We all go through challenging situations in our lives, but how do we get through them? For me, it has been through prayer. Prayer has helped me defeat many battles that I’ve faced. There are three significant situations in the past two years through which prayer has changed my life. First, alcohol was a coping mechanism that used to cover up my pain. Second, giving up sexual intimacy until I was married. Third, learning to understand the will of God.
What has helped me to pray through each of these challenges was to focus on building a relationship with God. I just wanted to connect with God, and I knew if I was able to connect with God, He would show me what was right. I guess you could call it connection before correction. Our purpose is to connect with God and have a relationship with Him. Through developing a prayer routine, God has allowed me to know that I can’t do it by myself. You heard me: you cannot do it alone. Luke 5:16 states, “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” As I started to trust God, pray, and watch for Him do His work, His work has been done. No alcohol, no sexual intimacy until marriage, and slowly learning to trust God’s will for my life.
Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders has a chapter on prayer, and the most important lesson I have learned is that we have to take time to pray. We all have busy lives, but the busier we are, the more we have to pray. Trust God, pray, and watch God work. It’s amazing.
Editor’s Note: “Sexually Compulsive Behavior” (August 2015)Correction and clarification: Last month’s Refresh article originally, and incorrectly referred to “same-sex attraction” as a “compulsive behavior.” The writers and the Refresh team agree this was not our intended message. We believe there is a distinct difference between temptation and behavioral sin (acting upon that temptation) (James 1:13-15). We apologize for any potential misunderstanding. To continue the discussion, please feel free to contact us.
Resources
The Way We Pray by The Skit Guys. A humorous and real perspective on the power of prayer. It’s 16 minutes but worth watching to the end!
Thomas’ recommendation: Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders
