(Yearly Cycle) The Other Half of Prayer

February is a reminder that our foundation in life is meant to be God's word and last week we started the 30 Day Prayer Challenge based on praying God's word. The challenge is simple...pray the 2 minute prayer each day (there is a link to the prayer below this message).

But, prayer is meant to be a 2 way communication. When you finish praying the 2 minute prayer you are not quite done...take some time to listen. 

Take a few minutes to be still and listen for what God says to you. Part of the 2 minute prayer is asking God to help us do what is right and best according to him today. But, in order to do this we need to listen to what he wants us to do.

Here is what to do. 

Take out a pen and paper and write down anything you know you need to do today. Then write down anything that has been on your conscience(it's one of the ways God speaks to us)... such as pay a bill, forgive someone, spend more time with your family, start eating better, start exercising, etc. Then be still and listen for God to speak to you about what to do today. This becomes your plan for the day, with whatever God says being the most important as your highest priority. 

Many people make listening to God overly complicated, but Jesus said his sheep know his voice. After you pray sit down, be still, and listen. You just asked God for help, so whatever comes to mind next is probably from him. Write down whatever you know to do over the next day. 

Good listening means being present and getting out of your own head. We are often thinking ahead or our mind is wandering rather than truly listening.  Stephen Covey in his book the 8th Habit recommended a talking stick for helping people listen. Here were his rules.

Only the person with the stick is allowed to talk. Others were not allowed to talk until they had the stick and once they had the stick they had to repeat back to the speaker what they had heard. The speaker had to acknowledge that they had been heard and understood before others could talk. If the hearer did not understand they had to listen again until they proved to the speaker that they understood. Covey said this practice resolved all kinds of disputes and arguments because people were actually listening and understanding each other. 

If we are going to truly listen and understand God we must understand grace. God is giving us grace. He is doing everything he can to help us this day. He is not retaliating at us or giving us the silent treatment. He is trying to help us today but we must listen, get present, and connect. Jesus said whoever has ears to hear will be given more and will have an abundance. If you are consistently listening and putting into action what he is giving you, then he will give you more. 

Recently, God asked me to look up the definition of the word "latency," as it relates to computing and software engineering. Unfortunately, I put it off because I was busy doing other things. This happened three or four times in the day and finally that night I found that  latency means... A delayed response or a delay in the time from a request being submitted to when action is taken.  High latency means there is a highly delayed response time and low latency means very quick action. 

Today latency is one of the biggest things that slows down internet speeds. The two big keys to increasing internet speeds are bandwidth and latency. These days bandwidth is high, which means high amounts of data are able to pass through the wires. Think of higher bandwidth like a bigger wider pipe that more can flow through. Today bandwidth is high but most slow downs come from high latency. 

The latency happens because things get backed up waiting in a cue, because the requests must be processed and then the action taken. As requests pile up it is like a clogged pipe that needs to be cleaned out. In the same way our receivers can get clogged and need some clean out. God has unlimited bandwidth, a pipeline of living water that contains his wisdom, instructions, plan, peace, joy, power, energy, and much more. But, our latency can be high as we procrastinate on taking action either because we are not listening, understanding that he is trying to help us, or taking the appropriate actions.  

Something I have found in helping people walk out God's plan for their life is that there are often a lot of things backed up in cue that are preventing them from doing what they really should be doing, They procrastinate on what is really important because there are all of these other things they need to do first. 

In the internet world, high bandwidth and low latency lead to high throughput, which is the amount of information that can pass through the network over a given amount of time. God has unlimited bandwidth and when we lower our latency he can get more through us...more of his wisdom, plan, power, peace, joy, love, grace, energy, health, finances, and much more. 

Here is how to apply all of this...

1. Pray the 2 minute prayer each day 
2. After the prayer sit and listen
3. Make a list of what God prompts you to do today and anything else you need to do.
4. Take action and execute with his peace, joy, and energy trusting that his hand is there helping you
5. Expect God to give you supernatural results in everything you do.