Join us for Day 5 of Living the Surrendered Life and then join us for discussion and community in the comments below!
Text: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
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31 thoughts on "day 5"
i let busy-ness, worry, and action keep me from going to my knees. bottom line is about control. i find the best way for me to meet with God is when i lose myself co-creating with him…art, gardening. it is then i am able to praise God with no agenda and just be in communion with him.
I LOVE the idea of praying for others! I texted a couple of my friends & asked them how I could pray for them today :) Praying for you too Amanda!
love that idea Kim!
Pray without ceasing. That seems challenging right?
It's challenging for me. I do talk to God all the time, but often it seems to be selfish prayers or just "Help me Lord!!" I want to pray for others and to actually devote time to getting on my knees in prayer. Who's with me?
I fall into the guilt of praying when I'm in need & slacking off when I'm not…ugh!! Right now I'm going through a very difficult trail & boy, it's AMAZING when I'm fearful & worried how QUICKLY I run to the Lord in prayer. My prayer is that I NEVER forget God's grace to me during this trail & continue seeking him whole heartedly no matter what my circumstance.
I do the exact same thing!!
This has been a great study, but today was really convicting. I feel like I dont really get a chance to pray! I do feel like o dance with Jesus constantly thinking of Him and making sure I am being a good example, but I do feel like we aren’t dancing smoothly. I know I need to be better about praying.
Rejoice always! Enough said really. When I am down or feeling like why me I need to remember to rejoice in all the blessings the Lord has given me. I really identify with not being comfortable praying out loud. I feel like I pray all the time but NEVER out loud. What if someone hears me and thinks I'm silly? Or some kind of loony? Or my words aren't eloquent enough? Or think I'm praying for something stupid? Ugh! I need to get over that thinking. The only opinion that matters is God's. He is always listening.
I loved today's reminder to be cheerful always, to pray always, and just the little reminder to always BE with Him!
I sometimes feel like I don’t know how to pray. I worry too much about making it sound good, but in reality God doesn’t care how it sounds! He just wants to have a conversation with you!
I was just wondering if I could get some advice from anyone. My husband and I are 26 and 27 and we don't have kids yet and probably won't for a couple years. All my friends from college and his friends from high school are not Christian or living in the way that I'm trying to live now. We are having a hard time finding Christian friends in our similar stage of life. Is there anyone that has had similar difficulties? It seems like at our church (we've been going there for just over 1 year) there are people in their early 20's and unmarried and then it skips to people who are in their mid 30's with kids. Not that we want to exclude people with kids, it would just be nice to find people we can really relate to. I love hanging out with my hubby just the two of us but ya know, you kind of run out of things to talk about and do sometimes and it's good to fellowship with others as a couple.
I think one of the best things that my husband and I did when we were first married and had no children was join a married small group/bible study and made friends with a "mature" couple that had two children. They were maybe 5-7 years older and their children were very young, actually the ages of our children now, 5 years later! But it gave us great perspective on that very next stage, to watch them navigate their marriage and their family. They were and still are a great mentor couple for us and great friends.
I know what you mean about wanting to find some friends/couples your age but definitely don't discount a couple in a slightly different age block. You never know the friendship that could result. That group we were in had couples of all ages and marital statuses (engaged to be married soon, newlyweds, married a year or 2, married 10 years) but we all had different experiences to share and things to learn from each other.
Also, it was great because we were all at different points in our faith journey and could grow together in that way as well.
My husband and I had a similar struggle–except we are young with a baby on the way. I've started praying that God would help me to find friends with a similar vision and not so much a similar lifestyle. God has blessed us with friends who may be older or at a different stage but still working towards the same goals we are.
Definitely agree with Rachel Anne– a small group is were we built good relationships with other couples.
My husband and I have that same struggle. We joined a new church a year ago excited about because we had heard how great and friendly everyone was. We tried to find a small group but no one was interested in forming a new group and the other groups were full (and older than our parents). We've tried volunteering at different events to meet new people but haven't been welcomed and I usually leave upset. I wonder if we are in the right church.
Thank you ladies! It really helps to know that we aren't the only ones that have felt that way and that it can be hard. Lisa I'm sorry to hear about your experience so far. Maybe you're right about switching churches… something to pray about. We really don't have any groups at our church that we fit in either. I'm considering looking at other local churches for at least a Bible study and will pray that God gives us some direction.
I really identified with today's… I used to be so into church and prayer, and I had a prayer journal that I wrote in daily. I had a list of things I prayed for daily. Then I stopped. What happened? Life happened. I started slipping away, and people's efforts to help me and bring me back only pushed me further and further away because their methods were, well, very harsh. I wrote in my journal today about how I eventually got to the point of saying, "I'll be thinking of you" instead of "I'll be praying for you." And when I did encounter a crisis, and when I actually did turn to God, I honestly couldn't remember the last time I had spoken to Him!
Today's study really encouraged me in that area though, and I'm going to be working hard to pray daily, even if it's just one of my usual long-winded rambles… I can at least tell it to God instead of just myself, right? :>
I'm so with you on saying "I'll be thinking of you" or being wary of saying "I'll pray for you". I knew that I probably wouldn't do it, so I didn't want to lie to someone.
Now I know when I say "I'll be praying for you" I really mean it. But I only say it when I know I'll do it.
One thing that I do from time to time is that if I tell someone that I'll pray for them (usually via electronic communication), then I do so right them and there so that I don't forget to later on.
For me, it is just setting aside time to be in His Presence consistently. I'm moving on this today with no excuses…"Take what you believe, add some discipline, and get on your knees!"
Yes, Erica! I love that. Love that you're close by + we can maybe hold each other to that commitment! Take what you believe, add some discipline + friends who push you towards Him + get on your knees! :)
Prayer doesn't have to be complicated. It can be such a simple thing. For me, pray without ceasing means just being aware of God's presence all day long. Sometimes my prayers are short sentences, even just a few words, just thought to God during my day. Just being open to his presence and guidance during the mundane parts of our day, as well as during the hard parts, means we're much more available to him. Praying throughout the day leaves us open to receive his blessings and strength, and it makes it less likely that we'll try to lean on our own understanding.
One thing I heard before was to start your day with a prayer, but don't say amen…. until you fall asleep that night. As a reminder to be in constant, ongoing prayer! definitely something I need to work on!
I stopped praying because His timing didn't match up with my expectations. Plus there is no need to I'm comfortable blaming others, uplifting myself and ignoring real needs. That thinking is soooo not cool. This study is turning my comfortable little world upside down. Thank you.
I've been in in the same boat and this devotional is helping me re-focus and re-evaluate, for sure. I'm finally realizing that that's even MORE reason for me to continue to be diligent in prayer – because I need to be praising Him for the blessings RIGHT NOW as I wait for Him to reveal whatever else He has in store for me in His wonderful & perfect timing.
Most importantly as I pray for my husband's salvation… I get so frustrated sometimes because I want/need him to love the Lord and share in that with me, especially since we have a 1 1/2 year old daughter, and I find myself being overwhelemed and frustrated sometimes that God isn't changing my husbands heart like I so desperately desire. I'm learning that I just have to continue to surrender it all to the One who is really in charge and trust in Him.
God knows your heart . You can speak to him and not be judged . He has the answers.
Sometimes, I don't want to pray out loud for fear of sounding silly. I don't want my husband to laugh at me. I don't want the things that are truly weighing on my heart and mind to come out wrong or to be judged.
Exactly! I have always hated praying aloud because I felt it was so personal. Plus, I tend to babble a lot… With someone like your husband, you should be able to say anything and trust him. It's a difficult thing to do, though. :>
I should clarify that I know my husband won't laugh at me or judge me, I just have an irrational fear that he will!
I've always thought that prayer was personal too. It wasn't until we were in a married small group together about 5 years ago that I first started praying out loud, true prayers, not just memorized scripture or group prayers. It took me a while to feel comfortable but I think that really helped me to be able to focus on the prayer and not the people, since I was so comfortable with those that I was praying with.
Hey Rachel! I struggle with the same thing! + I think sometimes the focus can shift to big words + phrases + beautifully crafted sentences….
Something I have to keep reminding myself? He doesn't care!
When I tell myself that + really believe it, is when I sit down. and just start talking to Him like I would you. I believe there is a time to fear Him [in a good way], praise Him, and fall at His feet – but we mustn't forget that He is our father. our Abba. And He just wants you to come to Him! And he wants to hear your voice!
Praying for you right now!
Thank you for being honest, because I'm with you! I feel that same way. I know I need to get over it though. My husband and I pray before meals but I really don't hear him pray out loud in other instances throughout the day. Once in awhile he will tell me how he prayed for something during the day. There are times when I want to pray for something out loud either over him or with him, but then I let my shyness win. or yea, I know what I want to pray in my head but then I can't pick the right words. It's hard for me to take the lead in something like that when I don't see my husband do it. BUT, prayer is so powerful and I think that the enemy knows that and uses self-consciousness to try to stop us from getting closer to God. Also it says in the Bible in Matthew chapter 18: 19 "Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them." Wow, again thanks for being honest because lately I've kind of let this issue go and now I realize that I need to make a conscious effort to get over myself. :)