IMPORTANT PIECE OF INFORMATION FOR FUTURE LIVESTREAMS: I just saw some of you in the blog comments mentioning that you got on the site and it asked for a password and you didn’t have one. Prior to the broadcasts, there is a set up and test-run process involved. The password is so that, during the hours prior to us airing, only the ones testing the set up can get on. Otherwise, you’ll just watch Lindsee or several others on staff getting the set ready and volume adjusted. While the sanguine in me would think that’s kind of fun, it’s not the best way to do it. Grin. The password-only access gets lifted at least 15 minutes prior to going on the air. I’m so sorry if that caused you to miss our time together today. I didn’t know of the process myself or I would have given you a heads up. We’re all just learning here! Thank you, Lindsee and Sabrina for your hard work in helping to make this media possible!
What a blast, girls! If you joined us for our livestream chat this morning, our topic was prayer. Sabrina told Lindsee and I that the number of viewers spiked from 700 to 1400 during the course of our time together. Oh, how I pray that God found joy in it and will use our discussions today to build up this segment of the Body of Christ. Just one person’s effectiveness in prayer touches the lives of countless others.
As I promised you in the livestream, this blog post is for you to share with one another what “works” for you in your prayer practices. We defined “what works” as what produces fruit. We talked about the principle Christ gave us in John 15:2 – “Every branch in me that does not bear fruit He takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit, He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” The beginning of a new year is a great time let God cut away some things in our lives that are simply not bearing fruit and seeking Him for things that will.
So, have at it, Sweet Things! Share with one another what has been effective for you in your pursuit of God through prayer and in your practice of intercession. (By all means, share even if you weren’t part of the livestream.) I especially hope to see some of you moms of young children sharing practical approaches. You are also welcome to share what challenges you and where you could use some help in hopes that some of your sisters might offer practical advice. If there are more challenges than effective approaches and no one replies to you, don’t be discouraged. It’s not personal. People just run out of time and can’t get to all of the entries. Be sure and read through the other replies and comments to see if someone lends some insight to you.
I am so honored to serve you. May the pursuit of Christ be (or become!) the joy of your very valuable life.
With so much love,
Beth
jami
shelby, nc
I drive 15 – 20 minutes to work everyday and although I talk to God all through the day, this seems to be some of the most intimate time. I just turn the radio off and surrender my day to Him and pray for my family and usually cry before I get to school. I’m convinced that He gave me this job 15 minutes way for this sweet time.
Writing prayer requests on a piece of paper and laying it on my desk to lift up all through the day helps me too.
Just listening to “presence of God ” on YouTube. What impact to you and your ministry might happen if the Beth that comes to the sanctuary to pray before teaching was the same one that came to teach – no pretense, no teased hair, just a passionate committed servant pointing to our Lord? Ever considered this?
So sad! I was unable to participate in the Prayer Lifestream and watched it later having to stop at 16.10 minutes when my husband came home late for work and needed to give him TLC. I bookmarked the page, but the Prayer Livestream is gone. 🙁 I am thankful for the blog post and prayer recommendations, but it was so interesting listening to Beth and I had just gotten to the part about her prayer calendar/journal. Any way it will be back or is there another link? Thank you Lindsee Lou if you are answering this. Can email me [email protected]
I LOVED the prayer encouragement! It gave me some great ideas to revamp my prayer life. I wish you would publish the template to the prayer journal that Beth is using now with the 7 categories across the top so that I can make my own. It is much more succinct than what I am doing now, and would save me a bunch of time as I am not that computer savvy! Just a hope! Thanks for the livestreams! They are a bright spot in my day! Blessings!
This was such a blessing to me at the perfect time! And I find it absolutely hysterical how many of experienced our husbands walking in on us. Do I believe that was coincidence? No way! Ladies, the Lord is working in our husbands through us!
When I was a teenager I went to a conference where a speaker said, “You have a choice to make each morning when you wake up, you can grumble and say, ‘Good Lord it’s morning!’ or you can smile and say, ‘Good morning Lord!!!'” (okay, paraphrasing) I can’t say I’ve done this ever since, but once I had kids of my own I started doing it again, and the most important thing for me it to make sure I greet the Lord with a smile and a grateful first thing every morning, no matter what is going on in my life (and accept the love He is pouring out on me)! Second, to spend time in His Word. And as of January 2011, when I accepted the SSMT challenge, to keep hiding His Word in my heart for the rest of my days!!! Now that my kids are a little older (aged 6 – 12) they can do scripture memory with me, and we all practice together!
Something I have been doing since the summer of 2009 is on the first day of each month I pull up my prayer list saved on my computer. I read it over, make any needed updates and print it. Then, I handwrite all the answers for the month before on the back of the new one. I keep every months list in my nightstand now.
I wish, wish, wish that I had a record of all the prayers the Lord has so generously answered for me since I met Him in 1973.
I try and pray through my prayer list every day while on the treadmill. i do not do either perfectly, especially the treadmill, but there’s always tomorrow!
Your blog is so edifying to me. May God richly bless all your endeavors.
I am also sharing my spiritual walk here:
http://tenstepsandapunch.squarespace.com
Dearest,Most Beloved Bethy,LPM Village,Siestas,&all you all in this Community, Thank You for the live stream and posts!! ON Prayer and the impromptu live stream also! Thanks Sanguine Beth, yes it is just so fun for everyone, even us non sanguines, or us depending on what mood we are in when you ask us sometimes types. The Stormie Omartian PRAYING THROUGH THE DEEPER ISSUES OF MARRIAGE book is a life saver to us I BEGAN READING ON MY OWN AND moved on to reading/praying through it with my husband, sharing it also with friends&loved ones! I hope we can do more on this soon, you all are a very great encouragement! So much more to say! I’LL WORK ON THIS AS THE Spirit moves throughout this season, and as the LORD directs. Also, my beloved sisters in Christ, I’m Praying for you today, LORD HEAR OUR PRAYERS, HOLY SPIRIT INTERCEDE FOR US TODAY,HELP US WALK HENCEFORTH IN THE SPIRIT, IN THE HOLY NAME OF JESUS AND FOR HIS SAKE, AMEN
Thank you God, Bill Gothard noted how many will have the gift of exhortation, the King James word for encouragement, I love his notes about ministry and prayer also,you all remind me of him as you exhort my spirit!
Something that has helped me tremendously in the last year is a notecard method of prayer as recommended by Paul Miller in A Prayerful Life (a book I wholeheartedly recommend as it is one of the most practical books I have ever read on how to develop a prayer life). It is similar to prayer journaling, except that you write in short hand on note cards prayer requests. Each note card represents a different person, subject, etc. I generally carry these around with me or pin them up on my bathroom mirror, etc.
I wholeheartedly agree. I read the book and have used the notecard idea for my children! It is awesome!
I received a book for Christmas, from my son, entitled The Valley of Vision by Arthur Bennett. It is a collection of Puritan prayers. It has been awesome for ushering in some wonderful quiet time with the Lord. It has beautiful language and reminds me that my God is the God of the Old Testament and that the throne I come before is the same throne of Isaiah’s vision in chapter 6. When I truly reflect on WHO God is, it seems that everything gains it’s appropriate perspective. I have been reading one new prayer each day and re-reading some of the prior days. I can highly recommend i as a good beginning to fervent prayer.
My prayer life exploded and really began to bear fruit when I learned to pray God’s Word. I recently went through all of my prayer journals (back to 2002), and was so blessed to see how many prayers, prayed right from the scriptures, God has been so good to answer!
Something that has been helping me is Praying in Color (see: http://www.prayingincolor.com/ ) The idea is to keep your hands busy while spending time with God. It definitely helps me on those days I have trouble “being” instead of “doing”. My special needs son love it too. 🙂
Thanks for the link! Seems like a really fun way to pray with kids!
Saw the first live stream. Would love to see the one on Prayer, but has been deleted. Will we be able to see that one soon? Thanks
Love you Beth!!!
Hi Beth,
I am a volunteer who is informally in charge of the college group women at our church, Gateway, in Austin, Texas. I’m only 24, so I’m barely older than them, but my heart is like yours – I desire to walk with women out of their bondage and into freedom. Just know that I quote you often, and that your ministry encourages me to carry on when I don’t think I have the strength or ability to do so. One of my great desires is to hug you tight one day and have just five minutes of your time to hear how God brought you mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, to where you are now in ministry. I want to be you when I grow up! 😉
In response to the blog: to be able to mentally focus on prayer, I have to either pray out loud or write down my prayers. Something else I’m trying to do is learn what it means to pray what God would have me pray. It shifts my focus from me and what I want, to God and what He wants.
The best investment I have made in my prayer life is to pray with my Sisters in Christ each week for 1 hour in our Moms In Prayer group! Since my sons were in Kindergarten I’ve been praying God’s word over & for them. Now they are 19 & 16 & we can see the fruit of all our prayers! We praise God for his Character attributes by reading, then praying scripture. We have silent confession, then a time of thanksgiving before intercession. We also lift up their teachers and schools. God has answered so many prayers over the years!! Find a group in your town at momsinprayer.org. You’ll never regret it!
Back in your (Beth’s) “To Live is Christ” study, you shared how- when your girls were teens- you had an open Bible with a highlighted verse and an open Prayer Journal with pen just waiting on a table in your living room every morning for your family during the before-school-routine. You said the objective was to start everyone’s day with the Word and Prayer, so each would read the highlighted verse and record a one-sentence prayer in the journal. This was exactly what I needed to do with my family. We started this at the start of the 2011-2012 school year and haven’t stopped yet. Thank you Beth, for sharing what worked with your family and blessing ours in the process. God has used this simple discipline in such a huge way. And we can go back as a family and read our prayers and thank God for the answers he has given us. And all this for His glory! “May the Lamb that was slain- receive the reward He is due!”