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• prayer

Prayer is communication with God and, as we pray, we give over to God the weight of the battles we are facing. When we lay our burdens at the feed of our Heavenly Father, He walks with us through the battle, toward victory—an impossible process without prayer.

Through prayer, we improve our communication and relationship with God, but not just our relationship with Him. When we pray together, we improve our own communication and relationship with one another. Sharing in the battle, through prayer, as through the pattern of the Common Threads, we remember that we are not alone and we are strengthened through the battle.

We rejoice more in the victory with whom we have shared in the battle as prayer warriors.
Therefore, I give thanks and glory to God for each and every one of you who has joined us in prayer during this month of prayer. We have rejoiced together and have lifted requests to the Father, giving thanks in all things.

Today, I encourage you to conclude this prayer month in fellowship with an Iron Rose Sister: a Christian sister who can serve as iron sharpening iron, encouraging you to be as beautiful as a rose, in spite of the thorns. But don’t forget to be an Iron Rose Sister in her life as well! Let’s take advantage of the Common Threads together as one more opportunity to pray together and rejoice in the victory.

#IronRoseSister, #prayer, #victory, #commonthreads

• guest writer
• prayer

Prayer in the life of Katie Forbess

Meet Katie Forbess, President of the Iron Rose Sister Ministries Board of Directors!

Katie, tell us a little about yourself and your family.
My husband Jeff of 17 years and I were brought together by our passion for missions, specifically in Latin America, that has increased over the years. After spending several years on the mission field in Bolivia, we returned to the states and have been actively involved in local missions in Little Rock, Arkansas. We have 3 beautiful children and are actively cultivating a passion for the Lord in each of them. Prayer has always been a vital part of our marriage and our relationships with our children.

How has your prayer life changed over the years?
Prayer is something that I used to work at all the time. I fought with myself and was frustrated many times by the “state of my prayer life.” The birth of my first child transformed my prayer life completely. I was full of so many emotions, including thankfulness and awe, and at the same time in need of wisdom and guidance that I was praying without thinking about it. I was communicating with and relying on God in a way that I had never done before.
Returning to the states was an additional time of growth for my prayer life. It was during this time of change and searching for my new normal that Michelle wrote her article for the Wineskins magazine and, soon after, outlined her vision and calling to start IRSM. It was an organic and automatic response for me to call her and say, “I am in!” And what a journey of prayer it has been!

How has Iron Rose Sister Ministries influenced or affected your prayer life?
The ways in which I have been privileged to apply the many facets of prayer to IRSM has been a marvelous blessing: Praying prayers of thanksgiving. Praying for so many women I have never met. Praying for wisdom. Praying for health and safety, of Michelle in particular. God has answered the prayers as He does in scripture with yes, no, maybe, maybe yes, maybe no, absolutely, and wait. All of which have requited different but equally important levels of patience.
I have been blessed beyond measure working with IRSM. I can say without reservation that being an Iron Rose Sister and particularly how that works itself out in daily contact with Michelle has made me even more of a woman of prayer.

Thank you, Katie. And what has prayer meant for you in your relationship with God?
Prayer is the medium by which I communicate to God and yet somehow so much more. It’s the way to take a pulse of my spiritual life. If I am not communicating with God, then I have to evaluate the other activities of my life. Prayer is cement that holds my relationship with God together.

How has prayer affected your relationship with your family or with others?
Prayer is one of the most valuable gifts that we give each other. In my family, prayer has mended broken hearts and spoke in holy places and done what human conversation found impossible to do. With my friends, prayer has allowed me to help when I literally could not do anything and did not have any other words for the situation.

As Iron Rose Sisters, we want to encourage and equip each other to connect to God and one another more deeply. Any other words of encouragement or equipping for our Iron Rose Sisters as it relates to prayer, maybe a specific Bible verse that has been an encouragement to you for your own prayer life?
Take the step and offer to pray with someone as soon as they ask for the prayer. Even if it is someone you have just met or someone who doesn’t understand prayer very well. Step aside and pray with them. Remember that prayer isn’t a laundry list, it is a conversation between you, the other person and your Heavenly Father: someone who knows them and loves them infinitely more than you.

I have often heard you share a famous quote about prayer. Can you share it with our readers in closing?
Sure! I’m not sure who said it, I think maybe Richard Foster. “The hardest thing about prayer is the moment between deciding to pray and praying.”

Thank you for sharing, Katie. I have personally been truly blessed by our prayer time together and by the example of your prayer life as a prayer warrior! We appreciate your insights on prayer and for the role you play in Iron Rose Sister Ministries on our board. Thanks again for your time and for sharing your story! And we invite you, our readers, to respond to Katie and chat with her through this blog.

 #IronRoseSister, #prayer, #mystory