The locks and keys of prayer

The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. James 5:16 NIV

It's important to know what hinders and enhances our communication with Jesus Christ. I have found these "locks and keys" of prayer to be essential for an effective prayer life (I even have them listed in

The Locks

1. Praying without Knowing God through Jesus

John 14:6 — Jesus said to him, "I am the way and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me."

2. Praying from an Unrepentant Heart

Psalm 66:18-19 —"If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer."

3. Praying for Show

Matthew 6:5 —"When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the syna­gogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full."


4. Praying Repetitive, Empty Words

Matthew' 6.7-8 —"And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him."

5. Prayers Not Prayed

James 4:2 —"You do not have because you do not ask."

6. Praying with a Lustful Heart

James 4:3 —"You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures."

7. Praying while Mistreating Your Spouse.

l Peter 3.7 —"You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way... and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered."

8. Praying while Ignoring the Poor

Proverbs 21:13 —"He who shuts his ear to the cry of the poor will also cry himself and not be answered."

9. Praying with Bitterness in Your Heart toward Someone

Mark 11:25-26 —"Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions."

10. Praying with a Faithless Heart

James 1:6-8 —"But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."


The Keys

1. Praying by Asking, Seeking, and Knocking

Matthew 7:7 - 8,11 —"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened..... If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!"

2. Praying in Faith

Mark 11:24 —"Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you."

3. Praying in Secret

Matthew 6:6 —"But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you."



4. Praying according to God's Will

1 John 5:14 —"This is the confidence we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us."

5. Praying in Jesus' Name

John 14:13-14 —"Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, 1 will do it."

6. Praying in Agreement with Other Believers

Matthew 18:19-20 —"Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst."

7. Praying while Fasting

Acts 14:23 —"When they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed."

8. Praying from an Obedient Life

1 John 3:21-22 —"Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight."

9. Praying while Abiding in Christ and His Word

John 15:7 —"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you."

10. Praying while Delighting in the Lord

Psalm 37:4 —"Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart."




A Summary Of The Locks And Keys Of Prayer

You must be in a right relationship with God.
You must be in a right relationship with other people.
Your heart must be right.

You are not your own...

This morning I was listening to the radio and I was disturbed by this overhwhelming message: perceptions of sexuality based on how a young girl dresses/acts. Now, as a youth leader and older sister of a (almost) teenage sister, this is something that really concerns me. Everywhere you turn in society, you see examples of immodest clothing and girls begging for the attention of young men. Today, it was Miley Cyrus and her extreme lack of essential clothing, Jessica Sanchez dressing too sexy for a 16 year old, and the song "Brokenhearted" by Karmin boasting the line "Honest baby I'll do/Anything you want to/So can we finish what we started/Don't you leave me broken hearted tonight." Modesty, defined as a.)f reedom from conceit or vanity and b.)propriety in dress, speech, or conduct, is something that is very much missing in this society but is something that is required of us as Christians.


There are two points I want to make about modesty.
1. The Bible is very clear about how we are to behave and appear as believers. 1 Corinthians 6:18, 20 says, "...You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." We are, first and foremost, to seek the approval of the Lord....not of men. (John 5:41-44) Young ones...stop begging for a guy's attention! Do you know what Proverbs 31 says? "A good woman is hard to find, and worth far more than diamonds...her husband joins in with words of praise: 'Many women have done wonderful things,  but you've outclassed them all!' Charm can mislead and beauty soon fades. The woman to be admired and praised is the woman who lives in the Fear-of-God" Now, I realize this scripture is talking about a husband/wife but the point is this: a good woman is HARD TO FIND. She is rare. One in a million. She is found attractive, not by outward beauty or begging for attention, but by her classiness and devotion to God. That doesn't mean that a woman shouldn't take care of herself or can't be attractive on the outside, but when we are modest, in our appearance and our actions, it allows people to see our inner faith rather than what is on the outside, which is far more captivating. We must set ourselves apart in that fashion so that we can come before the Lord, acceptable as a "living and holy sacrifice" (Romans 12:1). I know, you're probably thinking "What does she know? She's married." But ask my husband how I won him over and he won't tell you it's because I chased him down. When you take the time to  walk in obedience, focusing on God and what He requires from you....everything else falls into place.

2. Not only are we to be modest for ourselves and how we appear before God, but we must be modest so that we don't cause others to stumble. Matthew 5:28 is very clear about this. It says, "But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart." When we dress/act in an unmodest way, we attract undesirable attention and are responsible for causing others to sin. What can we do about that?  "...Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall." Romans 14:13. Pray about what your standards for modesty are. When you dress, see how your clothing fits you and what impression it gives. Bend over, sit down, wave your arms around. Think of it this way: you are someone's future wife and all of the guy's out there are someone's future husband. Be sure the way you dress doesn't entice others or provoke others to openly view the
gift you are to reserve only for your future husband. (Hebrews 13:4)  Not sure about it? Ask a parent, female youth leader, someone you trust, etc. if what you're wearing conveys the wrong message.

I realize that today's fashions make it difficult at times to dress modestly. But modesty doesn't have to equal boring and you can still dress fun while keeping in mind that you are a representative of Christ. And remember, modesty isn't just about clothes. Your appearance, words, and actions should all be reflecetions of what is pleasing to God. You are a treasure...treat yourselves as so!



I came across a really good article that expands more on why modesty is so important. You can check it out here. http://www.cbn.com/family/youth/What-Guys-See.aspx

"Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world." 1 Peter 2:12

" Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes.  You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God" 1 Peter 3:3-4

Favorite things: summer!

Alright, it's time for my favorite things!



This is my new favorite lipstick! It's Satin Luxe by Sonia Kashuk and it's AWESOME. SPF 16, smoothes and hydrates....perfect summer lipstick! I have it in Vivid Coral. Such a fun color!



I've been drinking Yogi tea for a while now, but they make some really great flavors that are perfect for a refreshing summer drink when iced! My favorite? Blueberry green tea :-)



While I'm on the subject of summer and refreshment....facial spray is a great way to keep cool and stay refreshed (added to a regimen of drinking lots of water daily!) Regularly spritzing this refreshing water on your face contributes to better moisturization of the upper layers of your skin and protection from everyday environmental damage.


Treat yourself right in this warm weather ;)

Words of Wisdom....

“Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.” Colossians 4:5-6 NLT

We are called to be Godly examples... Even to people we aren't particularly fond of. Our words and actions must glorify Him!

Unconditional love

"I will be faithful to you and make you mine, and you will finally know me as Lord." Hosea 2:20

The story of Hosea and Gomer, while very short, has always been fascinating to me. At first, it appears to be the ultimate story of unconditional love. Time after time, Gomer is unfaithful. And each and every time Hosea is obedient to the Lord's instruction and brings her home. Despite feeling ashamed and betrayed, he loves her nonetheless. Such an amazing story of love and grace.

But what is most fascinating to me is the parallel between Hosea and Gomer and us and God. I am, we all are, sinful by nature. (Psalm 51:5) And just as Gomer was unfaithful, we are unfaithful to the Lord. We run from Him, we are disobedient to His commands. How many times have we caused him grief because of our poor choices? Countless times. Gomer's unfaithfulness went on for YEARS, to the point where she was no longer considered attractive. In the same way, our sin can go on for so long that it creates an ugliness in our souls. We feel like we are not deserving of love and forgiveness. But even at Gomer's absolute ugliest point, Hosea STILL took her back. He took her home and they restored their relationship, and he asked her to be intimate with him alone. Can you imagine what an overwhelming act of love and forgiveness that was? How many of us could do the same? Not only was Hosea's love demonstrative for God's love for Israel, but it is a perfect example of His love for us NOW. God loved His chosen people, and He loves us. We continually break His heart, but He loves us regardless. Even at our lowest, ugliest point when we can't even forgive ourselves.....He forgives us without question. That doesn't necessarily mean our actions come without consequences, but what is most important is that He loves us NO MATTER WHAT. Romans 8:39 says, "No power in the sky above or in the earth below--indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord." Nothing can separate us from His love! NOTHING! And the most beautiful thing is when we do sin, we have received the free gift of salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ! 1 John 1:9 says, "But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness." We are forgiven for our sins and they are gone forever! ( 2 Corinthians 5:17)


I am so thankful that God loves me through my imperfections....always!