Grace and Prayer Life
Without prayer, a discipline of prayer, a life of prayer, there would be no spiritual life, no appetite, no yearning, no encounter, no impact, no power release, no change, no kingdom advancement, nothing!
That is why I believe that one of the main focuses of the enemy, is to distract Christians or disable us from praying and praying regularly. Also, and equally troubling is the phenomenon of prayer in the form of lip service and ritualistic recitation void of authority and power from Heaven.
"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God." (Romans 8:26-27)
As important as the grace of God is, it would be completely wasted without the proper approach and discipline. Many traditions have kept those disciplines but have shut the door to God's grace, and others keep seeking more of His grace without any proper discipline, enjoying moments or seasons of revival at best.
I believe that as we grow and mature, we come to the realization that what God is looking for is faithful stewards; not of worldly or religious riches but of heavenly graces, distributed to each of us according to our individual calling. That is what the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus enabled, namely by sending the Holy Spirit to dwell in us. (Ephesians 4:7-10)
I have often been a victim of "ups and downs" with high peaks of ups and very low valleys of downs, due to inconsistency in my prayer life, wrongly assuming that "His grace is sufficient for me", without actually taking the necessary measures to benefit from the grace available for me. And I believe that there is a demonic force behind this deception. His grace is not only here to deliver, but also to sustain and promote. But to prepare the ground for His work in us and through us is a must.
We see a very beautiful example of this when Israel returned from exile in Babylon and went through so many stages until it reached the climax of ministry which was to host the presence of God with manifested power and glory.
The Holy Spirit dwells in us. The glory of God is in us. We are carriers of His grace. We do not want to be handicapped. We want to see our calling fulfilled and the Lord glorified through us. It starts with repentance and it starts with a commitment. It keeps growing by staying faithful to our commitment and keeping watch. Repentance and Spiritual warfare must be a daily thing in our lives. His grace is sufficient to do the rest and see to it that it is carried on to completion.
God bless you.
