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Public Prayer  We have seen Jesus tell us to not
make a public spectacle of ourselves by public prayer but to enter into our
prayer closet and shut the door. Then we have seen the apostles tell us to
continue in prayer and be instant in prayer. I believe both are extremely
important to have a successful prayer life and grow in our walk by faith. We
find that both prayer and faith are an attitude of the heart. Hebrews 11:6 but without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that
cometh to God must believe that He is, and
that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.  Seeking God cannot be a part-time mission. We seek His face and His will during those quiet
times in our prayer closet but also during those busy times as we go about our
daily lives. We draw closer when we seek Him not just in the big decisions but
in the little ones also. The man on his way to work one morning ran into a
traffic accident and asked God if he should try and take a different route. He
believed God was leading him to try and go a different way which turned out to
take even longer and make him even later for work than he would have been if he
had stayed on the way he normally took. He is alive today because he was instant
in prayer. He worked at the twin towers in New York City on Sept. 11, 2001 and
by being faithful got there after the planes had crashed. There are hundreds of
stories of those who walked by faith and didn't make it to work that fateful day
at the twin towers. Like the woman who, although running late for work, stopped to
take the time to pray with her two children before sending them off to school. I
love the acronym Oz Hillman has for TGIF-Today - God Is First. We cannot live an
abundant life if our shepherd is not leading in all we do for we like sheep will
go astray if we don't have our shepherd to lead the way.
John 10:27 my sheep listen to my
voice; I know them, and they follow me. 
John 12:26 whoever serves me must follow me;
and where I am, my servant also
will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me. Being instant and in continual prayer is how we grow in our walk by
faith and learn God's will for our life. This also includes corporate prayer
when done for the glory of God. Corporate prayer can be standing up in the
congregation at the Sunday or Wednesday evening prayer service, asking the
blessing on the meal at a public restaurant or in a hospital where there are
non-believers present. If done from the heart to bring glory to God, corporate
prayer can be a powerful tool to show our faith and love for the Savior who
sacrificed His life to save ours. Our most powerful tool for leading an abundant
life often goes unused or misused because we don't understand how powerful it
is. I'm not saying it is easy to learn how to be in instant or continual prayer,
it takes faith; it takes perseverance and a desire to please God. The rewards
are well worth the effort because God wants to use you today. He wants to open
the doors of His storehouse of blessings to pour upon you the abundant life He
has promised you.  When I started these devotions on prayer I thought maybe there
would be four or five but it seems each morning when I wake up God has put more
on my heart that He wants me to share with you. I will continue as long as He is
leading me. I pray that you will receive a blessing from these devotions and
pass them along to your loved ones and friends. If they have been blessed then
they can subscribe by going to www.walk-by-faith.com. I love hearing from those
who receive these devotions and look forward to your e-mails. I also desire your
thoughts and input as we walk together on this journey into understanding God's
will for our lives.
Solus Christus (only with Christ) Bob Goulding © August 2006 Return To:   |