WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR PRAYER LIFE IS A MESS

I know you sincerely want to build your prayer life. You really do. I see that you have tried making plans to grow spiritually but nothing seem to be working. Today, you are on top in your communion with God, but tomorrow you feel so fagged out that you cannot even utter a word of prayer.

You are tired.  Tired of struggling with your prayer life. You want this fellowship badly but somehow other things take priority. Movies, social media, work. These things are more interesting than sitting with your bible and communing with God.

You may have made different attempts to get your prayer life rolling. Attempts like attending prayer meeting regularly, listening to songs that you feel may stir up a desire to pray. It is possible that you have opened the scriptures, but nothing made sense. Everything is so dry. No fire, no spark. No hunger

Right now you have given up. You have stopped trying. But deep down, you wonder, can I ever have a vibrant prayer life? You have listened to sermons, read Christian literature, tried to make your devotional life creative. Nothing new. Everything is just so stale.

Is it possible for you to get rekindled with the fire of prayer such that you become restless and uncomfortable when you haven’t spent time with God?

Oh yes! Many of us have come to that level in our walk with God. We feel so starved if we haven’t spent time praying or digging into the Word. We rush excitedly into the secret place eager to speak with our father. We long for more. For more depth. Spending time in prayer and in the Word is what fun is to us. We just want to get away from the noise and have a sweet fellowship with God.

For me, this crave and hunger for spiritual things has not always been the case. I have struggled with my spiritual walk so much that I wanted to stay away from anything that had God in it.

At a point, I agreed that I’d remain stagnant in my spiritual life. There were days I didn’t even open my bible. I couldn’t pray. Even when I opened my devotionals, it was just to fulfil all righteousness. I never got anything from what I read.

But something happened that changed that state for me. I did something that took my devotional life to another level. It looked so simple. But it worked wonders. Even now, when I feel weak in my desire to fellowship with God, I apply it and I am mesmerized at the results it has produced in my life.

I’ll use two scriptures to explain this beautiful secret.

It is the spirit that quickens, the flesh profits nothing…John 6:63

I love the way Good News Translation puts it.

What gives life is God’s Spirit; human power is of no use at all.

Here’s the secret: I became completely dependent on the Holy Spirit to quicken me into spending time with God. Yes, that’s all I did. Simple right?

I mutter to myself words like this. ‘I am quickened by the Spirit of God. I receive strength to commune with God. My flesh is under my dominion. I receive strength Lord. I receive strength.’

Sometimes, I cannot even open my mouth to say these words because I’m so weak and my lips cannot move, so in my heart, I say,

‘Quicken my mortal body Lord. Holy Spirit, let the life flowing spirit of God flow through me right now. Help me Lord. Strengthen my inner man Lord.’

Sometimes, that’s all I say for days. And then gradually, I feel a stirring in my spirit. And I find the Holy Spirit either laying a song in my heart or connecting me with a friend to pray with. At other times, He is showing me a scripture to read or making me listen to a sermon. Before I realize it, my soul is full.

Read: What to do when spiritual activities becoming boring

There are people who have prayed for years but it has become mere routine. No transformation. No change of heart. No depth in the things of the Spirit. Of course, the flesh profits nothing. But from the moment, their heart shifts to a sincere intimacy with God, religion is stripped off and they will learn to become more and more dependent on the Holy Spirit for every part of their spiritual walk.

When it comes to a real relationship in terms of prayers, it is not your business to quicken. Yours is to cooperate with the Holy Spirit. You do not rely on yourself to build a prayer life.

Don’t get me wrong.  This has nothing to do with waiting to feel stirred up before praying. We are people of the spirit and not of the sense realm. I’m dealing here with specific situations here.

Even on days when we feel energized, we still must realize that our fellowship is only made possible through the help of the Holy Spirit.

Then he answered and spake unto me saying, This is the word of God unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. Zechariah 4:6.

Stop trying to walk in the flesh by complaining about how your spiritual life is not making sense. Ask the Holy Spirit for help. That’s why he is in your life. He is not there for show. He is your helper. Your comforter. You’ll be amazed at the fire that will be birthed in your heart, if you will just trust Him.

Prayer: I ask that according to the riches of his glory, you will be strengthened with might by the Holy Spirit in your inner man.

Prayer. I declare that the Spirit of him that raised Jesus from the dead which dwells in you will quicken your mortal bodies.

When you begin to feel your inner man strengthened, fan the fire that the Holy Spirit is breathing inside of you into flames. That’s where your responsibility lies.

Laziness is when you are seeking intimacy and the Holy Spirit is stirring your heart but you chose not to respond. Don’t form a habit of always ignoring those urges or promptings by the Holy Spirit because you want to watch movies or spend time on social media.

When that strength comes, get into the Word. Connect with friends who are passionate about the Word. Listen to songs and sermons that the Holy Spirit is bringing to your heart. Pray in the Spirit. The Holy Spirit will strengthen. It is for you to co-operate with Him.

And he said unto me, Son of Man, can these bones live? And I answered, Oh Lord God, thou knoweth. Thus said the Lord God unto these bones: Behold, I will cause breathe to enter into you, and ye shall live. Ezekiel 37:3,5

Read: Developing intimacy with Jesus

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