Scripture and Inspirational Reading
1. Aside from daily personal prayer, we also need to read and meditate on the Word of God
a. Bible is our book of wisdom and our guide.
b. Bible has power to change us
c. Bible can inspire and strengthen us
What We Should Do
Conclusion
Scripture and Inspirational Reading
3. Spend some other time during the week to study the Bible
4. Read also Christian books, read about the saints and read daily reflections
Recommendations: One book every month
1. Lack of regular prayer time reflects lack of faithfulness to the Lord
2. Neglecting prayer will lead to powerless Christian life, no peace and directions
3. If we pray and read the Bible, we tap on to God's power
Scripture and Inspirational Reading
2. It is recommended to incorporate Bible reading into daily prayer time
a. The two are interactive
b. Useful tool is to use Scripture-based daily prayer guide like In His steps
Thank you very much and praise God!
1. Make a commitment to pray at a scheduled time
a. Decide when is prime time for the Lord
b. Decide when would be most alert to fellowship with Him
c. Make this your regular prayer time each day of the week
d. Be flexible in adjusting to your weekly schedule
e. Defend this time of prayer
Reasons Why We Do Not Have A Personal Prayer Time
Introduction
1. Already went to Mass and that's enough
a. Personal prayer time is alone by ourselves with God. Necessary to develop intimate relationship with Jesus
b. Mass, rosary, novena are all means of prayer, but we must not neglect personal prayer.
What We Should Do
4. Be open to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit
a. Techniques like ACTS are alright, but be not locked into them
b. Be open to variety
1. Quiet vs. Expressive
2. Different physical postures
3. Speaking and Listening
4.Praying in tongues
c. Goal is not to pray well, but to enter into a communion with God
3. Look for the right place where you will not be distracted
a. Follow Jesus' example
Luke 5:16 "But He would withdraw to deserted places to pray."
Luke 6:12 "In those days he departed to the mountain to pray."
Matthew 14:23 "After doing so, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray."
Mark 1:35 "Rising very early before dawn, He left and went off to a deserted place, where He prayed."
b. Follow Jesus' instruction
Matthew 6:6 "But when you pray, go to your room, close the door and pray to your Father in secret."
c. We owe God our undivided attention
5. Deal with obstacles to prayer (Sin is the real obstacle)
a. Anxieties and concerns that distracts us
- Intercede for your concerns and surrender to God's hands
b. Too much concern about the quality of prayer
- Forget the technique but simply desire to be in communion with God
c. Dryness
- Persevere in prayer through these times to show commitment and not emotional experiences
d. Difficulty in listening or hearing the Lord
- Learn to do talking to God, and listening in the silence of our hearts and minds
2. Start with a short time of prayer
a. Follow our covenant card to pray at least 15 minutes
b. If you find this long, start with what you would be comfortable
c. The amount of time will grow as you develop the habit of praying
d. Spend more time when 15 minutes will be very short
1. Prayer and scripture are crucial tools to grow in our Christian life: our weapons against the devil.
2. Most basic means to know God and His ways:
a. by communicating directly to Him (prayer)
b. by studying His word (Scripture)
3. In CFC, we commit to a daily personal prayer and to a daily Bible reading.
Reasons Why We Do Not Have A Personal Prayer Time
4. Feeling unworthy
a. Filled with guilt due to sins and weaknesses. Yes, we are unworthy to enter into the presence of God but we have forgiveness for our sins.
b. Should not allow Satan's lies to convince us of our unworthiness
c. As long as there is a desire to pray, it is a sign of the Lord to spend time with Him
3. Don't have the time
a. Having a lot of time for the many different things we do in life, the problem is not lack of time but the attitude
If we considered prayer important enough, find the time
b. If we're not busy working, would we be busy praying? If God gave extra hours today, shall we allocate it to personal prayer?
5. It is too difficult
a. It becomes hard due to our own making, too much expectations from ourselves, imposing heavy burden, raising up standards of others.
b. Prayer is really very simple: coming into His presence and allowing Him to love us and teach our lives.
c. Techniques can help, models can guide, but we can do it in our way.
Reasons Why We Do Not Have A Personal Prayer Time
2. Lack of understanding about prayer
a. Most have been taught early in childhood, but not everybody have learned why we should pray. Most see prayer as just asking God for things.
b. As we communicate through prayer, we get to know God more and learn to love Him more
Speaker: Bro. Vergel Ano
September 13, 2015
Covenant Orientation
Talk 2: Prayer and Scripture