Prayer Hacks

When my granddaughter Gabrielle was three years old, she lived with us for a time. Many times in the evening she played near me while I sat in my chair working on my computer. She would often interrupt me, wanting attention (which Grampy, of course, gave her). She loved to play a game where she

My six-year-old grandson Jack cracks me up! Recently my daughter (his mom) doodled some plans in pencil for a house they are thinking of building. When she finished, she set the plans and the pencil on the coffee table and walked away to do something else. When she came back later, she was amused to

One of the most important assignments believers have is to pray family and friends to Christ. Jesus interceded for future converts when he said to the Father, “I pray also for those who will believe in me through their (disciples) message” (John 17:20). Paul interceded for the salvation of fellow Jews with heart-felt prayer: “Brothers

Longtime Presbyterian minister, Dr. Wilbur Chapman (early 1900s) was 26 when called to be pastor of Wanamakers Church in Philadelphia. His first Sunday, an old gentleman came up to him and said, “you’re much too young to be the pastor of such a fine church as this.” Chapman thought the guy was a kook. But

When we enter a new year, many believers look for ways to deepen their relationships with Jesus. Taking steps to grow in your prayer life are a key to spiritual growth. One step we can take is to begin practicing the spiritual disciple of fasting. Over the next two Prayer Hacks we will look at

By David Chotka We say it without thinking much about it. In fact, we say the words as a rote memory prayer to close the Wednesday prayer meeting or the small group time. If you are in a liturgical tradition, it is likely that you say it every time you gather for worship. In fact,

Personal revival starts with thirst. God uses the desert to create an unquenchable thirst for Jesus. Nothing this world offers will satisfy. Nothing. Only Jesus. It’s in the crucible of the desert that God brings you to a point of insatiable thirst and holy desperation for Him. It’s here He shows you there is more—much,

As we begin a new year, taking stock of our prayer life can be a good thing. How can we improve? In what ways can our prayer times become more dynamic? Are there weaknesses in our prayer life we can ask God to help us overcome? One of the biggest deterrents to effective prayer is

In an earlier “Prayer Hacks” I wrote about the purposes for prayer. (To read click here.) The primary purpose is to grow a relationship with God and the other purpose is to “release God’s will on earth.” As we develop in our prayer life, usually one of these purposes dominates. Those of us who crave

One of my favorite passages in Scripture is Luke 2:22-31, the account where Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the Temple for circumcision and to offer a sacrifice. In the account we see a godly priest, Simeon, and an elderly widow, Anna, who came every day to the Temple to worship and pray. Both of

One of my favorite quotes on spiritual warfare comes from The Kneeling Christian: “There is nothing the devil dreads so much as prayer? His great concern is to keep us from praying. Someone has wisely said, ‘Satan laughs at our toiling, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray.’” (p. 17). The phrase I

By Alvin VanderGriend Have you ever thought about all the different ways that God has at his disposal to answer prayer? He can work naturally or supernaturally. He can use people, angels, or natural forces. Being eternal he can shape history and arrange circumstances over many years so that they converge in an answer that

By Dave Butts In every election cycle, American Christians face both amazing opportunities and grave dangers. We are privileged to be a part of those who can choose their own leaders. As people who believe that godly leaders are a source of blessing to a nation, this provides us with great opportunity. The dangers arise,

By Alvin VanderGriend Sometimes when we pray we don’t know what God’s will is for the specific situation we are praying about. We don’t know if He will grant our request or not, so we pray and leave the choice to God. Even if we don’t know His will, our prayers are still prayers of

 In John 13-18, at the last supper, we have an interesting snippet into the life of Jesus. Like a parent who is leaving his child at college for the first time, Jesus covers everything important His “kids” needed to know before leaving them on their own for the first time. In this talk, Jesus reveals

Steve was a new believer who attended our singles ministry at Immanuel Alliance Church in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. Steve’s wife had recently left him, and due to some medical issues and medication he was taking that impaired his senses, he had lost his job as a truck driver. He was clearly in need of prayer. During

By Elizabeth Schmus While there is no simple answer to why prayers go unanswered and no easy formula guaranteeing a yes, consider asking the Lord some of these questions:  1. Could God be taking a different or longer path to answering your prayer? I heard a story from some visiting missionaries who shared the gospel overseas with

Longtime Presbyterian minister, Dr. Wilbur Chapman (early 1900s) was 26 when called to be pastor of Wanamakers Church in Philadelphia. His first Sunday, an old gentleman came up to him and said, “you’re much too young to be the pastor of such a fine church as this.” Chapman thought the guy was a kook. But

Human beings are created to live in fellowship with God. We are meant to have and to enjoy life in relationship with God. Without this relationship we are like branches cut off from a tree, like toasters not plugged in. Prayer is the way we get in touch with God and the way we keep

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