Blessings: Make Your Requests to God Specific
A while ago, a friend of mine reminded me to be specific when I prayed. I was used to praying general prayers. "God, help me get a job to pay my bills. Help me to pay for my travels." But prayers that are not specific are not only useless, they are directionless. After reading my good friend Krystal's blog post about praying for yourself and being specific about those prayers, I knew I had to step my game up if I wanted to receive my blessings.In Krystal's post, she prayed for God to bless her with five specific things on five specific areas in her life. I thought it was so good that I created my own and I encourage you to do the same.
Career:
I've worked in the media industry (on a freelance basis) for many many years. Media is what I studied in college. I never truly worked in it professionally but I've always looked for positions in the industry. The thing is, the media industry is BIG. It's like saying you want to be a doctor but not specifying what kind. So when people who ask me what kind of job I was looking for, I drew a blank because I wasn't clear on what that job title would be. So it became difficult to pray about something I couldn't define. But now that I know what that is, I pray that God gives me the discipline and consistency (I struggle with the same exact things too, Krystal!) to pursue that and only that. The companies you want to work for matter, too! My prayer is that God helps me to focus on my 2016 blog plan and have the courage to reach out to these brands I want to work with.PRAYER: God, I want to work for ______ as a _____. While I do the work necessary to attain that goal, give me the discipline to remain consistent in my efforts. I want to be who You created me to be.
Finances:
I've never made a lot money in previous jobs. I never knew how to ask for more because I thought I didn't deserve more. I thought I was too inexperienced. It wasn't true and I've thrown that mindset out of the window. Thankfully, I've never truly had a lot of debt outside of the monster that is student loans. I've paid off a lot of debt with the little I was making. I've been a minimalist over the last few years so I don't have a lot of stuff or shop much. The only thing I really need is to make more money. And I can do that once I get rid of the fear of how much I can actually make. As a blogger, you can make soon much money, yo. I recently told myself that I want to make $1,000 monthly from my blog. That's chump change in comparison to other bloggers but that's my goal. My prayer is that God continues to teach me to invest in myself and to keep putting away $$$ in savings each paycheck.PRAYER: God, help me to ask for what I want and negotiate when I get my dream job. Thank you for blessing me with what I already have. Show me how to live within my means. And as you continue to bless me, help me to bless others in return.
Health:
I can't remember not being a sickly person. I've been anemic since I was a child so I've always had low energy. Once you become sexually active, we all know it goes down from there lol. And now that I've changed my diet, learning to undo bad habits that have become ingrained in me is my biggest struggle. Strangely, I have to remind myself to eat and move around. But I'm not getting any younger so maintaining a healthy lifestyle is essential. Right now, my prayer is that God helps me to eat, exercise and meditate when those set alarms go off. I'll have a tendency to ignore them, which is why I've set like 20. No joke.PRAYER: God, You said to treat my body as a temple. Help me to remember that what I put in affects how I feel on the outside.
Emotions:
Naturally, I suppress my emotions. I don't know how to cry. While most people express themselves, I just write it down. I'm afraid that if I really allow myself to get emotional, the world will end. A few years ago, I decided that I wanted to be vulnerable and it's been an exhausting journey. But if I hadn't made that decision, I would still be closed off and cold. I don't want to live life that way. I still have more opening up to do but I'm a work in progress. My prayer is that God helps me to express myself (at the right time) in a way that is true to who I am without intentionally offending another.PRAYER: God, you know how I feel. You created me, thus You know how I react to certain situations. Help me to access situations when they arise and to handle them in the best way. If things do not go in my favor, help me to ACCEPT what I cannot change.
Spirituality:
Whew, this journey I've been on with the Lord, I tell you. He knows me well. Ever since I decided not to call myself a Seventh Day Adventist, He has helped me see through a lens only He can provide. I haven't always listened to the Holy Spirit. I've gone my own way many times. Now, every step of the way, I try to let God lead. I try to say things out loud to God. Whether it's a random "Help me Jesus" to a praise break, I try to keep Him close at all times. [Tweet "I want who I am now and who I'm growing to be, to be a reflection of His grace."]I am here to inspire you. When you see me, I hope you see Him.PRAYER: Thank you, God, for Your grace. My desire is to develop a personal relationship with You. I want to get to know You and be honest with You. Help me to dig deeper in Your word to know Your desires for my life. Help me to live a life that pleases You.Being specific in prayer can only widen the amount of blessings God has in store for you. If you do this activity, let me know how applying it to specific areas of your life improves the outcome of your life. Share below!Photo credit: Gratisography