Isaiah 6:8 NLT “Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” I said, “Here I am. Send me.” From SendUsLord.com
When I was an unbeliever, I woke up each day feeling alone. Without God’s agape love, I didn’t know what love was. I had no hope for eternity. I had little peace on Earth. I did not know what I did not know.
Now that I am a believer, I wake up each day in spiritual unity with God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, as well as, my brothers and sisters in the “Body of Christ.” Every believer, all over the world is in full support of me and I of them. We must love one another.
God Requires Us to Pray without Ceasing
“Pray without Ceasing“, what a daunting task from 1 Thessalonians 5:17.
Must we get down on our knees in a private place, bow our heads, close our eyes and pray to God our Father at all times? No, not continually.
Must we get down on our knees in a private place, bow our heads, close our eyes and pray to God our Father at some times? Yes, for sure.
We are blessed because God wants to be in communion with our thoughts and actions every day, all day long. So, how about using our entire lives as a continuous prayer? OK, but how do we do it? God tells us in His Word. All we have to do is ask Jesus.
John 15:7-8 NLT “But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.”
Be Surrendered to God. Pray something like, “Father God, Examine my heart and make me just like your Son Jesus. Do with me as You will and keep me “IN” Christ always.
We Can Do Nothing without Him
Romans 12:1 NLT “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.”
Romans 12:2 NLT “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”
Galatians 12:20 NLT “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Be a Godly Perceiver. Pray something like, “Holy Spirit come. Lead me into service for others as Jesus did. Give me new instruction every day, all day long.”
Jesus Listened to the Holy Spirit’s Leading
John 4:7-10 NLT “Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, (the Holy Spirit led Jesus to her) and Jesus said to her, “Please give me a drink.” He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food. The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?” Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.””
Luke 19:1-7 NLT “Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. There was a man there named Zacchaeus (the Holy Spirit led Jesus to him). He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich. He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way. When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said, “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.” Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled.”
John 5:5-8 NLT “One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years (the Holy Spirit led Jesus to him). When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?” “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.” Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!””
John 9:1-7 NLT “As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth (the Holy Spirit led Jesus to him). “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?” “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him. We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work. But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world.” Then he spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and spread the mud over the blind man’s eyes. He told him, “Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam” (Siloam means “sent”). So the man went and washed and came back seeing!”
Be Godly Intentioned. Pray something like, “Holy Lord Jesus, Make me see people as you see them. Give me “Your good intentions“ always. Cause me to serve others as you do. Turn my life of “good intentions” into “prayers without ceasing”.
Have Eyes of Eternity
Romans 8:31-32 NLT “What shall we say about such wonderful things as these (God’s good intentions)? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?”
Colossians 3:17 NLT “And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.”
Galatians 6:2-3 NLT “Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.”
Rely on Our Helper for Prayers too
Romans 8:26 NLT “And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.”
Things Said while “in the Spirit” Are also Prayers
“Welcome”, “Thank you”, “God be with you”, Rest in peace”, “Are you Ok?”, “Be Blessed”, “You are welcome”, “make yourself at home” and many more of your own.
“Did you see that man cut me off and speed away? I’m glad I didn’t call him a so-and-so. He may have had an emergency to deal with. Anyway, get home safe brother.”
Faith and “Good Intentions” are Great, but What if Fear Creeps In?
gotquestions.org Says It Best!
When our thoughts turn to worry, discouragement fear, and anger, we are to consciously and quickly turn every thought into prayer and every prayer into thanksgiving.
In his letter to the Philippians, Paul commands us to stop being anxious and instead, “in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6). He taught the believers at Colossae to devote themselves “to prayer, being watchful and thankful” (Colossians 4:2). Paul exhorted the Ephesian believers to see prayer as a weapon to use in fighting spiritual battles (Ephesians 6:18).
As we go through the day, prayer should be our first response to every fearful situation, every anxious thought, and every undesired task that God commands. A lack of prayer will cause us to depend on ourselves instead of depending on God’s grace.
Unceasing prayer is, in essence, continual dependence upon
and communion with the Father.
For Christians, prayer should be like breathing. You do not have to think to breathe because the atmosphere exerts pressure on your lungs and essentially forces you to breathe. That is why it is more difficult to hold your breath than it is to breathe. Similarly, when we are born into the family of God, we enter into a spiritual atmosphere where God’s presence and grace exert pressure, or influence, on our lives. Prayer is the normal response to that pressure. As believers, we have all entered the divine atmosphere to breathe the air of prayer.
Unfortunately, many believers hold their “spiritual breath” for long periods, thinking brief moments with God are sufficient to allow them to survive. But such restricting of their spiritual intake is caused by sinful desires. The fact is that every believer must be continually in the presence of God, constantly breathing in His truths, to be fully functional.
It is easier for Christians to feel secure
by presuming on—instead of depending on—God’s grace.
Too many believers become satisfied with physical blessings and have little desire for spiritual ones. When programs, methods, and money produce impressive results, there is an inclination to confuse human success with divine blessing. When that happens, passionate longing for God and yearning for His help will be missing. Continual, persistent, incessant prayer is an essential part of Christian living and flows out of humility and dependence on God.