Pray to God / Talk to God
5 Times Each Day If regular daily prayer is not your strong suit, don’t worry! This challenge is much easier than you may think. If you eat three meals per day, and you say a prayer of thanks before each meal, then three of your five daily prayers are covered. If you read your bible twice a day, and you pray before you read, then that’s two more. Now you have prayed five times in a single day. You see, this really is an easy challenge. Perhaps start with five prayers per day and try adding more. If you consider talking to God in your thoughts throughout the day, then your daily total becomes irrelevant. The point is to make the effort to talk to God and pray more and more. If you think God doesn’t hear your prayers, consider this: “But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoke.” (Matthew 12:36) So, if every empty word will be accounted for, how much more will our prayers be heard? Food for thought. “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” (Romans 12:12) “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:5-7) “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) Aside from praying over meals, and the fact that we are commanded to pray, let me offer some other reasons to pray:
If you want to add more depth to your prayers (highly recommended), and experience more spiritual growth, consider the kinds of prayers you offer to God. The following are some ways in which you can pray and really experience a closeness to God:
Finally, here are some quotes regarding the importance of prayer from some of the great preachers, teachers, and men of God, of the past couple centuries. “Work as if you were to live a hundred years, pray as if you were to die tomorrow.” (Benjamin Franklin) “The great people of the earth today are the people who pray, not those who talk about prayer.” (S.D. Gordon) “To get nations back on their feet, we must first get on our knees.” (Billy Graham) “Work, work, from morning until late at night. In fact, I have so much to do that I shall have to spend the first three hours in prayer.” (Martin Luther) “If the church is to be what it ought to be for the purposes of God, we must train it in the holy art of prayer.” (Charles Spurgeon) “The true believer can no more live without prayer, than without food day by day.” (George Whitefield)
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Read Scripture
for 30 Minutes Each Day In 2 Timothy 3:16-17, scripture records that: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” As we discussed at the first Saturday morning gathering at Mt Hope, we know that it is through our struggles that we grow. It is by being challenged that we confront our weaknesses and work toward becoming stronger. In this case, we are focused on becoming stronger men of God. Scripture is full of blessings and encouragement as well as commands and warnings. So, let’s not shy away from the more difficult passages, the ones that perhaps make us feel a little uncomfortable. Jesus taught things that were challenging and uncomfortable and so did the apostles as they established the first churches. My encouragement to you is to highlight and take special care to stop and think about those passages. Sometimes, a single verse may seem weighty. “How can anyone obey that command?” or perhaps “that verse doesn’t apply to me.” Whatever you read in scripture, particularly in the New Testament, I challenge you to anticipate the harder things. Be on the lookout for them. Then pray about it. Meditate on it. Discuss those passages with your challenge group. Below is a list of New Testament Books to read, although it is not necessarily a complete and comprehensive list, it will help point you to the parts that will certainly challenge you. Recommended Reading:
Tips & Helpful Advice:
Well, that’s it in a nutshell. The most difficult part of this challenge is setting aside the time to do it. One way to begin getting in the habit of reading your bible is to carry your bible with you everywhere you go – just like your wallet or cellphone. Powerful Quotes: “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13) “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12) “Some people like to read so many Bible chapters every day. I would not dissuade them from the practice, but I would rather lay my soul soak in half a dozen verses all day than rinse my hand in several chapters. Oh, to be bathed in a text of Scripture, and to let it be sucked up in your very soul, till it saturates your heart!” (Charles Spurgeon) “If you are ignorant of God’s Word, you will always be ignorant of God’s will.” (Billy Graham) |
Challenges |