PRAY: Lord, I am listening to you. Thank you for your guidance and your direction. Help me hear you. Help me take the actions you want me to take.
Tuesday – Day 7
Approaching God – The more we allow ourselves to be in God’s presence, the more we will be transformed into who we were created to be. Read this verse slowly several times and allow your heart to rejoice in the appreciation of this truth.
“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)
Listening to God – Yesterday we focused on the assurance that God will listen to us, but we must also listen to him. Prayer is a two-way conversation. Too often our prayers (especially our intercessory prayers) are all about us talking to God. Meditate on what the following verses say about listening and the resulting consequences.
“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27)
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” (James 1:22)
Talking to God – After you are done listening, pray what you heard God say to you back to him. Is there a reason for praise and thanksgiving? Do you need to confess anything? What do you need from God? What do you need to surrender to him? Pray the verse over your three people.
Ministering in God’s Name – We listen to God because we need God’s guidance and direction. We also listen to him because of who he is. To help you recapture a sense of the overwhelming scope of God’s nature, incorporate this prayer practice into your devotional life: use each letter of the alphabet to begin a word that completes this sentence: “God you are… (i.e. a-alpha and omega, b-blessed one, c-compassionate, etc.)” While you are praising him for who he is, ask God to show you what action steps he wants you to take as you reach out to the three people you are praying for. Make a list of those action steps here.
Surrendering to God – If you have as much trouble listening to God as most of us do, commit to making time and space for him by setting a time to be quiet before God. Add that time to your daily calendar and keep the appointment! Listen to his response to your question about how he wants to use you in the lives of your three people.
By Jolene DeHeer
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