“Praying with a THANKFUL Heart”

 “Praying with a THANKFUL Heart”

 

Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.  Colossians 4:2

Many American families will gather together, on Thursday, Nov. 27th and share a HUGE meal together.  They will laugh, cry, sing, and carry on.  But I wonder how many households will offer up a PRAYER of THANKSGIVING with a THANKFUL HEART.  I’m sure a lot of CHRISTIANS will, but will they REALLY PRAY with a THANKFUL HEART?  If we are TRULY, SINCERELY THANKFUL to the ALMIGHTY GOD for ALL the things HE has provided for us, to help make this life on earth more tolerable, the LEAST we can do is OFFER up our PRAYERS with THANKFUL HEARTS and a lot of PRAISE mixed in. 

Here are some challenges to EFFECTIVE PRAYING.  The Apostle Paul is speaking to the COLOSSIANS, who have GIVEN their HEARTS and LIVES to God through the SHED BLOOD of His ONE and ONLY SON, the LORD JESUS CHRIST, who DIED and was RESURRECTED, in order for all mankind to RECEIVE SALVATION and to become the BORN AGAIN CHILDREN of the LIVING GOD.   

The first challenge to have EFFECTIVE PRAYERS is to DEVOTE YOURSELF to PRAYER, in other words DEDICATE yourself to PRAYING, make it a point to incorporate it into your DAILY, MORNING RITUAL. Now, don’t tell me you DON’T have time, if that is the case, then you MAKE TIME by getting up EARLIER in the morning, or do some things, that you can, in the evening.  Make sure you DON’T forget to PRAY over those PRECIOUS CHILDREN that GOD has BLESSED you with. And your SPOUSE, if you have one, we all NEED PRAYERS, and DON’T FORGET to PRAY with a THANKFUL HEART!

Another challenge is for us to NOT be SLUGGISH in our PRAYER TIME; Paul tells us to be ALERT!  Have a MIND that is EAGER to TALK to your HEAVENLY FATHER. You will find that He is EAGER to HEAR from His Child.  And Don’t FORGET to have a THANKFUL HEART!

The last challenge is PLEASE, don’t let your PRAYERS be only FILLED with REQUESTS, but LACKING THANKSGIVING.  You NEED to STOP and REFLECT on ALL the things that FATHER GOD has allowed you to POSSESS.  Let the VERY FIRST THING be your SALVATION. 

And if YOU have NOT GIVEN your HEART and LIFE to God through His ONLY SON, JESUS CHRIST, then God will NOT HEAR your PRAYERS, because you have SIN in your HEART.  In Psalm, chapter sixty-six, King David says that: “If I had NOT CONFESSED the SIN in my HEART, the Lord would NOT have LISTENED.” (V-18) But God did LISTEN to David’s prayer, because David CONFESSED HIS SINS to God. 

Now is the TIME for you to COME to God by calling on the NAME of JESUS and ADMITTING that YOU are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, JESUS, and YOU MUST BELIEVE with ALL your HEART that JESUS DIED for you and that He is ALIVE in HEAVEN, making intercession for you, before God.  You MUST CONFESS your SINS to Him and ASK Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST Be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFESTYLE and TURN TO GOD with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART. You MUST ACCEPT God’s GIFT of SALVATION and have a SURE, EFFECTIVE PRAYER-LIFE, that is FILLED with THANKFULNESS and PRAISE.  Do this NOW, while you STILL can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!