can't think of anything...

i know i've been blogging a lot this last week, but i feel like God is teaching me a lot and i have the need to proclaim it.

this year, if you are going on an isp (or usp?) trip, the MOB square has encouraged us all to memorize Joshua 1:9 and Ephesians 6:10-20. i've been grateful for the "forceful" opportunity to memorize scripture again, remembering what a joy it is. i've been trying to utilize my time at the gym as a time for memorization.

today, i was trying to memorize verses 14-20, but i couldn't seem to get passed verse 18. in the NIV, it reads as follows:
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

i went to a seminar last weekend where the speaker talk about things that can happen on the field and how we can get so distracted by the task or by our own feelings, that we don't really serve an appropriate purpose. this verse humbled me because i am to pray ALL of the time. i've known that for so long, but forget what paul says in the rest of the first.

• -we are to pray in the Spirit. what good are we if we don't? i'm not saying that God doesn't hear our prayers, i just wonder what the motivation of our, well my prayers are if they are done through the power of the Spirit.
• -God wants all kinds of prayers-short ones, longs ones, theologically sounding ones, and ones that are crying for help. i guess it comes down to motivation again-the scriptures say that God desires a broken and contrite spirit.
• -be alert: i can't walk through the day expecting the Lord to have someone ask me to pray for them; i must be bold and discern when and where He is wanting to use me to pray for someone and then follow through.
• -always pray for the saints: i need to pray for other believers. i suck at this. i truly desire to pray for others, but i don't. i realized recently that this was lacking in my life, so now i keep a list on people i've committed to pray for on my computer desktop. i still don't pray with the fervor i sense goes in the passage. always pray for all of the saints. that requires a whole lot of knee-time.

i never thought the gym would be such a time of reflection on the Word, but i was/am so blessed by it. i hope paul's words will encourage you to be a person of genuine prayer.