A Shift in My Focus

Read: Ephesians 6

"With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints," Ephesians 6:18

Examine:

In the verses that precede this one, Paul instructs the Church at Ephesus to understand that their battle is a spiritual battle and that it must be fought with spiritual weapons. He then walks this group of believers through how to prepare themselves for this battle by putting on the armor of God. He closes out by shifting to this verse and instructing the Church to use their prayers to get in the fight.

Apply:

There are three strong reminders from this verse that I needed to hear this morning. First, I need to be well skilled at all types of prayer and need to constantly use them. Tradition chokes the life out of prayer by defining it with too much rigidity. Selfishness spoils prayer by turning it into a free version of the home shopping network. Fear of man robs prayer of its power by causing worry over what others think. Prayer is essential to my survival. My entire existence should be comprised of a constant connection with the Holy Spirit through my prayers. Whether I am on my face in my closet, driving down the road, or walking the streets with others, I need to be in a state of close proximity to the Spirit of God through prayer.

Second, I will need to work to stay engaged. There are times when I sit down and pray and nothing happens. There are times when I sense a need to pray but don't feel like doing it. There are other times when I know that I should pray, but I am just too intimidated to open my mouth. Prayer is not and will never be easy. It is a skill that must be worked at to obtain and constantly practiced to maintain. With all perseverance I have to determine within myself that I will be a man of prayer, and then be willing to follow through with that promise by incessantly seeking the face of God and the voice of the Spirit through my prayers.

Finally, I need to be reminded that my prayers should be focused on others. There is power in the prayers of the saints when they are united in mission and focused on one another. There are many times somebody asks me for prayer and I honestly forget. There are other times when I meet with someone and feel remorse over being able to only offer them prayer. There are seasons of life when I get so caught up in my own junk that all my prayers turn inward and I simply do not pray for others. This verse is all call out to be a man who intercedes on behalf of others with power, persistence, and boldness.

Pray:

Father, ten years ago You asked me to pursue Your wisdom above all else in life. For the past ten years a passionate pursuit of Your wisdom has been the primary aim of my relationship with You. I have valued it above all other requests and pursued it as the precious treasure that it is. Over the past few weeks, I have had countless moments with people who have acknowledged the work of Your wisdom in my life. I am humbled and grateful for what You alone have done in and through my life and I say thank You. I vividly remember the day ten years ago when You shifted the focus of my attention to a passionate pursuit of Your wisdom, and this morning I feel that same presence from You shifting my focus from wisdom to prayer. I am responding to what I sense You are asking of me and saying yes.

Above all else in life, I ask that You make me a man of prayer. I want my prayers to encompass all the things You desire them to be. Open the eyes of my heart so that I might better understand the intended purpose of prayer, and empower me to use the anointing You have given to be strong in prayer. I pray that You instill inside of me a passionate desire to seek the prayer life You intend for me to have.