Making the Most of Your Prayer Life - Part 1

Welcome to the In Touch Podcast with Charles Stanley for Tuesday, May 3rd. If you are missing something in your time of prayer today, you'll get help recovering vitality in your relationship with God. Here's a lesson in making the most of your prayer life. What is the most important event in any given day in your life? That is, what is it that seems to be first and foremost and uppermost in your thinking and the one thing that you're concentrating on above everything else on that given day? What's the priority of that day? Well, if you and I had asked Jesus that, we might be surprised what he said. You might think, well, if I should ask Jesus that, he would probably have said either he's teaching that day or he's preaching or he's going to be healing or he's going to be feeding.

But one of those things certainly would be his priority. I believe if you and I had asked the Lord Jesus Christ what is the priority in his given day, on any given day, here's what he would say. It's the time I spend with my Father. You recall the scripture says that he was up early in the morning out alone with the Father praying. Then in the evening, he was alone with the Father praying. He said, I only do those things that please the Father. I only do those things I see the Father doing.

I take no initiative of my own. Jesus Christ was in continuous fellowship with his Father, but that wasn't just because he was God, but simply because he took time to be alone with his Heavenly Father. Well, I want you to turn, if you will, to Colossians chapter four. And here Paul gives us an admonition. And I believe in this passage, he really deals with about every facet we need to deal with when it comes to praying.

We'll deal with one primary part of it. In Colossians chapter four, verse two, he says, Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving, praying at the same time for us as well that God may open up to us a door for the word so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ for which I also have been imprisoned. In order that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak. Now Paul in essence says, here's the attitude we should have in prayer. And secondly, he says, this is what our prayer should cover.

And you'll notice he says that a door might be opened for greater ministry and that God would speak to him and show him how to speak the truth so that everyone could understand. Now, what I want to deal with primarily here in this passage is what he says when he says, devote yourselves to prayer. So let's talk about our personal prayer life for a moment. And when he says devote yourself to prayer, he's talking about persevering in it. That is, we're not talking about just quick prayers on the run, but recognizing the importance of it and making it the priority of our life. Devote yourself to prayer. It is the word that speaks of strength, of stability, of endurance.

In fact, the real issue here is the issue of time. Devoting yourself to prayer means giving time to talk to the Father and to listen to him. And so when he says to these Colossian Christians, devote yourself to prayer, he's talking about making a decision to set aside time where you and God fellowship with one another. And that's interesting, for example, Jesus didn't when he was talking about prayer, did not say, look, get a whole bunch of folks together and have big prayer meetings, have great prayer meetings. There's nothing wrong with that. But when Jesus talked about praying, what did he say for us to do when we prayed? What?

Go into your closet and talk to the Father and what you tell him in secret, he will answer publicly. Jesus was strong on personal private devotion, prayer. And so should you and I be. But of course, he was also for a public prayer because in the first chapter of Acts, it says that they were devoting themselves to prayer in the upper room. In chapter two, they were devoting themselves to prayer. In chapter six, he says they were devoting themselves to the teaching of the word and to prayer. So to devote myself to prayer means that I make it a priority.

I give it the necessary time to make it what it ought to be. Now, what I'd like to do in this time is to talk about that in our own personal prayer life and in your prayer life. And all of us have things that we pray for. Sometimes most of us would have to admit at times our prayer is very, very confined. Our three favorite people we pray for are me, myself and I.

And sometimes we don't get outside that circle. When Paul is speaking here, not only that circle of personal need, but he's also talking about that greater need of the whole world when he talks about a door of opportunity being open and also that he may be able to share that truth. And so he says we are to devote ourselves to prayer, not some quick little prayer, but some real genuine time in prayer. So let's think about something for a moment. We're talking about your own personal prayer life, keeping alert in it, he says, with an attitude of thanksgiving.

Now, let me ask you a question. When you start praying, sometimes what happens to you? What happens to you once in a while when you begin to pray? For example, what's one thing? Your mind drifts, right?

All right. So what in the world makes your mind drift? Because it certainly isn't God. God isn't going to say, well, think about something else while you're talking to me.

He's not going to say that. So if your mind drifts, isn't it strange when it drifts on? What are you going to have for lunch? What are you going to have for breakfast?

What are you going to do tomorrow? And isn't it strange also the drifts on things you think, goodness, God, what am I doing thinking about that? And isn't it amazing that here you are talking to the creator of the universe, the omnipotent, all-loving God who genuinely loves you and who is listening to your petition because He wants to answer your prayer, and in the process of telling him what you're concerned about, you just drift off into something else. Well, what's the second thing that happens? You get sleepy, right? And here we are, we're talking to our Heavenly Father, and in the midst of it, we wake up.

And we feel guilty. Well, I used to feel guilty about that until I learned one of the greatest secrets of sermon preparation I learned by accident. Now, back here in the study I have a prayer room. So, what I would do is oftentimes I would just study and study and study and I would go in there and pray about what I just sort of been cramming in my mind and heart that I was working on in the message. Well, what I realized is I'd go fast asleep. And I think, God, don't I love you enough to stay awake?

Here I am asking you to lay a message on my heart, and here I am going to sleep in the prayer room. And so I would really berate myself about that until I learned the most fascinating thing. Listen, I would just cram myself full in my mind and go in there and start praying, go fast asleep. But what I realized was that when I woke up and I got back to my desk, I couldn't write fast enough. My mind was so sharp because I'd fill my mind with the Word of God, go in there and talk myself to sleep talking to Him. And so what happened is if my mind got absolutely neutral, then God could rearrange things in my thinking. So when I woke up, I mean, I found out that one of the greatest assets to sermon preparation is going to sleep and going to sleep. Now, I don't mean midnight.

I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about in the midst of studying and going fast asleep. It's amazing what happens. Now, if you've watched television for three hours and then you go to sleep, that's your fault. Don't blame that on the devil. But the devil is behind, I'm sure, drowsiness in our praying. That's why you shouldn't wait till you've got two thirds sleep and you yawning and you get down by the bed or you lie down in the bed and start praying and you wake up.

Next thing you know, it's morning. So drowsiness and sleeping can be of the devil. What is the third thing that Satan will do when you're praying? Distractions.

All right. That is the telephone rings. Now, I want you to think about something now. Here you are talking to God. Almighty God, who is the sovereign of this universe, who has all power to do everything you ask Him to do, who is genuinely personally interested in you enough to listen to what you have to say, and the telephone rings. And you get up from talking to God to go talk to somebody you don't even know. Or it may be some friend. Or it may just be something they want to talk about. Why in the world would you get up from praying and go answer the phone?

And guess what you'd say? It may be important. Important compared to what? If you and I are talking to God, there isn't anything so important. Now, once in a while, I'll be praying and the telephone ring is just like God says, answer that.

Not very often, but answer that. And sure enough, it'll be something that I needed at that very moment. And sometimes, oftentimes something that I need to pray about. But usually when the telephone rings, it isn't something you couldn't wait about.

I want you to think about this, because you see, it's amazing how many messages we send that we don't even realize. If I'm willing to get up off my knees and go answer a telephone when I don't have any idea what's going on at the other end of it, and it may be somebody trying to sell me something, and I leave God in order to go answer a telephone, there's something wrong within my thinking. And what it says is, I'm more interested in what's going on around me than I am the God who controls what's going on around me. So, when Paul said here in this passage, he said, be watchful, be on the alert, keeping alert.

Why? Because he knew what you and I have to deal with in prayer. Now, go to Ephesians chapter six.

Let me show you something. Ephesians chapter six. And all of us know what this passage says about putting on the full armor of God. For example, you recall he says in verse ten, be strong in the Lord and the strength of His might and put on the full armor of God.

And we know what that armor is. He says the helmet of salvation to protect our thinking, the breastplate of righteousness to protect our emotions. Our loins girdle of truth, that we walk in the truth, believe the truth, know the truth, stand in the truth. Feet shall with the preparation of the gospel of peace as we share the gospel. He says, the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, and above all, taking the shield of faith. Now, so we know that we say, well, that's to protect us as we go about our life. But I want you to look at this in the eighteenth verse, what he says at the end of giving us all of this armor. Notice what he says, with all prayer and petition, pray at all times in the Spirit.

And with this in view, what in view? Being on the alert with all perseverance. The same word he uses in Colossians for devotion. Same Greek word with all be on the alert, with all perseverance and petition for all the saints and to pray on my behalf.

So do you know why he put that at the end? Here's the reason they did, because when is Satan going to attack you the most viciously? But when you are doing the one thing he hates and despises and fears above everything else. Listen, Satan doesn't fear anything like a man or a woman devoted to prayer. You become Satan's prime target and you are one of his choice enemies when you begin to devote yourself to prayer.

Why? Because Satan knows that you have a relationship to God the Father that makes it possible for you to touch anybody anywhere on the face of this earth. And that God can use you to impact people and nations and situations and circumstances and families. And the one thing he's going to do is get you sleepy, distracted or somehow get your mind to wandering or even think evil thoughts right in the middle of a prayer.

Now, so you'll be honest, put mine up first. How many of you ever come up with some evil thought right in the middle of talking to God? What's your first response? Where did that come from? Well, we know where it came from.

You see, that didn't come out of your heart. Here you are talking to God. Here's some evil thought penetrates your mind that had to come straight from the devil. And what Paul is saying here is, listen, when you get ready to pray, you get dressed up. The helmet of salvation to protect your thinking, the breastplate for your emotions, the girdle of truth, the sword of the Spirit, which is both defensive and offensive. And above all, he says the shield of faith, that word for shield is the Greek word used for door. We're not talking about one of those little round shields. We're talking about one of those big shields.

That's the form of a door that oftentimes they would set up, get down behind it and be totally, completely protected by it. And what he's saying is get dressed up for the battle of faith. When you and I come to pray in our personal prayer life, we are going to be attacked with all kinds of things from the telephone to a wandering mind. Sleepiness, evil thoughts, you name it.

Why? Because Satan hates praying people. He hates them because they're his greatest enemy. You see, he doesn't hate preaching nearly as bad as he hates praying. And so therefore, when you and I think in terms of devoting ourselves to prayer because of the awesome potential of a single person devoted to prayer, expect to be attacked because he's going to attack you one way or the other. So as you think about what he says here, he says, be on the alert. He says, be on the alert. When you begin to pray, persevere, devote yourself, set aside time, devote yourself to it.

And he says, be on the alert. Now, then he says with thanksgiving, if you'll notice in the third chapter, he says here three times in three verses right together. Verse fifteen, sixteen and seventeen, he speaks, he says in verse fifteen, be thankful. We're back in Colossians three now. Verse sixteen, he says, thankfulness in your hearts to God. Verse seventeen, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

Why all this emphasis on thanksgiving and why this emphasis in thanksgiving and prayer? Now watch this. No matter what you and I asking God for, and this doesn't always come quickly, nor does it come easy. But he says, be on the alert with thanksgiving.

Now watch this. If I can bring my petition to God and in bringing my petition, I can genuinely thank him for answering my prayer. What I have done is I have expressed faith right up front. God, I want to thank you for hearing and answering my petition. And so thanksgiving is a beautiful mix of petition with thanksgiving, which ultimately results in our faith. That is, that is an expression of faith when I am able to thank Him for that. Now, if you're going to have a prayer life that really makes a difference, that's going to have any impact, have an impact on your life, the lives of other people, there are four things I believe are essential.

Number one, and that is to set a definite time. If you don't, you won't devote yourself to prayer. It doesn't happen. The reason I know that is because since Satan hates that above every other activity you and I engage ourselves in, he's going to do everything in his power to keep you what? Busy. To keep you busy so you can say, I don't have time to pray. Now think about this. This God of ours who's given us twenty-four hours in every day could take us out just in a split second if he chose. For me to tell God I don't have time to talk to him, none of us would think that's reasonable. We don't have time to talk to God who is the source of every second, every heartbeat. And if Jesus spent His mornings and His evenings in prayer, and all of us have enough problems and heartaches and burdens and trials and tribulations in life, and friends who have them and a whole world out there is hurting, all of us have enough to need to go to Him often and talk to Him. Set us out of time.

If you don't, it won't happen. Number one, a time. Secondly, a place. A place where you and God get together. Where you battle it out with those things that you and He just need to deal with privately in your life. There's something about a place.

Here's what it is. Once you have a place, somehow when you get to that place, you are more ready to pray than if you just pray hither and yonder and yonder and this place, that place and the other. Because that's what you do there. My mom made me a number of Africans when she was alive and one of them, the first one she gave me, I brought it and put in this prayer room back in. It's been there ever since I've been the associate pastor of this church. And I have one at home and I walk in my sets, first thing I see. You say, well, is that a security blanket?

Brother, you better believe it is because it keeps me reminded of where my security is. And it can only be found in this world in one place and that's Jesus. The third thing is a purpose. If you don't have a purpose, you won't pray. You just pray here and yondons, things arise and this, that and the other.

You'll pray a little bit here and there, but you won't pray much. What's the purpose? Now, here's the purpose. The purpose ultimately is not to get something from God.

And I don't know when I discovered this in my own life, but I can remember thinking this and thinking, Dear God, am I, how could I miss this? Most people's primary purpose for praying is getting something. You know what God sees as their primary purpose for praying? Developing an intimate, warm, personal intimacy with Him. You see, giving, listen to this, giving you and me things, that's no big deal with God. But if this is a big deal, bringing us from the distractions of the world into a warm, intimate, personal relationship with Him so that we want to talk to Him. You see, what happens is it's in those times you and I get to know Him.

And you don't get to know God very well just asking Him for this and give me that and help that one, bless this one, bless this and provide this and provide the other. There's something about spending time alone with Him. And the purpose needs to be to get to know Him. How does He operate? Who is this God I love? Who is this God I serve?

What is He really like? Lord, just show me. Here's what happens. When you and I turn our hearts toward Him, He begins to unveil Himself to us. We begin to see and understand the ways of God that we never understood before. And I'm here to tell you, you listen to ten thousand sermons and you'll never get what you get on your face or on your knees or in your chair sitting before the Lord is listening to Him, because that's just you and Him. That's just you and God talking. Thank you for listening to part one of Making the Most of Your Prayer Life. If you'd like to know more about Charles Stanley or In Touch Ministries, stop by InTouch.org. This podcast is a presentation of In Touch Ministries, Atlanta, Georgia.