By Kim Butts The Westminster Shorter Catechism asks and answers many questions about the Christian faith. The first question asks: “What is the chief end of man?” The answer? “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.” The second question in the Catechism is, “What rule hath God given to direct…
If we want to grow in our prayer life, sometimes all it takes is a simple technique or a memory jogger to bring us to more regular prayer. Nancy Lindgren of MORE Mentoring shares a simple technique that worked for her. You may want to try it as a way to stimulate you toward regular…
Sin hinders prayer. A person may pray and pray without receiving an answer, and then conclude that the problem is in God. In reality, the problem may be in the person’s heart. David understood that if he cherished sin in his heart, the Lord would not hear him. If I had cherished sin in my…
I knew my daughter was upset. She had been wounded by a friend and was trying to deal with the pain. Standing down the hall from her room, I couldn’t make out what she was saying. But I heard the emotional pitch—up and down—of her words. Anger and hurt were spewing forth. No one was…
My 9-year-old grandson, Jack, seems to have a heart for prayer. I have noticed that heart recently when he was eating at Grammy and Grampy’s and we asked him if he would pray our before-meal prayer. He gladly agreed and then took off praying. He thanked God for family, blessings he had experienced at school—like…
By Ebony S. Small I didn’t know I was an intercessor. But I knew I loved talking to God. After I recommitted my life as a disciple of Christ, I underwent a radical transformation. The world around me started to change because the “inner me” was changing. Jesus became the source of my strength. He…
By Alvin VanderGriend I received a letter the other day from a person asking me to pray about a family problem. Along with that request came additional pages with forty-four more prayer requests, all of them for various aspects of personal and family life. Most of the requests were for good and legitimate concerns. This…
One of my favorite passages I like to use when I speak or preach is James 5:13-17. Most believe the book of James was written by Jesus’ brother James, who became a primary leader of the church in Jerusalem. His nickname was “Camel Knees” because his knees were stiff from all the time he spent…
My friend Joe seldom prays out loud in our prayer group—yet he comes faithfully. While others bounce in and out with short prayers four or more times during the forty-five minute prayer time, if he prays at all, Joe will only pray once. I have heard him pray publicly, in a church service, and he…
If Your Heart Is True, Your Prayers Are Sure By Geoff Eckart When I was a sophomore in college, I borrowed my older brother’s guitar and took it with me to school. A friend shared five basic chords with me, and in my spare time I began to pick up the basics and play. Within…
