3 Steps to More Effective Prayer

What conversations are you having with The Lord? If you slow down and listen to yourself, you might find that you’re falling into a familiar pattern. I know from experience how easily our prayers can become a totally unproductive, one-way “conversation” with Jesus.

For a more effective prayer life,
do these three things:

  1. Listen
    “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” John 10:1-5
  2. Trust
    Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
    in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight.
    Proverbs 3:5-6
    And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Hebrews 11:6
  3. Do
    Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. James 1:22-25

Strengthen Your Core

Whether your life is going well or not, you need to strengthen your core physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. It’s the only way you can live the life God created you to live. So what does strengthening your core look like from where you are today? Your mind cannot be your core because it’s in need of constant renewal, but it does make your choices. Your emotions cannot be your core because they come and go like ocean waves, but they do provide valuable information. Here are a few thoughts about what your core really is. Let me know what you think.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. ROMANS 12:2

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

So above all, guard the affections of your heart,
for they affect all that you are.
Pay attention to the welfare of your innermost being,
for from there flows the wellspring of life. PROVERBS 4:23

He will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you.

“I’ll pour pure water over you and scrub you clean. I’ll give you a new heart, put a new spirit in you. I’ll remove the stone heart from your body and replace it with the heart I have for you. I’ll put my Spirit in you and make it possible for you to do what is right and good.” EZEKIEL 36:26

Strengthen your core and see amazing results.

God can do anything, you know — far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing you around, but by working within you, His Spirit deeply and gently within you. EPHESIANS 3:20

Miracles & Mindsets

Miracles and Mindsets: How to Make Way for a MiracleAre you waiting for something? Hoping for a miracle to happen?

Miracles & mindsets go together. You dream of miracles & fail to recognize the mindset that keep you stuck. A new mindset gives you the capacity to receive.

So much of my work as a psychologist has been helping clients move from a negative mindset to one that is positive, good, God-centered. Whether or not she (or he) is a believing Christian. And I want to help you do the same. Because some things need to change before you see change.

You have learned to evaluate yourself and others according to human standards. According to what is visible in terms of behavior & success as you have believed it to be.

You pray for a water-into-wine miracle. However, first you need a new wine skin (a new mindset). A new mindset gives you the capacity to receive the miracle. Otherwise, you would burst from the expansion of receiving all the new. MARK 2:21-22

You dream of miracles, yet fail to recognize the mindset that keeps you stuck.

It’s as though you have blinders on. And removing them can become a lengthy process. But it doesn’t have to be. Here are a several tips to help you redeem the time of your own development. They all involve your active cooperation with The Holy Spirit who speaks to you deep within.

  1. Ask for a spirit of wisdom & revelation, instead of the mindset you now have. EPHESIANS 1:17-18
  2. Read or listen to the Truth every day, expecting an expansion of your understanding as you go. ISAIAH 55:8-9
  3. Meditate upon the fact that your Creator’s mercies never end. LAMENTATIONS  3:22-23
  4. Remember that He has far more in store for your life than you could ever imagine. EPHESIANS 3:20
  5. Surround yourself with others who want to grow. Avoid complainers. Find a spiritual mentor for yourself or join a group of like-minded people. HEBREWS 10:25

* Click and study all the links in this post. They are there to help you grow. And if you have any questions, please let me know. I’m here to help!