Praying Boldly!

I am just so excited about my new challenge to myself to pray big bold prayers.

The first sermon we ever heard our new pastor speak was about big bold prayers. Then a few weeks ago I was chatting with my best friend and she brought up that she was praying boldly. I have ashemedly always "loved the idea" but have never really allowed myself to do it much, especially in the last few years. I put myself (and God) in this tiny box and allow myself to feel guilty for praying boldly. My internal dialogue reads something like... "I am so blessed, how can I ask for more", "it would be selfish to ask for things for myself and for my family when there are children dying of AIDS in Africa" and the biggest, "God doesn't want to hear my prayers" and maybe even if I am totally honest I have moments of total defeat and actually allow myself to think, "God can't answer my big prayers".

I was hesitant to bring this up at all on my blog because two of my prayers are pretty personal. But, I really want to share because I am excited and want God to be glorified and to challenge everyone who reads this to also pray boldly. So, I have chosen to share how I challenged myself rather than go into my specific prayers. But, I will tell you if they are answered!

As I sat praying over my desision to pray boldly (Ha!) I felt really led to choose a specific number of prayers and a specific number of days to pray in order to not allow myself to give up and allow Satan to get in the way and convince me I am already defeated. So, I chose to pray 3 bold prayers for 40 days. I am on day two and already feel that God is working in big ways. I know that the "answers" to my prayers might not be the ones I expect and I expect to be challenged by God during the next 40 days but I BELIEVE that God is at work in this and I believe that He is going to do something big in my life and the life of my family through this time.

1 John 5:14-15 (New International Version)

"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him."