Pray Without Ceasing

We have Wars, Hatred, Hurricane’s, Mass Shootings, Political Figures who are supposed to be doing good for the people running for office for the purpose of destroying democracy and satisfying the rich.

Then you have those who feel they are losing their identity and want to make any good progress go away and have us go back to the days when one race was in charge and everyone else was slaves.

Famine, Poverty, Homelessness, Jealousy, Envy, Family members against each other, children afraid to go to school because they don’t know if they will come back home again, and the list goes on and on.

With everything that is going on in the world today we are in the beginning of sorrows and need to pray. When we do so, we need to pray without ceasing as the scripture states in 1 st Thessalonians 5:16-18 :

16 Always rejoice. 17 Pray without ceasing. 18 In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus toward you.

In 1 st Thessalonians, the apostle Paul does not mean we have to fall on our knees and pray 24 hours a day or walk around saying things just to be saying something. You don’t do that with your earthly love ones and God does not expect you to do that with Him. Prayer without ceasing is a lifestyle change that should come naturally to you. It is an opportunity for you to become intimate with your heavenly Father, letting Him know how you feel and asking Him for help. You don’t have to schedule a time to pray. You can use little intermediate phrases throughout the day to talk to Our Heavenly Father.

For Example:

–      Thank God for waking you up.

–      Ask Him for a restful night’s sleep.

–      Ask that He protects you and your family.

–      Pray while doing your chores.

–      Put a prayer on your phone.

–      Ask God for safe travel when you get into your car.

–      Thank Him when you arrive to and from your destination safely.

–      Ask Him to help you when you are having a bad day at work.

–      Thank Him for putting a roof over your head.

When we do this, we experience His goodness, directions, and faithfulness.

You might say, I pray without ceasing, but God has not answered my prayers.

When you go to a vending machine you put the money in, press the button for what you want, and it drops down. You are happy with your purchase.

But what if things do not go as you planned? You put the wrong amount of money in the vending machine or pushed the wrong button. Maybe it is broken, and they don’t know when it will be back in operation. What are you going to do.

Our Father is not like a vending machine sitting around waiting for you to ask in prayer for what you want, and He grants it to you immediately. There are certain requirements.

First, when you ask you must believe (have faith) that you will receive it.

Second , you must have the right motive and intentions when you ask.

Third, if you have something against your brother, you must reconcile with them.

Fourth, no response does not automatically mean NO. God will respond in His timing and not your timing. Maybe there is no response because He knows that what you ask for, is not in your best interest.

When you go to your prayer closet and want to spend some quality time with Our Father in prayer, follow these prayer steps.

P – Praise God for His Goodness and Mercy and give Him thanks for everything He has done in your life.

R – Repent and ask God to forgive you for anything you may have done, knowing or unknowing that was not acceptable and pleasing to Him.

A – Ask and acknowledge with the right attitude. God is your Father. When you do ask, make sure that it is aligned with His will.

Y – You should feel natural when it comes to prayer and don’t pray for show.

E – Enjoy spending time with God in whichever way you choose. It could be in your prayer room or any room in the house. It can be in any position at any time, just be real.

R – Rejoice in advance that your prayer has been answered. It may be in a way you did not expect.