When it came to prayer, I have to admit, I never used to think I was very good at it.  It always seemed difficult for me and I always struggled with thinking prayer was for those really spiritual people who were obviously more in tune with God than I was.  I locked the idea of prayer up in a group study or a public worship service.  Especially during extended times of prayer, the distraction and seeming competition of, “who can pray the most holy prayer” really began to annoy me.  But then I discovered something; God didn’t care how holy I sounded or how many really cool theological terms I used while I prayed.  He just wanted me to OPEN MY MOUTH! Preferably in PRIVATE. 

“Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” John 14:13

Here are some simple benefits of Praying Bold Prayers…

• Character – God wants to restore us to him through building our character.  Continual prayer builds character.  So many times we only pray when we need something.  Isn’t it annoying when the only time you hear from someone is if they need something from you?  That is called manipulation and usury. The more time I spend with Jesus, the more my character deepens and increases.  How you pray determines your character.  How you pray defines your relationship with God.  If you only approach God when you “need” Him, God is not your God, he is the last resort to bail you out.  He is your “genie in a bottle”  OPEN YOUR MOUTH OFTEN,  He will never grow tired of hearing your voice.  Your character depends on it.

• Confidence – Can we just keep prayer simple for a change?  Here it is:  Tell God what you think, how much you love Him and ask Him what to do. The next time you are tempted to do a “performance prayer” slap yourself and remind yourself God wants you to come to Him as you are.  You can approach Jesus with confidence boldly!  It’s not about your vocabulary but your VOICE!  OPEN YOUR MOUTH.   “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:16

• Clarity– Without the voice of God you will operate on the “best guess” system.  You will be lost, always living in the FOG of the next decision . You will look to others first, yield to popular opinion and then most often take the path of least resistance.  Jesus gives clarity and always is true to the Bible as the source of clarity.  In Jesus’ own words, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ Matthew 4:4  OPEN YOUR MOUTH AFTER you have closed it long enough to LISTEN to Him!
  

So what does this mean for our community?  This Sunday will be unlike any other gathering we have ever experienced at 217church.  We will have the opportunity to boldly approach Him through the power of Jesus as a community in unity and ask for some pretty deep stuff. Physical and emotional healing will happen this Sunday.

Our church is heading into a season of praying some desperate prayers!  We have so many decisions to make and God’s vision is getting clearer and clearer for us every day.  Jesus loves this community more than we can possibly understand and we are on a mission to show people Jesus.  Something BIG is about to happen and it starts inside your heart.  God wants to do something deep in you so he can do something HUGE through you.

Don’t miss this Sunday…

Don’t be shy, OPEN YOUR MOUTH!

217church is a contemporary church in Mercer County, NJ serving singles and families in the following townships in Mercer County and Bucks County areas (Hamilton, Lawrenceville, Allentown, Trenton, East Windsor, West Windsor, Princeton, Hightstown, Chesterton, Bordentown, Monroe, Robbinsville, Mercerville, Yardville, Yardley, Newtown, Langhorne and more!).