HARD

We have been doing an Ruth/Esther study in my small group. This week's topic was intercession. I just wanted to share with you how important it is to intercede for the saints through prayer.
The cross-reference for the Esther passage we studied last night was Romans 8:26-39 which focuses on the Holy Spirit and Jesus interceding on our behalves. Intercession is an “entreaty in favor of another, especially a prayer or petition to God on behalf of others” (American Heritage Dictionary). How awesome is it that we have both the Holy Spirit and Jesus coming before God Almighty on our behalf?! Additionally, we as Christians have the ability and command to intercede for each other. 1 Timothy 2:1 states “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made for everyone” and Ephesians 6:18 states “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” So the first part of the challenge is to pray for one another, lift one another up in prayer, intercede on each person’s behalf, and go before the Lord about your sisters and brothers in Christ.

The second part of the challenge relates to how often we pray. Satan does not want us to pray; he doesn’t want us to be in communication and fellowship with the King; so he distracts us…and, at least for me, does a really good job at it. I start to pray and then I find myself in a daydream or thinking about something else (normally I can’t even backtrack to how I got there). And, honestly, I’m usually so entertained by my daydream that I don’t even try to go back to the prayer. Plus, the general busyness and noisyness of the day hinders our attempts at prayer. We are always going and doing and meeting and planning that it’s hard to pencil in time to pray. And then when we can be still we fill the silence with noise…from the television or movies or the radio. I think Satan sees something that we overlook: he realizes the importance of prayer. Why else would he go to such lengths in order to ensure that we don’t do it?

So we discussed at small group that we want to change how we approach prayer. Instead of only trying to pray at night before you go to bed or to pray only when you are in a crisis or things are going badly, we want to approach it like it is commanded to in the Bible. The verse with the challenge is simple, easy to remember (you’ll have it memorized just reading it once), but very hard to obey. But this is the challenge…not only for the week, but for the rest of our lives…and I strongly encourage everyone to accept the challenge, though it will prove difficult, but this is it:

Pray continually.” I Thessalonians 5:17.

Like I said, it’s not overly complicated to understand and yet I find it almost impossible to obey, and I know I’m not the only one. So this week I challenge you to pray…continuously, unwaveringly, whenever and wherever you may be. Just talk to God, that’s what prayer is. It doesn’t have to be a long, lengthy prayer filled with Thees and Thous; but make communicating with Him a priority. Whether it’s thanking Him for the good things or praying for the bad things or interceding for other people or just praising His holy and magnificent name; pray continually.

And if you aren’t sure where to start, well, pray about it. Ask God to show you how to pray and ask Him to impress the desire to pray on your heart. To begin, find times throughout the day to pray (pray in the shower, pray while driving instead of listening to music…with your eyes open, of course, pray while eating, or go for a walk and pray. What better place to pray than being outside where you are surrounded by God’s amazingness). And use reminders, tape a note card with “Pray Continually” or “Pray Without Ceasing” to your bathroom mirror or your steering wheel or on your computer. We have the opportunity and blessing to go before the King whenever we want…take advantage of it!!!

I challenge each one of you my blogger friends to "Pray continually" throughout the day. Commune with God, as He is real, as He is your Father, as He is your friend, your helper, your provider, your protector, and all the other attributes He is.
This is definitely a challenge.
My roommate yesterday at school, made a mark on a piece of paper everytime she was "thinking about herself," aka..being selfish throughout her day. I have started to do this and I think it is unreal how much I am consumed with myself, how I feel, etc, throughout my day. I am going to attempt to replace these thoughts with prayer for the people around me, the kids, and the other teachers that are in my building that know Jesus and especially those that don't. I'm going to pray for a boldness that I think is not possible for myself.

THank you for reading today. It's not often that I get really spiritual and introspective on the blog, but I feel convicted by the Holy Spirit, and I want you to be apart of this journey with me.

Praying blessings over your lives today...
Molly