By Pastor Chinedu Emmanuel

“Pray without ceasing…” 1 Thess. 5:17 (NKJV)

Fountain of the Living Word church has dedicated this entire week to prayers. We are holding a prayer conference this week. This program has one simple purpose: TO PRAY. We are called to pray without ceasing. Again, the main goal is to dedicate quality time to praying fervently and effectively this week.  James 4: 16 reminds us that “the fervent prayers of a righteous man availeth much.” Please feel free to join us to pray for the body of Christ as you are led by the Holy Spirit. To help facilitate and guide us as we embark on this, here are a few very important points about prayer.

• • We will start off by defining prayer. Prayer is communion and fellowship with God. Prayer is like a child’s conversation with his/her father. Prayer is a two-way conversation with God. We should not only talk to Him but leave room to listen to Him. To be diligent means to be focused or not slacking about something. As believers, we must be diligent in prayers. We shouldn’t be so busy that prayer takes the back burner; when prayer should be the primary thing we ought to do daily. We need to be careful and make sure we are consistent with our prayer time because there are many other things competing for our time and attention.

• • Prayer should be more than a mere ritual. It isn’t something we do just so we can check it off on our to-do list. It isn’t just for a certain time of the day either. It is easy to get into the habit or routine of just praying at a certain time daily. There is nothing wrong with having a set time of prayer. However, it is wrong to not pray the rest of the day because we have done our morning prayers. Our prayer life should be part of our living. We must get used to doing it and not feel any pressure or burden while we are at it. Praying without ceasing means having a continuous conversation with our heavenly father. It affords us an opportunity to have limitless intimate conversations with our loving Father who is always eager to hear from us. Our daily victory is connected to your consistency in prayer.

• • Psalm 119:105, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and light unto my path.”  God’s word is what guides us in all things, including prayers. You cannot pray effectively if you are not giving to studying the word. We tend to get into the tradition of praying how others do or tell us to. The scripture warns us in Mark 7:8 to beware of people introducing us to traditions of men; practices that do not align with what God has said. Christians often make the mistake of not cross-checking whatever they have been taught with the Scriptures.  We should ask God how to pray and search what scripture says about prayer. Then, God will show us prayer topics to pray for and how to pray for them. God’s love compels and dominates us in everything we do including prayer.

• • Romans 8: 26 “And likewise also, the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as one ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for uswith unexpressed groanings”  This verse emphatically says that we need the Holy Spirit to pray effectively. The Holy Spirit guides us in all things including prayer. He makes sure we pray in accordance with God’s will. God does not act outside of His will. Our primary concern shouldn’t be on our problems only, but instead, it should be the kingdom of God. Give your burdens to the Lord, and He will take care of you. Before God even created us, He provided everything we need. His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness. We receive it by faith through Christ. The things of the spirit may seem foolish to us when we have no interest in them. Spiritual blessings can seem unattainable to the carnal eye. Our spiritual blessings and riches are in Christ. God gave us the same power that raised Christ from the dead. This power is active and now works in us. We have overcome the world because the power of God lives in us.

• • Lastly, prayer not mixed with faith will not get answers. Faith only comes by hearing God’s word revealed to you. You cannot come to God with a doubting heart and expect Him to do what you are praying for.  The moment your heart goes contrary to the word of God, no matter how much you pray it will not work. You must firmly believe in God and His word before you see answers to your prayers. So, get rid of anxiety; “Be anxious for nothing”. Quit talking about the issue and pray instead! Talking about it shows that you are anxious and faithless. If you have handed the issue to God, then let Him handle it. Your mouth speaks from the abundance of your heart. Your worries can’t add hair one strand of hair to your head. Trust God with your worries; He will handle them.

May God bless, strengthen and enable us all as we take on this mantle to pray fervently and effectively especially this week and always. Amen!

Pastor Chinedu Emmanuel is the Senior Pastor of Fountain of The Living Word Church East Orange, New Jersey.