From the Pastor
Pastor Mike Burns
Victory Church
903.567.2072 (Ext. 3002) ;){kind=small}
MBurns@wordofvictory.org
Prayer: Keep it Simple
In January,
our congregation at Victory Church participates in “21 Days of Prayer.” One of
the reasons I lead our congregation in this endeavor is to get us started in
the right direction for the New Year (especially in our personal prayer lives).
It is always an exciting 21 days as we “clean out” the cobwebs that many of us
have acquired since Thanksgiving and the holiday season. So, I encourage you to
participate with us at Victory or with what your church is doing as we begin
2013.
Over the
next 21 days I want to offer you some reasons as to, “Why Do We Pray” as a
follower of Jesus Christ. Every 2-3 days I will bring you updates that I hope
will encourage you in your walk with Christ. The main thing about prayer is not
how much knowledge you have about the topic. The main thing is simply…are you
praying? In other words, Just Do It!
Keep Prayer Simple
Sometimes we
make prayer to be so much more complicated than is necessary. Prayer is really a simple way of connecting
to God. Yet some take it to extremes or
measures that are more about drawing attention to them. I like what Jesus said
in Matthew 6:6. It doesn’t get much simpler.
"Here's what I want you to do:
Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God.
Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift
from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.” (Message Bible)
What we
learn from Jesus’ instructions:
1. Get away to a place of prayer. Preferably
a place away from people and all the
stuff that is surrounding your everyday life. (Lose the phone and all the other
electronic trinkets.)
2. When you find a quiet place you will
be able to hear His voice in your
heart and mind. (By the way…don’t be afraid of solitude and quietness OR just
hearing your own heart beat! Lol)
3. When you are by yourself it will be
just you and God. You won’t be
tempted to impress other people or worry about what they think about you. You
are alone…with God.
4. When you are in a quiet and secluded
place you can be honest with God. No one is listening but Him. (He can handle
whatever is on your mind!)
5. When you are in a quiet and secluded
place you can respond to God’s
presence and God speaking into your heart and mind without worrying about what
others think. (Yes, grown men do weep…just not in front of other men. And yes,
grown men have been known to want to jump up and give God a “high five” after
the grown man finally got it!)
Keep prayer simple by simply doing
the simple things.
Pastor Mike
Published on Monday, January 7, 2013 @ 11:45 AM CDT
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