A message for Akron Alliance Fellowship Church, Akron OH, Sunday, June 4, 2023.
For the “Live in Church” version of this message, select here.
Do you need encouragement?
At some time or place in your life, you need encouragement. God knows this, as well. He is highly sensitive to what is going on in your life, and He knows what will encourage you.
There are others who can rally around you when you are going through difficulty, but one of the best ways to be encouraged is to stop, unplug and get into God’s Word with reflection and prayer.
My lovely bride and I had a chance this past week to stop our regular routine and literally unplug in Ohio Amish Country. We visited Berlin and Sugarcreek, but we stayed near Winesburg in a wooded area at Treehouse Village for a couple of days. There’s no television and just a little Wi-Fi, but it was peaceful and very quiet. With all of that time to ourselves, we could play some music on our electronic devices, but we also had the quiet time to talk, and also sit, read and reflect on God’s Word. It also reminds me of the Amish who live in the area. I have a ton of respect for them. They are hard-working people with smiles on their faces that move in faith and live in simplicity. When they are not working, they spend a significant amount of their time worshiping God, studying the Bible, and living in prayer. They do a better job than most in keeping their priorities as God’s faithful servants.
This is a good opportunity to explore how each of us, from wherever you are in your relationship with God, can hit the refresh button and put in the time and effort to bolster your prayer life. What does the Bible tell us about prayer?
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Check this out…it’s God’s will—His desire for YOU to be thankful in everything and in a state of prayer throughout your day.
Knowing this, it comes right down to living in obedience to God and taking in His Word as He knows what is best for you. Praying all of the time means developing a persistent prayer life.
A persistent prayer life offers resistance to an inconsistent life in Jesus.
Let’s define the word ‘persistent.’ When you hear the definition, you’ll see why this is relevant to all of us are interested in learning about the need to stay focused on prayer:
‘Persistent’ is an adjective. It involves continuing firmly or obstinately in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition.1 The word ‘obstinately’ in this definition can have a negative connotation as it refers to stubbornness or resistance to change, but it also means, for our purposes, staying the course in spite of arguments to the contrary. Why is this relevant to our discussion? Well, as world dwellers (living in the world), there is ongoing pressure to conform to how the world does things. The person who is persistent in prayer resists this pressure. The danger is to not become one like Balaam, who was a prophet for God, but his fatal attraction was compromising God’s commands for worldly pleasures.
Revelation 2:14 NIV
“Nevertheless, I have a few things against you (the Church in Pergamum): There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality.”
Along with his greed for money, which angered God to the point where He made Balaam’s donkey try to talk some sense into him! If God has to use extraordinary ways to get you to listen to him and pay attention, I’m here to tell you that it’s not such a good thing. I’m going to trust that you don’t need the talking donkey treatment to get you to do what’s right. Keep in mind here that Balaam still chose to live sinfully and have a negative impact on others.
2 Peter 2:15 NLT
They have wandered off the right road and followed the footsteps of Balaam son of Beor, who loved to earn money by doing wrong.
Now, to be clear, we’re speaking about persistence of prayer in your life, and we have to understand that failure to stay in prayer at all, let alone with persistence, leads to idleness that can easily be controlled by your flesh.
Fleshly desires are prevalent when prayer is absent.
And this is the greatest challenge for many people…including people who profess to believe in Jesus. A lot of people KNOW who Jesus is, but some of us just don’t seem to have the desire or drive to want to grow more and more in Jesus.
Be careful. If the desire is not there, it defaults to a place where you really don’t want to be.
John 5:37-42 ESV
37 And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, 38 and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. 39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. 41 I do not receive glory from people. 42 But I know that you do not have the love of God within you.
Let’s stop and think about this for a moment. When we say we love Jesus, are we saying it because other people are saying it and we don’t want to look strange or weird, or do you love Him with all of your heart, soul and mind?
There’s a good reason why Jesus has given us a literal command to love Him in this manner:
Deuteronomy 6:1, 4-6 NLT
1 “These are the commands, decrees, and regulations that the LORD your God commanded me to teach you. You must obey them in the land you are about to enter and occupy.
4 “Listen, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone.
5 And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.
6 And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today.
It HAS to be a command because anything less falls short for you and me when we look at Jesus. Our love for God shows Him respect and reverence, and the command is something that we are willing to commit to and keep in front of us—all day and every day.
Loving God is optional, of course. It’s your choice. You have to ask yourself if your choice is a good one for your present and future. You will only do what you want to do. You will only focus on prayer—any kind of prayer—because you want to do it.
Loving God is a great place to start. Loving Jesus is a prerequisite for developing and improving your prayer life. Practice makes for a better prayer life.
A persistent prayer life begins with a consistent prayer life.
Galatians 6:9 ESV
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
How do we develop a consistent and persistent prayer life?
1. Establish good reading and study habits (because it prompts you to pray more as you gain godly wisdom from the Word).
a. Pick a Bible plan.
Two Year Bible Plan
M’Cheyne Bible Plan (the Bible in a year)
b. Select and keep a regular time (be flexible, but don’t slack off).
Proverbs 1:1-7 CSB
1 The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: 2 For learning wisdom and discipline; for understanding insightful sayings; 3 for receiving prudent instruction in righteousness, justice, and integrity; 4 for teaching shrewdness to the inexperienced, knowledge and discretion to a young man — 5 let a wise person listen and increase learning, and let a discerning person obtain guidance — 6 for understanding a proverb or a parable, the words of the wise, and their riddles. 7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and discipline.
2. Stay focused with living in obedience.
a. Live out the lessons you learn from daily reading.
b. Be Spirit-filled.
John Piper describes being Spirit-filled as more than just acknowledging that the Holy Spirit is present in your life, but refers to it as “radiant joy, because the Spirit who fills us is the Spirit of joy that flows between God the Father and God the Son because of the delight they have in each other.” Being filled means that you, too are experiencing that same joy. 2
That same love for God is what makes you, the believer in Christ, to experience and share in this radiant joy.
Acts 13:52 ESV
And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
c. Use filters for what you take in.
Television
Music
Social media
3. Practice prayer throughout the day with a routine.
The communication of prayer is done either silently or with the spoken word. In every instance, Jesus Christ hears whatever it is that you are praying for.
Prayer is our way to relate to God. He is God who is holy, just as He declares in His Word, but He is also a personal God in that we can relate to Him on a meaningful level. 3
Prayer is your communication to God. He loves when you make the effort to pray. He even loves for you to come to Him when mere words fail you. (And there will be times when this happens.).
Romans 8:26-27 ESV
26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
He knows your heart, and He knows what you want. He just wants you to express yourself in the best manner that you can. It’s not for His benefit…it’s for YOUR benefit. He wants you to experience His goodness as He communicates with you through His Word.
In His response to your prayers, God has a number of ways that He communicates with you (through speech, in dreams, through circumstances, or with other people through the Holy Spirit), but His primary means of communication with you is through the words of the Bible. This is why there has been a great deal of emphasis on the importance of reading the Bible regularly to provide greater understanding as to who He is in this relationship with you. The more exposure that one has to God’s Word, the Holy Spirit provides wisdom and knowledge that will lend to a stronger, effective and vibrant prayer life. When you don’t think you know where God is in your life, just reach out and ask Him in faith.
Matthew 7:7-8 NIV
7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
James 1:5-8 NIV
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.
Faith is a key component of a persistent life of prayer—in fact, it is mandatory in your relationship with Jesus. This faith believes that God is more than able to answer you. When things are uncertain in life, faith in Jesus means deeming Him as more than sufficient.
Hebrews 11:6 ESV
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
If your life is empty in some way, shape or form, consider today, in this moment, that Jesus is missing in the picture. Think carefully about what you value most and see if Jesus comes first. As I stated earlier, you will take the time and make the time to do what is most important TO YOU.
Your commitment to a persistent prayer life will require you to ensure that it is a consistent prayer life. Don’t overthink this process. Let’s get back to the basics.
Luke 11:1-4 HCSB
1 He was praying in a certain place, and when He finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John (the Baptist) also taught his disciples.”
2 He said to them, “Whenever you pray, say:
Father,
Your name be honored as holy.
Your kingdom come.
3 Give us each day our daily bread.
4 And forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves also forgive everyone
in debt to us.
And do not bring us into temptation.
This is the “model prayer” that Jesus Himself relays to His disciples. Note that it touches on five key components of our relationship with God:
- Reverence to God, His holiness and His eternal kingdom
- Thankfulness for His provision (food, clothing, health)
- Our dependence upon His forgiveness for our sin
- Our desire to humble ourselves before others
- Our reliance upon His power to help us to overcome the temptation of sin
Each of these components creates the environment of a healthy, growth-oriented relationship with Jesus Christ. Your spiritual growth in Christ is fertile ground for God being able to use you in a mighty way!
While your prayers may not utter the words of “The Lord’s Prayer” each time you pray, consider that these components of the model prayer in Luke 11 are the foundation of our relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
Take this information about prayer and make it a daily routine. Ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you and provide guidance.
Psalm 32:8 ESV
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
Psalm 37:23-24 ESV
23 The steps of a man are established by the Lord,
when he delights in his way;
24 though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,
for the Lord upholds his hand.
This regular routine is very basic and very simple to follow. It does not require anyone to be a great student of the Bible or a great linguist in prayer. It merely requires a willing spirit and a desire to grow in your love for Jesus. That’s all. What you put into it you will get out of it.
And the results will be nothing short of gratifying and amazing!
James 5:13-16 NIV
13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
There’s no better time than right now to lift your brothers and sisters up in prayer. Be persistent, and let the Lord show you His power and glory as He responds.
Copyright © 2023 Melvin Gaines
1 Persistent – definition, examples, related words and more at wordnik. Wordnik.com. (n.d.). https://www.wordnik.com/words/persistent
2 Piper, J. (1981, March 8). Be filled with the spirit. Desiring God. https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/be-filled-with-the-spirit
3 Gaines, M. (2016, March 24). Spring Break 2016 Saturday Content Updated. Northfield; Melvin Gaines.
Melvin Gaines 