Session Ten: Receiving Prayer

James 4:2-3 is quite a motive-sifter! Yes, ASK! But asking with pure motive certainly shapes the request, yes?

Philippians 4:6 is worth memorizing if only to calm yourself each time you start to worry! (This is the secret--calm yourself with God's words BEFORE you get anxious, yes?)

Again, don't let me try to convince you that ASKING (or Receiving) Prayer is biblical.  Dig into the Word of God and look up every verse that has the words "ask" or "pray" in them.

If I might be candid, prayer is a process. Your understanding of prayer will grow AS YOU PRAY!  For example, you can ask God to heal someone, but as you read the Bible, you see a range of answers from instant healing, to faith headings to no healing. But you can ASK God for healing.  And so I do. I just don't tell people that GOD WILL heal them. I ask God, along with them, to heal.

This session is about asking God, not telling Him how to answer, yes?

Prayer is your two-way conversation with God.  When you/I get to the Request section of the MPPN, I have a list of requests, not demands -- and when I sift my requests through James 4:2-3, I know when my motives are impure and I can adjust my prayers accordingly.

James 1:5 says God doesn't scold you or rebuke you for asking...but, He might say NO!

Finally, one of my favorite O. Hallesby quotes is as follows, "When God says, yes, it is because He loves us and when God says, no, it is because He loves us."

Be encouraged,

Becky

NOTE: Our June calls will be on June 6 and 20.