We talk about prayer a lot, but what is it? How should we pray? Why should we pray?
Prayer is simply talking with God. One of the fundamental issues the Bible addresses is our relationship with God. In John 17:3 Jesus said that to have eternal life meant that we are to know God. In fact in Matthew 7:23 Jesus says that knowing him will make the difference between saved and unsaved come Judgement Day.
So If relationship with God is that important, how do we build that relationship? Studying the Bible is obviously important - it's the main way God communicates with us. But prayer allows us to communicate with God, too. We can tell God what's on our minds, share our joys and sorrows with him, ask for forgiveness, pray for friends, family and even nations.
Some people pray as if they were presenting a shopping list to God, but I believe we should also listen to what Jesus is saying to us (John 10:16). The communication needs to run both ways, so make time to listen to God as well. Another thing we should do is meet with others to pray (Matthew 18:20). If your partner is a Christian you should regularly pray together. Keeping God at the centre of your relationship can only make your relationship stronger.
There is another aspect of prayer that I believe is important. If you have the gift of tongues, you should also pray in tongues as this will also build you up (1 Corinthians 14:4).
Finally, when God is working in your life, talk about it! Share it, tell others - give God the glory. In other words, witness to what God is doing in your life.
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How can we live our lives day to day? How can we know God? How can we understand the Bible? What about other religions? What does the Bible really say about homosexuality? Can gay and lesbian people be Christians? This blog is my attempt to deal with these kinds of questions. I believe the key teaching of the Bible is this: "We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are" (Romans 3:22).
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