Fight if You Must: Being Determined in Prayer

“Pray without ceasing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17

Read Luke 18:1-8

Be determined. Determined to not be thwarted. Determined not to leave with one’s soul unsatisfied. Determined to forge ahead in resilience, refusing to go into this day without this sacred meeting.

Fight if you must and move intently ahead. Let nothing come in between or interfere with this time of sweet communion with the Lord. Thoughts may encroach and seek to pounce like an animal in waiting for prey, but keep thine eyes fixed on the things above (Colossians 3:2), trusting in the One who is the lover of your soul and life.

It is no simple thing, this gift of prayer, nor is it a pleasure to be taken for granted that we can approach the Lord with our honest and sincerest petitions. Getting there is a great privilege not to be neglected, so fight if you must to enter this holy conversation with the Lord.

For He, your Heavenly Father, is the main goal of your life. He is the compass and direction by which all our days are to be guided. Turbulent times, left unchecked will try to pull you off course, so fight if you must to get into the solace of this blessed sanctuary of prayer, for He has the wheel and knows the route to take.

Many distractions will attempt to interrupt and capture your mind for their audience. But when I come on my knees, with my heart opened to my King, it is His attending audience that means everything. Fight if you must to enter near this throne of grace, a guarded court surrounded by the angels who do sing.

What treasure lies within that holy realm of prayer. Go, search, and dig, and fight if you must to get there. For He will be a little sanctuary for you (Ezekiel 11:16), the true refuge and blessing of life who sees, hears, and knows everything you can unearth before Him in that divine assembly.

Fight if you must, and be persistently determined. Refuge, hope, power, and relief from life’s burdens lie ahead. Do yourself a favor, deprive not your soul of this great pleasure of meeting with the Father daily.

Further Suggested Reads:

“Persevering Prayer”

“Always Pray and Not Faint”

“4 Keys to Powerful Prayer”

Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com

Both Small and Great

Friend, it is the soul’s consolation to know that when we come before our Heavenly Father, there is no turning away because of background or social status. Lineage is not a prerequisite to being called His and to receive His blessings, nor is one’s economic standing. The only requirement is to believe and trust in Him, knowing that no matter who you are or where you hail from, “He will bless them that fear the Lord, both small and great” (Psalm 115:13).

~Word for Life Says

Upon My Knees

Holy Affection,
upon my knees,
there I turn
with my heart’s pleas.

Near the cross
to Him, I bow,
request made known,
burdens laid down.

Unloaded griefs,
upon Christ, I stand,
blessed assurance,
promises in hand.

Helped and held
by relieving grace,
upon my knees,
I run this race.

Raised in courage,
full speed ahead,
for upon my knees,
my faith is fed.

“For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” Ephesians 3:14-21

Image by Arnie Bragg from Pixabay

Welcomed

 

You have welcomed us
into Your throne room.
You have welcomed us
into Your grace.
You have welcomed us
into Your pleasure.
You have welcomed us
before Your face.

No scepter for Esther
needs to extend.
For the cross has bought
the passage within.

In the courts of the King,
we are invited to come.
Favor has blessed us
through His dear Son.

To approach and pray
without fear or doubt.
Worries, burdens, and troubles
are there, cast out.

Queen Esther, taking her life in her hands, went before the king not knowing if she would find favor to enter the courts for him to hear her petition (Esther 4:16; 5:2).

Not so with our Heavenly Father. Through Jesus Christ, we have obtained a welcome invitation to come: “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need,” Hebrews 4:16.

With no fear in your heart, come, for you are welcomed before the King of all Kings.

Image by Tumisu from Pixabay

Top Image by Rudy and Peter Skitterians from Pixabay

 

A Prayer for Salvation

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” John 14:6. Therefore Father God, today we pray that many would find that way, that truth, and that life. We are praying for hearts to come and submit to Your holy will. We pray that people will find the grace and mercy they seek in You. We pray for many souls to pursue You, for many eyes to look to You and find the deliverance and salvation needed for their eternal security.

We pray for chains to be broken, O God, for spirits to be made free. We pray for newness of life and hope to shine upon a life today as they discover the joy of entering into a holy relationship with You.

You, O God, are the One that makes a difference in our lives. So, we pray they would find You through Your gift of salvation, our Lord Jesus Christ. AMEN.

Salvation is in Jesus Christ Alone:

“I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.” John 10:9

“Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.” John 11:25

“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:12

“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” John 3:36

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” 1 Timothy 2:5

Call for the King!

Our King is not so high that He cannot hear. Our King is not so secluded behind palace walls that He doesn’t see the plight of His people. Our King has granted us an open access policy to reach Him when hard times weigh us down. “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need,” (Hebrews 4:16). Therefore, we cry out, “Save, LORD! May the King answer us when we call,” (Psalm 20:9, NKJV).


Adapted from “The King to My Rescue!”

Pray, Pray, and Pray Some More | A 1 Minute Word of Encouragement

Thank You, God, that You have given us this position of prayer, this place of power where we can not only lay our burdens down but also intercede for others in our lives. We can pray for the unsaved status of souls, petition heaven for healing or hurts, and seek answers for the help we need. A place where God, our Heavenly Father, has given us permission to come and unload it all before His holy throne.

When we fall on our knees, we fall before the only true King of all eternity. In that place, we open our hearts and pray.

Therefore, don’t stop. Pray, pray, and pray some more. Never give up. God hears and is attentive to the praying heart of His children: “𝓑𝓾𝓽 𝓿𝓮𝓻𝓲𝓵𝔂 𝓖𝓸𝓭 𝓱𝓪𝓽𝓱 𝓱𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓭 𝓶𝓮; 𝓱𝓮 𝓱𝓪𝓽𝓱 𝓪𝓽𝓽𝓮𝓷𝓭𝓮𝓭 𝓽𝓸 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓿𝓸𝓲𝓬𝓮 𝓸𝓯 𝓶𝔂 𝓹𝓻𝓪𝔂𝓮𝓻. 𝓑𝓵𝓮𝓼𝓼𝓮𝓭 𝓫𝓮 𝓖𝓸𝓭, 𝔀𝓱𝓲𝓬𝓱 𝓱𝓪𝓽𝓱 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓽𝓾𝓻𝓷𝓮𝓭 𝓪𝔀𝓪𝔂 𝓶𝔂 𝓹𝓻𝓪𝔂𝓮𝓻, 𝓷𝓸𝓻 𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓶𝓮𝓻𝓬𝔂 𝓯𝓻𝓸𝓶 𝓶𝓮.” 𝓟𝓼𝓪𝓵𝓶 66:19, 20

Text Free Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Come to the garden, and pray.

Luke 22:44

There, in the thick of the trees with the sounds of evening settling around Him, our Savior knelt, pouring His all out in prayer.

So desperate were His pleas, so anguished was He that His sweat flowed as great drops of blood from His very being.

His example shows the importance of coming to this sacred place. No one is too big or too small to bypass this hallowed meeting.

There is a call for all to come to the garden and pray.

God-assignments have been entrusted to us which cannot be performed unless supported by fervent prayer.

Strength, encouragement, hope, and purpose can be found in this meeting place. Deliverance and healing can be received here. That which seems unclear can receive divine wisdom, instruction, and revelation in our moments of petitioning and supplication.

The garden of prayer awaits and whatever it is your heart is holding, being ready to pour, this is your place, your moment of release. Here, with an open and believing heart, you will find what you need.

“Men ought always to pray, and not to faint” Luke 18:1

Image by David Yonatan González Aburto from Pixabay

No More…

When brokenness is healed, the recovery of wholeness is known.

When wrongs are made right, sorrow and tears are no more.

How often do we look for days like that during our living?  Alas, we are not promised the absence of these worldly foes.  The promise we do have and hold so dear is that one day their grip on us will be no more.

The thought of “no more” is a beautiful thought.  It’s not the joys of life we want to erase.  Nor the happy moments we seek an exit from.  Rather, it’s the things that squeeze our hearts with pain and despair.  The things that press upon us like a heavy weight that we can’t seem to get relief from, searing us with sadness and dread, and so we seek to get away from it as fast as we can. 

But despite it all, we have an assurance that we won’t face these days forever.  There will come a time when their mark will be but a distant memory. 

With faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and His shed blood giving us access to heaven, those within the walls of that beautifully eternal city will no longer be associated with the disturbances of living that being in this flesh brings. 

There, there will be peace unimaginable and joy inexpressible.  Because there, the things we warred against and worried over in this flesh will be no more.  Instead, there the hand of our loving heavenly Father reaches out and gently and tenderly wipes the tears of what we experienced fighting through this life on earth, away. 

I try to imagine the absolute freedom that will bring.  I try to think of the final release of letting everything go from here that we dealt with, what will it be like?

It may be hard to imagine what that time of no more will look like while we are still in this flesh. So, we hold on to His promises for dear life that strengthen our daily hope for that day.  Because we know when the Bible says, “God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes” (Revelation 7:17), that promise is our very real reality when all this will pass away.

No more.  What could you do if you didn’t have to deal with _______________ no more? 

Although we are not there yet, we can foster an environment that will shore up our faith for the wonderful future that awaits us.

Some principles we can incorporate are:

  • Watch and pray.  “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41).  Remain vigilant and be on guard against any detractors in contradiction of your holy destiny.
  • Feed your faith.  “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,” (Jude 1:20).  The authority of what you have coming as a holy inheritance is based on what Christ has already done, and what the Word promises is yours.  Continue to feed on that Word like a starved man seeking to be truly filled. 
  • Live honorably for that day.  “Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom” (James 3:13).  Continue to live what you believe to be true and right.  Your daily steps will speak more about who you really are than a million well-to-do messages ever will.
  • And produce the Fruit of the Spirit.  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23).  Your living is not just for your own inheritance, but to help others see the light (Matthew 5:16) so they will be drawn to experience Him who can give them the gift of “no more,” too. 

These principles will help to keep your heart, mind, and faith concentrated on the reward ahead and not the messes of today. 

The idea of no more may seem hard to comprehend, but the realness of it is as sure as God Himself wiping every tear from your eyes.  It will come to pass.

God Invites Us to Prayer

God invites us to prayer. Pray over the burdens you carry. Pray over the disappointments you feel. Pray for your family. Pray for your loved ones. Pray for the condition of this world. 𝓦𝓱𝓪𝓽𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓹𝓻𝓸𝓫𝓵𝓮𝓶, 𝔀𝓱𝓪𝓽𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓬𝓪𝓻𝓮, 𝓫𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓶 𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓽𝓸 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓛𝓸𝓻𝓭 𝓲𝓷 𝓹𝓻𝓪𝔂𝓮𝓻.

“I cried unto the Lord with my voice; with my voice unto the Lord did I make my supplication. I poured out my complaint before him; I shewed before him my trouble. When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knewest my path…” Psalm 143:1-3

“Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” 1 Peter 5:7