Rick Warren's Blog, page 521

Four Secrets to Answered Prayer

Here are four secrets to answered prayer from the life of Nehemiah:

Four Steps to Fighting Spiritual Warfare

There are four things we need to do when we are facing spiritual warfare in our lives:

Praying for an Unbeliever

If you asked 50 random people, ���How do you get to Heaven?��� you���d get a lot of different answers. But most of them would be based on the idea that you can (and have to) earn your way to Heaven.

Praying God���s Promises

When we pray, we can claim the promises of God. Why do we do this? Because it helps us remember what God has promised. Did you know there are over 7,000 promises in the Bible? These promises provide the answer to all our needs and problems.

Hurry Is the Death of Prayer

The reason why most people never hear God speak is that they never slow down enough to let God talk to them. Hurry is the death of prayer! You���ve got to slow down. You���ve got to be quiet. And you���ve got to wait expectantly.

How Does Prayer Work?

Have you ever wondered if prayer really works? Maybe Satan has whispered to you, ���Prayer is a waste of time. Forget it! Who do you think you are? What do you think you���re doing? God isn���t even listening.���

Try Writing Out Your Prayers

If you want to hear God speak, you need to withdraw to a quiet place, wait patiently and expectantly, ask God to give you a picture of what he wants to say to you, and then write down God���s responses to your questions.

Open Your Eyes to God���s Vision

The Bible is filled with countless examples of people getting God���s vision, including Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Hosea, Jonah, and Micah. Seeing God���s vision for your life is not a crazy thing. God often uses a mental picture to clarify the next step he wants you to take.

Make Time to Be Quiet

God isn���t going to speak to you if your life is filled with a bunch of noise. You���ve got to get alone, and you���ve got to get quiet. We call this a quiet time.

You Have to Want to Hear from God

You���re not going to hear God unless you really, really want it. I���m not saying it���s an option. I���m not saying it would be nice. It is a necessity!