The Power of Praying Daily

Today I want to be right up front about my faith. My faith in God is what drives my passion for health and wellness. If you're not familiar with my back story, I grew up as the daughter to a pastor of a Christian church. I have been involved in ministries my entire life. I spent more time at church most weeks than I did at my own home. BUT it wasn't until my adult life that I really learned the power of prayer, and it's still something I'm becoming more familiar with. 

You would think that growing up in church and attending a Christian school, both where I had to frequently pray out loud, that I would be super comfortable with prayer, right? Wrong. I have been terrified of praying out loud for years. In fact, it scared me to my core just to pray out loud with my husband. I have been with the man for nearly a decade. He has witnessed me birthing two children, not to mention seeing my biggest insecurities when we are intimate. And yet...it was a huge struggle for me. I gave into my fear, and I ran from prayer. I avoided it like the plague. When I felt the need to pray for someone, I would ignore it. It terrified me. 

So how does one grow in the Lord when they are scared to pray? They don't. I found myself in a very dark place. Though I read my Bible, I didn't have a prayer life. Do you see how Satan used fear to completely cripple me and keep me from not just my own spiritual growth, but he also kept me from blessing others? He filled my head with silly thoughts like "I don't sound "spiritual enough" when I pray" or "What if I sound silly?". 

My husband and I went to see the movie War Room and it was a HUGE eye opener for me. I began to realize that this was a big block for me, and I HAD to get over it. You want to know the best way to get over fear? It's to look it straight in the face, and DO IT AFRAID. So I did. And it changed everything.

I want to share my secret with you, because it has literally changed my life. After seeing the power of prayer displayed in the movie War Room, I wanted to make my own war room. We live in a tiny apartment that barely has enough space for the 4 of us to live comfortably, so an open closet just wasn't an option for me. I was shown by a friend how to create a prayer binder. It's a portable prayer room. :) My prayer binder has blank paper separated by categorized flaps. 

My five categories are:

1. Husband

2. Children

3. Friends

4. Business

5. Me

Now, this is just my personal journal, so if you're creating your own, you can alter the categories to your life. Most people don't own their own business, so obviously that's a category that may not apply to you. I have my own business with Young Living and my blog here, and it's important to me that I pray over those businesses, and over YOU, my readers.

When it comes to praying for my husband, I have discovered a BIG difference in our marriage when I pray for him. I have a book called Decree by Patricia King and a book by Joyce Meyer called The Secret Power of Speaking God's Word. These two books are awesome! They each have declarations and scripture references (that apply to ALL areas of life!) in them that you can speak over your spouse or whoever needs a word. I write a lot of these down for my husband and my family. I highly encourage you to check them out if you want to boost your relationship with God. They are powerful books! 

Taking the time to sit down and pray each morning has been life changing. It's helped me move past my fear of praying out loud. When you are sitting down each day and praying, regardless of it's it is verbal or not, it gets you comfortable with talking to God. It creates a radical change in life, because you're no longer carrying your issues, but you're laying them down at God's feet every day. Friends, that is a game changer. :) If you're seeking an encounter with God, a prayer journal is a great starting point. Make your categories, write down your declarations, tell Jesus your concerns...and watch your life transform. I know I have.