Pray without ceasing
1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing.
Prayer is an act of communication by humans with the sacred or holy God,
Before the sin of man in the garden of Eden, man was in spirit, and was able to have the presence of God...
God always come down in the cool of the evening to have a communion with man, these process was to strengthen the intimacy of man with God.
But after the sin of man, we lose that communion, even though He still speaks,, but the appearance of God like in the garden was lost.
God desires an intimacy with us, He wish to communicate with us, and the only medium of communication is provided in prayer.
Many only understand prayer as a time to receive from God, or you only pray when you are in trouble.
Prayer is like a routine maintenance of a car, you don't wait till it breaks down before you do the needful... Prayer is a continual process of intimacy with God and a pattern to be in His presence.
Kinds of prayer
Worship and praise.
This kind of prayer is to acknowledge God for what He is. Through this we show our love, respect and admiration to him. Worship and praise is not just an activity, it is a process of prayer and communication to God.
Petition and intercession
We petition and intercede when we are concerned with the needs of others. Intercession causes us to activate God’s word and exercise his power to change that for which we ask for (Act 12:5)
Supplication
This prayer involves the action of asking or begging for something earnestly or humbly through kneeling or bending down in the form of a plea. This is the most humbling of prayer types and takes total surrender and loss of control. (Philippians 4:6)
Thanksgiving
This is when we express gratitude for what For has done for us, what He is doing and what He will still do... Acknowledging God even when things are not right, but hope that God is powerful to save and deliver. (Psalm 103:1-4)
Spiritual warfare
This is when we deal with the battles within our self and others and use prayer to guard us against attacks, maintain focus, or receive deliverance. This prayer involves us asking Gods word to protect us and guard us against any harm. (Psalm 68)
When to prayer...
As a believer there is no particular time to pray, unlike the routine prayer session by the Jews having a time to walk up to the temple..
At the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we have the boldness to approach God anytime, anyday and anywhere we may find ourselves with no religious form of appearance... Our heart is the channel that must be connected to God...
Many stop praying when they receive what they asked for from God, many do not pray when they think there is nothing to pray for... But as a believer you pray always without ceasing until you die.
With the above kinds of prayer, you realize the need to pray always...
When you see the light of a new day, you worship and praise God (prayer),
when you see a brother derailing or needs help, you intercede (prayer),
when you need God to help you in certain situation you render supplication (prayer),
when you receive what you asked for, or hope in God for something, you render thanksgiving (prayer),
when you are engaged in battle with the devil, you activate spiritual warfare (prayer)
Praying without ceasing does not mean praying continuously or nonstop, but to have an attitude of prayer, a culture of prayer and routine time of prayer when will continually commune with God till the end of our life.
Pray even after praying and it seems your situation becomes more difficult... You pray till you have victory
A believer who lacks a prayer life becomes a prey for the devil.
Start praying, and don't stop praying, become a prayer addict.
God bless you
Prayer key:
1. Lord, thank you for the blessing of another day in Jesus Christ name.
2. Lord, help me to have an attitude of prayer in Jesus name.
3. Holy spirit, teach me to pray always in Jesus name..
4. Thank you for answered prayer in Jesus Christ name.