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This is the final installment of this Effective Prayer series. I hope you’ve gained a little inspiration and insight that will help strengthen your prayer life. I can’t express enough how life-changing it has been since I've begun to take my prayers more seriously. Between collecting prayers that I can read over and over, and gathering scriptures that I can use against the enemy’s lies, even when I’m down, I’m not down for long. Such as this morning. Over the past week, I’ve been feeling a little down and sluggish. I knew that I’ve been letting my emotions get the better of me. So, yesterday, I paused a moment and asked the Lord what it was that is dragging me down. Paul encourages us to run our races unhindered. Toss aside anything that drags you down. Run with perseverance. Right?  Well, this morning, I was able to work out what lies were hindering my walk and stopping me from living the abundant life that God promises us. Gathering Our Weapons Having a special place where we pray, writing down the prayers, gratitudes, and answers, all help build our arsenal to stand firm against the enemy’s schemes. We do not fight against flesh and blood, right? That’s what the Word says in Ephesians 6:12. As I said in an earlier post, I collect scriptures to help me battle the lies that my emotions cause, or that the enemy tosses my way with his twisted truths and outright lies. When I feel as if I’m not good enough, God’s Word promises that in all these things I am more than a conqueror through him who loves me. Romans 8:37. And, yes, I personalize those scriptures. I make them mine. They are the weapons I use to keep myself from tripping up, from letting fear get the better of me, or from falling into depression and discouragement. In one of my posts, I offered a list of power scriptures that we can use when doubts begin to plague us. Don’t wait for the negative thoughts to take hold, use them even when you feel on top of your game. Write them in your journals. Or, even better, copy them onto a pretty card and tack them up in places where you are sure to see them. This is the key to victorious living. Knowing God’s promises, standing on them, despite what circumstances might look like, and proclaim God’s truths. If your thoughts or emotions don’t line up with what the Bible says, then ask God to help you adjust your thinking and to help you to clearly see the truth.  That is what He did for me this morning. I made a list of the most prominent lies that I suspect are hindering me. Then I sat back and grew quiet for awhile. I wasn’t in a hurry. I was willing to sit there all day if necessary because I was tired of feeling beaten down. It’s not how a child of God is supposed to feel. Soon, the rebuttal scriptures came. For each lie I listed, a word came that showed me the truth. I wrote them all down and will make sure I learn those truths to each lie until the lie is no more. God wants to give us abundant life. (John 10:10). He has a plan and purpose for each of us. (Jeremiah 29:11) Plans for good and to prosper us, not to bring harm, or more burdens. Matter-of-fact, He tells us to cast our burdens onto him in 1 Peter 5:7. I’ve allowed these scriptures to become ingrained in my mind so that they were just popping into my mind as I wrote that last paragraph. All I needed to do is to look up the reference for you. When we make scripture a part of who we are, then when times get hard, the storms come, or the enemy attacks, we have something to fight back with. Choose your weapons wisely. Keep them somewhere handy. In case you missed one of the previous Effective Prayer posts, here they are in order. Below the pictures you'll find the list of links. Effective Prayer LinksThe Meeting of Friends: https://www.jackiecastle.com/blog/effective-prayer-the-meeting-of-friends
Why Bother: https://www.jackiecastle.com/blog/effective-prayer-why-bother Jesus Taught Us How: https://www.jackiecastle.com/blog/effective-prayer-jesus-taught-us-how On Motives: https://www.jackiecastle.com/blog/effective-prayer-on-motives Prayer Journaling Pt.1: https://www.jackiecastle.com/blog/effective-prayer-keeping-a-prayer-journal Prayer Journaling Pt. 2: https://www.jackiecastle.com/blog/effective-prayer-building-a-prayer-warriors-journal Praying Scripture: https://www.jackiecastle.com/blog/effective-prayer-praying-scripture Abiding: https://www.jackiecastle.com/blog/3-effective-prayerabiding Prayer Closets: https://www.jackiecastle.com/blog/effective-prayerour-prayer-closet
1 Comment
Lisa Stillman
1/4/2022 02:36:44 pm
Thank you for sharing this. I don't know how to go to another day's blog. I'd love to see your prayer journal. Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
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Author InfoJackie Castle is an author, artist and dreamer. She lives in Texas with her husband, two grown children and her dog, Banjo. She looks for the extraordinary in the ordinary in everything she experiences. Archives
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