Category Archives: Prayer

Why You Should Always Start With Praise

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Why You Should Always Start With Praise

Why You Should Always Start With Praise

One way to communicate with God is via prayer.  Another way we can and should communicate with God is via praise.  We can offer praise to God through speaking or singing.  Praise benefits both God and us.  Praise allows us to connect with God on a deeper level.  I’d like to spend a little time sharing with you some things God has shown me about praise and specifically why it’s so important to always start with praise.

Over the years, God really impressed upon me the importance of praise.  It’s honestly not an area that I’ve always been strong in.  To me, praise and worship of God have always felt a little awkward (with the exception of praise and worship music at church).  It seems a little fake if I try to praise God the way I’ve seen others do it in church and on TV.  I’m not saying THEY were fake.  It just didn’t feel genuine to me or seemed too forced when I would attempt to say things like “Oh Lord, you are most holy” or “You are worthy”.  So since it just felt too weird, I simply didn’t do it.

Praise God for who you need him to be

Then God softly convicted me about my lack of praise.  He showed me how I could still give praise to him without it feeling strange or insincere.  I felt like God told me one day to just praise him for who I needed him to be.  He wanted me to praise him for his attributes and characteristics that I needed to experience.

For example, if I need healing, I would say, “I praise you, God, because you are a Healer.”  If I need comfort, I can say, “Praise God that you are my Comforter.”  If I need to feel loved, I can praise, “Praise you Lord that you are Love.  Your word says God is Love.”  If I don’t know what to do in a situation or need direction, I can say, “Praise you, God, because you are my Guide.”

For me, this is a simple approach to praise.  It doesn’t seem phony, forced, or unnatural.  It’s almost like a prayer request, but instead, I am offering praise because it’s who God is.  At the same time, praising this way gives me peace and reassurance because not only am I praising God, but I’m also reminding myself that God is the answer to whatever it is I need at the time.

Praising God reminds us of his benefits

“Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” Psalm 103:1-5 (NIV) 

Praise God for who you need him to be. #HowtoPraise #AlwaysStartWithPraise

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Praise as a part of prayer

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Prayer for Ukraine

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Prayer for Ukraine

As I’ve been watching the news and what’s been happening in Ukraine, I’ve had such empathy for the people there and my heart has been grieving. I’ve spent time in prayer praying for protection of people, wisdom for the leaders, boldness, and courage, help from others, etc.

In church this past Sunday, we sang the song, “The Blessing”. As I sang, I had a nudge in my spirit that I could pray this for Ukraine. Then I prayed, “This is my prayer for them Lord. This is my prayer for Ukraine.” I changed the words as I sang to customize it into a prayer for Ukraine.

Will you join me in praying this blessing over Ukraine?

Prayer for Ukraine

Lord, bless Ukraine and keep them
Make Your face shine upon them
And be gracious to them
Lord, turn Your face toward them
And give them peace

May Your favor be upon them
And a thousand generations
And their family and their children
And their children, and their children

May Your presence go before them
And behind them, and beside them
All around them, and within them
You are with them

In the morning, in the evening
In their coming, and their going
In their weeping, and rejoicing
You are for them.

Amen.

Prayer adapted from "The Blessing": Written by Steven Furtick, Chris Brown, Kari Jobe, Cody Carnes ©2020 Music by Elevation Worship Publishing, Capitol CMG Paragon / Writers Roof Publishing, Worship Together Music / Kari Jobe Carnes Music CCLI #: 7147007

Relevant scriptures to accompany this prayer

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Having Trouble Getting to Sleep?

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Having trouble getting to sleep? Try using these bible verses to help...Having Trouble Getting to Sleep?

Sleep is vital for life.  In fact, I happen to think that sleep is a necessity to help us be happy, healthy, and prosperous!  Obviously, sleep can help us to be happy.  You can actually see the effects more in reverse—when you don’t get sleep you get unhappy!  A sleep deficit can have a definite negative impact on our emotions.

We also need sleep to keep us healthy.  Our bodies restore and repair at night as we’re sleeping.  A lack of sleep can weaken our immune system and increase our chances of getting sick.  Lastly, a lack of sleep can hurt our finances too.  Our prosperity can be influenced by the state of our emotional well-being and our health.  If our happiness and our health are suffering, it can lead to a loss of prosperity.  If we’re not happy and healthy, we’re less creative, miss work, have poor decision-making abilities, and thus make less money.  In fact, it can actually cost us money and time if we have health and/or emotional problems.

Sleep is a necessity to help us be Happy, Healthy, and Prosperous!

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Sleepy momma

When my daughter was a baby she refused to go to sleep.  She fought sleep like crazy.  This actually lasted until she was a toddler.  At one point we even had to put duct tape on her light switches so she would quit getting up in the middle of the night to turn the light on and play!  This didn’t work either…she then just got up and played in the dark. 🙁 So her refusal to sleep on top of a bit of colic as a baby made us made pretty sleep deprived.  I was one worn out momma!  Saying I was sleep-deprived was an understatement.  That’s when I decided to try to find a scripture to pray and confess over her (and me) to help us go to sleep and get a good night’s rest.

I’ve since found these verses and others I’ve discovered to be extremely useful even after my daughter’s sleep boycott years.  Sometimes getting enough sleep and/or going to sleep is an ongoing battle for me, and boy does it show!  I’m super cranky when I’m tired.

I’ve had to lean on and confess these verses over myself on a number of occasions…

  • Nights where I didn’t feel well
  • Times when I was anxious about something coming up the next day
  • Nights when I was dealing with conflict with someone that was eating me up (I can sit awake for hours at night having imaginary conversations and clenching my jaw so much that it hurts the next morning! I think there’s a reason the bible says don’t go to bed angry–Ephesians 4:26.)
  • Nights when I couldn’t quiet my mind from all the busyness and to-do lists
  • Sometimes nights when I brought sleep difficulty on myself due to drinking coffee after 5pm (I’ve gotta stick to decaf or herbal tea at night!)
  • Nights when I woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep

Here are some of the bible verses I’ve found and used to help me with sleep: Continue reading →

Funny Friday: Praying for the Whole Population

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Funny Friday: Praying for the Whole Population

Do you ever mention someone in your prayers, then you feel bad for not mentioning other people, then suddenly you start including the whole population?

“I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people…” 1 Timothy 2:1a (NLT)

Psalm 91 Prayer of Protection

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Psalm 91 Prayer of Protection

Last week I shared some scriptures about protection and about how the Lord surrounds people and places with his protection. I used many of these scriptures as a basis for praying a hedge of protection. Today, I thought I’d share some more scriptures on protection, more specifically an entire chapter. This entire passage about protection is found in Psalm 91. We can actually turn this passage into a prayer of protection over ourselves or our loved ones.

In times of trouble, uncertainty, or potential harm it can be easy to fall into a pattern of worry, anxiety, or fear. In those times we can have confidence that we have a God who loves us and wants to protect us and help us in times of trouble. We can call on the Lord for his protection and remind ourselves of his promises in the Bible. Psalm 91 is a wonderful example of God’s promises and desire to protect us. Reading, meditating on, and praying this chapter can give us hope, confidence, and peace, in addition to renewing our faith.

Reading, meditating on, and praying Psalm 91 can give us hope, confidence, and peace, in addition to renewing our faith.

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Psalm 91 is full of promises and blessings from God

Psalm 91 is packed full of so many promises and blessings of God such as…

    • Protection
    • Safety from illness, disease, or disaster
    • Ease from anxieties and fear
    • Safety from evil all around us and things that are negatively affecting others around us
    • Justice; Punishment of the wicked
    • Protection for our home
    • Guardian angels to surround us and defend us
    • Promise of God’s presence
    • Victory over dangerous things that might seek to harm us
    • Promise of rescue
    • Promise of long life

Psalm 91:1-16 (NLT)

1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

2 This I declare about the LORD: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him.

3 For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease.

4 He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.

5 Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day.

6 Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday.

7 Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you.

8 Just open your eyes, and see how the wicked are punished.

9 If you make the LORD your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter,

10 no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home.

11 For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go.

12 They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.

13 You will trample upon lions and cobras; you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!

14 The LORD says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name.

15 When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them.

16 I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.”

Psalm 91 Prayer of Protection for Others (insert their name)

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Praying a Hedge of Protection

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Praying a Hedge of Protection

Previously I wrote a post about praying a “hedge of thorns” around someone as a type of prayer could be prayed on behalf of a person that might be wandering off track or pursuing things or people that may not be good for them. Similarly, another form of prayer is praying a hedge of protection. A hedge of thorns is for protection also but just a little more specific when praying to keep someone from someone or something. A hedge of protection can be a more general prayer when we want to just ask God to build up a wall of protection or a type of shield as a defense against any kind of harm that might come near.

“Hedge of protection” is used as a metaphor for protection. A hedge is simply just a barrier, border, or boundary surrounding or enclosing something or providing a means of protection or defense. We can ask God to create a safety barrier surrounding us that can protect us from any harm that we might encounter or that might try to come against us. Hedges are also often used as a boundary line to prevent someone or something from crossing to an area where they shouldn’t. Similarly, we can ask God to prevent our enemies from crossing a boundary line meant to protect us.

We can pray a hedge of protection when we want to ask God to build up a wall of protection or defense against any kind of harm.

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Some examples of a hedge of protection in scripture

Satan recognized a hedge of protection that God had put around Job.

“Have You not put a hedge [of protection] around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands [and conferred prosperity and happiness upon him], and his possessions have increased in the land.” Job 1:10 (AMP)

A hedge of thorns (a form of a hedge of protection as discussed above) is mentioned in Hosea for the prevention of going down wrong paths.

“Therefore I will hedge up her way with thorns, and I will build a wall against her, so that she cannot find her paths. She shall pursue her lovers but not overtake them, and she shall seek them but shall not find them. Then she shall say, ‘I will go and return to my first husband, for it was better for me then than now.’” Hosea 2:6-7 (ESV)

God describes a hedge as special protection for a vineyard (vineyard=an analogy for Israel here), and the owner of the vineyard (i.e. God) needs only to remove the hedge in order for the vineyard to be left exposed and destroyed.

“Now let me tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will tear down its hedges and let it be destroyed. I will break down its walls and let the animals trample it.” Isaiah 5:5 (NLT)

Scriptures about being surrounded by protection

There are many scriptures throughout the Bible that present the idea that the Lord surrounds people and places with his protection. Often verbiage is used such as surrounding, going before and following, encamping, enclosing, sheltering, concealing, covering, spreading over, and so on. These could be examples of “hedges” or of God “hedging” his people.

Here is a sampling of some of these scriptures (by no means is this exhaustive…that would be an extremely long list!):

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The “Right Way” to Practice Spiritual Disciplines

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The “Right Way” to Practice Spiritual Disciplines

I’ve been seeing and hearing a lot of Bible teachers (bloggers, speakers, influencers, etc.) teaching about the “right way” to practice spiritual disciplines such as reading scripture, studying the Bible, hearing from God, praying, praising, journaling, fasting, evangelizing, discipling others, teaching others, etc. While I know this teaching is usually good-intentioned, so much of it comes across like and feels a bit condescending and condemning…and honestly, even a little bit arrogant and know-it-all-ish too.

Recently, I’ve even been getting some chastising emails and comments about the “right way” to quote scripture and the correct translation to use. (Most remarks are reprimanding me for not using King James Version ONLY when I quote scripture.) People send emails and comments that I’m not leading people to Christ in the “right way” or not approaching how we should pray in the “right way”. I’m amazed that people truly believe there is only one “right way” to do things and that God leaves so little room for margin in how we should have relationship with him.

I don’t believe this to be so.

I really believe that God is not quite that rigid and will meet us where we are. What I’ve personally learned is that God is pretty forgiving, and there is a lot of grace. Even when there might be a preferred, better, more effective, or more efficient way to do any of these spiritual disciplines, God can and will still work regardless of any of our mistakes or misgivings. Jesus clearly demonstrated that he is not legalistic. Jesus is loving, not legalistic. Even if we are not where we might need to be, he will lovingly and patiently guide us there.

I say all the time… ”God will meet you where you are.”

Even when there might be a preferred, better, more effective, or more efficient way to practice spiritual disciplines, God can and will still work regardless of any of our mistakes or misgivings.

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Promoting a “right way” can lead to self-righteousness

As I was reading my Bible this past week, my belief that there is not only one “right way” to practice spiritual disciplines was reinforced.

Matthew 9:14-17 (NLT)

“One day the disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus and asked him, “Why don’t your disciples fast like we do and the Pharisees do?”

Jesus replied, “Do wedding guests mourn while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. But someday the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.

“Besides, who would patch old clothing with new cloth? For the new patch would shrink and rip away from the old cloth, leaving an even bigger tear than before.

“And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the old skins would burst from the pressure, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine is stored in new wineskins so that both are preserved.””

I was reading Matthew 9:14-17 where John the Baptist’s disciples came to Jesus and asked why his disciples didn’t fast. Jesus replied with comments about celebrating not morning when with a groom, not patching old clothes with new cloth, and not putting new wine in old wineskins.

As I read Matthew Henry’s commentary, I understood this better. Henry suggested that believing and professing that their practices were the “right way” was likened to being self-righteous because they boasted about the way they did things, such as fasting often. Henry states,

“There is a proneness in professors to brag of their own performance in religion, especially if there by any thing extraordinary in them; nay, and not only to boast of them before men, but to plead them before God, and confide in them as a righteousness.”[1]

Dependence on a “right way” leads to spiritual bondage

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Prayer for Those Who Are Being Deceived

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Prayer for Those Who Are Being Deceived

Unfortunately, we live in a day and age where Satan is amping up his activity in order to deceive people. He knows his time of an end is drawing near. The Bible is VERY clear about the rise and increase of false prophets and deception as we near the coming of Christ and the end times. We need to expect that there WILL BE those attempting to deceive us (and some even doing so in the name of and purportedly for the cause of Christ).

Some deception also comes, not just from other people, but from Satan or evil spirits attacking our minds and thought life with lies. Many people also start to believe things contrary to scripture, Biblical teaching, and godly living simply because of their own desires. They simply don’t want to believe the truth.

“Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons.” 1 Timothy 4:1 (NLT)

“For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths.” 2 Timothy 4:3-4 (NLT)

As the time of Christ’s return nears, deception will increase. It will come from others, from evil spiritual forces, and from within ourselves and our own desires.

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When those we care about are being deceived

It’s very hard to see someone you love or care about being deceived and believing lies. It’s especially difficult when they seem so far gone and are not receptive to hearing or discussing the truth. All is not hopeless or lost though!  We can pray for them because our prayers are extremely powerful!

“…The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” James 5:16b (NLT) 

After studying and researching how and what to pray for those who are being deceived or believing lies, I compiled a list of things to pray followed by scriptures that these prayers are based upon. You can pray these items in part, or I’ve also combined them as a collective prayer at the bottom of this post (with an image to save, pin, or print).

Pray for those who are deceived because your prayers are powerful, effective, and will produce results!

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Take Some Practical Steps to Pray for Those Who Are Being Deceived:

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