Walking With My Savior

Sharing what God has taught me through my walk with Him

Prayer, what is it? Talking to God? Does He answer? Does prayer help us? Does it benefit us? Why pray when God already knows what is on our hearts? How do we pray? When should we pray?

Prayer is how we communicate with God. Our way of connecting with God. It builds our faith in Him. It restores and strengthens us. Prayer is a gift from God. He is always there when we pray and always listens and hears us. Prayer draws us closer to Him and His heart. It helps us fall deeper in love with Him. Prayer is not just asking, but thanking, praising, and listening to Him. Prayer is a two sided conversation, not just our requests and thanks, but we must also listen for His voice leading & guide us. Prayer helps sustain us & keep us going.

How do you pray? How often? God longs to know us and spend time with us. He wants to talk with us. When we pray we need to humble ourselves & let His Spirit speak though us. Let His Will become ours and immerse yourself in His presence. Pour out your heart to Christ. Lay it at His feet. Don’t do all the talking either, pause and be silent and listen for Him. [Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.”]

Praying helps us in many ways. It lets us give up our burden to Him and calms us. It leads us closer to Him. It builds our faith and trust and dependence on Him. It makes us realize we can do nothing on our own, how much we need Christ. That only through His strength can we do anything. God knew we needed and outlet, a way to let it all out and an ear to hear it. He is always there, listening and reaching out to us wanting to help if we trust Him. Prayer is an essential part of our relationship with Christ and needs to be a part of our lives everyday. You can’t have a relationship without communication. Everyday we should pray, in everything we should pray.

Pray when you don’t understand.
Pray when your hurt.
Pray when your tempted.
Pray when you feel His Spirit prompting you.
Pray for and with others.
Pray when your afraid.
Pray when you need to make a decision.
Pray when you want to quit.
Pray when you feel down and lonely.
Pray when His Spirit convicts you.
Pray when you don’t have the faith or strength.
Pray when your angry.
Pray when your worried.
Pray when you just need talk to someone.
Pray when you need guidance.
Pray when your faith is challenged.
Pray when you don’t know what to say.
Pray when your questioned about your faith.
Pray when you talk to others about Christ.
Pray in every situation.
Pray for your enemies and those that persecute you.
Pray for those that don’t know Christ.
Pray for everyone.
Pray for fellow Christians.
Pray when you feel hopeless.
Pray when praising God.

Throughout the Bible there are many prayers from God’s people. He knew we needed a way to communicate with Him. Prayer is not to benefit Him, but to benefit us, one of the great gifts He has given us.

Prayer is powerful. [Matthew 17:20 “You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”]All God asks is that we trust Him. Faith and Prayer with a humble heart can do wonders. Be patient, trust Christ, have faith and watch Him work. Watch Him open doors of opportunities. Watch Him move and work things out perfectly. It may not always happen in our timing, but it Always happens in His Perfect Timing.

Psalm 5
O Lord, hear me as I pray;
pay attention to my groaning.
Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God,
for I pray to no one but you.
Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord.
Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.
O God, you take no pleasure in wickedness;
you cannot tolerate the sins of the wicked.
Therefore, the proud may not stand in your presence,
for you hate all who do evil.
You will destroy those who tell lies.
Because of your unfailing love, I can enter your house;
I will worship at your Temple with deepest awe.
Lead me in the right path, O Lord,
or my enemies will conquer me.
Make your way plain for me to follow.
My enemies cannot speak a truthful word.
Their deepest desire is to destroy others.
Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave.
Their tongues are filled with flattery.
O God, declare them guilty.
Let them be caught in their own traps.
Drive them away because of their many sins,
for they have rebelled against you.
But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
let them sing joyful praises forever.
Spread your protection over them,
that all who love your name may be filled with joy.
For you bless the godly, O Lord;
you surround them with your shield of love.

Psalm 17:6-9
I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God.
Bend down and listen as I pray.
Show me your unfailing love in wonderful ways.
By your mighty power you rescue
those who seek refuge from their enemies.
Guard me as you would guard your own eyes.
Hide me in the shadow of your wings.
Protect me from wicked people who attack me,
from murderous enemies who surround me.

Psalm 27
The Lord is my light and my salvation—
so why should I be afraid?
The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger,
so why should I tremble?
When evil people come to devour me,
when my enemies and foes attack me,
they will stumble and fall.
Though a mighty army surrounds me,
my heart will not be afraid.
Even if I am attacked,
I will remain confident.
The one thing I ask of the Lord—
the thing I seek most—
is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
delighting in the Lord’s perfections
and meditating in his Temple.
For he will conceal me there when troubles come;
he will hide me in his sanctuary.
He will place me out of reach on a high rock.
Then I will hold my head high
above my enemies who surround me.
At his sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy,
singing and praising the Lord with music.
Hear me as I pray, O Lord.
Be merciful and answer me!
My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.”
And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.”
Do not turn your back on me.
Do not reject your servant in anger.
You have always been my helper.
Don’t leave me now; don’t abandon me,
O God of my salvation!
Even if my father and mother abandon me,
the Lord will hold me close.
Teach me how to live, O Lord.
Lead me along the right path,
for my enemies are waiting for me.
Do not let me fall into their hands.
For they accuse me of things I’ve never done;
with every breath they threaten me with violence.
Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness
while I am here in the land of the living.
Wait patiently for the Lord.
Be brave and courageous.
Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.

Psalm 55:17
Morning, noon, and night I cry out in my distress, and the Lord hears my voice.

Matthew 6:3-8
“When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!”

Matthew 21:22-24
Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.”

Matthew 26:41
“Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!”

1 Timothy 2-6
I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time.

Philippians 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Acts 12:5
But while Peter was in prison, the church prayed very earnestly for him.

God Bless!

No matter what we are going through there is Always Hope in Christ. He is always there for us and feels our hurt and pain. He understands and reaches out to help us and give us hope if we trust Him. Christ promised that in life there would be trials and tribulation even persecution for following Him. In Christ though we have the Victory and an Everlasting Hope, because He has Overcome the world and is in Control of Everything.

John 15:18-21
“If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you. Do you remember what I told you? ‘A slave is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you. They will do all this to you because of me, for they have rejected the One who sent me.”

John 16:33
“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

Hope when you don’t understand
God’s ways are always what is best for us. He knows what He is doing. He knows the past and the future and even though we may not understand and in some cases may never understand we must trust Him. Keep following where God leads. Pray and give everything over to God. Lay it at His cross. Trust Him and be still and know He is God and will work everything out. [Romans 8:28 - And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.] Right now you may not understand or see a way out, but with Christ there is Always a way out and Hope. We can only see a part of the picture, but He can see the whole picture. He knows everything and our trials will end when they are supposed to. Rest in His arms. He is always there with His arms open wide calling you to rest in Him. One day you will be able to look back and see that it was for your good and how you grew from it.

Hope when things don’t go the way you planned
Life is unpredictable. It doesn’t always go the way we would like it to, but if our hope is in Christ we know that there is nothing that can happen that we can’t handle with Him. We plan things one way and then plans get changed. Remember that if our life is in Gods Hands He is the one that plans our steps. [Proverbs 16:9 - We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.] He guides us in the right direction and the best way to do things, even if that requires us to go through trials. They are there for us to grow.

Hope when tragedy happen
When bad things happen it is easy to loose hope. You can’t see how it could be good in any way. If we give it to God though, He can work a miracle and make something good come from it. [As Joseph said: Genesis 50:20 - You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good...] Sometimes bad things happen in life. We can’t control them, but God gives us hope. Hope to get through them and hope to move on. We live in a world full of sin and slowly slipping away from Christ, but if you put your hope and trust in Christ he will help you through.

Hope when you sin
We were born as sinners and therefore apart from God. God is Holy and can’t look upon sin. He hates sin, but He also loves us that is why He sent His son to die in our place for our sins. When we sin especially when we sin intentionally we can easily fall into shame and guilt over it. Yes we should be remorseful over our sin, but not to the point that it keeps us from returning to God. The devil likes to make us feel so guilty and shameful over our sin so it keeps us from God. God sent His son to take our place. He took our sin on himself. [As Paul said: 1 Timothy 1:15 - This is a true saying, and everyone should believe it: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--and I was the worst of them all.] [Psalm 103:12 - He has removed our rebellious acts as far away from us as the east is from the west.] So when we sin and His spirit convicts us we need to turn to God and ask for His forgiveness. He will forgive us and help us to resist temptation. He will restore our relationship with Him and continue to guide us. He loves you and won’t hesitate to forgive you if you ask. Return to Him and let Him help you. He is good at taking our messes and making beauty out of them. Give Everything over to Him and watch Him work miracles. No matter what He can make beauty out of Anything.

Hope when you just want to give up
When we go through testing times it is easy to feel like giving up. Giving up can seem very appealing at times. It may seem like the easy way out to not fight anymore. If we give up though God can’t work through us and help us. Christ is Always there reaching out to you. [Matthew 11:28 - Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest."] He came to us and then died for us. He was tortured and mocked for us. He went through the pain of the cross for us and left His spirit here for us to guide us and help us through life. He doesn’t and will Never give up on us so we shouldn’t give up. Trust Him and hold on to Him. Lay it in His hands and look to the cross. He is there for you. Let Him hold you. He will listen and help you. Just trust Him, simply trust Christ. That is all he asks, is for us to trust Him.

Hope when you are afraid
Being afraid is a natural human response to fear. We instantly want to run when we see something that might cause us harm or take us out of our comfort zone. But in Christ we need not fear anything. [Mark 5:36 - But Jesus ignored their comments and said to Jairus, "Don't be afraid. Just trust me."] Christ has overcome this world. He overcame death. He created the world and everything in it. He is the beginning and the end. He is in Control. Nothing is out of His hands. Next time you are afraid, trust Christ, look to Him for Hope and let Him give you the strength and peace to overcome your fear. [John 14:27 - "I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid."]

We can also look to His Word for Hope. Throughout the Bible there are lots of stories of hope. That is why we have it, to give us hope, encouragement, and help us grow in Christ. [Romans 15:4 - Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. They give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God's promises.]

God is always with us and offers us true Hope. We should rejoice when we go through trials and tribulations because He allows us to go through them so we can grow and mature in Him and learn to trust Him more and more. They are part of the process of becoming like Him. It is when we go through trials and testing times that we grow the most. He also uses them to test our faith, obedience, and reliance on Him. Stay true to Christ and let God give you strength and courage. Pray and pour your feelings out to God and praise Him for He is producing growth in you. Stay faithful to God and run the race of life with perseverance, always keeping focused on Christ and following Him to the end. [Hebrews 12:1-4 - Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.]

Through them He teaches us new things so we can help others. We also learn more about who God is as He reveals Himself more to us through the tough times. Trials also show us how much we need God and to lean on Him. We truly do need Him in Everything. Without Him we can do Nothing. We were made to lean on God and if we trust Him we will find true Peace and Hope. In Him Everything we need is found. Through them we learn to trust Him more. Because He knows all things and knows what is best for us, He knows the best path. It may not be the easiest path, but it is the best. Remember God will never give you or allow you to go through something that is more than you can handle. And God is Always with you even through the trials of life. He will walk with you through them. He will never leave you and will help you through. He walks with us always, even when we don’t feel Him with us, He is there. Pray when you go through tough times and Trust Christ. God hears the cries of His children and will rescue you in His Timing. [Ecclesiastes 3:1 - For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.] He hears our prayers and understands our hurt. He will deliver us for through God all things our possible. [Mathew 19:26 - Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”] Look to Him, to His cross. He will raise you up again. He can turn your trials into joy and growth in Him if you trust Him.

Everyday we encounter challenges and we should rely on God to help us overcome them and also thank Him for them. [James 1:2-4 - Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.] [1 Peter 1:6-7 - So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while. These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold--and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold. So if your faith remains strong after being tried by fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.] When you find yourself in tough times, pray, rejoice, and trust Christ. Remember we have the Victory in Him.

Psalm 13:
O LORD, how long will you forget me? Forever?
How long will you look the other way?
How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul,
with sorrow in my heart every day?
How long will my enemy have the upper hand?
Turn and answer me, O LORD my God!
Restore the light to my eyes, or I will die.
Don’t let my enemies gloat, saying, “We have defeated him!”
Don’t let them rejoice at my downfall.
But I trust in your unfailing love.
I will rejoice because you have rescued me.
I will sing to the LORD
because he has been so good to me.

Psalm 121:1-3
I look up to the mountains–
does my help come from there?
My help comes from the LORD,
who made the heavens and the earth!
He will not let you stumble and fall;
the one who watches over you will not sleep.

Philippians 4:13
For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need.

Hebrews 6:18-19
So God has given us both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can take new courage, for we can hold on to his promise with confidence. This confidence is like a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain of heaven into God’s inner sanctuary.

Hebrews 10:23
Without wavering, let us hold tightly to the hope we say we have, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.

1 Peter 1:21
Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And because God raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory, your faith and hope can be placed confidently in God.

James 1:2-4
Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.

There is ALWAYS HOPE in Christ!!

GOD BLESS!

Have you ever felt lost? You don’t understand what God is telling you? Where He wants you to go next? Or you just feel so far away from Him. You cry out to Him but He doesn’t seem to hear you or answer you. I’ve felt that way many times before and believe me He is there! He’s Always there! One time when I was feeling lost and far from Him, laying in bed praying and seeming to get no answer and feeling like He wasn’t there, He said something that I will never forget. He said, “I’m Listening”. Another time, back when I was in High School, I was sitting on the bus and praying to Him, feeling far from Him, and again He said something that I’ll Never Forget. He said, “I’m Always with you”. Those two things are so True!!

Deuteronomy 31:6
“Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid of them! The LORD your God will go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor forsake you.“

Matthew 28:20
“Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.“

Psalm 17:6
“I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God.
Bend down and listen as I pray.“

Psalm 10:17
“LORD, you know the hopes of the helpless.
Surely you will listen to their cries and comfort them.“

Next time your feeling far away from Him, you don’t understand, and it seems like he doesn’t hear your cries, Know that He does and is Always right there next to you, reaching out to you. He’s Listening.

GOD BLESS!

I am an Artist and artists have tons of supplies and tools. So when I started college I got a big Art Kit. Right away I started trying to get rid of some of the things so I wouldn’t have that entire load. I went from a very large heavy book bag (the size of 3 or 4 normal backpacks), to a giant plastic folder with a handle, to a big vinyl zipper bag, and finally to a Garbage Bag!? Actually I only used the garbage bag to carry really big things or 3D objects that wouldn’t fit in my other zipper bag. But in all seriousness, are you trying to unload your burdens? Are you trying to lighten your load? Are you trying to get rid of the busness of life, the stress of life? Have you tried everything to lighten your load? Do you think that nothing will? Well there is something that will! It’s God! Give everything to Him! Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28. Here are a few other good verses to remember:

1 Peter 5:7
Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you.

Philippians 4:6-7
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Matthew 6:25-34
“So I tell you, don’t worry about everyday life–whether you have enough food, drink, and clothes. Doesn’t life consist of more than food and clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t need to plant or harvest or put food in barns because your heavenly Father feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than they are. Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? Of course not.

And why worry about your clothes? Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, won’t he more surely care for you? You have so little faith!

So don’t worry about having enough food or drink or clothing. Why be like the pagans who are so deeply concerned about these things? Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs, and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.

So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”

He is there and reaching out to you right now. He wants to help you. He wants to carry your load for you. He loves you and wants to give you peace, joy, and love. Remember this statement: Good morning…THIS IS GOD…I will be handling all your problems today. I will not need your help…so, have a Good day. To download the above picture of this statement click here.Ctrl/Right click and save as. Print it out and hang it up. Look at it everyday when you get up and pray for strength and guidence for the day.

GOD BLESS!