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Attitude Bible Study Christian Daniel Prayer Self Emprovement

What is Prayer?

What is Prayer?

Prayer is talking to God and God talking to you.

I like the bumper sticker that said: “If you don’t feel like praying, talk to God about it.”

There is no formula to prayer:

It is simply conversing with God. It is essentially talking with God as you would talk with an earthly parent who loves you and wants the best for you. God is your heavenly Father who loves you perfectly. However, how did Daniel get his “Extraordinary Spirit?”(Dan. 6:3) Was is because he had a habit of dropping to his knees, facing a destroyed Jerusalem, and praying to his God 3 times per day?

The A.C.T.S. prayer model will be helpful to you as you learn how to pray. ACTS stands for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication.

Adoration means worship.

We encourage you to begin your time of prayer by adoring and praising God. Praise Him for who He is and for all that He has done for you. God delights in your praises!

I like the comparison of the distance between us, humans, and an ant. We think nothing of the ant. The gap between us and God is infinitely greater than the distance between us and the ant. Yet God loves us! I always wonder why? It must be because God is Love. (1 John 4:8)

          Psalms 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

          Romans.8:38-39 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,  nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Confession means agreeing with God about the things that you have done wrong.

It’s a time to express sorrow about what you have said, thought, or done that is not pleasing to Him. Ask God to reveal to you the sins in your life that you need to confess. Ask God to forgive you for these things, and then believe that He does so freely. When you confess your sins, you receive God’s cleansing and this helps to remove any barrier in your communication with Him.
1 John 1:9.  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
The greatest war we fight in our lives is the one we have with ourselves, our own sinful nature. By confessing our sins, agreeing with God, we are advancing in that war against the kingdom of darkness.
It is a good idea to ask God to replace sin with the opposite. So ask God to replace pure love instead of lust, joy instead of depression, and humility instead of pride.
Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Thanksgiving basically means being thankful to God.

Thank Him for His love, protection, and provision just to name a few things. How many times has He answered your prayers? Do you have a journal of answered prayers? If not, you should.
How many times has He protected you unawares? Has another driver slowed you down and you got upset. But maybe you avoided an accident because you were a little later?
Remember the Lord in all areas of your life; home, work, business, family, church, etc.
Psalms 136:26 Give thanks to the God of heaven, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
Matt. 7:7 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
Philippians 4:13  I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

Supplication is the final component:

And this means praying for your needs and for the needs of others, such as friends, family, your pastor, missionaries, government leaders, and persecuted Christians around the world; even the lost. You may want to pray for such things as God’s guidance, wisdom, and opportunities to serve Him
As you pray, ask the Lord to give you the desires of His heart. Base your prayers upon scripture. By praying the Word, we align our will with His, and remind the Lord of His promises.
Philippians 4:6-7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

 

Summary:

There is no rigid formula for prayer. Remember prayer is talking to God. When Peter took his eyes off of Jesus and began to sink, what did he say to Jesus? HELP! Keep in mind that the ACTS model serves as a guide to help you, not a rigid formula to follow. There is no “canned” approach that you need to take; just talk from your heart. There are additional steps that will help. Set aside a specific time to pray each day.
Pick a quiet place where you can be alone with God. You will also find a special blessing if you begin your time by reading the Bible. Select a passage to read (download a Bible reading plan) and spend some time thinking about it deeply. Reflect on what God is impressing on your heart to you through the passage.
Ask God to help you apply what you are learning. God wants you to share your heart with Him, and He wants to share His heart with you—this can take place anytime, day or night!

 

Categories
Attitude Bible Study Christian Daniel Daniel and the loin's den Leadership Motivation Self Emprovement

Daniel Chapter 6 Bible Study

Daniel Chapter 6

Daniel Chapter 6 is the very familar story of Daniel and the Loins Den. Listen closely and you might learn something new, especially about prayer vs character.

Enjoy,
Larry

Categories
Attitude Christian Leadership Motivation Parenting Self Emprovement Uncategorized

A Father’s Prayer

A Father’s Prayer

General Douglas MacArthur composed “A Father’s Prayer” in the early
days of World War II while in the Pacific:

“Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he
is weak, brave enough to face himself when he is afraid, one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory.

Build me a son whose wishes will not take the place of deeds; a son who will know Thee-and that to know himself is the foundation stone of knowledge.

Lead him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort, but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge. Here let him learn to stand up in the storm; here let him learn compassion for those who fail…”

“Build me a son whose heart will be clear, whose goal will be high; a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men; one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past.

And after all these things are his, add, I pray, enough of sense of humor, so that he may always be serious, yet never take himself too seriously.

Give him humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, and the meekness of true strength.

Then, I, his father, will dare to whisper, ‘I have not lived in vain.'”

Categories
Attitude Christian Leadership Motivation Self Emprovement Uncategorized

I Pray this describes me.

Author Unknown

"I'm a part of the fellowship of the unashamed. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made.

I'm a disciple of His and I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still.

My past is redeemed. My present makes sense. My future is secure.

I'm done and finished with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity.

I don't have to be right, or first, or tops, or recognized, or praised, or rewarded.

I live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by Holy Spirit power.

My face is set. My gait is fast. My goal is heaven.

My road may be narrow, my way rough, my companions few, but my guide is reliable and my mission is clear.

I will not be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded or delayed.

I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice or hesitate in the presence of the adversary.

I will not negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won't give up, shut up, or let up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, and preached up for the cause of Christ.

I am a disciple of Jesus!

I must give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes.

And when He does come for His own, He'll have no problems recognizing me. My colors will be clear!"

 

Categories
Self Emprovement Success

Interactivity is the key to blog success. Here’s the exact language to use to get it. Yes, exact.

by Dr. Jeffrey Lant

Hear ye, hear ye! Blogs are the hottest thing on the ‘net. You know it… and you’ve done the necessary to set yours up and publish, right? Out it goes… then… nothing. Not a peep from any reader. That’s bad, real bad.

That’s why  I’m here — to help you achieve maximum blog success.

As you’re reading along with this article, think Cole Porter’s peppy little number, “Friendship” (from “Was a lady,” 1939) because that’s what this article is, a friend helping a friend achieve maximum success online, this time with your blog.

Interactivity is the key.

Blogs work when they’re interactive, that is when you get  your audience/readers to respond. And why do you want them to respond? Because blog readers who respond are the very best customer prospects there are, that’s why. Moreover if you’re smart, you want to monetize your blog just as quickly as possible, right from the get-go… so that every time you publish your blog your readers, your prospects — with their money — respond.

Here’s how to make this happen day after golden day.

Announce your objective, so that people know that your blog is interactive… and you expect them to respond.

“Readers! You’ve arrived at the most interactive blog online… where we are in constant touch with our readers… and readers are encouraged, indeed expected, to respond. We like hearing from you!”

Make this goal pellucidly clear to your readers. And keep this exact language in all blog posts. It’s your welcome mat for the world.

Words that get people to respond to your lead article.

“Folks, I’m delighted, pleased, ecstatic to bring you this article (add title here).  It’s written by an expert (add name here)  who knows what she’s  talking about. After you’ve read this piece, email me at once at (email address). Tell us what you think! We genuinely want to know!”

Put like this, such a plea is irresistible. Expect responses fast, always remembering that each response represents either the beginning of an ongoing relationship with that respondent…or the strengthening of an existing relationship. In short, it is the raw matter for success and nothing but success.

Ask your readers to respond to individual articles, not just the entire blog.

Remember, not only must your blog be perceived as interactive; each portion of the blog must be so configured. In other words, you want each and every article and/or blog section to generate leads. Here’s how to do it.

“Friend, this article by (name of writer) is absolutely terrific, isn’t it? The writing is incredible… the content superb. What’s more , I can tell you how to get content of this amazing quality on your blog free. Email me your name, email address, and phone for the details. Yes, I mean FREE!”

Offer a freebie in every issue.

One particularly popular freebie, which I’ve used for years, is to write and make available a Free Report to your readers on a subject of interest to them, a subject like this:

“Boy, oh boy, have I ever got the terrific freebie for you today, you lucky blog readers, you. This report, absolutely free, is titled ‘Just what you need to know and do to get (whatever benefit you sell)’. This special report is packed, just packed, with superb, hard-to-find details , and I’m lucky to be able to GIVE it to you. Email me now at (your email address) with your name, email address and phone number or just call me now at (your telephone number.) P.S. Be sure to tell me what you think after you’ve read it!”

Or, try this freebie. It’s worked for me for years, and it’s a pip of an example and model for you.

“Incredible, but true. Due to a special arrangement with some hot-shot traffic gurus, I’m able to give out 1,000,000 guaranteed visitors today, that is 50,000 each to the FIRST TWENTY READERS who respond today. Be one of them. Email me now at (email address) along with your name, address, and phone number or just pick up the phone and call me now. DON’T WAIT. This special offer can’t last!”

Ask for comments. Use the comments.

Remember, your objective is to solicit and then receive comments from every reader. First, savour them; you have earned a little self-congratulation, because with each blog post and every reader response thereto, you are distancing yourself from the also-rans of blog publishers and firmly establishing yourself as a Smart Cookie. Now, press your advantage.

When responses arrive, be sure to publish them in  your blog, good, bad, or indifferent. Of course, you want every response to be positive. These are the most welcome and easy-to-use blog posts. Publish them at once… and use them to generate more responses. You want your readers to see and be clear on the fact that yours is one of the most exciting, worthwhile blogs in the land. Make it a point to publicize every positive response you get:

“Wow! Here’s a great response from (name of reader responding). We sure do appreciate these responses, not just because they’re complimentary (but what’s wrong with that anyway?) But because they make it clear how you feel… and what  you like about what we’re doing. That’s Very  Important indeed! Always  include your name, address, phone, and email address.”

What if the response is carping, critical, vituperative?

The world does not live on a diet of milk and honey. Gall and wormwood do make themselves known. Your job is to use negative comments to impress your readers and even turn your carping critic into a lap dog. Take a  look at how this magic occurs.

“Tom Jones from Pocatello, Idaho isn’t too happy today. He has emailed this message: ‘Folks, that last article you published on (name of article) was just plain wrong about a couple of points. Here’s the low-down…”

All publishers, blog or otherwise, are inured to getting responses like this. The key is turning the criticism into gold, building a relationship with the (momentarily) irked or critical respondent.

“Tom, your points are sooooo well taken. Thanks for making them; we’ve glad to let our readers have  your point of view and hope to hear more from you. In the meantime, please accept a free copy of our newest report (title here).”

In short, turn lemons into lemonade and emerge wiser and better regarded than before.

Last words… there are no last words.

Blogging, as tried and true bloggers know, NEVER ends. Each issue, each part of each issue, constitutes a potential link to the future. Each thing, every section and each word, is a hook; grabbing, then pulling in your expectant audience, thereby generating leads, comments for future issues… and (how sweet it is) MONEY.

Blogs are the most personal of media. Run with that concept, and make your blog a place of constant interactivity and the satisfaction and profit that ensue to you as a result. Your readers will be happy, recognizing and applauding you, while you laugh all the way to the bank! How nice!