; 1 Timothy 2:1-4). Thus, we are to come before God on behalf of others (Hebrews 10:19-25; Revelation 1:4-6)
  • Spend time praying for specific people, events, states, countries, missionaries, etc. (Acts 12:5; Romans 10:1)
  • Spend time praying for personal needs (see Matthew 6:11-13)
  • Make prayer lists for your time of supplication. Be sure to include a place for answers to be recorded. Recorded answers can become items for praise and thanksgiving!

Whether you use the ACTS model or some other framework for prayer, remember this: God doesn’t want to give us something else for our do list. He desires relationship with us. Prayer is the doorway to that relationship, to open communication, and to hearing His voice.


 
Julie Reynolds is a bible study teacher, retreat speaker, and women’s ministry leader. She says “I love to see the look in a woman’s face when she gets it – that the Bible is alive and active for her too!” Julie is a working mom of three, and Gran to one amazing and adorable boy.
 

Save

21 Spiritual Things to Pray for Other Christians

by 5 Comments

I can easily think of concrete, physical things to pray for the people in my life. Things like physical healing, a needed job, and help in school. But how often do we pray for spiritual things?

We Christians often spend far more time praying for issues that are fleeting and temporary and far less time praying about things that are eternal. Why is that?

I believe one of the biggest reasons is that we simply don’t know how to pray this way or what to pray for. At least that’s been my top reason. So, a couple of years ago I scoured Scripture looking for ways I could pray for others that would have eternal, lasting impact.

The list below is just a sampling from Scripture, but it’s a great start! I’ve also provided a pdf version (21 Spiritual Things to Pray for Other Christians )you can print and keep in your Bible or journal. I would also love to hear what spiritual things you pray for others.

  1. Thank God for them – Romans 1:8, 1 Corinthians 1:4, Philippians 1:3
  2. God’s mercy – 1 Timothy 1:2
  3. Protection from evil people – Romans 15:31, 2 Thessalonians 3:2
  4. Protection from Satan – John 17:5, 2 Thessalonians 3:3
  5. Opportunity to witness – Colossians 4:3
  6. Courage in witnessing – Ephesians 6:19-20
  7. Right words and clarity in witnessing – Ephesians 6:19; Colossians 4:4
  8. Spiritual strength/growth – 2 Corinthians 13:7-9, Colossians 1:11, 2 Thessalonians 2:17
  9. Increased love & unity – John 17:21, Philippians 1:9, 1 Thessalonians 3:12
  10. Better understanding of God’s love – Ephesians 3:17-19, 2 Thessalonians 3:5
  11. Joy, peace, comfort, and encouragement – Colossians 1:11, 2 Thessalonians 1:2; 2:16-17
  12. To know God better – Colossians 1:10, Ephesians 1:17
  13. Increased spiritual wisdom & discernment – Ephesians 1:17, Philippians 1:9-10, Colossians 1:9
  14. Knowledge and understanding of God’s will for their life – Colossians 1:9
  15. To be holy, pure, and blameless – John 17:17, Philippians 1:10, 1 Thessalonians 5:23
  16. To live a life that pleases God and honors Him – Colossians 1:10
  17. To obediently follow God’s will – Colossians 4:12
  18. To grow in righteousness and Christ-like character – Philippians 1:11
  19. Live a life of good works that produces spiritual fruit – Colossians 1:10
  20. Full understanding of their eternal inheritance – Ephesians 1:18
  21. Stand firm in God’s truth – Ephesians 4:15

Let’s share! What Scriptures or spiritual prayers do you lift up for others?

 

5 Tips for Praying with Your Spouse (or Friend)

by 13 Comments

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

Talking with God is as important as talking with earthly companions. So connecting all together can be a double blessing—praying to God with those we love.

Yet we often neglect to pray aloud with our spouse or friends. Why?

Here are 5 common roadblocks to praying together and how to overcome them:

1. I don’t know how
I didn’t grow up with parents who prayed. I don’t know where to begin. What words should I say?

Start small; there’s no right or wrong
If you can talk to another person, you can pray with another person. God doesn’t expect a special vocabulary or seminary degree for conversations with Him.

Ask your spouse or friend to spend a few minutes thanking God with you. Each of you share a couple things and be done. Or take turns asking guidance over a  child or about a personal struggle.

Set boundaries to keep it manageable: limit your topics to three per session or agree to 30 days of praying for your marriage.

2. We can’t find time
My husband works late and I travel a lot. When we are both home, we’re busy putting the kids to bed. We can’t schedule a time to pray together.

Be flexible; think creatively
Is there a 5 minute window after dinner? Or before you get out of bed in the morning? Pray with a friend over the phone or in an online chat—God is fully connected everywhere.

Perhaps three times a week would work, or maybe only on Saturdays/Sundays. Don’t make it all-or-nothing. A few minutes is better than none, and only once a week still adds up to 52 times a year.

3. It’s too awkward
I stumble over my words when I pray aloud. I forget what I want to say. I’m afraid to be so vulnerable to someone else.

Write it down; do it afraid
If you wait until you’re comfortable, you may never start. Acknowledge the risk; admit in your prayer that you’re scared.

Try writing down what you want to pray about. Or read a prayer from a prayer book, Psalm 23, or the Lord’s Prayer. Keep your own words informal. Laugh out loud if something’s funny; cry if it’s sad. Don’t give up; the awkwardness will pass the more you do it.

4. My spouse won’t pray with me
My spouse and I aren’t on common spiritual ground. I don’t like having to ask for it. My friends are too busy or not interested.

Share silence together; make a new friend
Gently suggest prayer but never push it on your spouse. Perhaps try a few minutes of praying silently side by side. Or maybe your spouse would just hold your hand while you pray aloud. Agree to take turns initiating—he prays on odd-numbered days; you pray on even-numbered days.

If there’s absolutely no interest, seek out a same-sex friend to pray with. An older (or younger!) lady in your church might appreciate you visiting once a week to pray together. Or perhaps take a few minutes at the end of your small group meeting to pray together.

5. I just don’t want to
I’m too tired, angry, confused, depressed, doubting, or sick to pray with someone else. God hears me just as well when I pray alone. Why bother others?

Use it to heal; give community a chance
True, God listens as closely to one voice as one thousand. But He also delights in community (Father, Son, Spirit). Praying with others tightens our spiritual bonds with Him as well as with each other. You often learn more about a person through their prayers than any other way.

Use the reasons you don’t want to pray as the very things a friend can pray about for you. Grace and understanding often break through among a group of two or three gathered in His name.

Praying with others is a spiritual practice of relationship. It’s more than asking for our circumstances to change; it’s about being changed ourselves.

As any parent would, our Father longs for children who communicate. What a beautiful way to honor Him by gathering for conversations together.

If you pray with your spouse or a friend, what works for you?
If you don’t, what problems get in your way?
Who could you ask to pray with you for 21 days in August or for some other specified period?

Please share your thoughts below.

 

Cultivating Prayer

by 1 Comment

Is prayer a significant part of your daily life? As believers, we are each called into intimate communication with God on an ongoing basis, indeed unceasingly!

This month we will dig a little into the soil of our faith and talk about cultivating prayer in our lives.

Cultivating Prayer - donotdepart.com

God’s Word has plenty to say on the matter of prayer:

Who? All believers should pray.

“(Pray) at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,” Ephesians 6:18

What? There are many kinds of prayers.

“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,” 1 Timothy 2:1

When? Pray constantly.

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Where? Pray anywhere, but don’t make a show of it.

“But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” Matthew 6:6

Why? We pray because Jesus set the example for us. Not to mention, we are commanded to!

“In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God.” Luke 6:12

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Philippians 4:6

Cultivate prayer in your life

We hope you’ll join us as we pour water our hearts with God’s Word, and cultivate the habit of prayer in our lives. Check back this month for more posts on cultivating prayer.

Do you struggle with prayer? Is there anything related to prayer you have questions about or would like to know more about? Please leave us a comment.

Reminding myself of the dangers of “busy”

by Leave a Comment

“Half way through” has a way of making me stop and think. July 4th has a way of making me stop and consider how I’m using my summer, since it’s “half way through.” Our daughter is off to college in one month; we’ll have one son at home. As far as launching kids go, you might say we are “half way through.” It’s healthy to stop in the middle to look back on where we’ve been, how we’re doing, and where we’re going from here. This month at Do Not Depart, we’re considering the fruit our lives bear, but we’re also sharing some of our favorite posts from the first half of the year. When I started looking back at my posts, I landed all the way back in January.  God used my own words to remind me of the danger of being too busy to do the most important things.

“There’s one more thing,” the plumber said, “Do you know where your main water cut off is?” Indicted by his simple question, I wondered how I could have ignored something so basic, especially when we’ve had a major “water episode.”

“What would you do if you needed to turn off your water?” He asked.

“Call you? Call my husband? Call my neighbor?” I smiled. He wasn’t charmed.

“I’m going to show you where your water source is. You don’t want to wait until you need it to find out where it is.”

If you haven’t cultivated prayer’s knee-worn path before a flood rushes in, now is a good time to begin. We don’t want to wait until we need it to find out where it is. Theologian Armin Gesswein said, “God’s throne is the busiest place in all the universe because everything centers there. Yet, the lack of prayer on earth keeps it from operating at full capacity.” Most of us say we’re too busy to pray. I was once too busy to find the water source in our house, and I paid a high price. Read the rest …


“I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live” (Ps. 116:1-2).

We’re just half way through the year. It’s a great time to take a step on the knee-worn prayer path. Check out our tools like Prayer Calendars or A Prayer Album for Women on the Go.

Preparing your heart for Easter bookmarks

by 4 Comments

The inspired, God-breathed words of scripture pack so much power for us to tap into as we prepare our hearts for Easter. As we provide Bible Study tools this month centered around the Resurrection, new life themed verses provide rich truths for us to use in our prayer life.

Resurrection Series on www.donotdepart.com Praying new life scripture

Today we want to share a collection of 6 printable bookmarks. Each one provides a visual focus, along with a new life truth and a prayer of response. Just print off the 2 page PDF and cut the 6 bookmarks to separate them. You might print and use these in a variety of ways:

 

10 ways to use printable Easter bookmarks

  1. tuck into your Bible as you prepare to celebrate the resurrection
  2. attach one to a loaf of bread or bag of hot cross buns
  3. laminate and share with a Sunday School teacher
  4. include in your child’s lunch box
  5. leave on the dashboard of your husband’s car
  6. pin on the bulletin board at your coffee shop
  7. attach to a bill payment you’re sending in
  8. put under your neighbor’s windshield wiper
  9. lay on your child’s pillow
  10. tape to the bathroom mirror

May the great truths of new life flow easily from our lips, settle into our hearts, fill our thoughts, and soak into our prayers as we prepare to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus!

New life is in Christ Jesus

Father in heaven, there is nothing I could have done on my own to make my old life pass away.  It’s all because of you that the new has come. Thank you for that you have moved me out of death and into Christ, making me a completely new creation in your eyes. I don’t fully understand it, but I’m so grateful.

 By the name of the Christ who brings the new, Amen

Photos provided by free resources from visualbiblealive.org, turnbacktogod.com & Julie Sanders.

Following the knee-worn path

by 11 Comments

“There’s one more thing,” the plumber said, “Do you know where your main water cut off is?” Indicted by his simple question, I wondered how I could have ignored something so basic, especially when we’ve had a major “water episode.”

“What would you do if you needed to turn off your water?” He asked.

“Call you? Call my husband? Call my neighbor?” I smiled. He wasn’t charmed.

“I’m going to show you where your water source is. You don’t want to wait until you need it to find out where it is.”


If you haven’t cultivated prayer’s knee-worn path before a flood rushes in, now is a good time to begin. We don’t want to wait until we need it to find out where it is. Theologian Armin Gesswein said, “God’s throne is the busiest place in all the universe because everything centers there. Yet, the lack of prayer on earth keeps it from operating at full capacity.” Most of us say we’re too busy to pray. I was once too busy to find the water source in our house, and I paid a high price.

Jesus Prayed

Jesus himself was a man of prayer, expressing dependence on his Father and determination to do His will. Even now, “he always lives to make intercession for them,” (Hebrews 7:25b) pleading our case. The Father Himself is the source of prayer, a gift to mankind as an invitation for two-way communication. With all of our technology, it’s better than any man-made version. Scripture teaches us the language of prayer, teaching our independent mouths to speak heart words of dependence. Though seated beside His Father, Jesus prays on.

Followers Prayed

Simple men who followed Jesus up close and personal, and knew the work of prayer, still asked to be taught how to pray (Luke 11:1). Jesus’ prayer pattern hinged on desiring His Father’s will. Since God’s word reveals His will, prayer needs the fodder of truth to drive the faith behind it. The Bible is our book of prayer.

The Church Prayed

When believers first gathered as the Church, they began as a praying Church. Vulnerable in a contra-God world, “All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer.” (Acts 1:14a). They were sure of their need to cry out in dependence on God. If the people of God are to experience faith, intimacy, and power in an anti-God world, they must be people of prayer. To claim we are too busy to pray is to turn away from our waiting Lord. Prayer is not a piece of Body life; prayer is the foundation of Body life.

When I pray

  • Prayer strengthens faith. We call on God to fulfill promises He has already made.
  • Prayer nurtures intimacy. We expose ourselves to God and He makes Himself personally known.
  • Prayer inspires power. We gain boldness by focusing on the person of God instead of ourselves.

Two-way communication with God isn’t only for moments of helplessness, though Abba Father welcomes us near then. He invites us to call on Him as long as we live, to live in sweet, close communion with Him. To cultivate the discipline of prayer is to work at knowing His will, listening to Him, and opening our lives to Him.

“I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live” (Ps. 116:1-2).

If you want to take a step on the knee-worn prayer path, check out our tools like Prayer Calendars or  A Prayer Album for Women on the Go.

Is there a tool or habit you’ve found to help you keep prayer as part of your daily life?

Find Us on Facebook


Recent Posts

Archives