Ye have not, because ye ask not (James 4:2b KJV)

When a believing person prays, great things happen. It is the greatest honor to partner with the God of the universe, and be part of realizing things in this world that would have not otherwise come to be. Treasuring prayer is a sign that we are practicing the friendship of God in reality.

There is nothing that thrills our souls like watching things unfold as God moves in response to our prayers that were first disclosed to us by Him, as a result of being blessed in having His mind. Let us not waste our lives in settling for mediocrity when in fact we are called to cause miracles happen in our world.

As we grow in Christ, we move from self-centered prayers that don’t go beyond our ceilings to prayers prompted by His Spirit.  Deeper walk with God paves the way to coming to a place where we are in the same page with God.  Then prayer becomes an exciting practice that reveals His glory on regular basis.

Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. Jeremiah 33:3 KJV

Taking the time to know and do the will of God opens the door to great and mighty things. God will shape our thinking and our priorities when we choose to take time in prayer.  Intensive prayer that puts His agenda first will surely get answers from the Father.

No matter how noble a cause is; prayer shouldn’t be compromised. Especially when the cause involves several people, prayer is an indispensible route to formation of unity. It is only in prayer that we can come to function in one accord.

Prayer also brings down the scheme of the power of darkness and facilitate the flow of grace to move through and among us. It releases the power of God to mold and make us flow in unison in the path charted by Holy Spirit.

If we choose to make deeper walk with God, we need to realize that prayer puts us in helpless position thereby helping us draw power from on high.  If we choose to make it happen and run the show, then prayer is optional.  However, if we choose to see Jesus Christ move in our midst – then prayer is no longer optional but is the only way to lose self and let Him shine for the glory of God.

“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16

As we grow in living out a deeper walk with God, we come to understand that there is more to success than what appears on the surface.  As the demands of life pull and push us, we need more than the usual aids of balance and priority. Balance and priority are important and must be implemented; however, doing such is not enough for the one on a journey of a deeper walk with God. We come to learn the secret of owning up to our only responsibility: showing up before the throne of grace every moment of our daily walk. When this lesson is learned, it relieves the overwhelming pressure of making it through successfully in life.

We are not doing this alone.  We are learning to be a coworker with the Almighty. In this partnership with the Divine, we need to make a distinction between our part and His part.  Our part is to show up, and the rest is His grace enabling us to do what needs to be done. It is this secret that makes us fruitful, blessed, restful, and earn eternal dividends along the way. God wants us to be committed to keep our end, which is show up. The question is our availability for Him to show us His grace and power.  When we tap to the strength that comes from Christ, what we can be or can do is beyond the natural domain.

How one can move in life doing so much and yet feeling less overwhelmed and exhausted?  The mystery lies in the power of the Holy Spirit that empowers us to do more with less.  That is what we call the blessing that dictates the laws of increase at a greater return.  It is not just work marked by excellence, but restful work that get us into more rest as time passes. We get connected to the power within – the Lord Jesus Christ – by simply showing up for His grace to work wonders in our lives for the praise of His Name. Amen.

Pray without ceasing.  1 Thessalonians 5:17

How sweet is simple conversations with the Divine that goes on and on throughout the day and even at night in waking moments. As we practice a deeper walk with God, our hearts’ desire becomes the Father – first and foremost.  And out of this priority comes unceasing conversations that dominate our lives, rain or shine.

The greatest test of our unadulterated loyalty to the Lord is the capacity to be above the care of the world, and seek His kingdom first (Matt. 6:33).  When our mind remains steadfast on Him and Him alone, the blessing of His face shining upon us is most satisfying.  In such state, the devil’s tricks don’t easily distract us. Therefore, we don’t sever our lifeline to our heavenly Father whatsoever.

We love simple conversations with Jesus Christ, for it sustains us to remain in Him.  On a daily basis, we learn to let go and come to Him as we are in simplicity and humility.  It is a love affair with the Divine that nourishes our soul and heals our inner being.  It is like dancing as some say, moving in rhythm with Him every step of the way, now and into eternity.

Prayer is not supposed to be a business transaction that needs to be settled only in a specified period of time.  Rather, prayer is an uninterrupted love conversation with our Father that helps us to know Him better and get us into His perfect rest in the process.

It hurts our loving Father when we choose to forfeit the blessing of communing with the Lord Jesus Christ and wander in the wilderness. God’s bountiful grace is available if we just turn our face to Him to help us live out a deeper walk with God. 

“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You” Isa 26:3 NKJV

The source of our peace is the Lord Jesus Christ  (John 14:27).  How come then as professing Christians and followers of Jesus Christ, we find ourselves in having a peace that is much less than perfect at times?   A closer look reveals that it is because we were not in tune with the Lord at such times.  Deeper walk with God is typified with a life style of being in tune with the Lord.

What comes to our mind when we wake up in the morning?  Are we worshipping and praising the Lord while taking shower or while on the road?  Do we start our day in spending quality time with Him first thing in the morning?  Are we relying on His power to do our job all day long?  Whatever we are doing, are we mindful of the Lord Jesus Christ?  In short, are we praying unceasingly (1 Thes 5:17)? The answers to these questions dictate the status of our peace.

It is only human to fall short from time to time.  That is okay, but are we conscious of the peace gauge in our heart to sense and be right with Him sooner than later in such a case?  When our mind is fixed on Him all day long and yes even at waking moments in our sleep we come to experience a perfect peace that passes understanding.  What motivate us to let our mind stay on Him?  The force behind such a life experience is our capacity to trust Him.  The more we trust Him in every detail of our life; we tend to bring all matters to Him.

It is no use to have morning devotion and forget about Him all day long.  It is important we have uninterrupted devotion with our Lord.  As much us we need constant breathing of air, we need much more to breath His life on a constant basis all day and all night.  Let us get plugged to such a life style through the power of the Holy Spirit and enjoy perfect peace unknown to the world whatsoever.

Father, we love You for You are trustworthy.  We praise Your name for calling us to such a heavenly life style.  You know us that we don’t have what it takes to remain in You even for an hour.  But with Your grace we are more than able to be in You all the time.  Make each second count as we go about this day and the days to come for Your glory.

Praise be to Your Holy name!

Are you praying for something only to find out that the answer to your prayer is NO from the Lord?

If the NO is coming from the Lord, it is a blessing in disguise. Instead of being discouraged, see it from His vantage point. Love is the motivation for His response to our prayer. Whatever His response is, it is for our own good.

It is true, YES to our prayer is a song to our ears. It is time to grow up in His love to embrace NO with such delight knowing that we are dearly loved.