I started this series titled "How to become a man after God's own heart" three weeks ago. I began by explaining that God loved David because the later loved God so much. I further stated that God chose David over his brothers because of the kind of heart that David had. The heart(not the physical heart) is the same as the spirit.God is more interested in your heart than your body and soul. That is why God rejected Saul and the brothers of David even though they were more physically and mentally matured than King David. We continued the series by discussing ways we can develop our heart. I listed four points and they are as follows:
- Meditate in the Word of God
- Practice the Word of God
- Pray without ceasing and
- Walk in the Spirit.
We have already talked about the first two(refer to previous posts). Today, let us look at the third point. Enjoy reading!
HOW TO PRAY WITHOUT CEASING
1 Thessalonians
5:17- Be unceasing in prayer [praying perseveringly];
Can you help me
conduct an experiment?
Can you help me
conduct an experiment right now? Use your fingers to block your nose and mouth.
Do not allow any air to enter through you. Just do this for an hour as you read
and see what will happen to you. I know you would not try to do this because
you do not want to die now. If you do what I just instructed you to do, you
would suffocate yourself to death. Spiritually most of us are suffocating our
heart. We do this by failing to pray always. Ceasing to pray constantly is like
not breathing air constantly. Prayer is to the spirit what air is to the body. Any
believer who doesn’t pray is spiritually sick. Failing to pray can kill you
spiritually. Your spirit will fail to grow and function properly. You would not
properly know the will of God for you any time. Prayer makes you spiritually
sensitive. You receive heavenly signals so your plane doesn’t crash. I see God
delivering you from any crisis of this life as you wait on Him in prayers. He
is releasing aid to you. Like Peter, He would send an angel to rescue your soul
from any prison. Prayer is what rescues us from the prisons and obstacles of
this world. It was the continued prayers of the church that rescued Peter from
prison. Paul also understood this so he wrote about prayer in all his Epistles.
To the Romans, he told them how he prays for them always and he admonished them
to be constant in prayers (Rom 1:9; 12:12). To the Corinth church he told them to
pray in tongues and in their understanding also. He quickly added that he prays
more than any one of them. He asked the church in Ephesus to pray at all
occasions with all kinds of prayers. Our opening text above shows how he
advised the church in Thessalonica to pray without ceasing. Now we know the
importance of prayer so let us look at how we can develop the habit of praying.
Seven keys for
effective prayer
Jude 1:20 But you, beloved, build yourselves up [founded] on
your most holy faith [make progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher],
praying in the Holy Spirit;
You build or
develop yourself spiritually as you pray constantly. Your spirit will rise like
an edifice higher and higher as you pray. Your spirit would be so close to the
heart of heaven that you cannot miss God concerning any issue. I want to share
with you seven keys that have helped me maintain a constant prayer life.
Prayer should be
without ceasing. You should pray always. Any time can be a time for prayer!
Can’t you eat any time? If you can eat anytime then you can pray anytime. If you
can set a time for breakfast, lunch and supper, then why can’t you set a time
for prayer? If you really want to grow spiritually then set a time to feed your
heart. Have time dedicated only for prayer. It can be at midnight, dawn, mid
day or evening. It should be a time purely committed to prayer and nothing
else. It should not be a time when you are so tired. Your prayer time should
also be observed consistently not spasmodically..David said that “evening, and
morning, and at noon, will I pray,
and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice (Psalm 55:17). Remember this series
is about becoming a man after God’s own heart like David. A man after God’s own
heart would have spiritual breakfast, lunch and supper! That is exactly what
David did all his life time. Daniel had a consistent time of prayer. He prayed
three times a day on his knees (Dan 6:10). Jesus asked His disciples to pray
without ceasing. Jesus the compassionate master would not ask us to do
something He believes we cannot do. Apostle Paul always writes how he prays
always for his congregations. I believe you too can pray always. Begin by
setting times for personal prayer each day.
If you can eat
everywhere then you can pray everywhere. You can eat anywhere but it is not
advisable to do so. You may lose respect or disturb others when you choose to
do so. Relating that to prayer, you should pray anywhere but you cannot just
make anywhere your prayer closet. Jesus advised us to use our personal rooms as
a prayer place. He told us to pray in our closets and shut the door. Daniel
used his upstairs room. Jesus used the mountains and gardens. The hundred and
twenty disciples used the upper room. Peter used the roof top of his house. I
use my personal room and some times, the gardens. Where do you constantly pray?
You should be alone in your personal prayer room so you can feel free to
express yourself. Your prayer place should be free from distraction. No phone
calls, no dog barking and no door bell should ring. Noise should not be
permitted. Let your family and those you stay with know this.
-
Create an atmosphere for prayer.
Begin
your prayers by creating an atmosphere conducive for prayer. The environment
should be appealing for prayer. What you see around can distract you. The TV
should be off. None should be walking around at your sight if that individual
is not participating in the prayer. What you hear is also important. No secular
songs at the background. External noise outside the prayer place can also
negatively distract you. Avoid a room with wall papers that can
distract you. If you feel cold put on something that makes you feel
comfortable. Make sure your body is well prepared. Wash it. Take a rest before
if you feel so tired. When you are set to pray, you can start praying with praise
and adoration songs at the background. You can also have a preaching video
played there. You can start praying by reading a Bible passage loud. Know what
moves you to pray and stay with that. Be very sensitive to the leading of the
Spirit. I normally create an atmosphere of prayer by praying in tongues for a
long time. This prepares my spirit and mind. My mind gets settled and rests. My
spirit also gets alive and spiritual things become so real to me.
After the atmosphere
is set, then begin to pour your heart to God. James says it is the heartfelt
and fervent prayer that produces results. Pray heartfelt prayers like Hannah, from
the agony of your soul. Poor your feelings before Him. Let Him know how miserably
you feel. Pray like Christ, push until something happen. His heart was weary
and his body was weak at Gethsemane. He made God feel His sweat. His requests were
made known to God. He did not try to pretend before God. He made God see His heart.
He was sincere. Be sincere and ask for forgiveness if you are not right
with him. Worship him shamelessly if you heart is full of gratitude. Present all
your petitions to Him. Make intercessions for your love ones. Ask, seek and
knock. Pray until all your strength is gone.
And you would see the Holy Spirit take over. At Gethsemane, an angel
strengthened Christ after His prayer. Hannah received a prophetic declaration after
her prayer. Jacobs’ name was changed to Israel after his prayer. Jabez became
an honorable man after praying to God. Lot was delivered from the destruction
of Sodom and Gomorrah after Abraham interceded for him. Some thing would change
for good in your life and that of your love ones as you pour your heart to God
in prayer. David said O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come (Psalm 65:2). God indeed
hears prayers so let us all come to Him boldly with all our needs.
-
Pray in the name of Jesus.
You can only
come boldly before the God that hears prayers if you know you are at peace with
Him. How can you poor your heart freely to someone you are not at peace with?
Through the blood of Jesus we are at peace with God. By our faith in Christ
heaven recognize our prayers. The name of Jesus is our passport into the
presence of God. As you enter in the name of Jesus, you recognize that it is neither
by your own righteousness nor your works. The name shields us from our weakness
and failures. The name makes God see us as perfect as Jesus. With our faith in the
name, God can never refuse us. David knew how to use the name of the Lord. It was
his faith in that name that caused Goliath to be defeated. The crippled man in
Acts received his healing as Peter ministered that name to him. Christ said “and when that time comes, you will ask nothing
of Me [you will need to ask Me no questions]. I assure you, most solemnly I
tell you, that My Father will grant you whatever you ask in My Name [as presenting
all that I Am].
Up to this time you have not asked a [single]
thing in My Name [as presenting all that I Am]; but now ask
and keep on
asking and you will receive, so that your joy (gladness, delight) may be full
and
complete”(John 16:23,24).
Believe God hears
your prayers. Never think God is mad at you. He loves you so much. Believe His
grace is available to you. Boldly leave His presence, believing you already
have what you asked Him. Never doubt the power of God. After praying about an
issue consider it solved. Read Mark 11:24. Even though the answer may not
manifest immediately believe you have received after prayer and begin thanking
God for the answer. Believing always come before receiving. Abraham believed he
was the father of many nations before he ever delivered a baby. David believed
he would kill Goliath and cut off his head before he even fought the giant. The
woman with the issue of blood believed her touch would make her whole before
she pressed on in the crowd to touch Christ’s garment. Believe you are well
after praying for healing. Consider it done after praying.
After believing, you only receive
if you walk in forgiveness. Heaven will not respond to your prayers if you do
not walk in love. Forgive others so your father in heaven would also forgive
you (Mark 11:25). Couples who do treat their partners fairly never receive
answers to their prayers. Show kindness to the needy. Make peace with everyone.
Never hold a grudge against anyone. Love would cause no prayer of yours to
fail. Love would not only cause your prayer to be answered but also rewarded.
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