Is it time to examine your prayer life as a measure of your soul's maturity and growth? Are you still praying the same prayers you prayed years ago? Are you going through the motions of "nice" prayers and forgetting to pray about the core of the matter? Are you seeking to change your own soul as you pray for others? It's time to strip away the personal self-interests in your soul; stop your projecting, requesting, and expecting answers to come according to your ideas of what is best. It's time to stop giving God special instructions on how the prayers should be answered. It is time to pray that God's will be done. Analyze your prayers by asking yourself these questions: * How are you praying for those who have used and abused you? Are you praying so purely for them that you can ask God to bless them right now with a double portion of everything you're still waiting for? * How are you praying for your straying children and family members? Are you praying for God to use you in any way He wants, no matter what the cost to you, in order to bring them back to Himself? * How are you praying for that spiteful, back-stabbing person you work with? Are you asking God to show His blessings, goodness, and grace upon him or her through your every word and deed in spite of his or her concerted efforts to harass you? * How are you praying for your pastor whom you think isn't dynamic and spiritual enough? Are you asking God to pour blessing and revelation into him or her as you continue to bind yourself and your church membership to an attitude of total support until God's will for him or her is fully manifested no matter how long that may take? * How are you praying about the fact that the church leadership appointed someone else to the ministry position you wanted so much? Are you asking God to anoint the chosen one so he or she will be so successful that many will benefit and He will be glorified? * How are you praying for your lackluster marriage? Are you praying daily for your spouse that he or she may know God more deeply? Are you asking for guidance and strength to make you a nicer person to live with, less critical, and more loving? * How are you praying for your leisure time? Are you asking for wisdom in what you read and listen to? Are you wasting time vegging out in front of the TV or reading soft porn? Are you building up or tearing down false idols of sports, exercise, or entertainment? * How are you praying for your money? Are you asking God to direct your spending, or hiding from Him and your family what you spend? Are you working toward a tithe - or beyond? Are you racking up consumer debt at the sacrifice of your family or investment responsibilities? Are you sharing your wealth with those who have none? Are you trusting God to provide for your needs? -- "The Longer I Run the Course the Closer I get to Home." - R. AuBuchon Jr. Psalm 119:32 ... "I will run the course of your commandments, for you shall Enlarge my heart." Running for the Prize http://scan.missouri.org/~aubuchon/