I sometimes think the prayers Re going up to the ceiling and bouncing back down. But we know better. 

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> On Oct 13, 2014, at 11:19, Andrew <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> 
> Hi  i enjoyed reading this myself. I been finding myself when ever i
> been trying to pray that i often experience silence and i quite often
> wonder if god hears  me or not i know god hears our prayers but to me
> I feel like  i don't get answers sometimes.  i guess that is another
> area for you and i to pray on to ask god to show me any blockages in
> our next call together and to  try to figure out what might becausing
> this.
> 
>> On 10/11/14, Pat Ferguson <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>> Dear Phil,
>> 
>> I love that.
>> 
>> I'm so stressed out and upset and frustrated lately, I have trouble
>> focusing on anything.
>> 
>> I'm always so very anxious and I hate it.
>> 
>> I know I'm driving Vernon crazy.
>> 
>> I better go pray in the Spirit.
>> 
>> 
>> Thanks much.
>> 
>> Many Blessings,
>> 
>> Pat Ferguson
>> "I can Do all Things Through Christ Who Strengthens Me" Philippians 4:13.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> At 03:05 PM 10/11/2014, you wrote:
>>> When I was 4 and 5 years old, we used to occasionally drive from Des
>>> Moines, Iowa to a town west of Wichita, Kansas called Kingman.  My
>>> grand parents, and most of my relatives from both my mom and dad's
>>> families, lived around that part of the state.  I don't remember the
>>> model and make of the car we had back then but I do remember it had
>>> one big problem.
>>> 
>>> At about 3 o'clock in the morning, mom and Dad would awaken us,
>>> sleepy eyed and dead to the world, that is, my 1 year old little
>>> sister and I, and bundle us both up, still in our pajamas and
>>> blankets, and load us into the warm backseat.  This way we would
>>> sleep much of the way to Kansas and not get so tired, as children,
>>> riding long distances are wantun to do, but there was another reason
>>> for rising so early for the trip to grandma and grandpa's.  Our car
>>> could only go about 50 miles an hour.  I well remember dad trying to
>>> go faster but the car would begin to shimmy, dad called it, vibrate
>>> and shake is what it means, and this occurred at about 55 miles per
>>> hour.  The speed limit was 75 but the old car just couldn't take it
>>> over 55 until one day we discovered the truth.
>>> 
>>> I was a little older by this time so I remember standing up on the
>>> backseat and holding on to the front seat and watching my dad
>>> drive.  "I'm going to take this thing all the way up," dad
>>> announced, "to 75 miles and hour and if she shakes apart, that will
>>> be it."  I didn't know what he meant by saying, "that will be it,"
>>> but I felt safe with my dad and I wanted to watch what might
>>> happen.  I watched the speedometer begin to move slowly off the
>>> number 50 and when the needle, no digital back in those days and no
>>> seatbelts either, the car began shaking.  The needle slowly climbed
>>> passed 55 and the shaking continued; maybe even a little worse than
>>> before.  Dad was determined so he kept his foot on the
>>> gas.  Something strange happened, when we hit about 60 miles per
>>> hour, the shaking and vibrating stopped completely.  Dad kept his
>>> foot pressing slowly downward until the speedometer was reading 75
>>> miles an hour.  It was smooth sailing and we discovered it was just
>>> at that one speed, 55, when the car would shimmy.  Beyond that, it
>>> was a ride as smooth as the road made it with no problems.  This
>>> meant we no longer had to get up at 3 o'clock in the morning to make
>>> the trip because we now could drive a third faster than before.  To
>>> think we had done this many times over the years when it wasn't
>>> necessary, too.  I'll let you in a little secret.  Once dad found
>>> out the car ran normally passed 55, we didn't always match the 75
>>> mile per hour signs posted along the highway so we saved even more
>>> time getting to Grandma and Grandpa's house.  This is a common
>>> malady of most preachers when they get behind the wheel of a car so
>>> be careful with whom you ride.
>>> 
>>> This simple story came to mind recently for some reason and as I sat
>>> and considered the fondness of the childhood memory, I let the Lord
>>> show me why He was bringing it to my thoughts.  For most of my life,
>>> I prayed this way.  I only prayed up to a certain speed or to a
>>> certain point, sort of speak, and was fearful things might begin to
>>> shake apart if I pushed too hard.  I mean, I was just a simple
>>> Christian and big answered needed big prayers by big spiritual
>>> people and I wasn't one of those.  Sure, God answered the prayers of
>>> the Christian authors, pastors, especially missionaries, Sunday
>>> school teachers, youth pastors, radio preachers, and folks like that
>>> but me?  No way.  There was a limit, you know, is what I thought,
>>> but I never expressed this to anyone because I didn't want others to
>>> know I was as in the dark concerning prayer, and answers to prayers,
>>> as they were.  There came a time in my life, mostly out of financial
>>> desperation, but with a spiritual and Biblical curiosity, that drove
>>> me to pray, using God's Word as my guide, in order to learn the
>>> truth about prayer; especially answered prayer.
>>> 
>>> According to the Bible, I was fully aware that we should pray with
>>> boldness, that is, floor it, as my dad did, and get passed the
>>> blockages.  This was the result of something the Lord told me during
>>> a night when I was meditating on what the Scriptures said about
>>> prayer.  I heard recently on a news broadcast that a study had been
>>> psychologically conducted of people that said they could hear God's
>>> voice in their heads, that is, in their thoughts.  The study
>>> concluded all such people were mentally ill.  I laughed and said,
>>> "Praise God!  I'm crazy for Jesus.  Come on, baby, I want to get
>>> worse."  Unfortunately, I have heard born again Christians make the
>>> same statement about those of us who claim to hear God.  It's ok
>>> because they just don't understand.  Such Christians think we mean
>>> we literally hear an audible voice and although that certainly isn't
>>> beyond expectation, I'm talking about our thoughts, that is, our
>>> mind.  Don't tell your Christian friends, if you have any, that you
>>> hear God's voice in your thoughts, or head, is my standard
>>> recommendation, but at my age, I don't care any longer if even
>>> Christians like it or not.  Let me give you a brief example.
>>> 
>>> Recently I was talking to a man by the name of Jim.  He is 73 years
>>> old but loves the Lord more than anybody I know.  He talks about
>>> Jesus so much, once I said to him, "Jim, no matter what you talk
>>> about when starting, within a couple of minutes, you are always
>>> ending up talking about Jesus."  He took it as it was meant; a
>>> compliment because that is how I meant it.  I'm somewhat like that
>>> myself but Jim talks to anybody, anywhere, like that and he never
>>> bothers to find out if that person, to whom he is talking, is born
>>> again or not; that comes later with Jim.  So Jim's on the phone and
>>> asking me to pray and he reads off this list of things he wants me
>>> to pray about.  Then he sighed and said, "Phil.  Prayer is the
>>> hardest thing in the world for me to do."  I told Jim, if that were
>>> true, then he did not know how to pray because prayer, the Lord told
>>> me several years ago, should be as natural as walking or
>>> breathing.  Jim said, "Then, please, tell me what you've
>>> learned."  I explained a few things to him and by the time we
>>> finished, he wanted to schedule regular prayer sessions in order to
>>> experience the ease of praying and listening to God through
>>> prayer.  So, which is it with you?  Is it hard to pray?  Does it
>>> work?  If you don't pray 30 or 40 minutes to an hour a day, to you
>>> feel guilty as I used to?  If so, you have a 55 barrier to overcome
>>> and the whole thing is easier than you can imagine.
>>> 
>>> When it comes to breaking the barrier, as it were, to prayer, the
>>> first place to start is simple awareness, or what I called, God
>>> Awareness.  This is nothing more than becoming aware of your
>>> spiritual surroundings in order to sense God's presence.  Let me explain.
>>> 
>>> When I could see, I was constantly aware of my surroundings.  Some
>>> of this may have developed as a little boy hunting in fields out in
>>> the country with my dad but it mostly seemed to be just a part of
>>> me.  Whenever I went outdoors, I was always aware of what was going
>>> on around me.  I scanned things in every direction, including the
>>> sky and what was above me, and I continued this awareness when I
>>> rode my bicycle or whatever I did.  You have to be situationally
>>> aware when riding a bike if you don't want to get run down and the
>>> same is true when driving a car but even more so with two wheelers
>>> such as bikes and motorcycles.  It isn't something you have to
>>> practice, perhaps some people have it to one degree or another, but
>>> regardless, awareness is something you can develop easily by
>>> stopping and thinking of where you are and the sounds and sights,
>>> you hear.  If you can see, it is somewhat automatic and your mind
>>> records all that is around you at least visually in a split second
>>> of time.  If you are blind, your hearing offers another degree, or
>>> level, of situational awareness to make up for the loss of
>>> sight.  I've been both, sighted and blind, and now that I am
>>> beginning to experience some hearing loss, I have to work at it even
>>> more specifically.
>>> 
>>> One day, we were at Grandma and Grandpa's home in Kansas but this
>>> time it was summer and I was about 10 years old I would guess.  My
>>> grandparents had a large house and a very large front yard.  Grandma
>>> grew flowers in most of the front yard and Grandpa had put in a
>>> sidewalk right down the middle for her garden on either side.  This
>>> also made it easier for visitors to approach their front
>>> door.  Across nearly the entire front of the house was a concrete
>>> porch with a porch swing.  Now we have decks in the back but in
>>> earlier times, people had large front porches and sat outdoors  of
>>> an evening, swinging on the porch swing, and visiting with those
>>> walking by that lived in the neighborhood.  Without air
>>> conditioning, you had to sit outside for awhile before going to bed
>>> to allow the house to cool, all windows and doors opened, to let in
>>> the fresh evening air.
>>> 
>>> One morning, I walked out on to the front porch, stepped over to the
>>> front step, the porch was about a foot high, and once I stepped down
>>> into the yard, I just sat down and began my situational
>>> awareness.  I scanned my surroundings and everything was as it had
>>> been in previous visits.  I eventually looked straight down at my
>>> feet.  There, sitting about a half a foot away was a large land
>>> turtle.  "Where'd you come from little guy?" I said out loud.  I
>>> loved turtles so I watched him as he just sat there looking up at
>>> me.  I picked him up and carried him into the house and showed him
>>> to Grandma.  She laughed and said, "Now you be nice to him because
>>> he watches my garden for me."  I didn't understand and told her as
>>> much.  "He takes care of my flowers by keeping insects out."  "Oh,"
>>> I replied, "I didn't realize."  Grandma told me I could play with
>>> him but whenever I was finished, I was to return him to the flower
>>> garden because that was where he lived.  I always obeyed whatever my
>>> grandparents told me because the alternative was painful, if you get
>>> my meaning.
>>> 
>>> I used this simple childhood story to point out how awareness should
>>> work automatically and effortlessly.  "Stop and take time to smell
>>> the roses," is a saying that describes this type of awareness.  In
>>> other words, take time to think about other things.  When it comes
>>> to prayer, our minds are filled with hundreds, if not thousands, of
>>> thoughts and all clamoring for our focused attention.  This is one
>>> main reason we don't pray much, our minds are crowded with so many
>>> other things, good and bad, we cannot focus on anything else or so
>>> the Enemy wants us to believe.  Yet, the Bible confirms we have the
>>> mind of Christ.
>>> 
>>> Now, I trust it is obvious to you that I am not talking about
>>> eastern religious meditation whereby you clear your mind until it is
>>> void of thought.  Although this is accomplished in many different
>>> ways, the main purpose is to restructure one's mind to bring about a
>>> peaceful mood or to correct an unwanted behavior such as anger or
>>> fear.  In short, it is an attempt to train the mind to obey what it
>>> is told to do.  Jesus said, on the other hand, "Which of you with
>>> taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?" (Luke 12:25
>>> AV).  A cubit is about 18 inches.  The passage can be interpreted
>>> two ways.  First, the term "taking thought" means to worry, be
>>> anxious, or to be fearful.  This is the destabilization of reason
>>> and thought and emotional incompatibility with God's Word.  It also
>>> means (to promote,) that is, using thought alone, who can increase
>>> their height by 18 inches.  The answer, of course, is
>>> obvious.  Meditating to increase one's height, or even praying and
>>> asking God to give you another foot and a half of height, simply
>>> cannot be done.  It isn't because Jesus doesn't want to answer your
>>> prayers, he just wants you to start losing weight instead.  Get my
>>> meaning?
>>> 
>>> I was thinking about the idea of spiritual and Biblical awareness of
>>> the presence of God one day when the verse I just quoted came to
>>> mind.  Then I realized I was using that principle currently to lose
>>> weight.  Why?  Because I am only 5 foot 6 and I was telling myself
>>> that I wished I could grow a foot instead of having to lose so much
>>> weight.  Besides, eating is fun and especially when it is sweet.  I
>>> prayed and said, "So, Lord?  What can I do to help neurological
>>> problems in my leg and foot and back and my diabetes?"  The Lord
>>> said, "You can lose weight, can't you?"  He was right; I could do
>>> that so I started.  No, I can't make myself grow a foot but using my
>>> mind, I can lose weight, which is what I did and I am still doing,
>>> in order to do what the Lord said I could do instead of growing in
>>> height.  One thing we can all do is become aware of God using our mind.
>>> 
>>> God's awareness, or experiencing His presence, normally begins with
>>> passive prayer such as listening to Christian music.  We've all
>>> experience the calming effect, or the change of our mood, by
>>> listening to our favorite type of Christian music.  I prefer to just
>>> sit and think in a quiet place but that is in no way necessary.  If
>>> I'm on my deck, I take in the sounds around me for awhile and let my
>>> thoughts take a rest just like putting your feet up or something of
>>> that nature.  If you have to work very hard at being aware of God,
>>> then you are working too hard so back off and childize your
>>> thoughts, simplifying them, and nudge the disturbing thoughts and
>>> feelings away from you.  For example, if your concern is about
>>> money, let your mind meditate, or focus, on God as your provider
>>> based upon the covenant we have with Him.  If it is fear, then focus
>>> on a few verses related to Jesus telling His people to "Fear
>>> not."  "But this doesn't work for me," I hear someone saying.  It
>>> doesn't work because you give up on it before anything happens.  I
>>> didn't say you have to force anything into existence; just point
>>> your mental finger and within your thoughts, tell them to go because
>>> you are busy with more important things now.  This is often why
>>> people enjoy a morning, or evening, walk around the block or why
>>> some people enjoy taking their dog on a leash for an evening
>>> walk.  I used to do this as a 10 year old by riding my bicycle
>>> around and around a 4-square block.  I didn't realize at the time it
>>> was clearing my mind but I hearken back to it now and I can feel the
>>> change in my thoughts as I road.  My dad, as well as many others who
>>> can see, go for a drive.  My son rides his motorcycle.  The same
>>> things occur to me as I ride in the car with someone, too.  As I
>>> hold my little dogs on my lap in a recliner, they eventually stop
>>> licking me and settle down and take short naps.  As they sleep, I
>>> let my mind wonder, using focusing on a theme such as what I am
>>> writing now, and soon the bothersome things begin to give
>>> way.  "Isn't this meditation which you warned us not to do?"  Does
>>> it sound like it?  It is no such thing, meditation, I mean; it is
>>> focusing on God and deliberately without using any worldly
>>> technique.  Why do you think King David and his son, and later King
>>> Solomon, wrote hymns and psalms and spiritual songs and played the
>>> harp and watched and wrote about nature and animals?  It allowed
>>> their minds to focus on God's awareness in their lives and they did
>>> it all passively.  There is the next step in this process of prayer
>>> to take but that comes later.  Let's move on to the next aspect of
>>> personal prayer concerning our focus on God and sensing His presence
>>> regardless of the circumstances.
>>> 
>>> The first thing you are going to discover is that you will likely
>>> have to unlearn a great deal of what you were taught about
>>> prayer.  I don't care what church you were raised in or what
>>> denomination; you will have to come to the place that prayer can
>>> indeed be as simple as walking or breathing.  In other words, "Take
>>> no thought," Jesus said.  He means, quite simply, stop trying to
>>> perform prayers or conduct prayerful formulas.  Why?  Because it
>>> isn't work and never was meant to be.  Awareness of God is where it
>>> all begins.  I've illustrated some simple ways of becoming "God
>>> Aware" in this article but begin correcting your mindful thoughts
>>> concerning prayer by realizing this one thing.  Being aware of God,
>>> and who He is, and where He is, in fact, is a form of prayer.  How
>>> do I know this?  Because you are a prayer to God, first and
>>> foremost, and then once you realize who you really are, it will dawn
>>> on you that He is dwelling in you and that's how you become a prayer
>>> to God.  No effort, no work, no performance; Jesus dwelling in you
>>> by the power and personage of the Holy Spirit.  All the work has
>>> been done for us so we can now swim and bathe and sing and rejoice
>>> and make request of Him through prayer.
>>> 
>>> Finally, if you've been confused by my comments and teaching , just
>>> remember what the Lord told me many years ago:  Prayer is exchanging
>>> your thoughts for God's.  Yes!  It is just that simple; nothing more
>>> and nothing less.
>>> 
>>> To Be Continued
>>> 
>>> Phil.
>>> Living His Name
>>> <http://www.SafePlaceFellowship.COM>WWW.SafePlaceFellowship.COM
>>