Encouragement

13) Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. 14) Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15) And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. 16) Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

I depend on fervent, daily prayer. I shudder to think of what a day would be like without communing with the Father, through the Son, by means of prayer. Praying is how we actively communicate with God. Prayer is mission-critical in any task or
endeavor that we embark upon. And yet, we often leave God out of the captain's chair when we set out on life's varying
journeys.

Prayer isn't so much about getting what we desire, but instead about getting aligned with God's will. When we want what
God wants for us, the results can be colossal.

During times of financial duress we may feel as though we need more money, so we may come before God in prayer and petition
Him for a green-back blessing. In reality, God may desire us to be better stewards of the money He is already allowing us to have. If we managed our money in a more responsible manner, we may not be in the current financial dire straits that we are
in today. So, the Blessed Bailout may not come, but better discernment in all monetary matters may instead be His answer.
A better way to pray in this situation may be: "Lord, as you know, things are financially tough for me right now. Please
guide me to financial solvency and freedom from the yoke of this indebtedness. Show me how to be smarter and more responsible with my money that I may pay what I owe. And, help me to provide for my family what they need."

I look forward to prayer in a quiet house when I am home alone. That's when the Lord and I enjoy some true quality
time. Praying in the Spirit is important, and I will say "Father God, please unleash the Holy Spirit to work through me
and lead the nature and tenor of this prayer." I will then begin thinking of people who I have not thought of, and pray for
them. Friends who have not been at the forefront of my thoughts will appear in my mind, and I will pray for them. Sins that
I may not have considered as such will pop into my mind and I confess them. Politicians, athletes, celebrities and other well-known figures may appear in mind and heart and will get my prayers. Praying in the Spirit can be tantamount to
riding a runaway train, but it's a train ride you must take. Pray to the father, through the Son, in the Spirit.

Philippians 4:6 says: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. So don't worry about anything, pray about everything! Pray hard! Pray early and pray often! Pray with others and lay your hands on each other! Don't hold back a thing; give it all up to the Lord in prayer. Seek His will for you in your life. He has a marvelous plan for you. Even when times are tough, remember that He wants all good things for you.

Romans 8:26-28 (The Message translation) says:

Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.

Hang on friends, Jesus is coming soon to take us home. In the meantime, we must be about His work while He tarries just a
little bit longer. It ain't easy down here in this roach-infested Motel Earth. So pray hard and pray right. I'll pray for
you and you can pray for me. I am a Prayer Warrior and you should enlist in this army. BELIEVE! PRAY! HANG ON BECAUSE HE'S
COMING!