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The spiritual habits of prayer, casting out demons, and blessings are not mere traditions. They are vital practices that bring us closer to Jesus Christ and foster a resilient hope in our hearts. These spiritual acts of faith help nurture our spiritual growth, empowering us to face life's challenges with a fortified spirit.
This is Part 1 of a three-part series on exercising faith in prayer. Let’s first talk about prayer.
Prayer serves as our intimate conversation with God. When listening for answers in prayer and meditation, it may seem like God's voice sounds a lot like our own voice. It’s through these conversations that we become aware of our innermost thoughts and seek the Lord's wisdom. But it’s not always easy to hear His voice.
I have a few exercises I like to use that may help you hear Divine wisdom through prayer. I know they’ve helped me. I like to use journaling and community prayer.
Hearing God’s Voice through Journaling
Journaling helps me hear God’s voice. My favorite way to converse with heaven while journaling is to follow these steps: 
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Writing My Questions. First, I write a question that is on my heart and mind.
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Listening. I close my eyes and listen for the answer.
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Writing What I Hear. Then, I write down any impressions, thoughts, or feelings that may come, no matter how strange they may seem.
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Discerning. I then look over what I’ve written and analyze whether these writings are from God—which usually makes me feel more joy and happiness—or from something else. If it comes from dark sources, I feel doubt or confusion. These practices invite me to have more discernment in the revelations I receive.
This process of journaling has really increased my ability to hear God’s voice. It takes practice, but over time you can discern his voice easier.
Community Prayer: Joining Faith with Others
Community prayer is another amazing tool to begin to hear God’s voice. I live in an intentional community where a handful of families combine together for prayer. Participating in these community prayers—we call them family prayers—may seem scary at first, but it’s an excellent tool to unify a group. It has helped us come unite our visions or goals.
One example of how we use this method of prayer is that one person from the family or community voice a question they’ve felt inspired to ask. Then the rest of the group listens intently to receive their individual revelations. Not everyone hears something every time. It is a faith-building and trust-building experience to say what you’ve heard in this type of group. It's super exciting if you ask me! I love surprises, and I welcome the revelation and knowledge we’ve received in this manner.
You can see the steps are really easy to follow.
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Ask a Question. Someone asks a question. Sometimes it’s something we’ve all been talking about or sometimes it’s something burning in the heart of one of the members of our family (community).
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Listen. Everyone listens for an answer. There’s no pressure for people to hear anything. It’s not a competition, nor is there shame in not hearing. It’s an opportunity for us to all let down our guards and just listen to heaven.
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Discuss What You Hear. This can be a very vulnerable step because you’re literally opening up your heart to those in your family (community). Hopefully you’ve already built some trust. This is where the real fun happens!
Putting Intention into Prayer to Guide Your Daily Life
By regularly engaging in prayer, we invite God's presence into our everyday lives. We seek His guidance in our decisions and His peace when we’re in turmoil. We start to feel Him and hear Him, and even see Him, in most everything we do, whether it be at work or at play. We can put out the intention that we will receive God's guidance whether we are meeting with a friend or foe. What a gift these daily miracles bring!
Prayer also molds us, helping us grow in humility and faith as we recognize and submit to God's greater plans. In 2019, I received a revelation inviting me to move to Missouri. I had no idea how I was going to get there. I had never been to Missouri before. Moreover, each of my friends and family were in Idaho. I didn't necessarily want to leave. It was scary taking that leap of faith, but I did it! It was literally a sacrifice of everything that I love.
Though it was hard, the blessings were worth it! Now, five years later, after many moves, I’m back in Missouri. I love living in this intentional community that God has inspired for us! It might not be rainbows and butterflies every day, but it is close to the heaven on earth I have prayed to participate in!
One of the greatest blessings is my husband Paul. We’ve been married two years now. I remember many years ago, asking God if there was a soulmate for me. The Lord invited me to write down all of the things that I wanted in my perfect man. I told Jesus I didn’t think a man like that existed. Yet, the Lord still invited me to write the list, and I did. After I married Paul, I was surprised to find that he fulfilled all the items on my list! He fulfills all the wants and needs that I had on the list that I made for my perfect soulmate! I am still dumbfounded to this day.
Prayer works! God is alive and well within us! Applying intention to your prayer can amplify your prayer. Don’t just say a prayer. Put specific intention into it. Prayer is an excellent way to experiment upon the revelations you receive in your heart.
I invite and challenge you to take whatever resonates with you in this article and test it out. This is how I started years ago. I trusted that God would listen to my questions and answer them honestly. God promised me he would, and so I knew that as I prayed and meditated that I would feel His presence and hear His answer. I love the overwhelming sense of peace, joy, and love that washes over me as I hear His voice.
I bless you that as you do this you will have similar experiences. I bless you to hear the voice of Jesus Christ. I bless you to feel God's love for you, because I can feel his love for you even as I write this to you. God loves you!
Get Started on Your Prayer Journey Today!!!
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