“Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.” – Ephesians 6:18 NLT
Welcome to the 22nd weekly devotional recap of the year. This week’s articles were centred on prayer, and we emphasized its importance to every believer.
Monday’s article admonished us to see prayer as a divine opportunity to meet with God, so we must set aside all distractions. Prayer is not a mechanical exercise like the Pharisees practised. It demands the full attention of our minds and hearts. Therefore, we must approach God with intentional and heartfelt thanksgiving, praise, and adoration (Matthew 15:8). Closing your eyes, keeping digital devices away, and choosing a place and time with little or no distractions help maintain concentration in prayer.
On Tuesday, we learned about consistency and persistence in prayer. We saw that it is insufficient to pray only when convenient; we must develop a structure that enhances our prayer life and deepens our walk with God. Prayer should be the lifestyle of every believer (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Continuous prayer always yields magnificent results. Don’t get tired of talking to God about your worries, thanking Him for all He has done and will do.
Wednesday’s devotional taught us that we are armed with innate ability through the Holy Spirit to have faith and move mountains (Matthew 21: 21). Faith can be defined as the selfless desire for the will of God, believing that He has your best interest at heart (Romans 4: 20-21). Moving mountains will demand unwavering faith in God despite unfavourable occurrences. To move mountains, incline yourself to the heartbeat of God and let Him lead the way.
On Thursday, we learned about the primary purpose of prayer. Prayer helps to set our priorities right and direct our desires towards God. While praying, we strengthen our spirits in faith and deepen our relationship with God. To walk in God’s plan and purpose for your life, you must be given to prayer. Also, through prayers, we can discern the enemy’s schemes and withstand them. Above all, prayer is an instruction from God that we must obey (2 Thessalonians 3:1-2; 1 Thessalonians 5:17).
We ended the week by emphasizing the position of our hearts when we pray. We should approach God with total sincerity and submission, as God checks our hearts and not the words from our lips (Jeremiah 17:10). With total sincerity, prayer helps us to redirect our hearts away from problems and challenges, magnifying the majesty of God over our consciousness. Lastly, we can count hours in prayer, but if it’s not sincere, we will not find God there.
As our anchor scripture makes clear, we should pray always, even for other believers. Beloved, let us go forth with this knowledge, even as we go into a new week.
Have a great weekend!
Bible Reading Plan Catchup