Conversations with God…40 Day Prayer Adventure

Week 1

Day 1 – Your Spiritual History
They overcame him (the accuser) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. Revelation 12:11

If you are a follower of Jesus then your life story has become part of God’s big story. Your adventure in prayer is a portion of your overall adventure with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Listen to Paul tell how his story intersected with God’s (Acts 9:1-22) and then write your own story in a way that it can be told in less than three minutes. Use your story to energize a time of thankful prayer.

Day 2 – Adoration
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee… Isaiah 26:3

I recently attended a chapel service at Truett Theological Seminary in which Tony Campolo delivered the morning sermon. He spoke about social justice and the need to develop a close personal relationship with Christ. Dr. Campolo attends an African-American Baptist Church in urban Philadelphia, PN. He talked about how his fellow church members describe adoration. They often say, “I woke up this morning with my mind stayed on Jesus.” Is your mind stayed on Jesus? All true prayer is born out of a heart that adores God. Come let us adore him!

Day 3 – Adoration (Part II)
As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? Psalm 42:1

We often sing the little chorus “As the Deer” in our worship at Truitt Memorial. Recently Beverly Abernathy and Wayne Blackmon played a beautiful version of it for our offertory. I love that little song because it speaks of a heart exploding with love for God. How long has it been since you have panted to be with God? Powerful prayer begins with true desire. Pray for God to stir desire in your heart for Him.

Day 4 – Adoration: Learning to Adore
In thy presence is fullness of joy: at thy right hand are pleasures evermore. Psalm 16:11

God desires our adoration because adoration brings us pleasure. Oral Roberts became famous for saying, “God is a good God.” On that issue I could not agree more. God is good and wants us to experience his pleasure in our lives. We simply will not pray if we do not learn to enjoy God in prayer. Read Revelation 4:1-11 and experience the ecstatic joy of Heaven’s throne room. Join the chorus of worshippers singing, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.” Revelation 4:8b
 

Day 5 – Adoration: Why Do It
…[they] took notice of them that they had been with Jesus. Acts 4:13

Adoration puts us in the spirit of prayer. It opens the way for us to approach God. Barry Landrum says, “You can pray in secret, but it is no secret that you pray.” Adoration creates a prayer atmosphere in which we experience God’s glory and partake in the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). Spend time adoring God so that others can see Jesus in you.

Day 6 – Confession: A Necessity in Our Relationship with God
Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my thoughts; and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:23-24

Confession is agreeing with God about our sin. When we see God in his blinding holiness our own sinfulness becomes apparent. Sometimes in order to deceive ourselves about our spiritual condition we dull our hearing to the voice of the Holy Spirit. This dullness of heart is cured when we ask God to search our lives for hidden sin and complacency. When God reveals these to us and we agree about them in confession new passion for God is generated. We receive a new vision of who God is and who we are in relation to him. Ask God for a dose of courage and then pray Psalm 139:23-24.

Day 7 – Confession: The Lack Of It Causes Prayers To Go Unanswered
Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so you will not hear. Isaiah 59:1-2

Unconfessed sin is not the only reason our prayers are not answered in the way we would like them to be. Sometimes our prayers are not in God’s will and sometimes they are not in his timing. With that said, there are occasions when God does not answer our petitions because we harbor hidden sin in our hearts. We often transgress his will for our lives and fail to do those things that give him pleasure. Confession is truly good for the soul and it opens the windows of Heaven for God’s power to be poured out on us. Live honestly before God and see his hand move in your life.