Lord Teach Us To Labor In Prayer

Prayer is a vital part of our relationship with God and a powerful tool to advance His kingdom. However, not all prayers are the same. Some prayers require more intensity, focus, and strategy than others. These are the prayers that we call laboring in prayer. In this book, I will teach how to labor in prayer effectively and strategically, following the examples of biblical heroes who prayed with authority and fervor. David was a man after God's own heart who knew how to pray strategically. He faced many enemies and challenges in his life, but he always trusted God and sought His guidance. He also had a well-planned attack when he faced Goliath, the giant who defied the armies of Israel. He used his sling and a stone to hit Goliath's weak spot and bring him down. I will show you how we can pray strategically like David, using God's word as our weapon and targeting the enemy's vulnerabilities. Epaphras was a faithful servant of God who planted the church in Colossae and later joined Paul in prison. He prayed earnestly for the Colossian church, especially that they may stand perfect and complete in God's will. He also wrestled in prayer for them, indicating a strong opposition from the enemy. He was not just praying casually or routinely, but fervently and passionately. We too can pray fervently like Epaphras, using God's will as our goal and overcoming the enemy's resistance. When we labor in prayer, we are not just praying randomly or blindly. We are praying intelligently, with divine insight and direction from God. We are also praying with skill and precision, like a skilled player who can catch or block the enemy's missiles before they reach their targets. We are not ignorant of the enemy's schemes, but we are aware and alert to his attacks. We are also not afraid or intimidated by his threats, but we are confident and courageous in God's power. We can pray intelligently like a skilled player, using God's wisdom as our guide and His power as our strength. I am delighted that you have chosen to embark on this wonderful journey with me, as we explore this next level of prayer together. It is a glorious adventure for those who are seasoned in prayer or eager to grow in it. I believe that as we learn to labor in prayer effectively and strategically, we will see amazing results in our lives and in the lives of others. We will also experience more intimacy with God and more joy in His presence.

New York Times bestseller What is Jesus worth to you? It's easy for American Christians to forget how Jesus said his followers would actually live, what their new lifestyle would actually look like. They would, he said, leave behind security, money, convenience, even family for him. They would abandon everything for the gospel. They would take up their crosses daily... But who do you know who lives like that? Do you? In Radical, David Platt challenges you to consider with an open heart how we have manipulated the gospel to fit our cultural preferences. He shows what Jesus actually said about being his disciple--then invites you to believe and obey what you have heard. And he tells the dramatic story of what is happening as a "successful" suburban church decides to get serious about the gospel according to Jesus. Finally, he urges you to join in The Radical Experiment -- a one-year journey in authentic discipleship that will transform how you live in a world that desperately needs the Good News Jesus came to bring.

Praying God’s Heart is for anyone who wants to be more effective in intercession—praying for others and for God’s kingdom to advance. Its 30 short chapters offer a thorough yet concise treatment of important issues related to intercessory prayer. Among the topics are: • The role of Father, Son and Holy Spirit in intercession • The listening side of prayer • Praying kingdom prayers • The relationship of obedience to answered prayer • The power of praying scripture • The prayer of faith “No generation has ever had as much knowledge about world conditions and problems as our,” says Alvin VanderGriend in Praying God’s Heart. “Along with that knowledge comes a responsibility to pray far and wide for the establishment of God’s plan and purposes.” Praying God’s Heart will teach you how to more effectively come alongside God’s purposes for your family, friends, church and world as you learn to intercede for what is on His heart.

Profound reflections on the cross that help you to meditate on and marvel at the sacrificial love of Jesus. This book can be used as a devotional, especially during Lent and Easter. These profound reflections on the cross from David Mathis, author of The Christmas We Didn’t Expect, will help you to meditate on and marvel at Jesus’ life, sacrificial death, and spectacular resurrection-enabling you to treasure anew who Jesus is and what he has done. Many of us are so familiar with the Easter story that it becomes easy to miss subtle details and difficult to really enjoy its meaning. This book will help you to pause and marvel at Jesus, whose now-glorified wounds are a sign of his unfailing love and the decisive victory that he has won: “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5) This book can be used as a devotional. The chapters on Holy Week make it especially helpful during the Lent season and at Easter.

Millions of women have felt the power of birth, and countless women long for it. But for too many, birth can seem like a purely clinical experience — something to get through as quickly as possible in order to get on with the joys of being a mother. In Made for This, author Mary Haseltine draws on Pope St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body to show that birth is an essential part of who God created women to be, body and soul. With real-life stories from many moms and practical tips — including preparing for birth, making informed choices, helping fathers embrace their role in the birth room, and encountering the work of labor — this book is an indispensable guide for navigating the physical and spiritual dimensions of pregnancy and birth. Expectant mothers will find the tools they need to approach birth as a gift, and to invite God into the experience. About the Author Mary Haseltine is a theology graduate and a certified birth doula and childbirth educator. With a passion for building a culture of life through the teachings of the Theology of the Body, she works to bring an awareness and practice of the teachings of the Church into the realm of childbirth, mothering, and pregnancy loss. She lives in Western New York with her husband and five sons. You can find more of her writing at www.betterthaneden.com.

The gospel is the glorious truth about Christ, and it enfolds us in the global purpose of God by renewing hearts, empowering lives, and transforming the world. A Gospel Coalition booklet.

The Lord’s prayer has widely viewed as a guide to communicating with God and a model as to how Christians should pray. But if we dig deeper into the prayer, as Jennifer Chamberlain has so aptly done, we will find that the Lord’s prayer is a model for how we are to live our lives in relationship with God. Each chapter takes parts of the prayer and turns them into lessons we can apply to our daily lives. It can be used as a daily devotional or a Sunday school course. The book is geared to Christians who seek a deeper walk with God, but it also serves as an inspirational message for those who are exploring the Christian life. There’s no doubt that as you read this series of essays, you will come away with new insights on the Lord’s prayer, as well as be fortified to walk in maturity, victory, and confidence with Christ in these perilous and difficult times. You’ll never see Matthew 6:9-13 quite the same again, as the Lord not only teaches us how to pray but to live out the words of our prayer.

For those who will accept it with wonder and a humble willingness to learn, the Lord's Prayer is an invitation to be greatly treasured. It will move us to trust, challenge us to give and stir us to worship. It will show us the depths of our unforgiving hearts and teach us to walk warily, Above all, it will open our eyes to see what it is to live with the single aim of bringing glory to our heavenly Father. Rather than a prayer to repeat, it is a magnificent house to explore ... "Packed with a very great deal of Christian devotion and Biblical teaching ... with a pastoral touch throughout." -Richard Bewes

“For God alone my soul in silence waits....” In these reflections on Psalm 62 Margaret Guenther provides the foundation for a time of reflection and retreat without ever leaving home. The book’s first chapter introduces us to ways of making a retreat wherever we are, at a place apart or in the midst of our daily lives. Guenther then offers eight meditations on Psalm 62, with its themes of waiting on God’s presence with patience, trust, and expectation. She explores the images the psalm evokes of longing, silence, waiting, safety, enemies, and God as a rock and refuge. As in all her books, Guenther finds new ways to explore these ancient themes with the wit and practicality of an accomplished storyteller. These eight meditations can be read consecutively over the course of a single day or weekend, or spaced over time with periods of reflection in between. Each meditation ends with ideas for further prayer and pondering. My Soul in Silence Waits is one of our series of Cowley Cloister Books: smaller format, gift edition books designed for meditative and devotional reading.