The Discipline of Prayer

shelbyhoeing
Jul 25, 2017 · 3 min read

All too often “life” has this way of pulling the rug out from beneath our feet and we are left there, laying on our backs struggling just to stand back up. It seems that life can be this continuous fight of standing your ground against the enemy and maintaining your walk with the Lord on a daily basis. All too often we are caught off guard by the attacks of the enemy and his flaming darts pierce us deeply. I personally bear the scars from the lack of perception, the lack of readiness, and the lack of preparation to make war on that which seeks to steal from me, kill me, and ultimately destroy any hope for an eternity spent inYea the presence of God. Thankfully the Lord calls us to a place of prayer that essentially prepares us for war against the one who seeks to destroy my life.

“Praying at all times in the spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints…” -Eph 6:18

If there is one thing that I am severely guilty of it is the lack that I have in the area of prayer. I pray for my kids before they go to sleep; I pray for my wife that the Lord would encourage and strengthen her; but I never really devote time to build myself up in prayer. I fail to put on the belt of truth and often leave myself succeptable to the lies of the enemy. I fail to put on the breastplate of righteousness and fall prey to anger or joking coursely with the guys. I fail to put on shoes of readiness and find myself running through thorns in the thick of tribulation. I fail to keep my shield of faith and allow the arrows of the enemy to pierce me deeply. Never mind the helmet of salvation or the sword of the spirit. It is no wonder I let the enemy run over me in so many ways. I am not taking advantage of the position that the Lord has given me as an ambassador of the kingdom.

“But you, beloved, building yourselves up in the most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit…” -Jude 20

Prayer is a place of building. As we lay before the Lord broken, humbled by His majesty, aware of the poverty of our spirit, the Lord uses this posture as a foundation to build up our spirit in His most holy faith. As we pray in the spirit, not with our own understanding, but with the utterance and deep groanings spoken about in Romans 8:26, we tap into the perfect will of the Lord. He knows our hearts, knows our struggles, knows the desires and passions that we have and He has a plan for our lives. Many times our desires do not line up with His will, and as we pray in the spirit it allows us in a sense profess the mysteries of heaven over our lives. It will help build confidence in who we are as sons and daughters of the living God. As we pray in the spirit we connect with the spirit and ultimately walk in. the spirit.

I need to purpose myself to be wise and set aside time in my day to devote to prayer. I long to feel His presence. I long to be strengthened by His spirit and long to stand boldly in the face of the enemy ready to do work for the kingdom. As I long to grow in prayer I also know that I need to make an effort to ensure that my wife has the ability to grow in prayer as well. I must set aside my own ambitions and make sure that she has the ability to have a moment of time alone with the Lord. Not only will this benefit her relationship with the Lord, but as we seek Him together it will strengthen our marriage.

“Likewise the spirit helps us in our weakness. For we to not know what to pray for as we ought, but the spirit himself intercedes for us with groaning too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the spirit because the spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God…” -Romans 8:26

shelbyhoeing
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