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Reading the requests for the prayers of others and the discussions over beliefs had me thinking about prayer and how I go about praying.
I wondered what other people do too and I honestly don't know what they do. I have a way of preparing though and I wonder if I'm the only one.
Generally:
As a saved Christian I know I'm saved, but I also sin....lots of sin, vanity, greed, lies, exaggeration (lies), avoidance, hypocrisy, envy, the whole works. The sexual sins have calmed down in recent years and I had prayed HEAVILY about that and asked God to cut my interest in it so I could escape its grasp. I mostly have and it's an example of answered prayer for me. Anyway, all these sins I do can happen since I last confessed my sins in prayer and laid them at the feet of the Lord who already paid the price for my sins.
But I always do what I call "clearing myself" first before I pray again for myself or for others (which is why I waited today for kimmieyky).
I don't pray without first getting myself right again with Jesus by confessing my sins since the last time I prayed and confessed to Him.
Once I have prayed for forgiveness and confessed my own sins, then I feel I have that reconnection with the Holy Spirit and can pray for others again.
Do others do this too? Or, what do you do?
In emergencies, like when I'm flying and the plane dives 10,000 ft in 2 seconds and my belly is in my throat and I'm already saying goodbye, then I pray quickly and confess to be ready to meet my maker confessed, although I don't doubt my salvation even if I'm unconfessed when I die.
How do others see that, especially about praying and praying for others. Do you feel you need to be clear (whatever the word is) yourself first?
Wow, good question Momark. When I read prayer request here I usually stop and say a pray right then. Later I pray longer prayers for them. I don't feel the need to get right with the Lord first since I have already been forgiven. When ever I feel convicted of a sin I always ask for forgiveness at that moment (aren't we blessed that He is faithful and just to always forgive and forget) For me I like to start my prayers thanking Him for what He has already done for me and what He's going to do, somehow that gets my mind off the problems and focused on Him. I don't think there is a right or wrong way to start your prayers what makes you feel closer to God is right for you.
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I worship Him First--trembling in His presence knowing He is the Almighty God! The work of Christ has covered it all, Amen! But when I sin (there is none that sins not) the Holy Spirit is quick to convict me to confession.Then I speak with Him as one would with a friend and tell Him all.
Very good question!! I also ask God to bring to my knowledge if there is any unconfessed sin in my heart. I believe we sin a lot without realizing it, and I do know that I do daily knowingly. I believe we are to go to Christ with a pure heart and that is why I ask forgiveness first. I'm Southern Baptist so you know what I believe lol No really , all that aside it has nothing to do with my denomanation, I believe once saved always saved but I do belive we are to ask forgiveness when we fail Him just like we would our earthly father. Thefer
That's a very good thought, MoMark. I don't usually do that each time I pray, but rather each day in my quiet time. Although certainly it's required before we take part in communion, according to the Bible, I don't see that it's a requirement before we can pray for others. We are to die to ourselves, deny ourselves, and take up the cross to follow Him every day. I think that the Bible teaches that some things are "sin" for some Christians, but not for others (Paul gives the example of eating meat in one of his epistles). So, if you don't feel right about praying for others before you have "cleaned the slate," so to speak, then you shouldn't go against your conscience, because that would be sinning, and we certainly don't want to do any more of that than we already do .
I don't know why but I ask for forgiveness at the end of each day. I pray several times throughout the day, I also say prayers for my husband and my children that the Lord keep them safe while they're away from home and return them safely at the end of each day. In fact, everyday, when he goes to work, I tell him I love him and I say "be safe, have a wonderful day" and I pray. When my kids get out of the car at school, I say I love you and "be safe, have a wonderful day at school" Why? Because I feel that they need to hear that and know that I love them so much, I continually pray for their well being. I pray to keep us safe whenever we're in the car and when we travel, I'll pray before we go somewhere, I'll thank the Lord for keeping us safe while we were there and getting us home safely, things such as that. Now, I'm not one of those people who will stop what I'm doing, throw myself on the floor and pray out loud and make everyone around me do it. I'm a "personal" prayer, I'd bet you 9 out of 10 times, no one knows I'm even doing it. I'll just kind of whisper it or look away (because those are my private prayers, but I do feel the need to at least whisper some of them...others, I'll think in my head...don't ask why the switch up...and no, I'm not crazy ). Once in awhile the gang'll hear me bust out with a "Thank you, Jesus", they might not know what I'm thanking him for at that moment, but they go with the flow. Or if we witness something happen (can't think of anything off the top of my head), I might say "Wow, that was the Lord" and my husband will agree and we move along. If I do something that I may recognize as wrong right then and there, I'll stop and confess it. However, for some reason I feel that there are many things we may have (or probably have) done to sin throughout the day without even realizing it, so come the end of the day, I confess to those I'm aware of and those I may have been unaware of and ask for forgiveness. Not only do I do it for myself, I ask for forgiveness for my husband and children, as they may not be aware of any sins committed and as always, I pray for health, safety, happiness and the Lord's wisdom for myself and my loved one's, family and friends. I pray for prosperity (I don't simply mean financially), I mean spiritually, I pray for guidance along with that wisdom because sometimes we don't always know what choices to make. I pray this not simply for myself as I said, but for my spouse, children and other's as well. I pray for anyone I know of that is in need of specific prayer and I pray that (while I want us to all grow as old as we possilby can) that when it is our time, we see the Kingdom of Heaven. It may sound silly the way I do it, but it is my "end of the day" ritual, no matter what else I do or how often I do it throughout the day, and I try to teach my children to pray in a similar way so that they at least, as young as they are, have an "example" to follow.
I say my thank you's first. I guess I don't feel worthy of forgiveness until I let Him know how much I appreciate everything He does for me and has given me.
I too, thank God for all of my blessings from the day before I pray. I'm not sure why I do this other than to let him know that I appreciate everything he does for me. After thanking God, then I ask for forgiveness.
Wow, good question Momark. When I read prayer request here I usually stop and say a pray right then. Later I pray longer prayers for them. I don't feel the need to get right with the Lord first since I have already been forgiven. When ever I feel convicted of a sin I always ask for forgiveness at that moment (aren't we blessed that He is faithful and just to always forgive and forget) For me I like to start my prayers thanking Him for what He has already done for me and what He's going to do, somehow that gets my mind off the problems and focused on Him. I don't think there is a right or wrong way to start your prayers what makes you feel closer to God is right for you.
I totally agree with ILNC....I also believe you cannot lose your salvation, as Jesus paid the price only once, so I don't feel as though when my day comes to go and I am in the midst of sin, it will make a difference, because we were born into sin and will never be free of sin. However, that is why it is so important to repent and ask forgiveness when we do pray. God knows when we sin, when we are going to sin and expects us to ask forgiveness. He is such a loving God and forgives us even when we don't deserve it. Mo, I pray all day long, all throughout the day. I just had lunch and was sharing that thought with a couple of friends of mine...I say "Lord,just get help me get through the next couple of hours....if I am having one of my depressed moments" as I am having lots of them right now considering my circumstance. So, like Sarah said, I first thank HIM for all he's done for me, and place the focus on HIM...and then I ask for him to help me. So, I wouldn't have time to prepare, lol.....as I pray many times, all the time, throughout the day. Let me tell you, God and I have gotten to be pretty tight here lately, and He's always waiting on me, and never is too busy. How awsome HE is!
and after you say "amen" you can always say....oh yeah and by the way Lord, Sarah or whomever asked that I pray for her Lord.....blah blah blah....HIS ears are always open.........Just this morning when I was praying at my desk, my cell phone vibrated, scared me to death, I said I ask all these things in your heavenly name amen, very quickly........to check my phone because it scared me....it was just a text message from my daughter saying to have a wonderful day and she loves me........so I then bowed again and said I'm sorry Lord, but I forgot to mention..........
Y'all all probably think I'm crazy.........but I'm just me and this his how God made me and I'm not a formal person. God hears this country gal and believe you me, he answers!
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). Once in awhile the gang'll hear me bust out with a "Thank you, Jesus", they might not know what I'm thanking him for at that moment, but they go with the flow. Or if we witness something happen (can't think of anything off the top of my head), I might say "Wow, that was the Lord" and my husband will agree and we move along. If I do something that I may recognize as wrong right then and there, I'll stop and confess it. However, for some reason I feel that there are many things we may have (or probably have) done to sin throughout the day without even realizing it, so come the end of the day, I confess to those I'm aware of and those I may have been unaware of and ask for forgiveness. Not only do I do it for myself, I ask for forgiveness for my husband and children, as they may not be aware of any sins committed and as always, I pray for health, safety, happiness and the Lord's wisdom for myself and my loved one's, family and friends. I pray for prosperity (I don't simply mean financially), I mean spiritually, I pray for guidance along with that wisdom because sometimes we don't always know what choices to make. I pray this not simply for myself as I said, but for my spouse, children and other's as well. I pray for anyone I know of that is in need of specific prayer and I pray that (while I want us to all grow as old as we possilby can) that when it is our time, we see the Kingdom of Heaven. It may sound silly the way I do it, but it is my "end of the day" ritual, no matter what else I do or how often I do it throughout the day, and I try to teach my children to pray in a similar way so that they at least, as young as they are, have an "example" to follow.
Great Thread
