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Religious leaders loved to make theater out of their prayers. The show nauseated Jesus. In Matthew 6:6 He said, “When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father who cannot be seen. Your Father can see what is done in secret, and He will reward you.”

The words surely stunned Jesus’ audience. The people were simple farmers and stonemasons. They couldn’t enter the temple, but they could enter their closets. What was the point?  Jesus is low on fancy but high on accessibility. You need not woo him with location or wow him with eloquence! It’s the power of a simple prayer.

Join me every day for four weeks to pray four minutes…a simple prayer. Then, get ready to connect with God like never before!

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In Matthew 6, Jesus prayed: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

A prayer that begins. . . May I not view you as a distant father, but as one who has come to earth and understands the challenges and temptations of my life. Be near me today, whisper reminders that you’re close. My friends need you today as they make difficult decisions in their workplace and in their families. Show them you are closer than even their earthly fathers. Thank you for hearing me and listening to my pleas. It’s in Jesus’ name I pray this, amen.

Here’s my challenge for you! Every day for four weeks, pray four minutes; and get ready to connect with God like never before!

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Prayer really is simple. Resist the urge to complicate it. Don’t take pride in well-crafted prayers. Don’t apologize for incoherent prayers. No games. No cover-ups. Just be honest—honest to God.

Climb into His lap. Tell Him everything that is on your heart or tell Him nothing at all. Just lift your heart to heaven and declare, Father…Daddy!  We have stress…fear…guilt…grief, and demands on all sides; sometimes all we can summon is a plaintive, “Oh, Father!” If so, that’s enough. Your heavenly Father will wrap you in His arms!

Here’s my prayer challenge for you. Every day for 4 weeks, pray 4 minutes.  I think you’ll find yourself connecting with God like never before!

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We prayer wimps fear mis-praying. What is the expected etiquette and dress code for prayer? What if we kneel instead of stand? Jesus answers in Matthew 18:3 when He says, “Become as little children.” Carefree…joy-filled…playful…trusting… and curious. Trust more—strut less.

God prefers this greeting, God, you are my Daddy, and I am your child! It’s hard to show off and call God Daddy at the same time. It’s impossible, in fact. Remember that prayer doesn’t depend on how you pray. The power of prayer depends on the One who hears the prayer!

Here’s my simple prayer challenge for you: Every day for 4 weeks, pray 4 minutes. And just be honest—honest to God. You will experience prayer like never before.

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Yes, I’m a prayer wimp—but a recovering prayer wimp. Not where I long to be, but not where I was. This simple, easy to remember, pocket-size prayer has become a cherished friend.

“Father, You are good. I need help. Heal me and forgive me.

They need help. Thank you. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

Jesus’ disciples faced angry waves and a watery grave. You may face angry clients, a turbulent economy, and raging seas of stress and sorrow. Let this simple prayer punctuate your day. As you begin your morning…“Father, you are good.” As you commute to work or walk the hallways at school…“I need help.” As you wait in the grocery line and recall others…“They need help.”  Keep this prayer in your pocket as you pass through the day. Prayer is simply a heartfelt conversation between God and His child.

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This much is sure: God will teach you to pray. Don’t think for a minute that he is glaring at you from a distance with crossed arms and a scowl, waiting for you to get your prayer life together. Just the opposite!

In Revelation 3:20 Jesus says, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and eat with you, and you will eat with Me.”

Jesus waits on the porch. He taps. . .and calls. He waits for you to open the door. To pray is the hand of faith on the door handle of your heart. The happy welcome to Jesus that says, Come in, O King, come in!  The kitchen is messy, but come in. I’m not much of a conversationalist, but come in.  Before amen—comes the power of a simple prayer! God changes His people through such moments.

From Before Amen

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Before amen—comes the power of a simple prayer! Jesus set a compelling prayer example. He prayed before He ate. He prayed for children. He prayed for the sick. He prayed with thanks, and with tears. He had made the planets and shaped the stars, yet He prayed.

Here’s a prayer for us today!

“Father, you’ve made me your child through your Spirit. In your kindness you have adopted me and delivered me from sin and death. Remind me today what it means to be your child.

It’s so easy for me to live every day on my own terms. Help me live it in light of your grace.

Thank you for accepting me as I am but not leaving me the same. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

Here’s my prayer challenge for you! Every day for 4 weeks, pray 4 minutes. Then get ready to connect with God like never before!

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Prayer isn’t a privilege for the pious, nor the art of a chosen few. Prayer is simply a heartfelt conversation between God and His child.  When we invite God into our world, He brings a host of gifts: joy, patience, and resilience. Anxieties come, but they don’t stick. Fears surface and then depart. I’m completing my sixth decade, yet I’m wired with energy… happier, healthier, and more hopeful! Struggles come, for sure, but so does God.

My friend, He wants to talk with you. Even now as you hear these words, He taps at the door. Open it. Welcome Him in and let the conversation begin. Here’s my challenge to you! Every day for 4 weeks, pray 4 minutes. Then get ready to connect with God like never before!

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Mark 1:35 says, “Jesus went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.” This dialogue must have been common among His friends:

“Has anyone seen Jesus?”

“Oh, you know. He’s up to the same thing.”

“Praying again?”

“Yep. He’s been gone since sunrise.”

Jesus would even disappear for an entire night of prayer. Prayer for most of us isn’t a matter of a month-long retreat or even an hour of meditation. It’s a conversation with God while driving to work or waiting for an appointment.

God will teach you to pray. We speak, He listens. He speaks, we listen.  This is prayer in its purest form. God changes His people through such moments. May I challenge you? Every day for four weeks, pray four minutes. Then, get ready to connect with God like never before!

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We can’t even get the cable company to answer us, yet God will?  The doctor is too busy, but God isn’t?  We have our doubts about prayer!

Jesus raised people from the dead. But a “How to Vacate the Cemetery” seminar? His followers never called for one. But they did ask Him, “Lord, teach us to pray.” Might their interest have something to do with the jaw-dropping promise Jesus attached to prayer? “Ask and it will be given to you.” When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, He gave them a prayer. Could you use the same?

Father, You are good.

I need help. Heal me and forgive me.

They need help.

Thank You.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

Before amen—comes the power of a simple prayer. Punctuate your day with it!

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When I pray, I think of a thousand things I need to do. I forget the one thing I set out to do– pray! Can you relate? But wouldn’t we all like to pray. . .More? Better? Deeper? Stronger? With more fire, faith, or fervency? Yet we have kids to feed, bills to pay, and deadlines to meet. We want to pray, but when? We want to pray, but why? We have our doubts about prayer, our checkered history of unmet expectations, and unanswered questions.

We aren’t the first. The sign-up for Prayer 101 contains familiar names like John, James, Andrew, and Peter. The first followers of Jesus needed prayer guidance. Join us in a prayer challenge. Every day for four weeks, pray four minutes. Then get ready to connect with God like never before.

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Some people excel in prayer. They are the SEAL Team 6 of intercession. They would rather pray than sleep. Why is it I sleep when I pray? It’s not that we don’t pray at all. We all pray some. Surveys indicate one in five unbelievers prays daily. Just in case, perhaps?  When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, He gave them a prayer…a quotable, repeatable, portable prayer. Could you use the same?

Father, You are good.

I need help. Heal me and forgive me.

They need help. Thank you.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

Here is my challenge for you: Every day for 4 weeks, pray 4 minutes. Then get ready to connect with God like never before!

Read more Before Amen

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I’m a recovering prayer wimp. For years my prayers seemed to zig, then zag, then zig again. Maybe you can relate. Perhaps your prayer life could use a tune up, a reboot?

If that sounds overwhelming, I’m inviting you to a simpler plan. Four minutes, plus four weeks, equals forever change! Every day for four weeks, pray for four minutes, focusing on these core elements of prayer: “Father, You are good. I need help. They need help. Thank you.” It’s that simple. Really!  Talking with God doesn’t have to be complicated or complex. The power isn’t in the words we pray—but in the One who hears them!

Here’s my challenge for you: Every day for 4 weeks, pray 4 minutes.  Then, get ready to connect with God as never before.

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Have you ever gone to the grocery on an empty stomach? You’re a sitting duck when you do. You buy everything you don’t need. Doesn’t matter if it’s good for you—you just want to fill your tummy!

When you’re lonely, you do the same in life–pulling stuff off the shelf, not because you need it, but because you’re hungry for love. Why do we do it? Because we fear facing life alone. For fear of not fitting in, we take the drugs. For fear of standing out, we wear the clothes. For fear of appearing small, we go into debt and buy the house. For fear of sleeping alone, we sleep with anyone. For fear of not being loved, we search for love in all the wrong places.

But all that changes when we discover God’s perfect love. 1 John 4:18 says, “Perfect love casts out fear.” You are not alone!

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How did Jesus endure the terror of the crucifixion? He went first to the Father with His fears. He modeled the words of Psalm 56:3, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.” Do the same with your fears. Enter them—just don’t enter them alone. And while there, be honest. Pounding the ground is permitted and tears are allowed. “Take this cup,” Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemene.

Give God your fears. Give God the number of the flight. Share the details of the job transfer. He has plenty of time. He also has plenty of compassion. He won’t tell you to buck up or get tough. He knows how you feel. That’s why we punctuate our prayers as Jesus did with “Father, if you are willing. . .”  Was God willing?  Yes and no. He didn’t take away the cross from Christ, but He took away the fear. Who is to say He won’t do the same for you?

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God loves humility. Could that be the reason he offers so many tips on cultivating it? May I (…ahem) humbly articulate a few? If you want to be humble:

Assess yourself honestly

Don’t take success too seriously.

Celebrate the significance of others.

Don’t demand your own parking space.

Never announce your success before it occurs.

Speak humbly

One last thought to foster humility– Live at the foot of the cross

Paul said in Galatians 6:14, “The cross of our Lord Jesus Christ is my only reason for bragging!” Do you feel a need for affirmation?  Does your self esteem need attention?  You don’t need to drop names or show off.  You need only to pause at the base of the cross and be reminded of this:  The Maker of the stars would rather die for you than live without you. And that’s a fact. So, if you need to brag… brag about that!

From Traveling Light

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Arthur Hays Sulzberger was the publisher of the New York Times during the second World War. Because of the world conflict, he found it almost impossible to sleep. He was never able to set aside worries from his mind until he adopted as his motto these five words… “one step enough for me.” He took the words from the old hymn, “Lead Kindly Light.”

“Lead, kindly Light. . .

Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see

The distant scene; one step enough for me.”

Friend, God isn’t going to let you see the distant scene either, so you might as well quit looking for it. God promises a lamp to our feet but not a crystal ball into the future. We don’t need to know what will happen tomorrow. We only need to know that Hebrews 4:16 promises that “we will find grace to help us when we need it!”

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Worrying is one job you cannot farm out—but you can overcome it! And there’s no better place to begin than Psalm 23:2.  “He leads me beside the still waters,”  David declares. He leads me! God isn’t behind me, yelling, Go! He’s ahead of me bidding, Come! He’s in front, clearing the path and cutting the brush. Standing next to the rocks He warns watch your step there.

Isn’t this what God gave the children of Israel? He promised to supply them with manna each day, but He told them to collect only one day’s supply at a time. Matthew 6:34 says to give your entire attention to what God is doing right now and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes. God is leading you– so leave tomorrow’s problems until tomorrow.

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Worry is the burlap bag of burdens.  It’s overflowing with “whaddifs” and “howells.” Whaddif after all my dieting, I find that lettuce is fattening and chocolate isn’t?  Howell we pay our baby’s tuition?”  Whaddifs and howells…the burlap bag of worry. Cumbersome. Chunky. Unattractive. Scratchy.  Irritating to carry and impossible to give away!

No one wants your worries.  The truth is, you don’t want them either. No one has to remind you of the high cost of anxiety, but I will anyway. Worry divides the mind.  It splits our energy between today’s priorities and tomorrow’s problems.  The result is half-minded living!

Hebrews 4:16 encourages us to “boldly approach the throne of our gracious God, where we may receive mercy and, in His grace, find timely help.”  God’s help is timely!  God will do the right thing at the right time.  And what a difference that makes!

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When God gave the Ten Commandments, He needed only five English words to condemn adultery; four to denounce thievery and murder.  But when he came to the topic of rest?  Listen to this:

“Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath Day of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work; you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your servants, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day…” (Exodus 20:8-11).

Wow!  One word after another… but still we object. We offer up one reason after another. We don’t like to rest. Please repeat these words after me, “It is not my job to run the world.”  In the long run we will do more by doing less!

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