A Life-style Choice
The passages in this lesson teach a powerful twofold truth—not only is
prayer important, but consistency in prayer is also necessary.
Not being consistent in prayer is like owning a product, but never using
it. The item may be the best in the world and desperately needed, but if it is never used, it will
not benefit the individual in any way.
Prayer is a very personal and sacred task. No one else can pray the prayers
that God wants you to personally lift up to Him.
This lesson also covers the necessity of praying in spite of opposition to
our prayers. Time scheduling, fatigue, mental distractions, trials and many other things (phone) can
hinder the child of God from praying on a regular basis.
Prayer is a matter of life-style choice. God doesn’t force us. He provides
the means for us to live victoriously in Him. Failure to pray regularly results in an anemic
spiritual life. It follows the same concept as when a person chooses not to eat regularly and
properly. Because we have Jesus Christ, our great High Priest, making intercession for us at the
right hand of God, we who believe in Jesus are instructed to come boldly to God, to obtain mercy and
grace to help us in the time of need.
As Christians we will never reach a point in our spiritual development that
we will no longer need to pray. As we mature in our relationship with Christ, the content of our
prayers may change (probably to more praising and thankfulness and less asking) but we will always
need to commune with God in prayer.
CONSISTENCY IN PRAYER
There is something about spending time before God in devotion each day that
brings stability to a person’s life. Personal devotions can be done in many ways but there are
certain characteristics that mark them.
The first is worship. There is more involved in true worship than gathering
together, singing Christian songs and listening to people pray. It is possible to do all these things
and many similar things and yet not worship God. To worship Him is to commune with Him, to be
occupied with Him and to adore and magnify Him.
The church building is surely not the only place where God may be
worshiped. True, the conditions and circumstances are often more conducive to worship than they are
in some other places.
But God can be worshiped whenever and wherever the believer chooses. The
heart can cry out to God in adoration and praise without even a word being spoken. God desires to be
worshiped.
He wants the believer’s fellowship. What a privilege it is for the child of
God to walk and talk with Him. The Creator of Heaven and earth, who spoke with the result that worlds
came into being, calls us to communication with Him is both humbling and gratifying.
It is in Spirit and in truth that God desires us to worship Him. In fact,
that is the only way in which He can be truly worshiped.
Man is made for worship. He carries worship in his heart. That is why
people everywhere practice some form of worship.
Christians worship God in order to being glory, honor and praise to Him.
Christian worship is born in love, obedience and zeal for the glory of God.
Pure worship does not seek to get something out of worship, but rather to
bring something to God for His glory and honor. This is why true worship takes place in the spirit
and in truth and is carried on in the Spirit.
One of the ways Abraham demonstrated his love to God was by building altars
to worship God wherever He went.
As Abraham and his family lived among worshipers of the sun, moon, stars
and an assortment of other false gods, he continued to worship the Lord no matter to which country
God sent him.
Abraham was a wandering herdsman but wherever he camped he heaped platforms
of stones for sacrifices to the Lord. They stood in stark contrast to the shrines and idols of the
Canaanites.
