Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty.…
—Ephesians 6:18
In the verse for today, Paul is basically saying that we are to pray in every circumstance, following the Holy Spirit's direction, using different types of prayer in different situations. But how do we "pray at all times," as the Bible instructs? We do it by keeping an attitude of thanksgiving and total dependence upon God as we go about our everyday lives, turning our thoughts toward Him in the midst of doing all the things we have to do and listening for His voice in every situation.
I believe God really wants us to live a lifestyle of prayer and that He wants to help us stop thinking about prayer as an event and begin to see it as a way of life, as an internal activity that undergirds everything else we do. He wants us to talk to Him and listen to Him continually—to pray our way through every day with our hearts connected to His and our ears attuned to His voice.
We often hear about a prayer need or think about a situation and say to ourselves, I need to pray about that later when I pray. That thought is a stall tactic of the enemy. Why not pray right that minute? We do not pray right away because of the wrong mind-sets we have about prayer. It would be easy if we just followed our hearts, but Satan wants to complicate prayer. He wants us to procrastinate in the hope that we will forget the matter entirely.
Praying as we sense the desire or need to pray is simple, and it is the way we can pray continually and stay connected to God in every situation throughout the day.
Not Profiting from the Word of God
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.”
Hebrews 4:1–3
The Bible is filled with direct promises and stories that reveal to us how powerful the inspired Word of God truly is. Yet despite the wealth of guidance, wisdom, and instruction it offers, many people, even many Christians do not benefit from the Bible. Of course this is not a failure of the Scriptures, for they are perfect and provide instruction for every question of life. The failure is on our part. Some people do not even bother to read the book God wrote for them. Others read it, but only to acquire information rather than to see themselves changed.
A. W. Tozer said, “An honest man with an open Bible and a pad and pencil is sure to find out what is wrong with him very quickly.” Most of the time the problem we have is not a failure to understand what the Bible says but a lack of willingness to be conformed to the likeness of Christ. The Bible does not leave us alone—it is written to reveal our need for change and to transform our lives. “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).
Hebrews 4:1–3
The Bible is filled with direct promises and stories that reveal to us how powerful the inspired Word of God truly is. Yet despite the wealth of guidance, wisdom, and instruction it offers, many people, even many Christians do not benefit from the Bible. Of course this is not a failure of the Scriptures, for they are perfect and provide instruction for every question of life. The failure is on our part. Some people do not even bother to read the book God wrote for them. Others read it, but only to acquire information rather than to see themselves changed.
A. W. Tozer said, “An honest man with an open Bible and a pad and pencil is sure to find out what is wrong with him very quickly.” Most of the time the problem we have is not a failure to understand what the Bible says but a lack of willingness to be conformed to the likeness of Christ. The Bible does not leave us alone—it is written to reveal our need for change and to transform our lives. “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).
Today’s Growth Principle:
The only way to profit from the amazing riches of the Bible is to apply what it says to our daily lives.
Pray at All Times
by Joyce Meyer - posted May 06, 2017Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty.…
—Ephesians 6:18
In the verse for today, Paul is basically saying that we are to pray in every circumstance, following the Holy Spirit's direction, using different types of prayer in different situations. But how do we "pray at all times," as the Bible instructs? We do it by keeping an attitude of thanksgiving and total dependence upon God as we go about our everyday lives, turning our thoughts toward Him in the midst of doing all the things we have to do and listening for His voice in every situation.
I believe God really wants us to live a lifestyle of prayer and that He wants to help us stop thinking about prayer as an event and begin to see it as a way of life, as an internal activity that undergirds everything else we do. He wants us to talk to Him and listen to Him continually—to pray our way through every day with our hearts connected to His and our ears attuned to His voice.
We often hear about a prayer need or think about a situation and say to ourselves, I need to pray about that later when I pray. That thought is a stall tactic of the enemy. Why not pray right that minute? We do not pray right away because of the wrong mind-sets we have about prayer. It would be easy if we just followed our hearts, but Satan wants to complicate prayer. He wants us to procrastinate in the hope that we will forget the matter entirely.
Praying as we sense the desire or need to pray is simple, and it is the way we can pray continually and stay connected to God in every situation throughout the day.
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