January has come & gone. . .

January 2018 has passed quickly with days of grey and gloomy weather interspersed with days of bright sunshine. God is good in all ways and times and seasons. This is what we have been learning as we've studied the book of James this month. As we "prayed in" the New Year, the fifth chapter of James reminds us how important prayer is: "Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.  Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.  And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.  Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." (James 5:13-16) 

​The following is something I found on-line that is helpful as a guideline to your daily prayers. May you find it as helpful and meaningful as I have. May God's blessings and comfort surround you during the month of February.

God never promised that our days here on earth would be easy, but He did promise to give us strength and courage whatever may happen to us. Suggestion on how to pray for 30 minutes: A-C-T-S

• Adoration—When starting your time of prayer, begin by revering the name of God. Another term for adoration is “praise”. Praise is simply vocal adoration of God; we praise God first because Jesus instructed us to (Matthew 6:9) and because it puts God in His rightful position at the very beginning of our prayers.
• Confession—When approaching God it’s important to have a time of confession. Read the following verses out loud: Psalm 139:23-24, Psalm 66:18, 1 Peter 3:12, James 5:16. Note the important link between confessed sin and answered prayer. After reading the verses, spend time confessing any sin in your own heart so that the Lord will hear your prayers.
• Thanksgiving—Thanksgiving is closely related to adoration. While adoration is praising God for WHO HE IS, thanksgiving is praising God for what He has done! Thank Him for : Spiritual blessings, Material blessings, Physical blessings.
• Supplication—Supplication is when we bring our needs and requests to God, asking Him to act on our behalf. Pray specifically and BOLDLY. See Matthew 21:21-23, Ephesians 6:18, James 5:16-18 and Matthew 7:7.