I am so often surprised by God's timing when He's teaching me something-I wish I would stop that, He's done it so many times before! Our pastor's Sunday sermon was about the things we need to focus on in 2011. Not making money, losing weight, quitting smoking (all worthy things), but instead, thinking Biblically and praying! Praying for our family members to receive His salvation, praying for our friends, for our neighbors, co-workers, and on and on. Nothing should be more important than the spiritual needs of others. We need to be praying for our churches, for our nation.
Prayer shouldn't just be this laundry list of things we want. It needs to be passionate, urgent, humble. Praise God! Confess to God specifically and turn from those sins! Bring our hurts and hearts to Him! Bring those we love to His throne of grace and mercy! He keeps driving these points home through somewhat random things, a sermon, my current Beth Moore Bible study, and a random devotional from Proverbs 31 today. Not only do I need to be praying, but when I can't, Praise God!, the Holy Spirit will do it for me. Not because I don't want to or am to busy, but because there are times when I am spent and don't know what to pray anymore! The Holy Spirit takes over and intercedes on my behalf and it is always according to His will! What an awesome, amazing, gracious God we have!!
Romans 8:26-27 (NIV)
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.
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