Rhonesha Byng’s Post

Take a moment this week to reflect on the following: As you enter into prayer, what are the feelings you desire to experience to enhance your time with God, and which are distracting you from being fully in God’s presence? Define ways in which your prayer life can be richer. (For example, rising earlier to have quiet time, taking time away in nature to remember God’s goodness in creation, memorizing favorite Scriptures that remind you of God’s greatness.) Explore more in "Faith: 4 Essential Practices": https://a.co/d/bbw7jnm

Take a moment this week to reflect on the following: As you enter into prayer, what are the feelings you desire to experience to enhance your time with God, and which are distracting you from being fully in God’s presence? Define ways in which your prayer life can be richer. (For example, rising earlier to have quiet time, taking time away in nature to remember God’s goodness in creation, memorizing favorite Scriptures that remind you of God’s greatness.) Explore more in "Faith: 4 Essential Practices": https://a.co/d/bbw7jnm

BREAKOUT MEMORY CHALLENGE (LAST DAY) Do you desire to be like Jesus? Do you want to be armed with God's words committed to memory? Make sure to enroll TODAY for this class! REGISTER NOW: http://fast.st/breakout #FASTMissions #LiveTrainingEvent #BreakoutMemoryChallenge

Take a moment this week to reflect on the following: As you enter into prayer, what are the feelings you desire to experience to enhance your time with God, and which are distracting you from being fully in God’s presence? Define ways in which your prayer life can be richer. (For example, rising earlier to have quiet time, taking time away in nature to remember God’s goodness in creation, memorizing favorite Scriptures that remind you of God’s greatness.) Explore more in "Faith: 4 Essential Practices": https://a.co/d/bbw7jnm

Colossians 4:2 Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; Apostle Paul instructs the church at Colossae on how to pray. Paul asks for prayer that is constant, loyal, and devoted, and he emphasizes two important aspects of prayer: * Watchfulness -
Prayer requires ongoing attention, like a guard at a city gate, and should not be casual or frivolous. This means working against distractions and hindrances to stay awake and focused on the task. 
 * Thankfulness -
Prayer can help align our will with God's, which can lead to greater understanding and gratitude. Prayer can also help us become watchful for things that could trip us up, and remind us of how far God has brought us.

Reflection: Praise God? But Why? By Annette Kendall Psalm 117 did not mince words!...What are we to do? Praise God. Why are we to do it? Because he is ever faithful, and his love ever enduring. Similarly, in our day, there are many admonitions to praise God…But why? If I must praise God, then please tell me why! Various reasons are given for the call to praise God. He deserves it. Things he has done merit it. It is our duty. Perhaps you have even heard that you ought to take inventory to fully realize why you must regularly praise God. All of these are valid reasons. Following the example of the psalmist, may we prioritize one reason for praising God above all others: because he is faithful and his love is enduring. It is from this reality that all other reasons for praise flow—victories, protection, provision, and other blessings. When we praise him for his faithfulness and enduring love, we can even more clearly see them as the source from which other blessings flow. And for this, we can continue to praise him. Follow link to read full post and subscribe to M-F email devotionals. #StudentWritersMonth #Psalms #Praise #PraiseHim #WhyPraiseGod #PraiseGodAllTheTime https://buff.ly/3Y8yMvI

PRAY: Pause, rejoice, ask, yield. Do you ever feel stuck or distracted when praying? Praying through these four aspects of prayer based on the Lord’s Prayer can provide an intentional structure and flow for your prayer life. Learn more about how you can use the PRAY method and what each step looks like in our resource, "PRAY: Pause, Rejoice, Ask, Yield." ➡️ navs.me/49Gwhn0 #PrayerTip

Do you know how to pray? Parker King from the Hub for Spiritual Life breaks down two categories for those who want to help improve their personal prayer life. Jesus addresses two concerns about prayer in Luke and Matthew's versions of the Lord's Prayer: 1) The feeling of ineffectuality in prayer Luke - to be honest: For our prayer lives to grow, we must be honest with ourselves and with God. We have to grow comfortable with bringing our honest concerns, petitions, wants, and needs to God, as they are the only things that God seeks to address. 2) The feeling of performance in prayer Matthew - to be humble: For our prayer lives to mature, we must move through the seasons of life with humility, leaning into prayer even when it feels performative. We must resist the urge to make prayer about anything other than encountering and practicing God's presence.

DEVOTIONAL – Be Slow To Speak As you read today’s inspirational message, we pray that it will be a blessing to you and that you will share it with others so that they may be blessed as well. Amen. Have an awesome day in the Lord. Continued blessings. Be Slow To Speak aDevotion.org JAMES 1:19 NIV 19 My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, How many times have you said something and later regretted it? Too often we practice: Speak now and think later. What would happen if you silently consulted with God before speaking? If you thought about, and prayed about, everything you said -- before you said it -- your life would be different. 1 PETER 3:10 LB 10 If you want a happy, good life, keep control of your tongue, and guard your lips from telling lies. Words are powerful and should be used to accomplish a purpose. Don't just talk for no reason. PROVERBS 17:28 NIV 28 Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue. Remember, you can always learn more by listening than you can by talking. Be slow to speak! SAY THIS: God, please help me to control my tongue. #KWMinistries #dailydevotional

My least favorite sentence: “All we can do now is pray.” Yuck. Multiple lies are baked into that sentence. Here’s some truth: 1. Prayer to our Heavenly Father is the most powerful thing we can do. 2. Prayer is not a substitute for taking additional God-inspired action. 3. When you pray, and God doesn't give you what you want, try asking Him what He wants. His plans are eternity-focused, and they're better than yours. When Jesus walked the Earth, did he sit still and "all I can do now is pray" in a corner of his bedroom for 33 years? No. I won’t unpack the life of Jesus in this post, but take a look at it. Read about it. And then try to roll like he did. You won’t get it perfect, but you’ll be on the right path. And his strength will be made perfect in your weakness. Happy Friday. Let’s finish the week strong.