Prayers
Devote Yourselves to Prayer
What does it mean to DEVOTE OURSELVES TO PRAYER? Paul said it this way to the Church of Colosse;
CONTINUE IN PRAYER, and watch in the same with thanksgiving (Colossians 4:2 KJV)
The Amplified Bible said it more practical and clearer; Be earnest and unwearied and steadfast in your Prayer [life], being [both] alert and intent in [your Praying] with thanksgiving (Col. 4:2 AMP)
The New American Standard Bible said, DEVOTE YOURSELVES TO PRAYER, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; (Col. 4:2 NAS)
Devoting ourselves to Prayer means;
1. CONTINUE TO PRAY (Continue to TALK TO GOD)
2. And to Watch (Being spiritually alert in every situation that we may find ourselves)
3. With Thanksgiving (A grateful heart of thanksgiving despite the circumstances and trials)
Paul taught the Church of Thessalonica to do the same thing; PRAY WITHOUT CEASING (1 Thess. 5:17 KJV) PRAY CONTINUALLY (NIV)
I love to replace OLD SCHOOL WORDS in Scripture with MODERN DAY WORDS that means the same thing but it gives us a clearer and more practical understanding of what we are suppose to do as Christians. This is why I use different translations like other Bible Teachers. We don’t speak the 1611 English from the King James era. So since were in 2014 we must share simple Words to convey the TRUTH of GOD’S WORD without perverting it.
Replacing Biblical Words Carefully
By replacing the Word PRAY with the Word TALK…we have a clearer meaning what PRAYER is—simply TALKING TO GOD. When we PRAY what do we do? WE TALK TO GOD ABOUT OUR SITUATION AND THEN MAKE A REQUEST ACCORDING TO HIS PROMISE, AND THEN WE THANK HIM FOR THE ANSWER IN ADVANCE AND THEN WE WILL SEE THE ANSWER TO WHAT WE DISCUSSED WITH GOD COME TO PASS IN THE FUTURE OR INSTANTANEOUSLY. (Please be patient with me on this fundamental explanation. I’m trying to get a point across to everyone).
My Testimony My Problems
I’m a strong personality type. I’m very driven and many times self-sufficient in my approach to everything that I do that is common sense. I rarely say anything to God in Prayer when it comes to my job description or work because it is routine. I only PRAY or TALK TO GOD when I’m dealing with Ministry. However, I make the mistake when I fail to PRAY or TALK TO GOD about little things. I even fail sometimes to give HIM thanks for everything, because I have a “gotta get it done mindset and next…” then at the end of the day the Holy Spirit brings me to remember my actions throughout the course of the day and I say Lord, forgive me for failing to acknowledge you in everything that I commonly do as a normal daily routine and forgive me for failing to fellowship with YOU in JESUS’ name.”
Paul said to CONTINUE TO TALK TO GOD (Col. 4:2 and 1 Thess. 5:17).
Paul said, keeping alert with an attitude of Thanksgiving (Col. 4:2 NAS).
So we can speak to God and just say thank you Lord for granting us the opportunity to work and be a great employee or small or large business owner. Thank you that I have what I need to do my job. Thank you that the employees are doing their jobs and I’m grateful for being able to work. I ask that YOU continue to bless us with more work and a steady income so we may Tithe, give and help others apart from our personal financial commitments and bills. Small TALK WITH GOD will build a strong relationship with HIM.
How Do We Pray without Ceasing?
I remember when I first read this Scripture in (1 Thessalonians 5:17); and I said to myself, “How in the world does God expect me to Pray all day?” I said this of course, because I really did not know all the Prayers we have in the Bible, and the many areas we can Pray or Talk to God about. However, now that I’m more mature spiritually I can PRAY all day according to all the Prayers Jesus and Paul taught and when I run out of English words to say I Pray in unknown tongues.
I also experienced inspired Prayer in unknown tongues. I could be doing my job at work and I would start to Pray softly in tongues. Although I don’t understand it after a while thoughts of what I’m Praying about become clear to me that the Holy Spirit is trying to tell me about something I must do. Several times when I was inspired to Pray in Unknown Tongues thoughts about the next article teaching I must write come to mind very clearly the Topic, intro, body, layout and points that need to be made—yet I’m TALKING TO GOD in a different language. And I would be inspired to do this for 30 minutes to up to 2 or 3 hours as I do household chores and cleaning or doing my job at work.
So, it is possible to PRAY WITHOUT CEASING. We could DEVOTE OURSELVES TO PRAYER and develop a longer conversation with GOD about many things, in our native language, in tongues, and according to the directions that Paul gave us. So let’s begin to Devote Ourselves to Prayer—Let’s Continue to TALK WITH GOD, Amen.
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