Wednesday, January 04, 2006
Pray All the Time
Tammy's comment on January 1 reminds us about the importance of prayer - "God I know you are stronger and more powerful than this food, please take this desire away from me..."
Although Paul doesn't include prayer as part of the armor, he describes it as completely necessary, like an underlying, supportive force. Prayer opens our hearts to let the Holy Spirit in so that we can do God's will instead of our own will. So, we are not told to pray once in a while, we are reminded to pray all the time.
Before the new year, thinking about my resolution to use the armor of God to give me strength to make healthy choices, I actually found myself praying "God, you know I've been trying to use the armor for a few years now, and I fail over and over. Maybe I just really can't do it." I was very sincere in this thought. Maybe I just can't do it. As soon as I prayed this prayer, I realized how ridiculous this sounded. You know, God, Daniel could face a den of lions, but I'm not sure I can deny myself cookies and ice cream. I had to laugh right in the middle of my prayer. Immediately God reminded me "You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. (Philippians 4:13)" I continued my prayer "Okay, God, you're right. It's very obvious I can't do this. I know I can't. But I know you can."
Since we are using this blogspot as a way to encourage and support each other, I have decided to pray during my daily exercise for each person who contributes posts. Yesterday, I went out walking/jogging and prayed for both Sandra and Tammy, who both posted comments on January 1. I prayed that God would give Sandra and Tammy both an extra boost of strength and motivation and a strong craving for healthy food and exercise. I hope you will all pray for me, too, because I really need it.
Although Paul doesn't include prayer as part of the armor, he describes it as completely necessary, like an underlying, supportive force. Prayer opens our hearts to let the Holy Spirit in so that we can do God's will instead of our own will. So, we are not told to pray once in a while, we are reminded to pray all the time.
Before the new year, thinking about my resolution to use the armor of God to give me strength to make healthy choices, I actually found myself praying "God, you know I've been trying to use the armor for a few years now, and I fail over and over. Maybe I just really can't do it." I was very sincere in this thought. Maybe I just can't do it. As soon as I prayed this prayer, I realized how ridiculous this sounded. You know, God, Daniel could face a den of lions, but I'm not sure I can deny myself cookies and ice cream. I had to laugh right in the middle of my prayer. Immediately God reminded me "You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. (Philippians 4:13)" I continued my prayer "Okay, God, you're right. It's very obvious I can't do this. I know I can't. But I know you can."
Since we are using this blogspot as a way to encourage and support each other, I have decided to pray during my daily exercise for each person who contributes posts. Yesterday, I went out walking/jogging and prayed for both Sandra and Tammy, who both posted comments on January 1. I prayed that God would give Sandra and Tammy both an extra boost of strength and motivation and a strong craving for healthy food and exercise. I hope you will all pray for me, too, because I really need it.
# posted by Karen Whitson @ 6:28 AM 
