![]() ![]() Wonder at how sad your condition, how grim your prospects, and how utterly impossible the problem of your sinful estate truly was.įirst, there is the problem of your guilt. Consider just how helpless and hopeless your sorry lot would have been. In other words, dare to ponder what life would have been like before the coming of the Christ our Lord. Imagine, for a moment, if instead of living in the present hour of history in which we find ourselves, you had been born around 100 B.C. I’ve selected key verses of Scripture and developed step-by-step instructions for meditation, breathing rhythms, and prayer in “ Breath Prayer Guides.Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope.(1 Tim. It helps you learn to practice God’s presence all day and stay in tune with the peace of Christ. To pray a short verse or paraphrase of Scripture as a Breath Prayer is refreshing and empowering. #In christ alone full#The Bible is full of wonderful promises about your Identity in Christ. What peace will be yours! What a blessing you’ll be able to be to the people you encounter. ![]() It’s easy to memorize: “In Christ alone my soul finds rest… Selah.” Then you can offer a quick Breath Prayer throughout the day to help you to practice God’s presence. “Lord, as I have this difficult conversation with my friend help me to remember: “In Christ alone my soul finds peace… Selah.” “Father, as I face the temptation to _ may I instead live in the sufficiency of your kingdom, praying: “In Christ alone my soul finds joy… Selah.” Yes, “In Christ alone my soul finds love… Selah.” When people say hurtful things about me help me not to feel bad but to rest in your embrace. “Dear God, it’s hard for me to be criticized. These five godly states of being have positive, pleasant, and energizing emotions associated with them! Soul TrainingĪnother way to use a Scripture prayer like this is to ask God to help you “grow in grace” (2 Peter 3:8) as it relates to particular difficulties or challenges in your life. This will help you to cultivate a healthy emotional makeup, which is an essential part of spiritual transformation in Christ. To go farther with the prayer, try replacing the word “rest” with each of the five fruitful, virtuous states of being: “faith”, “hope”, “love”, “joy”, “peace.” Go through the whole prayer for each virtue. In Christ alone my soul finds rest… Selah You can also try this as a Simplifying Breath Prayer, doing one line per breath, to help you simply to pray Christ: Hold your breath and focus on keeping Christ in your heart…Įxhale and focus on letting go of everything but Jesus: “Selah…” A Simplifying Breath Prayer Repeat this a few times, letting your rhythm of breathing become a prayer:īreathe in and focus on trusting Christ: “In Christ alone my soul finds rest…” It’s a simple way of using your body in prayer to help you engage your mind and heart with God’s Word, the risen Christ of Scripture who is in your midst.īreathe in slow and deep as you whisper or think: “In Christ Alone my soul finds rest…” Then breathe out: “Selah.” Do you know what a Breath Prayer is? It’s an ancient way to pray a phrase (or paraphrase) of Scripture. “In Christ Alone my soul finds rest… Selah.” A Breath Prayer Form your heart around the desire to seek Christ alone as your source in all that you do by praying slowly, over and over: I invite you to pause and take a breather now. ![]() I’d like to share with you one of a favorite little prayer that can help you to experience the blessing of knowing that your identity is in Christ alone: “In Christ alone my soul finds rest… Selah” (inspired by Psalm 62:1,5). Jesus’ arms are open to you – now and always! Perhaps the best way to appreciate this to take a “Selah.” (“Selah” is used 71 times by the Psalmist to invite us to pause and reflect as part of our prayers.) What does it mean to be in Christ? Simply put, it is to enter the Sabbath rest of the Lord Jesus Christ’s embrace. Your identity, worth, meaning, and joy are in Christ alone – not in your performance or what people think of you. This is why the Apostle Paul urges us to place ourselves “in Christ” 110 times in his New Testament letters. ![]()
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