Stormie Omartian - The Power of a Praying Teen

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS

EUGENE, OREGON

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THE POWER OF A PRAYING is a registered trademark of The Hawkins Childrens LLC. Harvest House Publishers, Inc., is the exclusive licensee of the federally registered trademark THE POWER OF A PRAYING.

THE POWER OF A PRAYING TEEN

Copyright 2005 by Stormie Omartian
Published by Harvest House Publishers
Eugene, Oregon 97402
www.harvesthousepublishers.com

ISBN 978-0-7369-6601-6 (pbk.)
ISBN 978-0-7369-6602-3 (eBook)
The Library of Congress has cataloged the edition as follows:

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Omartian, Stormie.

The power of a praying teen / Stormie Omartian.

p. cm.

ISBN-13: 978-0-7369-0190-1 (pbk.)

1. Christian teenagersReligious life. 2. PrayerChristianity. I. Title.

BV4531.3.O43 2005

248.8'3dc22 2005009384

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I F YOU ARE A TEENAGER, THEN YOURE IN a unique position to be able to affect your world in a powerful way. Thats because you are part of a world that is intense, in-your-face, and in some ways very small. Its small because people who are not teenagers dont get to be part of it in the way that you do. You are able to see up close all the things that are good and bad in your worldthe things you wish would never end and the things you know that need to be changed.

You, your life, and your world can be affected far more than you ever dreamed possible by simply praying about them every day.

As a teenager, you have a busy life. There has never been more pressure to learn, improve, and succeed. And there have never been more opportunities to do it. You may feel you dont have time to pray. If so, youre not alone. Many people feel that way. Life is filled with countless things that are designed to keep us too busy to pray. But when we dont spend time with God every day in prayer, we miss hearing His voice speaking to our heart and leading us in important ways. It can cause us to miss out on many of the good things He has for our life.

Good health for me and my family

That I will be a success in life

That I will be free of temptation

That there will be peace in the world

That God will save my generation

(Ages 16-19)

I have found a way for you to pray about every aspect of your life that will keep you focused on who God is and who He made you to be. And this is very important, because when a person does not know who God really is, and who He made them to be, they can end up making bad decisions and never experiencing all God has for them.

This way of praying will take the problems off of your own shoulders and put the burden of them on God. He not only wants to carry them for you, He also wants to lift you above difficult situations so you can see things from His perspective. When you can do that, you will be able to tell what is true and what is a lie. Far too often we believe things that are not true about ourselves and our situations, and this can limit or even paralyze us to the point where we cant move forward like we should. Seeing the truth as God reveals it sets us free.

Most of all, this kind of praying will help you get really close to God. And thats where you want to be. When you are close to God, you can share the deepest feelings and desires of your heart. And your heart can hear Him guiding you on the path He has for you, revealing to you the wonderful plans He has for your future.

The most important thing you ever need to understand is that God created you, He loves you, He is committed to you, and He has a great purpose for your life. But you have to not only believe this in your head, you have to know it in your heart. And it is only through a close relationship with God that you can truly know all this.

The way to begin a close relationship with God is to receive His Son, Jesus. Simply ask Jesus to come into your life. Then get ahold of a Bible and start reading it. (Check out different translations for one that is perfect for you.) Be sure youre hanging out with people who know the Lord. How can you become all God created you to be if you are constantly thrust into a world that wants you to be molded into its image? The people who have the greatest influence in your life should be those who know God. Look for them at school. But especially look for them in a good church, because there they can give you the solid support you need to grow in your relationship with the Lord.

Having a close relationship with God doesnt mean that you will never have problems, but it does mean that when you do, He will be there to help you. He will calm the storms in your life when things get rough. He will take the tough challenges you face and either transform them, enable you to rise above them, or help you walk through them successfully.

But all these things dont just happen. Not without prayer.

When you walk close to God by reading His Word and spending time with Him every day in prayer, you will find out who you really are and who you were created to be. You will understand Gods purpose for your life.

Prayer is simply communicating with God. Its talking to Him and sharing whatever is on your heart. Its telling Him how you feel about your life and how you feel about Him. Its sharing with God all the things you see that are wrong and how you would like them to be changed. And its letting Him speak to your heart about how He feels about you and what His plans and purposes are for your life.

When you pray often, you are focused on who God is and who you are in relation to Him. When you talk to God, He begins to show you more and more who He made you to be and what He wants you to do. And that is one of the most important things you will need to know in your life.

This book will help you learn how to pray for yourself and your life, and for other people and situations as well. Its the book I wish Id had when I was a teenager. If I would have known all these things, I wouldnt have gotten into so much trouble and wasted so many years of my life searching for things I couldnt have. I wouldnt have spent time striving to be something I wasnt created to be. I wouldnt have suffered the discouragement, depression, frustration, anxiety, and hopelessness that I did. I would have been spared a lot of misery and pain.