Tag: quiet time

Praying the Bible to Renew Your Hope

Published by Leslie Newman Prayer, Praying Scriptures 20 comments
Free Prayer Kit! Pray 6 Bible verses to renew your hope. Study key words in each verse. Learn to write your own powerful prayers using the verses you are studying as a framework.

Prayer does not fit us for the greater work; prayer is the greater work.  ~Oswald Chambers

Friends, prayer matters. Oswald Chambers says it so well in this quote.

“We tend to use prayer as a last resort, but God wants it to be our first line of defense. We pray when there’s nothing else we can do, but God wants us to pray before we do anything at all.” -Oswald Chambers

When life is hard, we tend to turn to prayer – or turn away from it. It can go either way, can’t it? It’s easy to lose hope. The Bible tells us we will experience trials and tribulations in this world (John 16:33, Romans 5:3-4, 1 Peter 5:10) and we surely know it from walking these paths, don’t we? So what’s a girl to do when she feels as if she’s loosing hope?

Click below to read more and pick up your free Journeys in Prayer Hope Kit!

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5 Days to a Thankful Heart

Published by Leslie Newman Word Study 6 comments
Spend 5 days in this easy study of Bible verses about thanksgiving. Come away with deep insights and a thankful heart!

Words. We hear them, we speak them, we read them. From the time we are tiny babies just starting to talk, words are part of who we are. From a very young age, we seek to know and understand the world around us through our developing language. Knowing the meanings of the words we speak and read is necessary in order to understand the world around us and interact with it.

It’s no different with the Bible. Word meanings are very important!

The Bible was first written in Hebrew and Greek. Translations are not perfect because languages are so different. The meanings of words can vary and change over time. The English words that we read in our modern translations can represent two or more different words in the original languages, so sometimes the meaning of one English word doesn’t quite do justice to the complexity of the concept implied in the original languages. This is why it’s a great idea to do a Biblical word study!

Word study can seem very intimidating, but fortunately, we have so many resources for solid Biblical research and understanding right at our fingertips. There are places online that you can go to find concordances and lexicons in order to do a deeper study of God’s word. You do not have to be an expert at languages to gain some deep insight into what God is speaking through His word!

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Empower Your Life with Praise and Thanksgiving! (Part 2)

Published by Leslie Newman Prayer 10 comments
Join me for part two of our discussion about the difference between thanksgiving and praise. Find practical resources for adding praise to your prayer life!

Last week we talked about how praise and thanksgiving empowers our life. It’s so exciting to know that such simple things can make such significant differences! It’s also true that misunderstanding certain things can keep us from experiencing all that God intends for us.

This week we’ll continue this discussion and look at some practical resources for adding praise to your prayer life. {{FREE PRINTABLES in our Resource Library!}}

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The Power of Continual Prayer

Published by Leslie Newman Prayer Leave a Comment
Have you ever wondered what it means to pray without ceasing? Do you feel it’s not possible to pray continually? Join us today as we see that an attitude of continual prayer is not only possible, it’s powerful!

Have you ever wondered what it means to pray without ceasing? Do you feel it’s not possible to pray continually? Join me today over at my friend Sarah Geringer’s blog as we see that an attitude of continual prayer is not only possible, it’s powerful!

Here’s a little sneak peak for you! I hope you will click over to Sarah’s blog to finish reading!

Pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:17, NIV)

Have you ever wondered about what it really means to pray continually?

On the surface, continual prayer might seem like an impossibility. As much as we would love to have more hours in our days for that sit-down kind of prayer time with Jesus, we have things to do, people to care for, and places to be. But we are clearly told to pray without ceasing. So what does that really mean?

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Waiting in Prayer {Guest Post by Sarah Geringer}

Published by Leslie Newman Prayer 29 comments
Have you ever had to wait for your prayers to be answered? Have you ever wondered how to wait well? Find encouragement today in a guest post by my friend, Sarah Geringer.

Have you ever had to wait in prayer? Me, too. I think that’s something we have all probably experienced and I’m not sure about you, but waiting is not my favorite thing to do! I’m all for getting things taken care of and wrapped up right now. The thing is, God’s time table is not the same as ours. And that’s what we’ll discuss today – waiting in prayer.

Today, I’m happy to introduce you to my friend, Sarah Geringer. Sarah writes and blogs at www.sarahgeringer.com. I’ve been encouraged by her words many times. Sarah is writing today about one aspect of prayer that is particularly hard – the aspect of waiting in prayer. Sarah gives us some practical steps that can encourage us and give us a little different perspective while we wait on the Lord. Sarah gives us some great tips on how to wait well! – Leslie

Waiting in Prayer by Sarah Geringer

In my heart, there is a waiting room for prayers. For some prayers, I’ve only had to wait a few hours to learn the answers. I didn’t have to wait long, but the pressure was still there. For other prayers, I had to wait many years for the answers. I’m still waiting on some prayers to be answered with anything other than “wait.”

I often meditate upon the truths in John Waller’s song “While I’m Waiting.” I play this song while I’m in that waiting room and pray through the truths, verse by verse.

I lean into hope. I put on a hopeful mindset when I pray. I trust that God has good things in store for me. If good things aren’t possible in my situation, then I trust that God has good lessons for me to learn in the circumstance. I hope for better days while I wait in prayer, and that hope shines a bright light in the otherwise dimly-lit waiting room.

Click below to read more of Sarah’s post. She give some practical and actionable steps to help you while you are waiting on the Lord!

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Unlock the Power of Praise in Your Prayer Life!

Published by Leslie Newman Prayer 32 comments
Have you ever felt like something was missing from your prayer life? It could be praise and worship. Read to learn more about unlocking the power of praise in your prayer life! {FREE PRINTABLES!}

Have you ever felt like something was missing from your prayer life? I have. I was praying for others, asking for forgiveness, and being thankful, but it seemed like something just wasn’t quite right.

After some searching, I discovered that praise was a missing aspect in my prayer life. When I began adding in praise to my prayer time, an amazing thing happened. I began to have an entirely different focus that really impacted my thought processes for the better.

Praising God is a perspective-changer. There’s no doubt about it!

There are many ways to praise God which are as various and unique as the individuality He has created in all of us. But no matter how we do it, we’ll find that at the core of praising God is recognizing and thinking about His character. When we do this, some very important things begin to happen.

Praise invites His presence.
Praise forces us to take our eyes off ourselves.
Praise helps us understand who God is.
Understanding His character gives us hope helps bring peace.
When we understand Who God is, we find our true identity.
Praise makes the enemy flee!

Last week we studied 2 Peter 1:3 which tells us that God gives us everything we need to live a godly life. He equips us in all areas, including our prayer lives!

If we take a look at what follows (2 Peter 1:4) we gain another valuable insight about prayer. Click below to discover more! {FREE PRINTABLES TOO!}

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Empower Your Prayer Life with This Important First Step

Published by Leslie Newman Prayer 31 comments
Read this article to discover an important and often overlooked first step to empower your prayer life. Free printables to help you!

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. 2 Peter 1:3

When I read that verse, and I’m just relieved. It is so reassuring to think that everything we need has already given. Any piece of wisdom or discernment and the faith and knowledge that we need to live a godly life is available to us because of His power!

God equips us for godly living, and that should give us confidence!

There are many aspects to godly living, but at the very top of the list is prayer. Prayer is how we experience a relationship with God. It’s how we talk and listen to Him. It’s such a special relationship that we should do everything we can to keep it alive and well.

There is a step we can take that will empower our prayer lives, but it is one that is often overlooked. It’s something we can do before we ever even start our prayer or Bible study time for the day.

Join me this week as we look at this powerful first step to transforming your prayer life!

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Three Powerful Strategies to Transform Your Prayer Life

Published by Leslie Newman Prayer 82 comments
Does your prayer life need a transformation? Try these three powerful strategies!

God is personal, loving, powerful, all-knowing, wise and holy and He invites us to spend time with Him. Can you imagine that? He loves us that much! Prayer is the outpouring of our relationship with Him and His with us. It’s a place we can go to talk to Him and interact with Him in a personal way.

But prayer isn’t always easy. Perhaps you feel distracted. Maybe it’s hard to pray with confidence. Maybe there is no joy to be found. Perhaps it’s hard to let go and let God be in control. There are times when we are not sure what to say or how to pray in the first place. If so, you are not alone. I’ve been in every one of these situations over the years in my prayer life.

The great thing is that God gives us all the knowledge we need. He will equip us for everything He calls us to do. Since prayer is something He calls us to do, we know he will equip is for that, too.

Join me this week as we discuss three powerful strategies that can transform your prayer life.

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6 Things to Remember When You Feel Overwhelmed in Your Prayer Life

Published by Leslie Newman Prayer 27 comments
Have you ever felt overwhelmed in your prayer life? I think a lot of us do, but it's easy to get discouraged and feel alone. It's very true that prayer can be overwhelming, but it's also true that there are things we can do about it. Click to read more.

Have you ever felt overwhelmed in your prayer life? I think a lot of us do, but it’s easy to get discouraged and feel alone. It’s very true that prayer can be overwhelming, but it’s also true that there are things we can do about it.

Perhaps you can relate to these thoughts about prayer which have come from my own life and from conversations I’ve had with other people.

*I have a family, a job, and other commitments. It’s hard to find extra time to pray and read the Bible.
*It’s hard to concentrate and I can’t focus when I try to pray.
*I don’t know what to say or how to go about praying the right way.
*There are so many needs. I don’t know how to pray over them all.
*I feel guilty if I spend any time praying for my own needs. Other prayer needs are more important and need all of my attention.
*It’s really hard to let go and let God have control. It involves so much waiting that sometimes I run ahead of God.

Do any of these statements describe something you have struggled with? If so, you are not alone.

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When Being Still is Uncomfortable, A Different Perspective

Published by Leslie Newman Quiet Time 27 comments
When Being Still is Uncomfortable, A Different Perspective

I sat there on my back porch. It was quiet and soft and misty on a peaceful morning in the country. But I was so uncomfortable. I was fidgety and distracted, thinking of all the things I needed to do that day. I couldn’t believe I was having such a hard time being still after all this time.

I had made a commitment this particular week. Each day I was going to work on consistently spending a few minutes in complete stillness and quiet, away from all distractions, just being with God. Although I was consistently studying His word and praying, I found that being completely still before Him was very difficult for me. If you struggle with stillness, too, click to read more. We’ll talk about busyness, being still, and renewal of the mind.

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