Effective Prayer

I just finished reading a chapter from Richard Foster's book "Celebration of Discipline" regarding prayer. What a fresh look at prayer! I highly recommend reading this (the whole book is great in fact).

Some interesting notes from the chapter. He says that in looking at the prayers of Jesus and the disciples, when they are interceding (praying for other people) they never use the words "Lord if it is your will." This is because when we pray from the heart, we should only pray according to God's will. In other words, if a prayer is heartfelt, it is so because there is a burden from the Holy Spirit. The "if it's your will" prayers are totally appropriate when we are looking for direction and seeking the Lord's guidance in our own lives.

Another thing Foster says is that prayers are meant to be answered. If prayers are not being answered, we are doing something wrong. Yes, there is a wrong way to pray. For instance, when we pray for things but do not listen to the Lord's guidance, we could be praying for the wrong thing, and God will not answer such prayers. We can have the utmost confidence that God will answer our prayers when we approach Him correctly. This is the way to pray.

We should not be overwhelmed by the abundance of things that need prayer. Everything needs prayer! Instead, we should concentrate and pray fervently for those specific things that the Spirit gives us a real burden for. Those things we can persist in with prayer.

Finally, Foster says to use the imagination in prayer. What a great reminder for me, as I've seen the effectiveness of this in the past. When you pray for someone to accept Christ, picture them in your mind doing it. Picture them praising God and worshipping Him. If you are praying for a man to stop an adulterous relationship, picture him meeting his mistress and feeling guilt and distance from her. Picture him with his wife, loving her and desiring her. In using our imagination, we strengthen our own faith... as we picture these things, we start to believe that the Lord can actually do it! And it is true, because He can.

What a great chapter, and reminder. Highly recommended!!

Happy December

Merry Christmas.

This post is basically just for Pam so that she doesn't have to keep posting comments on an entry from April. :)

Elizabeth Danielle Baden

Introducing Elizabeth Danielle Baden, born April 17, 2007, to Billy and Anna Baden. My favorite niece!

Pictures

I've put some pictures online through my google account... you can view them at...

http://picasaweb.google.com/bobby.baden

God bless...

Currently Listening Declaration By Steven Curtis Chapman see related

Live out Loud...

I love Steven Curtis Chapman's music... the lyrics of his songs are so real and to the heart. I'm listening to "Live out Loud" and just thinking about it. One thing that's interesting in my life is that this has become a bit easier to do... because where I live, I stick out like a sore thumb and so everyone want's to know why I'm here. So it's easy to say, "I work at the church, and..." Back in America, it was sometimes hard for me to be outgoing like that, because I think it's not naturally in my character. I've changed a lot in the last 5 years, too, though. But anyway, now it's a natural conversation starter, creating plenty of red rose moments. Now, doing it all in a different language, well, that's a different story.

One thing I'm sure of - it's so nice to not be starting from scratch on the language! What a blessing... I'm able to do so much - basically lead a normal life. Though there is still the occasional incomprehensible phone call, or worse, knock at the door. But I manage through them somehow. If I didn't know any Japanese, I think I would have a heart attack every time the phone rings! (Even though even now the person on the other end is speaking English more than half the time)...

Have a great Friday everyone :)