No Report Cards

The cool thing about praying is- God doesn’t give grades.

He just likes spending time with us. He likes making us part of his work. That is what prayer is. It is not about performance or “doing it right”.

Just talk to him.

You can start with a “Dear God”, or one of  his names, or just launch in (God is always listening).

Then you can talk to him about anything and everything. Just like you would talk to anyone you are really close to. Follow the ACTS format- or no format.

Just talk to him.

You can end with an “Amen” or “In Jesus Name” or just go on to the next part of the day (knowing God is always listening all day, anyway). You passed the class because you did it, not because you “did it well”.

The point is- just talk to him.

Prayer for the End of Each Day

God gave us a gift to end each year- the gift celebrating the birthday of His Son.

Now, I know we are all trained to have good manners, right? Remember when you were a kid, your mother nagged you to write thank you notes to the relatives who gave you presents at Christmas?

So, what should we do with the most important gift we have ever been given (Jesus)?

We should say thanks.

It is just good manners.

The groovy thing is- when we use our good manners, we get stronger inside. It is good for us.

I would like to offer a one-year experiment to my blog friends:

Would you take this year and at the end of each day this year, right before you go to sleep, take a good length of time and thank God for:

1) all the beautiful things you have seen or experienced that day (there are some things- find them),

2) for the things you have learned about Him or from Him,

3) for Jesus, the awesome gift.

Let’s go for it, and see if God blesses us and changes us. Keep me posted…

Back to ACTS- Confession

How’s your prayer life going?

Let’s look again at one way to pray (ACTS).

To review ACTS in prayer time:

A-     Adoration- Talk to God about your love for him and about His character

(The more you talk to Him about it, the more you will believe and experience the

“feelings” of your love for Him)

C-   Confession- let’s talk about this today

T-   Thanksgiving- Thank Him for what He has done and what He is doing

S-   Supplication- This means ask Him for what you need or for what you are concerned about for other folks

When you spend time with God, it is a good idea to put part of that time into making sure you and He are in a really fine place together. (This is necessary for human relationships, too- ever notice that you can’t have a good conversation with someone if you are really ticked at him/her, had done a thoughtless thing, had forgotten how important he/she was to you, or didn’t like how you were being treated? You first need to talk it over, settle things, acknowledge the importance of the relationship, and then get on with the conversation.)

Confession looks like 2 things:

1)      Confession is admitting your sins, faults, weaknesses, fears, anxieties, and mistakes. God knows them anyway, but it gets them off your chest and opens up your heart to experience His love and forgiveness. This is a very freeing and powerful thing. (This is because those things stand between you and your conversation with God- interruptions. It is good to eliminate the interruptions.)

(Note: if you feel worse and worse as you confess instead of better and better, maybe something is mixed up- maybe you are feeling the devil’s attempt to make you feel guilty and condemned. Maybe there is something in your soul that wants to be healed. Talk to God about that and to a person who is spiritually mature, so that he/she can pray with you.)

2)      Confession is proclaiming that Jesus is your Lord. It is your frequent declaration that you recognize who he is- God the Son, your Redeemer, your Shepherd and Guide, your Master. Try reminding yourself about this and reminding God that you remember- each time you pray.

When you spend time genuinely confessing- with a view to getting in the open with God about your goofs and problems and giving them to God to cleanse and gain healing; and then renewing your declaration of your acceptance of His Lordship over you- you will find His kingdom start to grow within you. That is a groovy thing.

Give it a try. Let me know what you think?