KINGDOM HANGOUT III || Come Boldly to the throne of Grace

So recently my prayer life has been experiencing a rut . I get up in the morning and of course the first thing that comes to my mind is to pray but the funny thing is that I never get around to actually praying. I would actually get into prayer mode and sometimes even start praying but things just seem off. 

Its been going on for a while now and at first I thought I was doing something wrong because I didn't struggle with reading the Bible and every other thing. So I asked a few friends if they've ever experienced any thing like that and I was somewhat happy to know that I wasn't alone.

Not being able to pray didn't have anything to do with me doubting God that's what even made it more annoying. From this post HERE you'd know I trust God more than anything.

To be honest at some point this made me feel like a sinner even though at the back of my mind I knew it was not that deep.

Hebrews 4:16 kept ringing in my head  but then I wasn't even bold anymore because I felt weak. The very thing that was supposed to bring me out of my whole entire life rut phase was making me so nervous and afraid and it was just very upsetting. 

Have you ever felt this way? Are you Currently feeling this way? Well Here's a few steps I've been taking to help myself and they've been working so far...

1. Worship - I spoke to a few friends about the situation and I was happy to hear that I was not alone. One thing they all said in common that I could resonate with was that when they were going through this phase they resorted to worship. I'm a worshiper! so this was good news to me. As one of my friends said, sometimes prayer can seem so tense and its so easy to relax and keep calm in the place of worship and in the course of worship, God has access to our thoughts and He's able to do exceedingly, abundantly more than we could ever ask OR THINK!. I agree. [Ephesians 3:20]

2. Write- Usually I'm not much of a talker, the other day when I decided to put my prayers in ink. I had already written three pages then I realized that all three pages were just for thanksgiving and I wasn't even done yet. Don't even ask how many pages the entirety of my prayers took. So when you are not feeling up to speaking, just write let it all out on paper, believe me He sees it all and he would answer you accordingly. 

3. Believe x Trust-  A simple "God help me" goes a long way. No need for big words. Sometimes it really bothers me that I might not have the right words to say and God won't understand, in the midst of finding the right way to put my words, I get distracted and when I feel like I didn't put words correctly, I get discouraged. But its not about finding the right words, just say it as it is, God understands and you have to believe that he does understand if not you would go around doubting his power to answer your prayers and there's no good in that.

4. Be yourself x Relax- The point I got it all wrong, was when I made my prayer routine too rigid. Prayer is a two way communication. It s a time to talk to God like you are talking to your best friend, it doesn't always have to be "closed eyes" "Kneel"  "serious face" "speaking in tongues" type prayers [even though those are also very important] sometimes all you have to do is just kick back and relax and talk, let it all out freely, be comfortable in his presence. 

5. Cry out- In the conversation I had with my friends, one of them mentioned that when she felt this way, she cried to God with the belief that he sees all that's in her heart.  Yes He sees each tear that falls. Some people see crying as a sign of weakness, I don't and I would cry to God whenever I feel weak. 

6.Be quiet x Listen- Not everyday ask ask ask sometimes listen. Again prayer is communication between you and God, of what use is a conversation if its only speaking all the time? Sometimes all you need to do is listen, give him control over every situation and just listen to Him; That's really what prayer is about, its not about asking all the time, its also about listening and trusting Gods perfect will. He has all the answers and He's your friend. 

*It all becomes super easy! when you start praying not because you want something from God but because you Love God. You don't talk to your friends just because you want something from them do you? that would mean you're using them so why do that to God. Spend time in his presence Only because of your Love for him and not because of your personal gain.

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Sometimes we are afraid to pray because we have experienced  a major setback in our spiritual life, As Omoloro said moments when you feel like if you pray, God would just slap your face..Lol. 

Coincidentally, while typing this post, I received an email from one of the many sites I signed up to talking about not being afraid to come boldly to God's throne when you feel like you've messed up. There's no point keeping your distance and hiding out because he already knows anyway. And when you feel unworthy of speaking to him, Relax, worship, write, cry out, believe and listen. 

As you open up to Him in whatever way works for you,  He will meet you right where you are, even if right where you are happens to be a very bad place.

Have it at the back of your mind that his love, mercy and forgiveness for you is greater than any problem or situation you could ever find yourself in, so trust in His love for you, and run to Him.

> Thank you Omoloro and Faith for contributing to this blog post.

>I hope this also helps someone out there as much as it's  helping me.

>I'm sure you have your opinions on this topic, please do share in the comment box below and you know what they say, Sharing is caring, do share with others as well.

>Lets connect on Twitter @kunmii_o and Instagram @olakunmi_

Stay Beautiful

xx