8 Tips for a Fulfilling Devotional Time - Tip #6| By Angela Howard

In my last post I shared Tip #5—Use a Devotional to Help Keep You on Track.  Joanna wrote an incredible testimony on Facebook this week about this very topic: “[Tip #5] corresponds beautifully with a conversation I had with one of the ladies who is using At theFeet of Jesus.  ‘It just makes me hungry to get into God's Word,’ she told me.  ‘I'm spending more time really studying the Bible.’ Love it!!!  That was our prayer from the beginning.”

It is so encouraging to see God using the devotional to draw people closer to Jesus.  He is faithful!

Tip #6 Use a prayer list

Rick Warren writes, “The more you pray, the less you'll panic. The more you worship, the less you worry. You'll feel more patient and less pressured.”[i]

We can get so overwhelmed by all the needs around us that we give up on praying for them before we really begin.  If you are anything like me you might want to discuss the issue more than pray for it!  But when we bring our burdens and concerns to God we are less likely to fall into anxiety and despair.  God is the great burden bearer!  He is waiting to hear from us and release us from the false belief that it is all up to us.

Practical Tips for Your Prayer List:

·         Come up with a small list—This list consists of things you would like to regularly pray for. In the beginning, try not to allow the list to get longer than ten things or you may become overwhelmed and not pray at all. This is a huge help if your mind tends to wonder.
·         Use Prayer Cards—I have a large family and praying for everyone can be a little daunting.  We have listed our family members on 3x5 cards and choose a few at a time to focus on.  My children also participate in this, and it has helped them feel more connected to their family and realize the value and power of prayer.

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.  James 5:16 (NLT)

How have you seen prayer lift your burdens and “produce wonderful results?”

SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT WEBCAST: On November 8^thJoanna and I had the joy of connecting with many of you through a live webcast about the launch of the new devotional At the Feet of Jesus. For those of you who were unable to join us you can view it here.

Angela is an inspirational and educational speaker who teaches the hard truths of God’s Word in a fun and relevant way. She is also a writing assistant to Joanna Weaver, author of Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World. Whatever she is doing, she has a passion to see spiritual growth and an increased sense of purpose in people’s lives. Angela and her husband Michael graduated from Northwest University in 1997 and have been married for 17 years and have 2 children. They currently live in Washington State.

You can follow her on her blog at No Ordinary Days

 

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[i] Warren, Richard. The Purpose of Christmas. New York: Howard, 2008. Print.