Change Your Attitude About Prayer
Prayer is an essential part of the life of any Believer who wants to walk in intimate fellowship with God and true spiritual authority. This practice however can be neglected due to a lack of commitment to a lifestyle of prayer. The way we think and believe about anything shapes our attitudes towards the thing, and furthermore informs how we engage it. If we adopt the right attitude about prayer, that will help us approach it with the fervency and intentionality the Bible teaches us to. If you're interested in reframing your thoughts about prayer and it's place in your life, read the full post below. ENCOURAGE
Affirmation: I live by prayer.
Anchor Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:17
“pray without ceasing.”
If you’re going to live a set apart life for Christ, prayer ought to take precedence. Many times, people wait until prayer meetings or church services to exercise this spiritual muscle, but this shouldn’t be the case. Prayer, put simply, is direct communication with God. It’s an invitation for us to develop intimacy with God, gain wisdom and understanding, find peace and clarity, exercise spiritual authority, align ourselves with God’s will, contend against the kingdom of darkness, and be spiritually strengthened so that we can live spirit led lives.
Prayer can be a time of listening, praising, requesting, petitioning, contending, acknowledging, declaring the scriptures, repenting, asking, interceding, meditating, and so much more. This is done both in the spirit and in your understanding (read 1 Corinthians 14:14-15, in context). Just think of all the different kinds of conversations we have with people every day; God desires that we have different conversations with Him too. Through prayer, we have the opportunity to communicate with and acknowledge Him in all that we do; Not because He’s lonely and needs someone to talk to, but because we need to be in constant fellowship and communication with Him for our benefit and spiritual development, and for His plans and will to be manifested on earth through us.
As the redeemed of the Lord, we have been granted the great privilege of direct access to God, through Jesus our Mediator (1 Timothy 2:5). God also chose to partner with us through giving us dominion and authority in the earth and heavens and we exercise much of that power through words, especially in prayer. Words are incredibly powerful, more than I think the we truly comprehend. Words are not just mere air rolling off our tongues, they are more like spiritual bricks, building things in the spirit, or like spiritual mail being sent to unseen addresses that eventually create a response in the natural. How is that so? It’s because the same creative power God used to speak all things into existence, is the same power and authority He’s placed in us through Jesus, just at a different level. This is why the scriptures say things like:
“…whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:19
“And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” John 14:13-14
“A man’s stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth; From the produce of his lips he shall be filled.” Proverbs 18:20
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Proverbs 18:21
“But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgement. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” Matthew 12:36-37.
When we understand the power of words alone, we can begin to understand the power of prayer.
Prayer is not just for ritualistic things such as praying over communion, over meals, for your day, or before going to bed. While we should continue those practices, we should learn to develop times of prayer that are both for deeper spiritual things and the mundane. Examples of the deeper spiritual matters that require extended times of prayer are things such as intercession, spiritual warfare, seeking direction/answers, prayer during a time of fasting, praying in the spirit, meditating on the word/declaring scriptures over a situation, or spending time fellowshipping with God. Examples of the mundane would be taking moments for things like thanking God for getting you somewhere safely, protection prayers, praying before going into a meeting or having a conversation with someone, praying over your body before a workout, praying for strangers, asking for Godly wisdom, or asking Holy Spirit to help you find a parking spot. It’s okay for prayer to be dynamic because your life is dynamic. The goal is simply to communicate and acknowledge Him throughout the day, consistently and intentionally, understanding that prayer is you participating in your spiritual partnership and relationship with God.
Just think about Prophet Elijah, who prayed and it did not rain for 3 years, then prayed again and the rain returned (1 Kings 18); Or how about Hezekiah in Isaiah 37, when he received a threatening letter from his enemies, he prayed and God sent and angel to kill 185,000 Assyrian soldiers to deliver his people. Think about Esther, who summoned her people to fast and pray that Haman’s plan to annihilate the Jews would cease, and it did! Think about Paul and Silas in prison, who prayed and sang hymns to God, and suddenly an earthquake shook the prison and set them free (Acts 16:25-40). Think about our Lord, Jesus, who went away often to pray (Luke 5:16). If Jesus, the Son of God, the Living Word, who was God in the flesh prayed, how much more should we? All of these are great examples of the power and necessity of prayer. It’s literally a supreme spiritual advantage, so why aren’t we taking advantage of it?
As a collective body, we must change our attitude about prayer. We can’t look at it as optional or only “when I feel like it.” It must be a spiritual discipline that we cultivate into a habit that will turn into a lifestyle, which will produce a genuine prayer culture. Let me say that again:
PRAYER has to become a spiritual DISCIPLINE that we cultivate into a HABIT, that will turn into a LIFESTYLE, which will produce a genuine prayer CULTURE.
However, it’s impossible for anyone to develop a discipline if they don’t think it’s important enough. So first, we have to address our mindset about prayer. In order for us to change our attitude about prayer we need to change our thinking about it. Romans 12:2 tells us to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. If all your life, or all your walk with Christ, you’ve looked at prayer as this formal, ceremony-only, ritualistic practice, then you’re going to reserve it for special occasions only. If you view prayer as a spiritual calling, opportunity to connect with your Creator, and partnership with God to bring things on earth as they are in heaven (Matthew 6:10), you would approach it differently. My question to you is: What are some thoughts/beliefs you have about prayer that need to change in order for you to develop a genuine heart and desire for prayer?
For me, I’ve learned to think of prayer as spiritual fuel. Without it, I can’t expect to really go anywhere or accomplish anything. I had to tell myself this in order to get serious about my prayer life. I believe that as long as we live we all should continue growing in our prayer life because we should never stop growing in our relationship and knowledge of God. There have been times I’ve had a “dry” and practical prayer life and that was fine in that season, but the Lord had to grow me up and teach me that prayer was a way of life and truly a call, a powerful tool, and a privilege. I had to let go of excuses and believe that prayer is just as important, if not more important than any other natural responsibilities I had in my life. This led me to develop the same mentality toward reading and studying the scriptures. One practice I began to help me be intentional about putting the word first was refusing to eat anything before I first ate the word of God. Whether its a few verses or a few chapters, I have decided not to eat physical food before I eat my spiritual food. This is a discipline I’ve developed to keep myself in remembrance that God and my spirit come first, not my flesh/physical, and it has helped me tremendously in my relationship with God. I’m not saying you have to do that, but what I am saying is we have to get to a place where Matthew 6:33 becomes not just a cute quote, but a way of life.
My friend, prayer is pivotal. It is something that keeps our lives fortified in God and strengthens our spirit so we can run this race of faith with endurance and purpose. I don’t know what your current prayer life is like, or what your mindset towards prayer is, but let this be an encouragement to you today to see prayer as more than just a formality. Instead, see it as an opportunity to commune, connect, and partner with God. Will you accept the invitation to develop a lifestyle and culture of prayer?
EQUIP
Meditation Scriptures:
These should give you a good starting place to anchor yourself in the importance of prayer.
Romans 8:26-27
Philippians 4:6-7
James 5:16
Ephesians 6:18
Jude 1:20
Matthew 7:7
Matthew 18:19-20
Matthew 21:22
John 15:7
BUILD
Reflect on your prayer life:
What do yo want to change? What’s going well? Where could you grow?
BONUS: When I first started walking with the Lord, I struggled with what/how to pray. I eventually came across a YouTube channel, Grace for Purpose, that helped me learn more about the heart of prayer and praying the scriptures daily over my life. I would simply listen or pray along until I became comfortable and confident praying for myself and others. I always felt encouraged by their prayers and still listen often to get myself in the right spiritual and mental headspace. If you need help in your prayer life, feel free to pray along to any of their videos! Link to Grace for Purpose Channel.
