Friday Resource: Dara Maclean (June 24, 2016)

What is resource Friday?

Every Friday I feature a musician, poet, author, entrepreneur or speaker who has incredible material. I believe that as Christians we can help one another grow  by providing each other with Biblically sound resources. Every resource I suggest is of someone who's work I truly believe in and use myself.

  This weeks resource: Dara Maclean

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Four years ago, I’d stumbled on the singer Dara Maclean though a social media post. In prayer a few weeks later, I felt the Lord prompt me to download her album. From the moment I put the headphones in my ears, I was led into a supernatural worship and healing session. Not only does Dara have an incredible voice that is both angelic and powerful, her anointing for mixing worship with soulful R &B and pop sounds is unmatched. Her music is honest and raw. Listening to her songs I felt like I could lay my heart before God and talk about my short-comings, insecurities, and fears.  Some of my favorites are: “Blameless”, “Yours Forever”, “Set My People Free”, “Suitcases”, “Blessed” and my personal anthem “Good Enough.” If you’ve ever felt like you weren’t good enough and you needed your heavenly Father to reaffirm that you are, Dara’s music will help you connect your heart to His.

What Should I do during my prayertime and How long should it be? (Part Three)

                                                               

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We've made it to the final part of our series: What should I do during my prayer time and how long should it be? If you haven't go ahead and check out yesterday's post here. 

Let's dive in!

You should have your prayer time daily. The time you spend with the Lord is between you and Him. There is no set time; the goal is truly consistency and quality. The Word tells us in 1 Chronicles 6:11, “seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face evermore.” This shows that we have a responsibility to seek the Lord’s face now, through eternity. Seeking His face through a daily prayer time should be a habit. The word tells us as believers that we need to “study to show yourself approve” (2 Timothy 2:15). The only way we can do that is by getting into the scriptures daily. Also, when you are having your prayer time, (as much as you are able) make it a distraction free zone. When we come to God and talk to Him, He isn’t watching TV, scrolling through Instagram, or live tweeting on Twitter. He is just there, listening to us, waiting to hear what we have to say. Let’s do the same for Him. Put your phone on airplane mode (or even better, turn it off) and give God an opportunity to speak to you!

Until Next Time,

Myah

Heart Check

·         What is the best time for me to have my prayer time?

·         Where is the best place?

·         Which days of the week or times of the month will I commit to having a quality, focused prayer time with God?

What Should I Do During My Prayertime and How Long Should It Be? (Part Two)

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Here is part two of our series on: What Should I do during my prayertime and How long should it be? Let's dive in. (See part one here)

During your prayertime here are a few of the things you can do:

·         Read or listen to your Bible

·         Listen to a teaching tape and pray about how the things in the teaching can apply to your walk with the Lord: For example some teachers I enjoy listening to are: Beth Moore, Joyce Meyer, Havilah Cunnington, Joel Osteen, and John Bevere to name a few.

·         Read a devotional and pray about how the things in the teaching can apply to your walk with Jesus.

·         Go over memory verses and quote verses out loud: As a believer we should consistently be going over memory verses. The word says in Romans 12:2 that we are to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. It is vital that we memorize scripture in order for our minds to be changed.  Scripture review can something you incorporate during your daily prayer time.

·         Pray to God

·         Allow Got to talk to you. Yes, the Lord will talk to you! Generally, it will not be an audible voice, but if you sit quiet and listen he will begin speak to you within your heart, mind, and spirit.

·         Sing worship songs to Him: Not all Christian music is worship music and worship music is not necessarily genre specific. Worship music should do the following things:

o   Spiritual warfare

o    Incorporate scripture

o    Break chains of bondage

o   Prepare your heart to hear from God

o   Connect you deeply into God’s presence

o   Discuss the character of God

Some examples of worship bands and artists are: Kari Jobe, Bethel, Jason Upton, Eddie James, and Planetshakers.

Heart Check

·         What is your normal routine during your prayer time (what activities do you normally do?)

·         What types of activities will you incorporate in your prayer time this week? This month? This year?

·         How often do you incorporate worship into your prayer time?

What Should I do during my prayertime and How long should it be? (Part One)

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Hello! I hope that you are feeling refreshed and ready to learn even more about how to grow in intimacy with Christ though having a daily prayertime. If you did not read yesterday’s post be sure to check it out here. Today we are going to discuss part one of what to do during a prayertime, when to have it, and how long it should be.  One of the questions I get often in ministry is “when should I have my prayer time?” To be honest, the best time to have your prayertime is definitely first thing in the morning, however, if that does not work for you, that is okay too. The reason it is beneficial to have your prayer time first thing in the morning, is because one of the benefits of having a prayertime is guidance. Certainly, the best time to get guidance for your day is in the morning, before your day begins! I would encourage each of you to have your prayertime in the morning.  In Psalm 57:8 and Psalm 63:1 the Psalmist David discussed how he met with God early in the morning. God delights in being your first thing.

With that said, I don’t want any of you to become legalistic about your prayertime experience. Like I said in the last post, having a prayertime is all about building relationship. God created you and He knows you. He understands your schedule, He knows if you work, parent, go to school, etc. He gets it, and he wants you to steward your responsibilities well. So he understands when you have prayertime seasons that are shorter, at night, or while partaking in other activities (working out, showering, etc.) There are some days when I have not had the opportunity to spend time praying or reading my word and I will bring God with me on my workout, by praying as I exercise and listening to worship, a teaching tape or the Bible on Audio. If you desperately want to have a prayertime but are short on time in the morning, spend time praying in the shower or listening to a podcast or Bible on audio while you get dressed. You can even pray during your morning commute. Though God is amazing and flexible, do remember that true intimacy will only occur if you also mix in quality time designated for him. Imagine if you tried to build a relationship with someone, but only talked to them as drove to work or went for a run. Though you could get to know them, after a while the building of intimacy would cease to exist unless you begin to spend quality, focused, alone time with that person.

Heart Check

·         How often do you have your prayer time first thing in the morning?

·         If you do not have it first thing in the morning, what keeps you from doing so?

·         How would you rate your “quality” time with God?

·         Are there ways in which you could increase your quality time with God?

Friday Resource: Terri Savelle Foy

What is resource Friday?

Every Friday I feature a musician, poet, author, entrepreneur or speaker who has incredible material. I believe that as Christians we can help one another grow by providing each other with Biblically sound resources. Every resource I suggest is of someone who's work I truly believe in and/or use myself.

This week’s resource: Terri Savelle Foy

 

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Terri Savelle Foy is a lovely preacher of the word. This Texas diva preaches on topics such as: vision, pursuing your destiny, and making your dreams a reality. I love how she demonstrates the Christian principles behind pursuing success. Her teachings are scripturally sound and fun. Trust me, you’ll love her. Check her out here.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKYToGMwH_Y

Happy Watching/Reading/Listening!

XOXO,

Myah

What is a Prayer Time and Why Should I Have One? (Part Two)

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I hope that you found part one of this two part series to be beneficial. If you are just tuning in or would like a refresher, you can check out part one by clicking here. Okay, let’s jump right in.

Here are a few other motivations for having a prayertime.

Intimacy

Most Christians say they want to be closer to God and this is an excellent goal to have. In fact, until the day we leave this earth, it should be a goal of ours to know God more intimately than we did the day before. No one ever “arrives” when it comes to knowing God. We can all work to know Him more deeply. One of the best ways to know Christ is to spend time with Him daily. Having a relationship with God is just that, a relationship. The more we spend time with someone, the more we know them and the more they know us. Though God already knows everything there is to know about you, the more time you spend with Him, the more he will reveal himself to you and the more he will reveal, who you truly are to yourself as well. The word says, “draw near to him and he will draw near to you” (James 4:8). So if you want to know the Lord, spend time with Him, talk to Him and Listen to Him on a regular basis, and pretty soon, the two of you will be intimate friends.

Obedience:

There are certain things that as believers we are called to do. Not having a daily prayertime in and of itself is not sinful, however, in Joshua 1:8, the Lord commands us that we should meditate on the word “day and night.” When we do not, we are committing what is called a “sin of omission.” The sin of omission can be defined as “a sinful failure to perform an action.” James 4:17, is a great example of the sin of omission and how it translates into disobedience. It says: “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” We know that it is right to spend time with the Lord, not doing so is disobedience, and thus a sin.

Holiness

The Word tells us to be “holy as I am holy” (Leviticus 20:26 and 1 Peter 1:16). Knowing that the Lord is holy and we have a responsibility to be like him reinforces our need to have a daily prayer time. If we do not know his character, we cannot act like him. If we do not know his word it is impossible to be able to live up to his standard of holy conduct.

To defend the Gospel

In our current world, there is a general disdain for Christianity and many things associated with God or holiness. Many people feel that holiness living it “too extreme,” “unrealistic” or “judgmental.” If you are a follower of the Lord, you have a responsibility to be able to give a biblical defense on why you believe what you believe and why you live your life according to a standard of holiness. The word says “Always be ready to give a defense for the faith that is within you” (1 Peter 3:15).

I hope this post encouraged you.  For further growth, don’t forget to work through the Heart Check questions at the bottom of the page.

Until Next Time,

Myah

 

Heart Check

How can you center your life around daily fellowship with the Lord (rather than centering the Lord around your life)?

When you look at the motivations of prayertime (Intimacy, Obedience, Guidance, and to defend the gospel) which area(s) are leading your desire to have a consistent quiet time with the Lord?

 

 Sin of Omission definition: https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=sin+of+omission

 

 

 

 

What is a Prayer Time and why should I have one? (Part 1)

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More than likely, if you have been navigating though your Christian walk for any length of time, you have probably heard others discussing the idea of having a “prayer time or “quiet time.”  Maybe your church leadership gave you thorough guidance on how to have a daily prayer time and you have been faithful to it ever since. Maybe you heard about the concept in passing, but never had anyone tell you how to have a prayer/quiet time of your own. Or maybe you have tried since the beginning of your walk with Christ to have a prayer time and you find that you struggle with consistently having one. Whatever your experience is in the realm of quiet times and prayer times, I hope that this post is helpful for you.

First things first: what is a prayer time or a quiet time, exactly?

Outside of lingo, there is no difference between a “prayer time” and a “quiet time.” The ultimate goal is the same- to draw you closer to Jesus and to help you know Him more intimately. The terms are often used interchangeably, but don’t worry, for the sake of your spiritual growth, they mean the exact same thing. I typically use the term “prayer time” more than not, so for the sake of this blog post, that is what I will refer to it as from here on out. As a believer in Christ, we each have a responsibility to seek the Lord in prayer, bible reading, and worship. Having a definite prayer time helps you establish just that. Your prayer time is your opportunity to seek the Lord and talk to Him (through worship and prayer) and for Him to talk back to you (through prayer and the Word).

Why should I have my prayer time?

Having your prayertime has many benefits. Matthew 6:33 tells us to seek first, the kingdom of God and His righteousmess and all these things will be added unto us (paraphrase). Essentially, if we put God first, we get an extra dose of favor, abundance, and blessings. Though the material rewards are vast, there are much greater soul benefits that should motivate you to have a daily prayertime. 2 Timothy 3:16 tell us that all scripture is profitable for teaching, correction, training, and reproof (paraphrase), thus if you read the word it will provide these things for you. It’s important that we spend time with the Lord daily so that daily, His word can teach us, correct us, train us, and reprove us.

See part two for deeper motivations on why we should have a prayer time.

Until Next Time.

XOXO,

Myah

                                                                    Heart Check

What are your thoughts on having a daily prayertime with the Lord?

Do you currently have a daily prayertime?