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
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