How can creation exist without depending on the creator? This is a question that seems to have an obvious answer but very impractical in the lives of humanity.How then do we know that God is the creator of humanity, the world and all that is in it, yet we often forget to depend on Him?  In this part of “Pray like you breathe”we will be enlightened about prayer as dependency on God. When we pray, we are communing and fellowshipping with God.

16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. – Colossians 1:16

Prayer connects us to God our Source

Once one of my youth members asked me why I pray and I responded, “prayer is like the umbilical cord that connects me with God, without it, I cannot live my life in Christ.” When we pray, we speak to God and He speaks to us. Prayer is communication with God and as every relationship where effective communication exists, it allows the relationship to flourish and the parties involved get deeply connected. 

When we look at the life of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on the earth, we find that, He consistently was found praying. Beloved, praying  was the Lord’s medium of connecting with His Father.

Once our Lord was speaking with His disciples and told them:

19 Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.-John 5:19

Jesus Christ’s intimacy with His Father is what allowed Him to fulfill the will of the Father

Men ought to pray and never cease….as without prayer we experience spiritual weakness-Ama Aidoo

How then can a man/ woman live in this life if he/she is not connected to the source of his/her life? A person that connects to God the source is spiritually alive and one that is not connected is spiritually weak. This is the enemy’s objective to wear us down until we become spiritually weak until we are fainting. The enemy distracts us with the busyness of the day and worries of life to keep us away from praying. Beloved be aware of the schemes of the enemy and do not be deceived.

The fundamental truth is that we understand that God is our maker and to abide in Him is through prayer. One will perish if they disconnect from their source, they will become weak and faint. A plant cannot exist without the root, for the roots is what connects the plant to the soil and keeps the plant alive. Everything that exists has a source and the source is what sustains its existence. Abiding in God through prayer keeps us connected to God who keeps us spiritually alive. Staying connected with Him allows Him to provide insight, wisdom, guidance to us to live victoriously in Christ. God as our source provides all that we need to be sustained.

Prayer reveals and guides one’s purpose

The purpose of a creation is only determined by the creator. Growing up at the very tender age of 7, I was asked by many people, what will I become in the future. Being very young and naive, I will just think of the most spoken of the profession then and just acclaim that to be what I will become when I grow up. This question continued to be asked throughout my education path and even till now I still have people asking me what I envision to do as my career. To God be the glory, I have come to know and truly identify my purpose in life and that is to glorify God in all that I do.

When we pray God shows us what is on His heart and mind- Jeremiah 33:3

A life that glorifies God is one that is a life that aligns in the will and word of God. Living a God-glorifying life is one that is not easily attained, it is a true commitment to prayer that can provide the grace for one to live as such. There is not one specific thing that anyone is born to do, we are created with many gifts, talents, and abilities but the core of all of these is that we glorify Christ in exhibiting our gifts, talents, and abilities. A prayerless person will be persuaded by the deceptions of the enemy to live for themselves or anything else apart from God.

We were made by God and for God, we are not our own, the enemy opposes that we will abide in our creator, to overcome this opposition is by always abiding in Christ through praying.Everyone, the elderly, young and infants, we have a charge and a destined purpose and that is to live for Jesus Christ, do not allow the wisdom of the world to lure you, do not allow the fleshly desires of ambition to turn your hearts from Him who made you. Let us set our Lord Jesus Christ as our great example before us, our Lord who set victory as his destiny. Jesus Christ declared that He has come to do His Father’s will and not his own – John 6:38 In the conclusion of the gospel we find that our Lord Jesus completed this will and which could not have been done without consistent prayers. Our Lord’s final breakthrough was in the  Garden of Gethsemane as He cried to His Father to help Him – Matthew 26:39  and this His Father heard and attended to strengthen Christ for the work He was to do. Dear one, lift up your head, Jesus Christ has a purpose for you and that is to bring Him glory and He is ever ready and available to help you and all you need to do is pray and seek Him

7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.- Matthew 7:7

Abiding in God through prayer, allows Him to lead and direct us to fulfill that which He has called us to do.  Nehemiah prayed when he needed to know what to do about the destruction of the wall of Jerusalem and the burnt gates.- Nehemiah’s prayer, Daniel prayed with his companions when he needed the wisdom to interpret the dreams of the King Nebuchadnezer. There were times in my life I did not know how to make certain decisions when I prayed and God provided the guidance. His knowledge, wisdom, provision and guidance always leads us to do what we are meant to do.

Prayer to attain your spiritual authority

As believers, we are children of God, which means we have the authority over all that God has made. He has seated us with Christ in high places- Ephesians 2:4-6. It is very important that we get grounded in the deep-seated truth of our identity in Christ. Though the word of God reveals to us of who we are in Christ, we cannot manifest in this identity if we do not commit to praying.

The ability to stand in your spiritual authority is attained through deep intimacy with Christ ( Pray, Fast and Obey)

For this can only depart through fasting and praying – Mark 9:29 as Jesus Christ told His disciples, to cast out demons, to heal the sick, to do all these miraculous things one must commit to praying and fasting. A praying man is a growing man in the Lord, without prayer you starve your spirit.

Abiding in God through prayer feeds your spirit. Our spirit matures to step into the authority destined to us in Christ when we pray. God our source nurtures, teaches  and leads us when we stay connected to Him. Paul encourages the church in Ephesus that to overcome the wiles and fiery darts of the enemy is only through praying. Ephesians 6:18 -praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints. The one who is praying hears God and does what He tells him or her to do to overcome the enemy. If you are not praying you cannot hear God and so the enemy can just come in and overcome you.

These are just but a few reasons why men ought to pray and never give up. Consistent and persistent praying will sustain us in Christ. You cannot live if you are not breathing… Pray like you breathe.

May God richly bless you.