Heb 4:16 “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”
Tag Archives: Prayer
Faith over Feelings
Even though God can be touched by your feelings, and even though He became flesh to bear your sorrows, and even though He is the Comforter, remember that He is not an emotional God.
God is spirit, not soul. Faith is spiritual. Emotions are not spiritual. They are soulish. God is a faith God. He is a God of Love. There is spiritual love and humanistic love. They are not the same thing.
Human love is very nice. Human love is superficial.
Human love can change to hate in a second.
God’s love is kind. God’s love has a red fount, in the blood of Christ Jesus. God’s love is transforming.
Always learn to separate your emotions from your faith. Don’t be stoic. Have feelings. Pour them out before God; but remember that they are your feelings.
God can touch your feelings and know them; but if you want to touch His feelings and know them, have Faith. Only faith. Just faith.
When a baby is crying and the mother comes to carry it, it stops. Why?
Is it because the tears have run dry? No. The baby has some faith in its mother.
If you needed one million naira today, and the richest man in the world met you and asked you what you wanted, will you keep crying?
No. Why? You have some faith in his ability.
1 Samuel 30:4
Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.
1 Samuel 30:6
And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: BUT DAVID ENCOURAGED HIMSELF IN THE LORD his God.
1 Samuel 30:8
AND DAVID ENQUIRED AT THE LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.
.
John 11:35
Jesus wept.
John 11:38
Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.
John 11:41
Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. AND JESUS LIFTED UP HIS EYES, AND SAID, FATHER, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.
.
When you have finished weeping.
Do likewise.
Jesus is alive, and He is Lord.
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The Infinite Power of Christian Fellowship
We are living in an age where people are losing the sense of need for christian fellowship. In some parts of the U.S, church attendances are dropping. Our youths are leaving the church one after the other.
Even when souls are being won to join the church, we cannot help but cry at the souls who have not just left the church, but have left the sheepfold. But as I wrote in one of my previous posts, The Bible has something to say about instances like this.
Let us see what it has to say:
Hebrews 10:25 (TLB) "Let us not neglect our church meetings, as some people do"
Even in the days of Paul, athere were persons who neglected church meetings. But the Apostle spoke vehemently against such.
Is there a power that is hidden underneath Church meetings? What makes it so powerful that it must not be neglected?
1) COMMUNAL FELLOWSHIP IS THE FASTEST MACHINERY FOR GLOBAL REVIVAL!
Every great revival that ever took place in history, took place while God’s people congregated together in worship to God.
Acts 1:13-14
13 When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14 They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
Jesus had left His disciples. But He left with an instruction; He instructed them to remain in Jerusalem until they had received the promise of the Holy Spirit. Jesus could have told them to be dispersed across the nation of Israel.
But He knew the importance of communal living and togetherness if the Holy Spirit must be poured out in His fullness.
The disciples obeyed His instruction. They did not just wait idly for the promise of the Spirit, they prayed constantly. They had prayer time at different sections of the day.
In Acts 2, we are told that while they were together, observing the feast of the Pentecost, in piety, the Holy Spirit descended upon them and set their hearts ablaze for the Gospel. There is nothing that prompts the move of the Spirit faster than corporate worship and prayer meetings by believers.
One of the ways Satan uses to get a Christian out of faith is to get him out of the church. The moment that believer stops going to the church, is the moment he is exposed to the prowling of the enemy.
Ninety per-cent of genuine conversions that ever happened in Christendom, happened in church gatherings.
2) THERE IS PROTECTION IN THE SHEEPFOLD
In Matthew 18, Jesus told a parable of how a Sheep left the 99 sheep, in a shepherd’s sheepfold, and wandered about in the wilderness.
Although that passage is used as a salvation message for sinners, it is also very applicable to believers.
The sheepfold represents the communal body of Christ. It signifies the congregation of Christians.
The sheep that left signifies those believers who leave their various churches, for worldly living. It refers to those Christians, who feel too proud to identify with other saints in the church.
So they rather live their lives the way they want it, in the world, than to be governed by the counsel and doctrines of the Body of Christ.
The Shepherd in the parable ran after the sheep, and providentially found it. The shepherd was concerned about that sheep that wandered out, because he knew outside the sheepfold, that sheep is the most vulnerable creature in the forest.
No matter how smart you think you are. No matter how strong you think you are, as long as you choose to believe in God, to be God’s sheep, you cannot afford to ignore church meetings. Do not decline to belong to a church where God’s word is taught with soundness and purity.
Every saint who’d ever backslid first got tired of the church, before he got tired of God. He first got tired of worshipping in the church, before he got tired of worshipping God.
But there is protection, when we identify with one another in our various denominations and assemblies. There is a sense of belonging and identification that it creates within us. We are protected from several dangers; because we are in a place, where everyone prays for everyone.
3) THERE IS STRENGTHENING IN THE SHEEPFOLD
1 Thessalonians 5:11 : “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”
Romans 1:12 “That is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.”
It was Watchman Nee who said, ‘Fellowship means among other things that we are ready to receive of Christ from others. Other believers minister Christ to me, and I am ready to receive.’
In fellowship, we are gingered up to serve more with more fervency. Seeing the passion with which the pastor preaches the Gospel, and the accuracy of the pianist’s fingers, as well as the sincere worship from the lips of the congregation, has a way of challenging a believer to serve God better.
How about when you see a poor widow in your neighborhood, serving God in joy within and outside the church,
Or you sight that poor family, seated together at the front pew, in sincere, corporate worship, certainly, your heart will be touched.
And if you are wise, you will say within yourself, “If this poor widow, can serve God in her poverty and loneliness, then what excuse do I have not to serve God”.
4) EDIFICATION
Ephesians 4:11 to 14
11. It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,
12. to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up
13. until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
14. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.
15. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.
God knew there would be a rise of wrong and deceitful doctrine, to lead believers astray from the true doctrine as taught in God’s word.
So in every generation, God raises men who would be custodians of the true doctrine of Christ. These men belong to what we know as the five-fold ministry.
But they do not work independently. They work with God, in ministering life and sound doctrine to believers. If you do not belong to a church, how can you hear sound doctrine? And if you do not hear the sound doctrine of Christ, how can you grow?
It’s time to keep your sentiments aside, humble yourself, and identify with a Church, where the undiluted word of God is taught. Receive that word with meekness; fellowship with the saints there, and you will be amazed at the great change you will witness in your Christian life.
Sunday Ministers’ Special: Experience God like Spurgeon
Charles Spurgeon was a unique combination of personality and prayer. His multifaceted ministry life fell into orbit around his devotional life.
But how did Spurgeon remain devoted to God in the midst of all the distractions that constantly pulled at his attention?
How did Spurgeon keep his focus on Jesus Christ admist the crashing waves of life?
Here are several lessons from Spurgeon about maintaining intimacy with God in the busyiness and routine of everyday life.
1. Experience intimacy with God through the personality He has given you.
Spurgeon had a marvelous and magnetic personality. He was winsome, profound, easy to speak with, and he never forgot a face.
He once told his students, “I once counted eight sets of thoughts which were going on in my brain simultaneously, or at least within the space of the same second.”
No doubt, his memory assisted his pastorate that contained nearly 6,000 members. It was, indeed, a “megachurch” long before that word ever came into the vernacular.
Spurgeon provided oversight to sixty-six organizations, preached multiple times each week, and was a voracious reader. How, then, did he carve out time for prayer and personal devotion?
“I quarry out the truth when I read, but I smelt the ore and get the pure gold out of it when I meditate!”
Spurgeon was once told that a man spent three hours on his knees in prayer.
Spurgeon reponded, “I could not do it if my eternity depended on it!” Then his friend, William, recalled Spurgeon saying,
“I go to God with a promise, which is in reality a cheque issued by God Himself on the bank of heaven. He cashes it for me, and then I go and use what He has given me, to His glory. . . I think I can say that seldom many minutes elapse without my heart speaking to God in either prayer or praise.”
The key to Spurgeon’s prayer life was saturation. By living in a constant atmosphere of prayer and devotion, Spurgeon permeated his life with prayer and that shaped his personality.
2. Allow God to Speak
Another unique aspect of Spurgeon’s walk with God is found in his daily entry into His presence.
He said, “Be much with God in holy dialogue, letting Him speak to you by His Word while you speak back to Him by your prayers and praises.” He understood that “thought is the backbone of study.”
By allowing God to guide our thoughts, Spurgeon focused on responding to God leading. He explained:
“I have spread the Bible on my chair, kneeled down, put my finger upon the passage, and sought of God instruction. I have thought that when I have risen from my knees I understood it far better than before.”
Spurgeon liked to linger on a particular Scripture passage while prayerfully listening as the Holy Spirit illuminated its message.
Of course, there is a always a tendency for us to rush into God’s presence with personal agendas and self-centered to-do lists.
But, when God initiates his conversation with us through Scripture, prayer become God-centered and kingdom-focused.
3. Build an Entry Ramp and Drop an Anchor
Spurgeon not only spoke of meditating upon the Word of God, but he also spoke of meditating on the God of the Word.
When we enter into a conversation with our bosses and superiors, it’s always wise to listen more than we speak.
Likewise, when we approach the throne of God in prayer, we must prioritize the contemplation of the One with whom we encounter.
Spurgeon told his congregation:
“O that you were busy after the true riches, and could step aside awhile to enrich yourselves in solitude, and make your hearts vigorous by feeding upon the person and work of your ever blessed Lord! You miss a heaven below by a too eager pursuit of earth. You cannot know these joyful raptures if meditation be pushed into a corner.”
“You cannot measure a fire by the bushel, nor prayers by their length.”
When we feed upon the person and presence of Jesus Christ, we become satisfied, nourished, and empowered.
Thus, the entry ramp into Scripture intake, prayer, and meditation is not one of religious obligations but intimacy.
Prayerful meditation throughout the day anchors our lives, helps us discover our center, which is Jesus Christ, and launches us into a living relationship with the ultimate Superior.
4. Stay logged in
We often encounter the website message: “Do you want to stay logged in?” In that moment, we have the option of remaining connected or logging out.
Prayer works like that, too. Throughout the day, we can unconsciously log out of prayer with a flippant “amen” and continue on with our busy lives.
However, Spurgeon would challenge us, as Scripture does, to stay logged in.
To stay attentive to God’s voice no matter where our day will lead us. Look at how Spurgeon maintained an open-ended conversation with God.
Peter Morden explains:
“His basic pattern was to pray morning and evening. . . Sometimes he would pray with his family . . . sometimes he would be alone. But his prayer life certainly did not stop there;
Spurgeon wanted to maintain continued communion with God throughout the day.
One of the ways he sought to do this was by praying short, one-sentence prayers as he went about his daily work. . . These short, pithy prayers are what have been called ‘arrow prayers’, prayers addressed to God in the midst of a day full of all sorts of different tasks.”
Fostering communion with God allowed Spurgeon to inject into each of his tasks, decisions, and relationships the guidance, discernment, and blessing that comes directly from Christ.
With Spurgeon, may each of us use our God-given personality to carve out time over the course of our routine to focus on encountering Christ through Scripture intake, prayer, and meditation.
Source: Spurgeon.com
Guide to Praying for God’s Protection
As a believer, prayer is the saintliest duty you can ever perform. No believer is above prayer; from the newest convert to the aged fathers, no saint is ever above prayer.
Prayer is not only a medium of fellowship with God, it is also a medium by which we can receive the manifestation of God’s working power in our lives. Prayer is the secret place in which we dwell under the shadow of the Almighty, free from the enemy’s threat.
In a world like this, where plagues can be contacted despite the adherence to strict health protocols; in which death has become a trend, in a world like this, you must train yourself on how to seek and receive God’s protection for you and your loved ones.
God has laid out principles that the believer should adhere to in order to pray effectively in cases like this. The Father does not want us to pray out of panic or fear or anxiety, rather, He wants us to pray confidently, with faith as sons who know their identity.
The Psalm of David is one which you can use to pray for GOD’S protection. Study it closely, meditate on it, and pray with it.
PSALM 17
1 Hear me, Lord, my plea is just; listen to my cry. Hear my prayer- it does not rise from deceitful lips.
2 Let my vindication come from you; may your eyes see what is right.
3 Though you probe my heart, though you examine me at night and test me, you will find that I have planned no evil; my mouth has not transgressed.
4 Though people tried to bribe me, I have kept myself from the ways of the violent through what your lips have commanded.
5 My steps have held to your paths; my feet have not stumbled.
6 I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.
7 Show me the wonders of your great love, you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their foes.
Amen 🙏
HOW GOD TAUGHT ME TO PRAY FOR LONG HOURS
I am not a fan of being time-conscious during prayers, but I am
First, let me say emphatically that if you’re not baptized with the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues, it will be “difficult” for you to pray for long hours at a go.
Most people who “pray for long hours” without being filled with the Spirit are full of vain repetitions in prayers, and sometimes they wear themselves out by such.
But in the New Testament, the Apostle Paul taught that LONG PRAYERS can be done when a believer is filled with the Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues.
I CORINTHIANS 14:18
I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all:
EPHESIANS 6:18
PRAYING ALWAYS with all prayer and supplication IN THE SPIRIT, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
JUDE 20
But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, PRAYING IN THE HOLY GHOST,
1 TIMOTHY 2:8
I will therefore that men PRAY EVERY WHERE, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.
Now it would appear that to carry out the New Testament instruction to PRAY WITHOUT CEASING – 1Thess.5:17, one would need to be filled with the Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues.
You never run out of inspiration praying in the Spirit. You never run out of words praying in the Spirit. You never run out of “prayer points” praying in the Spirit.
And also you never run out of spiritual energy, nerve and verve plus motivation praying in the Spirit.
As a matter of fact, I believe that praying in the Spirit brings you to a place where this popular maxim becomes evident in your devotional life, “YOU CANNOT FINISH PRAYING; YOU CAN ONLY STOP PRAYING”.
I remember the very first time I prayed at stretch for seven hours, it was a huge delight. Not a burden at all but it was “fun” all through.
One vital truth you discover while praying in tongues is that the more you pray, the more you want to pray – your propensity for prayer increases at an exponential rate.
I had discovered this truth as far back as Sunday, 18th March, 2001 when I became filled with the Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues.
Over the years, by God’s Grace, the Lord has taught me the secrets of long prayers without being tired and I intend to share one of the lessons today and then the second one in Part Two of this teaching.
First, the Lord showed me this scripture and it came alive in my heart:
1 CORINTHIANS 14:14
For if I pray in an unknown tongue, MY SPIRIT PRAYETH, but my understanding is unfruitful.
The Lord asked me to look intently into it and asked me who’s doing the praying? I said, “My spirit”. God told me, “Notice it didn’t say MY BODY or MY MIND”.
Oh, I got the message. Anytime I’m praying in the Spirit, it’s MY SPIRIT that’s doing the praying – the man on the inside – my reborn, recreated and regenerated human spirit.
It was this scripture that liberated me. I discovered that it’s not MY BODY or MY MIND that’s praying but MY SPIRIT, even though in the process MY BODY and MY MIND may get along.
Here’s the gist; a lot of believers pray with THEIR BODIES and they get tired and exhausted along the line.
How do I mean? Somebody wants to pray for let’s say seven hours at stretch but in the first thirty minutes, he’s screaming at the top of his voice to the point that he starts coughing and sweating profusely.
He’s swinging his head, arms, neck, waist, buttocks, and legs as if he involved in acrobatics. You see, most often with time such people become tired.
There’s this notion that tells you that if you pray silently, your prayer is not as powerful as when you pray loudly but nothing could be farther from the truth.
Some people also believe that if you’re praying sitting down or lying down, you’re not serious and your prayer is not as powerful as when you kneel down but these are fallacious ideas.
Your physical postures do not invalidate your prayers because you aren’t praying with your BODY but with your SPIRIT.
It is wise therefore to get a posture that will help you sustain the momentum of prayers, not one that will distract you or make you physically exhausted.
The principle I operate in prayer and as well spiritual activities is that, “DON’T COME TO A PLACE PHYSICALLY THAT WILL MAKE YOU INEFFECTIVE SPIRITUALLY”.
For instance, I do most of my praying walking around. I love prayer walk. It suits me well and by extension it’s a form of physical exercise for me.
But when I pray to a point where my legs are aching me (notice it’s not my spirit that is feeling pain but my body), I sit down to continue praying while I relax my physical muscles and then I stand up again.
There’s no ironclad rule to this. There’s no point getting to a level in prayer where your physical posture is distracting you from the spiritual exercise and you don’t change that posture. No, that’s religion!
We hold vigils in our church where we pray for seven hours. I remember a scenario at a particular edition; when we started, I noticed a brother praying with acrobatic displays and I just knew within me that that brother might not really go far in the vigil.
And so it was; it was like the third hour when some of us were just starting, the brother had “logged off” – he had slept off.
Now let me balance this here; it’s not in all cases that people who have physical displays get exhausted.
There’s need for that balance. Sometimes it’s just a function of the level of “spiritual temperature”.
By “spiritual temperature” I mean the progression of the anointing as it’s rising in prayer. You know we respond to the anointing differently.
But I TOTALLY AGREE that sometimes, you start your praying in the Spirit in a cool and calm manner but with the progression of time, YOU JUST EXPLODE.
At such instance, it’s a function of the anointing and not a display in the energy of the flesh that is wearisome.
The truth however is that as we all become acquainted with the operations of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we should endeavour to become MORE SKILFUL with them so as to sustain them.
Even with the level of “spiritual temperature”, you still have control over your response depending on the setting that you find yourself, and this is a function of spiritual training.
Let me give an example. I have never disturbed my wife or my children while praying in the midnight NO MATTER THE LEVEL OF SPIRITUAL TEMPERATURE IN PRAYER.
I learnt this from Dad Hagin. I could pray under my breath, gently and silently without disturbing my family or anyone around me and the anointing will still be very strong.
Why do I need to wake all my neighbours up in the midnight with the tone and sounds of my prayer because of anointing?
I mean those who do that have not so learnt Christ – Eph.4:20. There’s order in the things of the Spirit – 1 Cor.14:40.
People also have a right to their privacy and it is childish, juvenile, puerile and unchristian to disturb your neighbours with loud sounds and cries of prayer.
Like I said, you must discover your setting. When I get into the Part Two of this teaching and we look at intermittent praying, we’ll discover for instance that if you pray in your office for instance following some free pockets of time, you don’t disturb the other members of staff or you face the music.
It’s important that we should be “Christian” not ONLY in church but also “at home”, “at our work place”, “in our community” and “in all places”.
By and large, we have seen that with the understanding of 1Corinthians 14:14, you can pray for long hours, knowing that it’s YOUR SPIRIT that is praying, NOT YOUR BODY, your physical postures notwithstanding.
This is what the Lord taught me and it has helped me over the years by God’s Grace.
The second lesson that the Lord taught me about the secret of long prayers is PRAYING AT A STRETCH and INTERMITTENT PRAYING.
I will not like to belabour some of the salient points that have been strongly emphasized in the first part of this teaching.
Kindly bear in mind that we’re coming from the background of PRAYING IN THE SPIRIT, although based on the “flow” in your heart per time, there could be spiritual interjections with PRAYING IN UNDERSTANDING.
One of the benefits of praying regularly in tongues or in the Spirit is that you never lack what to pray in understanding.
Praying in the Spirit often triggers and sets the tone for what to pray in human language, but in it all, you want to give prominence to PRAYING MORE IN THE SPIRIT.
The Apostle Paul implied that the more you pray in the Spirit, the more you have the “substance” with which to pray in understanding – this happens by default many times.
1 CORINTHIANS 14:15
“What is it then? I WILL PRAY WITH THE SPIRIT, AND I WILL PRAY WITH THE UNDERSTANDING ALSO: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.”
This sequence of operation goes on and on. And remember that in this teaching, we’re talking PREDOMINANTLY about PRAYING IN THE SPIRIT.
It is this kind of praying that enables us to obey the New Testament injunction to:
1THESSALONIANS 5:17
“Pray without ceasing.”
What does this mean? It means you maintain and sustain the attitude of prayer ALWAYS. It means your spirit is perpetually in tune with the Father of spirits in divine communication.
And these two kinds of prayer that I want to talk about i.e. PRAYING AT A STRETCH and INTERMITTENT PRAYING will help you achieve this.
Remember also that we’re told to PRAY ALWAYS ALL KINDS OF PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION IN THE SPIRIT – Eph.6:18.
The only time that this might not be feasible is when you’re asleep or when you’re involved in “a particular kind of physical activity” that may not give room for it – for instance if you’re giving a public address.
And this is particularly understandable because YOUR WILL is involved in prayer – in other words, your faculties are intact while praying as we saw it earlier in 1Corinthians 14:15.
To be able to pray long therefore, you must first PRAY AT A STRETCH. By this I mean you harness a specific period of time in prayer without any distraction.
If you look at the life and ministry of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, you’ll discover that there are three kinds of prayer that He prayed PERSONALLY:
(1) Morning Prayers:
MARK 1:35
And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.
(2) Vigils:
LUKE 6:12
And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued ALL NIGHT IN PRAYER to God.
(3) RETREATS
LUKE 5:16
And he WITHDREW himself into the wilderness, and prayed.
Now these three kinds of prayer go a long way in helping you to PRAY LONG depending on the available time.
You can also pray in the afternoon or in the nightfall if those periods are free for you (remember there’s no bondage here and we have the liberty of the Spirit).
It’s just that there’s “something” about EARLY MORNING PRAYERS and NIGHT PRAYERS that is very amazing.
The former prepares you powerfully for the activities of the day and the latter ensures that there are no environmental distractions and your spiritual antenna will also be at the peak.
Personal retreats are also recommended. You just withdraw yourself from the hustle and bustle of life and you’re alone with God.
So, PRAYING AT A STRETCH is very important and you should try to incorporate that into your daily schedule – even if it’s one hour or two hours or more depending on daily exigencies.
Peter stayed alone with God and PRAYED AT A STRETCH – Acts 10:9. Paul did the same – Acts 22:17 and many of the heroes and heroines of Faith mentioned in Scriptures also PRAYED AT A STRETCH.
However, when you look at the structure of our daily activities generally depending on what you do, your exigencies or geographical location, you notice that for some people, it becomes practically difficult to PRAY AT A STRETCH for let’s say FIVE HOURS per day – it may not just be feasible.
For instance, if you live in the city of Lagos, and going from your residence to your place of work will take a minimum of three hours on the road (that’s if you find favour with God 😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀and the traffic gridlock is relatively favourable) and you have to resume work by 8am and close by 6pm, then it may be difficult to say you want to pray for FIVE HOURS AT A STRETCH at home.
Now I’m talking FACT here that can be related with. Most times when people come back from work in such circumstance, they just eat their meals and sleep off.
There are many other similar examples in that manner but I just singled that out for want of space.
If you have to wait for a spontaneous adjustment of your normal schedule to determine your prayer life, then you will do yourself a disservice spiritually speaking because your prayer life will suffer.
That’s where INTERMITTENT PRAYING comes in. By INTERMITTENT PRAYING I mean making use of your “FREE POCKETS OF TIME” during the day to charge your spirit in prayer.
It also means making use of every available opportunity during the day (even when you’re doing other things that don’t affect praying in the Spirit) to be in touch with God in prayer.
And it works. Yes it works like fire 🔥🔥 🔥 🔥🔥!!! Let me say this dear friend; everyone of us will always have that opportunity during the day to be in tune with God in prayer, but sadly some people are not just sensitive to it while some other people engage in discussions that are not profitable – “gisting” and jesting and what have you.
You see, THERE’S TIME FOR EVERYTHING and TIME WAITS FOR NO MAN. A wise Christian learns to compress about three or more profitable activities into ONE SINGLE TIMEFRAME.
For instance, as a woman, you can be cooking and listening to a message and also praying in the Spirit simultaneously.
You can be in your office and intermittently pray in the Spirit under your breath while you go about carrying out your legitimate duties.
Also, INTERMITTENT PRAYING demands that while you’re on your way to work (let’s say you’re going by a public transport), you can be praying in the Spirit under your breath while some other passengers are listening to Fuji music like “Paso”.
When you get to the office, your break time is there to pray in the Spirit. Even while working you can still maintain that attitude of prayer.
If you’re driving, you can use that opportunity to pray in the Spirit and also listen to a sound message or good music.
I do a lot of praying while driving (especially while going on a trip).
When I was in the University, at times when we were expecting the lecturer to come and he had not shown up, I could just bow my head and pray silently in the Spirit.
You see, INTERMITTENT PRAYING HAS NO BOUNDARIES. You can pray in the toilet, in the bed room, in transit, etc.; you can also pray while expecting a visitor.
Let me say this friend; even as I’m writing these words, I’m also doing INTERMITTENT PRAYING – praying in the Spirit and stopping and also picking it up again – that’s the meaning of “INTERMITTENT”.
If you’re on an aircraft enroute your destination, you can pray in the Spirit.
On your way from church service, you can pray in the Spirit. The list of examples is endless.
There’s no BARRIER here. If you then sum up the time spent in your EARLY MORNING PRAYERS and INTERMITTENT PRAYING at the end of the day, you will notice that relatively, you have done LONG PRAYERS.
Even though it’s not the same as PRAYING AT A STRETCH but THE EFFECT of it on your spiritual life is indelible, and you will just notice that your spiritual antenna is at its best 24/7.
Your spirit is active; you can pick the slightest signals in the Spirit and you’re given to inspiration from time to time.
In the New Testament, LOCATION is no more a barrier. The new location now is IN THE SPIRIT.
We pray IN THE SPIRIT – Eph.6:18, 1 Cor.14:2 and we also worship IN THE SPIRIT – Jn.4:24, Phil.3:3.
Geography is not a barrier. You can pray EVERY WHERE and “ANYWHERE”, not necessarily restricted to your prayer room.
Paul said:
1 TIMOTHY 2:8
I will therefore that MEN PRAY EVERY WHERE, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.
INTERMITTENT PRAYING can sometimes take 5 minutes or 10 minutes or more and it can take lesser time like 3 minutes.
Now imagine if you pray 5 minutes intermittently 24 times in a day plus your one hour morning prayer, you would have “prayed” for three hours and chances are that you can even do more especially if you’re in transit for hours.
By that exercise, you will be practising the scripture which says “PRAY WITHOUT CEASING” because you’re in a constant attitude of prayer.
As I close, I must say that as much as possible, you should have a private prayer time per day (even if it’s one hour); INTERMITTENT PRAYING should not substitute for that; it should rather be A SUPPLEMENT.
We’re in the end-time and the enemy is on the prowl to distract God’s precious people and he does this through loading us with the cares of this world – 1Pet.5:7-8.
We must therefore be SUPERIOR IN STRATEGY to preemt him and to keep him at abeyance.
That’s why I’m thoroughly convinced that PRAYING AT A STRETCH and INTERMITTENT PRAYING will go a long way in keeping us in tune with God’s plan for our lives and for the hour.
Praying that a fresh “Spirit of prayer” will envelope and percolate your life from center to circumference now in Jesus’ Precious Name!
Written by Pastor Bimbo Animashaun
SECRETS TO CONSISTENCY IN YOUR WALK WITH GOD
It’s no longer news that many-a-believer struggles with sin and a very busy work schedule, which affects their spiritual life and cause them to crawl rather than soar spiritually. Some are very distracted by things that won’t make them consistent in their walk with God. Are you among these persons? Have you been struggling with praying, because of your business engagements? Do you desire a system whereby you can excel in prayer and your secular business regularly? Or are you struggling with breaking out from an entangling sin?
Continue reading SECRETS TO CONSISTENCY IN YOUR WALK WITH GOD
KOINONIA ART 