How To Pray

pray\ˈprā\
verb
: to speak to God especially in order to give thanks or to ask for something
: to hope or wish very much for something to happen
: to seriously ask (someone) to do something

When I was little I prayed every night for a dollhouse. I never did get the dollhouse of my dreams, but I did get a dollhouse eventually. I always think of those childish prayers.

For years I did not know how to pray. I was also afraid to pray out loud or in front of others. I was repetitive in my prayers and I really sounded life I was begging. If I tried to pray out loud I got tongue tied trying to copy someone else’s words I had heard.

I read a few books on prayer and tried a few prayer formulas, but none really seemed to stick.

I believe practice and the Holy Spirit are what have developed my prayer style.

I can pray in my car, as I am walking around, while cooking, cleaning, and even sometimes I wake myself up in the middle of the night praying. It comes easy and naturally to me now. I don’t use fancy words at all. I just speak from my heart and sometimes when words won’t do or fail, I pray from my spirit.

I wrote this out in my journal the other day as a way to help my children began to develop a practice on how to pray:

PRAY. P-Praise
R-Repent
A- Ask for other’s needs / Ask for your needs
Y- Yield (Be Still & Listen)

I start my prayers with Praise. Thanking God for who He is, for the sacrifice He made, for what He has done, is doing, and has yet to do. I praise Him for answered prayers, as well as, the unanswered prayers.

I then Repent. I ask God to forgive me of all my sins and shortcomings. To search my heart for anything that grieves Him. I ask Him to reveal to me areas I may not even be aware of where I did not bring Him glory.

I then move into Asking. I ask for the needs of my friends and family or whomever God places on my heart. Sometimes it is strangers on the news or someone I may have come in contact with, or something I saw or read or people that have asked for me to pray for them.

I then ask for my own needs and desires. I ask for God’s direction and God’s desires to be made known to me.

Lastly, I Yield. I pause and wait to see what God speaks to my heart or where He leads me. I have learned to get comfortable with the silence. That is what brings me the peace and knowing in my knower what and how I should pray. Many times I just begin to pray in my spirit God’s perfect prayers.

I also review the following list to make sure nothing is hindering my prayers.

*Here are some things that can hinder our prayers according to thebestlife.net :

1) Unforgiveness

If we do not forgive others, our Heavenly Father will not forgive us. (Matthew 6:15)

2) An Unthankful Heart

Give God thanks in all things, because in all trials, painful situations, He is always with us. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says “…in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

3) Unbelief

Pray with confidence, believing God to do what He said He will do. James 1:6-7 says “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord.”

4) Selfishness

Ask for the things in God’s will, the outcome of which is to honour and glorify God. James 4:3 says “You ask and do not receive because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.”

5) Failure to ask God to supply our needs

James 4:2 says “You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask.”

6) Disobedience

Pray and ask God with confidence, obeying His commandments. 1 John 3:22 says “And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things which are pleasing in His sight.”

7) Praying Alone

Pray with others and agree in faith. Matthew 18:19 says “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.”

8) Disharmony in family or with others

Be at peace with one another. 1 Peter 3:7 says “Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honour to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.”

9) Idols

– Not putting God first in our lives. Ezekiel 14:2-5 says “And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts, and put before them that which causes them to stumble into iniquity. Should I let Myself be inquired of by them? Therefore speak to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: ‘Everyone of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart, and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity, and then comes to the prophet, I the Lord will answer him who comes, according to the multitude of his idols, that I may seize the house of Israel by their heart, because they are all estranged from Me by their idols. ‘”

10 Forgetting the Poor

– Ignoring and not having compassion. Proverbs 21:13 says “Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor will also cry himself and not be heard.”

11) Lack of reconciliation

– Bearing malice, hate, grudge etc. Matthew 5:23,24 says “Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”

12) Not wanting to wait on God

Matthew 7:7,8 says “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”

The Blessed Holy Spirit can lead us, teach us and guide us to overcome these hindrances, if we ask Him to help us in our daily Christian walk with Jesus Christ.

You can also do an Internet search for many more resources on prayer.

If you seek God with your whole heart, He will reveal to you what you need to know.

All people of all ages can pray.
It is never too late or too early to develop your own style or practice of praying.

~ XXOO Michelle Bollom

© RestoredMinistries

How To Pray 2015 Archives

Divine Direction

Make me hear of Your faithful love in the morning, for I trust in You. Teach me how I should walk, for I offer my soul up to You. ~ Psalm 143:8 VOICE

Lift this verse up to God each day as a prayer. Ask God to lead you each day in His Divine Direction.

His way may not be the easiest or most pleasant way, but it will always be the Right Way you should go.

There are no Dead Ends with God. ❤️

~XXOO Michelle Bollom 2015 Archives

I Don’t Dread Anything…

I don’t dread anything … I don’t fear the unknowns… I don’t live in anxiety about what will happen… The specifics don’t really matter to me… I KNOW …

I Don’t Dread Anything…

Vine

John 15:5-8 NKJV I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If …

Vine

Ready

Recently I asked a few of my friends to do a review on a new book I am writing. The first review came back, and I did not expect the words staring back at me from the computer screen. I was bawling my eyes out reading the touching words about my character as a daughter of Papa God. In that moment I understood the purpose of my wilderness journey, the surrender, obedience and dying to self daily. I remember handing my dream as a prophet back to Father, when He asked me to and taking the painful decision to go on a journey with Him.

Every dark valley, every loss, every betrayal, and the persecution finally made sense. Then Holy Spirit said to me “What if you were not obedient when I called you to the wilderness”? Had I not made the decision to go hard after Jesus, I would have been another “Orpah” returning and clinging to the familiar. When the enemy wanted me to hold on to my past, I took a hold of the hem of Fathers garment like the women with the issue of blood and I did not let go, until I was transformed by His love.

The moment I allowed Father to step into my messy places, my new beginning in Jesus began. About two months ago Father said to me that people will “announce” the remnants bride new season/era in this time. His glory arising over His bride in this hour will be seen and acknowledged by people who know us and people who do not. His glory and the anointing and the weighty sound that His bride will release in this time, cannot be copied by the bride who refused the fiery furnaces of character and heart transformation. The world will know if we visited deep places in Pappa God by our love and unity, the sign of a new era people.

Every challenge, attack and every enemy we face, is part of the cutting away and stripping us of “earth” and our “flesh”. Nothing of ourselves should be visible when we open our mouths. I handed my dreams to Father when I did not want to. A few years later He handed it back to me, with my character intact. Now I do not only operate in my spiritual gifts, but a character that exceeds my gifts.

My pastor used to say that people are waiting for us to step into their lives so that their lives can begin. I believe their lives can only begin, when we have gone through our deep processes of heart and character transformation to mentor them not to chase stages, gifts, offices and fame, but to chase intimacy with Jesus, to be the same person we are at our homes and in public and to release the fragrance of heaven wherever we tread.

One of my favourite verses Revelation 19 verse 7 says “And His bride has made herself ready.” May Father help us to make more effort in making ourselves ready inwardly, then outwardly.

#EbigaleWilson #HolySpiritChats

He Comforts My Wounded Places

We are sharing some of our favorite archives of Redemptive Beauty – Tuesday’s with Tiffany.

This one is He Restores

Enjoy!

Eve

EVE

She opened herself to the lie.

She opened her heart

to believe the lie.

She received the lie and it became a part of her. Her identity was stolen or did she give it away?

She chose this.

She saw.

What she saw terrified her.

What she felt shamed her.

Never before had she felt this.

Disobedience claimed her.

She became a daughter to it.

Disobedience shamed her.

She chose to trust the lie.

God never wanted her to see

what she saw.

God never wanted her to see

what she felt.

He warned her.

She didn’t believe Him.

Now she is exposed and ashamed.

Terribly and horribly alone.

Then came fear.

The fear drove her to manipulate and control.

She didn’t want to be alone!

Cover it up. Lie upon lie.

Stress replaces rest.

Poison pervades peace.

Separated in spirit from Him

she waits.

He comes . She knows! She knows!

It’s horrible and she knows.

She knows the difference now.

She knows the good and the evil!

What have you done?

She let the lie lead her.

She knows it and it rips her

to the core.

Her spirit dies. Her soul is seared.

Corruption claims her.

She wants to go back!

She doesn’t want this!

It wasn’t supposed to be like this!

Sick is the suffering like a deep hot poker searing her soul.

Pain like she’s never felt before.

Separated.

Put out.

So very alone.

She is sealed from the place of perfection.

She is thrust into pain and rejection.

I was there. It was me.

~ Michelle Knapton

Grab A Key

The function of a key as a noun is as follows:
a small piece of shaped metal with incisions cut to fit the wards of a particular lock, and that is inserted into a lock and turned to open or close.

A key will not work if it does not match to its lock.

In fact a key is fashioned and designed to fit each particular lock. The door, safe, lockbox or gate will NOT open if locked and the correct key is not used. No matter how hard you try!!!!

With all those fun facts being said, let’s look at one place where keys are mentioned in the Bible.

Check out Matthew 16:13-19
Now when Jesus came into the parts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Who do men say that the Son of man is? (‭Matthew‬ ‭16‬:‭13‬ ASV)
Make a long story short!! Peter got it right away with saying that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the Living God!!

It’s starts with having a revelation from above of who Jesus really is to you. That revelation has to come from above. Jesus even reminds Peter further along in the passage that the His Father revealed this to Peter.
With that being said Jesus proceeds to tell Peter….
Matthew 16:18-20
“And I also say unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Now keep in mind there are a couple sermons just in those two verses alone. But let’s just focus on the word, “key”.
Jesus is giving the specific tangible piece of metal that was cut to perfectly open up the kingdom of heaven to Peter.

Peter was the only one of the disciples at the time of asking who truly got the revelation of that Jesus was the Son of God. You know the One that Jews had been eagerly waiting thousands of years to come and save them from their enemies.

I know that as a follower of Christ being discipled by His Word and teachings that I can qualify to hold those same keys.

Part of the Lord’s Prayer that we more than likely can all recite from memory goes along this theme.
Jesus encouraging us to model our prayers after The Lord’s Prayer.
“Thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

That there is a pretty big key in my mind’s eye!!! Imagine a key to the door of the kingdom of heaven. 

It’s my understanding that we have permission from Jesus to have thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. We as followers of Jesus seeking and knocking hold the key along with Peter to heaven that involves some binding and loosing. 

Pause and think about what that means to you? Trust me, I have known these verses for over 30 years and I am just NOW receiving the understanding of the key and starting to turn the lock to loose heaven all over the earth.
(Old, slow learner would be me)
I never asked before now. dahhhh!!!

Matthew 7:7
“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:”

Get out your key and open that door and see what you discover on the other side.

Light On,
Kelley Allison
John1:4-5

We Have Been Set Free!

Gals!!! & (Guys) -He has set us FREE from so much!

I know we hear that all the time, but those of us that have truly been set free from an addiction, negative thinking, old patterns, habits, insecurity, people- pleasing…WHATEVER…
We truly know what it means to be free!! 

The cool thing is we get the CHOICE and the excitement to choose freedom and feel more and more free EVERY SINGLE day! Yea!

I’m speaking for myself here, there are areas in my life where I still feel like one foot is stuck in my old thinking or behavior, and the other is free…
BUT, oh the DIVINE BUT,
I have the hope and power to choose each and every day otherwise!

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. ~ Galatians 5:1 NIV

~ Stephanie Wanic

Archive Reblog from 2014

Wrestle With God

This article is one that I wrote last September. I recently pulled it out again to remind myself of what it means to “lay things down” and “wrestle with God.” Situations in my life are causing me to seek Him in new and deeper ways. I am truly “wrestling with Him” as I ask these questions.

I am reposting this article as my last post for a while. I have requested to take a break for several months as I am in this period of wrestling.  I will continue to write as HE gives me thoughts and ideas. I pray that you will continue to seek Him in Spirit and Truth.

Reblog:

I’m so excited I’m not sure where to begin. I wrote last week about “submit and surrender.” I mentioned that I was going to talk to Hebrew speaking friends to get their thoughts because the word “surrender” isn’t really in the Bible.

What I wrote last week is that “surrender is a willingness to give something up.” There is that element and concept in the Bible, yes, but as I have done a deeper study, I’m moving away from the idea of “surrendering to God.”

It started when I realized again (I had heard it before but it never truly resonated with me) that when Jacob’s name was changed to “Israel” it is because he “wrestled with God.” That is the meaning of Israel – “wrestle with God.” Therefore, because I believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Israel), I need to understand what it means to “wrestle with God.”

My thoughts are going a mile a minute, but I was just talking to a friend and pieces are coming together. So, all I can do is start typing and pray that Holy Spirit writes through me and that the thoughts become fluid enough for others to understand.

Let me say that this post may rub some of you the wrong way. I pray that you just take what is written and ponder on it. I’m not saying I am “right,” but I have shared this with a few friends and it resonates with them.

My question is: What if, “I Surrender All” really should be, “I Will Wrestle with my God”?????

When I heard back from my Jewish, Hebrew speaking friends and contacts, they told me that there is NOT a Hebrew/Jewish thought of surrendering to God. This kind of blew me away. And my brain started to spin.

What if the idea of surrender to God isn’t really what we think? We say that because Jesus “gave His life” He surrendered to the Father. But, did He?

The definition of “I surrender” is: What does I surrender mean? (Entry 1 of 2) transitive verb. 1a : to yield to the power, control, or possession of another upon compulsion or demand surrendered the fort. b : to give up completely or agree to forgo especially in favor of another.

The definition of “surrender” according to the Cambridge dictionary is: to stop fighting and admit defeat:

Hmmm… If Jesus “surrendered to God” than that means He felt defeat. And yet, in that moment He had more VICTORY than ever before. Satan THOUGHT He had won, but we know he did not. GOD DID.

So, if I surrender to God, that means I admit defeat. Does God really want me to admit defeat? He wants me to admit when I am wrong, but to feel defeat? He wants me to be victorious! An overcomer.

There is a New Testament Studies professor at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. I had the privilege of hearing her speak at a local synagogue when we lived in Nashville. Her name is Amy-Jill Levine and she is an Orthodox Jew. She has studied the New Testament in depth and brings to the table lots of Jewish History and understanding that Christians often miss. When I asked her about the idea/concept of “surrendering to God” her response was this:

“The Jewish tradition is sufficiently diverse that there may be a surrender idea somewhere, but I am not familiar with it. The tradition is more inclined to argue with the divine, as the Lament Psalms, Jeremiah, Moses, Abraham…. all indicate. “Israel” traditionally means “to wrestle with G-d” — that is not the image of surrender.”

Since this was not the first time I had heard that there is NOT a concept of “Surrender to God” in Jewish thought, my mind began to ponder things more.

What if we had it wrong? What if we have been teaching something the wrong way? And then I asked myself, What does it mean to “wrestle with God?”

I reached out to a friend in Florida tonight. We sent WhatsApp messages back and forth. She gave me the verse Matthew 16:24:

Then Yeshua told his talmidim, “If anyone wants to come after me, let him say ‘No’ to himself, take up his execution-stake, and keep following me.

In this there is the idea of self-denial. It isn’t truly the concept of “surrender.” My friend used the words, “humble yourselves, deny yourselves, crucify…”

When she used those words, I immediately thought, “these are a form of wrestling.” We are “struggling against something.” When we “humble ourselves” we actively have to “lay something down.” When we “deny ourselves” we “give something up.” But, in NONE of these situations does it say we admit defeat, or that we are defeated.

Ephesians 6:12 For we are not struggling against human beings, but against the rulers, authorities and cosmic powers governing this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm.

We have to “wrestle the flesh” inside of us. Just like Jacob “wrestled with God” to get rid of his flesh, we are “wrestling with the flesh daily.” My friend in Florida quoted it this way:

“The spirit of God nature part of us wrestles with the non-God part of us, our flesh. So in a sense, we wrestle against the Spirit of God that lives in us.”

We all know that we wrestle our flesh often. Our spirit is willing, but our flesh is weak.

Matthew 26:41 Stay awake, and pray that you will not be put to the test — the spirit indeed is eager, but human nature is weak.”

My thought is this: understanding the concept of following Jesus might make more sense to people if they do not feel like they are “losing control” by surrendering. Sometimes to “surrender” seems so overwhelming.

But, I can wrestle against something. It is difficult to feel like you are “losing control” when you wrestle. You “fight to win.” And when you are “fighting WITH God, how could you lose?

My friend responded with this: “I feel like this is good – surrender you are giving up your will like as a prisoner, but Jesus never asks us to be His prisoners. He calls us friend, brother, beside, daughter etc…”

SO TRUE!!!!! I got chills when I read that message from her.

We are called to “fight the flesh” and “wrestle against our flesh.” We WANT to give it up and follow Him, but we don’t admit defeat to Him. We actually walk victorious WITH HIM when we yield to the Spirit.

Friends, take up your cross today and fight the flesh. Wrestle with God and His Spirit within you. When you do, you will RISE UP and find victory! This is what it means to FOLLOW HIM in Spirit and in Truth.

We admit our flesh is there, but we ACTIVELY fight it. We actively WRESTLE with it. HE is our friend and HE is our brother! HE walks beside us. That is NOT an attitude of surrender, but one of ACTIVELY working together to bring HIS KINGDOM on earth as it is in Heaven.

Friends, I pray this resonates with you. I pray that you take hold of knowing and understanding how to “wrestle with God” and LET HIM WIN. If we all take on this idea of “wrestling with God” seriously, can you imagine the VICTORY we could have????

Shabbat Shalom,

Rose Horton

Photo by Marek Piwnicki on Unsplash