Bridging the Gap and Strengthening Your Prayers

2009-01-16T07:24:00.001-08:00

Do you always feel connected to Jesus when you pray or does it sometimes feel like there's a gap between you and Him. Sometimes when you feel empty and you let the world's noise clog your mind it can feel difficult to feel like you're really connecting when you pray. Do you sometimes feel disconnected and lost as if you are just going through the motions when you pray? Feeling disconnected when you pray can almost be painful.

How do you improve your connection with God?

Here are some tips to help you when you feel like your prayers are more like reciting:

Praise and Worship
Music. Praise and worship music can make a huge difference to your feeling of connection. The WOW Praise and Worship CDs work wonders for me!

The Bible
Read the bible. If you have a student bible, you can find directories in it that help you to connect better when you're feeling lost. Scripture can speak directly to your soul at times so finding the right passages can be a great idea.

Love letters to Jesus
Do you have a prayer journal? Writing a love letter or a letter expressing your thoughts and desires and prayers can be a huge help to you. You can start off feeling disconnected and end the letter feeling closer to Him as well as to solutions to your own problems. You can buy specialised devotional prayer and gratitude journals or even a spiral notebook will do.

Fellowship
Sometimes the best way to get connected is through fellowship. This can be going to church, attending a Bible study or visiting with a Christian mentor who can help you in your time of need.

Every relationship has peaks and valleys. The important thing is recognizing when your relationship with anyone, including God, needs a bit of work.

Faith Walk: An Adult's Crawl and Then Walk as a Baby Christian

2009-01-15T19:51:00.000-08:00

I was reborn as a child several times and each time it meant a lot to me but as an adult, I chose to be reborn again and this time it was truly monumental. I finally had the ability to control my own circumstances and take the walk I wanted to take. I was a baby Christian because I was new in my walk with Jesus but I was an adult looking to delve in and find out what it was all about. My early days as an adult born again Christian were filled with wonder. The honeymoon period isn't over. Sometimes I get caught up and lose sight but I'm never far away from that sense of wonderment because of how truly amazing it is.

As a child and a young teen I was exposed to Christianity and joined in youth groups and went to camps and became engrossed. Each time I'd get involved I'd get saved and it wouldn't last because my home life was very non-Christian.

In my later teens and twenties I decided I was a non-believer. Evolution and the big bang theory didn't resonate for me but neither did blind faith. I guess I was an agnostic that lived in torment because I tried to figure out how it all began and the more I couldn't figure it out, the angrier I became. I'd stay awake at night driving myself half crazy trying to figure out where it began and who created that and who created that and so on. I finally came to the conclusion that no one with a brain in their head could believe in something that couldn't be figured out. I didn't understand pain and war and torment and found it to be all consuming when I allowed myself to listen to others talk about religion. I didn't understand free will or that God had a plan for my life that included my asking all those questions.

Throughout my twenties, the knock came repeatedly until I finally answered the door. Many things happened over several years that can only be described as God knocking on my door repeatedly to let me know He really did exist. I've been walking my Christian journey for several years now but am still a baby Christian.

Life as a Christian doesn't mean living in perfection. It means that I recognise my flaws and try to do better and be better. It also means I get to be saved by His grace and that I'm never alone. Life is very different now. I am not perfect and I make mistakes but I try to walk with Jesus every day.

My Christian Walk

Bridging the Gap and Strengthening Your Prayers

Faith Walk: An Adult's Crawl and Then Walk as a Baby Christian