Worship Wednesdays: How to Pray, Week 6

How to Pray, by R.A. Torrey

Chapter 5:  Praying in the Spirit

Over and over again in what has already been said, we have seen our dependence on the Holy Spirit in prayer.  This is stated very clearly in Ephesians 6:18, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit”; and in Jude 20, “Praying in the Holy Ghost.”  Indeed, the whole secret of prayer is found in these three words, in the Spirit.  God the Father answers the prayer that God the Holy Spirit inspires.

The disciples did not know how to pray as they should, so they came to Jesus and said, “Lord, teach us to pray.”  we also do not know how to pray as we should, but we have another Teacher and Guide right at hand to help us (see John 14:16-17).  The Spirit also helpeth our infirmities.” (Romans 8:26).  He teaches us how to pray.  True prayer is prayer in the Holy Spirit; that is, the prayer the Spirit inspires and directs.  when we come into God’s presence, we should recognize “our infirmities,” our ignorance of what we should pray for or how we should pray for it.  In the consciousness of our utter inability to pray properly, we should look up to the Holy Spirit, casting ourselves utterly upon Him to direct our prayers.  He must lead our desires and guide our utterance of them.

Nothing can be more foolish in prayer than to rush heedlessly into God’s presence and ask the first thing that comes into our mind.  When we first come into God’s presence, we should be silent before Him.  We should look up to Him to send His Holy Spirit to teach us how to pray.  We must wait for the Holy Spirit and surrender ourselves to the Spirit.  Then we will pray correctly.

Often, when we come to God in prayer, we do not feel like praying.  What should we do in such a case?  Cease praying until we feel like it?  Not at all.  When we feel least like praying is the time when we most need to pray.  We should wait quietly before God and tell Him how cold and prayerless our hearts are.  We should look up to Him, trust Him, and expect Him to send the Holy Spirit to warm our hearts and draw us out in prayer.  It will not be long before the glow of the Spirit’s presence will fill our heart.  We will begin to pray with freedom, directness, earnestness, and power.  Many of the most blessed seasons of prayer I have ever known have begun with a feeling of utter deadness and prayerlessness.  But, in my helplessness and coldness, I have cast myself upon God and looked to Him to send His Holy Spirit to teach me to pray.  And, He has always done it.  When we pray in the Spirit, we will pray for the right things in the right way.  There will be joy and power in our prayer.

Praying with Faith

If we are to pray with power, we must pray with faith. Jesus says, “Therefor I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”  No matter how positive any promises of God’s Word may be, we will not enjoy it unless we confidently expect its fulfillment.  “If any of you lack wisdom,” says James, “let him ask of god, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him” (James 1:5)  Now that promise is as positive as a promise can be.  The next verse adds, “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.  For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.  For let not that man think he shall receive any thing of the Lord.”  (James 1:6-7).  There must then be confident, unwavering expectation that believes that prayer is heard and the promise granted.  This comes out in Mark 11:24, “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye pray, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them and ye shall have them.”

But how can one have this faith?

Let us say with all emphasis, it cannot be forced.  A person reads this promise about the prayer of faith and then asks for things he desires.  He tries to make himself believe that God has heard the prayer.  This only ends in disappointment for it is not real faith, and the thing is not granted.  At this point, many people lose faith altogether by trying to create faith by an effort of their own will.  When the thing they made themselves believe they would receive is not given, the very foundation of faith is often undermined.

But, how does real faith come?

Romans 10:17 answers the question:  “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” If we are to have real faith, we must study the Word of God and discover what is promised.  The, we must simply believe the promises of God.  Faith must have God’s sanction.  Trying to believe something that you want to believe is not faith.  Believing what God says in His Word is faith.  If I am to have faith when I pray, I must find some promise in the Word of God to rest my faith on.

Faith furthermore comes through the Spirit.  The Spirit knows the will of God.  If I pray in the Spirit and look to the Spirit to teach me God’s will, He will lead me out in prayer along the line of that will.  He will give me faith that the prayer is to be answered.  But, in no case does real faith come by simply determining that you are going to receive what you want.  If there is no promise in the Word of God and no clear leading of the Spirit, there can be no real faith.  There should be no scolding for your lack of faith in such a case.  But if the thing desired is promised in the Word of God, we may well scold ourselves for lack of faith if we doubt, for we are making God a liar by doubting his word.

You've Got to Make Time for It...

Remember when you were little, and somehow in your backpack, magically - there was a packed lunch with all the right things for a wholesome balanced meal?  When you came home from school and the snack was ready for you to enjoy? When dinner was prepared fresh and hot, and all you had to do was wash your hands before you ate?  

Yeah, I miss those days too.  Getting healthy, well balanced meals in with your busy schedule is difficult!  Here are some tips and tricks to help you manage your time more efficiently so that yummy wholesome meals are a part of your every day life again.

Tip One:  Plan ahead - take 30 minutes to sit down and look at your schedule week to week, figuring out when you can eat at home, when you’ll be eating on the run, and what nights you’ll be able to put dinner on the table.  Even plan what you’ll be cooking so that when you make your grocery list, what you need to purchase to cook the meals can be added to the list.  And I know this sounds silly - but write it down in your planner, so that you actually PLAN on doing it.

Tip Two:  Take a Business Mindset Home with You... create a “grocery inventory” of goods and items you regularly purchase.  Print it out on the same day of the week each week and do an inventory - hopefully BEFORE you’ve run out of your staples, being sure to check off what you need to purchase.  Add a “Miscellaneous section” where you can write down any extras - for example, items that you need for the recipes you’ve chosen for the week, or toiletry items that you don’t purchase every week.  Go shopping on the same day each week, making it part of your “household routine.”  

Tip Three:  When you get home from the grocery store, do any pre-preparing you can. Pre-chop veggies for meals, wash, rinse, and dry fruits and veggies, separate bulk items into single servings, etc.  

Tip Four:  Put the ingredients for the meal you are going to cook together.  I use a plastic “shoe box” and gather all canned, dry, and cold ingredients together, pre-measured and ready to go.  For example, if my recipe calls for tomato paste, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, and 1/2 tbsp garlic powder, I measure the cheese and garlic powder, grab the can of tomato paste and whatever else the recipe calls for, put it all in the same bin, and put it in the fridge until I’m ready to pull it out and use it.  This cuts down the time I spend in the kitchen when I’m ready to cook.

Tip Five:  If you eat on the run a lot, be sure to purchase food that lends itself to this type of life style.  For example, healthy grab-n-go items like granola bars, almonds, bran muffins, go-gurts, meal replacement shakes like Ensure or Boost, cheese sticks, protein powders, etc. 

Tip Six:  If you are able, store some go - to items in your work refrigerator so you always have healthy snacks available to you.  It’s important to have a “combo” of food groups when you snack as this is more filling and nutritious, so go for quick and easy things, like cottage cheese and bananas, pre-measured apple sauces and yogurts, bread and peanut butter.

Tip Seven:  Make your on-the-go meals the evening before so that when you are rushing to get out the door the next morning, all you need to do is remember to grab it from the fridge.  I put my car keys in the fridge with my meals until I got into the habit of going to the fridge before I left the house, so I wouldn’t forget the meals.

Tip Eight:  Double your recipe, so that you and your family have left-overs for the nights you don’t get to cook. 

Tip Nine:  If you are having, for example, Spaghetti Bolognese and Tacos in the same week, cook all the meat at the same time, and separate and put aside what you need for the next meal.  This can be done with rice, pasta, meat, salads, etc.  Look for ways you can prepare for your next meal as you’re making this one, so that cooking the next one will be that much easier.

Tip Ten:  Take advantage of your local grocer’s deli department.  Most stores have a soup buffet, prepared rotisserie chickens, sides and veggies that only need 5 minutes in the microwave before they are ready, salad bars, and more.  On a night when you are short of time, it’s okay to let them do the cooking for you!

Putting on the Tips

Back in the days before the economic bubble burst, I used to have acrylic nails, and I LOVED them.  Nowadays, finding the extra money in the budget isn’t the easiest, so I decided to check out the thrifty version.  Store bought nails have come a long way since Lee Press Ons, ladies!  Here’s a review of my inexpensive manicure...

Product used:  Nailene French Finish Personal Fit Nails, Medium Length, coming in at a whopping $5.99.  Nice on the pocket book!  Also, they included a $1.00 off coupon for the next time.  Love that!

Application process:  I followed the instructions given on the back, and tweeked them just a bit.  First, I trimmed my own nails so that the fake one would provide full coverage.  Then, I buffed them using the included mini-file.  Then, using the included little cuticle pusher thing-a-ma-bob, I gently pressed my cuticles back away from the nail bed.  I cleaned my nails with an acetone based nail polish remover.  Finally, I began gluing the nails onto my dominant hand first (I figured once the nails were on it’d be more difficult to do the other hand.)  The glue container was really hard to squeeze, but when I trimmed the tip with scissors it came out better.  I used an application brush from a clear polish to smooth the glue onto the whole nail, then carefully pressed the fake nail onto my own nail.

What I wish I’d done:  Sized each nail before gluing, then done any filing on the sides of them to ensure a better fit.  It also would’ve been easier if I’d lined them up according to which nail I was applying them into instead of scattering them all over the place!  If I'd been thinking, I would've used a regular nail buffer rather than the included file to minimize damage to my natural nail.  I also should’ve bought the short length, or trimmed them a bit first, because even the medium length is a bit too long for my taste.

My finished manicure looked like this: 

Not bad for a $6 manicure!  The “crooked” looking third nail on the left hand is actually a result of my crooked finger, not the nail!!

Wearability:  So, night one I had one of them pop off, which was an easy fix.  I realized when I put the new tip on the old one had been too big for my nail bed, which I assume caused the problem.  When I glued the new one down, I also didn’t use the polish brush to smooth out the glue - it was a good call!!  The nail fit better and was more firmly attached to my finger.  Over the next four days, I had three or four come off one at a time, which I fixed with the extra nails in the pack.  Turns out, I had mis-judged a lot of my nail beds, thinking they were bigger than they were.  The smaller ones fit better, looked better, and didn’t have as many gaps in the glue since I was only putting a drop of glue on the nail bed before applying.  All in all, I am pretty happy with the manicure, and would definitely do this again for a special occasion. :-)

Worship Wednesdays: How to Pray, Week 5

How to Pray, by R.A. Torrey

Chapter 4:  Praying in the Name of Christ and According to the Will of God

It was a wonderful word about prayer that Jesus spoke to His disciples on the night before His crucifixion:  “Whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If ye shall ask anything in My name, I will do it.  (John 14:13-14)

Prayer in the name of Christ has power with God.  God is well pleased with His Son Jesus Christ.  He always hears Him, and He also always hears the prayer that is really in His name.  There is a fragrance in the name of Christ that makes every prayer that bears it acceptable to God.

But, what is it to pray in the name of Christ?

Many explanations have been attempted that make little sense to the average person.  But there is nothing mystical or mysterious about this expression.  If you go through the Bible and examine all the passages in which the expression “in My name” or “in His name” are used, you will find that it means just about what it does in every day language.  If I go to a bank and hand in a check with my name signed to it, I ask of that bank in my own name.  If I have money deposited in the bank, the check will be cashed; if not, it will not be.  If, however, I go to a bank with somebody else’s name signed to the check, I am asking in his name, and it does not matter whether I have money in that bank or any other.  If the person whose name is signed to the check has money there, the check will be cashed.

If, for example, I were to go to the First National Bank of Chicago and present a check which I had signed for $50.00, the teller would say to me,  "Why, Mr.  Torrey, we cannot cash that.  You have no money in this bank.”

But if I were to go to the First National Bank with a check for $50.00 made payable to me and signed by one of the large depositors in that bank, they would not ask whether I had money in the bank or in any bank.  Instead, they would honor the check at once.

When I go to God in prayer, it is like going to the bank of heaven.  I have nothing deposited there.  I have absolutely no credit there.  If I go in my own name, I will get absolutely nothing.  But Jesus Christ has unlimited credit in heaven, and He has granted me the privilege of going to the bank with His name on my checks.  When I thus go, my prayers will be honored to any extent.  

To pray in the name of Christ is to pray on the ground of His credit, not mine.  It is to renounce the thought that I have any claims on God whatever and approach Him on the ground of Christ’s claims.  Praying in the name of Christ is not done by merely adding the phrase, “I ask these things in Jesus’ name,” to my prayer.  I may put that phrase in my prayer and really be resting in my own merit all the time.  On the other hand, I may omit that phrase but really be resting in the merit of Christ all the time.  When I really do approach God on the ground of Christ’s merit and His atoning blood (Hebrews 10:19), God will hear me.  Very much of our prayer is in vain because men approach God imagining that they have some claim on God which obligates Him to answer their prayers.

Forgiveness in His Name

Years ago when D.L. Moody was young in Christian work, he visited a town in Illinois.  A judge in the town was not a Christian.  This judge’s wife asked Mr. Moody to call on her husband, but Mr. Moody replied:  “I cannot talk with your husband.  I am only an uneducated, young, Christian, and your husband is a scholarly non-believer.

But the wife would not take no for an answer, so Mr. Moody made the call.  The clerks in the outer office giggled as the young salesman from Chicago went in to talk with the scholarly judge.

The conversation was short.  Mr. Moody said:

“Judge, I can’t talk with you.  You are an educated non-Christian, and I have no learning.  I simply want to say that if you are ever converted, I want you to let me know.”

The judge replied:  “Yes, young man, if I am ever converted I will let you know.  Yes, I will let you know."

The conversation ended.  The clerks snickered even louder when the zealous young Christian left the office but the judge was converted within a year.  Mr. Moody, visiting the town again, asked the judge to explain how it came about.  The judge said:

“One night, when my wife was at a prayer meeting, I began to grow very uneasy and miserable.  I did not know what was the matter with me, but finally retired before my wife came home.  I could not sleep all that night.  I got up early, told my wife that I would eat no breakfast, and went down to the office.  I told the clerks that they could take a holiday and shut myself up in the inner office.  I kept growing more and more miserable and finally I got down and asked God to forgive my sins.  But I would not say, “for Jesus sake,” because I was a Unitarian and did not believe in the atonement.  I kept praying, ‘God forgive my sins,’ but no answer came.  At last in desperation I cried out, “'O God, for Christ’s sake, forgive my sins,’ and found peace at once!”

The judge had no access to God until he came in the name of Christ.  When he finally came in the name of Jesus, he was heard and answered at once.

Knowing God’s Will Through His Word

Great light is thrown upon the subject in 1 John 5:14-15:  “And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us; and if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.  

This passage clearly teaches that if we are to pray correctly, we must pray according to God’s will.  Then, we will beyond a shadow of a doubt, receive the thing we ask of Him.

But can we know the will of God?  Can we know that any specific prayer is according to His will?

We most surely can.

How?

First by the Word.  God has revealed His will in His Word.  When anything is definitely promised in the Word of God, we know that it is His will to give that thing.  If, when I pray, I can find some definite promise of God’s Word and lay that promise before God, I know that He hears me.  And if I know that He hears me, I know that I have the petition that I have asked of Him.  For example, when I pray for wisdom, I know that it is the will of God to give me wisdom, for He says in James 1:5:  “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given to him.”  So, when I ask for wisdom, I know that the prayer is heard and that wisdom will be given to me.  In like manner, when I pray for the Holy Spirit that I know from Luke 11:13 is God’s will, that my prayer is heard, and that I have the petition that I have asked of Him.  “If ye, then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?”

Some years ago, a minster came to me at the close of an address on prayer at a Y.M.C.A. Bible School and said, “You have given those young men the impression that they can ask for definite things and get the very things that they ask.” 

I replied that I did not know whether that was the impression I had given or not, but that was certainly the impression I desired to give.

“But,” he replied, “that is not right.  We cannot be sure, for we don’t know God’s will.”

I turned at once to James 1:5, read it to him and said, “Is it not God’s will to give us wisdom, and if you ask for wisdom do you not know that you are going to get it?”

“Ah!” he said, “we don’t know what wisdom is.”

I said, “No, if we did, we would not need to ask.  But, whatever wisdom may be, don’t you know that you will get it?”

Certainly it is our privilege to know.  When we have a specific promise in the Word of God, if we doubt that it is God’s will or if we doubt that God will do that which we ask, we make God a liar. 

Here is one of the greatest secrets of prevailing prayer:  Study the Word to find what God’s will is as revealed there in the promises.  Then, simply take these promises and claim them before God in prayer with the absolutely unwavering expectation that He will do what He has promised in His Word.

Knowing God’s Will By His Spirit

There is still another way in which we may know the will of God - by the teaching of His Holy Spirit.  There are many things that we need from God which are not covered by any specific promise.  But, we are not in ignorance of the will of God even then.  In Romans 8:26-27, we are told, “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities; for we know not what we should pray for as we ought.  but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered; and He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is in the mind of the Spirit, because He maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”   Here we are distinctly told that the Spirit of God prays in us, draws out our prayer, according to God’s will.  When we are thus led out by the Holy Spirit in any direction, to pray for any given object, we may do it in all confidence that it is God’s will.  We are to be assured that we will receive the very thing we ask of Him, even though there is no specific promise to cover the case.  Often, God by His Spirit lays a heavy burden of prayer for some given individual upon our heart.  We cannot rest.  We pray for him with groanings which cannot be uttered.  Perhaps the man is entirely beyond our reach, but God hears the prayer.  And in many cases, it is not long before we hear of his definite conversion.

The passage in 1 John 5:14-15 is one of the most abused passages in the Bible:  “This is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us; and if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.”  The Holy Spirit, without a doubt, put this passage into the Bible to encourage our faith.  It begins with “This is the confidence that we have in Him,” and closes with “We know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.”  But, one of the most frequent usages of this passage, which was so manifestly given to bring confidence, is to introduce an element of uncertainty into our prayers.  Often, when a person is confident in prayer, some cautious brother will come and say:

“Now, don’t be too confident.  If it is God’s will, He will do it. You should add, ‘If it be Thy will.’”

Doubtless, there are many times when we do not know the will of God.  And submission to the excellent will of God should be the basis for all prayer.  But when we know God’s will, there need be no if’s.  This passage was not put into the Bible so that we could introduce if’s into all our prayers, but so that we could throw our if’s to the wind and have “confidence” and “know that we have the petitions we have asked of Him."

Voguish Diva Tip #2

For baby soft touchable skin, take medium warm showers that won’t dehydrate you.  Add body lotion to your daily routine.  Apply right after your shower to seal in the moisture (my fave is Bath & Body Works Rice Flower and Shea Body Lotion.  If you tend to have really dry skin, use oil instead - try Nutrogena’s light sesame formula ($9.99 at Walgreens).  

Visual Journaling

vis·u·al
of or pertaining to seeing or sight: a visual image (adjective) photographs, slides, films, charts, or other visual materials, especially as used for illustration. (noun)

jour·nal
a daily record, as occurrences, experiences, or observations

Visual Journaling: An artsy-craftsy method of exploring thoughts, feelings, emotions, and experiences. This practice is more tactile than traditional journaling, and has the capability of creating a more visceral experience for the journaler.

To begin, get a sketchbook with a medium weight paper. Compile some basic art supplies - Elmer’s glue and/or glue sticks, acrylic paints, color pencils, water color pencils, and the like. I also gather ephemera that catches my eye or is meaningful to me.

Explore different art techniques ( a great book to help with that is Journal Junkies: Visual Ammunition for the Art Addict.) Your journal entries can be whimsical, brooding, happy, confused, whatever. It’s up to you. The point isn’t to create perfect artwork, it’s to look into yourself and help work out whatever you are dealing with at the time.

Check out these awesome links for more information on visual journaling:

http://visualjournaling.com/
www.creative-portal.com

Below are some examples from my own visual journal:

My very first page, noting the day I started journaling.

I was feeling chaotic this day, and it's reflected in the work.

Journal entry the day I found out my grandma was near death.

Exploring thoughts about my life.

Dealing with loss.

Scrapbook style entry memorializing Grams.

I enlisted my nieces help to create this page.

Celebrating my anniversary

Ephemera and drawn exploration of my feelings.

Moments in Marriage: Setting the Mood in the Bedroom

Who hasn’t at one point wanted to create a sanctuary in their bedroom specifically tailored to enhance the atmosphere for hubby and wife?  Here are some ideas to spice up your bedroom Diva Style!

~ Smelly-good candles... I’m sure these have a more grown up sounding name, but I’m a diva, not an adult (ok, I am technically “grown up” but I digress).  Be sure to check with your man first - you want scents that are pleasing to both of you! A super plus with candles:  they glow with lovely soft light.  EVERYTHING looks better in candlelight.

~ Incense... In my opinion, there’s nothing quite so Diva-esque as burning incense.  The intoxicating scent fills the room with mystique and magic... who knows what kinds of sensual things may follow?

~ Table top fountains... the sound of water running invites introspective intimate time, and are fabulous to enhance the atmosphere for giving your sweetie a loving rub-down.

~ Music... it’s a must!!  The right music can make or break a romantic night; obviously heavy metal isn’t the right choice here!  Create a playlist on your i-pod, and enjoy the anticipation that builds in you as you think about how much the love of your life will enjoy it!

~ Clean sheets... I know this may sound elementary, but changing your sheets and making the bed before the fantasy evening really adds to the mood, especially if you put on satin or silk sheets!

~ Sensual Photos of yourself... either splurge on boudoir photos (if you live in the San Fernando Valley or Ventura County, CA check out Blendi at Sundance Photography.  He photos are tasteful and beautiful... my session with her left me feeling like a Victoria Secret Model!) or have a trusted girlfriend snap a few shots of you. If there’s a privacy issue for your room (ahem... children!) then only put them out right before you plan on seducing your hubby - trust me, he will LOVE that you did it for him!

Try any of these or one or two of your own ideas for setting the right mood, and have a blast with the man you’ve chosen to spend your life with, and you’ll have the bedroom diva feather in your cap!