Mystery of Prayer
Prayer can be a frustrating thing. In our minds, we understand its importance, yet in our hearts, we still try to do things by our own power, by our own ways. We tend to look for better methods, better plans, better strategies, but God is looking for better men and women. Men and women who are shaped by the hand of God, who understand this mysterious leading of the Spirit, whose sufficiency is of God. Even the disciples struggled asking Jesus, teach us to pray. And Jesus answers not with a sermon, not with a training session, but with a prayer. Prayer, like much of this spiritual journey, is caught, not taught. Yet it is also something that can be refined, something that is developed, something that grows over time. May we persevere on this journey to pray more, but to understand the depth, they beauty, the power, the mysteriousness of this personal communion with our mighty, holy, all-powerful, yet intimate God.
Voice - Unveiling the mystery @ Newsong Irvine
Can you hear me now - Adam Edgerly
Asking Prayer - Ed Salas
The underpinning of a passionate and persistent prayer life - Darryl Brumfield
The sound of God's Voice - Dave Gibbons
Additional Message Resources
- Prayer by Jaeson Ma at Newsong Church
- What is prayer and what's it for by Stanley Toussaint at Dallas Theological Seminary
- A Hunger for God: Desiring God through Fasting and Prayer by John Piper
- Fasting: Opening the door to a deeper, more intimate, more power relationship with God by Jentezen Franklin
- Prayer: Does it make a difference? by Phillip Yancey
- Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home by Richard Foster
- Praying God's Word day by day by Beth Moore
- Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence
- The power of a praying wife by Stormie Omartian
- Too Busy not to pray by Bill Hybels
Guidelines to fasting
At the root of fasting is to say no to normal activities for the sake of spiritual activities guiding us towards God. Typically it is associated with food, but it can be a denial of anything that distracts us from God like TV, entertainment, shopping etc....While none of these things are inherently bad, they may hinder our worship and prayer life and doing the things that God requires from us. The most important thing during fasting is the condition of our heart and not necessarily the length. Our motive, our heart, our reason for fasting is critical. With the image of breathing, we are attempting to breath out things that are impure in our life and breath in the things that God desires us to consume and to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
In 2 Chronicles 7:14, it says, "if my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, i will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land."
Below are some guidelines taken from Campus Crusade that can help us with our own journey in fasting.
In 2 Chronicles 7:14, it says, "if my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, i will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land."
Below are some guidelines taken from Campus Crusade that can help us with our own journey in fasting.
