Biblical Teachings on Prayer
John 15:7
If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
~ Jesus
Pondering Point
Jesus here values remaining in Him. How would you explain “remaining” in Jesus to another person? How about “My words remain in you”? While I don’t think the Lord is looking for perfection here before blessing, it does seem He is looking for practice of His precept as part of the plan.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, teach me to remain in You. Let Your words remain in me. You said that the Holy Spirit would remind Your disciples of all that You taught. I am Your disciple. Let that promise find fruition in me by having the Holy Spirit remind me of all of Your words. Then teach me to ask and see it done. Amen.
Skill 2 Exercise: Soothe Myself
Simple Quiet: Quieting (shalom) after both joyful and upsetting emotions is the strongest predictor of lifelong mental health.
Skill 2 can be difficult to identify because replacement patterns are socially acceptable. We replace quiet and rest with BEEPS (Behaviors, Experiences, Events, People, Substances) in the form of business, work, sex, music, internet, television and sugar. When this happens, our world busily consists of the things we do, the items we buy, the people we know, the cars we drive, the places we work or the brand of clothes we wear. Synthetically calming our emotions and ignoring rest signals creates a strain and dysregulates the brain… Families and communities who rest together create safety and bring refreshment to all members. God so values rest that He rests at the end of the creation narrative early in Genesis as an example for us to follow. (see Genesis 2:2-3, Exodus 31:17)
p. 59,60, Transforming Fellowship, Chris Coursey