STEP 1

THE PRAYER

He [God] talks to us in the language of intimate friendship. [1]

STEP 2

THE PRAYER MODEL

Pray. Pause. Listen. 

PRAY

I repeated to God, softly, slowly and passionately, “God would you speak to me in the language of intimate friendship. Would you give me ears to hear the voice of friendship.” 

PAUSE

Then, I paused.

LISTEN

I read the prayer, “He [God] talks to us in the language of intimate friendship.” [1] and listened to hear from God.

PRAY

I repented for listening to other voices and renounced any agreements I made with them. I did not want to entertain those voices any longer and I said, “Jesus, give me ears to hear the intimate language of friendship.” 

PAUSE

I paused.

LISTEN

I listened as the Spirit spoke to me about other voices I listen to such as, criticism, self hatred, comparison, envy, etc. 

PRAY

So I prayed that God would help me grow past my insecurities, awaken my emotions and help me see myself the way He sees me. 

PAUSE

I paused.

LISTEN

Then the Spirit began to reveal to me how uncomfortable I can be with intimacy, raw emotions, etc.

STEP 3

THE RESPONSE

An intentional method for responding to Holy Spirit woven into the dialogue and heart of prayer.

Repent. Behold. Become. Release.

1. REPENT

I repented of voices that I have agreed with. I used my imagination and expressed my passion about growing and beholding the beauty of Christ as my friend. My becoming was developing an attitude as God’s friend and reminding myself of that each day. I released it by creating the 40 day guided prayer journal to share this process with others.

2. BEHOLD

I began to imagine what it would look like to be a friend of God and the attributes of friendship. As I used my imagination to engage my heart in friendship, I found myself awakening to a refreshing and renewal in this area.

3. BECOME

My heart started to awaken to this reality and there was a synergy of truth between my intellect, renewed mind and my emotions. My soul was experiencing the awakening of friendship.

4. RELEASE

I began to declare with a humble and quiet confidence that I am a friend of God, and nothing separates me from this friendship and love. Because I am a friend of God, I can know the secrets of the Father’s heart3

I went back to Step 1 and repeated the prayer. I repeated this process until I sensed the Spirit’s release from this prayer.

STEP 4

THE BIBLE

New International Version (NIV)

John 15:15

15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

STEP 5

THE NEXT STEP IN THE JOURNEY

Throughout the day, I made declarations about being God’s friend and I paused to take 20 seconds and remind myself that I’m God’s friend. My next step was to embrace the challenge of creating the 40 day resource.