Lord, Teach Me to Pray

I have struggled my whole adult life, and probably even before I realized it, with a spirit of criticism. I constantly battle with this issue. Two weeks ago, it got the best of me. Andy couldn't do anything right and I was letting my critical spirit tear us down during a time that we particularly needed to be united. Luckily, I have some close christian friends that lead me in the right direction with encouragement. One of them gave me a bookmark that is titled "IN CHRIST - I AM" and it goes on to list 40 things that categorize Christians. Here and now is not the place to list them all, but one today hit me hard, and I thought I would pass on the encouragement I received.

IN CHRIST - WE ARE FORGIVEN!

The verses that accompanied it are Colossians 1:13-14. Those verses alone speak the truth, but combined with the previous verses, they speak volumes!

Colossians 1:9-14
9For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you[a] to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. 13For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14in whom we have redemption,[b] the forgiveness of sins.

I do not have any profound words of wisdom of my own, but I wanted to share what my notes said in my Bible.

Sometimes we wonder how to pray for missionaries and other leaders we have never met. Paul (the writer of Colossians) had never met the Colossians, but he faithfully prayed for them. His prayers teach us how to pray for others, whether we know them or not. We can request that they...

1. understand God's will
2. gain spiritual wisdom
3. please and honor God
4. bear good fruit
5. grow in the knowledge of God
6. be filled with God's strength
7. have great endurance and patience
8. stay full of Christ's joy and
9. give thanks always.

What a priveledge we have to lift others up in pray to the Creator
of the universe! These items are not just for ways you can pray for others, they are ways you can pray for yourself! What a gift we were given to be able to have a relationship with our Maker!

Oh, what a world it would be if we would live out exactly what we were created for! Which is, to love God with our whole heart, soul, and mind and to make his gift of eternal life known to the whole world! I pray each of you take advantage of these opportunities.