Prayer To Overcome Today’s Difficulties

5 Ways to Overcome the Struggle to Pray

Growing up, a favorite show of mine was “Happy Days.” I admired Arthur Fonzerelli: always cool, self-assured, popular and seemingly able to handle any problem. Yet his greatest difficulty was his inability to admit when he was wrong, to be vulnerable and voice his needs with friends.

What the Fonz portrayed on TV is what we can struggle with in our relationship with God—the resistance to admit the truth of how and when we’ve been wrong.

 It’s when we resist this kind of vulnerability and specificity with God that we struggle to pray and hit a wall spiritually.

Just as runners hit a wall—the point where they experience sudden fatigue and loss of energy when glycogen runs out—we can also hit a wall in our prayer life when we lose our desire, energy, passion, and inspiration to pray.

How do we overcome our struggle to pray when we’ve hit a wall? Here are 5 ways!

Welcome Influence: Develop Vulnerability

… And when a prayer or plea is made by anyone among your people Israel—being aware of their afflictions and pains, and spreading out their hands toward this temple— then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Forgive, and deal with everyone according to all they do, since you know their hearts (for you alone know the human heart)

2 Chronicles 6:29-30 (NIV)

When we’re too busy, tired, stressed or unmotivated to pray,  it’s because we’ve become hardened from living in denial of what’s going on inside our hearts and lives. The struggle to pray reflects our resistance to be influenced.

 It is through the scriptures and honest conversations with friends that God helps us develop awareness about our  true motives, emotions, thoughts, sins and desires. (Hebrews 4:12-13, Proverbs 20:5)  We can’t be vulnerable with what we are unaware of.

Rather than isolate, welcome the daily influence of spiritual relationships and the Bible to develop heart awareness that will make your prayers real rather than religious.

Eliminate Distractions: Close the Doors

But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Matthew 6:6 (NIV)   

No meaningful conversation (especially prayer) can be had in a place filled with distractions.

 God wants to hear from you, not your texts, emails, or the stressors around you. Set out inspiring places and times where he’ll have your undivided attention.

Reach Agreement: Confess Sin

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

James 5:16 (NIV)

We struggle to pray when we stop believing our prayers really matter. Specific confession of sin is what makes our prayers effective.

To confess means to agree with with God about our sin—how he views, thinks, and feels about the impact of our sin on our relationship with him and others.

(2 Corinthians 7:10-11) When our primary aim is to deny or minimize our sins (Psalm 66:19-20), prayer becomes a religious practice in ineffectiveness, rather than a refreshing turning point to transformative change.

Specificity Inspires: Understanding Others

Husbands, in a similar way, live with your wives with understanding since they are weaker than you are. Honor your wives as those who share God’s life-giving kindness so that nothing will interfere with your prayers.

1 Peter 3:7 (GWT)

The struggle to pray is marked with a disinterest in understanding the lives and needs of others. Without understanding we can’t genuinely love others. Inspired prayers are fueled by love. Love invigorates us to overcome the walls we hit. When we expect God to attend to and understand our every need and struggle, but lack this same understanding and concern for others (e.g.

husbands for wives), how can we expect God to be moved? Specificity reflects our depth of care and understanding for people. We develop understanding for others through prayer and by spending more effort considering others and less time on self. God reveals to us original thoughts and ways to inspire, involve and influence others through us when we pray about others specifically.

Never Stop: Overcome With Gratitude

Always be joyful and never stop praying. Whatever happens, keep thanking God because of Jesus Christ. This is what God wants you to do.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (CEV)

The times when we hit a wall, quit praying specifically, or stop praying altogether, we can be sure it was preceded by a loss of gratitude.

Gratitude is what jump-starts our prayer life, renews our faith, and inspires others about what God can do rather than what we cannot.

Evaluate your prayer life not by length of time, but how much more gratitude for God and love for others you walk away with. The resilience to overcome our walls is developed in this kind of prayer.

Источник: //bacc.cc/5-ways-to-overcome-the-struggle-to-pray/

6 Steps to Manage Stress and Overcome Difficulties — Purpose Fairy

“When you encounter difficulties and contradictions, do not try to break them, but bend them with gentleness and time.” ~ Saint Francis de Sales

We all struggle with change, stress and difficulties in life. Things happen unexpectedly every day in both job situations and personal lives. Yet, what matters most is how a person reacts to change.

Some people seem to be better than others at dealing with all the unexpected things that happen. They seem to have the knowledge, experience, and mental power to face anything.

Here are 6 steps you can take to help improve your ability to handle anything that happens to you:

1. Change your thoughts. 

Any situation can be looked at from a positive or negative perspective. One person may feel threatened by what someone says, while another person seems unaffected.

One person may be devastated by a job loss, while another sees it as a chance to do something new. It all depends on your attitude. Every situation you find yourself in can be perceived in a bad way or good way.

This means what you decide what it means to you.

One way of learning to handle stress and overcome difficulties is to avoid negative thinking about any situation or any person. Gravitate toward the positive.

This will help you overcome your difficulties and build up your inner power. Mental discipline is something that everyone is capable of, but it must be practiced.

2. Turn away from fear and conflict. 

We all make choices every day that either relates to fear or to love.

Often our fears are something that causes us to create or become involved in a conflict, so to avoid conflict, you must do the opposite.

You must let go of the fears in your mind and stay away from conflict. This can be done by choosing a path of love, instead of fear, and keeping your focus on peace, instead of conflict.

Just knowing that you truly desire peace will help you focus on better things.  If you follow your fears, you will undoubtedly find yourself mixed up in conflict, but if you choose to look at everything with love, your whole perspective will change and you will manifest more good in your life.

We all search for ways to live better and happier lives. Finding your purpose is important. It is a very personal and individual thing and requires some soul searching.  People practice mindfulness so they can be in touch with their feelings, live in the present moment, and find happiness in life.

Being mindful of your life’s purpose comes from self-awareness and ultimately leads you on a path of inner peace.

Becoming associated with a type of spiritual practice or religion can help you feel that your life has a purpose and you are connected to others.  Those who define their life purpose as being loving and helpful toward others are more ly to avoid conflict and have reduced amount of fear, and less stress in their daily lives.

We all are searching for calmness in a world that can often seem chaotic.

 Many people create areas of their home for relaxation and meditation. Spending quiet time is a way to increase your self-awareness, improve your ability to focus on your goals and something that can help your mental clarity.

4. Identify your strengths.

We all have natural talents that we are born with. Everyone is good at something. There are many talented athletes, musicians, and actors, and brilliant professors, scientists, leaders, and achievers in every profession. Inner strength is about knowing yourself and your abilities.

Take time to think about and analyze what your natural strengths and talents are. Maybe you are good at communicating and building social relationships. Or, you could be very knowledgeable about computers and better at working independently.

Perhaps you have rare musical talent or artistic abilities.

Just recognizing your own personal strengths will help you to explore your abilities and discover what you are passionate about.  Many people believe in “doing what you are good at”, in order to be happy at what you do. The sooner in life you can recognize your own talents, the more successful you are probably going to be at developing them and making your dreams become reality.

Some people have problems that last for years because they believe that they are helpless to solve them. But, it is their helplessness that actually prevents them from moving past the problem and finding the solution.

When you consider your own abilities, you should never concentrate on what obstacles there may be.

The truth is, you can decide to do almost anything and if you truly desire it and are willing to work hard for it, you will probably make it happen. Most people have the inner power that they are unaware of.

Claiming your inner power is about being bold when you need to, having the courage to take chances, and doing things you have never done before.

6. Do what you can with where you are.

In any situation in life, you are faced with several choices about what you can do. Concentrate on doing what you can with where you are. When your life purpose is to love, you will find opportunities every day in your career or personal life where you can relate to others with love instead of fear, and find peace instead of conflict.

When looking at your goals, be brave about taking steps that you feel need to be taken. Don’t let opportunities pass you by. You can always do something to change a situation, so it is important to know what you can do.

Every goal that you make requires effort. Be passionate about your dreams and don’t let anything stop you from making them come true. When you are faced with obstacles that seem to keep you from achieving something, don’t give up.

Keep trying for the goals you want to reach.

Remembering to do these 6 things every day, will make you a stronger, more focused person and no matter what happens in your life, you will be capable of handling it with calmness and purpose while looking for the good that can come it.

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Источник: //www.purposefairy.com/80181/6-steps-to-manage-stress-and-overcome-difficulties/

Gratitude to Overcome Boredom, Difficulties, Complaining, & Feeling Overwhelmed

As many give thanks for what’s in their lives this week, we might look at how to go deeper with gratitude.

“Gratitude” seems a trite and even perhaps boring topic to many — we all know we should be grateful.

And yet, there are ways that we aren’t cultivating gratitude … and our lives could be much easier, even richer, if we did use gratitude in these deeper ways.

Let’s take a few examples.

Boredom

I was talking to a friend recently about how she doesn’t to stay in stillness and quiet, because it feels boring. She realizes this probably isn’t good for her, as she often feels the need to move, to keep busy. And she’d to learn to be more present, slow down at times.

The answer to boredom is gratitude.

Let’s think about a situation: you turn off your phone, get away from the computer, and go sit outside with no book, no device, no one to talk to, nothing to do.

You just sit there.

How useful is that? How interesting? How productive? You might answer “not at all” to these questions, and it might seem boring. But I believe that’s because we’re not 1) paying close enough attention, and 2) appreciating the gift of that moment.

If I’m sitting alone with nothing to do, I might have the urge to get up and go do something, or reach for my phone.

But what if, instead, I could pay attention to how my body feels, the texture of my breath, the light all around me, the nature sitting right in front of my face, the sounds of the world busy in activity.

The vibrant colors, the life that’s struggling to survive and thrive. The feeling of just being alive.

The closer I pay attention, the more I might realize what a gift this is. The more I might appreciate the preciousness of it all.

Gratitude trumps boredom, if we let it.

Difficulties

We usually think of difficulties as something we don’t , and they cause us unhappiness: a difficult person we’re dealing with, the loss of a job, struggling with a health issue, losing a loved one.

And it’s true, these are not things we normally think of as “good.” I’m not claiming we should rejoice at having these problems.

But is there a way we can find gratitude for them, nonetheless? Is there a way to see them as a gift?

Gratitude can be found even in our struggles:

1. When we’re dealing with a difficult person, we can be grateful for having other people in our lives, for being alive in the first place, for having someone to practice being in a relationship with (including coworker and family relationships), for having a way to practice being better at patience and communication. We can think of this person as our teacher, who is unwittingly helping us to get stronger and to grow as a person.
2. If we lose our job, this can be very difficult … but we can also find gratitude that we had a job in the first place, even if only for awhile. We can be grateful that we have some savings and/or a network of family to help us (or perhaps we can lean on strangers to help). We can find gratitude for the opportunity to start afresh, to reinvent ourselves, to push into the discomfort of getting good at interviewing and learning new skills and starting a new career. We can find gratitude for the opportunity to grow, even in the midst of pain.
3. Struggles with health are never fun, and can often be very painful and debilitating. I’m not claiming this is good. But perhaps the pain can be mediated by a sense of gratitude of being alive. Of having loved ones who might help us. Of being able to feel pain, perhaps of having hearing and sight and the ability to taste. We take these other things for granted because we’re focusing on the part we don’t . We might even find gratitude for the chance to get good at meditating on pain, which is a powerful way to grow.
4. Losing a loved one is painful, of course. But can we be grateful we had the gift of this person in our lives at all? My father, for example, was a real pain in the ass sometimes, but I’m so grateful to have had his inappropriate jokes, his passion for life, his art, his loving heart, his music, his smiling face, in my life. I got 40+ years of him, and that was an absolute gift. His death also reminds me not to take my other loved ones for granted, and each time I find gratitude for my other family members, and my good friends, and all of you … I have his death to thank for that.

Difficulties are not easy to find gratitude for … but they can become incredible paths of growth and learning, if we see the lesson in them. If we start to see everything as our teacher, especially the pain and struggle.

Complaining

Many of us have the mental habit of complaining — about a situation, about another person. We might not even realize we’re doing it, but everytime we feel a bit of resentment, this is a form of complaining. And it’s a good way to waste our lives.

Gratitude is the antidote for resentment, irritation, frustration and complaining.

Each time you notice yourself feeling resentment, or complaining, notice that you have a story in your head that’s causing the feeling of resentment. Notice that you’re letting this storyline fill your head. And then find a way to be grateful.

Drop the habit of resentment and complaining each time you notice it. Choose the gratitude habit instead. See what a difference it can make.

Feeling Overwhelmed

Many days we can feel stressed and overwhelmed, especially in the holiday season when we add social events, shopping, family gatherings, cooking and decorating to our already busy lives.

How can we deal with this feeling of overwhelm?

By being grateful for everything in our lives that’s overwhelming us. By cherishing each thing in our todo list, each person making a request by text or email, each event that’s stressing us out.

Each of these is an absolute gift, and to be overwhelmed is to complain about these gifts.

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Zen Habits is about finding simplicity and mindfulness in the daily chaos of our lives. It’s about clearing the clutter so we can focus on what’s important, create something amazing, find happiness. My name is Leo Babauta. I live in Davis, California with my wife and six kids, where I eat vegan food, write, run, and read.
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Источник: //www.crystalwind.ca/zen/gratitude-to-overcome-boredom,-difficulties,-complaining,-feeling-overwhelmed

23 Short Prayers – Hope for Your Soul

Whether you have had a personal relationship with God for years or you are only beginning to discover who Jesus is, we all need guidance sometimes when it comes to prayers. It’s often hard to find the words to pray, that’s why we put together this collection of short prayers.

The following short prayers offer guiding words to use for praying over various topics including worry, anxiety, doubt, forgiveness, fear, and other areas of life where we need to ask for God’s help.

Please use these prayers and allow the Holy Spirit to guide you as you add some of your own words and personalize your petitions to God.

Prayer for Peace

Father God, my heart is filled with chaos and confusion. I feel as if I am drowning in my circumstances and my heart is filled with fear and confusion. I really need the strength and peace that only You can give. Right now, I choose to rest in You. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen. ~ Mary Southerland.

Prayer for the Broken-Hearted

Lord, my heart is broken but You are near. My spirit is crushed, but You are my rescuer. Your Word is my hope. It revives me and comforts me in especially now. My soul faints, but you are the breath of life within me.

You are my help, the One who sustains me. I am weak but You are strong. You bless those who mourn, and I trust You to bless me and my family with all that we need. You will rescue me from this dark cloud of despair because You delight in me.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen. ~ Jennifer White
 

Prayer for Perseverance

Holy Lord, Thank You for grace. Please help me move beyond the hurdles that trip me up and give me the strength and wisdom to look up and see the hope I run toward in Christ. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. ~ Gwen Smith

Prayer for Self Control

Father, today I ask forgiveness of all the negative and harmful words I have spoken about myself. I do not want to abuse myself in such a way again. Transform my thoughts and let me understand how marvelously you made me. Change my habits so I use my tongue to speak hope and favor upon my life. In Jesus' name, Amen. ~ Sarah Coleman

Prayer for Loving Jesus

Father, I have to thank You for looking beyond my faults and for loving me unconditionally. Forgive me when I fail to love others in the same way. Give me eyes to see the needs of the difficult people in my life, and show me how to meet those needs in a way that pleases You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. ~ Mary Southerland

Prayer for God’s Direction

Lord, help me not to lean on my own understanding but in everything acknowledge You so that You can direct my words, thoughts and actions. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. ~ Sharon Glasgow

Prayer For Worry

Father, I am tempted to worry about so many things. Our world is a mess! Forgive me for focusing on anything or anyone but You. Thank You for the Bible that equips and empowers me to live each day. Right now, I declare that You are my only Hope. Please help me remember that You really are in control. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. ~ Mary Southerland

Prayer for God’s Strength

Lord, thank you for your greatness. Thank you that when I am weak, you are strong. Lord, the Devil is scheming and I know he desires to keep me from spending time with you. Don’t let him win! Give me a measure of your strength so that I might not give into discouragement, deception and doubt! Help me honor you in all my ways. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. ~ Debbie Przybylski

~ Debbie Przybylski

Prayer When Feeling Inadequate

Dear Lord, Thank You for fearfully and wonderfully creating each of us. Thank You for giving us worth in Your eyes. Help us live as the one You uniquely intended us to be. Help us abide instead of strive, living peacefully and joyfully as heirs to Your Kingdom and co-heirs with Christ. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. ~ Julie Sunne

Prayer for Being Grateful

Father, I am so sorry for the way I complain about my circumstances. Please forgive me for my bad attitude when things don't go my way.

I want to see Your hand in every part of every day – good or bad.

Help me learn how to face every storm with confidence, knowing that You really are in control even though I cannot hear Your voice or see Your hand at work. In Jesus Name, Amen. ~ Mary Southerland

Prayer of God’s Provision

Dear Father God, Thank You for Your unfailing love for me, Your blessings, and goodness. Thank You for Your faithfulness to guide me and see me through times of uncertainty, for lifting me up, and setting me on high.

Thank You for Scripture that comforts and reminds me of Your promises, plan, and provision. Thank you for taking away my fears and worries, the what-ifs, and reminding me that my help comes from You. Help me be a good steward and to sow wisely.

In Christ’s Name, Amen. ~ Renee Davis

Prayer for Growing Faith

Dear Lord, help me – every single morning – to find faith in the midst of the chaos. Give me the desire and ability to see You, hear You, talk to You, and give thanks to You.

And as I do, I pray that I will draw nearer and nearer to You, and that my faith will multiply exponentially as I understand in new, deeper ways that You are everything I ever hoped You would be. And so much more.

Amen. ~ Kelly O’Dell Stanley

Prayer for Confidence

Lord, help me let go of my fear of failure. I know Satan wants to use my fears to hold me back from living boldly for You.

Forgive me for not living in faith, and help me from this moment on to live with bold confidence in You. Lord, help me not compare myself to others around me.

I pray instead that I can keep my eye on You and live a life that proclaims Your excellence. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen. ~ Rick Warren

Prayer for a Heavy Heart

Lord, I want to lay before you all that weighs heavy on my heart. Reveal even the sin I am not aware of, Lord. I lay these at your feet and pray your forgiveness on me. I believe you when you say that you wash us whiter than snow. Thank you Lord for your unending love for me! Help me start fresh right now to make choices that honor you. In Jesus' Name, Amen. ~ Rick Warren 

Father, sometimes it does feel that you have left us in the battle. We know that you are with us, but so are our feelings of aloneness. The Enemy seems to be taking ground. Our crying out to you seems to go unanswered. We know you are at work, but help us trust you in the midst of our questions. In Jesus' Name, Amen. ~ Ron Moore 

Short Prayer for Thankfulness

God, sometimes life gets me down and I find it hard to see things to be thankful for. Open my eyes to see the gifts you’ve given me in my life. I’m going to start by thanking you for loving me enough to come to earth and die so we can live together forever. Amen. ~ Wendy van Eyck

Prayer for Restored Relationships

Father God, open my eyes to see the ways I’m Cain.

What conflicts am I allowing to brew in my family? What anger is bubbling into murderous rage in my relationships? Thank You for the clarity to see how hatred kills relationships.

I choose instead the way of love. Love protects. Help me to protect those I love by loving them. Your way is always best, Father. I pray in Jesus’ Name, Amen. ~ James MacDonald

Which one of these short prayers spoke the most to you and how can we be praying for you? Comment below and let us know! 

This article is part of our larger Prayers resource meant to inspire and encourage your prayer life when you face uncertain times. Visit our most popular prayers if you are wondering how to pray or what to pray. Remember, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us and God knows your heart even if you can't find the words to pray.

Prayer for Healing
Prayer for Strength
Prayer for Protection
Morning Prayers
Good Night Prayers
Serenity Prayer
A Birthday Prayer
Sinner’s Prayer
Prayer for Forgiveness
Prayer for Guidance
Intercessory Prayer
Prayer for Peace
Prayer for Faith
Prayer for Love

Now available is our new Daily Prayer devotional! An easy way to find start your day with prayer, read today’s prayer and sign up to receive by email.

Источник: //www.crosswalk.com/faith/prayer/23-short-prayers.html