Tuesday, 3 May 2022
TRAIN YOURSELF TO PRAY
And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God (Luke 6:12).
Prayer is a spiritual exercise that you must train for. If you don’t train yourself to pray, you’ll never know how to pray effectively. If all you knew to do was mumble a few words in two minutes and you’re done, it’s time to get some training and discipline.
We see the example of the Master in our opening scripture. As long as your body is calling for food, or itching to go do some other things while you ought to be praying, that’s the more reason you must remain there and subject your body to the discipline of the Spirit.
However, the purpose of prayer isn’t merely to control or discipline your body, as good as that is. The main purpose of prayer is the conditioning of your spirit, and this is far more important. Prayer brings your spirit to a certain condition that makes your relationship and fellowship with God’s Spirit more real and synchronized with His will and purpose.
Then you find that His thoughts become your thoughts and His words become your words. That’s when He puts a word in your mouth which you speak forth and it produces results. It reminds of induced magnetism. If you keep an object beside a magnet long enough, the magnet will induce it to become magnetic itself.
It’s the same thing with the Holy Spirit and you; the more you spend time in fellowship with Him, the more His person, glory, character, wisdom and grace are revealed in your walk and in your talk! But if all you do is a few minutes of prayer occasionally, that’s not sufficient time for Him to condition your spirit and have Himself expressed in and through you in a remarkable way.
You need to give the Lord time and attention in the place of prayer and become so influenced by Him that you acquire His character and mannerisms. Then you find that your way of thinking and talking (your choice of words) have become so refined by Him. Train yourself for that conditioning to take place.
PRAYER: Dear Father, thank you for the blessed opportunity to fellowship and commune with you in prayer. I rejoice at the glorious impact and changes that take place in my spirit each time I pray! Thank you for the opportunity to effect positive and lasting changes through prayer, knowing that your ears are ever attentive to my voice to answer my prayers, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
FURTHER STUDY:
1 Thessalonians 5:16-17 CEV; Luke 18:1; Ephesians 6:18
1-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN: John 1:1-18 & 2 Samuel 15-17
2-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN: 1 Corinthians 3:1-9 & Psalm 147-148