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Praise and Worship
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-prqjw-16f9ab1
In challenging times, individuals often feel abandoned by God. However, God does not promise a perfect life, yet assures that grief turns to joy. Praising Him amidst trials invites His presence, transforming despair into peace.
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9 Types of Christian Prayers Explained
If you would prefer to listen to this post, click on the link below, or copy and paste it into your browser and listen for free on Podbean. Alternatively, you can listen to The Jesus 4 Generations Podcast on your favourite streaming platform, e.g. Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.
https://ozsazzles.podbean.com/e/9-types-of-christian-prayer/
There are all sorts of prayers. When I googled the different types of Christian prayers some sites said 4, others 7 and others 10. I have put together a general list:
- Giving thanks or thanksgiving prayer for what God has done for us or given us.
- Prayer of praise or blessing God for who he is.
- Lamenting prayers where we bring what troubles us to God – for example anxiety, doubts and despair.
- Petitioning God or praying for God to give us what we need.
- Deliverance prayers, asking God to rescue us or deliver us from danger, and evil.
- Repenting, or asking God to forgive us for our misdeeds or alternatively, for something we should have done but did not do.
- Guiding prayers, asking God to give us directions of the best way forward.
- Interceding, or asking for something family, friends, our community, our nation or the world needs.
When we pray, how do we pray and what do we say? Do we give God a big list of wants and needs? Do we tell our loving Father and creator of the universe how we want these prayers answered? Do we become despondent if prayers aren’t answered how we want and within a timeframe we feel is appropriate?
Have we ever stopped and asked God what he wants us to pray for and how he wants us to pray? Prayer is communication with our loving God. It is a two-way street. We must learn to draw close to Him and listen to what is on His heart and what He desires. The Bible gives us a good blueprint to follow to get into His presence:
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
Psalm 100:4-5 (NIV)
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.So we enter His gates – make our way over the threshold, past the barrier of the walls around the courtyard by thanking Him for what He has done. What barrier might we encounter to entering His gates? Often it’s something we have done or failed to do, e.g. pride, anger, selfishness, not prioritising getting close to God or avoiding god as we know we will be convicted of something.
Next we enter His courts by praising Him. When we enter His courts we are getting closer to Him and going deeper. When we praise we are talking about who He is and His characteristics.
However, to get up close to God and fully enter His presence, we must do more:
Exalt the Lord our God
Psalm 99:5 (NIV)
and worship at his footstool;
he is holy.The ninth type of prayer is worship. We enter His presence by worshiping at His footstool. Often we use the words worship and praise synonymously, however, worship and praise are different. Focus on the Family state that praise is the fruit of the lips, it is communicated by spoken word or song or another creative expression. Worship, on the other hand, is the fruit of the heart, it is about love and appreciation, it is losing yourself in adoring God and utterly giving your all. You can worship in silence.
So once we have transitioned to worshiping, we can spend time at God’s feet and listen to Him. We can grow to know Him. We can ask Him what and how He wants us to pray. We can be still and rest in His presence.
From this position, powerful prayers are birthed, where we co-labor to bring about God’s good plans.
I’d love to hear about your prayer and intercessory life, as well as how you draw close to God. If you’d like to comment or subscribe so you don’t miss any posts, please do so below. Alternatively, you can email me at admin@Jesus4Generations.com. Please feel free to share this blog with anyone. God bless you and your family.
Sources:
- The idea for this post came from my deep love of prayer and the preaching of Pastor Bill Johnson https://bjm.org/
- Focus on the Family
- https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/types-of-prayers-we-see-in-the-bible.html
- https://www.cathedralstm.org/about-our-catholic-faith/expressing-our-faith/four-basic-forms-prayer/
- https://thewordfresno.org/five-types-of-prayer/
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9 Types of Christian Prayer
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-gehme-16f7599
This podcast discusses various types of Christian prayers. It emphasizes the importance of two-way communication with God and entering His presence through gratitude and praise and worship, encouraging readers to deepen their prayer life and relationship with God.
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Cultivating a Servant Heart: Insights from Jesus
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-dyurp-16d9a8e
The content emphasizes the importance of having a servant heart, as modeled by Jesus, highlighting serving others with the right motivation and attitude. It warns against overcommitting and seeking validation through service, advocating for balance by consulting God for direction. Ultimately, true service should stem from joy and co-laboration with the Holy Spirit.
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Raising Resilient Children: the dangers of overprotective parenting
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-tmvci-16d3638
This podcast reflects on the challenges of protecting children from failure and adversity, creating a dependency that hinders growth. They question whether actions stem from love or fear, and advocate for allowing children to face challenges, with trust in God’s guidance.
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Believing in God’s Good Plans: overcoming hopelessness
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-e9mm4-16d26ce
This podcast emphasizes God’s continuous work and the need to focus on His promises amid worldly challenges. It underscores the importance of choosing faith over hopelessness and trusting in God’s unwavering love and promises.
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Believing in God’s Good Plans: Overcoming Hopelessness
If you would prefer to listen to this blog, copy and paste the link below into your browser and listen for free on Podbean. Alternatively, you can check out The Jesus 4 Generations Podcast on your favourite streaming platform, e.g. Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
https://ozsazzles.podbean.com/e/believing-in-gods-good-plans-overcoming-hopelessness/
God is at work 24/7. He never stops. He is continually bringing His good plans to pass. His blessings pour out upon us day and night.
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
Romans 8:28 (NLT)We have all experienced God’s grace and His goodness. In both big and small ways. We know from scripture His patience and faithfulness and yet, at times we may feel tired, drained and defeated and struggle to see from a Kingdom perspective.
So much in this world screams DON’T BELIEVE! The news, social media and Hollywood would all have us concentrate on our own limited capabilities and the ills of the world. This can culminate in a general sense of hopelessness.
In these times, we have a choice. We can choose to believe the wretched messages constantly coming our way. Or we can trust the promises of Jesus, the Prince of Peace and our sovereign Lord.
Sometimes, we may feel like we are fighting a losing battle with this. However, if we desire a heavenly outlook there are some things we can do.
We can read God’s word and speak out His promises over our lives. We might read a book or blog by an inspirational Christian author. Perhaps we listen to praise and worship music, or our favorite Christian podcast. We could watch a Christian movie or show. Maybe we pray, which is simply speaking with God. Possibly, we write down and go over the blessings we have already received from God. Or we can catch up with a good Christian friend and chat and pray.
The scriptures abound with verses that are encouraging.
Because the Sovereign Lord helps me,
Isaiah 50:7-9 (NIV)
I will not be disgraced.
Therefore have I set my face like flint,
and I know I will not be put to shame.The battle in the mind, can at times seem overwhelming. We must not trust our feelings. Our feelings are like waves on the ocean, rising and falling. But our good God is steadfast in His love and promises. Truthful to His word, He never leaves us orphans.
Today, choose to believe.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this blog. I’d love to hear about your journey with Jesus. If you’d like to subscribe so you don’t miss any posts, please do so below. If you’d like to comment, you can also do this below, or you can message me privately at admin@jesus4generations.com. God bless you!
Sources:
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Radical Love: Embracing Jesus’ Teachings on Forgiveness and Compassion
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-nc7fz-16c8517
This podcast discusses Jesus’ teachings about loving your enemy. It emphasizes how radical Jesus’ teaching were then, and still are now.
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Unleashing Your Mission Field: Spreading the gospel of Jesus Online
https://unsplash.com/@worshae If you would prefer to listen to this blog, please copy and paste the link below into your browser and watch it for free on Podbean. Alternatively, you can listen to The Jesus for Generations Podcast on your favourite platform, e.g. Spotify or Apple Podcasts:
https://ozsazzles.podbean.com/e/unleashing-your-mission-field-spreading-the-gospel-of-jesus-online/
Often we can think that evangelism isn’t something we need to do. We assume there are other people specially appointed to do this. They have gifts and an anointing to be an evangelist. Ministers, pastors, priests, and of course the Billy Graham Ministry. And we don’t need to embarrass ourselves or the people we are talking to. We have other callings, e.g. to serve, to host, to worship, etc.
Matthew 9:37-38 (NIV)
Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”The last thing Jesus asked of us before he ascended into heaven was:
Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV)
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”In this day and age there are many ways we can reach people. We don’t have to force Jesus down people’s throats. We represent Jesus when we speak and behave in a Christ like manner. Often people will be curious because we are different and may ask us questions.
One method I’m very passionate about is using technology. Whether that’s a podcast, a blog, a YouTube channel, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram or twitter. We don’t have to be experts in these platforms. There’s information all over the internet about how to create and publish on every platform.
When the Holy Spirit was urging me to create a blog, I had no idea where to start. In fact I was quite daunted! However, once I gave up the argument about how inadequate I was for the task and realised the creativity rested with Him and He would provide it, it was easy to submit. Then, with determination and lots of time reading articles explaining everything I needed to know, I published my first blog.
In time the Holy Spirit urged me to commence a podcast. This was terrifying and far more complicated than blogging. However, a beautiful friend of mine called Sanet spent a lot of time on the phone explaining what I needed to do and encouraging me. I will be forever grateful for her support. So The Jesus 4 Generations Podcast was born.
You might ask if I’m doing this for attention. No… Far from it. In fact, I was a bit like Jonah, avoiding it. However, the Holy Spirit insisted and eventually I obeyed. I do this in obedience for the glory of God, to share the love, joy and hope Jesus brings.
I see The Information Super Highway as a mission field for the gospel. It is unfortunate that Christians have under-utilised the enormous potential of this resource. I encourage everyone to contribute something that spreads the good news. Whether it’s a testimony of what Jesus has done in your life. Perhaps music or written or spoken words on your Facebook page, Instagram, TikTok or twitter. Maybe you can publish something on YouTube. You might be gifted and create movies or shorts.
I was afraid to start my blog and concerned people would think I was crazy, or worse still vain. I thought people would make fun of me. But the bible says:
Luke 9:26 (NASB)
For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory and the glory of the Father and the holy angels.At School of Faith we have a saying, faith is spelled R I S K. Therefore, anyone who steps out in faith to spread the good news is risking rejection and ridicule. However, it’s worth the risk. How is anyone going to be saved if we refuse to share the joy of knowing Jesus.
My cousin Annalyn, with my encouragement has commenced blogging this year also. She shares her love of Jesus with the world and encourages people to follow Him also:
A friend of mine, Genna Bryers has started a YouTube channel called Enveloped Music where she records instrumental music and sings Christian worship music and plays guitar.
Maybe you can be like Worshae – who created the free image I used at the top of this blog.
All of these people and many more like myself take the time to create content for people who are searching for Jesus or needing encouragement in their walk with God. I am sure you have something worth offering too.
I encourage you to spend some time with the Holy Spirit and ask him to inspire you to your mission field. It may just be at your computer!
I hope you enjoyed this blog. If you’d like to subscribe or leave a comment, you can do so below. Alternatively, you can email me at admin@jesus4generations.com. I look forward to hearing from you. God bless!
Sources:
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Unleashing Your Mission Field: Spreading the gospel of Jesus Online
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-p2enx-16bd7a1
This podcast emphasizes the importance of personal evangelism and using modern platforms to share the message of Jesus. Personal experiences are shared to urge others to take the risk in spreading the good news.
Jesus 4 Generations
Revealing our loving God to generations
Jesus 4 Generations 