By Larry Barker, Regional Director for North America and VP of Church Strategy and Training
ReCharge Conference is over and behind us. However, the impact and inspiration from this wonderful time where our souls (spiritual, physical, emotional, intellectual and relational) were ministered to through worship, God’s Word, fellowship, laughter and just having some fun continues. We prayed over one another, for one another and with one another. Our keynote speaker, Bill Elliff, reminded us that the most powerful person in any room is the one who is praying. Bill stated, “The man who prays brings God into the equation.”
His challenge was to make a major adjustment in our daily prayer practices by simply beginning to pray more right now. The greatest classroom for learning how to pray is on our knees praying. I Thessalonians 5:17 tells us to “pray without ceasing.” That means we can pray without an intermission. Bill stated, “God knows your life will not work if you are not talking to Him.” Pastor, we are in the midst of a battle for the souls of our churches, and the devil’s number one priority is to stop the Lord’s church from moving forward and advancing His kingdom. Honestly, have you ever known anyone who said they prayed too much?
Unfortunately, we talk about prayer, say we believe in prayer and challenge people to pray, but do we pray? God has called us to live a supernatural life that requires His supernatural presence. He has called us to a supernatural work that requires supernatural power, the Holy Spirit. This requires praying without ceasing for a divine invasion of God’s presence in your life and in your church. Are you willing to submit to this constant, ruthless evaluation of your life and your church: Is God present? I Thessalonians 5:17 is an imperative command and reminds us of how much God desires our prayers.
It is easy to focus so much on what to pray that we forget to focus on how to enter His presence in order to pray. Bill did a wonderful job of showing us out of Matthew 6 (see his book Simply Prayer) how to enter in, because prayer is such an unnatural lane for us. The best classroom for prayer is praying and before Jesus tells us what to say He shows us the essential, preparatory elements:
• Enter in with sincerity (Matt. 6:5). Jesus makes it very clear that pride must not be in our hearts. Bill stated, “He (God) actively stands in opposition to those who approach Him in arrogance.”
• We must enter in seclusion (Matt. 6:6). Our sole desire must be to commune with Him, and that requires a singular focus on Him, whether you are in your prayer closet or a crowded sanctuary. Every time you pray, you should imagine stepping into God’s throne room. Your total focus is on Him, just like the prophet’s was in Isa. 6:1-5. Bill said, “As you enter, the Greatest One is before you, and He’s the only audience you need. As you enter, God is waiting for you on His throne and longing to reward you in His presence.” Approach His presence with sincerity and the seclusion of a singular focus on Him.
• Enter with simplicity (Matt. 6:7). Rosalind Rinker defines prayer as, “…the expression of the human heart in conversation with God. The more natural the prayer, the more real He becomes. Simply put: Prayer is a conversation between two persons who love each other.” Bill describes a very ordinary, normal exchange where you are aware of each other and take turns talking and listening. Your conversation stays on subject as you give full attention to the topic at hand. God is certainly concerned and attentive to what you have to say as you strive to pause in His presence and listen to Him.
• Enter in with simple faith (Matt. 6:8). Bill said, “As you enter, God hears you, and you don’t have to impress Him. Pray in faith, for God already knows your needs and has perfect provisions prepared.” In faith, we should pray the conditional promises of God, and there are many. Don’t allow the things God was willing to change go unchanged because you refused to meet Him in a private place and ask. There are things God plans to do through no other means but prayer. James 4:2 makes it clear, “You do not have because you do not ask.” Ask in faith believing that He is able.
• Enter as sons and daughters (Matt. 6:9). You enter His presence through sincerity, seclusion, simplicity, simple faith and as sons and daughters. We are instructed to pray, “Our Father which art in heaven.” He is our provider, protector and promise keeper. You enter into His presence because of relationship, then His presence because of His rule: “Your kingdom come, your will be done.” As His child, you gladly submit to His rule in your life and allow His standards to govern your life. Entering His presence is all about relational communication with Him and intimacy, not a long-distance, occasional interaction.
Colossians 4:2 says we are to be devoted to prayer. That means to be ceaselessly active and to be courageously persistent. Remember, God believes we need to pray with no intermission. I Thessalonians calls us to pray without ceasing. The challenge is to never stop praying but to be continually in fellowship and communication with Him. Praying should become as natural to our spiritual lives as breathing is to our physical lives.
Maybe your next step should be to order Bill’s book, Simply Prayer, and begin the journey of more prayer to the God of the universe and His Son who love you unconditionally.
