A Woman's Call to Prayer :: Chapter 3

Chapter 3 ::  Ten Reason Women Don't Pray-Part 2

Prayer is one way God has provided

for us to commune with Him,

and when we accept His invitation

to commune with Him,

He will transform our hearts

and change our lives.

You and I must desire to pray, decide to pursue it, determine to keep at it and, of course, do it!

4) Distance-- If you know people well, you can usually talk easily with them.  But you probably have difficulty talking to a stranger.  And the same thing happens in our communication with God. When you and I don't have a close enough relationship with God, we find it hard to "talk" to Him.

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

James 4:8

What are some of things that can create distance in our bond with God?  Here are a few answers: Neglect. Bitterness. Laziness. Procrastination.  Sin. Distractions. Pride. I'm sure you could add to this list.

5) Ignorance--We don't understand or grasp God's goodness or His desire and ability to provide for us "exceedingly abundantly" (Ephesians 3:20) and to "supply all our need" (Philippians 4:19) Therefore, we don't ask or pray. 

What man is there among you who, if his son asks

for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for

a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, 

being evil, know how to give good gifts to your

children, how much more will your Father who is

in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

Matthew 7:9-11

God is good. And God is a giving God.  but God also wants us to ask Him,  In the words of Charles Spurgeon, famed preacher-of-old, "Whether we like it or not, asking is the rule of the kingdom."

Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.

Jeremiah 33:3

You ask and do not receive because you ask amiss.

James 4:3

Ask, and it will be given to you...for everyone who asks receive.

Matthew 7:7-8

6) Sinfulness-- Oh, dear friend, we simply cannot forfeit our ability and our opportunity to pray for ourselves, our family and friends, and those in need because we are too proud or stubborn to deal with sin.  Too much is at stake--and at risk-- to hold on to secret or favorite sins.  Keep short accounts with God when it comes to sin.  And what is the best way to treat sin?  I've often been advised to deal with any sin as it comes up-- on the spot! At the exact minute that I slip up and fail!

Checklist for Prayer 

~Examine your relationship with God

Number One excuses you are allowing to keep you from prayer.

neglect    bitterness

laziness    procrastination

sin    distractions

pride    other reasons

 ~Write our verses to memorize--
Begin with Jeremiah 33:3, James 4:3, Matthew 7:7-8.

Write the verses on cards,

Write them out ten times, and

Write them on the tablet of your heart.

By having your verses on cards, you are seeing them.  By writing them out ten times with pen and paper, you are touching them.  And by writing them "on the tablet of your heart" (Proverbs 3:3)-- by saying them over and over--you are internalizing them until they become yours.

~Search your heart for sin

Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my mind and my heart....Search me, O God and know my heart...and see if there is any wicked way in me.

Psalm 26:2 and 139:23-24

...to guard against distance, stay close to God,

...to guard against ignorance, stay close to God's Word so you have a better understanding of how you should be praying, and 

... to guard against sinfulness, stay close to God by pursuing a godly life.

pg. 32-40

Blustery Day Yumminess

Today I had the whole day off of work and so I decided to cook up something delicious for supper.

Main course:

Veggie Tortellini Soup

Bread:

Rosemary Focaccia

Dessert:

Golden Apple Pie

::Perfect for a chilly, blustery day with wind gusts of up to 60mph::

A Woman's Call to Prayer :: Chapter 2

Chapter 2 :: Ten Reason Women Don't Pray-- Part 1

No praying woman accomplishes so much

with so little expenditure of time

as when she is praying.

--C. E. Cowman

1) Worldliness- We live "in the world" (John 17:11) and are effected by our worldly surroundings more than we realize or think.  There is nothing in the world that encourages us to pray.  There are no voices in the world admonishing us to be spiritually minded.  And prayer is a spiritual exercise. But prayer and praying give us a measure of immunity against the world.  For instance, I've noticed that when I get up early and make prayer a priority and take the time to seek God through His Word and prayer, a fire of passion for Him is ignited, fueled,  and fanned until its flame is brilliant.

My thoughts, my heart, my concerns, my focus, my desires all become more noble when time is taken to lift my heart heavenward through prayer. ( This is SO true!!)

He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness

Psalm 107:9

2) Busyness-- Another reason we don't pray is because we don't take the time to pray. And usually the culprit is busyness. 

We must learn to stop in the midst of all of the busyness and to stop all of the busyness... and pray.  A woman who is too busy to pray is simply too busy!

3) Foolishness-- Whenever we become consumed with what is foolish and trivial, we will also surely find ourselves failing to pray. It's a given! (And I am sure we would both agree that failing to pray might well be the ultimate act of foolishness for a woman of God!)

We lose sight of the primary thing in life-- our relationship with God. We foolishly and frivolously begin to spend our very limited and priceless time and our already-insufficient energy on wrong and inferior things.  We fail to "seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness" so that all the other things we need in life can be added to us (Matthew 6:33)

He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.

-Jim Elliot-

Evaluate your heart-- Identify three things you can do to turn your back on the world and your heart toward spiritual things, toward the heavenly, toward the eternal. 

Now, how can you "turn your eyes upon Jesus" so that the things of this world will grow steadily more dim?

Evaluate your lifestyle--Think about your daily routine and not the multitude of ways you spend your God-given time (some of which is meant to be spent in prayer). 

Now, how can you make time for "the one thing" that Jesus pronounced most needful, for "the one thing" that shall never be taken away from you? How can you make time for prayer? How can you make your desire to pray become a reality?

Evaluate your priorities-- Ask God to show you areas of foolishness in your life. ( I know, we hate to admit it, but it's true--they're there! Pray this prayer: "Lord, please reveal those things in my life that are secondary to a life committed to prayer.  What less things are wasting my time and energy? What foolish things are wasting my time and energy? (Prov 28:13)

pg. 22-30

A Woman's Call to Prayer :: Chapter 1

I picked this book up at the local Christian book store and have been telling myself that I must read it... after I finish the other book that I am reading.  Well, ladies and gentlefolks, I have finished Passion and Purity by Elisabeth Elliot ( a MUST read) and am now a happy reader of A Woman's Call to Prayer by Elizabeth George.  I am but 2 days into it, 2 chapters into this wealth of knowledge and I feel as though I have grown already.  I am so excited beyond words about reading this book.  I long so deeply to become a woman of prayer.  A woman so devoted to God and to prayer that everything else that I do fails in comparison with it.  I want a flame for Christ.  A flame that cannot be quenched with worldly desires.  I want to be a Woman after God's own heart...

So, what I am going to try to accomplish is a post a day on the chapter that I read that day.   I don't know what kind of a post it would really qualify as, so I am just going to call it highlights-from-my-morning-devotionals.  :) Okay, so maybe that won't work, but that will be the gist of the goal.

I am going to encourage you ladies to go and find this book whether on Amazon,  CBD, your local book store or wherever you are able to find this book and buy it!  Maybe you already have it, maybe you have already read it, but whatever the case I would like you to go along with me on my journey as I desire and strive to become a woman of prayer.  I will jot down the parts that really catch my eye for you all to see.  If you are reading it or have read it and there is something that caught your eye that I didn't post about, let me know! I would LOVE to see what you got out of it.  I want to grow but also I want you to grow with me.  It's a journey that cannot be walked alone.    If you don't want to do any of what I have asked, then by all means don't!  But please do read and admonish and encourage me when needed.

Most importantly I want ALL the glory to go to God.  He alone is responsible for any growth that we receive in our lives.  He alone is worthy. 

Chapter 1:: Beginning the Journey into Prayer

Imagine what kind of  transformation would occur in our hearts if we spent time (or more time) each day drawing near to God through His Word-- time spent on something of eternal, life-changing value!

As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God.... My soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You

--Psalm 42:1; 63:1--

Let's embark on a joint journey of learning more about prayer.  Let's seek a life lived "on bended knee." 

We just don't arrive one day at the point where we can mark "learn to pray" off our to-do list! It's as my Jim always says,  "If you want to humble the mightiest Christians, ask them about their prayer life."

Pray Now-- Put your book down, grab your kitchen timer, and go somewhere where you can shut the door or be alone.  Then pray for five minutes.  Use these initial golden minutes to share with your heavenly Father your heart's desire to answer His call upon your life to  become--and be!-- a woman of prayer.

Get Organized--Round up some kind of notebook.  Whatever it is, do what you can to make your choice personal, pleasing, and inspiring. Just choose something that will aid you and inspire you to take your first beginning steps down the path of your journey into prayer. 

Look Ahead-- Look over...and pray over...the next week on your calendar of events. Pay particular attention to the pattern of your life--of your daily routine, of the needs of those in your family or those closest to you.  Then mark on each day for the next week the exact time you will designate as your payer time.  "There is no right or wrong way to pray...except not to pray!"

He who has learned how to pray

has learned the greatest secret

of a holy and happy life.

Pg. 13-21

New Favorite

My new favorite is Thad Fiscella's Ivory Hymn from his album Vast.   Delightful.  Another artist that I just discovered that makes me really happy is Paul Cardall.   I have a few of his songs on my playlist on the side of my blog.  If you have time, take a listen to them.  :)

Vacation

We recently went to Yellowstone National Park and I took a gazillion pictures. I don't think I will be able to post pictures on this blog as much, but, if you go on over to The Blue Inglenook you'll find them all.  :) 

::Can you see her little tongue sticking out? I mean seriously... can she get any cuter?::

The Blue Inglenook

Encouragement

^{1 Peter 1}

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, ⁵who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, ⁷so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ⁸ Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, ⁹obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Shout Out

I would just like to make mention of a fellow lady photographer that seriously inspires me!  I have yet to meet her in "person" but I feel like I have met her just by looking through her pictures.  You can get to know a photographer very well by what captures their eye.  So, please, take a few minutes out of your day and go look and drool over the beautiful gift that God has given her.  It will take your breath away...

Sarah W. Photography

::Hot Springs::

 Click here to see more pictures...

If you're interested

I am not sure if this is something that everybody would be interested in, but these are the pictures that I have sold so far.  I sell them to a company in town that uses them for church bulletins and possibly calendars some day.  :)  I was pretty excited to see the final project...