This word is submitted by Teresa Seputis (ts@godspeak.org)

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                  When You Stand Before Me In Prayer


When you stand before Me in prayer, focus your attention onto Me and allow
My spirit to minister to you, to lead you and to guide you.  So many of
My children think of prayer as merely listing a set of petitions to Me.
So you present your requests to Me, wondering if perhaps I am listening 
or if perhaps I might grant your request.  But I say to you, prayer is 
so much more than that.  

Yes, I do want you to come before Me and present your petitions unto Me, 
in faith, believing I will hear and I will answer.  Have I not said, "Ask 
and it shall be given to you?"  Child of Mine, why are you convinced that
I want to say "No" to your desires and to your requests?  If you ask amiss,
out of wrong or selfish or carnal motives, true, I may not grant those 
petitions.  Instead, I may begin to change and transform your heart and
change your motivations so that you can bring Me requests that I will
answer.  But child of Mine, when your heart is set pure before Me,
it is My delight to grant you the desires of your heart. I love to give
good gifts to My children and I delight to see their excitement as I
answer their prayers.  

Child of Mine, My heart is for you and not against you. I desire that 
your joy be full.  It is not My desire to deny you good things, to make 
you lack or to make you suffer.  That is not My heart towards My children.  
I do look first at the heart and there are times I must deny a petition 
and begin a work to transform your heart and your desires to more closely 
line up with Mine.  But you would be surprised how many times I will say 
"Yes" to your petitions.  Indeed, I am a good Father and I love to give 
good gifts to My children.  So seek Me and ask expectantly of Me, for 
those who ask will receive and those who seek will find.

Prayer is so much more than you simply presenting your petitions before 
Me. Child of Mine, I desire for your prayer time to be a two-way 
conversation.  I desire to speak to you when you stand before Me in 
prayer.  I desire to meet you, to teach you of Myself, to strengthen you
and to equip you.  I desire for you to know Me more deeply through prayer, 
to build and develop and deepen the intimacy of our relationship.  I 
desire to draw you nearer, to sing over you, to build you up and to
cause you to grow and mature in your walk with Me. I desire to build
your faith and I desire that you experience My love and My goodness; that
you learn first hand that I am trustworthy and I am faithful.  I desire
to show myself to you, to speak to you.  

Child of Mine, when you come to Me in prayer, do not think of it as
coming before Me to present petitions.  Think of it as two friends 
getting together to spend time with each other, to talk to each other
and share their hearts with each other.  For that is what I desire of
you in prayer.  Come and present yourself to Me, spend time with Me,
get to know Me better.  Spend time with Me, and allow Me to reveal 
more of Myself to you.  This is My invitation to you.