PRAYERFUL APES

If we want to be good Fishersmen APES in 2010 we need to be (P)rayerful! It’s hard to have a good relationship with anyone if you don’t communicate, and Billy Graham says, ”Prayer is the rope that pulls God and man together. But it doesn’t pull God down to us; it pulls us to Him.” We start out in prayer trying to get God focused on our needs and concerns, and end up getting lined up with His thoughts and will; and this brings us peace. Paul told the Philippians, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

God wants to hear from His kids, and it allows us to participate in what He wants to accomplish. Scripture tells us that a lot of times we don’t have, because we don’t ask. And James tells us that, “The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” James 5:16b

So if we want to get closer to God, be more like Jesus, and be good followers in 2010, we’ll need to do some more praying. Paul tells the original Timothy, “First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men.” I Timothy 2:1 He thought prayer was the beginning. The place to start… in 2010!

Corrie Ten Boom challenges the Christian by asking, “Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?” If you dig into Operation Timothy (OT), Book 2, Chapter 6 you’ll find even more cool quotes and Bible teaching to help you be a prayerful APE! If you haven’t been through O.T. think about it for 2010. If you’ve started, but stopped, consider beginning again.