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Saturday, February 5, 2011

CHRISTIAN PRAYER FOR DUMMIES

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From Christian Prayer For Dummies
by Richard Wagner

The habit of Christian prayer is one you can integrate into your life in just a few weeks. From the essentials of praying to using the ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method to listening for God's voice, you can make praying an integral part of your everyday life whether you're at work or at home. And, you can go beyond the standard prayers to include prayers such as the Trinity Prayer.
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Essentials of Christian Prayer
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As a Christian, praying doesn't need to be complicated. If you're approaching God in Christian prayer, make sure that you approach your prayer with the five qualities in the following list to be certain that you're prayer-ready:

•Be aware. When you pray, be aware of exactly whom exactly you're praying to, acknowledging the Lord.

•Be real. Don't put up a front or say words that you think God wants to hear; simply be honest and open to God.

•Be repentant. Unconfessed sin in your life can be a major block to your prayers, so always approach prayer with a repentant heart.

•Be dogged. When you pray, be diligent, praying, then praying some more, and, when you think you're all done, praying more about it.

•Be expectant. Have the certainty that God will answer your prayer.

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Incorporate Christian Prayer into Your Life in Three Weeks
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Develop the habit of Christian prayer in just 21 days! Following the schedule in the following steps, you'll be surprised by how much Christian prayer can become part of your life after just three weeks.

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Determine the optimal prayer time that you're going to set aside to pray.

2.Choose a specific location where you know you can be quiet at that time.

Go to that same place each day at the specific time you've set aside for prayer.

3.Spend those minutes in prayer.

4.For those 21 days, stick with it no matter what.

If you happen to miss a day, don't get down on yourself. Just make sure that you get back into the routine again the following day.

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Finding Time for Christian Prayer at Work
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Incorporating a habit of Christian prayer at work can be difficult if you work full-time. You add prayer time to your workday, however, by following these tips:

•Pick a dedicated prayer time that avoids the rush of the day. If your schedule permits, get up early and regularly spend time in prayer before going to work.

•Whether you go by car, bus, or subway, praying during commute time can be an ideal way to transform what is usually dead time into quality moments with the Lord.

•After you eat, spend the rest of your lunchtime in prayer.

•When praying at work, close your office door or take a walk around the building.

•If you don't pray at work, then don't turn on the television, DVD player, or computer at home until after you're finished with prayer time that evening.

•Don't let work or any other activity become more important than being still with God.

•Don't wimp out on prayer on weekends. Set up a different weekend schedule for prayer that works on days that you aren't in the office.
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Here's the Amazon link - the reviews of the book
are excellent; used copies start at ten cents
plus standard shipping - go here:
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