The Weapon Of Prayer

The significance of prayer is something that we as Christians frequently undervalue. We observe men and women of God who demonstrate the value of prayer by demonstrating a close connection with God that has developed through supplication to our heavenly Father. Without prayer, you cannot develop your faith, and without faith, you are not his. A connection with God is successful through prayer, which is one of the most effective practices we must engage in if we want God to carry out his will in our lives.

The primary types of prayer:

- Supplication

Supplication (also known as petitioning) is a form of prayer, wherein one party humbly or earnestly asks another party to provide something, either for the party who is doing the supplicating (e.g., "Please spare my life.") or on behalf of someone else.

 

- Thanksgiving

The word thanksgiving means the act of expressing or feeling thankfulness. In other words, it's the act of giving thanks for what you're grateful for. This sense of the word is often used in a religious context. For example, a prayer of thanksgiving involves praying to express gratitude for the blessings in one's life.

 

- Adoration

In prayers of adoration or worship, we exalt the greatness of God and acknowledge our dependence on Him in all things. The mass and the other liturgies of the Church are full of prayers of adoration or worship, such as the Gloria (the Glory to God). Among private prayers, the act of faith is a prayer of adoration.

 

- Confession

A prayer of confession is a way for us to acknowledge and repent of our sins. Through prayers of confession, we come clean with God about our mistakes and need for God's grace, preparing our hearts to be cleansed by Christ's sacrifice and transformed by the Holy Spirit.

 

- Intercession

Intercession, or intercessory prayer, is the act of praying to a deity on behalf of others, or asking a saint in heaven to pray on one's behalf or for others.

 

I'll like to emphasize on our time spend with God through prayer.

As a result, we can see that there are numerous methods to approach God in prayer while following the teachings of the Bible. Because the Bible is there to lead us on this path, Christians can see instances of situations where prayer made a significant difference in how they handled dangerous situations. When they needed a path out, they were aware of their means of subsistence and understood what to do. "O our God, wilt thou not judge them? For we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.'' (2 Chronicles 20:11 KJV) When Jehoshaphat learned that a large number of people were approaching to engage in combat, he immediately sought the Lord and declared a fast throughout all of Judah. When we face obstacles, the first thing we should do is approach God. Depending on the circumstances, this should go beyond simple prayer and require us to address the issue through prayer and fasting. The Bible makes clear that the people of God believed that praying to their deity was the only method to overcome difficulties. "If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help." (2 Chronicles 20:9 KJV) When we stand in the presence of God and pray to him in our suffering while facing depression, sickness, pestilence, judgment, school stress, or judgment, he will hear us and assist us, according to what he said. Prayer is essential, but so is being in God's sanctuary, because when you're there, he'll hear you and answer. Elkanah's barren wife Hannah went to the sanctuary, where the Ark of the Covenant was kept, and prayed and cried vehemently to the Lord. If God granted her a son, she swore she would surrender him to God. When the priest, Eli, saw her praying, he assumed she was drunk.

Hannah prayed meekly and honestly to God. She was aware of her need. When she went to the temple, where she knew that God was present and could be reached, she made her plea to God with the assurance that God was aware of it.

 The most serious issue I see with believers is how little time we spend with God. I've come to the realization that we haven't established strong roots and a solid foundation for prayer in our lives. Instead, we have become so preoccupied with a variety of activities that prayer, which ought to be our top priority, has become the root that needs water for survival. We continue to walk past the well because there are so many droplets of distractions at work and in school from some of the people we surround ourselves with that the devil uses to divert our attention away from the fountain God has provided inside; the well to water our roots with prayer. In order for God's will to be accomplished in our lives, prayer has now taken on the role of a well of water, and without it, we would not be able to grow into the people God wants us to be. "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." (Romans 8:26) Therefore, we observe how the spirit assists us because, in truth, it is aware of our needs before we are. It is for us to nourish the spirit and take delight in the Lord so that the spirit within us can intercede. Before we even consider praying, we must understand that God is already aware of our innermost thoughts. Therefore, before we pray, we must fervently seek God, pleading with him to grant us the right heart, the right desires, and the will to be done, as there are times when our will is completely at odds with his. Praying should be a necessity in our lives.

"It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than words without heart."

 

"The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:5-7 KJV)

 In a time when it is evident that the Lord is at hand, it is no time to be anxious when trouble befalls us. Rather, in everything that will come at us through prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to our God.

Increase in compassion and harmony. Thank you so much for visiting and reading; I sincerely appreciate it.

Discipline Over Motivation

There comes a time on our journey as Christians when we run out of motivation to do the essential things in our lives, the things that are needed for spiritual growth. Indeed, when we reach that point, we realize that discipline is one of the most important principles we must incorporate into our lives, spiritually, physically, and mentally. How crucial is discipline, is the issue we now need to ask? Recently, the idea occurred to me that developing a strong foundation based on discipline is the first step on the road to spiritual growth. Being disciplined is the bridge that separates spiritual growth from being complacent where you are. Have you ever wanted to pray but were unable to do so because you were on the phone? How can we make ourselves available to God if we have not yet developed the spiritual capacity to discipline ourselves to fast and pray? The flesh will always crave what the spirit forbids, so discipline is what propels you to carry out your duties.

I've learned on my spiritual journey that there will come a time when I allow demotivation to put me in a place where I'm comfortable with not fasting and praying. At that point, my flesh would then take control of my mind, and I'll start to revert to the state I once had to constantly be fasting to escape. I simply never understood how I could get out of the state of feeling emotionally demotivated, and it was at this point that I started to think back to the days when I was playing high school basketball. There were countless days when I did not feel motivated to train, but it was the principles of discipline that helped me get to the point where my mind was shaped by the adage, "No matter rain, sunshine, or storm, training must be attended," and it was through discipline that I was able to persevere no matter the circumstance. I then came to the realization that I had to discipline myself to pray and fast even when I didn't feel like it. I had to learn that the desires of the flesh were to keep me on my phone during times when I was demoted so that I could allow myself to fall into a situation that it took numerous days of fasting to pull me out of. I gradually started to get rid of the items that were impeding my spiritual development. The worst place we can be as Christians is when we allow ourselves to get used to not pursuing the burning desires of the spirit through fasting and prayer. We must realize that the body wants nothing positive towards the spirit and that it is the opposite of those burning desires. ''Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." (Matthew 25:41) 

''Daniel always prayed to God three times every day. Three times every day, he bowed down on his knees to pray and praise God. Even though Daniel heard about the new law, he still went to his house to pray. He went up to the upper room of his house and opened the windows that faced toward Jerusalem. Then Daniel bowed down on his knees and prayed just as he always had done." (Daniel 6:10) Daniel had a wish to honor God after his encounter with him, regardless of what others around him were doing. God is worthy of all of our adoration. It is in the time you spend with God that you see that no matter what your sufferings are keeping you down, he has the ability to expose the glory in you. When we are not feeling well, he deserves our time. When work is making you depressed, he deserves your time. I urge you to practice spiritual discipline because there will come a time when you won't be motivated to pray, fast, study the Bible, or meditate on it because of the world around you. At that point, you'll be in a pit of demotivation brought on by this life and the desires of the flesh, but your preparation will help you escape the pit. A spiritual existence centered on God and discipline is founded on a strong foundation. Your spiritual life will eventually start to flourish as a result of discipline, making praying and fasting essential. When you control your mind and body to restrain your carnal cravings through days of fasting, you can access God's deeper levels—regardless of how appetizing the food your partner or parent is preparing may smell. Avoid allowing yourself to get to the point where practicing spiritual discipline becomes spiritually unmotivating and you are not fasting and meditating as you ought to. It is now imperative that you awake.

"Discipline serves as a barrier between spiritual growth and being content with where you are now."

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