Andrew Wommack's Blog, page 27

Now It’s Your Turn!

Like most families, ours is scattered across multiple states. But every year we set aside a week in the summer for our kids to bond at “Cousins’ Camp.” They spend hours playing outside together and inventing new games. But this past summer, work obligations kept my husband and me at home. Our kids didn’t seem to mind as we sent them to Cousins’ Camp without us. Every time we called them, they only had enough time to say, “Love you—gotta go!”

Until one Thursday.

At about two o’clock that morning, we got a call. Our oldest son was struggling to breathe.

We weren’t concerned. We figured he’d been abusing his body all week—getting little sleep, eating who knows what, and running about in the heat until he dropped. He’d probably caught a cold.

“You don’t understand,” his aunt said on the other end of the line. “This is not the prop-him-up-on-a-pillow kind of struggling. He’s not able to draw a full breath. His lungs are wheezing. He’s having an asthma attack.”

“Tyler doesn’t have asthma,” we told her.

“Then we need to go to the hospital.”

Those are not the words a mom wants to hear when she is three hours away from her son—and especially when the closest major hospital is just as far.

“Give Tyler the phone,” we said.

When Tyler took the phone, we heard nothing but faint gasps.

“Tyler James, in the name of Jesus, BREATHE!” we commanded. And for a couple minutes, we continued to speak over Tyler’s body, telling his muscles to relax and his airways to open. Unable to respond, Tyler gave the phone back to his aunt.

“What do you want me to do?” she asked.

“We prayed for him,” we told her. “Just let us know if anything changes.” And we hung up.

Genuinely scared for his life, Tyler’s aunt sat up with him all night. My husband, on the other hand, remembered what he had learned from The Believer’s Authority teaching: God has already provided everything we need through Christ. It’s not God’s turn to heal; it’s our turn to believe. So, completely at peace, he turned over and fell back to sleep.

But as desperately as I wanted to follow my husband’s example, I couldn’t. I knew God’s Word. I knew what Christ had provided, but I also knew that Andrew’s words in The Believer’s Authority book were true when he said, “If someone isn’t healed, it’s not God who didn’t heal them—it’s us not using our authority and power” (p. 80). I was scared I would fail, and I wasn’t willing to let my son die while I “practiced” authority.

Battling fear, I prayed in tongues for a few minutes. Then I remembered Psalm 4:8: “I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety” (New International Version [1984]). I thanked God that He was with my son even when I couldn’t be. Then I fell asleep.

The next morning we called to see how Tyler was doing. His aunt said, “He’s fine. But I’ve never been so scared in all my life.” Later, when we asked Tyler about that night, he said, “I wasn’t afraid. I knew God was with me and that I would be fine.” And I knew—again—the faithfulness of God (Jer. 1:12)!

Learn about your authority in Christ by getting Andrew’s teaching The Believer’s Authority. This teaching is available in CD, DVD, book, and study guide formats.

Now it’s your turn to believe!

If this has inspired you, leave a comment below.

Mighty Works in Ecuador

It was the last night in Ecuador for the Charis Bible College missions team. They were ministering at a church and praying for the sick. A young man who was a member of the church’s worship team asked for prayer because he suffered from pain in his knees and calves. Brian, one of the students, prayed for him, and the young man felt much better afterward.

As the service progressed, Brian perceived in his spirit that something was not right. He asked the young man about it, who confirmed that though he was feeling much better, he still had some pain. Brian prayed for that young man again, used the authority that Christ gave him, and commanded any root of pain and swelling to leave in the name of Jesus. Brian recalls, “[The] pain was gone and [the] healing completely manifested. Jesus is Lord!”

Some might hear a testimony like this and think, Wait a minute. It’s unbelief to pray for something twice! But Brian knew the difference between praying using vain repetitions (Matt. 6:7) and praying with authority to overcome hindrances. As he put it, “I knew it [was] not a lack of faith to pray again. We had to press in more to overcome the lie of the symptom. And when we did, we saw a great victory for this young man in the name
of Jesus!”

At Charis, students like Brian hear Andrew teach on subjects such as prayer, authority, and healing. In his book You’ve Already Got It! Andrew says, “It’s not wrong to continue to pray if you understand that God has already released His power. In the spirit realm, [the healing is] complete. But you don’t want it to just stay in the spirit. You want it manifest in the physical. So you pray again, not doubting that God has already given, but to rebuke the devil” (p. 107). He goes on to explain, “You pray to build up your faith and encourage yourself. Instead of just praying once and then trying to forget it, you’re aggressively releasing your faith to deal with any hindrance and draw the provision into the physical realm” (p. 107).

This revelation is what empowers students like Brian to overcome hindrances when they pray for the sick. If students don’t see immediate results, they don’t doubt God’s faithfulness. Instead, they recognize that God is a Spirit and that He moves in the spirit realm (John 4:24). God already provided the healing, and their part is to cooperate with God’s laws so that healing can manifest in the natural. Obtaining the victory is much easier when you fight the Enemy with the truth.

But healing was not the only gift the students shared with the Ecuadorian people. In countries that have a strong Catholic influence, like Ecuador, the baptism of the Holy Spirit is almost unheard of. But the students’ testimonies were like the call of a ringing bell, inviting the people to receive their prayer language. And many of them did! Even the van driver who transported the students was baptized in the Spirit. Melissa, another student, remembers, “After our driver received the baptism in the Holy Spirit, he was jumping up and down, speaking in tongues, [and] praising the Lord.”

The faith of the students opened the windows of heaven over the people in Ecuador, and the blessings kept pouring in. When you partner with Andrew Wommack Ministries and Charis, you are facilitating trips like this one. Your help is invaluable to this ministry, and we love hearing from you. If you would like to make a donation to Charis or AWM, go here.

Please share a comment below if this post has blessed you!

Windows of Heaven Open over Ecuador

It was the last night in Ecuador for the Charis Bible College missions team. They were ministering at a church and praying for the sick. A young man who was a member of the church’s worship team asked for prayer because he suffered from pain in his knees and calves. Brian, one of the students, prayed for him, and the young man felt much better afterward.

As the service progressed, Brian perceived in his spirit that something was not right. He asked the young man about it, who confirmed that though he was feeling much better, he still had some pain. Brian prayed for that young man again, used the authority that Christ gave him, and commanded any root of pain and swelling to leave in the name of Jesus. Brian recalls, “[The] pain was gone and [the] healing completely manifested. Jesus is Lord!”

Some might hear a testimony like this and think, Wait a minute. It’s unbelief to pray for something twice! But Brian knew the difference between praying using vain repetitions (Matt. 6:7) and praying with authority to overcome hindrances. As he put it, “I knew it [was] not a lack of faith to pray again. We had to press in more to overcome the lie of the symptom. And when we did, we saw a great victory for this young man in the name
of Jesus!”

At Charis, students like Brian hear Andrew teach on subjects such as prayer, authority, and healing. In his book You’ve Already Got It! Andrew says, “It’s not wrong to continue to pray if you understand that God has already released His power. In the spirit realm, [the healing is] complete. But you don’t want it to just stay in the spirit. You want it manifest in the physical. So you pray again, not doubting that God has already given, but to rebuke the devil” (p. 107). He goes on to explain, “You pray to build up your faith and encourage yourself. Instead of just praying once and then trying to forget it, you’re aggressively releasing your faith to deal with any hindrance and draw the provision into the physical realm” (p. 107).

This revelation is what empowers students like Brian to overcome hindrances when they pray for the sick. If students don’t see immediate results, they don’t doubt God’s faithfulness. Instead, they recognize that God is a Spirit and that He moves in the spirit realm (John 4:24). God already provided the healing, and their part is to cooperate with God’s laws so that healing can manifest in the natural. Obtaining the victory is much easier when you fight the Enemy with the truth.

But healing was not the only gift the students shared with the Ecuadorian people. In countries that have a strong Catholic influence, like Ecuador, the baptism of the Holy Spirit is almost unheard of. But the students’ testimonies were like the call of a ringing bell, inviting the people to receive their prayer language. And many of them did! Even the van driver who transported the students was baptized in the Spirit. Melissa, another student, remembers, “After our driver received the baptism in the Holy Spirit, he was jumping up and down, speaking in tongues, [and] praising the Lord.”

The faith of the students opened the windows of heaven over the people in Ecuador, and the blessings kept pouring in. When you partner with Andrew Wommack Ministries and Charis, you are facilitating trips like this one. Your help is invaluable to this ministry, and we love hearing from you. If you would like to make a donation to Charis or AWM, go here.

Please share a comment below if this post has blessed you!

It’s That Time Again—Part 2

In Monday’s blog post, I discussed how important it is for Christians to vote according to biblical principles. It’s surprising to me how many Christians waive their right to vote.

It seems that there are two main reasons Christians refrain from voting. One is that they don’t like their options, which I talked about in part 1. Another reason is that some believe that God, in His sovereignty, will place in office whomever He wants, so there’s no point in voting. They believe that God always exerts His sovereignty when it comes to matters of the nations, and His will is automatically carried out in this arena.

In “Christians and Politics,” Andrew teaches that while God does ordain systems of rule for nations, the church, and even families, we can’t assume that all who end up in positions of authority will always govern in those positions according to God’s will.

Andrew explains how any governmental system is better than orderless anarchy, which was evident after the fall of Communism. God is a God of order, and He establishes an order of authority—positions of power—throughout any type of government. But He doesn’t dictate who will fill those positions. As Andrew points out, God “doesn’t control us like pawns.”

If God did control us, everyone would be saved. Second Peter 3:9 tells us that it is God’s will for all to be saved: “The Lord is…not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” Although this is His will, we know that many die unsaved. We can see numerous examples of this throughout Scripture and in the world around us, proving that God’s will does not always come to pass.

Jesus taught us to pray like this: “Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. [10] Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:9-10, New King James Version). If Jesus instructed us to pray for God’s will to be done on earth, we can assume that it doesn’t
automatically happen.

When it comes to politics, it’s imperative that we not only pray for God’s will to be done but also take action by casting our votes. There are principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places (Eph. 6:12) that desire to take our nation further and further away from righteousness. The body of Christ must resist their influence through prayer and action.

Andrew explains in “Christians and Politics” that “God is involved in the process to the degree that we yield to Him. God won’t ordain something that is completely opposed to His will.” For example, Adolf Hitler and Idi Amin were evil dictators, responsible for killing thousands upon thousands of people. God ordained the positions of office that they held, but it was not His will for them to rise to power and commit the atrocities against mankind that they did.

God still has a perfect plan for this great nation that He founded upon the principles of His Word, and “the gifts and calling of God are without repentance” (Rom. 11:29). He’s not done with America! But He needs His people to cooperate and agree with His will. We do that by praying and
then voting.

We also have to remember that whatever happens in this next election, God—not our elected officials—is our provider. As Andrew states, “God is our source…to change our nation.” Regardless of who’s in office, we can trust in God’s faithfulness to take care of us.

If this has encouraged you, post a comment below.

It’s That Time Again—Part 1

Here we go again. It happens every four years. I’m not talking about the Olympics but about the long, drawn-out season of bloated speeches, empty promises, and mud-slinging television ads. That’s right. It’s election season!

Many Christians aren’t excited about their choices for president this year. I know that many have also decided to “sit this one out” and not vote, because they don’t like the candidates.

I can understand that! But as American Christ-followers, we don’t just have a right and privilege to vote; we have a responsibility to do so. Too many Christians waive that right when election time rolls around. And it’s making a big difference in our country—a difference in the wrong direction.

During the election of 2012, several Christians I knew said that they wouldn’t vote because although they didn’t like President Obama’s policies, they couldn’t support Mitt Romney because he wasn’t an Evangelical Christian. Maybe this describes you. If so, you’re probably finding yourself in a similar situation now. So, what should you do?

First, realize that your “non-vote” is still a vote. Someone’s going to win, so you may as well have a say in it. Second, it’s important to understand how to properly—and realistically—evaluate a candidate. Many Christians are looking, hoping, and waiting for the perfect candidate. Unfortunately, we live in a fallen world, and all of our candidates will reflect that.

In his teaching “Christians and Politics,” Andrew discusses evaluating candidates based on how their values align with biblical values. As Andrew points out, there is a clear difference in our two major political parties in terms of which one aligns more closely with God’s Word, particularly on the issues of abortion and homosexuality (see Lev. 20:13, Ps. 139:13-16, Prov. 6:16-17, and 1 Cor. 6:9-10). Of course, some candidates and elected officials may not agree with all points of their party’s platform, but generally, the vast majority do. Learn more about the platforms by visiting the party websites: www.gop.com/the-2016-republican-party-platform and www.demconvention.com/platform.

Some may say, “There’s more to consider than just these social issues.” Yes, there are other concerns. But what’s most important to God—issues of morality and righteousness, or issues such as taxes and the economy? If, as a country, we align the former with Scripture, the rest will follow: “Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the nation whose God is the Lord” (Ps. 33:12, Amplified Bible). If we make God our Lord, the Word promises blessings to us. One way to show that God is our Lord is to vote, to the best of our ability, for those who promote God’s priorities.

In “Christians and Politics,” Andrew quotes the old adage, “If America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.” Andrew adds that “the problem with our nation is a lack of morality.” For the sake of America’s future, we must learn from God’s Word what’s important to Him and then vote for candidates who hold similar positions and values. Sadly, most politicians fall short of God’s standards, but we still need to choose those who come closest. God’s Word, not our personal interests, must be the final authority when we step into the voting booths.

So, don’t sit this one out. Pray. Search God’s Word for direction on how to vote. Then vote for all levels of government and every issue placed before you. Use the power you have to get this country back on track.

Share a comment below if this has inspired you.

The Package Is on Its Way!

My son was supposed to have been born on September 27, 1998. But that day came and went. As the nurses were monitoring him every couple days after his due date, I remember my doctor saying, “We see the package and it looks fine.” Then he laughed and said, “When he’s being delivered,
you’ll know.”

As my son grew, I would pray for the bumps and bruises he’d encounter. In the fourth grade, he began having problems in math. I prayed for him to succeed and not fail. By the end of the fourth grade, he had improved a lot. When that year’s report card came in the mail, I held the evidence of answered prayer in my hands (he earned a B!).

When we pray, there is sometimes a temptation to believe that God the Father is like the unjust judge in Luke 18. In Andrew’s book, A Better Way to Pray, he uses this example. When we see God this way, we are believing that we have to be persistent—as if we are wrestling an answer away from Him that He doesn’t want to give. And if we “trouble” Him enough, He’ll “avenge” (answer) us, just to get us off His back (Luke 18:5).

As Andrew says, “That’s not what this passage is saying. God is not like the unjust judge” (pp. 67-68). Andrew explains how Jesus uses this example because He is pointing out a wrong attitude about prayer. “This parable is a contrast showing us the absurdity of such thinking.” Then Andrew says that in Luke 18:8, Jesus basically straightens them out: “I tell you that he will avenge them speedily [meaning when His children pray] . Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” (brackets added). In other words, the delay is connected to our lack of faith. It never comes from the Father who answered all things in His Son on the cross in anticipation of our needs—over 2,000 years ago!

Andrew explains that if you see God as an unjust judge when you pray, “…you’re approaching God in an adversarial relationship…and believing what Christ did wasn’t enough” (p. 70). Wow! You might just have to let that sink in. How can you and I pray in faith while seeing Him that way?

Imagine that you call your sister and tell her you are leaving the post office, and you had just mailed her a gift. Then an hour goes by, and she calls you up, crying, “You lied! I went to the mailbox and it wasn’t there.” What would you think? Would you be angry? Then she calls you the next afternoon, but this time she’s angry. “I just went for the mail and the package is still not there! Are you sure you really mailed it?”

This is how we sometimes act toward God when His promises don’t show up right away. I know our Father is not angry with us when we do not understand Him or the wonderful gift He’s given us in prayer. In fact, because of what Jesus did for us, He invites us to “come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of
need” (Heb. 4:16).

If you’ve ever been unsure about how God responds when you pray, Andrew’s book A Better Way to Pray can help you grow in confidence toward Him. It’s available in CD, DVD, book, and study guide formats. It’s available in Spanish as well. I also encourage you to watch Andrew as he teaches A Better Way to Pray on the Gospel
Truth broadcasts.

If this has blessed you, post a comment below.

Testimony Power

[image error]I believe that a big part of being in heaven will be our hearing both the well-known and unknown stories of believers on earth. That’s why testimonies are so powerful; they carry the convictions of the people who lived them. I was an eyewitness to many amazing demonstrations of God’s love during the most recent Charis Bible College missions trip to England, and I believe that these demonstrations will be talked about in glory for all of eternity.

For example, one night at a church youth group, one young man’s urge to commit suicide was taken away. Something about his face actually changed when he was delivered. At Dovegate Prison in Staffordshire, one inmate who [image error]had committed murder was filled with the Holy Spirit as a student ministered the love and acceptance of God to him. And at St. Peter’s Church in Walsall, a student prayed for a woman who had crushed bones in her hips and legs, and the woman was suddenly able to bend and dance without pain. These displays of God’s goodness were so wonderful. Yet I witnessed two miracles that demonstrated God’s love to me in a special way.

The first happened while the Charis team was at a healing service in the beautiful town of Harrogate. Arceli Abernathy was asked to teach. She received a word of knowledge that the Holy Spirit wanted bones to be healed. She noticed a young woman with crutches and a splint boot get up to leave. Arceli called out to her, “Jesus wants to heal you today, sister.” Although reluctant, she agreed to let Arceli pray for her.

She had a right foot injury where a ligament had never healed, and her foot was visibly deformed. Before anyone could say a word, Arceli undid the boot splint and took the crutches from her. She commanded her to walk in Jesus’ name. In front of the whole church, the young woman’s foot became straight. The congregation broke out in revival, and everyone came running to the front to receive healing. It was as if the ceiling had opened and miracles were being showered on God’s people.

The second great demonstration was a private one, for an individual: God healed and saved an eighty-six-year-old man named Gordon in the city of Walsall. He was hunched over and pushing a walker, so we asked if we could pray for his legs. Gordon couldn’t hear well, and he shouted back and pointed that it was his knees. I was overwhelmed by a sense of God’s love and care for him. I knew that the Lord had sent us there to prepare him for his future.

After we laid hands on him, Gordon was walking quite easily. But he still couldn’t hear well enough to repeat a salvation prayer. I put my hands on his ears and commanded him, in Jesus’ name, to be able to hear. When we shouted to see if he could hear us, he was pretty startled at how loud it was. We all laughed.

I felt so happy that Gordon could hear and that he had asked Jesus into his life. I ask the Holy Spirit to remind me of him often. When we are all in heaven, I’m going to go looking for Gordon. I know I’ll see him there.

If this post blessed you in a special way, please leave a comment below!

El Pípila—A Lesson on Prayer

As I was thinking about my prayer life, I remembered the story of El Pípila.

The drum of war resounded throughout the land. It was 1810, and Mexico was fighting for its independence from Spain. Insurgent troops were threatening to take over the city of Guanajuato. Several Spanish troops and loyalist leaders had barricaded themselves in the old grain storage building, the Alhóndiga de Granaditas. Tall walls and big wooden doors made it a good fortress for the loyalists.

To break into this building, the insurgents decided to burn down the eastern door. Juan José Martínez—a local miner renowned for his physical strength—was chosen for the task. He was known as El Pípila. It is said that he tied a large, flat stone to his back to protect himself from the bullets and made his way through the enemy’s fire to get to the door. Once there, he set the door on fire, and as it burned to the ground, the insurgent troops marched right in and took the spoil that was inside the building.

At times I’ve felt like “El Pípila” in my prayer life. Praying for others has felt like a heavy load on my back. What I should have identified as simply a burden to intercede turned into a false responsibility for the salvation, spiritual growth, and safety of the people around me. I’d mistakenly thought that if I didn’t carry this load on my back, the Enemy would win. Can
you relate?

Weariness can set in if, after praying for healing or financial provision for a long time, you don’t see the desired results, or if you engage in spiritual warfare but your problem only gets worse. Maybe you’re feeling like you’re not connecting spiritually in your prayer time. The truth is, when we think we’re praying, sometimes we’re actually doing religious works to obtain favor from God. But God has a better way to pray!

Andrew’s teaching helped me see that God wants us to be believers, not heroes in our own strength.

In his book A Better Way to Pray, Andrew says, “Prayer is communion and fellowship with God. It’s saying, ‘Father, I love You’ and hearing Him answer, ‘I love you too!’ It’s listening to Him in your heart and feeling His pleasure as you spend time with Him. If you did that, you wouldn’t have to spend much time asking for things because they’d just supernaturally show up” (p. 105).

Andrew has also said, “Two thousand years ago, Jesus purchased everything that you [or your loved ones] will ever need, so the New Testament person comes and stands in the finished work of Christ. You aren’t trying to get Christ to finish His work. He’s already done it” (brackets added).

This is liberating! Realize that asking for things is not the purpose of prayer. Change your focus to use prayer to love God and fellowship with Him—abide in the light of His glory and grace. Drop that heavy load from your back. Free yourself to worship God, and the fire of His Spirit will burn down the door to the Enemy’s camp so you can walk right in and take the spoil!

In his teaching A Better Way to Pray, Andrew shares principles that will improve your prayer life and help you experience the freedom and joy that come only through knowing God in spirit and in truth. You can order this teaching as a CD or DVD series as well as a book (English or Spanish) or a study guide. Your prayer life will never be the same!

Please leave a comment below if this has blessed you!

Eyes Opened to God’s Goodness

[image error]Moses watched his passengers demonstrate God’s love in a manner foreign to his Muslim faith. As the designated bus driver for a team of second-year Charis Bible College students, he escorted the group across Uganda, where they witnessed healings, deliverances, signs, and wonders. Unknown to Moses at the time, he was being used by God to help carry out His plans—plans so big that the missions team had been getting glimpses from the Lord of things to come for weeks before their arrival.

“During praise and worship one morning, the Lord gave me a vision,” Charis student Rebecca Fenske began. “I saw a man with cloudy eyes being healed by my hands. Two weeks later, we were in rural Kayonza Rakai, Uganda.”

Revival broke out in Kayonza Rakai as Charis students saw the Lord’s healing power manifest for several of the locals who had “incurable” diseases. “The need was overwhelming,” Rebecca continued. “Hundreds of people were lining up from surrounding villages and hillsides. The people were set free of demons, pains, parasitic infestations, malaria, fevers, digestive problems, infections, female problems, and STDs. Legs grew, ears opened, and blind eyes began to see.”

Several instances of legs being lengthened came by student Jimmy Davidson. “I noticed a young boy who was about four years old, hunched over and walking with an incredible limp,” explained Jimmy. “With his mother’s permission, I sat him down and examined his legs. His right leg was several inches shorter than his left.”

Confident in his identity in Christ, Jimmy encouraged the boy’s mother to watch as he commanded the leg to grow out and line up with God’s Word. “His leg grew out right while I was holding it,” continued Jimmy. “The boy’s mother began to cry profusely. We walked around the room in celebration as the interpreter explained how much Jesus loved them.”

Miracles and healings continued for hours, when suddenly a middle-aged man caught Rebecca’s attention. “The Lord reminded me of the vision I had seen before the trip,” shared Rebecca. “I asked the Lord, ‘Is this the one?’ Then I heard our interpreter, Godfrey, explain to us that this man’s eyes were cloudy and that he couldn’t see very well anymore.”

Rebecca enthusiastically prayed for him. “He opened his eyes and they were clear! With a big smile, he said softly, ‘I can see.’ We hugged as we all began to praise the Lord with such joy.” This man was not the only one to receive sight as a result of the team’s obedience.

As the team spent time with Moses and included him whenever possible, he began to feel comfortable enough to ask questions. After a talk one day with student Selina Williams, he gladly received some tracts.

“During the youth conference, when the altar call was given, Moses was one of the first ones to respond to give his life to Christ,” Selina recalled. “When Moses showed up the next morning, he informed the team that he had led his wife to salvation when he got home.”

As a bus driver, Moses was unaware that he was being used by God to bring life and freedom to Uganda. Are you aware that partners of Andrew Wommack Ministries and Charis Bible College are being used by God to bring life and freedom to the world? Partner with us today to make more stories like this one possible!

Amidst Everyday Life

How do you know that God hears your prayers? I remember a time in my life when I didn’t know the answer.

A few years ago, I listened to a teaching about how Christians must follow the format of the Lord’s Prayer while praying or else their words won’t make it to heaven. Around that same time, I would babysit for one of my neighbors on a regular basis. While getting ready to babysit one evening, I asked God if He heard me when I prayed and if my prayers had any effect. Confusion over how to pray and doubt that He was listening had stifled my communication with Him. In response to my questions, I was impressed to start talking to Him like a friend. I didn’t realize that I had slipped into a formula. But a subtle nudge from the Holy Spirit reminded me to stop my formulas and just talk
to Him.

This reminds me of something Andrew says in his book A Better Way to Pray:

“In the Bible, people knelt, raised their hands, and even looked up into heaven at times, but don’t make a religious form out of these things and require their presence in order to consider something ‘prayer.’ You can pray with your eyes open or closed, hands raised or down, standing, kneeling, or prostrate. Since meditation is prayer (Ps. 5:1), you don’t even have to talk out loud! Your communion with God should be constant” (p. 19).

God was showing me how to relate to Him in normal, everyday life. I didn’t have to follow a method; I could just be myself with Him. So, I talked to God about everything—my family, friends, dog, dreams, the past, the future—and then I asked Him to work in other people’s lives. I then wrapped it up by praying for the Christian family I was going to babysit for, whose house I was about to enter.

As I walked through my neighbor’s front door, I saw the dad preparing dinner for his two young daughters. He and I chatted for a bit, and while he was setting down full dinner plates for his girls, he blurted out, “I feel like someone has been praying for us.” He turned around and looked at me. Oh my gosh! I shrieked in my mind as I stared back at him in silence. It had just been a normal conversation with God.

In A Better Way to Pray, Andrew says,

“You just need to learn how to fellowship with God in the midst of everyday life. Do you know how to appreciate Him in the small things? Are you always trying to do something earthshaking or monumental to build your intimacy with Him? You can’t sustain your relationship that way! Adam and Eve walked in the cool of the Garden with God. I’m sure their conversations consisted of: ‘Father, I saw a flower today that I’ve never seen before. You did a great job!’ That’s prayer” (p. 47).

I realized that God Almighty was hearing my voice! Heaven was using my prayer to bless the people in my life! And it definitely made an impact. Knowing this may sound like a baby step of faith in prayer, and that’s probably true. But if babies never take that first step, they’ll never learn how to walk. John 10:27 says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” The line to heaven is always open, and He’s always listening. Now I just need to let God get some words in edgewise!

Are you confused or frustrated about your prayer life? Do you feel like you’re not “doing it right”? You can learn how to transform your prayer life into an intimate friendship with God. Check out Andrew’s teaching A Better Way to Pray. It’s available in CD, DVD, book, or study guide format. You can also watch Andrew teach this topic on the Gospel Truth broadcast.

Post a comment below if this has encouraged you!