Pray Big Thingsనమూనా

### More Than We Can Imagine Before we begin this week together, I want to ask you to make the decision to start praying intentionally—to ask God regularly for very specific requests. The decision to do so in my husband Ryan’s and my life single-handedly changed the course of our lives forever. Such willingness has the potential to change your life as well. Please don’t miss this opportunity to go before the Lord so that He shapes the prayers that you are eager to ask. The second thing we need to address is that some of us are not receiving what we ask because we are not really children of God. If you have never received Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, then I urge you not to read another word before inviting God to forgive you and save you and asking for Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross to count for you. Romans 10:9–10 says, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved...” If you are in relationship with Jesus, your access to the Father is unhindered. He welcomes us with fullness of joy and acceptance before His throne. For most of my life, I was never really interested in prayer. Prayer seemed boring, honestly. Why was this so? The answer is I lived on borrowed prayers. I benefited from other people’s knee work. I was encouraged by other people’s testimonies. My lack of enthusiasm about prayer was not a theological issue; it was an ownership issue. Why is owning our faith and owning our prayer life so vital? The Bible repeatedly refers to God’s people taking ownership of the blessings God has promised to His children. For example, Deuteronomy 28:12 says, “The Lord will open for you His good storehouse, the heavens, to give rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hand; and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.” It is a complete contradiction for us to live as if we have no tangible way to get what we need, want, or desire while having full access to the God of all creation. Pray for God to give you an increased desire to talk with Him. Confess whatever may be a hindrance to your prayer life today.