1 00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:03,520 Speaker 1: Life Audio. 2 00:00:05,160 --> 00:00:07,520 Speaker 2: Teach Us to Praise brought to you by Life Audio 3 00:00:07,880 --> 00:00:11,040 Speaker 2: and is a part of our Faith Toolkit series. For 4 00:00:11,160 --> 00:00:19,960 Speaker 2: more inspirational, faith affirming podcasts, visit lifeaudio dot com. 5 00:00:20,160 --> 00:00:23,280 Speaker 1: Has Worried and Anxiety got the best of you this week? 6 00:00:23,760 --> 00:00:27,640 Speaker 1: Have you been anxiously up at night worrying about all 7 00:00:27,680 --> 00:00:29,920 Speaker 1: the things that are going on in your life. One 8 00:00:29,960 --> 00:00:32,960 Speaker 1: thing that I've learned about worry is that it is 9 00:00:33,040 --> 00:00:38,320 Speaker 1: essentially the opposite of prayer. Prayer is when we take 10 00:00:38,400 --> 00:00:41,720 Speaker 1: our thoughts to God and we take our problems and 11 00:00:41,760 --> 00:00:45,000 Speaker 1: our issues to him. Worry, on the other hand, is 12 00:00:45,040 --> 00:00:48,879 Speaker 1: just taking them to ourselves and thinking of worst case scenarios, 13 00:00:49,159 --> 00:00:52,320 Speaker 1: and it is never fruitful for a Christian, which is 14 00:00:52,320 --> 00:00:55,320 Speaker 1: why the Bible tells us not to be anxious and 15 00:00:55,440 --> 00:01:00,760 Speaker 1: not to worry. Instead, we are instructed to pray. Today's episode, 16 00:01:00,880 --> 00:01:03,000 Speaker 1: I'm going to share with you how to turn your 17 00:01:03,040 --> 00:01:15,920 Speaker 1: worries into prayers. Welcome back, friend. You are listening to 18 00:01:15,959 --> 00:01:19,000 Speaker 1: the Teach Us to Pray podcast, where we teach believers 19 00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:21,679 Speaker 1: practical and real life tips on how to grow your 20 00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:25,080 Speaker 1: faith and relationship with God through the power of prayer. 21 00:01:25,360 --> 00:01:27,920 Speaker 1: I'm Christina Patterson, host of the Teach Us to Pray 22 00:01:27,920 --> 00:01:30,760 Speaker 1: podcast and founder of Beloved Women, where I have the 23 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:34,600 Speaker 1: honor of encouraging, equipping, and empowering women and the love 24 00:01:34,640 --> 00:01:38,800 Speaker 1: of Jesus Christ and the truth of God's word. Just 25 00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:43,800 Speaker 1: this week, I was feeling very overwhelmed and anxious honestly 26 00:01:43,920 --> 00:01:47,000 Speaker 1: about just some things that were going on in my life. 27 00:01:47,360 --> 00:01:52,400 Speaker 1: And normally I can handle when anxiety comes, and I'm 28 00:01:52,440 --> 00:01:55,080 Speaker 1: able to just pray and I have different ways of 29 00:01:55,280 --> 00:01:58,720 Speaker 1: overcoming just the normal day to day worry and anxiety 30 00:01:58,800 --> 00:02:03,240 Speaker 1: that life presents. But this week was particularly different, and 31 00:02:03,640 --> 00:02:05,919 Speaker 1: the anxiety and the worry just was starting to feel 32 00:02:06,080 --> 00:02:08,760 Speaker 1: overwhelming to the point where I was like, Okay, I 33 00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:10,880 Speaker 1: can't carry this on my own. And God was just 34 00:02:10,919 --> 00:02:13,760 Speaker 1: so gracious this week to give me a day where 35 00:02:13,800 --> 00:02:16,320 Speaker 1: the kids were home, they had a teacher work day, 36 00:02:16,400 --> 00:02:17,799 Speaker 1: so I didn't have to get up early, and I 37 00:02:17,800 --> 00:02:19,680 Speaker 1: could just really just go at my own pace and 38 00:02:19,760 --> 00:02:22,160 Speaker 1: just process my thoughts and my feelings and what was 39 00:02:22,200 --> 00:02:24,760 Speaker 1: going on. But the greatest gift was that I had 40 00:02:24,760 --> 00:02:27,680 Speaker 1: the opportunity to speak to two of my best friends, 41 00:02:28,040 --> 00:02:31,000 Speaker 1: and so just that slower pace day gave me a 42 00:02:31,120 --> 00:02:33,560 Speaker 1: chance to have some time to just talk to my 43 00:02:33,680 --> 00:02:36,600 Speaker 1: friends and just confess to them what was on my 44 00:02:36,720 --> 00:02:40,960 Speaker 1: mind and what was going on, and just allowed for 45 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:45,760 Speaker 1: me to just share my burdens with my sisters in Christ, 46 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:48,919 Speaker 1: which are like real life sisters to me. And one 47 00:02:48,919 --> 00:02:51,880 Speaker 1: of my friends she prayed for me after our conversation, 48 00:02:52,560 --> 00:02:57,840 Speaker 1: and she prayed that my worries would be turned into prayers. 49 00:02:58,240 --> 00:03:02,640 Speaker 1: And it was just such a reminder to instead of 50 00:03:02,720 --> 00:03:06,799 Speaker 1: obsessing over all that could possibly go wrong or all 51 00:03:06,840 --> 00:03:09,800 Speaker 1: the what if scenarios that keep us up at night, 52 00:03:10,080 --> 00:03:15,680 Speaker 1: to turn those thoughts in to prayers. And this is 53 00:03:15,760 --> 00:03:20,720 Speaker 1: exactly what the Bible instructs us to do. And Philippians four, 54 00:03:21,360 --> 00:03:24,679 Speaker 1: verses six through seven tells us, do not be anxious 55 00:03:24,720 --> 00:03:29,959 Speaker 1: about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, 56 00:03:30,160 --> 00:03:33,120 Speaker 1: let your request be made known to God. And the 57 00:03:33,160 --> 00:03:36,960 Speaker 1: peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your 58 00:03:36,960 --> 00:03:43,080 Speaker 1: hearts and your minds in Christ, Jesus, if you need 59 00:03:43,560 --> 00:03:47,040 Speaker 1: your heart and your mind to be guarded this week, 60 00:03:47,160 --> 00:03:50,680 Speaker 1: because anxiety and worry is just knocking on the door, 61 00:03:51,160 --> 00:03:55,400 Speaker 1: this scripture gives us the prescription to cure us of 62 00:03:55,480 --> 00:03:59,200 Speaker 1: our anxiety and worry and fear that often comes into 63 00:03:59,200 --> 00:04:04,120 Speaker 1: our lives, and that is prayer. But specifically I want 64 00:04:04,160 --> 00:04:05,960 Speaker 1: to share with you just the three steps that we 65 00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:11,400 Speaker 1: can take to turn our worry thoughts into prayers to 66 00:04:11,800 --> 00:04:14,640 Speaker 1: our God. And the first step that we need to 67 00:04:14,680 --> 00:04:17,240 Speaker 1: take is to pray in the first place. Like I 68 00:04:17,279 --> 00:04:21,360 Speaker 1: shared with you earlier, worry is just meditating on the 69 00:04:21,400 --> 00:04:25,200 Speaker 1: wrong things. And if you can meditate and think and 70 00:04:25,320 --> 00:04:27,960 Speaker 1: obsess on the wrong things, then we just need to 71 00:04:28,040 --> 00:04:32,840 Speaker 1: flip the switch in our brains and turn those thoughts 72 00:04:32,880 --> 00:04:37,760 Speaker 1: into thinking about the right things and to focusing our 73 00:04:37,880 --> 00:04:41,480 Speaker 1: mind on God. The Bible tells us that those who 74 00:04:41,560 --> 00:04:46,200 Speaker 1: keep their mind on God will have his perfect peace, 75 00:04:46,839 --> 00:04:51,159 Speaker 1: And so there is power in us praying to God, 76 00:04:51,279 --> 00:04:55,160 Speaker 1: in talking to him instead of just being in our 77 00:04:55,200 --> 00:04:58,880 Speaker 1: minds and talking to ourselves and even talking to everybody else, 78 00:04:59,000 --> 00:05:02,880 Speaker 1: especially if we're just venting and complaining and it's not 79 00:05:03,000 --> 00:05:07,040 Speaker 1: helping us in any way by only pointing out the problems, 80 00:05:07,240 --> 00:05:09,719 Speaker 1: by only pointing out what could go wrong or what 81 00:05:10,000 --> 00:05:13,920 Speaker 1: is going wrong. But when we're still enough to get 82 00:05:13,960 --> 00:05:17,080 Speaker 1: in the presence of the Lord and to just talk 83 00:05:17,640 --> 00:05:21,520 Speaker 1: to him, it helps us to start shifting our mind 84 00:05:22,080 --> 00:05:27,000 Speaker 1: from meditating on what's bad to meditating on God and 85 00:05:27,120 --> 00:05:31,599 Speaker 1: keeping our minds stayed on Him, as the scripture tells us, 86 00:05:31,640 --> 00:05:35,760 Speaker 1: so that we can then receive his peace. And so 87 00:05:36,000 --> 00:05:39,120 Speaker 1: what I've been doing is I've just been using my 88 00:05:39,240 --> 00:05:42,279 Speaker 1: worried thoughts as prayer points for what to talk to 89 00:05:42,279 --> 00:05:45,640 Speaker 1: God about. So instead of worrying about my health and 90 00:05:45,880 --> 00:05:48,159 Speaker 1: something bad and that might happen, I just pray to 91 00:05:48,200 --> 00:05:51,920 Speaker 1: God that he would make me healthy. Instead of worrying 92 00:05:51,920 --> 00:05:54,480 Speaker 1: about my children and what might happen to them, or 93 00:05:54,520 --> 00:05:56,599 Speaker 1: being afraid of them going to school that day, or 94 00:05:56,640 --> 00:05:59,120 Speaker 1: whatever might worry might be going on in my head, 95 00:05:59,160 --> 00:06:00,880 Speaker 1: I just pray that God God would be a hedge 96 00:06:00,920 --> 00:06:05,240 Speaker 1: of protection over them. Instead of worrying about an upcoming trip, 97 00:06:05,560 --> 00:06:09,760 Speaker 1: I'm praying now for protection in God to keep me 98 00:06:10,360 --> 00:06:13,520 Speaker 1: as I travel. Do you see what I'm doing here? 99 00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:18,400 Speaker 1: Instead of worrying, I am taking my request to God 100 00:06:18,480 --> 00:06:21,960 Speaker 1: and I'm asking for Him to do what my worries 101 00:06:22,000 --> 00:06:25,359 Speaker 1: cannot do. And so then that means that instead of 102 00:06:25,400 --> 00:06:29,159 Speaker 1: worrying about it, I'm inviting God, in his power and 103 00:06:29,200 --> 00:06:33,120 Speaker 1: his strength and his protection and his provision into it. 104 00:06:33,839 --> 00:06:37,840 Speaker 1: The truth is, if we have time to worry, then 105 00:06:37,880 --> 00:06:42,440 Speaker 1: we have time to pray, and why would we worry 106 00:06:42,920 --> 00:06:47,520 Speaker 1: If we can pray, and we can pray, we are 107 00:06:47,760 --> 00:06:51,640 Speaker 1: blessed to be able to confidently go before God in 108 00:06:51,680 --> 00:06:54,800 Speaker 1: prayer any time that we want. And so I want 109 00:06:54,839 --> 00:06:58,200 Speaker 1: to encourage you this week to catch yourself and your 110 00:06:58,240 --> 00:07:01,600 Speaker 1: worried thoughts, to catch yourself in your anxious thoughts, and 111 00:07:01,640 --> 00:07:04,520 Speaker 1: when you realize that that's the rabbit hole in your 112 00:07:04,720 --> 00:07:08,320 Speaker 1: mind is going down, to turn around, to turn to 113 00:07:08,400 --> 00:07:12,160 Speaker 1: God and to pray to him. But the scripture also 114 00:07:12,200 --> 00:07:18,040 Speaker 1: tells us that we should be prayerful with thanksgiving. So 115 00:07:18,080 --> 00:07:20,800 Speaker 1: then those prayers aren't just God, do this? God? Can 116 00:07:20,800 --> 00:07:22,160 Speaker 1: you do this? Can you make this happen? Can you 117 00:07:22,200 --> 00:07:25,480 Speaker 1: make sure this doesn't happen. It's helping us to be 118 00:07:25,600 --> 00:07:29,920 Speaker 1: present and realizing what God is doing in this moment 119 00:07:30,040 --> 00:07:36,160 Speaker 1: and being thankful for that. Worry causes us to forget 120 00:07:36,560 --> 00:07:39,800 Speaker 1: that not only is God in control, but that he's 121 00:07:40,040 --> 00:07:45,040 Speaker 1: been in control. He's been protecting us, he's been taking 122 00:07:45,080 --> 00:07:48,280 Speaker 1: care of us, he's been providing for us, and as 123 00:07:48,320 --> 00:07:51,320 Speaker 1: we thank Him for that, we have no space in 124 00:07:51,360 --> 00:07:55,800 Speaker 1: our minds to allow worry to control our thoughts. Many 125 00:07:55,880 --> 00:07:59,320 Speaker 1: years ago, I had to have surgery and I remember 126 00:07:59,520 --> 00:08:04,000 Speaker 1: the night before my surgery, I was so worried and anxious, 127 00:08:04,280 --> 00:08:08,000 Speaker 1: but I knew to take those worries and anxieties to God. 128 00:08:08,680 --> 00:08:11,880 Speaker 1: And I was by my bed on my knees, just crying, 129 00:08:12,040 --> 00:08:16,080 Speaker 1: praying out to God. And I was anxiously praying to him. 130 00:08:16,360 --> 00:08:19,240 Speaker 1: And I remember just God speaking to me through the 131 00:08:19,240 --> 00:08:22,000 Speaker 1: Holy Spirit and saying, Christina, didn't I take care of 132 00:08:22,040 --> 00:08:26,000 Speaker 1: you yesterday? And I said yeah, And the Holy Spirit 133 00:08:26,080 --> 00:08:28,520 Speaker 1: just gently asking me, did I take care of you today? 134 00:08:29,440 --> 00:08:32,640 Speaker 1: And I said yeah. And then God just asking me, well, 135 00:08:32,679 --> 00:08:34,880 Speaker 1: then don't you think I'm going to take care of 136 00:08:34,880 --> 00:08:37,920 Speaker 1: you tomorrow too. See, I was making the day of 137 00:08:37,960 --> 00:08:42,760 Speaker 1: surgery bigger than it really was. God is bigger than 138 00:08:42,800 --> 00:08:44,760 Speaker 1: the surgery that I was going to go through. God 139 00:08:44,840 --> 00:08:48,600 Speaker 1: is bigger than what may happen tomorrow. And He reminded 140 00:08:48,640 --> 00:08:50,960 Speaker 1: me that if I took care of you yesterday and 141 00:08:51,040 --> 00:08:53,480 Speaker 1: if I'm taking care of you today, it doesn't matter 142 00:08:53,559 --> 00:08:56,480 Speaker 1: what's going to happen tomorrow, I'm going to take care 143 00:08:56,520 --> 00:08:59,880 Speaker 1: of you then too. And so then I was encouraged 144 00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:05,320 Speaker 1: to stop worrying and start thanking God, start coming to 145 00:09:05,400 --> 00:09:10,280 Speaker 1: God with my prayers, but also with my gratitude, and 146 00:09:10,400 --> 00:09:13,920 Speaker 1: I want to encourage you to do that, because thanksgiving 147 00:09:14,000 --> 00:09:21,120 Speaker 1: and gratitude is a powerful force to defeat anxiety and worry. 148 00:09:21,320 --> 00:09:23,880 Speaker 1: That's why the scripture tells us that we come to 149 00:09:23,960 --> 00:09:31,320 Speaker 1: God with prayer, with thanksgiving. With thanksgiving, it says, make 150 00:09:31,600 --> 00:09:37,640 Speaker 1: your request known to God. And sometimes when we have 151 00:09:38,320 --> 00:09:42,400 Speaker 1: anxiety and worry, we're really afraid sometimes to even talk 152 00:09:42,440 --> 00:09:45,520 Speaker 1: about it. We're afraid to cast our cares before God. 153 00:09:45,559 --> 00:09:47,199 Speaker 1: We're afraid that if we say it out loud, it 154 00:09:47,280 --> 00:09:51,920 Speaker 1: might actually happen. But God is bigger than our words. 155 00:09:51,960 --> 00:09:55,720 Speaker 1: He's bigger than our needs, He's bigger than our worries 156 00:09:56,080 --> 00:10:05,800 Speaker 1: and our anxieties, and we need to get real with God. 157 00:10:10,679 --> 00:10:13,360 Speaker 1: We want to make prayer like it's this fluffy, little, light, 158 00:10:13,400 --> 00:10:15,360 Speaker 1: little thing that we do that's just kind of nice 159 00:10:15,400 --> 00:10:19,240 Speaker 1: to do, to be polite and proper in our relationship 160 00:10:19,480 --> 00:10:23,199 Speaker 1: with God. But I think about Jesus in the Garden 161 00:10:23,240 --> 00:10:27,720 Speaker 1: of Gacimity, and that was not a polite prayer. Jesus 162 00:10:27,800 --> 00:10:31,800 Speaker 1: was praying so fervently to God, so honest and authentic 163 00:10:31,920 --> 00:10:35,560 Speaker 1: in his prayer and request to God that he cried 164 00:10:35,880 --> 00:10:41,600 Speaker 1: tears of blood. But he was real with God. He 165 00:10:41,720 --> 00:10:44,319 Speaker 1: presented his request to God. The Bible tells us to 166 00:10:44,400 --> 00:10:49,840 Speaker 1: cast our cares on God. And so one thing that 167 00:10:49,880 --> 00:10:54,000 Speaker 1: we need to do is to allow our worry and 168 00:10:54,040 --> 00:10:57,560 Speaker 1: our anxiety to lead our prayers, to show us and 169 00:10:57,679 --> 00:11:01,080 Speaker 1: act as indicators of what we need to be praying about, 170 00:11:01,600 --> 00:11:06,520 Speaker 1: not to rule us. But we can take those requests 171 00:11:06,559 --> 00:11:10,000 Speaker 1: to God. We can take those worries and anxieties to him, 172 00:11:10,360 --> 00:11:15,679 Speaker 1: and we should and we should leave them at his throne. 173 00:11:15,920 --> 00:11:18,000 Speaker 1: And when we do, the Bible says that the peace 174 00:11:18,040 --> 00:11:22,559 Speaker 1: of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard our hearts 175 00:11:22,840 --> 00:11:25,520 Speaker 1: and our minds in Christ Jesus. And it's that word 176 00:11:25,600 --> 00:11:30,480 Speaker 1: guard there, right. It's like anxiety and worry is attacking us. 177 00:11:30,800 --> 00:11:33,800 Speaker 1: It doesn't come to help us. Right. We think sometimes that, oh, 178 00:11:33,920 --> 00:11:36,600 Speaker 1: my anxiety is helping me to just be cautious and 179 00:11:36,640 --> 00:11:38,240 Speaker 1: aware of all the bad things that are going on 180 00:11:38,360 --> 00:11:40,920 Speaker 1: in the world. And there is a type of necessary, 181 00:11:41,000 --> 00:11:44,840 Speaker 1: healthy anxiety so that our senses are heightened when there's 182 00:11:44,880 --> 00:11:51,720 Speaker 1: a threat. But many times our anxieties and worries never 183 00:11:51,720 --> 00:11:54,000 Speaker 1: come to pass, and they're actually just a waste of 184 00:11:54,040 --> 00:11:57,640 Speaker 1: our time and our energy. Doctor Tony Evans says, and 185 00:11:57,679 --> 00:12:01,120 Speaker 1: I'm paraphrasing here, but he says that our worries and 186 00:12:01,200 --> 00:12:05,800 Speaker 1: anxieties are like holding up an umbrella when it's not raining, 187 00:12:06,920 --> 00:12:10,040 Speaker 1: and so we need to guard our minds and our 188 00:12:10,080 --> 00:12:13,319 Speaker 1: hearts from those types of thoughts. And we can do 189 00:12:13,400 --> 00:12:18,400 Speaker 1: that when we turn our worries into prayers. Did you 190 00:12:18,480 --> 00:12:21,120 Speaker 1: know that God made us all beautifully different, even in 191 00:12:21,160 --> 00:12:24,319 Speaker 1: the way that we pray. That's right. Your prayer personality 192 00:12:24,440 --> 00:12:27,199 Speaker 1: is the unique way you are most likely to communicate 193 00:12:27,240 --> 00:12:30,520 Speaker 1: with God. And knowing which of the three prayer personality 194 00:12:30,520 --> 00:12:33,280 Speaker 1: types you have can equip you to hear from God 195 00:12:33,360 --> 00:12:37,400 Speaker 1: more clearly and overcome any obstacles to your communication with Him. 196 00:12:37,800 --> 00:12:40,720 Speaker 1: I invite you to take my prayer personality quiz to 197 00:12:40,840 --> 00:12:43,319 Speaker 1: learn how you best hear from God, how you most 198 00:12:43,440 --> 00:12:45,679 Speaker 1: likely connect with Him in prayer, and just to have 199 00:12:45,720 --> 00:12:48,560 Speaker 1: a little fun. Take the quiz now at prayquiz dot 200 00:12:48,600 --> 00:12:51,000 Speaker 1: com or find the link in the show notes for 201 00:12:51,120 --> 00:12:55,040 Speaker 1: today's show. It is my hope that today's episode provided 202 00:12:55,080 --> 00:12:58,920 Speaker 1: you with insight and helpful tips on how you can pray. 203 00:12:59,200 --> 00:13:01,000 Speaker 1: We have so much more to talk about when it 204 00:13:01,040 --> 00:13:03,040 Speaker 1: comes to prayer, so I hope that if you are 205 00:13:03,160 --> 00:13:06,360 Speaker 1: encouraged by today's episode, you will share it with a friend, 206 00:13:06,760 --> 00:13:10,200 Speaker 1: leave a positive review, and subscribe so that you don't 207 00:13:10,240 --> 00:13:13,280 Speaker 1: miss any future episodes of the Teach Us to Pray podcast, 208 00:13:13,559 --> 00:13:16,200 Speaker 1: where we will continue to learn how, just like breathing, 209 00:13:16,280 --> 00:13:19,720 Speaker 1: prayer can become a natural, consistent, and life giving part 210 00:13:19,960 --> 00:13:22,560 Speaker 1: of our everyday lives. Until then, be sure to connect 211 00:13:22,600 --> 00:13:25,160 Speaker 1: with me at beloved dot org and check out the 212 00:13:25,160 --> 00:13:28,080 Speaker 1: show notes to download my free five day prayer guide. 213 00:13:28,160 --> 00:13:30,439 Speaker 1: I also want to invite you to study the Bible 214 00:13:30,480 --> 00:13:33,880 Speaker 1: with me by downloading the Beloved Women app, available now 215 00:13:33,920 --> 00:13:37,000 Speaker 1: in the Apple or Google Play stores, or at Belovedwomen 216 00:13:37,160 --> 00:13:39,760 Speaker 1: dot tv. Thank you so much for taking time to 217 00:13:39,760 --> 00:13:42,120 Speaker 1: listen today. God bless you, and I'll talk to you 218 00:13:42,200 --> 00:13:47,800 Speaker 1: in the next episode. Teach Us to Pray is a 219 00:13:47,800 --> 00:13:51,200 Speaker 1: production of Life Audio and Salem Media. If you like 220 00:13:51,280 --> 00:13:53,800 Speaker 1: what you heard today, please take a second to rate 221 00:13:53,880 --> 00:13:57,480 Speaker 1: and review this podcast in your favorite podcast staff so 222 00:13:57,520 --> 00:14:00,480 Speaker 1: that more listeners like you can bind the show. For 223 00:14:00,600 --> 00:14:04,840 Speaker 1: more faith filled inspirational podcasts, visit us at live audio 224 00:14:05,160 --> 00:14:10,680 Speaker 1: dot com.