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Life audio. Hi from the Salvation Army, and you're listening to Words of Life. These are the words, these are the words, these are the words of life. These are the words, these are the words, these are the words of life. Welcome back to Words of Life.
If you missed last week, we started a four-week series with author and podcaster Rachel Wojo. Much of Rachel's ministry focuses around encouraging believers to have a stronger prayer life and really embrace the power of prayer. Last week, we just learned about her testimony, just learned about her background, who she is, and what started this ministry. In this episode, Rachel starts to offer some practical advice on where to start if you don't have much of a prayer life. and offers us some really great tools to start some new habits when it comes to prayer.
So we know you're going to love her and we're so grateful to have her on the show. You can learn more about Rachel and her ministry and find her free resources, her books, or podcasts at rachelwojo.com. That's R-A-C-H-E-L. W O J O dot com. and we'll have links to all of those resources and her website in the show notes.
We would love to hear from you. If you have any ideas for a future guest or a topic that you would like to hear us discuss, please reach out and even just let us know how we can pray for you. Send us an email, hello at wordsoflifepodcast.org. And with your permission, we could even get you in contact with your local Salvation Army to see how they could help you in person. Thank you so much for listening.
Here's Bernie Dake and Rachel Wojo. Welcome back to Words of Life. I'm Bernie Dake, and we've got Rachel Wojo back with us this week, which is so exciting. Hopefully, you've already listened to last week's episode. And if you haven't, we want to encourage you to go check it out.
But, Rachel, welcome back.
Well, thank you so much for having me. I'm excited to hear what we have to talk about today. It's going to be great. At ThriveEnt, planning your finances is bigger than money. It's a way to support the people, causes, and community you love.
Because helping you put your faith into action is at the heart of what we do. ThriveEnt, where money means more. Connect with us at ThriveEnt.com. Our producer met you via podcast and has read your book, Desperate Prayers. We told our listeners last week how they could.
Catch up with you at rachellojo.com or desperateprayers.com, where there's free resources available and there's just so much we can learn from prayer in general. And we want to get right into it with you. What would you tell a non-believer about prayer? What is it? Is it just a wish list or could it be more than that?
Man, I think a lot of us So Don't really have a prayer life. Early on, I would often think of God as a genie in the sky, sort of. Situation where, as a teenager, even though I grew up in church, my parents had strong faith. Thought we were just supposed to ask God for things. I didn't really.
Have a mature enough understanding of relationships to know that it was a two-way communication. And a true relationship, and that God wanted so much more from me than giving me the answers to my prayers. He wanted to be the answer to my prayers. Big difference.
So, for the one who is listening, maybe right now who says, I don't know God in that way, it doesn't really make sense to me. The Bible tells us over and over again: if we draw near to God, He will draw near to us. And if we call out to Him, He will be found. And so, if you're struggling right now and you're saying, I don't even really know who God is, I would encourage you to just take a walk. And start.
talking to him. And asking him Will you show yourself to me? Because I've found that when we do that, He shows up in powerful ways. He longs to show himself to us. I just reconnected with a young adult.
someone else's recital. And he texted me to say that he was a good idea. He had fallen away from God. doesn't really know God in his mind. and wanted to know if there's anything I could offer.
you know, wisdom for him. I said, you know, any relationship is based on time, you gotta get to know each other. And if you wanna know God, Like you said, take a walk and just. Start talking. If you were speaking to someone who doesn't know where to start in their prayer life, What other advice could we offer?
Getting out and taking a walk is a great idea. Enjoy the weather, you know. And Just see God in creation if you can even imagine. the Creator of the Universe. who knows every hair on your head, Has created artwork all around us that sometimes we just take for granted.
What other things could we offer? Yeah. I really believe in Very short prayers. In the situations I've lived in my own life. I found that just A short Three word prayer can go a really long ways.
in developing your relationship with God. And so I encourage people to just latch on to the one I latched on to for a long time was God Help Me. Amen. And it wasn't, it was a true prayer from my heart, like three words. God, I need your help.
I just, God, help me. And then I had another one that I latched on to. God hold me. And just That simple of a prayer can go such a long way in developing. Your prayer life because you're acknowledging who he is.
You're acknowledging that whatever the situation is, you can't handle it on your own. And you're asking him to step in. where you know that you need his strength. And I feel like those simple three-word prayers really can form a basis for. Developing into more.
When you get to the point where you're developed into more, I do have. A very simple tool that I like to use. That's just the... The word prayer and it's an acrostic.
So that word pray P-R-A-Y is really simple. in helping you walk through. A more developed prayer, more than three words, and the first step is to praise God for who He is.
So, if you're walking in nature and you are just Looking at the birds, looking at the trees, looking at what he has made, it's pretty easy to praise God for who he is as a creator. And then the second part is the R, remember God's promises. And so, if maybe you're new Christian and you say, I don't know what God has promised. then you need to find a verse that speaks to you. And hold on to that and remember that God's word is true.
And that this promise is something that He's told us cannot change and will not change. And so when we remember God's promises, we're saying them back to them. In the third part of this acrostic, which is the A. and that is, affirm God's principles.
So look back on your own life. You've seen God work. You've either seen them work in someone else's life or you've seen them work in your own. And you've found that what he said to be true in the Bible is true.
So speak that to him as you pray. I think we look at that and say, that's really hard to do. if you think hard enough. It won't be as hard to do as what you are imagining as you listen to this podcast. And then the last part is the why, which is yield the problem.
Yield the problem. I found. Oh. I often just don't have the energy to say anything more to God than God help me or God hold me. But when I start developing my prayer life a little bit more and I get to this last step of yield the problem, it's pretty easy to just tell God, hey, This is messed up and we need your help.
My friend needs healing. My heart needs healing. My We need provision. Whatever the question or issue is, I think yielding the problem and just surrendering it to God. After you've praised him, after you've said, I know this to be true about you.
And after you've remembered his truths, then You have the confidence then. It doesn't feel shameful to ask for help because you've already Assessed the situation and believed that God is going to do what He says He will. I was thinking, where is she going to go with the why? Is it yellow? But yield, that makes much more sense.
Well, I've done my fair share of yelling at God, too. Let me just say. I was just going to say that I think that an honest relationship. Is one that has all the emotions, and God wants to know, He already knows your heart.
So it's okay. He's not going to be surprised. Be frustrated, but also be encouraged. I love that. Thank you for sharing that acrostic.
For some of us, personal finances aren't just personal. They include loved ones, neighbors, the communities we call home, and the causes we hold in our hearts. At Thrive Ent, planning your finances is bigger than just money. We help you put your plans into motion and faith into action so you can do more for the ones in your heart. Because sometimes all you need to make a difference is someone to help you make it happen.
Thriveent, where money means more. Connect with us at ThriveEnt.com. Rachel, one of the things I read in your book about the three-word prayers is just how you almost formulate it, always starting with God. ending with us and then the action word in the middle. There are certain times where you just you don't.
have the energy to say a whole lot. I love that having that framework to start with God. Have an action word. Ending. with us is just really helpful for those times where you do feel like I don't even know where to begin with this, but you know, God help me, you know.
And just the the list of all those three word prayers are are really cool.
So Yeah, like Bernie's been saying, just encourage people to check out the book. I'm not going to give away all the list of those prayers, but it's so cool. Thank you for that. Yeah. I was going to add, too, related to what you were saying.
in I don't know which episode it was, but on One of your recent episodes on your podcast, Untangling Prayer, which we haven't mentioned the name of yet, but Rachel's podcast is called Untangling Prayer. You talked about how do I pray when I barely have time to breathe, and you talked about breath prayers too. And that's very similar to just God help me. Could you talk about breath prayers and just kind of that practice, where that came from? Steve Carter always talked about uh even the word Yahweh.
It's like it's just us breathing, you know? You can't say it without breathing. Yeah, amazing. I just did a podcast episode about Breath prayers when we're in breathless seasons. I happen to be in a very busy season of life myself right now, and I am not a fan of the word busy.
But the truth is our schedules are jam-packed like so many people. We have five kids at home still. And it's, you know, sometimes feel like we should put a revolving door on the front door. And I would say that when you have that moment to just breathe in. God's peace and grace, then you need to take it, right?
Every breath. is surrendered to him. And I talked about those three-word prayers a little earlier. I think breath prayers are just. Breathing in a phrase of Jesus.
I need you, and breathing out an affirmation of, I know you are here.
So, the first part of the phrase would be, What do I need? And the second part of the phrase is affirming, God, I know that you can fulfill that need. That's an important way to pray, sort of in two parts with just one phrase in developing some more words to give to God. to really Humble ourselves before God. and yet also ask for our need.
in a very simple way.
Well, there is a lot there. I hope that somebody has heard something that they can take as strength for their journey, or maybe just reinvent their own prayer life. or start their prayer life. What better opportunity than now? Take advantage of starting a relationship with the Lord who loves you, who longs to be with you.
Rachel, thanks for joining us. We hope that you'll come back and join us next week, where we can hear Rachel for a third time. But I want to remind you: you can hear her podcast called Untangling Prayer. You can find her website at rachelwojo.com. We hope that you Find a blessing in this podcast today.
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Yeah. These are the words. These are the words of life. These are the words. These are the words.
These are the words of life. Thanks so much for listening to Words of Life. We want to thank the team at Life Audio for their partnership with us on the show. Visit lifeeaudio.com where you'll find dozens of other faith-centered podcasts in their network. They have shows about prayer, Bible studying, parenting, and more.
Thanks again for listening. We'll see you next time. I found myself on a ledge three stories high at some condominiums, contemplating my life. And struggling to understand my purpose. Have you ever found yourself on the ledge?
My name is Billy Yant. I'm a caring father, mentor, and friend in my new podcast, Billy and the Goat. I share the life-changing events that shaped who I am today to remind you that no matter how far you've fallen, God can help you get up. and thrive. Listen now.
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