The habit of prayer needs to be cultivated daily. Like building muscle takes time, cultivating a strong prayer lifestyle takes time, discipline, and a strong will for things to improve in our lives.
Whenever we want to lose weight, we make a plan, either by choosing to take aside 30 minutes to 1 hour of any moving activity or by adjusting what we eat to eat healthier.
Muscles are not built in a day or two, although we wish they could, they take time to get stronger. It's a process of transformation from pain to victory. It's a process of consistency, dedication, a good workout routine, and faith. Yes, faith, because whenever we start working out, we know we still don't see the results we want to see in our bodies. We have an idea of how we want to look, more tone, more definition, less fat, etc…but we start to work with what we have that's far from where we want to go. But we know if we continue the process, we will see a transformation. If we are consistent, the results we want will become visible in a couple of months. That's Faith!
Our prayer lifestyle is something that needs training daily. It requires consistency, building a habit, making a plan, and following it diligently.
Steps to improve your prayer lifestyle:
1) Lift your prayers in the morning
Morning Prayers are a must. Why? Because when you wake up, your mind is clean and fresh from any worries. You are still sleepy, recovering from your night's sleep, and that's the perfect moment to connect with God. Set aside 10–30 minutes of morning prayers. And if you feel that you might not know what to pray in the morning because you might fall asleep, what I sometimes do is plan what I will pray in the morning the night before. I write down things I want to elevate in prayers the next morning, so I won't forget, and I start with a plan. A good thing to start with is gratitude and praise.
“In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.”
— Psalms 5:3
2) Stretch your gratitude
Hey, you are alive, He woke you up in the morning with a purpose, start your prayers with that in mind!
Play some worship music in low volume to get you in sync with the purpose of your prayers. Remember, God is waiting to say: “Good Morning” to you! He wants you to invite Him into your day.
Gratitude and praise are a good way to open ourselves to see how blessed we really are. It highlights the places that we might have taken for granted for so long.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
— Philippians 4:6
3) Bounce your worries to God
The enemy likes to play dodgeball with us. He is continually hitting us with worry, sadness, sleepless nights, etc. What would be better than to grab those dodgeballs and bounce them back to our Lord and Savior? He is ready to catch anything and everything the enemy throws our way. That's why He is there, near you, waiting for you to make Him part of all your life changes and make you stronger in the process.
“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”
-1 Peter 5:7
4) Eat the Word of God
During your prayer time, it's important to set aside a time of stillness to hear His voice. You can take this time to read the Word of God. Pray for God to show you his goodness, his faithfulness, and the plans He has for you through His word.
Chose to learn a new verse of the bible weekly and say it out loud. Remember that when the enemy attacks, the Word is your weapon against him. The Word is powerful and is alive! It has the purpose of defending us against the attacks of the enemy. But if we don't eat the Word, we become weak against him and his attacks.
“And he said to me, “Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the people of Israel.” So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat. Then he said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.” So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.”
— Ezekiel 3:1-3
5) Run to the Father
As your day has come to an end, remember to run to the Father again. Bring to God anything that happened to you during your day. He wants to know how your day was, What did you learn? Did you face any challenges? Were you able to share His word with someone? What worries you? Do you have any good news? He wants to hear all about your day!
Night prayers are also very important; you are leaving everything in the hands of God so you can go to sleep and rest. But they are also essential for protection against the enemy's attacks during our most vulnerable time.
“The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.”
— Proverbs 18:10
I hope this message encourages you today to establish a healthy prayer lifestyle. As warriors, we are in Christ; we need to train daily and become strong to battle not only for us and our families but for the attacks of the enemy around the world. The world needs our prayers, and God called you for a time like this. Be diligent in prayer and fight the good fight that He already won for us at the Cross. The victory is ours!
