Prayer is an essential part of a Christian’s relationship with Christ. Prayer changes you, it turns you into a person that trusts God. Prayer is an opportunity to begin putting your complete trust in God because He knows what’s best for your life. As stated in my previous blog, on Day 93 of this journey I had a breakthrough and began walking in FREEDOM. When starting this new journey I knew immediately after going through all the drama that I faced, that I wanted totally different things for my life. I wanted to have more friends in my life who were living for Christ and applying the Word to their lives. I wanted the next man that God brought into my life to be my husband and I was totally fine with being single until God’s appointed time to send him to me. I wanted my relationship with Christ to be authentic. This time I knew I was all in and I didn’t want to just say it, I wanted my actions to follow and to be a doer of His Word.
“The reality is, my prayers don’t change God. But, I am convinced prayer changes me. Praying boldly boots me out of that stale place of religious habit into authentic connection with God Himself.“ – Lysa TerKeurst
I began meditating on Psalms 34 which states, “Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” I took time and studied this verse. Delight, according to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, means, “to “take pleasure” or “to give keen enjoyment” or to “give joy or satisfaction to.”. Therefore, to delight in God’s Law/Word is to take pleasure in the Word of God. In simple words, it means we enjoy the Word. It is like your favorite dessert or food. Now, I know that can be difficult. I also used to struggle with reading God’s Word; my concentration was on the struggle bus. I would always get so distracted, however, we are fortunate to live in a time today where there are so many fun avenues to enjoy God’s Word. If you keep reading I will give you some tools that have helped me with this. So basically, once you delight yourself in God’s Word you get to reap the benefits of Him blessing you with the desires of your heart. When I really began to reflect I realized I was so used to making decisions for my life and not consulting God until I needed Him, which usually would be when something went wrong. Yeah I’m sure I’m not by myself on that. But, I’m talking about God, my Father, who knows every hair on my head, my thoughts before I can even think of them, and already had my life planned before I was even formed in my mother’s womb (Jeremiah 1:5). He knows me better than anyone so it sounds pretty foolish to not go to Him FIRST for things in my life. Therefore, starting this new found journey of freedom I knew I had to try things different than I had before. That meant seeking God FIRST.
“Have a prayer LIFE,
not prayer MOMENTS”
– Pastor Jeffery Johnson
That is what I began to do. I would delight myself in His Word and then pray. Yes, I gave my concerns and the things that I wanted in my life to God. Why? Because I’m His child, I know He wants what’s BEST for me. Seeking God FIRST also allows you to gain amazing benefits. Giving God First Priority allows you to experience peace in your life that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7). Yeah I’m talking about that peace where you are facing something that is so crazy to everyone else around you, and they are looking at you like; why are you unbothered? It’s because I’ve already turned it over to the One who can solve it! Knowing that your life is being directed by God releases unnecessary worry. It also allows us to be a blessing to others. Another great benefit is that you learn to be selfless. If no one has told you yet, let me be the one to say it. NEWS FLASH!!!!! Your Christian Journey is not just for you, it’s not even about you. Christ commands us to share the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19-20). Therefore, God will use your life for His Glory if you allow Him to. Someone NEEDS to know your testimony of how you stepped out on faith and decided to put God first and the results that came from it. Someone else’s salvation could be awaiting that. This journey is SO MUCH BIGGER than you or me.
Tools and Lessons That I Utilized to Help Me Move Differently
- Bible App by YouVersion – This a great tool to delight yourself in His Word it has been a HUGE help for me. You can download it to your phone from your application store. It allows you to connect with other people that are also reading God’s Word. It also comes with Bible plans. They have one for every topic you can think of and for any situation you are dealing with. It’s a great tool to help you learn God’s Word; some Bible plans even come with videos. It also has the different Bible translations so you can read the Bible in verbiage that you can understand. It’s a great tool, check it out!
- “Have A Prayer LIFE, not Prayer MOMENTS” (Pastor Jeffery Johnson) – I first heard this from my Pastor. It speaks for itself you cannot sustain your Christian journey on prayer moments, you have to develop a prayer life! As stated previously I would only turn to God in prayer after I tried to work things out myself, after everything had gone wrong. Cause let’s be honest I didn’t pray when things were going great! The Bible instructs us to pray without ceasing (1st Thessalonians 5:17). That means prayer moments are not going to cut it. You must make prayer a part of your being.
- P.U.S.H. (Pray Until Something Happens) – I also heard this acronym from my Pastor. I know when it seems like God is not answering your prayers right away that it gets frustrating. But you must trust His timing! Don’t be in a hurry to move before God’s timing and before getting clarity about His will for your life. Keep praying, don’t give up! Pray Until Something Happens!
When you think of the Word different you think of dissimilar, unalike, distinct or separate. That’s exactly what walking in freedom feels like. It’s unlike anything I have ever experienced. The Lord let me know in order to keep operating in my freedom I was going to have to do things differently. I was going to have to let go of that previous way of how I handled my life. Making decisions on my own or consulting everyone else first and then taking it to God last. I had to operate in an entirely new mindset. That change all started with delighting in His Word, seeking Him first and then receiving the desires of my heart. It’s simple OBEY Him FIRST and you will reap after.
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