How Much Time Should Someone Spend Having Faith?
Remember having faith is the specific practice of asking God for things, and believing that you will receive them. A question someone might ask is, “How long should I practice having faith?” The answer is for as long as you feel comfortable doing so – but ensure that you at least exceed the minimum level required by God. (Please read the second to last paragraph in this post about repeating a sentence in prayer to ensure that you meet the minimum level of having faith required by God.)
So what is the minimum level of having faith? It is hard to say, but I believe if someone has faith about 20 minutes a day for at least 5 days a week, he should be okay. If praying for 20 minutes straight seems a bit long, that person can always split the time into 2 or more praying sessions or occasions of 10 minutes or less each. That person should just try to ensure that all his or her prayer times add up to about 20 minutes every day.
The above are not hard and fast rules, but rather an important framework that ensures someone has faith at a minimum level that is acceptable to God. It is highly recommended though that everyone go beyond the minimum level, and pray considerably longer everyday – maybe at least 1 hour a day.
Remember to be as relaxed and comfortable as possible when you pray, to ensure you can pray for longer periods of time. Also, the act of having faith feeds the practice – meaning the more you have faith, the longer you will be inclined to do so in the future. Further, a person has the option of directly praying for the inclination to pray for longer periods of time.
All in all, a person should aspire to reach the point at which he prays several hours a day. That will make the person become very, very favorable to God, and it will allow him (or her) to exhibit the qualities of God with ever increasing intensity. As a practical matter, this is how the many individuals highly regarded by God in the scriptures reached their statuses: through huge amounts of praying.
When you actually do large amounts of praying, you will see that what I said above is true - as you will look in amazement at how your fundamental goodness grows, and remains firm and constant throughout all situations (even as the goodness of others around you falter). Also, when you do a large amount of praying, ideas will pop into your head at a fair level of frequency, and you will increasingly understand the ways of God and how this world works.
The following scriptures back up what I said:
(KJV)
Luke 18
1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
(KJV)
Luke 21
36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
(KJV)
Ephesians 6
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
Essene Gospel of Peace
"Renew yourselves and fast. For I tell you truly, that Satan and his plagues may only be cast out by -fasting and by prayer. Go by yourself and fast alone, and show your fasting to no man. The living God shall see it and great shall be your reward. And fast till Beelzebub and all his evils depart from you, and all the angels of our Earthly Mother come and serve you. For I tell you truly, except you fast, you shall never be freed from the power of Satan and from all diseases that come from Satan. Fast and pray fervently, seeking the power of the living God for your healing. While you fast, eschew the Sons of Men and seek our Earthly Mother's angels, for he that seeks shall find.
.
.
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And when you come before the face of God, the devils of Satan bear witness against you with your deed, and God sees your sins written in the book of your body and of your spirit and is sad in his heart. But if you repent of your sins, and by fasting and prayer you seek the angels of God, then each day that you continue to fast and to pray, God's angels blot out one year of your evil deeds from the book of your body and your spirit.
.
.
.
And Jesus departed, saying: "I will come again to all who persist in prayer and fasting tAl the seventh day. Peace be with you.
So what is the minimum level of having faith? It is hard to say, but I believe if someone has faith about 20 minutes a day for at least 5 days a week, he should be okay. If praying for 20 minutes straight seems a bit long, that person can always split the time into 2 or more praying sessions or occasions of 10 minutes or less each. That person should just try to ensure that all his or her prayer times add up to about 20 minutes every day.
The above are not hard and fast rules, but rather an important framework that ensures someone has faith at a minimum level that is acceptable to God. It is highly recommended though that everyone go beyond the minimum level, and pray considerably longer everyday – maybe at least 1 hour a day.
Remember to be as relaxed and comfortable as possible when you pray, to ensure you can pray for longer periods of time. Also, the act of having faith feeds the practice – meaning the more you have faith, the longer you will be inclined to do so in the future. Further, a person has the option of directly praying for the inclination to pray for longer periods of time.
All in all, a person should aspire to reach the point at which he prays several hours a day. That will make the person become very, very favorable to God, and it will allow him (or her) to exhibit the qualities of God with ever increasing intensity. As a practical matter, this is how the many individuals highly regarded by God in the scriptures reached their statuses: through huge amounts of praying.
When you actually do large amounts of praying, you will see that what I said above is true - as you will look in amazement at how your fundamental goodness grows, and remains firm and constant throughout all situations (even as the goodness of others around you falter). Also, when you do a large amount of praying, ideas will pop into your head at a fair level of frequency, and you will increasingly understand the ways of God and how this world works.
The following scriptures back up what I said:
(KJV)
Luke 18
1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
(KJV)
Luke 21
36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
(KJV)
Ephesians 6
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
Essene Gospel of Peace
"Renew yourselves and fast. For I tell you truly, that Satan and his plagues may only be cast out by -fasting and by prayer. Go by yourself and fast alone, and show your fasting to no man. The living God shall see it and great shall be your reward. And fast till Beelzebub and all his evils depart from you, and all the angels of our Earthly Mother come and serve you. For I tell you truly, except you fast, you shall never be freed from the power of Satan and from all diseases that come from Satan. Fast and pray fervently, seeking the power of the living God for your healing. While you fast, eschew the Sons of Men and seek our Earthly Mother's angels, for he that seeks shall find.
.
.
.
And when you come before the face of God, the devils of Satan bear witness against you with your deed, and God sees your sins written in the book of your body and of your spirit and is sad in his heart. But if you repent of your sins, and by fasting and prayer you seek the angels of God, then each day that you continue to fast and to pray, God's angels blot out one year of your evil deeds from the book of your body and your spirit.
.
.
.
And Jesus departed, saying: "I will come again to all who persist in prayer and fasting tAl the seventh day. Peace be with you.
posted by P. Douglas | 2:56 AM
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