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Praying Always (Part Four)

Article by Pat Higgins

Praying always is a vital tool for overcoming challenges and maintaining a close relationship with God, as it keeps us consciously aware of His presence. By engaging in constant communication with Him, we place God at the forefront of our minds, which influences our behavior, words, and thoughts to align with His will when we are truly converted. This practice counters the tendency to rationalize bad behavior when we forget His nearness, reminding us that we are always in plain view of our spiritual Father in heaven. Striving to pray always ensures that we are in His presence at every opportunity, diminishing the power of our enemies—satan, his distracting world, and our human nature—over us. It is through this persistent prayer that we acknowledge God, seeking Him first and creating dynamics that facilitate overcoming. Prayer is an act of a free-moral agent choosing to develop a relationship with God, allowing His character to rub off on us, much like iron sharpening iron, making us more like Him and strengthening us against temptation. God designed prayer to be a means of constant fellowship with Him, acknowledging that He is always near, never forsaking us. By praying always, we counteract the anti-God influences of the world that have shaped us since birth, adapting instead to His environment. This conscious choice to be in His presence through prayer is the foundation for building eternal life, leading to an escape from God's wrath and fellowship with Christ into God's Kingdom. Praying always is also the mechanism by which God's character is transferred to us, as it requires contact with Him to stamp His qualities upon us. This continual, conscious choice to submit to Him through prayer allows us to trust in His strength to fight our battles, rather than relying on our own powerless efforts. It is a primary method chosen by God for us to get to know Him, receive His character as a gift, and ultimately achieve salvation. Moreover, praying always involves choosing to run to the light of God's truth and character, exposing every aspect of our lives for transformation. Despite the fear this may provoke in human nature, it is what God calls us to do, teaching us and making our path plain. Through prayer, we access the presence of the sovereign Creator, unleashing a power that can do far more for us than we could ever imagine.

Praying Always (Part Two)

Article by Pat Higgins

In Luke 21:36, our Savior emphasizes the vital importance of praying always, alongside watching, to be accounted worthy to escape the troubles at the close of this age and to enter the Kingdom of God. These two practices are essential pillars supporting our Christian lives during these end times. Coupled with watching and overcoming, prayer stands as a critical response to challenges, as exemplified by Daniel, one of the most righteous men, who answered a lack of faith with prayer and surrender to God's will. This mirrors the instruction Christ gives to those living at the end time, highlighting that a weak prayer life is a sign of lacking faith. It is those who are overcoming and praying always, at all times of the day and night, who will be counted worthy to escape the end-time troubles and to stand before the Son of Man in God's Kingdom.

Praying Always (Part Five)

Article by Pat Higgins

The command to pray always, as Jesus instructs in Luke 21:36, permeates every facet of our Christian lives. It serves as the vital tool God provides for maintaining constant contact with Him, enabling us to bring every thought under His control. We are urged to boldly utilize this tool for all our needs. Striving to pray always is a conscious choice to invite God into our lives, demonstrating the true intent of our hearts and our dedication to Him. It is a major element in walking with God, ensuring that He is present wherever we are, much like Enoch, who included God in every aspect of his life for 300 years. Praying always shows our desire to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and mind, aligning with the first Great Commandment. Every day presents numerous decisions—what to eat, what to purchase, how to spend our time, how to respond to others, and how to manage our emotions and attitudes. Every significant choice should be brought to God, even if not through formal prayers, by silently asking Him to shed His light on the situation and supply our needs, whether for wisdom, discernment, strength, courage, understanding, or patience. If we walk in the Spirit, made possible by praying always, we cannot be sinning, as they are mutually exclusive. Praying always is thus a major component of walking with God and one of the key means to avoid tribulation and gain entrance to God's Kingdom. It is a vital first step toward finding eternal life by going God's way and building an intimate relationship with Him through the many opportunities He provides throughout our day.

Praying Always (Part Six)

Article by Pat Higgins

Praying always is a vital tool that God provides to maintain constant contact with Him, bringing every thought under His and our control. It is through prayer that we build a deep relationship with God, essential for our salvation, by spending time with Him, conversing with Him, and experiencing life alongside Him. This continual prayer helps us develop a thorough knowledge of who God is, how He thinks, and what He purposes, protecting us from the deceptive traps of the devil, our nature, and this evil age. The surest way to strengthen this relationship and shield ourselves from deception is by praying always, choosing to fellowship with our heavenly Father, the best company in the universe. Through prayer, we talk to Him, and He responds by inspiring thoughts, helping us develop the mind of God to see through delusions. Christ emphasizes prayer as an antidote to unbelief and instructs us to watch and pray to avoid temptation, building a shield of faith that can quench all the fiery darts of temptation. Great peace comes to those who love God's law, with nothing causing them to stumble, as temptation is the root of spiritual war. Praying always aligns us with Christ's principle to seek first the Kingdom of God, believing that if we prioritize Him, He will provide all we need, including the strength to overcome and enter His Kingdom. In the daily skirmishes of life, striving to pray always offers an unyielding first line of defense, bringing God into every decision and unleashing forces to help us overcome and avoid pitfalls. Christ warns us to watch and pray to avoid entering into temptation, acknowledging that while the spirit is willing, the flesh is powerless without God's strength. Praying always grants access to His power, the only strength that enables us to win the battles we face and stand before Him in His Kingdom.

Praying Always (Part One)

Article by Pat Higgins

In Luke 21:36, Jesus Christ delivers a crucial instruction for those living in the end times: Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man. This verse encapsulates a powerful message of spiritual survival, urging us to remain vigilant and steadfast in prayer to escape the worst of the coming turmoil and to be welcomed into God's Kingdom. Christ ties together the warnings and signs of the end time discussed throughout Luke 21, emphasizing that if we do not neglect our spiritual duties and instead watch and pray always, we can evade the final effects of the chaos ahead. This guidance serves as a roadmap to safety and salvation, highlighting the dual importance of overcoming personal and worldly challenges through careful attention and constant prayer. These two elements—watching or overcoming, and praying always—are presented as essential tickets to escape the end-time tumult and to stand before Christ in God's Kingdom.

Praying Always (Part Three)

Article by Pat Higgins

Luke 21:36 ties the crucial tasks of overcoming and praying always together, presenting prayer as the essential tool to build the faith necessary for overcoming. Striving to pray at all times brings God onto the battlefield of our mind, positioning Him at the forefront of every struggle we face. Where He fights as our weapon, success against our enemies is assured. Praying always is a vital, yet often underused, key to overcoming adversaries such as satan, the world, and our human nature. Many may overlook the importance of prayer as the primary tool for accomplishing the task of overcoming, relying too heavily on personal will rather than on the power of our great God. Through constant prayer, we can confidently look to God, trusting that He will rescue us unharmed from the battles we face, as expressed in Psalm 55:18. David, a man after God's own heart, used prayer as a powerful weapon against his enemies, believing that when he cried out, God would turn them back. We should follow his example, recognizing that prayer can protect us from temptation, quenching the fiery darts of satan before they reach us. By turning to God with all our heart through prayer, as promised in II Chronicles 7:14, He will hear from heaven, forgive our sins, and heal our land, a principle that applies to healing the church today. Acknowledging our powerlessness without God, as Christ reminds us in John 15:5 that without Him we can do nothing, underscores our need for constant prayer. It is through this continuous turning to Him that we access His power to humble ourselves and overcome, ensuring that we do not fall short in meeting His standards.

To Pray or Not to Pray?

Sermonette by Bill Onisick

Many have over-reacted to Christ's instruction about the Pharisees praying in public to be seen by men. Jesus and the disciples often prayed in public.

Are We Laodiceans?

CGG Weekly by Pat Higgins

At day's end, ask how much time we spent communicating with God and Christ and how much time They were in none of our thoughts (Psalm 10:4).

Strategies for Escaping Babylon (Part Eight)

Sermon by David F. Maas

The most effective way to develop a relationship with God is by developing a continuous prayer dialogue, conversing with Him through Bible study and prayer.

The Model Prayer (Part One): Introduction

Bible Study by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

In the model prayer, Jesus Christ gave His disciples a basic outline from which they could craft their own meaningful prayers to the Father.

Parable of the Persistent Widow

Bible Study by Martin G. Collins

Though the widow speaks only five words in this encouraging parable, she provides Christians in these last days with an example of persistence in prayer.

Avoiding Prayer? Consider Carefully

CGG Weekly by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The whole world is in hurry-up mode. What have often suffered are prayer and its companion, Bible study—and ultimately, the individual's relationship with God.

Unanswered Prayer

Sermonette by James Beaubelle

Even though we often must wait for a response, God listens closely to our prayers from the heart and is looking out for our best interests.

The Grand Secret!

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

God reveals a grand secret through David: namely, that spiritual growth will come to people who set the Lord before oneself continuously.

What Is Prayer?

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Prayer to a tool we must learn to use. Because we take on the characteristics of those we are around, we should keep company with God continually though prayer.

Faith and Prayer

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Constant, earnest prayer keeps faith alive and makes certain the receiving of the qualities that make us in the image of God. God's purpose comes first.

New Covenant Priesthood (Part Six)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

We must have both perseverance and humility in prayer to keep our vision sharp and clear. Without humility, the doorway to acceptance by God is closed.

Prayer Does Make a Difference

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

God does not hear a prayer of pride, selfishness, and self exaltation, but He listens to prayers of supplication and intercession for the saints.