Ten Qualities of a Kingdom Business Ownerಮಾದರಿ

Quality #3

A personal, vibrant prayer life.

I actually thought I used to know how to pray. It went something like this, “Dear God, you won’t believe the mess I’ve made this time. If you will please help me get out of this messy situation one more time I promise I’ll be a better Christian for the rest of my life, I PROMISE! Amen.” Or, maybe, it went something like this, “Dear God, if you will help me get that promotion, or that better job so that I can make more money, I promise I will start tithing! Amen.”

All of my prayers were only me talking about me, and not listening to God at all. The object of all my prayers was me. I was the ultimate selfish pray-er. Occasionally, I would pray for someone else if they asked me to pray for them. But seriously, I needed more prayer than anybody so that’s where I focused all of my prayers. Somewhere down the line, the Holy Spirit asked me to be quiet and to listen to His still small voice. 

Wait a minute, God still speaks today? I can hear His voice? He actually has something to say to me? He really wants to give me direction? He wants to encourage me? He really wants to speak to specific issues in my life and business? Why in the world has no one ever told me this before? It was about this time when I began to hear the voice of God for the first time, because I sat still long enough for Him to actually speak to me. Now, He never stops talking to me! His love, encouragement and mercies know no bounds! 

Today as I sit quietly in His presence and listen to His voice, the prayers that He rolls out of His heart into my ears are astounding! As He speaks, I then speak what He speaks to me into my phone, and my phone types it out for me in my notes. Sometimes it is a fresh word for me, and other times it may be a fresh word for someone else that the Lord brings to mind later in the day. Because I’ve taken time to dictate and write it down, it can easily be sent to a friend, or maybe someone I’ve never met before. In my earlier days of praying, I rarely wrote down my prayers, and by ten a.m. I had pretty much forgotten what I had even prayed about. By writing down my prayers I have them available throughout the day and from then on to use as a ministry tool as he directs me.  

All the prayers which flow from His thoughts and His heart I hold captive to the obedience of Christ. I want those prayers to be arrows in a quiver full of encouragement, peace, and comfort to be distributed as His Holy Spirit directs me. This is prayer like I’ve never known before and cherish every single morning. I speak less and listen a lot more in my prayer time. When’s the last time you listened to the voice of God during your prayer time? What did He say?