heaven's tree book club

Model Prayer
Today is the very last day of this book. I have not felt the same way about this book as I did with Breakthrough Prayer. This book did not have nearly as many stories and I really like stories. There was a lot on teaching and a lot on examples of situations but very few stories. I did not look forward to the next chapter and I am not sad that I have come to the end. That is a sad thing when we feel neutral about a book. I didn't like or dislike this book. It was helpful however. It help me with my level of faith and one huge take away is to call those things which are not as though they are. The Biblical example is John 11 and when Jesus said that Lazarus was sleeping and not dead. The other thing is to believe that God has already healed me and in the meantime to thank Him for His healing. This really helps with the faith aspect. He did have some controversial things like saying the Lord's Prayer should not be prayed today and many churches would have a problem with that. He did share some stories about healing and his promises from the Bible regarding healing hit very close to home for me.
Biblical 8/10
Readable 8/10
Inspirational 8/10
Practical 9/10
total: 82%
Overall, I would recommend this book to those interested in the subject of prayer. Although there is not much by way of new insight, the teaching is practical and encouraging.
Today has been very much so an ordinary day. Nothing good nor bad. I did however receive my very first pedal exerciser in the mail today. Because I cannot do any traditional form of exercise, I need something I can sit and do and so I learned of this pedal exerciser. It seems to work fine although it does not provide very much resistence. I am not looking to bulk up and so it is fine. Other than that, nothing new today which can very well be a good thing. These days I am not looking for any surprises.

"Once you make the decision to dedicate a regular part of your life to prayer, you then have to create the time, because you can bet the devil will not allow you to "work it in." Prayer is not something that you should just fit into your schedule: it is the key factor that allows the rest of your schedule to function. There is not a professional ball team in America, whether it's football, baseball, or basketball, that does not warm up before starting a practice or the game. Couldn't they get more practice time in if they got rid of that twenty minutes of warm-ups first? Of course, but the result would be more injuries—more serious injuries. If you approach your prayer time as optional, as something to be squeezed in, then soon you will not be praying at all. Some people I know pray in the shower, which can run up a water bill, but if that's what you have to do to get away from distractions, so be it. Others pray in the Spirit in their cars. That's fine, but if you try that in English, your attention will be divided, and you'll either mess up your prayer or have an accident. I prefer praying the first thing in the morning, because it sets the tone for the whole day. Then I never get into a situation where I say, "Uh oh, I should have prayed about that!" No, the Spirit will take care of those situations.
Remember also that the devil will do his best to distract you. You will have phone calls, pet "emergencies," family interruptions, even physical discomfort or itching—anything to get you off schedule. And if the devil can get you off schedule once or twice, pretty soon he can get you off schedule every day."
I mention how this book is practical and so this chapter ends with some thoughts on how to pray and later includes a model prayer. This first thought hits home for me. I get really distracted in prayer and also when reading the Bible. I get tired, need to use the bathroom, or get interrupted. No onder why some pray in the shower. So this first idea is key. I think late at night usually is good because no one can interrupt but for me I am very tired around that time.

"1. Begin with thanksgiving.
Heavenly Father, thank You so much for all Your blessings, and for all Your gifts...
Here you might want to list the things you are thankful for—good health, a job, a nice house, a wonderful spouse or children. Whatever it is, thank God for it. Don't be in a hurry. This might take some time.
2. Confess your faith in God and His Son.
Father, I'm a believer and not a doubter. Jesus is Lord. I believe in my heart that He has been raised from the dead. And I give thanksgiving that I am born again. I'm a believer and not a doubter. Thank You, Jesus, for Your sacrifice and that You lived a perfect life, died on the cross formed, rose from the grave for me, defeated hell and death for me, and sit at the right hand of the Father making intercession for me. Praise You, Jesus!
 
Don't be in a rush. You can never go wrong by praising God and His Son.
3. Pray for those in authority over you.
In 1 Timothy 2:1-2, Paul tells us that we should pray for our leaders.
Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.
Paul was saying that we need to pray for all men to come into the knowledge of salvation, to give thanks, and to intercede for all those in authority over us. This is for our benefit, not theirs, so that we may lead peaceful lives. You can't have a very good prayer life if you are worried about rival gangs breaking down your doors.
During my prayer time I thank God for the president, whoever he is, the vice president, the members of the House and Senate, the Supreme Court, our governor, our mayor, and the police, judges, and fire personnel over me, that I may live in peace."
Long ago I was told about ACTs as a model for prayer. In that method it is adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and then supplication. Here, thanksgiving comes first, and adoration second. I personally think adoration comes before anything else. I need to know who I am praying to. Then I think confession and then thanksgiving. I like the ACTs model better but both ways are equally valid. Spending some time specifically on Jesus and specifically what He has done for us really helps to set a tone of gratitude and humility.

"4. Pray for revelation knowledge.
Paul also said we should pray for revelation knowledge. Pray for greater spiritual understanding, and pray that believers around the world are protected and that they may exercise their faith in peace. Pray for the spread of the gospel, that with the harvest ready, laborers are coming forth. In that vein, it's appropriate to pray that government barriers against Christianity are lifted, whether in communist countries or in Muslim countries where Christians are, to this day, enslaved. Remember, not all believers have it as well as you do! Bind the demonic spirits that are attacking Christians through governments, and loose the protective angels that they might keep believers safe and free.
5. Add your personal confession about your need.
When you are ready, next move to your personal confession about your needs and your circumstances.
Father, I believe that the things You have promised me in Your Word belong to me. I intend to know what they are. Satan, I rebuke you in the name of Jesus! Take your hands off my body. Take your hands off my home. Take your hands off my finances. Take your hands off my children and my family, and get out of my affairs. The blood of the Lamb is over me. I belong to God. You, Satan, are not my Lord. Jesus is Lord, and He has defeated you permanently to reclaim the world and to reclaim me. I don't have to do what you say, devil. I don't have to receive what you give."
The fourth item takes on a missiological and evangelistic tone which is important in the total prayer picture. The prayer is going from big picture now to the individual with item five and praying for ourselves. I still do not understand the bind and loosing concept he is interested in and the prayer for item five takes on a charismatic tone. The words are very unlike the words we hear in conservative churches and I am not sure if anyone I know actually uses this kind of language.

The last two items are praying for our enemies and praying for our finances. These cover a lot of ground and makes sense. The very last part does not make much sense. The author says to conclude by praying in the spirit. He does not really mention what exactly this is but he says it is different from praying in English. This last part was very confusing, but I like his final paragraph and advice.
"The most important ingredient for answered prayer, of course, is to pray. You can't get practice at praying until you start to pray. The writer William F. Buckley, who at his peak would write a newspaper column every day, edit a magazine, and turn out two novels a year, was once asked how he wrote so much. Buckley said, "I get up in the morning, brush my teeth, then sit down and start to type." Prayer is the same process. Some people have a prayer closet, some have a prayer room, or some pray in bed. Wherever you pray, be sure to set aside someplace where you won't be interrupted. Remember that one of the devil's best tricks is distraction. But most of all, find a regular time to pray. No matter what, nothing must come between you and that prayer time.
Begin today. Begin right now. Start immediately finding out God's promises for you, and begin listing what He has already done. You will notice a change in your life, and I can assure you that you too can say with confidence, "God hears my prayers and answers rhem all."
Prayer:
Father. thank You for this book on prayer. Thank You that You hear and answer prayer. I believe You have healed me and thank You for Your healing. I did not ask You to heal my eyesight last time but now claim Your promise that by Christ's wounds I am healed and apply it into the situation of my eyesight. I have had my eye condition for 31 years now but want to believe from this point forward You have the power to heal my eyes. I cannot imagine a life where I can see. What would that be like? I don't even know but the thought that You can do this impossible thing already amazes me. This chapter has a model pray for us but I do not understand it all. The key piece is faith. Still today, my faith is so weak. I long desire to see Your intervention and healing become actualized. Help me to see Your works that I may testify of Your wonders to all the nations.