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January 28, 2018 by Laura Diehl 2 Comments

Five Suggestions to Bereaved Parents Who Have Been Told, “You Should be Over This by Now” (Part 2)

I received several emails from people who appreciated the first half of this article. I am glad it was helpful and hope the rest of it will be just as useful. (If you missed it, click here to read it before continuing with the second half.)

I am going to start with the third suggestion, because I wasn’t quite finished.

Feed your spirit and your soul (specifically through music and reading).

I already spent time covering music and reading, but I also want to say there are many other ways to do this.

Being out in nature is another gift from God that has a way of soothing our soul and feeding our spirits.
Journaling and/or coloring is highly recommended by grief counselors, and many parents find this to be a big help. (If you have never journaled, and don’t know where to start, consider getting My Grief Journey: A Coloring Book and Journal for Grieving Parents.)
Spending time closed in with God is one that helped me the most, personally. I know many struggle with this one because of how angry they are with God. But He is the source of peace. Until we are able to turn to Him instead of away from Him, even in our anger, th e consistent peace we long for is going to elude us. (And if it helps any, peace doesn’t always mean the absence of pain. I have learned that peace and pain can live inside of me together.)

Now to continue with the last two on the list.

Release the guilt of not attending functions that are too difficult, no matter how long ago the loss has been.

There are going to be times when going to a joyful or celebration event is going to be a slap-in-the-face reminder that your child is not here; that he or she will not be part of something they should have been right in the middle of. This will continue for many years, such as a graduation, or a birth that would have made your child an aunt or uncle.

Once again, there are a couple of options here. I have found instead of making my absence about me, I let those hosting/attending know that my absence is about them. I don’t want to dampen or possibly ruin the celebration for them and those attending by how deeply I still love and miss my child.

The other option I have found that seems to surprise people, is to ask if there can be a way to include your child. Can a toast be made to your child (and possibly others who have also passed on and are missed)? Can there be a photo placed somewhere? Can a book be set on a table where those attending can write a memory or a note to your child, letting him or her know how much they are missed? Yes, there will probably be some moments of tears, but doing something like this can give a sense of relief, as it gives you the needed grace and permission to miss your child.

When I know my daughter will be acknowledged in some way, it helps bring a healing comfort in the midst of the pain to know others miss her too, and have not forgotten her. Will there be tears? Probably. Do I care? Not anymore. They are tears of a love that will never be quenched until I am with her again, and I don’t care if people around me understand that or not.

Connect with others who are ahead of you on this rocky road of grief who get it, and will walk with you in the darkness and be the light of hope you need.

When we see and know others who have faced the death of their child and not only survived, but are somehow living a life of meaning and purpose again, it gives us hope that somehow, it must be possible.

For almost two years, I didn’t want to go to any conferences that were for grieving parents. (I also didn’t go to any grief support groups, but that was because I didn’t know of any in my area.) I didn’t want to be around a bunch of people who were a mess like me, thinking we would just sit around all morbid, cry about our kids, and I would leave feeling worse than when I arrived.

I found the exact opposite to be true. It was wonderful and healing to be in a room full of people who were a mess like me. They “got it.” I didn’t have to explain anything to anyone. I didn’t have to feel guilty for laughing, or for a few tears that fell at strange times. It was an instant bonding with people I had never met, and I made life-long friends who are very precious to me.

A word of caution though. Make sure you are connecting with parents who will acknowledge your grief, but also be a light of hope that you can and will get past the suffocating darkness. We all know our lives will never be the same, but some parents are stuck in that darkness, and tell others behind them that they won’t ever get out, either. Keep looking until you find those who give you the hope you need.

As I said at the very beginning of this two-part article, the people around you are not going to understand. I sure didn’t know this depth of suffocating darkness even existed until Becca died. And I hope those around us never have to find out for themselves.

Unfortunately, there may be some who remain insensitive and continually pick at our open wound of grief, who will have to be shut out of our lives. Almost every bereaved parent I have met has said their circle of friends made a shift because of lack of understanding and support when it was needed the most. That isn’t always an option though, especially when it is someone in our family. I pray these five suggestions will help you in a way that rises you above the painful conflict, to a place of rest and peace. And may you have hope that the light is not far away, because those of us who carry it, are walking with you.

If you would like a list of these five suggestions in a printable version you can put somewhere to see as a reminder, just let us know and we will get it right to you.

Expressions of Hope is written by author and speaker Laura Diehl to bring hope, light and life to those struggling in darkness after a tragedy, especially bereaved parents. If you would like more information about Laura as an author or a speaker for your next event, click here.

GPS Hope exists to bring hope to parents who have suffered the death of a child, acknowledging their unique grief with support, connection and education for them and those around them.

September 14, 2016 by Dave Diehl Leave a Comment

The Jezebel Jury – Part 2

In giving Laura a well deserved break, I (Dave) have decided to give this a shot. This is part 2 of The Jezebel Jury. If you haven’t already read part 1, I encourage you to click here to read it first.

We saw in part 1 that out of all the traits of the Old Testament Jezebel, the one trait that the woman Jesus named Jezebel in Rev. 2:20 was teaching and promoting sexual immorality and eating food sacrificed to idols. This was done in complete defiance of the only “burden” the apostles put on the church, after a divisive argument about circumcision (see Acts 15:28-29). So when it comes to the “spirit of Jezebel”, I believe it is critical to go with the definition Jesus gave in Revelation. So why do so many define it based on the domineering traits of the Old Testament Jezebel?

Many see the story of King Ahab as a weak man controlled by a domineering un-submissive wife that uses her husband’s powerful position for her purposes. This perception is then used as part of their definition of a spirit of Jezebel. The scripture isn’t specific about this, so it may or may not have been true. However, I believe this view tends to overlook the true character of Ahab. He was the the most evil King that Israel ever had, before he married Jezebel! It’s my opinion that it was this evil in his heart that drew him to the wickedness of Baal worship and its sexual nature.

1 Kings 16:30-33 NIV “30 Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him. 31 He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him. 32 He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria. 33 Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to arouse the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than did all the kings of Israel before him.”

Ahab not only did the evil of his fathers, but he then went on to marry Jezebel, a priestess of Baal worship. While it is highly likely that this marriage was also for political purposes between two kingdoms, which was customary, it is also highly likely that Ahab, consumed with lust, purposefully choose Jezebel because of her close connection to Baal worship and its sexual debauchery.

Verse 32 & 33 says that Ahab set up the alters for Baal worship in Israel. I am sure Jezebel was right there encouraging him, but I do not believe she manipulated him into it. It was already a strong deception in his heart and she was right by his side.

There is no question that Jezebel was evil (I mean she was killing as many of the Lords prophets as possible and let Elijah know he was next). It is said when two people are perfect for each other they are a “match made in heaven”. These two were a match made in hell. Her wickedness was only matched by his.

Then there is Naboth’s vineyard that Ahab wanted. Interestingly enough, Ahab didn’t just take it, he offered Naboth a better vineyard or payment. Naboth rightly said he could not, as it was the Lords inheritance. It was forbidden for him to give it away even to the King. Ahab went away angry and sulked, refusing to eat (1 Kings 21:4). Many use this to show how week Ahab was and Jezebel “wore the pants of the family”. I see this a little differently. I think Ahab was confronted with God’s word that he knew was true and didn’t know how to get past the dilemma and get what he wanted! That’s why he didn’t just take the vineyard. Jezebel in many ways is “standing by her man” here it seems. Verse 7 “Jezebel his wife said, ‘is this how you act as king over Israel? Get up and eat! Cheer up. I’ll get you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.’” Jezebel devised an evil plan to set up Naboth to be killed without implicating her or Ahab. Once Naboth was dead, Ahab took the vineyard.

Many use 1 Kings 21:25 as evidence that Jezebel manipulated Ahab. KJV “But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.” NIV uses the term “urged on”. Did Jezebel manipulate him? Possibly, but I believe this scripture shows the type of relationship they had. Have you ever seen when one person is complaining about something, how another will be in agreement with them and the two stir each other up into a frenzy? This is what I see happening here. The bottom line is Ahab is responsible for what he did to Israel with or without Jezebel!

So to me, it seems obvious that the “spirit of Jezebel” affecting the church is best defined as Jesus did in Rev. 2:20, “Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols.” It is teaching that sexual immorality is okay and so is eating food sacrificed to idols. The church is urged not to allow that to be taught in their local fellowships. Can you see this happening in America today, at least the sexual sin portion?

Don’t get me wrong, I do believe there is a spirit of control that can affect relationships as well, but I do not believe this should be considered the spirit of Jezebel (who was very domineering). In some cases this may be why some accuse others of having the “spirit of Jezebel”. Often those struggling with their own control issues will accuse others of the very thing of which they are guilty. This is an area to be careful with as well. Our natural flesh can have control issues. Often we are just dealing with our fleshly nature. However, if we refuse to allow God to deal with us in that area when He points it out to us, we can open a door for demonic activity in our lives. Controlling spirits can affect the church greatly. Have you seen it? Deacon-elder boards controlling the pastor and what he preaches; pastors trying to control the congregation and boards; a congregation member withholding their financial support if they don’t get what they want. I like how the book Conquering the Game of Control by Craig Green states it. There are three types of control. Manipulation, intimidation and domination. A manipulator can control a dominator. A dominator can control an intimidator and an intimidator can control a manipulator. It’s like playing rock paper scissors. The only way to win is to not play the game!

Gems from the Crown is a weekly blog from Crown of Glory Ministries to strengthen and encourage believers in Christ in their walk with God, especially in the areas of vision, authority, and identity. If you would like to have Gems from the Crown delivered directly to you, please click here.

November 25, 2015 by Laura Diehl 4 Comments

When Is It Wrong To Judge Others?

“I have misjudged you.” Have you ever heard that? How about from another Christian? My question is this: Why is there judgment going on among the Body of Christ? I thought Jesus was the judge?

I feel like I have lived almost my entire life under the judgment of Christians. There are so many things Christians have strong opinions on, causing them to judge each other.

True Christians don’t smoke because they know their body is the temple of the Holy Spirit
Good Christians go to church every Sunday; if you don’t, you aren’t serious about your faith
True Christians don’t put their children in “government” (public) schools
Serious Christians don’t do something “good” for Halloween (trying to call evil good) because they know they would be participating in the highest holy day for witches and Satanists
Good Christians don’t drink alcohol so they won’t be a stumbling block to others
We all know when a Christian gets involved in politics it will just corrupt them
You can’t be a homosexual and be saved…
You should not wear flip flops to church. They are too casual, and we need to dress our very best for God when we go to church. (Yes, I have heard someone say that.)

The list is endless. Why do we do this to each other? And then we wonder why the rest of the world would rather be in the bars than in our churches? And we judge them for that (along with their many other sins. SMH (Shake my head….)

What about gossip or jealousy? What about gluttony? What about preferring others above yourself? News flash: We are ALL sinners, working out our salvation, dying to ourselves and crucifying our flesh!

“Well, Laura, I’m not judging them. I am just looking at the fruit in their lives…” Yes, I agree, there is a difference between judgment and testing the fruit (or testing the spirits). To check out the fruit is to make a decision whether something is good or bad, which allows me to make a decision if I want it or not. But even then, I can only see what is on the outside, not on the inside. Only God can see the heart and the motive.

Which brings me to the fact that there is also a difference between judgment, and having discernment. Discernment is the ability to decide between truth and error, right and wrong. Discernment is “the process of making careful distinctions in our thinking about truth. It is perception in the absence of judgment with a view to obtain spiritual direction and understanding,” John MacArthur.

Judgment is making a verdict of condemnation that demands a sentence or a punishment; true testing of the fruit, or having discernment, does not. And too often, we pass a personal verdict of another Christian’s actions, passing a sentence of some kind on those who aren’t doing what we think they should be doing in various ways. Sometimes we are aware of what we are doing, and sometimes we aren’t.

Judgment brings heaviness. Have you ever noticed that? As Christians, way too often we try to get people to change by heaping on guilt, manipulating, and declaring God’s judgment on someone to get them to live a “cleaned up” life. Most people cannot hold up under the weight of others heaping on judgment and the list of “good” Christians do’s and don’ts, and many end up leaving our churches, because they just can’t measure up.

Surrender brings freedom. God’s way is love that covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8). His love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8) and His mercy triumphs over judgment (James 2:13). It is God’s goodness and kindness that brings a person to true repentance (Romans 2:4). His ways are so much more effective in truly changed lives.

Judgment changes the actions; surrender changes the heart!

When we see a large person at a buffet, our mind will almost immediately start thinking things like, “That person has no business being here. If they would stop eating like that, they would lose weight.” But we don’t have the full story. What if that person has already lost 100 pounds, and one day a month they treat themselves, and this is that once-a-month day? They are excited about their progress, and rightly so. But in our minds, we are heaping judgment and condemnation on them, based only on the “fruit” of what we see, not on the truth of what we cannot see.

In John 12:47-48 we read, “If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day.” He is the judge, through His Word, when we have finished living our lives on this earth.

In Matthew 13, Jesus tells about a man who planted a crop of wheat. An enemy came along and tossed in some seeds to make weeds grow. When it was discovered, the servants asked the owner if they should pull out the weeds. His answer? No, because it will also uproot the wheat. Leave it alone, and it will be taken care of and separated during the harvest time.

Most of us are familiar with Jesus telling us not to judge others, in Matthew 7. He also says we will be judged with the same judgment we use to judge others. Yikes!

And then there is Paul. “Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls” Romans 14:4. That sounds pretty black-and-white to me.

Friendships and families have been destroyed by Christians trying to “clean up” each other’s lives, casting a verdict of guilty, when that person does not comply.

I recently met a woman who was the first one in her family to receive Jesus. Eventually, the entire family of both parents and all seven children were saved. They used to be a very close family, but when they all came to know the Lord, they started to constantly argue and bicker with each other, over what churches they were going to, what they believed the Bible says, and fighting about the things they thought others should or shouldn’t be doing. How sad is that?

We have got to realize only God has the right to judge. Judgment brings division, and we know that does not come from God.

If you find yourself in a place of judgment by others, I want to release you, so that you can find freedom in surrendering to God’s best for you. Yes, God will use Christians in your life to give you direction, and instruction. But if it comes with judgment, they have crossed a line. The Holy Spirit should be the one to convict, not Christians to condemn.

If you realize you are someone who judges others (which was the case with me, as God revealed to me that I was very heavy into judgment of others for most of my life) what can you do? Get as close to God’s love as you possibly can! The more you realize how much He loves you unconditionally, the easier it is to release your judgment of others, because you want them to experience that same incredible love.

“One of the things I’ve learned in my spiritual journey is that the closer someone gets to Jesus Christ, the less judgmental, self-righteous, harsh-toward-others, and selfish he or she will be.” Frank Viola in blog Legalism, License, Lordship and Liberty http://frankviola.org/2011/04/05/legalism-license-lordship-and-liberty/

The last thing I want to say is that we have to be careful that in our hurt of being “misjudged,” we do not judge others for judging us. I did not write this so we point our finger at someone and say, “See! You shouldn’t be judging me!”

To our own master we stand or fall. We are to hold the mirror up to ourselves, and judge our own heart. What are my motives? Are my actions pleasing to God? Am I walking in love, and manifesting the fruit of the Spirit?

Let’s have a whole lot less judging of one another, and a whole lot more loving. Not the kind of love that looks the other way from someone’s sin, but God’s kind of love that changes the heart.

Gems from the Crown is a weekly blog from Crown of Glory Ministries to strengthen and encourage believers in Christ in their walk with God, especially in the areas of vision, authority, and identity. If you would like to have Gems from the Crown delivered directly to you, please click here.

September 30, 2015 by Laura Diehl Leave a Comment

I’ve Got the Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy Down in My Heart…Where?

In my walk this morning, I was praying for God to increase the joy in my life and the joy in my family. I started asking the Lord what some of the things are that will release joy in our lives. (After all, joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit already living inside of us.)

God showed me four things. I am sure there are more, but these are the ones He showed me during my time with Him on my walk.

Thankfulness
Child-like faith
Relationship
Obedience

Let’s start with obedience. When you know you are guilty of doing something wrong, you cannot have joy. That includes not doing something you know God has told you to do. Disobedience brings guilt. Guilt brings condemnation. The Holy Spirit does not bring condemnation (He brings conviction) but guilt does. When we are feeling guilty, joy is going to be missing from our lives. This seems pretty obvious here in black-and-white, but not so much in our day-to-day living. When we repent and receive forgiveness, that guilt is washed away. When we are in obedience, there is a fullness of joy that comes with it. Our conscious is clean before God, and that lightness in our hearts has a natural result of joy.

How about child-like faith? Well, fear is the opposite of faith. And yet they both come from the same root emotion – how we feel about the unknown. It is a choice in our perspective. We choose whether we are going to have fear or faith in what we cannot see. Fear brings torment. If we are walking in fear and playing out all the scenarios in our minds about what might, or can, or probably will go wrong, then obviously we do not have joy in our hearts. Fear, anxiety, and worry not only brings mental anguish, but also brings health issues into our lives. We need to remind ourselves that perfect love casts out all fear (1 John 4:18).

As believers in the Risen Christ, we are to walk by faith, and not by sight. When we choose fear, we cannot have the fruit of joy operating in our lives. If we are walking in faith, child-like faith that our Daddy is taking care of us and taking care of what we can’t see, no matter how bad the situation is, we will be in freedom and joy. I am handing it all over to Him, and releasing it to Him, which means it is no longer my burden, and it is up to Him to take care of and fix. Child-like faith doesn’t mean I am going to get my way. It means Hs is going to do what is right in the big picture, and believe me when I say I know first-hand how extremely painful that can be at times. But God has never entered a battle and come out the loser. He is always victorious, so I know that in Him, I will be victorious also, which gives me joy! It releases in me a child-like awe and wonderment. I am free to go about my life, believing things are going to be okay, which brings joy.

Let’s move on to number three, relationship. Relationships involve emotions. Yes, I know joy is not an emotion like happiness, and yet joy definitely affects our emotions. When you have a great relationship with someone, it brings joy to your very soul. Guess what? When you have a great relationship with God, it brings joy to your very soul. We all know great relationships take work. It takes a purposeful effort to spend time together, whether it is a person, or your Father in heaven, because life gets busy. So spending time in His Word to hear from Him, spending time in prayer talking to Him, and spending time in worship, which brings His very presence into our personal world, are all ways to grow in your relationship with God. And the better our relationship with God, the deeper the joy it releases in our lives.

Then there is the issue of thankfulness. We know thankfulness lifts our hearts. Many of us get so stuck in the rut of living, that we forget how blessed we are. Taking time to sit and list out the things we have to be thankful for, both in our minds and on paper, brings joy to our hears because it opens our eyes and gives us a renewed revelation of the good things God has brought into our lives. Focusing on the negative brings darkness. Focusing on the positive brings light. Light shatters the darkness and heaviness, allowing joy to break through.

I would like to share something taken from my book When Tragedy Strikes: Rebuilding Your Life With Hope and Healing After the Death of Your Child.

It is no secret the enemy works overtime to keep us from walking in joy. Why would he be so determined to steal my joy? Because God’s joy is my strength. And I don’t mean my joy in Him, I mean His joy in me. Most of us are familiar with Nehemiah 8:10, “…the joy of the Lord is your strength.” In the English language (hang in here with me, now) the word “of” is a preposition. If I were to say, “This view of the ocean is our favorite,” I would be referring to the ocean’s view, right? If I were to say, “The book of Kevin’s is lost,” I would be referring to Kevin’s book, right? Well, if the joy of the Lord is my strength, I see it referring to the Lord’s joy, not mine!

When the Holy Spirit first showed me this, it was a huge relief! I don’t have to manufacture or make sure I have joy (based on my love or my happiness in God) to have strength. My strength comes from knowing He is crazy in love with me! Wow! (Remember Zephaniah 3:17, how He is rejoicing over us with gladness and singing?) His joy over me is what makes me strong. His joy about me creates joy in me. Now there is a seed of hope to plant in your life for sure!

Literally right in the middle of writing this blog, there was a situation I became overwhelmed with a heaviness that brought me to tears. I had to stop and take a dose of my own medicine, and force myself to do these four things myself. I can say they really truly work!

Gems from the Crown is a weekly blog to strengthen and encourage believers in Christ in their walk with God. If you would like to receive Gems from the Crown delivered directly to you, please click here.

August 26, 2015 by Laura Diehl 2 Comments

Do You Lack Joy in Your Prayer Life?

There are Christians who have strong opinions about what our prayer time should look like. I have come to realize that if I spent my time praying for what everyone else tells me I need to pray for, I would hardly ever leave my prayer room!

Someone who has a heart and anointing for missions will tell us we need to pray for missionaries daily. Someone who has a burden and calling for evangelism will tell us we need to pray for the unsaved every day. Others will try to open our eyes to the burden of praying daily for our schools and the students in them, or the government, or tell us we need to get more serious about spiritual warfare in our daily prayers, or pray a specific scripture every day.

And it doesn’t end there. We are told by those who are early risers that it is best to get up early to spend time in prayer. (Yes, I know the Psalms refer to that.) Some offer their thoughts about how much time we should spend in prayer each day (at least an hour, right?). And don’t forget to make your prayer list…

It often seems that since we can’t meet all these requirements put on us by the spiritual people around us, we pretty much give up on being able to do it right, and find ourselves fighting a heaping load of discouragement. And instead of being excited about spending time with the One who is head-over-heels in love with us, we allow ourselves to come under condemnation of what others say we should be praying about, which often causes us not to set time aside to pray at all.

Prayer itself is not supposed to be a burden. It is simply communication between God and the human beings He created and loves; with a deep love more than our finite minds can comprehend.

God used the darkest circumstance in my life to set me free in this area. I wrote about it in my book When Tragedy Strikes.

For me personally, over the years it has been easy to feel guilty in my quiet time with the Lord. I am either not following someone else’s pattern, or I’m not doing what I have been told by other Christians I should be doing. I “should” be reading my Bible for thirty minutes every day, or I “should” be on my knees praying for an hour, etc.

But during this time of learning how to rest in God’s presence, I was actually set free from that kind of guilt. In trying to “just be” with God, I never followed any kind of formula. If I wanted to pray, I prayed. If I wanted to sleep, I slept (usually with “soaking” music that would surround me with His presence). If I wanted to cry, I cried. If I wanted to praise Him with my voice or by lifting my hands, that’s what I would do. If I wanted to spend time reading my Bible, I would open it and read. I learned to just have times of intimacy between myself and my Lord, and that has become a permanent part of my life.

I rest in the love of my God, and we spend time together, just the two of us in the privacy of my prayer room. I don’t let what others do, or what others insist all Christians should do, dictate the intimate time set aside to be with my God, nor do I feel a need to tell others what they should be doing in their time of intimacy with Him.

I have come to learn that when I spend my times of intimacy with the Lord being led by the Holy Spirit in this way, what I should pray for and how long I should pray is naturally taken care of.

Here are seven things I have learned over the years about prayer, which have greatly increased my desire for spending time in communication with my Father.

Don’t use what others tell you to pray for as your prayer guide. Ask God what He wants you to pray for.
Keep it simple. Just pray your own words from your own heart.
Don’t get caught up in loud or wordy prayers, thinking you have to get God’s attention. He came to Elijah in a still small voice, and it is okay to come to Him in the same way.
You don’t have to come to Him at the same time every day. There is much to be said for routine and discipline, but many of us don’t have that luxury (such as mothers of small children).
Don’t base the length of your prayer time on what others think it should be. Base it on your own needs and desires, which can change through the seasons of life.
If you are praying a promise from the Word of God, speak it out loud. There is power in the spoken word. Use “voice activation” to put the power of God’s Word at work in your life and those you love.
Realize the more time you spend with Him, the easier it is to hear Him speak to you.

Here is another excerpt from my book When Tragedy Strikes about the subject of prayer.

Thankfully, prayer is more than just time set aside every morning before starting your day, or a set gathering at church. Prayer is an ongoing conversation with God that can take place at any time, in any place. Talk to Him from your heart throughout the day, and then listen for His response. He is there, and He wants to be in communication with you. As you become more and more aware of His presence, you will occasionally hear Him initiate the conversation. You will be amazed at the healing that happens in those beautiful random moments of prayer.

When prayer is based in your own personal relationship with God, it becomes a joy. My relationship with my earthly father is different than my sister’s relationship with him. The same is true of our heavenly Father. As His children, we each have a unique relationship with Him, and our prayer life should be a reflection of that individual relationship.