The attitude of prayer,

    Humility, respect, love, praise, meekness...these are all just some of the things that make up the attitude we should have when going before God in prayer.  Obviously we can't just go to God and say, "Okay God so here's your to-do list for today so get busy please."  It does not work that way.  First of all, think about whom we're talking to here; we’re talking to the one true GOD, the creator of all things, the all-seeing eye, and the forgiver of sins!  I think anyone who recognizes that, and are in their right mind, would not be handing out a to-do list.  Humility and meekness will not produce such a thing.  In Matthew 6: 9-13 God gives his disciples an example of the attitude we should have in going to prayer. 
Mat 6:9  After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Mat 6:10  Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Mat 6:11  Give us this day our daily bread.
Mat 6:12  And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
Mat 6:13  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

    This is not a list of words to memorize and recite every day, in fact the words are not what's important; it's the attitude of the heart that matters to God.  We may not know how to pray sometimes, and sometimes it's best to just be quite and commune with God...just to shut out the world and all the noise of this life, and just wait and listen.  God see's the heart and goes off that.  We can bring him our trials and afflictions and desires all we want, and he desires to bless and help in each thing, but unless we have the proper attitude, he won't hear us, and really if we truly love God, that attitude of prayer will come to us naturally. 

    Jer 29:13 and ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

Conditions for Successful Prayer

Humility is a necessity in order for our prayers to be heard and answered.

2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

We need to come to God with our whole heart.

Jeremiah 29:11-13 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

Faith needs to be the motivating force of our prayer.

Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

We need to be clear before God for our prayers to reach him.

Matthew 5:23-24 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

It is essential that we go to God with the proper adoration and respect.

Luke 11:2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.

Each of these conditions must be met for God to move in his way, which is always for the best.

We need to keep our connection with God.
One important point in our prayer life is meditation. Prayer isn't always a set time and place - it goes on throughout the day. Prayer is a way of reaching out. Our meditation throughout the day is important. When you come to the end of your day, have you only thought about yourself?

- Philippians 4:8
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

It's hard to pray when we have a negative focus and you aren't always going to have "time" to pray. So when the opportunity presents itself, pray!

- Matthew 6:5
But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

Remove yourself from the obstacles around you. Turn off the noise!
We need to be mindful of the needs expressed around us.

Don't get caught up in gossip! It will hinder your prayer life! Have respect for your brothers/sisters in Christ - even if they misuse you. Always assume the best - even if they display something else.

Faithful in our stewardship

God expects us to be faithful in our stewardship.

Steward – a person put in charge of the affairs of a large household or estate, one who acts as a supervisor or administrator

Being a good steward doesn’t imply riches but being faithful with everything God has given you charge of.

Luke 16:10-12  He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?

Have you ever wondered what life would be like without discipline?  It would be quite different.  Think about it...there would be no rules, no laws, no common form of doing anything. People would be doing whatever they felt like doing whether it be good or bad, and I think with all the greed and selfishness in the world it would be mostly bad.  I don't know how long humanity would last, Without discipline it would be a disaster.

I think it would be safe to say..that a world without any form of discipline whatsoever..could not survive.  Wouldn't you say that you are thankful for discipline?  I know that I am!

Acts 10:20
Peter teaches us that being steadfast in the things of God include presenting our lives with confidence, and setting priorities when faced with spiritual challenges. Being a modern, resourcful christian in todays society rests heavily on the need to set aside our obstacles , in the quest to remain steadfast and focused on our goals.

What better example than Jesus himself, who has shown us that being steadfast means having an understanding that the christian walk excludes looking back on our path already walked, and embodies the hunger to reach for what is before us. (Philipeans 3:13)
Going through a motion of church or outreach has less impact on a community than a body that practices being steadfast together, and in their personal lives. Lets always have something to work towards and have the confidence to set aside our fears and obstacles to remain faithful to God, as he is to us.

John 13:15-17

Christ has left us a perfect example to follow. His greatest desire was to do His Father's will. We as humans love to set goals for ourselves and make plans for our lives. But sometimes we need to take a step back and ask the question, "Is what I'm doing the Will of the Father?"

If we feel discouraged, we should check ourselves and find whether there is anything that God has asked us to do that we haven't been doing. Discouragement will come if we aren't living up to the example Christ set us.

JOhn 5:30
Jesus was on this earth to do God's will. He knew He had a limited amount of time on earth; thus, He must have dwelt on His Father's will often. We often think that we live in the worst times and circumstances that have ever been - but things were terrible in Jesus' day also. In fact, things could even have been worse than today. People were openly persecuted and killed for their faith. As for doctrines and ideas of man, Jesus had to deal with them all. He lived in a world of people with strong religious ideas who firmly believed that what they had been taught was truth. Jesus wanted to show the world who God was. If we want to do the will of the Father, we must desire to show Him also.

Unified Purpose of Heart

Acts 10:9-28 ~

Peter’s vision helped him to understand that no man is common or unclean. During Peter’s time the Gentiles were considered unclean and not candidates for salvation or becoming apart of God’s people. However when you get down to the basics, Jews and Gentiles are really not that different, as long as there is a common desire to serve God. Both Peter and Cornelius were just men that desired to serve God, this sets them aside to be apart of God’s people even though they come from opposing cultures.

Acts 4:32-34 ~ And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.

The church had one goal, one heart, holding everything in common. They were in unity as the people of God but they were individual people. The success of any operation floats on the fact that EVERYONE is working toward the same goal. We can come from different backgrounds, cultures, and beliefs, individuality is good, but we must have the same purpose in heart, the same goal in mind, to serve God, for us to be in unity and prosperous as the body of Christ.

Mark 3:24-25 ~ And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.

And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.

We have to have the same goal in mind for the Church of God to stand and be effective in winning souls.

Achieving your Goals

Are you achieving your goals? What is your goal?

In order to know the answer, you need to know what your goals are. The following are some steps that can help one to achieve their goal:

·         Must have a vision of having achieved the goal. What will that look like? Picture it in your mind and don’t allow yourself to be distracted away from that vision. We need to have faith here on earth in order to have a vision of receiving the reward.

·         Set a date or time frame in which the goal is to be reached. Don’t let the opportunities pass by, challenge your self to achieve the goal with in the allotted time frame.

·         Have a detailed plan of how to achieve your goal. Stick to this plan and don’t allow your self to waver. Seek God to help you with determination to follow the plan.

·         Know and understand the obstacles that will come against you when trying to achieve your goal.

·         Find those around you that can be of assistance to you in achieving your goal. Locate your resources and use them to their potential. Even those that may not be an obvious resource can offer great help.

·         Make sure you have a strong determination to complete the task. Are you doing what you need to do in order to achieve your goal?

·         Recognize the benefits that you have, who you are and that you are able to achieve the goal.

These steps can be used to meet spiritual as well at temporal goals, if you have a goal in mind, follow God’s direction as you work toward achieving that goal. Don’t allow discouragement or difficulty keep you from achieving the goal.