Energy and Encouragement: Prayer

21 December 15 Days No Alcohol, No Drugs & No Gambling

Psalm 102:17
He will respond to the prayer of the destitute; he will not despise their plea.  - NIV

1 Timothy 2:8
I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing. - NIV

So wherever you assemble, I want men to pray with holy hands lifted up to God, free from anger and controversy. - NLT

I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting - NKJV

Phone Prayer with Brother D tonight.  Awesome.  Seriously who would think that just by spending 30 minutes on the phone talking to another guy would create energy.  We just share what is going on talk about our past a bit and pray together.  It is great to hear someone else striving to make good choices and trying to do the right thing day to day. This call gave me energy.

I was going to blow this off tonight.  Stuck to the TV.  Now that I'm off the phone I have more energy and focus.

1 Timothy 2:8
Now I am not a Bible Scholar.  I just look up the different versions of the passage and see which one speaks to me the most.  Of the three, NIV, NLT and NKJV the NKJV stands out.  "Men Pray Everywhere."  Like tonight two guys on the phone praying.  We don't just jump into it. We do talk for a bit about everyday things and our thoughts about the Bible study and our struggles and how we work to overcome.  So by the time we start praying I am in the right mind set and without distractions. 

What a great statement about having a relationship with God.  He doesn't care where we are.  I do walk around my apartment at times just looking up talking to God, or when I'm off walking somewhere.  This is part of the draw I have towards Jesus.  He wants the Relationship.  It isn't just religion and posturing, but a Relationship.  That's the message I'm getting from the Bible and the books I'm reading about the Bible.  (I am going to post a better list of books I'm reading tonight.  First one was weak.) 

Jesus just wants us to have a relationship with him.  I love that.  We don't have to pray to a bunch of Saints with prescribed words.  We don't have to pray at specific times of the day facing the right way.  We don't have to do anything but reach out and talk to God.  I usually have a huge problem with authority, but with Jesus I feel like as long as there is that relationship there that I can control my need for control and admit that I don't have all the right answers.  I am independent, but with Jesus it makes me feel good that I can reach out and look for guideance. 

I can talk to my brothers and pray with my brothers and try to walk the line together.  This discipline I can accept.  Maybe because I have a choice in the matter.  I really don't have to do this.  I can go back to my old ways, but I don't want to.  I know if I go get a sales job or get back into real estate that I can make more money, but I think about the times I had more money all I did was blow it on the things that put my focus only on me and I ruined my relationships.  I really am trying to change at the core.  My way of thinking.  Praying and having a relationship with God and with brothers is giving me new things to think about. Here I am reading and writing about prayer after being on the phone with a guy I met Monday night.

Message is simple:

Have a Relationship with God.  Have a Relationship with Others.