Friday, 17th June, 2022
By Pastor Chris Oyakhilome
"And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone" (Matthew 14:23 KJV)
Prayer is part of our priestly ministry. The Bible says men ought to always pray and not to give up. The Lord Jesus showed us, with practical examples, the importance and power of prayer. Mark 1:35 MSG tells us, “While it was still night, way before dawn, he got up and went out to a secluded spot and prayed.” Luke 5:16 says, “And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.”
Jesus was disciplined with his prayer routine, and we ought to emulate Him. You are a soldier in God’s army, and the hallmark of a soldier is discipline. Christianity is a call to a life of spiritual discipline. There is a disciplined prayer life you ought to cultivate, and you can’t leave it out or leave it to chance.
You cannot say, “I will pray whenever I feel like”; no! In the army, you do not do things when or because you feel like; you do things because you have to do them. You stick to the schedule; excuses are not tolerated. Scheduled times of prayer must be an integral part of your daily routine. First, you must have a personal prayer schedule. At such times, nothing else should be more important. Discipline yourself and pray; avoid distractions.
Secondly, take your corporate times of prayer seriously, whether you are participating onsite or online. It is one of the many benefits of being a member of a local church. Churches have structures, and members of the body of Christ generally belong to a church. Through the church structure, there could be prayer times allotted to different cell groups or even the whole church could be praying together at specific times. Be sure to be a part of it.
I send out notifications for prayer on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for us to pray for 15 minutes at 12 noon and 10pm local time on Kingschat via the PastorChrislive superuser. If you have not been praying with us on that platform, sign up and turn on the notifications on your device to join millions around the world in these special times of prayer.
PRAYER/CONFESSION
"Dear Father, thank you for the privilege to pray and side with you to enforce your will in the earth and in the lives of men. Through prayer, my eyes are open to spiritual realities, and your thoughts are unveiled to my spirit, causing me to walk in ever-increasing glory, in Jesus’ Name. Amen."
FURTHER STUDY:
Luke 18:1; Romans 8:26-27; Ephesians 6:18 AMPC
1 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
Acts 7:1-53; 2 Chronicles 29-30
2 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
2 Corinthians 5:1-10; Isaiah 3