All in Prayer, Armor, and Wrestling

Pray without Falling Asleep

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Prayer

In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus asked His disciples to watch and pray with Him, but they failed Him, and fell asleep. Do we fall down in our prayers as well? The example we have in Christ is to pray in the morning before the sun rises, to do so all during the day, and to end our days by praying into the night. Do we follow his example? Do we even come close? Prayer has purpose, in the Garden that night Jesus told the disciples that their prayers would keep them from temptation, but it does much more than this as we pray for forgiveness, joy, goodness, thanksgiving, strength, protection, and every life and spiritual thing. Prayer is a lifeline cast from our needy soul into Heaven itself, and it is the song that fills the silence of our lives. Do we pray as we should, or are we found sleeping?

Miracles, and Praying as we should

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Prayer, Miracles

When We ask Jesus for something, we find that if what we are asking of Him is trivial, or something we feel is possible, but perhaps unlikely, then we can easily hand it over to him, and our faith is sufficient to allow us to do that, but can we do this when a real miracle is needed, one in which there is no earthly way that what we are asking could ever occur? If the life of our child is in the balance, we pray, and Jesus says that our son, who is on his deathbed will be healed, can we trust in Him enough to walk away? Can we muster the faith it takes to believe that this will not be the last moment we will see our child? Miracles still occur; let’s listen to what happened in Capernaum.

Beyond the What - Do we know How to Pray?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Prayer

Many ask about prayer, and how they can go about praying so that their prayers might be more effective and powerful. In truth, they want their prayers to be answered, but the real question they should ask is one similar to what the disciples asked Jesus… the disciples asked Him to TEACH them to pray and so He taught them a prayer, but had they asked HOW they should pray He would have pointed to His life… in Him we learn to pray always, pray for prayer, affix ourselves in faith, pray the simple, humble, prayers of a child, and never give up on a prayer because in offering it our faith is becoming rooted. Effective prayer is more about the How, and less about the what; it is worship, and it is kneeling in the will of God. So, how do we pray? How do you pray?

Prayers on the corner, or from the heart?

Richard Forbes
Breaking Bread , Christian , Daily Devotional , Prayers From The Heart , Prayer

When we pray we should simply say what we mean, and mean what we say. Unlike a writer who might get paid according to the number of words he writes, or their timeliness, God gives us no additional credit for the number of words we pray each day, nor for the number of minutes spent in prayer. Gods wants to hear what we have to say, and for us to say it sincerely, and directly. There is no benefit to chanting, or repeating ourselves; when it comes to prayer, a one minute prayer from the heart carries with it more strength than a one hour prayer recited because we have read, or been told, that we should spend more time praying. Sitting silently listening to, or for, God carries much more weight if we do so from our heart.

The Weight and Substance of our Prayers

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Prayer

As Saints we pray, and God hears us, but our prayers are much more than sound waves that rush outward, growing weaker and smaller, like the ripples of a stone cast into a pond, losing their momentum as they go until at last they lap like tiny ineffective kisses on some distant shore. No, our prayers are powerful, have substance, and are joined with incense before the throne of God. They are offered to Him, carried upward in Holy smoke that rises from a Golden censer… an offering made to God. Even the most insignificant of these becoming mighty as they precede the sounding of the seven trumpets, and protect the Saints from what follows.

Undistracted Prayer

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Prayer

As Christians we have sworn ourselves to Jesus, and we have picked up our cross to follow Him. We pray as He has taught us, and love Our Father alongside Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, so why is it that when we seek Him in prayer that we sometimes feel like we hear our words returning to us as an echo that has been offered up into a hollow and cavernous room? Our prayers reflect where our heart is, it is also true that when our mind wanders we can’t find God, and in those times our soul wanders, and isn’t listening for His voice, but to the world that has captured us… even if for that instant.

Celebrating the Birth, the child, Emanuel, and praying from our Soul.

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotional , Birth , Prayer, Second Coming , S

Today we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. We remember the story of Mary and Joseph traveling to Bethlehem, and seeking a room where there was none available. We recall how Jesus was born there, wrapped in swaddling cloth like a newborn lamb being prepared for sacrifice, and placed in a manger. Then we go to the pasture and listen with the shepherds as they are told of this miracle child, but how do we pray today? Do we pray in His name for the simple things we desire, or like Mary whose soul was known to pray fervently in the Holy Spirit as she anticipated His coming?

Giving, and Receiving prayer as we Deliver the Gospel Message

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotional , Gospel , Swords, Prayer

Do we proclaim the mystery of the gospel of Jesus to those who would hear? Do we ask those around us to pray for us so that we will have the right words to speak when we do? We wear the armor of God, and the last article described by Paul is the sword, which is prayer in the spirit, but do we ask others to wield that sword for us so that we will receive the words to speak, and do we swing it into action for other disciples as well?

Finding God in our Suffering, and Praying for Help.

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Doing God’s Will, Suffering , Prayer

Are you suffering in some way today? Have you been in prayer concerning it? If so, how do you perceive the agony you are enduring, and in what way are you asking that it be lifted from you when you pray? Is your prayer a selfish one as you pray “Father heal me!”, or do you pray A righteous prayer... “Father heal me that you might be glorified, and I might serve you better!”. How do you view the pain you suffer; is it punitive, or an opportunity afforded you by God to bring glory to His name?

Walking with God every Day... Our Prayer, and His Provision

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotion, Prayer

As people of varying degrees of spirituality we have different prayer habits. Some of us come to God many times a day, some come only in the morning, others in the evening, and there are those who only pray on days like Christmas and Easter, but rest assured we all find time to pray when we are in need, or hurting. So which is right? Well, there is no wrong prayer, but scripture tells us to pray without ceasing, because God loves us and desires us to be with Him just as He is with us... always. 

Prayer, Fishing, and Receiving the Peace of God

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotion, Peace, Prayer, Quiet

Where do we turn to find comfort, rest, and peace of mind in our lives? To regain the peace that the world works so hard to rob from us we need to find the quiet places, and times, when we can take in a deep breath from God, and exhale the foul air of strife, and stress that the dark one tries so hard to blow into our lungs. Jesus teaches us much on this subject, and if we reorder our lives we can find that selfsame peace. 

COVID-19, Feeling out of sorts, and Finding Hope in Prayer

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotion, Hope, Prayer

Are you feeling out of sorts in this time of COVID-19? You say that you aren’t depressed, and you aren’t anxious, yet you Still feel differently? You say that your energy is gone, you just can’t seem to get started in the morning, and even the good news you hear in life doesn’t seem to be enough? Well, I was listening to a good friend talk about feeling this way yesterday, and it dawned on me that what She was describing was quite simply hopelessness. She was feeling an ebb in her ability to hope, but remember; we serve the God of hope! So I ask that each of us consider this question… “When was the last time I prayed for hope?“

Are our Prayers just empty Shells?

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotion, Confidence, Prayer

Where do we go for relief in our times of distress? Who comes to help us when we are in trouble? When we are in need of rescue, who is it that charges to our aid? Although most Christians say that it is Jesus Christ, or our Father God, do our actions betray our words? When we find ourselves in a challenging situation and we quickly say a prayer, that is good, but if we then turn straightway to our friends and family without waiting for God to respond then what have we really accomplished in faith?

Praying for Faith in the face of Coronavirus

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotion, Faith, Belief, Prayer

Have we prayed for our faith today, and if so, how about the faith of another? Jesus prayed for the faith of Peter when Satan asked for permission to sift him Like wheat, then He went on to tell him that he would deny him three times before the cock crowed. What would have happened to Peter without the prayer of Jesus? What would happen to us, and those we know without our prayers for strengthened faith?

Neglect Not your Prayers for Others

Richard Forbes
Christian, Daily Devotion, Prayer

We pray for others, sometimes for their salvation, but also in their other needs. Has anyone ever asked that you pray for them, or have you volunteered to do so only to walk away and never offer the first word in prayer? Perhaps you simply forgot, maybe you were too busy, or just maybe you said yes to the request just to placate them, and never intended to pray. Did you realize that this is not Christlike, and can even be sinful?

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