The School of Prayer

So I got behind in blogging and now you're just getting a whole slew (isn't "slew" a great word!) of blogs that have been sitting in my edit post pile for a while. 

Pastor Art on Wednesday night does what he calls The School of Prayer. It's a time of teaching devoted solely to prayer. Now some people might say, "Well, it's just prayer. I mean no one has to teach me what to do. I just talk to God." That's what I thought too. Until Wednesday night. Here are some quotes that blew me away:

-James 1: 5-8 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

-Maybe the reason your prayers never get answered is because you are a "double-minded man". 

-Stop asking God without believing He can do it! You must ask with faith! Many of us still pray "double-minded" prayers.

-God has asked us to come to Him with all our mind, spirit, soul, and strength. When one of those parts of us is not focused on God, we are double-minded.

-If someone watched you pray without hearing your words, would they know you were praying? Does your body posture match your prayers?  

-The reason God's people criticize God's church and its leaders is because their prayers aren't getting answered so they turn to people to meet their spiritual needs. 

-Jesus' number one command to us was to love God with your WHOLE being.

-You've been bought by blood, not rented.

-You're not your own anymore. You can't just say what you want. You can't just do what you want anymore.

-If you're living by the Spirit, you crave the Word.

-A lot of times we say to God, "Love yah, mean it, bye!" and then wonder why are prayers aren't answered.

-Prayer is not a holy grenade thrown at the last minute.