Love, Mercy

10 Ways to Pray for Busy People

God always answers our prayers with “Yes,” “No,” or “Wait.” And we can be sure that God answers our prayers that are according to His will. The Bible in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 encourages us to: “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” While we cannot manipulate God to answer us in all that we ask for, it is still certain that prayer does great wonders. The power of prayer is not on the “prayee” (person praying) but on the One who hears it.

When we are in a situation where we cannot do anything, God can surely do something about it when we pray (Matthew 19:26). When there seems to be nothing we can do for, or give to a person, praying is the best way we can help.

Though His answers may not be in the form of exactly what we pray for – because His ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:9) – we can trust that His ways are always far better than ours. It’s always a win-win deed to pray. Prayer helps advance God’s purposes on earth, and prayer is our way of lifting our daily concerns to God.

While going away in a quiet place to pray is a great and sacred thing to do, we can still pray as we go through our daily routines because God is everywhere. So for busy people, here are other ways to pray, on how and when we can pray every day…

• While still being cautious of your surroundings, you can pray in your head when commuting, especially if you are not driving.
• Allot specific day and time for groups of people you would like to pray for. (Ex. Sunday 10pm – Family, Monday 10pm – Pastors and Church Staff)
• Stop and pray when someone texts you, especially if the text is a prayer concern
• Pray for people when you read about their Facebook wall post
• Look at your family or friend’s photo (hard copy or even in your cell phone) as you pray for them
• Pray for the person you’re waiting for in an appointment or a meet-up
• Pray for someone when you hear a song that reminds you of that person
• Pray before you read a book, even if it’s a non-religious, so that you can apply the truths there in your life, and for you to impart some knowledge there with other people
• You can say “breath or arrow prayers” while waiting in long queues at the grocery counter or at the bank and the likes
•  Pray for people after you do your daily quiet time or devotional with God 

And one more bonus tip, you can also spare a prayer for online bloggers (like me!) so that we may always write what is right. Have a good and godly day! ;-)

Three Steps in Praying for the Sick

Over the years, evangelism models have been popular and used with great success, including “The Four Spiritual Laws” and “Evangelism Explosion.” Today, the “Alpha” model of attracting new converts to the faith is extremely successful in many denominations. When we approach the subject of healing, however, a groan can almost be heard in some Christian circles if the topic of a healing model is mentioned.

Someone may ask, "How can we have a model for healing? Isn't it God Who heals?" The answer to the second question is an unequivocal "yes." The purpose of a healing model is not to dogmatize the ministry of praying for the sick and demonized. Neither does it assume that following all the steps in the model guarantees healing for the person prayed for (the prayee). Rather, it is to provide a guide for those involved in such a ministry, and as such, it can be strictly adhered to, providing some order for the pray-er, or it can be deviated from if the prayer ministry situation warrants.

Jesus ministered to the sick and demonized in a great variety of ways: He spat on the ground and made mud, then rubbed it on blind eyes; He rebuked a fever; He commanded deaf and dumb spirits to leave; He even asked the prayee questions before and during ministry. In short, Jesus rarely ministered healing in the same way all the time. John 5:19 tells us Jesus only did what He saw the Father doing, so we can assume Jesus was "in tune" with the Father and proceeded to heal as led. Likewise, since each person we pray for is unique, we need to approach each prayer ministry opportunity with both a general "plan of action" (a model) as well as a hearing spirit as to what God may want to do at that time and place—perhaps through us.

Some may say, "Well, Jesus didn't give us a prayer model!" Good point. However, He never gave us an evangelism model either; He simply said to "preach the gospel to every creature,"1 and "make disciples of all nations."2 As I mentioned at the onset, we know that in the 2,000 years since then, the church has created some models of reaching unbelievers. Jesus did not give us a denominational model either, but we have done an extraordinary job of creating some ourselves. In fact, we have created models for most of the things we do as Christians and Christian institutions, many times without even realizing we have.

Since a study of the gospels reveals that ministry to the sick and demonized accompanied Jesus’ preaching of the kingdom of God, I believe it makes sense to create some guidelines to know how to be as effective in that as we are in evangelism and denomination building.

What I am providing in this article is a simplified three-step model that anyone can engage in when praying for the sick. Before each step, ask the Holy Spirit to come and counsel you on what to do. He knows you and He knows the prayee. He also knows the Father’s will in each case. The three steps follow:

1. Pray for the obvious

If someone is suffering from depression, for example, an obvious and simple prayer might consist of one or more of the following:
“Lord, please heal and/or deliver <name> from depression, in Jesus’ name.”
“In Jesus’ name, I take authority over depression and all underlying causative conditions in <name’s> life and body.”
“I command depression to leave <name> in the name of Jesus.”
“In Jesus’ name I bless <name> with peace and joy and hope.”
Allow the Holy Spirit to guide you even when praying for the obvious. The words we use, the commands we give, and the authoritarian actions we take are infused with much greater power if the Holy Spirit directs them.

2. Pray for more insight

If prayer for the obvious works (the prayee is healed), this step may not be needed. However, you can still engage in this step to ask the Holy Spirit if there is any follow-up you (the pray-er) or the prayee needs to do. Of course, if the prayee is not healed or if the person’s condition is merely improved, this step may prove helpful in determining the cause(s) and possible prayer ministry strategies.

In this step, we seek specific insight from the Holy Spirit on what and how to pray. We may sense the need to pray for the obvious more persistently. Perhaps there are ‘hidden’ causes to the person’s condition, and without the Holy Spirit’s insight, those ‘hidden’ causes may never be addressed. Be aware – this step takes time, persistence, and spiritual receptivity cultivated through intimacy with God.

Whether or not steps one or two help the sick or demonized person, the third step is a necessary one for the ministry itself.

3. Pray to be available

Ask God for assistance in improving your time management and your reordering of life's priorities so you can be available for ministry opportunities. Scripture is clear that we are the body of Christ, and each of us has different functions and varying gifts. However, when one is sick, we all suffer (1 Corinthians 12:26, “And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it.”3) This should encourage us to be prepared if God desires to use us in ministering healing or improvement to someone. If the sick person is an unbeliever, healing can provide us with an evangelistic entry point into their lives -- it did for Jesus and the early church.

God just wants us to be available – He will do the works!

REFERENCE:

10 Reasons Why it is More Blessed to Give than to Receive

The most unbelieved beatitude in the Bible is: “It is more blessed to give than receive” (Acts 20:35). The giver happier than the getter? Surely some mistake? That goes against all our intuitions and instincts. So let me help you to believe it and act upon it by giving you ten reasons why it is more blessed to give than to receive.

1. Giving Obeys God’s Command
The Old Testament has way more commands about financial giving – who, when, and how much – than the New Testament. Maybe the New Testament writers just assumed that as God had given far more to us in the New Testament – giving Himself to death – that our giving should follow fairly logically and easily. But, just in case we might miss the link, there are clear New Testament commands also (e.g. 1 Corinthians 1:2). As all of God’s commands are given to enhance our lives, obeying this command will increase our happiness.

2. Giving Submits to God’s Lordship
Every act of obedience recognizes that there is a higher authority in our lives, that there is a Lord over us who is entitled to honor and respect. Due to our temperament, personality, or circumstances, we may find some commands relatively easy to obey. Our submission is really tested in the areas where our own nature and situation make obedience more difficult. For most of us, money is one of those areas. Our wallet is often the last citadel to fall to God’s rule, and even when it does fall, it gets rebuilt and re-secured again all too quickly. If only we could remember that Divine Lordship is not a threat; rather it’s the place of greatest safety.

3. Giving Exhibits God’s Heart
God is THE giver of every good and perfect gift (James 1:17). As His image-bearers we are called to copy His giving, to be mini-pictures of His infinitely large heart. The larger our hearts (and the wider our hands), the larger the picture we paint of God’s character. What do people think of God when they think of the way you use your money?

4. Giving Illustrates God’s Salvation
At the heart of the Gospel is sacrificial self-giving (John 3:16). That’s why when the Apostle Paul wanted to encourage the Corinthians to give more, he pointed them to the person and work of Christ. “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 2:9). Yes, you abound in faith, love, etc., but “see that you abound in this grace also.” When we give sacrificially, painfully, for the benefit of others, we are faintly and on a small-scale preaching the Gospel message.

5. Giving Trusts God’s Provision
The biggest deterrent to giving is fear, the fear that if I give away too much I won’t have enough for this or that. When we give sacrificially, above and beyond what is comfortable and easy, we are expressing our faith and trust in God to provide for us and our family. This is not an argument for folly, but for faith. Many Christians have discovered the joy of casting their crumbs of bread upon the waters and multiple loaves returning after many days (Ecclesiastes 11:1). It’s such a joy to see God fulfill His promise of provision when we obey Him.

REFERENCE: http://www.christianity.com/church/tithing-and-giving/10-reasons-why-it-is-more-blessed-to-give-than-to-receive.html