Contend for your personal prayer altar
And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; (Lk. 18:1)
The pace of life today is nowhere close to the pace of life in the days of Abraham, Moses and our Lord Jesus Himself on earth. Things have changed, and the pace of life is much faster. Unfortunately for us, spiritual virtues and principles do not get old or progress with time. Communion with God in prayer maintains a central place in our relationship with God today as it did in the days of Abraham, Moses and the prophets.
Jesus said in the verse above that we ought to pray and not faint. One of the top reasons why people do not pray today and have their prayer altars in ruins is because we seem not to have time to pray because of the pressures of life. If you do not subdue your schedule and bring it under obedience to Christ, you will faint in prayer. Your communion with God will gradually fade away until it becomes cold and clammy, leaving you functioning on the remnants of Christianity. Contend for your personal altar, and do not let it go down in ruins. There is no fixed way to do it if you find yourself in a tight corner with time. Ask the Holy Spirit in faith, and above all desire the time for communion with Him. And watch to see God do wonders, giving you the wisdom to manage your schedule and even free up time for you. Many times, time is not even the issue, but our sense of priority. There are many believers who do have time, but just do not feel the need or have the desire for prayer. A closer look at our day will reveal that we may have time for many other things which appear to be more important to us, but not for prayer.
We ought to pray and not faint. There is hardly anyone that has gone miles with God without a solid prayer life and an upright steadfast prayer altar. A crash prayer life will lead you to a crash spiritual life of struggle with spiritual things, and ultimately in physical things. A firm personal prayer altar will cloud your life with the atmosphere of heaven always, full of life, the miraculous and victory in every area of life. Your prayer altar is worth fighting for.
MEDITATE
The Word in your mind and mouth (1 Tim 4:15; Josh 1: 8)
Men ought always to pray, and not faint. Meditate on these words for a minute or so.
PRAY
Water the Seed (word) to grow. Invite the Spirit’s strength! (Isa 32:15; Zach 4:6)
Ask the Lord to open your eyes to see the need for prayer.
APPLY THE WORD TODAY!
Your door to a blessed life today is doing God’s Word. Refuse to be a hearer or reader only! (James 1:22-26)
What is the state of your personal altar as of today? It is never too late, and you are not in a haste or under any pressure to impress anybody. A solid prayer life is worth fighting for. Yes, I mean its a fight, a struggle, otherwise everyone will easily do it. You have to be intentional, and forceful to persist in prayer.Why not start today? Is there any reason you cannot find the time to pray today?
Recommended Read: Jesus Prayer Life
Must Read!: What is a Daily Devotional?
Free Mini E-book: From Spiritual Dryness to Flourishing
Got it :), thank you!
It really is a struggle but what I have realized studying your devotionals on prayer is that when God said we should pray without ceasing and also we should not faint in praying,He knew all the opposition we will encounter but He has given us the grace to overcome them.
My question is that,is there a best time to pray,I feel guilty when I don’t pray before I leave the house in the morning.
I have tried going on prayer lines and prayer meeting but they are intimidating because I finish praying hours before those around me.
Martha, you have raised some very pertinent issues about devotional prayer that I will want to answer carefully, minding our limited time and space here. It becomes clearer when we think again about the reason we pray. The reason we have devotional prayer is to be empowered by God with wisdom and power to face the circumstances the day will present to us. It is the same reason ministers spend time praying BEFORE they minister, because praying sharpens your spirit and conditions you to be yielded to the Spirit when you minister. It is like preparing for an exam. The preparation comes before the test to get you ready. If you have to go for 45 minutes work out in the gym, you ensure you take in some calories before the work out so you are prepared. Looking at the cycle of our day, for most of us, our day starts in the morning, and ends at night when we go to bed. The best time for greatest preparation is the morning hours. Devotional prayer is best in the morning. Occasional, there are others whose schedule does not allow devotional morning prayers-take for example those with night shifts. I will encourage you not to focus on the TIMING initially but on the HABIT. Whether it is morning or evening, especially as you start, it is better to pray than not to pray. So look out for the best time you can have to pray. As you grow in this area, you will discover the question will answer itself naturally for you.
Prayer lines are a great resource for communal prayer. There is a place for praying together with other brethren, for example the weekly prayer you have in church. Some prayerlines might be daily. As you develop a habit of prayer, there is a threat we are all prone to- it is that of a religious spirit. It makes us start measuring our spiritual life and acceptance with God based on our good works like prayer, and allow ourselves to measure up with others and feel discouraged, frustrated and even inferior when we seem not to match up. YOU ARE NOT IN ANY COMPETITION WITH ANY OTHER BELIEVER, NEITHER IS GOD WANTING YOU TO PRAY OR SEEK HIM TO MEASURE UP TO ANY EXPECTATIONS. God wants you, and not your prayer. That being said, there is much to learn from other mature believers. That is part of the purpose of church-iron sharpens iron. God will use other believers to teach you and encourage you to grow. Their prayer lives should rather challenge and encourage you to pray. WE all start from somewhere. I can pray for hours myself, today because I have been doing this for many years and grown spiritually in it. I will not expect a new or younger believer to start at the level I am in. It is OK to start with even 5 minutes a day. As above, the HABIT of consistently praying daily is what is most important. However, you should grow in it. You should not be praying 5 minutes after 10 years of being a believer!
I will also want to state here that I will not encourage you to make communal prayer in prayer lines or even church meetings your devotional prayer time. There is something about devotional prayer that is very personal and direct with God. It is fellowshipping in prayer, and you minister to God and He ministers to you. Sometimes we need others to boost up and encourage us to pray, and that is a good place for communicate church or prayer line prayers. But this should not replace your habit of devotional prayer with God. This can be compared to meeting with your husband or a loved one always in the midst of other people!
Please feel free to send me a message about this if any further clarifications are need, or better still, set a time to talk and prayer on the phone! Remain blessed and the Lord who has put His desire in your heart to seek Him in prayer encourage, strengthen and give you wisdom on how to do what He is directing you to do.
Thank you so much Dr,Patrick.
My next question now is what is devotional prayer?,is that studying your devotional and praying afterwards?
I have taken up the 7 day prayer challenge :).
That is exciting to know! The Lord grant you grace, wisdom and strength. Prayer become easier when we pray. “Devotional” prayer is simply prayer that is part of our daily devotions with God. We can have time to pray for other specific reasons. Devotional prayer is time with God, constantly irrespective of whether we are in need or not. Many believer make the mistake of praying only when they are in need. It is just like meeting a loved one only when you need something! Devotional prayer is mainly fellowship with God.