Pray Without Ceasing

"Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

There is power in prayer, power to change things, power of healing, to put it simply it is the power of God brought into your life. Sometimes people will declare that all they can do is pray about something.

The point here is that prayer is THE best and most powerful thing you can do. It puts God right into the middle of the circumstance you are praying for.But for most the axiom to "pray without ceasing" seems impossible, no matter what you are praying about.

I remember long ago (about 30 years) I read an old encyclopedia that had this definition concerning prayer: "communion with the mind of God". Now we have a concept we can apply to prayer and many other things as well. In our Walk Of Faith (see previous posts) we desire discipleship in Christ Jesus. Remember Jesus always said that He said or did nothing except that God the Father told Him to say or do.

So in order for that to be the case, and we know that it is, then Christ would have to be in constant communication with God. And that is our key to being constantly and consistently in prayer, we must be in complete communion (connection) with the mind of God. Let's look at a definition: "communication with someone or something without using words or sharing thoughts and feelings".

These definitions can be found online at onelook.com.

We have been taught to SAY a prayer, to fall on our knees before God and utter our inmost needs in supplication (a prayer asking God's help. ibid.) before the throne of God. This is something we should do, but how can we do this without ceasing, or without stopping? When we look at "communion with the mind of God" we see the answer. The mind of God is actual (praying to Him direct) and is conceptual (praying to Him indirectly) by living a life of discipleship and doing the things He has told us to do in our lives.

Another way to look at this is in I Corinthians 10:13: 

"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."

So God gives us knowledge to avoid or conquer sin. This is done by communication, by words (The Bible) and by His direct movement within our spirits. Sound familiar? The communing with the mind of God? In other words, the constant and consistant LIVING of God's truths is a form of prayer. When we don't live by God's unctions and truths then we are not in communion with Him. 

We are out of step of our discipleship in Christ and are denying His direct presence in our lives. Communing with God in spirit, and in living the truthsHe has given, is living in prayer. If we do this at all times, we become a living prayer.

This how we "pray without ceasing" and live in the calling of discipleship. Remember that Christ Jesus said for us to "deny ourselves" when He explained what being discipled to Him required (Luke 9:23). So living life in this way of constant communication with God, denies the earthly, human, foibles of life. It gives us disipleship, a life of an everlasting prayer, communion DIRECTLY with God, and will take us home to Him.

Now you can see why prayer is the BEST thing anyone of us can do. So the next time someone says they will pray for you, rejoice, they have given you a mighty gift from God and there is none better!

Be blessed, be loved and be and peace. May the light of God's glory and presence fire the brilliance of your souls. You are greatly loved.