28TH MAY
Colossians 4:2
“Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.”
Concentrate on “being watchful” in your prayer!
Watch out! God is telling us to be careful not to let it just become a tradition or a half-hearted ritual. He wants there to be an intensity and focus in your prayer. Recognise that we have a spiritual enemy who wants to distract us, so be watchful. Be alert! Don’t become sleepy or lazy in prayer. Some things that can help us be watchful in prayer are:
1) Pray out loud. It’s a great thing to be able to pray quietly in our hearts and know that God hears us, and we often need to do that, especially when others are around. But there’s a special intensity when we pray out loud to God. It helps us really focus and be alert and express our hearts. So find a place alone and pray out loud to God.
2) Use a list. This helps me stay focused and watchful. Make a list of people to pray for on each day of the week – family, friends, your church, Bible study group members, church leaders, missionaries, people who don’t know Christ yet. Make a list of requests you can tick off as God answers.
3) Pray together with others. This can help us as we encourage each other with our passion for God.
MAKE IT PERSONAL:
Create a list of people and cause you will be praying for this week. Put it somewhere where you will see it regularly to remind you to pray for them.