HEARTFELT AND PERSISTENT PRAYER

04/24/2023

"Therefore, confess your sins to one another [your false steps, your offences], and pray for one another, that you may be healed and restored. The heartfelt and persistent prayer of a righteous man (believer) is able to accomplish much [when put into action and made effective by God—it is dynamic and can have tremendous power]. (James 5:16)

The prayer that moves God is the prayer that is heartfelt. If you don't feel it in your heart, you might as well get a pillow and snooze off. If you are wondering what might be missing from a glorious prayer life, if you crave one, it might just be the fact that you haven't yet understood that your heart is an altar, and it is where spiritual things take flight and land. 

The second thing you might yet need to grasp is that prayer is labour. You press in prayer until your heart has been affected. This is why Jesus said, " And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses" (Mark 11:25). The mechanics of your heart cannot carry any other weight when you want to pray in a result-oriented manner. You cannot pray with a grudge, anxiety, or even excitement about something else apart from God. In the place of prayer, only God's presence can mantle your heart. 

But what happens if I am distracted while praying? Someone might ask. It means that you haven't reached the point of prayer, and you are still being primed for the actual prayer. Don't stop; keep speaking in tongues until you reach the point of prayer. For some, and in some situations, they start speaking in tongues, and immediately, they get to the point of prayer. They are carried into that heartfelt prayer mode. For others, particularly if the busyness of life has gotten in their way, it may take some time to enter the point of prayer. 

What is most important is that when you pray, your heart is engaged and unencumbered by any cares or unforgiveness. A pliable and unencumbered heart is the state of heart that allows you to soar with the Lord into dimensions and realms of glory.

May the light of God shine in your heart today, causing a flood of light to crowd out every uncertainty. You find clarity today in your decision-making and an abundance of peace. In Jesus' name. Amen

Faith-Filled Confession

My heart is a readied altar for the prosecution of God's plans, pursuits, and purposes. The mechanics of my heart is so attuned to the workings of God that so much is accomplished by the Lord in and through me today. In Jesus' name. Amen. 

One-Year Reading Plan:2 Samuel 7-9; Luke 19:1-28