Prayer Tip #4-Know His Voice

So the Jews gathered around him and said to him,
"How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly." 
Jesus answered, "I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name testify to me; 
but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep.
My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.
John 10:24-27 NRSV 

How can we hear God in prayer if we are not familiar with His voice? If we are not familiar with the way He speaks, then we can easily confuse our stream of thought with His words. The best way for us to know His voice is by studying His word. When we know what God wants for our lives, it is a bit easier to discern between our thoughts/wants and His voice. Trust is also a vital part in knowing His voice. We have to trust that He will speak to us and has been speaking to us. Our hearts and minds must be given to the Father sot hat we can be tuned into the proper frequency. When you are in prayer and you feel that you hear something from God, test it against His word and then you will gain confidence in your ability to hear. 

Key points: 

1. God's voice comes as spontaneous thoughts, visions, feelings or impressions.

2. Remember to still yourself

3. Try to picture yourself sitting with Jesus as you pray

4. Don't get frustrated and keep pursuing Him in prayer!

Peace and Blessings,

Prayer Tip #3-An Ear to Hear

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Revelation 3:22 NIV

One of the number one questions that many seem to have when developing a prayer life is, "Will I hear from God?"  The answer to that question is YES!  A prayer life is communication with our Heavenly Father.  He speaks to us and we speak to Him.  It is definitely two-way communication even though there may be some days where you only need to listen.  God has made Himself available to each and everyone of us by way of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit dwells within us and if we submit ourselves to quiet time with our Father, we will be able to hear what He has to say regarding every area of our lives.  Don't make the mistake of thinking that God only speaks to your pastor or certain people.  He has a desire to speak with you as well, but we have to have an ear for His voice.

Now developing an ear may take a little time and a little patience, but it is well worth the effort.  Pray that God would speak to you in a way that is clear for your understanding.  Pray that He would still your mind and silence the voice of the enemy so that you can hear Him and Him alone.  Pray that you would be tuned into the proper frequency of the spirit.  Tell Him that you desire to hear from Him in order to develop a more intimate relationship with Him.  Remember that whatever you ask in His name shall be given so don't be afraid to tell the Father that you want to know Him better by being able to hear Him more clearly.  Your prayer life changes drastically once you can hear what your Father has to say because He gives insight on all areas of your life.  Go to Him today and don't stop until you receive the desired result which is an ear to hear!

Peace and Blessings,

Prayer Tip #2-Place of Peace

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.  
I do not give to you as the world gives.
Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.
John 14:27

Prayer is a time for you to leave everything behind that has been bothering you, distracting you, or weighing you down.  That includes the job, the spouse, the kids, etc.  Prayer is a special moment between you and God.  We often find ourselves trying to rush through prayer so that we can check it off of our "to do" list for the day, but it should be something we desire that gives us relief from everything else in the world.  Jesus said that He leaves us with peace and gives us peace.  You will never leave prayer the same way you entered it if you truly allow your mind and body to be at peace.  Let the Father wrap His arms around you and calm your spirit.

Let's try not to rush through prayer like we rush through life. It may take a little discipline to seek Him early, but if you do it enough it becomes a part of your day.  You may have to find a secret place to pray (that's what the old saints meant about prayer closet) so that you can completely be free to pray aloud, walk and pray, or just sit and pray in the spirit.  Whatever you decide to do find a place of peace so that God can bring peace to your heart.

Peace and Blessings,

Prayer Tip #1-Earnestly Seek Him

You, God, are my God,

earnestly I seek you;

I thirst for you,

my whole being longs for you,

in a dry and parched land

where there is no water.

Psalm 63:1 NIV

If we focus on the beginning of the verse, David discusses how he earnestly seeks God.  The definition of earnestly means to do something in a serious manner.  It is an adverb meaning that it describes how an action will be done.  But if we take a look at the root word which is earnest that will give a better understanding of how we are to seek God.  Earnest means of an important or weighty nature; a part or portion of something given in advance as a guarantee of the remainder.  In the Strong's concordance, the Greek word for earnest is arrabòn and states it is a large part of payment in advance for security.

If we put everything together, earnestly seeking God in prayer is a serious intention to put a large deposit towards our security in God.  Large describes the importance of it!  Seeking God in advance simply means to seek Him early in the day.  When we wake up in the morning it should be the first thing that we do.  Before we start running our to-do list or stressing about what awaits us at work, we need to seek Him.  When we seek God early, He will download instructions for our day.  He provides understanding, protection and peace.

Don't let your morning go by without speaking to your Father.  It can change the outcome completely!

Peace and Blessings,

The Great Shift series!!!

Good afternoon Bara Family!  I'm so excited to share with you the series that we will begin on Tuesday, December 4th.  God has been showing me that there is going to be a shift that takes place before the end of the year so I wanted to make sure that your spirit, heart and mind were prepared. 

 Are you ready for The Great Shift?  Are you ready to switch gears in your life?  

Each Tuesday and Thursday we will have a guest minister, pastor, or an evangelist on the line to share with us.  I don't want you to miss it nor do I want your friends and family to miss it.

Call 805-399-1000 access code 199794#

International callers can add us on Skype-

1. Click add contact

2. Type freeconferencing.8053991000 (there is a period in between)where it says enter name or number

3. Change contact name to Bara Prayer!!!

Make sure you set your alarms because praise and worship will begin at 5:50am each Tuesday and Thursday then prayer will follow.  We will also have guests to lead us in worship!  I promise you this is not something that you want to miss.  As usual all prayers will be recorded so you will be able to get the recaps following prayer.

Here is a little peak at what's in store for you in these next coming weeks:

We are equipping our brothers and sisters of the kingdom for the shift that God has in store. New ministries will be formed. Christian leaders are going to be placed in the marketplace. There will be a birth of new visions as well so while there is still time left in 2012, we must establish some things in the spirit realm that will be released on earth!  Remember this is the 12th month of 2012 so God is placing establishing and placing things in order.  The year isn't over and neither is your assignment!!!

Tuesday, December 4th

Praise and Worship-Jessica Robinson

Message-Elder Mark Moore, Jr.

www.markmoorejr.com

Prayer-Shineka C. Karim

Thursday, December 6th

Praise and Worship-Jessica Robinson

Message/Prayer-Minister Carlos Concepcion, Jr.

www.ccjrministries.com

Tuesday, December 11th

Praise and Worship-Keturah Morris

Message/Prayer-Evangelist Chante Truscott

www.wivesinwaiting.com

Thursday, December 13th

Praise and Worship-Jasmine (Jae) Bishop

Message/Prayer-Minister Tiffany R. Wood

www.facebook.com/ministryisme

Tuesday, December 18th

Praise and Worship-Kionica Tolbert

Message/Prayer-Reverend Wallis C. Baxter, III

I pray that all of you will be in attendance for this mighty move of God!!!

Peace and Blessings,