Approach Prayer With Confidence And Thanksgiving

Prayer is an essential component to our relationship with God. We offer prayers for those who are sick or in need of help and prayers of thanksgiving for our blessings. Prayer is also a time for us to be quiet and listen for the gentle voice of God. The Psalmist tells us in Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God.” We all would be wise to focus on this promise while we wait on the Lord.”

Even if I don’t hear a response to my prayer, I can still come away with peace and comfort knowing that God is God and He loves me more than I can begin to understand. His presence and promises can give us a peace that transcends all understanding.

It is important for us to approach prayer in the right manner. The Bible tells us what to pray — “The Lord’s Prayer” (Matthew 6:9-13) — and also where to pray – “In your room,” (Matthew 6:6). However, it does not necessarily tell us how to prepare for prayer.

Good works are how we show Christian love to others. However, our works should flow naturally as a result of our love for Christ and our desire to share His love. Ephesians 2:8-9, teaches us, “⁸For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹not by works, so that no one can boast.”

I think too many Christians approach prayer in one of two ways. First, many come to God in fear and doubt. We know that God can do what we are asking — but are fearful that He will not do it as we want or when we want.

The second group of Christians I refer to as the “Santa Claus Christians.” They think that if they are good all year then when they make a prayer request to God that He is “obligated” to do as asked. In both cases, resentment can develop if God does not provide what is asked and when it is asked.

It is important at this point to note that we follow God. God does not follow us, and this fact provides the opportunity to tell the story of God leading His people in Exodus 13:21-22. “By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night.”

I encourage you to approach prayer with confidence and thanksgiving that God already knows what you need and is already at work in delivering it to you. Also, what He provides will likely not be what you requested. Instead, it will be better and it will be a holy blessing upon you. God loves you more than you can ever understand.

He will most certainly listen and respond to your prayers. We must be open to His response and accept it with gladness and thanksgiving because any gift from God is precious and holy — as was His son.

Prayer: Dear God, Thank you for the blessing of prayer and may we always be grateful for this means of grace.

Meet the Author

Todd Shupe is a Men’s Ministry Specialist through the General Commission of United Methodist Men and is in training to be a Certified Lay Minister through the Louisiana Conference of the United Methodist Church. He currently serves as the President of the Baton Rouge District of United Methodist Men and is a Board Member for Gulf South Men and serves on the Action Team for The Kingdom Group. He is a volunteer for the Walk to Emmaus, Grace Camp, and Iron Sharpens Iron. Todd resides in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

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The ‘Fruit of the Spirit’ Attributes

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23 NIV).

“The Fruit of the Holy Spirit” is a Biblical term that sums up nine attributes of a Christian. According to Paul the Apostle in his Epistle to the Galatians: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). These are all characteristics of the Holy Spirit’s active presence in lives and a healthy Christian soul contains all of the fruits. There are nine attributes and each is a unique blessing.

1. Love: Love gives freely without looking at whether the other person deserves it and it gives without expecting anything back. “Agape” describes the unconditional love God has for the world.

2. Joy: Joy is contentment that is independent of the good or bad things that happen to us. True joy is evident in gladness during hard times (James 1:2-4). This is a supernatural joy that comes from the Spirit and is present regardless of our circumstances.

3. Peace: Peace from the Spirit transcends all understanding (Philippians 4:7) and gives us a sense of calm knowing that God is in control and He loves us dearly.

4. Patience: Other words that describe this fruit are lenience, long-suffering, forbearance, perseverance and steadfastness. Patience includes the concepts of forbearance, long-suffering and the willingness to bear wrongs patiently (Romans 5:3-4).

5. Kindness: This fruit is evident in a desire to serve others. Kindness is the light that will conquer the darkness (malice).

6. Goodness: True goodness is the character of God. Goodness is exhibited by your desire to see goodness in others and recognize all others as children of God.

7. Faithfulness: A faithful person has integrity beyond reproach. We walk by faith not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).

8. Gentleness: Gentleness chooses to defer to others. It forgives others, corrects with kindness and lives in tranquility.

9. Self-control: Self-control is dying to our self and our desires of the flesh. It is choosing to live in the Spirit and follow His will.

We should all periodically review this list. One of the hardest things we can do is an honest self-evaluation of ourselves. John Wesley, the founder of the United Methodist Church, recognized this and organized “class meetings” in which attendance was mandatory and participants were asked to honestly answer questions regarding their spiritual health. The mission statement of the United Methodist Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. A disciple should be able to honestly assess his or her status on the nine fruits of the Spirit above. I pray that we all will be a better disciple each day and will help bring about transformation of the world.

Prayer: Dear God, As we grow closer to you may the Fruits of the Spirit be manifested in us as a powerful witness to You. Amen.

Meet the Author

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Month: August 2017