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Do You Need to Pray for Yourself More?

by Tonja Taylor
8/17/2023 / Christian Living

I’m so thankful the LORD saved me early, so that I received Jesus into my heart at age 9, at Vacation Bible School, and that He started teaching me to pray, even before that.

As I’ve matured spiritually and emotionally through the years, I’ve learned to pray a lot for others, and sometimes, that prayer has literally extended to covering the whole world—which is not too big for God!

After all, Jesus Christ died for every person who would ever be born; His blood paid for the sins us all, for all time!

That is the phenomenon of phenomenoms!

We are commanded to pray for others, and for good reason, and the LORD even promises to heal us when we pray for healing for others.

15 And the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick. 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 has great power to prevail.---James 5:15-16, Berean Study Bible

However, sometimes, we can neglect to pray for ourselves.

The LORD has recently been pointing that out to me, very gently. He is so kind and sweet and patient! He alone knows what is best for us.

I’m sure that, when I pray in the Holy Spirit (by the baptism of the Holy Spirit, with the evidence of speaking in tongues; a deeper, fuller level of being filled with the Spirit of God, which is primarily for service to the LORD and others; Acts 2:4, I Corinthians 14:5, ), that I have prayed for myself.

However, I am primarily talking about praying for oneself in English.

This is not selfish. The LORD tells us to come boldly to Him. He is our dyamite, loving Daddy God, and wants us to come to Him. He loves to help us!

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.--Hebrews 4:16, ESV

What a privilege! Really, what we are doing is running as beloved children to our Daddy God (Abba Father), Who is always ready to receive us, help us, and listen to us, when we come sincerely to Him. He never stops loving us, even when we have a bad attitude (Ask me how I know!).

6 And because you [really] are [His] sons, God has sent the [Holy] Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, Abba (Father)! Father! 7 Therefore, you are no longer a slave (bond servant) but a son; and if a son, then [it follows that you are] an heir by the aid of God, through Christ.--Galatians 4:6-7, AMPC

How great and gracious is our beloved Daddy God, Who is Love (I John 4:8), Who created us for relationship with Him!

What an amazing privilege to have the power to become a child of God!

But as many as received him, to them gave he the right to become children of God, even to them that believe on his name:--John 1:12, ASV

So, just like we want our precious kiddos to tell us what they need, the LORD wants us to come to Him with our needs and desires.

We know and provide for the needs of our children, as the good, loving parents that we are; but we are not all-knowing like the Father, Who still wants us to come to Him and communicate, adoring and appreciative, asking Him to help us (Of course, He helps us every moment, gives us every breath, and every good thing we need, and the desires of our hearts as they align with His will!).

Let’s be honest here (which is what I’ve been doing! I used to think it amusing when I’d hear a preacher or teacher of the Word talk for over an hour, then they’d say, “Can I be honest?” and I’d think, I thought that’s what you were doing all along!), which really means—just like the preachers and teachers say—that I’m about to share something that may seem a little personal, but which most people have felt, as part of the human condition: No matter how loving our spouse or friends or other family members are, they cannot fully understand—nor meet—our needs.

Only God the Father, through the LORD Jesus Christ our Savior, can!

But the one who loves God is known by God. --I Cor. 8:3, Berean Standard Bible

We can be disappointed, discouraged, and disgruntled, when we lean too heavily on our spouse or others, and expect them to anticipate our needs and desires.

I’m not going to go into how this can lead to major problems, in many areas of life!

It is better to take refuge in the LORD Than to trust in people.--Psalm 118:8, NASB

We were each created, as Colossians 1:4 says, to have faith in God, which is “the leaning of your entire human personality on Him in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness.” That is, to make God the Father our ultimate “go to” Person; our very Best Friend Forever.

Truly, there is a Friend that sticks closer than a brother, and it is the LORD Jesus Christ, Who is One with God the Father.

A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.--Proverbs 18:24, ESV

As Jesus said, “If you’ve seen Me, you’ve seen the Father.” He came to complete the Father’s work. He and the Father are One.

Jesus replied, “Philip, I have been with you all this time, and still you do not know Me? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? --John 14:9, Berean Standard Bible

HALLELUJAH!

We can only approach the Father, Who is holy, through the blood of His Son, Jesus. Once we confess our sins and ask the LORD to forgive us, He does! Then the Spirit of God enters our life; the core of our being, our spirit—our heart---and transforms us from a sinful, hell-bound creature, into a victorious, clean, redeemed, righteous person who is now united with the LORD Jesus! He does this by cleansing our hearts with His blood, and He sets up His Kingdom there. Wow, and Hallelujah!

…12 For there is no difference between Jew and Greek: The same Lord is Lord of all, and gives richly to all who call on Him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” --Romans 10:12-13, Berean Standard Bible

So, do not shy away from praying for yourself. Trust the LORD to guide you. He loves you more than you know!

Also, you don’t have to be on your knees (like I used to think we had to be every time; that is a religious spirit, and thank the LORD, He is not religious! It would be like us expecting our kids to address us formally, and get on their knees or something, when they wanted to ask us anything. No, we want them to be free and confident that we love them, knowing that they are going to be heard and helped, as long as they are not asking for something that would harm them.

We do expect them to approach us respectfully, of course, because if they come with an arrogant or otherwise scornful or bad attitude, we will most likely tell them to go to their room/get an attitude adjustment before we will truly listen. At the same time, our love for our kids usually supersedes that, and we can tell if our kids are suffering in some way, which is causing a bad attitude, and it’s not just pride or rebellion.

Our love for our kids overrides the rest, and our love is far from perfect. How much more does God’s perfect love override our mess! He is so loving and gracious, that He rains on the just and the unjust, and Christ Jesus’ blood was shed for all—even those who will go to hell blaspheming them!

Such truly amazing Grace!

17 But from everlasting to everlasting the loving devotion of the LORD extends to those who fear Him, and His righteousness to their children’s children— 18 to those who keep His covenant and remember to obey His precepts.…Psalm 103:17-18, Berean Standard Bible

Daddy God, the LORD of Heaven and earth; the One Who created and sustains all life, is interested in every detail of your life!

Feel free to talk to Him, any time, anywhere. From the moment you received Him as your Savior and LORD, He has been with you. Even when you don’t sense His Presence, He is there with you. He will never leave you. He is faithful forever, and closer than your breath!

⁵Let your character or moral disposition be free from love of money [including greed, avarice, lust, and craving for earthly possessions] and be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]; for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]--Hebrews 13:5, AMPC

Hallelujah!

The LORD says,

23 And when that time comes, you will ask nothing of Me [you will need to ask Me no questions]. I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, that My Father will grant you whatever you ask in My Name [as presenting all that I Am]. 24 Up to this time you have not asked a [single] thing in My Name [as presenting all that I Am]; but now ask and keep on asking and you will receive, so that your joy (gladness, delight) may be full and complete.--John 16:23-24, AMPC

So feel free to ask your dear Daddy God what you need and want. He is listening!

Through books, courses, presentations, service, prayer, worship, and more, Tonja and her husband live to exalt God. Her series for girls, P.O.W.E.R. GIRL ADVENTURES, is now out (books I-V), along with LEGACY; YOUR HOLY HEALTH: VISIONS OF THE KING, and more. See the "River Rain Creative" YT channel.

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS

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