WEEK 11:  DEVOTIONAL ON PRAYER

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”  Ephesians 6:18

And pray in the Spirit
Prayer is an expression of our dependence upon God. Spiritual prayer moves us into the realm of the supernatural and the divine. This realm can only be reached through the door of the Spirit.  The Spirit is the atmosphere where real prayer can take place. Spiritual prayer flows out of the life that is living by the Spirit and keeping in step with the Spirit. To pray in the Spirit, one must be free from all that would hinder the working of the Spirit in their lives.
 
Pray on all occasions
Prayer is to be a habitual experience in the life of the follower of Jesus. Prayer is the unceasing breath of the soul. To walk a step of life outside of the atmosphere of prayer is to quickly run out of spiritual breath. Every occasion, or step of life, is an opportunity for prayer.   We are to pray in the summer of need as well as the spring of plenty. Prayer is the breadth of life on the mountains of joy as well as the valleys of sorrow.  Someone said, “Whenever you find it the hardest to pray, pray your hardest!”  Every incident of life is to be dealt with in prayer.

All kinds of prayers and requests
There is not an ineffective form of sincere prayer. Prayer is for every occasion because it is effective in all its manifold forms.  Prayer must never be reduced to a routine or tradition. Prayer must always be kept fresh through variety, never allowing prayer to become a rut.  There are a number of different approaches to prayer. To be judgmental or critical of kinds of prayer by others is to forget the true essence of prayer.

Be alert
Prayer is to be sincere and intense.  The person of prayer must never be caught off guard. There must be a spirit of watchfulness and perseverance.  The enemies of distractions, slothfulness, lack of passion, selfishness, loss of focus, and concentration must quickly be spotted and appropriate action taken.

And always keep on praying for all the saints
Prayer is unlimited in its scope and content.  The word all or its equivalent is used four times in this one verse in the original.  Prayer is to be offered with utter earnestness and constantly for every Christian. Prayer must never become selfish or focused on our own needs or spiritual struggles.