Persistent Prayer

"Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed" (Mark 1:35).

We can find optimism in this life when Christ lives within us.

We can find joyful hope when we put our relationship with Christ first and spend regular time with Him in prayer.

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A close relationship with God will give us...

––joy in the midst of trouble,

–– victory in times of temptation,

–– fruitfulness and blessings in times of uncertainty.

A solid prayer life will give us confidence when everything else is crumbling around us.

How persistent is your prayer life?

–– Is prayer the first activity to be cut when your life becomes over-scheduled?

–– Do you skip prayer time on the days when you feel tired or ill or apathetic?

–– Are your prayers half-hearted attempts to fulfill a ritual or appease your guilt?

If your prayer life has been lacking, confess to God today how you have neglected this important aspect of your relationship with Him.

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Pray for the Holy Spirit's help....

–– to guide you in your prayers,

–– to motivate you to spend time with Him,

–– to give you the self-discipline to stay focused in prayer, and

–– to prepare your heart for the presence of God.

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Prayer:

Father, forgive me for neglecting my prayer life. I pray that You would guide me as I pray and help me to be committed to making prayer a priority in my life. Thank You for the privilege of prayer. In Jesus name, Amen.

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May 6, 2012
By Michael Youssef

Blog author note: This is from my collection of daily devotions that I saved.