2A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL JULY 5, 2017
The power of simple prayer
When you pray, do you have a vague feeling that something is
lacking…that there isn’t any power in your prayers? Do you strug-
gle with doubt or fear, or simply lack confi dence that God even
hears you at all?
I used to have feelings like this and would think, “Maybe I didn’t
say the right thing, or pray long enough, or my words weren’t elo-
quent enough.” It was so frustrating because I didn’t want to waste
time, wondering if it was doing any good. After I pray, I want to
know that God is working and my prayers are making a difference.
It’s easy to complicate our relationship with God and think we
have to do certain things a certain way for them to be effective.
But I’ve discovered that powerful, life-changing, dynamic prayer
is amazingly simple!
Two Things We Must Do
It’s vitally important for us to have faith in God when we pray.
Hebrews 11:6 (AMPC) says, “Without faith it is impossible to
please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near
to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the
rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out].”
Ask yourself, “Do I believe God hears me, that He cares about
me and wants to be involved in every area of my life?” If we don’t
really believe God loves us and wants to help us, we will struggle to
have faith in Him. That’s why knowing and experiencing the love
of God is critical to developing a powerful prayer life.
It’s also important to approach God with a sincere heart. James
5:16 says, “…The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righ-
teous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its
working].”
A sincere heart is focused on God, trusting that He hears you and
will answer. It doesn’t mean you have to cry or raise your voice to
pray with sincerity; it’s all about the attitude of your heart toward
God.
You Have to Ask
It’s exciting to get the revelation that God loves us, cares for us
and wants to help us. But we have a part to do in getting the things
God has for us—we have to ask. James 4:2 says, “…You do not
have, because you do not ask.”
Now, it’s important to understand that we have to ask for God’s
will to be done, not just for the things we think we want or should
have. James 4:1 tells us that striving to get what we want based on
our carnal or fl eshly desires leads to “strife (discord and feuds)…
confl icts (quarrels and fi ghtings).” This causes us to be jealous, cov-
et what others have and become angry when we can’t “obtain [the
gratifi cation, the contentment, and the happiness” we are seeking
(James 4:2).
These verses show us what causes problems in people’s lives. We
think we’re unhappy because we don’t have all the stuff we want.
But the reality is only God can give us what we’re longing for in our
hearts. He alone is the source of righteousness, peace and joy (Ro-
mans 14:17). And we will never enjoy life until we learn to abide in
Him and trust Him to do what’s best for us.
The Key to Praying for God’s Will
If you’re not sure whether you’re asking for God’s will in your
life (and we all go through times like this), then you need to take
time to just abide in Christ. In John 15:7, Jesus says, “If you live in
Me [abide vitally united to Me] and My words remain in you and
continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall
be done for you.”
To abide means to live, dwell and remain; it’s not just spending
time with God on Sunday morning and then going through your
week doing what you want apart from Him. God wants to do life
with us Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sat-
urday too! As we spend time studying His Word, meditating on the
Word, communicating with Him through prayer, and asking Him to
fulfi ll His plans for us, we will know His will in our hearts.
It’s an amazing privilege to be able to talk to God! I want to en-
courage you to come to Him with humility and ask Him for the de-
sires that are in your heart. Tell Him, “Lord, I don’t want anything
You don’t want me to have. So if this is not Your will, don’t give it
to Me. I’m trusting You and want You to be in control of my life.”
Pray about everything that’s on your heart and keep it simple. Re-
member, prayer is simply talking to God, and you can pray anytime,
anywhere, all day long…and He will answer.
For more on this topic, order Joyce’s fi ve-teaching CD series
Keeping It Simple. You can also contact us to receive our free mag-
azine, Enjoying Everyday Life, by calling (800) 727-9673 or visit-
ing www.joycemeyer.org.
Ladies, join Joyce Meyer for the 35th Annual Love Life Women’s
Conference September 21-23 in Saint Louis, MO. For more infor-
mation, go to www.joycemeyer.org/lovelife.
Joyce Meyer is a New York Times bestselling author and founder
of Joyce Meyer Ministries, Inc. She has authored more than 100
books, including Battlefi eld of the Mind and 20 Ways to Make Ev-
ery Day Better (Hachette). She hosts the Enjoying Everyday Life
radio and TV programs, which air on hundreds of stations world-
IN MEMORIAM
Anna Westberg 1921-2017 by her husband, Axel Westberg, daughter, Karen
Anna Mae Westberg, 95, of
Cottage Grove passed away
Jan. 18, 2017 due to age related
causes.
She was born June 25, 1921 in
Argyle, Wisc. to Frances (De-
menowski) and Jacob Stalder.
She graduated from Cot-
tage Grove High School.
On Aug. 22, 1942 in Cot-
tage Grove, she and Axel
Emanuel Westberg were
married.
Anna Mae worked in
the kitchen at the old
hospital for many years.
When she retired, she
volunteered at Riverview
Terrace every Wednesday
for 25 years. She loved to
work in her garden. Her
gardening, canning, and
cakes won many prizes at
the South Lane Fair for
several years. Anna Mae
also decorated cakes for
brides and other special
occasions.
Survivors include her
children, Beverly Scott of
Springfi eld, Cheryl Olson
of Cottage Grove, and Ste-
ven Westberg of Billings,
Mont., 10 grandchildren,
17 great-grandchildren, 21
great-great grandchildren
and four great-great-great
grandchildren.
She was preceded in death
Louise Westberg, great-grandson, Ryan Bird, great-
great granddaughter, Emily Ann Matthews, and her
siblings, John Stalder, Albert Stalder, Jacob Stalder,
and Jean (Stalder) Smith.
A graveside service was held on June 23, 2017 at Fir
Grove Cemetery in Cottage Grove.
WILLIAM HARVEY WARD, SR
1941-2017
William “Bill” Harvey Ward, from
Drain, OR passed away Wednesday,
June 14th, 2017 at the age of 76 at his
home surrounded by his family. Bill is
survived by his daughter and three sons
& families as well as numerous other
siblings, friends and extended family.
Our dad, Bill, will be sorely missed, remembered and loved.
A celebration of life service will be held at 1:00pm, Satur-
day, July 8th at the Drain Church of Christ, 401 N. 2nd St.,
Drain, OR 97435. A fellowship with desserts, coffee, punch
and smiles (maybe a few tears) will follow. We hope you
can join us as we gather together for a fi nal toast to our
dad.
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Please note: The views and opinions expressed throughout this
publication and/or website are those of the respective authors and
do not necessarily refl ect those of Joyce Meyer Ministries.
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