It has taken me most of my life to fully incorporate prayer into my daily routine. Honestly daily prayer is the ticket to changing your life. I stared incorporating prayer into my daily routine in the fall of 2022. I attended a Womens conference that would leave a lasting impact on many parts of my life. There were many speakers and some amazing stories. One of the speakers talked about how important prayer is and how to incorporate it into your daily routine.
Each day since I spend 10 plus minutes with the Lord. This is my time to talk to God and really share my heart with him. For the last two years I have set aside intentional time for God, and it has changed my life in so many ways but three stand out the most. I have not had an anxiety attack in almost two years, without the aid of medication. My sleep habits have improved immensely and I hear God speak to me more frequently throughout my day.
If you have ever suffered anxiety attacks or anxiety at any level, you understand how incredibly debilitating it can be. Sometimes just talking about my anxiety would bring on an episode. It started in my early thirties with face tingling and then evolved into tight chest, uncontrolled tears then at one point I was having full body tingling. Once my attack would subside all I could do is sleep. Even if it was minor symptoms, it was hard to function. Most of these attacks were brought on by situations out of my control.
When I started praying on a consistent bases, I would pray about these hard situations every day. This gave me less of an opportunity to take them back. It also gave God the opportunity to walk with me through whatever was weighing on my heart. God always hears my prayers and in time he will guide your way just keep praying and then listening. Gods got this!
So many people are sleep deprived day in and day out. What we tend to forget is how incredibly important sleep is to your body. During sleep your body and your brain are making repairs. Sleep helps with your stress and overall health. When I didn’t sleep, or my sleep was interrupted it effected my mood and everyone around me paid for it. Once I started including prayer every day, I found it easier to go to sleep because I had given all my worries to God, and I knew he was working on them. Though I know others have said it before my mom used to tell me “Don’t count the sheep talk to the Shepeard”. This statement is so very true, my mom is an amazing God-fearing woman. Take a few minutes relax your body and give all your worries to God and let him take care of it while you sleep.
Think about while you are praying is it quiet around you, is your mind at ease, what kind of things are you praying about or for? During my prayer development our lead pastor presented a message about prayer and how your words can be impactful. I always start my prayers with words of gratitude. No matter how dark your day is there is always something to be thankful for.
When you bring your problems to God ask for his guidance. Steer away from demands and requests. Ultimately, he is in charge. A good example is one of my sons expressed a negative thought that concerned me. When I prayed about the situation I asked, ” Lord please give the words to express my concern so he will understand my heart”. Another good example is when I was looking at walking away from a toxic situation. “Dear Lord please show me the path that I need to take and show me the best way to handle this toxic situation so I can walk away gracefully”. Ultimately, I want to carry out his plan, not my plan.
Maybe you already have this embedded in your routine, or maybe your new to prayer. Wherever you are at I would love to hear how prayers have impacted your life. Have a blessed day!
Do not be anxious about anything. But in every situation, by prayer and petition, with Thanksgiving present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6