Devoted to Prayer Part 2
Devoted to Prayer Part 2
Be constant in prayer. Romans 12:12
Everyone prays in one way or another, but God calls us to be devoted to prayer. Not only is the early church an example of being devoted to prayer, but the apostle Paul told the church in Rome that they, too, were to be devoted to prayer.
The strongest word in the Greek language for commitment is proskartereo. It is used only nine times in the New Testament, five times in relation to prayer. It is the single word used to describe the prayer life of the early church in Jerusalem before and after Pentecost, and it is the word the apostle Paul uses here to exhort the believers in Rome to “be constant in prayer.” It means “to lock onto with all our strength and refuse to let go.” It is like a pit bull dog who sinks its jaws into a piece of raw meat, or a heat seeking missile that locks onto a heat source and refuses to veer off course until it hits the target. As followers of Christ, His manifest presence is obviously the heat source, and God exhorts us to lock on to His manifest presence until we hit the target.
The mistake you do not want to make is to think that this is an exhortation to simply try harder. The call to be devoted to prayer is not calling to your soul, but rather to your spirit. The Holy Spirit dwells in your spirit, and He calls to your spirit to seek His presence. Your prayer life will not be transformed by trying harder, but by yielding to the desires of the Holy Spirit within you.
Father God, I renounce self will. I yield today to the yearning of the Holy Spirit within me for the presence of Christ. Today, I devote myself to be a person of Your presence, in Jesus’ Name.
Please PRAY!
We are asking God for the remaining world countries and U.S.A. states to receive the training of the College of Prayer. Pray with us today for Lithuania and New Hampshire.
YEAR ON FIRE
© Fred A. Hartley, III
All rights reserved
Unless otherwise indicated, the English Standard Bible (ESV) is used.
This daily Christ-encountering, fire-starter is not intended to replace your daily Bible reading and prayer time, but rather to motivate you to spend extended time in His presence.
Be constant in prayer. Romans 12:12
Everyone prays in one way or another, but God calls us to be devoted to prayer. Not only is the early church an example of being devoted to prayer, but the apostle Paul told the church in Rome that they, too, were to be devoted to prayer.
The strongest word in the Greek language for commitment is proskartereo. It is used only nine times in the New Testament, five times in relation to prayer. It is the single word used to describe the prayer life of the early church in Jerusalem before and after Pentecost, and it is the word the apostle Paul uses here to exhort the believers in Rome to “be constant in prayer.” It means “to lock onto with all our strength and refuse to let go.” It is like a pit bull dog who sinks its jaws into a piece of raw meat, or a heat seeking missile that locks onto a heat source and refuses to veer off course until it hits the target. As followers of Christ, His manifest presence is obviously the heat source, and God exhorts us to lock on to His manifest presence until we hit the target.
The mistake you do not want to make is to think that this is an exhortation to simply try harder. The call to be devoted to prayer is not calling to your soul, but rather to your spirit. The Holy Spirit dwells in your spirit, and He calls to your spirit to seek His presence. Your prayer life will not be transformed by trying harder, but by yielding to the desires of the Holy Spirit within you.
Father God, I renounce self will. I yield today to the yearning of the Holy Spirit within me for the presence of Christ. Today, I devote myself to be a person of Your presence, in Jesus’ Name.
Please PRAY!
We are asking God for the remaining world countries and U.S.A. states to receive the training of the College of Prayer. Pray with us today for Lithuania and New Hampshire.
YEAR ON FIRE
© Fred A. Hartley, III
All rights reserved
Unless otherwise indicated, the English Standard Bible (ESV) is used.
This daily Christ-encountering, fire-starter is not intended to replace your daily Bible reading and prayer time, but rather to motivate you to spend extended time in His presence.
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