Shut Up and PRAY... wait, what?

Some days it seems like the world has pulled out all the stops to try and yank you down. There might be constant distractions trying to sway you off the path in an attempt to keep you achieving you very best. Temptation will jump up and down at all costs to lure you into pleasure that will detour you , "just a bit" but that also keeps you from attaining

that true inner peace so cheaply traded for momentary pleasure. What do you do?

Me, I pray.

I pray long and hard. I pray till the temptation passes. I start the morning with prayer to focus my attention like the sharpness of a newly ground blade that slices though the obstacles with little effort. I pray continually throughout the day. In the car on my drive, when someone cuts me off, I pray for them. At work when I find work left for me unjustly, I pray for them. Nothing grand, I don't fall full prostrate on the ground at a moments notice, but in a moment that allows me to pause and attain focus.

Why?

Because if I don't I become distracted and I can fall prey to temptation. That guy that cut me off, I can start looking how to get even, and if I can't then I might just take it out on the next person I meet. The work left for me unjustly, the same. I could use that as an excuse to slack off for the rest of the day. It's fair right? They took a lazy moment so why can't I? The problem is thoughts lead to choices, and choices lead to habits and those habits will end up writing your destiny. It's easy to take the low road, but there is nothing achieved there. No great peace, joy or serenity. So maybe your thinking, this prayer thing sounds great and that it will wash away all your problems.

Sorry to say it won't.

Sometimes you will feel temptation and you will pray and after prayer it will still be there. Sometimes you will pray for someone and your pray won't be answered, so you think. Perhaps you will pray for something and it will not be given to you. It is very likely that this whole "prayer thing" will seem rather stupid and that you will consider ending such a waste of time. Please don't and know this. God is not a genie or an ATM. God wants to serve you but not like the man or woman at your favorite eating establishment. God wants to serve you as a great parent. He loves you with all his might, personally, but sometimes that means having to say no. There will be times that bad things will happen and this is not due to God's inability or lack of care for you. This is due to living in a world of sin where people have free will. However, just as others can affect you with their choice of sin, you can affect others with your choice of righteousness. When entering into time with God through prayer you open your life to the peace and clarity that only God can deliver. When entering into prayer you take the time to sit at the feet of the greatest coach of all time. Not only does He know how to get the best out of you, he made you. God knows you like no one else out there. Not only does God know what will make you happy God knows the path that will help you to become the champion that He made you to be.

So maybe you're wondering how to get started...

Keep it simple, schedule quiet time, sit in a comfortable position. Then close your eyes and clear your mind, and speak out loud whatever is at the surface of consciousness. It's not always about asking for things though that is okay. If you had a good day share that. If you had a bad day share that too. If there is something that is making you mad pray about that, but hear is the important part, then take time to listen. Yes, listen sit in silence and wait for an answer. More than likely you will not hear a big booming voice come over you, why, cause God doesn't want to scare you. God often speaks to you through you conscience, events and other people. Why, because God wants to meet you where you are in your life, through your life. As you become comfortable with this, and prayer becomes part of your daily habits it will be easier to enact silent prayer on the go, but nothing is more personal and powerful than finding a quiet place, turning off the world and speaking to God out loud in prayer. There will be a million reasons and temptations to not pray. The world doesn't want you to pray. The world wants you distracted chasing the next pleasure.

The choice in yours.

Michael Smith