New Believers Bible - Flipbook - Page 121
OFF AND RUNNING
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Before you became a Christian, you may have prayed before meals, on holidays,
or perhaps during times of crisis. As a believer, however, prayer should become
second nature. Prayer is no longer an option but should become part of all
you do.
As you integrate prayer into every aspect of your life, you will not always see
your prayers answered the way you would like them to be. When this happens,
it is easy to grow discouraged and give up praying. But Jesus implored us to pray
and never give up (Luke 18:1). Paul also instructed believers to “never stop
praying” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). When we fail to pray, we miss out on one of
the greatest blessings of the Christian life—fellowship with God himself, our
power source for living. In addition, we are going against what God has instructed us to do.
The Bible gives us some perspective on how to experience the power of prayer
in our lives. The following is a partial list of what should characterize your
prayers as a believer.
1. Pray Regularly. God wants to hear our prayers throughout the day—not
just in times of crisis or before meals (see Psalm 55:16-17, page 490).
2. Pray without Hindrance. Sins and other distractions can negatively affect
your prayer life (see Isaiah 59:1-2, page 638).
3. Pray Expecting to Get Answers. The Bible gives us guidelines to follow
so that our prayers will be answered (see 1 John 5:14-15, page 1146).
4. Pray Effectively. Prayer can work powerfully in the face of a crisis when
God’s people come together and call out to him (see Acts 12:1-17, page 982).
5. Pray Persistently. God honors persistent prayer (see Luke 18:1-8, page 926).
As a Christian, it is extremely important to remember that you are a representative of Jesus Christ. One of the more visible ways you represent him is
through your speech or conversations. It has been said that every person
speaks about thirty thousand words in an average day. That is a considerable
amount of “representation time”—especially when you consider the power of
the spoken word. With our mouths we have the power to build up or destroy.
This should give you even greater motivation to weigh your words before you
speak them.
The Bible shares some practical advice when it comes to controlling the
tongue. Below are a few passages of Scripture to guide you in this area.
