Life without prayer is a road to nowhere II
Greetings to you on this wonderful day that God created for us! Nobody and nothing can separate us from the love, care and grace of God! Today I would like to share with you some practical advice in the ara of prayer.
- Set apart some time for prayer and commit to it.
- Plan where you will pray.
It does not have to be at home, but you also do not need to turn prayer into some religious ritual. Be creative when you choose the place for prayer. For instance, there was a time in my life when I made walking into prayer time. I called it “a prayer walk”. I went out in the street for the purpose of prayer.
- Be consistent in prayer.
When you start praying on a consistent basis, there will be some obstacles, especially in the beginning, when you will be forming your prayer habit. But you should not give up. Be persistent! It is difficult, but you have to overcome.
- Make some reminders of prayer.
You can ask a friend to remind you about the necessity to pray.
A wife of one pastor decided to write a book, but she wasn’t successful. And this pastor asked me to remind his wife that she needed to get to writing. Every day during casual conversations I asked her, „So, how is your book coming along?” And she answered, „I am working on it”. And every time I said, „Alright, we are expecting it and the world is too!» It motivated her. Ask somebody to remind you about your prayer commitment.
- Pray several times during the day.
When Paul spoke on prayer without ceasing, he referred to Jewish culture. Jews had a custom of praying multiple times a day. Throughout the day they gave God thanksgiving for different things. You can do it as well, – you can pray several times a day. Prayer helps us to be grateful to God for His good works, for His love, protection, peace. Many of us do not notice what God does for us, so we haven’t developed a habit of saying thanks. Grumbling, complaining, anger — all these things suppress the power of thanksgiving. Fill your prayers with thanksgiving! When you sit down to eat, thank God for the food you have and also for your good appetite. You know that there are people who have the food but don’t have an appetite. There are others that have an appetite but don’t have food. You have both.
Fill you day with prayer and fill your life with thanksgiving. When someone asks you for prayer or when you have promised someone to pray for him or her, – do it right away, and may this be your way to fill you day with prayer.
- Be accountable to someone in the area of prayer until you become more mature. Be accountable until you feel that there has been a breakthrough in your prayer life. What does it mean to be accountable? It means to look for support. It might be a person you will share the prayer for some time. Or it might be a person who will be prompting you for some time.
Start using these principles in practice, and you will be pleasantly surprised to see the wonderful changes and blessings that will fill your life.
«I will lift up my eyes to the hills – from whence comes my help? My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber… The LORD shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your souls. The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forever more» (Psalm, 121:1-3, 7-8).
Abundant God’s blessing to you!
Till tomorrow!
Pastor Rufus Ajiboye
