• We have looked at potential as it were “detours, road blocks” to dishearten us from persevering in prayer such as Delays, Difficulties Doubts, and We could apply this truth to our next point…“If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.”-{James 4:12}, ..

4.- DISOBEDIENCE.

  • We know the truth but choose not to obey! We know we are to pray but we ignore it, sometimes due to our arrogance, and self-sufficiency, that we believe we can handle this and don’t need God. Spiritual pride! So we don’t persevere in praying. – DISOBEDIENCE!
  • Other times we know the truth, but choose not to commit ourselves to readiness to pray as long as things are going our way, with no real pressures, but pleasure, “all is well, “as it were, we are lulled into deceptive thinking which is spiritually dangerous to us as we are being lulled into thinking we don’t need the LORD for everything. So we don’t persevere in Prayer. – DISOBEDIENCE!
  • Sometimes we don’t pray because of sin, we enjoy the fleeting pleasure of sin and therefore don’t pray. -DISOBEDIENCE!

Have you ever noticed when we are aware of unrepented sin such as clinging to a grudge or bitterness, or resentment toward another we don’t pray? It’s like we lose our spiritual appetite for prayer which connects us to Whom? GOD!– DISOBEDIENCE!

Other times out of guilt we don’t come to the LORD when we should be fleeing to Him, who readily forgives and cleanses us from all sin. We think we cant come when Jesus died for sinners and made way for us through His perfect life, death and resurrection, and ascension so we can come! -DISOBEDIENCE!

  • Sometimes we think prayer is just something to do a sort of chalk off your daily list of a “Christian to do” list, that’s considered part of what you are expected to do, a part of the “curriculum,” rather than a relationship to be developed and a rightful view of our utter dependence upon God for our next breath! Prayer is imperative.
  • Prayer is a LOVE issue- since prayer is a command such as in James 1:5 where we are commanded to “ASK” for wisdom…Jesus says in John 14;21″Whoever has My commands and obeys them He is the one who LOVES Me.” Have you ever looked at prayer as you expressing love to the LORD Jesus. Sometimes in my weakest times, I have said, Lord, I am praying as an expression of love to YOU,’ WHEN did not feel like praying, with pain and exhaustion seeming to try to distract me from Him!

The Scriptures show prayer connects us to God reminding us of our conscious need of Him, appreciation, and adoration, supplication, submission of Him and to Him.

THE PRIORITY OF PRAYER.

  • To persevere in prayer, you have to not only believe in prayer but do pray!
  • To persevere in prayer you have to believe, and be persuaded by who it is who is telling you to do so- God!
  • To persevere in prayer takes the empowering of God to help and in realization and dependence upon Him you can persevere in Prayer.- {Read Phil 2:13; Romans 15:5}

Jesus the Perfect Man illustrated the necessity and priority of prayer throughout His life to us in the Gospels. Paul told Timoty that the most important thing in the life of the congregation he wrote to was the primacy of prayer when he wrote, “First of all, then, I urge that requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made in behalf of all people…”-{1 Tim 2:1} The word “first” as used here does not mean “first in order” as of 1 list, 1-2-3- but first in Primacy, priority. It was to be the first, not the second or last thing.

Paul wrote the believers in Colosee “Devote yourselves to prayer…”-{Col 4;2}. We read of Epaphras, “… always striving earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God.”-{Col 4:12}. Jesus spoke to Ananias regarding Paul after his conversion and the first thing noted of him was he prayed! “…Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying.”-{Acts 9;11}. We are told to “pray without ceasing.”-{1 Thess 5:17}. We are told “…in everything by prayer…”-{Phil 4:6}. Paul the “great” apostle was not so great in his own mind that he was independent of God but shows his humility and heart that was convinced he needed God’s help when sharing by asking others to pray for him, “And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should…”-{Colossians 4;3-4}. Paul illustrates his commitment and dependency upon prayer to God to do only what He could do in changing and growing the believers in the grace and knowledge of God, as seen in his prayers in the epistles. A great study would be to go through the epistles and note SPECIFICALLY what Paul prayed for other believers and adopt as your own to pray for others putting their name in the prayer!

PRAYER IS TO BE A PRIORITY NOT A PASTIME;

At times we stop, and cease praying due to such things as what we have looked at the past three days, delays, difficulties, doubts, and such adversaries and we lean to our own understanding and without saying it, such thinking is to proclaim that we feel we are wiser than God! And today we look at another temptation to stop persevering in prayer, namely Disobedience! We may not think we disobey God by not praying, or seeking wisdom from above when we need it in our trials.- {James 1:5}. God commands us in that verse to “ASK” of Him… it’s not optional it is commanded that in our trials we are to ask HIM FOR Wisdom which He gives to all who ask in faith!

Prayer is an expression of our faith, confidence, dependence, and persuasion in and of God!

Prayer in part is my declaration and an acknowledgment of my insufficiency and dependence upon God’s sufficiency

PRAYER

Joshua and his people were deceived and the Scripture says “…So the Israelites examined their food, but they did not consult the LORD.”-{Joshua 9:14.}. Sometimes our disobedience is because of our self-confidence, that we can handle things and only call upon the LORD and pray when it comes to the “big things,” and without realizing we are disobeying. He says in Philippians 4:6 “…in everything by PRAYER…”

Paul said to the Thessalonians “Pray without ceasing.” It does not mean its twenty-four hours of praying, think how hard it is at times to pray, with all kinds of thoughts flying through your mind, some legitimate and others not, but how hard at times it is to pray, never mind twenty-four hours a day seven days a week, twelve months a tear and onwards. The word “without ceasing” was used as a hacking cough. Sometimes in winter months, we get colds and with it a cough. It doesn’t mean coughing twenty-four hours a day but speaks of “regular interruptions.” So the picture of “praying without ceasing” is having regular interruptions throughout our day and sometimes in the night when we can’t sleep. Turning thoughts into prayers be they the acknowledgment of something beautiful, or something that worries you, someone’s need. someone to give God thanks for what He is doing in their lives. That’s what it means, turning thoughts, and life into prayer!!

FUEL FOR PERSEVERING PRAYER,

One way we can practice persevering prayer is also through Thanksgiving.Paul said, “Devote yourselves to prayer keeping ALERT with Thanksgiving….”-{Col 4:2}. “Alert” was used of Jesus when He asked the disciples who fell asleep if they could not have stayed “awake.” He was using it in the physical realm, Paul uses it in the spiritual realm, and Thanksgiving keeps us awake and fuels our devoting ourselves to prayers. Look much to God for reasons to Thank Him! “In everything give thanks FOR THIS IS THE WILL OF GOD FOR YOU IN CHRIST!”

We know we are to persevere in prayer, indeed Pual said “devote yourselves to prayer ” to those at Colossee- {Col 4:2}.

We can’t all preach, but we can all Pray!

  • Prayer cost Christ His life to make a way so we would be accepted by God through His merits applied to our account. We have access to God and stand in the eternal favor of God-{Romans 5:2}.
  • Prayer is not always easy, indeed it’s hard work at times as is said of Epaphras, “He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.”– {Col 4:12}}
  • Prayer has an ultimate Goal. no matter what the matter is; ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name,Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,”-{Matthew 6:9-10}. Note it’s all about The Father’s Been Exalted, His reign, and His will be done. His Glory is the primary purpose of persevering in Praying!
  • Pray On…

Perseverance is to Be Practiced and developed often in the furnace of afflictions in great difficulties!

Perseverance is part of God’s will for us and He teaches us and develops us through suffering, tribulations, and great pressures to produce…Perseverance. Please read Romans 5;3-4 and James 1:2-4… and in Romans, 15:4-5 shows God gives it to us!

And one area we need to exercise perseverance is in our praying. And have you personally noticed it often comes as a result of trials and troubles of various types, just as James told us that perseverance is developed in trials, and as we respond in faith, perseverance is developed. -(James 1:2-4). Or as Paul tells us in Romans 5:3 that God uses our sufferings to bring about, achieve, and “produce perseverance.”-( Read Rom 5:3)

Persevering in praying does not mean you do nothing but pray for twenty-four hours but it means you are ALERT TO, and whatever the circumstances and be thankful that you can turn it into prayer and this is what it means to “pray without ceasing,” -( 1 Thess 1:18)

Ask Him to help you, remind you to turn circumstances, and people who come to mind or you see today into prayers to Him.

4 OUT OF 5 REASONS THAT KEEP US FROM PERSEVERING IN PRAYER.

  • In the last four days, we have looked at 4 out of the 5 reasons that potentially keep us from persevering in prayer- Delays, Difficulties, Doubts, and Disobedience… Can you identify with any of these?

Are any of these recently keeping you from persevering in prayer?

  • Recognize it- Reject it, but How? Replace it with the truth. You are called to pray, you can pray, simply talk to God… and keep talking throughout the day, as mentioned “without ceasing” “REGULAR INTERRUPTIONS,” shooting up prayers.

Ask Him to remind you as we are prone to forget or be sidetracked by such things as Delays, Difficulties, Doubts, and Disobedience…

PRAY…The alternative? To spiritually faint -{Luke 18;1}

Talk to the LORD now, about your struggles, disappointments, perplexities, joys, delights, concerns for other souls, desires that need to be changed, and temptations you are prone to… just begin and talk to God… Good job, He loves you, He has given you cess to Him, attentively listening to you-{1 Peter 3:12}

God bless and encourage you to keep persevering in prayer!

Aidan.