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Dealing With Mental Barriers In Prayer
by Greg Baker I am not about to attempt to give an entire discourse on prayer. There are oodles of books written on the subject. What I will do, however, is give you a very practical exercise to break past your mental blocks when you attempt to pray. I've recommended this to many people that have found it highly successful in developing a close and personal relationship with God and Jesus Christ. The main problem for most people is attempting to talk to someone that isn't in the room with them. Of course we know that God is there and that God can hear you, but you may find it difficult to emotionally accept that if you don't yet have a close walk with God. Have you ever tried to talk to someone that wasn't there? You feel foolish and quickly lose your train of thought. You wonder why you were saying anything at all. This is the main problem for a lot of young Christians. God hasn't become close to you yet, so when you pray to Him you feel somewhat foolish and insecure. You feel your prayers are doing nothing. To break past that mental barrier, do this instead: write a letter to God. Yep, you read that right. It is still prayer to write a letter to God. You see, we are all used to writing a letter to someone that isn't in the room with us. So when you write this letter to Jesus, you will feel much more comfortable and focused in your word use and what you want to say. You will quickly punch through this mental barrier you have about prayer. Prayer isn't spooky. It is merely conversation with your God. Writing a letter is sufficient. Write to Him about your concerns with prayer, write about your feelings and emotions, and write to Jesus about your fears. Here is a possible way to write your letter: Dear Jesus, I read an article recently on prayer, and the author suggested something that sounded rather strange at first. He suggested that I write You a letter. Well, here it is. A letter. I have no real idea what I'm doing, but I really do want to get close to You. I really want to know if my prayers are being heard and if You're taking an interest in my life. I hope this letter makes sense to You. I really do. I guess You can read as easily as You listen. But could You show me something to day that will help me know You listened or read this letter? Thank you for reading! Love, Me That is merely a sample. There is no right way or wrong way to write it. Write it as if you were conversing with God! After you are finished, read it out loud. Thank God verbally and either destroy the letter or file it away for later reference. Perhaps you may want to use a journal. But if you confessed some of your sins, or mentioned something extremely personal, you may want to destroy the letter. Don't worry, God not only read it but stored a carbon copy of it in His mind. No doubt He is excited about your prayer. Another thing you may want to attempt is to get two chairs. In one, place your open Bible. Sit in the other. Then-and this may sound silly-talk to your Bible as you would if God or Jesus was sitting in the chair. I did this too, and it helped. Having something to focus on as I prayed helped me to say what I wanted to say. There is no magic formula in prayer. There is no certain way you must say things. There is just you and God talking. So, talk. Tell Him all. Tell Him everything! Soon, you'll break down those mental barriers in prayer and have a vibrant walk with God. Soon, you'll be talking to Him anywhere and everywhere and knowing His presence. More at: http://articles.christianbaptists.com Or http://www.fitlyspoken.org for books on communication and social skills in relationships! Specifically, our books 'Fitly Spoken' and 'Restoring a Fallen Christian'. For editing and ghostwriting services: http://www.affordablechristianediting.com Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |