Phase 2 of The House Behind The Trees ~ The downstairs #TeelsBuildaHouse

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So we are starting the downstairs ... I HATE to say basement because we had a basement in our old home, where you opened a door and went down stairs separated from anything else. It was a finished basement complete with a bedroom, craft room, family/game room and we spent a lot of time there ~ our oldest son moved down there in jr high and stayed through high school ... until we finished the master suite in the attic then he moved back up to the bedroom floor with his brother and sister.  So here our downstairs is open to the rest of the house, you can see through to the outside from the top of the stairs going down because we have a wall of windows down there as well.  We really didn't plan to have a kiddo down there but since we are having to do a switch-a-roo with rooms (I'll explain later) he is moving home soon and will be downstairs. Anyhoo, our downstairs will house our main family room, our middle sons room, a full bath and kitchenette.  I thought it would be fun ...
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Just Ask!

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"You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures" James 4:3

Could it be that the "God give-me-this, do-that, wave-your-magic-wand-here, get-me-out-of-this-mess" kind of praying is not what God desires for our prayer life? Do you ever get to a frustrated state and simply ask, "Lord, teach me how I'm supposed to pray."

We need to understand that prayer is not just asking for things, although that certainly is part of it. Far more importantly, prayer is talking with God ~ getting close to and spending time with the One you love ~  seeking Him first ~ getting to know Him better ~ being with Him and waiting in His presence.

Prayer is acknowledging Him as the source of power upon whom we can depend. It's taking the time to say, "Speak to my heart, Lord, and tell me what I need to hear". It's partnering with Him and aligning our spirits with His to see that His perfect will is done. It's establishing ourselves and our lives as being connected to God.

We can't receive God's best for our lives, and we can't push back the things that were never God's will for us, except through prayer. We can't leave our lives to chance , we need to pray about everything all the time, not just when things go wrong.

We have to pray over anything that concerns us, no matter how big ... "For with God nothing will be impossible" (Luke 1:37, NKJV) ... or how small ... "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered" (Matthew 10:30, NKJV).

The Bible tells us the basic qualification for prayer: "he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6b NKJV). The more we pray, the more we will find to pray about, and the more we'll be led to pray for others.

We can't allow discouragement over unanswered prayers cause us to doubt that God hears us. If we have received Jesus and are praying in His name, then God hears us and something is happening whether we see it manifested in this lifetime or not. In fact, every time we pray, we're advancing God's purposes for our lives. Without prayer, the full purpose God has for us can't happen.

Dear Lord, Help me today to draw closer to You, in my words, my thoughts and my deeds. Help me share more of my life with You, and through that, help me discover Your perfect will. In His holy Name I pray, Amen.

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