Living With Purpose

How strong do you believe in a divine power source? Do you ever tell someone you’ll pray for them? What motivates you to have an active prayer life? There are times when we need guidance in our prayer life because we don’t know what to pray for. If you find yourself in such a time as this, you can gain encouragement and hope by reading portions from the Book of Psalms as your prayers to God. By experiencing the peace that comes from this and claiming the promises of God, we find our hearts being filled with something that can’t be gained from the world.

All of us need to pray for the kind of love which is the supreme gift of God described in 1 Corinthians 13:13, “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of these is love.”Jesus always hoped that his followers would learn to live by the principle of love. The world and most of the people in it find it easier to hate than they do to love. Long held resentment and discouraging times can lead to this. Consider prayer for what it is and what it can do for you. Prayer should involve praise and thanksgiving and is certainly more than an unexpressed desire or hopeful wish.

When it seems all is lost and you don’t know what to do and you’re fighting a battle between good and evil—it’s not always easy to love life. Every day we are faced with the alternative between good and evil. This isn’t “cut and dry” considering the sin disposition that we have to live with. Decisions can be further complicated when you must choose between the good and the best. Usually a person will choose what’s most convenient in these cases. Many people settle for second best and neglect something that in time will give greater satisfaction and contentment. Choosing the lesser of two evils isn’t a common predicament, but it sometimes defines the circumstances we find ourselves in. Prayer can improve your decision-making skills. Things are not always simple and easy to determine, but practicing a keen sense of moral and spiritual perceptions can help you to meet every challenge.

In all of these cases, we need wisdom derived from a close relationship with God. The closer your relationship to God, the fewer mistakes you’ll make. One of the saddest things is to experience a failure in the realm of the Spirit when God urged you to follow His direction and you chose not to.

Without a specific address and a stamp, the letter will never reach its intended destination. The Bible says Jesus is at God’s right hand making intercession for us (Romans 8:34). Our prayers must call upon one specific address. “Our Father, which art in Heaven” Jesus had good reason when he instructed his followers, “Whatever you ask for in my Father’s name, He will give it to you”. “In Jesus’ name” is the stamp that guarantees delivery. Therefore, you must let Jesus be your Savior and Lord. How could anyone expect to hear an answer from God when they’re living for themselves? Your need is to let Jesus Christ be Lord of your life because of who he is, what he did, and what he can do. Christ is alive today and able to lead us into the world as servants of God. We should recognize his authority over our time, his right to command our talents, and his desire to intercede in our life to help us make decisions. He has absolute claim upon all of our resources. When we go to him in prayer, we can do so with confidence knowing there is inexhaustible resources at his full disposal to help us.

What’s troubling you in your life today? The more completely you yield your troubles and yourself to Jesus, the more you will discover the liberty of a life of freedom in the Spirit. God is the perfect cleansing agent. All it takes is calling upon him in prayer. He will help you stay clean; only when you allow him to come in and fill your life with worship, prayer, and service. And remember, it’s important to learn in prayer, to pray for something other than your own selfish satisfaction. The chief end of every man, woman, and child is to worship God and glorify Him forever. Find a local church where you live, attend faithfully, and practice following God in all of your ways.

• This weekly column is written by Matt Dobson. A graduate of Florida State University, Univ. of West Florida, and Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, he is Pastor of New Bethel Baptist Church in Jay, Florida and is a Captain (CPT) in the U.S. Army Reserves Chaplain Corp. Matt can be reached by email: rmdobson@liberty.edu. He welcomes your thoughts concerning faith, belief, and Christian living. Visit the Living With Purpose website at www.living-with-purpose.org.