WEBVTT - Scripture-Based Prayer: A Simple Process for Deepening Your Prayer Life

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<v Speaker 1>Teach Us to Pray is brought to you by Life

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<v Speaker 1>Audio and is a part of our Faith Toolkit series.

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<v Speaker 1>For more inspirational faith affirming podcasts, visit lifeaudio dot com.

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<v Speaker 2>Welcome back, friend. You are listening to the Teach Us

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<v Speaker 2>to Pray podcast, where we teach believers practical and real

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<v Speaker 2>life tips on how to grow your faith and relationship

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<v Speaker 2>with God through the power of prayer. I'm Christina Patterson,

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<v Speaker 2>host of the Teach Us to Pray podcast and founder

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<v Speaker 2>of Beloved Women, where I encourage, equip and empower women

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<v Speaker 2>in the love of Jesus Christ and the truth of

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<v Speaker 2>God's Word. In today's episode, I want to talk about

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<v Speaker 2>how to pray the scriptures. In episode nine, we discussed

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<v Speaker 2>how to pray when we don't know what to say,

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<v Speaker 2>and one of the ways that we shared that we

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<v Speaker 2>could know what to say when we don't know what

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<v Speaker 2>to pray is to pray the scriptures. And what that

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<v Speaker 2>means is using the foundational truths of God's Word to

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<v Speaker 2>structure our prayers. And that's what I'm going to.

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<v Speaker 3>Teach you how to do today.

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<v Speaker 2>So, in order to pray the scriptures, the first step

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<v Speaker 2>that you need to do is to choose the verse

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<v Speaker 2>or passage or scripture you are going to pray, and

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<v Speaker 2>so you might choose a scripture that is like your

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<v Speaker 2>life verse, a scripture that means a lot to you

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<v Speaker 2>over the course of your life, that is reoccurring value

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<v Speaker 2>to you as you think about it, or you might

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<v Speaker 2>pick a scripture that relates to the current circumstances or

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<v Speaker 2>situation that you're facing right now. One thing that you

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<v Speaker 2>can do to find a scripture or decide what passage

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<v Speaker 2>you want to pray over your life is to do

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<v Speaker 2>a word search in the U version Bible app or

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<v Speaker 2>any kind of Bible based software where you can search

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<v Speaker 2>a particular term or word and it will pull up

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<v Speaker 2>all the verses related to that particular topic, and that

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<v Speaker 2>can be a good starting point for you and deciding

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<v Speaker 2>what verse you want to pray now. Also, a lot

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<v Speaker 2>of Bibles, if you look in the back of some Bibles,

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<v Speaker 2>they will have indexes where you can look up particular

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<v Speaker 2>words and it will share with you what scripture references

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<v Speaker 2>you can look up to find scriptures on that particular

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<v Speaker 2>word or topic. So that's where you want to start.

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<v Speaker 2>What scripture are you going to pray? And those are

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<v Speaker 2>some ways that you can think about where to find

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<v Speaker 2>those scriptures. The next thing you want to do, once

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<v Speaker 2>you've decided on your verse or your passage, you want

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<v Speaker 2>to find the principal promise or command that the verse holds.

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<v Speaker 2>And so I want to go over each one of

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<v Speaker 2>these and how to pray over each one. So, if

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<v Speaker 2>you find a promise in the scripture, a promise is

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<v Speaker 2>a declaration that God will do something. It is not conditional.

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<v Speaker 2>It's simply a statement about God or his character based

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<v Speaker 2>on who he always is. So, for example, when Jesus

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<v Speaker 2>says I will be with you always in Matthew twenty

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<v Speaker 2>eight twenty, that is a promise not dependent on what

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<v Speaker 2>we do or what we don't do. When we pray

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<v Speaker 2>promises of God, we are praying to believe his promises.

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<v Speaker 2>We're asking God to renew our mind so that we

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<v Speaker 2>can trust that what he's saying in his word, the

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<v Speaker 2>promises that he is giving us are true. Now, this

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<v Speaker 2>is important because our beliefs reflect our actions, and so

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<v Speaker 2>if we're not believing in the promises of God, we're

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<v Speaker 2>not going to act like they exist. We're not going

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<v Speaker 2>to act like God's always gonna be with us. We're

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<v Speaker 2>not gonna act like he's going to keep his promises.

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<v Speaker 2>We're not going to have that godly boldness and confidence

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<v Speaker 2>that comes from truly standing on the word of God.

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<v Speaker 2>And so that's why our prayer is, Lord, here is

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<v Speaker 2>your promise in your word. Help me to believe it.

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<v Speaker 2>Transform my mind to believe it if I'm not already.

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<v Speaker 2>And so God's giving us his promises for the purpose

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<v Speaker 2>for us to stand on so that we can act accordingly.

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<v Speaker 2>So let's look at Joshua one nine, where God says,

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<v Speaker 2>have I not commanded you be strong and courageous, Do

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<v Speaker 2>not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the

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<v Speaker 2>Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Now

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<v Speaker 2>we see here that there's a command, and we'll talk

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<v Speaker 2>about commands in a little bit and how to pray

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<v Speaker 2>over those that you know. He's commanded to be strong

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<v Speaker 2>and courageous. But that command is followed by a promise.

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<v Speaker 2>God will be with Joshua, and God will keep his word.

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<v Speaker 2>And as we believe in him, we are strengthened to

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<v Speaker 2>follow his commands. Two Timothy two thirteen reminds us of

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<v Speaker 2>the beauty of God's promises. It says if we are faithless,

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<v Speaker 2>he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself. Many times

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<v Speaker 2>we mistakenly not believe the promises of God because we

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<v Speaker 2>compare God to man. We think, well, I wouldn't do that,

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<v Speaker 2>or I couldn't imagine for giving someone for that or

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<v Speaker 2>loving someone like me. And God's not like us. If

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<v Speaker 2>he says that he will do it, we must believe

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<v Speaker 2>that he will. And if we struggle to believe, well,

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<v Speaker 2>then that's what our prayer is for. Next, when you

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<v Speaker 2>choose a scripture or a verse to pray about, you

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<v Speaker 2>want to see if there's a principle found there. Now,

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<v Speaker 2>a principle is a foundational truth that is conditional. It's

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<v Speaker 2>a statement that says, if you do this, then this

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<v Speaker 2>will result. So let's look at the popular scripture Psalm

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<v Speaker 2>thirty seventy four, which says, delight yourself in the Lord,

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<v Speaker 2>and He will give you the desires of your heart. Now,

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<v Speaker 2>many people mistake this verse as a promise that God

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<v Speaker 2>will grant us the desires of our heart. But this

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<v Speaker 2>is not a promise. It's a principle. When we first

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<v Speaker 2>delight on ourselves in Him, then we will receive the

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<v Speaker 2>desires of our heart. So we're praying. When it comes

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<v Speaker 2>to praying principles, we're praying to live according to the

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<v Speaker 2>principle that we may experience the fruits of living in

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<v Speaker 2>line with God's truth. So, for example, if again, if

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<v Speaker 2>we're looking at Psalm thirty seven four, we're praying that God, please,

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<v Speaker 2>you know, help me to delight myself in You so

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<v Speaker 2>that then I can receive the desires of my heart.

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<v Speaker 2>And it's about being in alignment with God and his

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<v Speaker 2>will when we're praying the principles. Last, when you're looking

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<v Speaker 2>over your verse or passes that you want to pray

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<v Speaker 2>over your life, you want to see is there a command? Now?

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<v Speaker 2>A command is an authoritative directive or order from God.

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<v Speaker 2>It's simply God telling us how he wants us to

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<v Speaker 2>live our lives. So think of the ten commandments, Love God,

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<v Speaker 2>don't steal, love your neighbor, don't kill, commands or orders

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<v Speaker 2>from God on how we are to conduct ourselves. Now,

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<v Speaker 2>when it comes to praying commands, we need to pray

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<v Speaker 2>for power to fight our flesh. Jesus tells us that

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<v Speaker 2>the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak, and

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<v Speaker 2>so we need to be praying for God's power to

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<v Speaker 2>truly show up in our lives so that we can

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<v Speaker 2>live out these commands, because it's just not in our

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<v Speaker 2>nature to do so. Now, we also don't want to

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<v Speaker 2>become discouraged in our weakness, because when we pray, we're

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<v Speaker 2>unlocking God's strength in our lives so that His power

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<v Speaker 2>can be great in us. I love Tewod Corinthians twelve

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<v Speaker 2>nine that says, My grace is sufficient for you, for

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<v Speaker 2>my power is made perfect in weakness, and God's power

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<v Speaker 2>is made perfect in our weakness. So even when we

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<v Speaker 2>fall short, we know that we can lean on the

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<v Speaker 2>power of prayer to invite God's strength into our weakness.

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<v Speaker 2>That is what He is in the business of doing.

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<v Speaker 2>As you reflect on the scripture that you've decided to

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<v Speaker 2>pray over your life, you want to pray to believe

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<v Speaker 2>any promises, to live by any principles, or to follow

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<v Speaker 2>any commands, and in all those things we are just

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<v Speaker 2>asking God to release his strength and power for us

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<v Speaker 2>to do those things. Last, what you want to do

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<v Speaker 2>when it comes to praying the scriptures is to commit

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<v Speaker 2>to knowing God's word through the study of his word

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<v Speaker 2>and continual prayer. We can't pray what we don't know.

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<v Speaker 2>If we don't know God's word, if we don't know

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<v Speaker 2>God's truth, if we don't know his principles, his promises,

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<v Speaker 2>or commands, then we won't pray them. And so this

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<v Speaker 2>is where Bible study is very important to our prayer lives,

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<v Speaker 2>especially if we want to be praying God's truth over

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<v Speaker 2>our lives. And the simple reflective methods that I've given

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<v Speaker 2>you today, as far as pulling out the promises, pulling

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<v Speaker 2>out the principles, and pulling out the commands, is a

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<v Speaker 2>good starting point to knowing God's word and what it

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<v Speaker 2>means and how you can apply it to your life.

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<v Speaker 2>And you already have the power of prayer to unlock

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<v Speaker 2>it in your life as well. And making those two

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<v Speaker 2>connections between knowing God's word and praying God's word is

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<v Speaker 2>a great gift to the believer. It is my hope

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<v Speaker 2>that today's episode has provided you with insight and helpful

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<v Speaker 2>tips on how you can pray. We have so much

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<v Speaker 2>more to talk about when it comes to prayer, so

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<v Speaker 2>I hope that if you were encouraged by today's episode,

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<v Speaker 2>you'll share it with a friend and subscribe so you

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<v Speaker 2>won't miss any future episodes of the Teach Us to

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<v Speaker 2>Pray podcast, where we will continue to learn how, just

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<v Speaker 2>like breathing, prayer can become a natural, consistent, and life

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<v Speaker 2>giving part of our everyday lives. Until then, be sure

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<v Speaker 2>to connect with me at Beloved Women dot org and

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<v Speaker 2>check out the show notes to download my free five

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<v Speaker 2>day prayer Guide. Thank you so much for taking the

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<v Speaker 2>time to listen today. God bless you and I'll talk

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<v Speaker 2>to you in the next episode.

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<v Speaker 1>Teach Us to Pray is a production of Life Audio

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<v Speaker 1>and the Salem Web Network. If you enjoyed this episode,

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<v Speaker 1>would you take a minute and leave us you and

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<v Speaker 1>your podcast app It really does help more people like

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<v Speaker 1>you find a podcast to hear more from Christina Patterson.

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<v Speaker 1>Be sure to check out her fantastic site Beloved Women

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<v Speaker 1>dot org. A special thanks to Kelly Gibbons, Stephen Sanders,

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<v Speaker 1>and Stephen McGarvey for their production and editing on this episode.

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<v Speaker 1>You can find more podcasts like this over at life

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<v Speaker 1>audio dot com.