Daily Devotional
Laboring In Prayer
November 3, 2016
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Do you know that it takes energy to pray? I would rather preach for an hour than to pray for half an hour, as far as energy is concerned. It takes great strength to pray. Paul talked about “laboring” in prayer.
The reason many of us don’t pray is, very frankly, we are lazy. We go to pray and our energy just drains out of us. We get sleepy and our heads get full of cobwebs. We just don’t have the strength to pray.
While in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed and asked His disciples to pray. He said, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41). He came back and what were they doing? Sleeping. Many times we are sleeping when we ought to be praying. Why? Because we are not praying in the powerful anointing of the Spirit.
Romans 8:9-10 challenges us: “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness” (emphasis mine). Do you want to breathe life into your prayers? Pray in the power of the Spirit.
FOR YOUR GIFT TO THE MINISTRY
Front Porch Moments by Gayle Foster
WITH KEY INSIGHTS FROM HER FATHER, ADRIAN ROGERS
I try to unplug each morning with Jesus with just my rocking chair, my Bible, and a pen.
Having a secret place is very important because I know that Jesus is always there waiting for me. I know where I can find Him! His presence is everywhere, but there are places where it is so thick you can cut it with a knife. You may not even have a front porch, but there is a secret place for you as well. God’s invitations are for anyone who will respond. There is no more important request than the one found in Psalm 27:8: “My heart has heard You say, ‘Come and talk with Me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming.’”
