Prayer Devotional

THE TRANSIENT NATURE OF LIFE

Friday 19th May 2023

A voice said, “Shout!” I asked, “What should I shout? Shout that people are like the grass that dies away. Their beauty fades as quickly as the beauty of flowers in the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, because the breath of the LORD blows upon it; surely the people are grass – Isaiah 40:6-7

Have you ever wondered why death does not discriminate? The rich die as well as the poor. The good die as well as the bad. Blacks die as well as whites. The prophet Isaiah was instructed to ‘shout’ that people are like the grass that dies away. God needed to make this truth loud and clear so we all can live prepared.

If we understand the transient nature of life, we won’t take our time on earth for granted. Plants as we know them are only relevant in their seasons; as soon as the rainy season is gone; most plants’ leaves fade away. This is how our time on earth is. God has bestowed on every man a season of flourishing and fruitfulness in life; if this season is wasted, life itself becomes a waste because it fades away.

The elegant beauty of the plant does not prevent it from fading away; so also the glamorous looks of a man cannot prevent him in the day of death. Neither does the affluence nor influence of a man have the capacity to deliver him from the power of the grave when it calls, the Bible says: ‘… their beauty fades as quickly as the beauty of flowers in the field’. Having this knowledge, how should we live? Live each day as if it is your last – establish a sound working relationship with God, and sow into the lives of men as much as you can, then you’ll not be cheated by death because you must have lived well.

Remain rapturable!

PRAYER: Father, thank You for the gift of life. Help me Lord to live life to the fullest in Jesus’ Name!

LIVE TO INSPIRE OTHERS

Thursday 18th May 2023

Everyone helped his neighbour, and said to his brother, “Be of good courage!” So the craftsman encouraged the goldsmith; he who smooths with the hammer inspired him who strikes the anvil, saying, “It is ready for the soldering”; then he fastened it with pegs that it might not totter. – Isaiah 41:6-7

The world is full of people with all kinds of needs. For some persons, they only need a word of encouragement to keep them striving through life. It is for this reason that the scripture admonishes us, “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one” – Colossians 4:6. This is important because you do not know when your word of encouragement could be someone’s last resort for survival. Prayerfully consider your words.

The beauty of life’s journey is in being a blessing to others. Everyone needs someone! No man is an isolated Island. You have what someone needs, and someone has what you need. No man is self-sufficient but God. Everyone has something with which to help another. Work towards identifying God’s endowment upon your life that is meant to be a blessing to your neighbour. The workers in our text inspired and encouraged one another (Isaiah 41:7). It is in inspiring others to fulfill their God ordained purpose that your life’s purpose find fulfillment. So, live to inspire others – by your words and actions. Be blessed!

PRAYER: Father, thank You for the consolation I have received from Your word. I pray that You’ll make me a source of inspiration and encouragement to others around me, in Jesus’ Name!

A SPIRIT ATTUNED TO GOD’S WILL

Wednesday 17th May 2023

Be assured that from the first day we heard of you, we haven’t stopped praying for you, asking God to give you wise minds and spirits attuned to His will, and so acquire a thorough understanding of the way in which God works – Colossians 1:9

A part of Paul’s prayer for the Colossian Christians was for them to have spirits that are attuned to God’s will. The direction you tune your spirit, will determine its cravings – either for God or for the world. A spirit that is tuned to God will desire to do the things of God, and will be pleasing to Him. To the Galatian Church Paul wrote: “For he who sows to his own flesh (lower nature, sensuality) will from the flesh reap decay and ruin and destruction, but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life” – Galatians 6:8.

A spirit attuned to God’s will is a spirit that has a clear understanding of what God wants, and is ready to do it. When the spirit is attuned to God’s will, errors are drastically minimized in life; and this will alleviate the regrets that come from not hearing God. If our spirits must be in tune with God’s will, then we must for sure be in tune with His word. The word of God is the container of His will for our lives.

In what direction is your spirit tuned? Whose will are you fulfilling, God’s or the world’s will? Dearly beloved, in order to be attuned to God’s will; you need to prioritize meditating on the word of God. And in meditating, you must also be ready to obey every detail of the word; then you can walk in the will of God for your life. May God cause your spirit to be attuned to His will always, Amen.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I thank You for Your good plans for my life. Cause that my spirit may always be attuned to Your will in all things, in Jesus’ Name!

COMPLETE SANCTIFICATION

Tuesday May 16th 2023

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ – 1Thessalonians 5:23

Sanctification simply means to make holy, pure, set apart or consecrate a thing or person. Even though our spirit is saved, there’s a need to progressively keep the mind in check by continuous fellowship with the Holy Spirit in order not to stray away from the path of eternal life. For this reason, God works to sanctify the total man – spirit, soul and body. God’s provision for us is not a life of partial holiness, but complete holiness. As it is written, “but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct” – 1Peter 1:15.

Holiness is the nature of God; therefore, as His children, nothing less is expected of us. The reason we are told of this sanctification is to preserve and present our spirit, soul and body blameless at the coming of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. The book of Hebrews reaffirms that without holiness; no one shall see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14). We are also reminded by Paul that the will of God for us is that we be sanctified, and abstain from every form of sexual sin (1Thessalonians 4:3). It is noteworthy that sanctification is a work of the Holy Spirit through the instrumentality of our communion with Him in prayer and the Word.

As you stay in touch with Him day by day, may your spirit, soul, and body be sanctified wholly, and may you be preserved blameless before Him at His return in Jesus’ Name!

PRAYER: Father, thank You for the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. I pray for the grace to obediently cooperate with You for the perfection of Your work in my life in Jesus’ Name!

THE INCOMPREHENSIVE GREATNESS OF GOD

Monday May 15th 2023

Who has scooped up the ocean in his two hands, or measured the sky between his thumb and little finger, Who has put all the earth’s dirt in one of his baskets, weighed each mountain and hill? No, for all the nations of the world are nothing in comparison with him. They are but a drop in the bucket, dust on the scales. He picks up the Islands as though they had no weight at all. All Lebanon’s forests do not contain sufficient fuel to consume a sacrifice large enough to honour Him. All Lebanon’s sacrificial animals would not make an offering worthy of our God. All the nations add up to simply nothing before Him—less than nothing is more like it. A minus. God sits high above the round ball of earth. The people look like mere ants. He stretches out the sky like a canvas to live under. Look up into the heavens. Who created all the stars? He brings them out one after another, calling each by its name. And he counts them to see that none are lost or have strayed away – Isaiah 40:12, 15-17, 22, 26.

The efforts of man to comprehend God’s greatness can be likened to an ant attempting to carry a 10,000kg of rice. We know this is practically impossible, that is how it is when we try by our human capacity to comprehend the greatness of God. Although a sincere pondering over His greatness can unveil a glimpse of His person to us.

The prophet Isaiah could only give us a glimpse of His greatness by using physical things like water, the sky, the earth’s dirt, the stars, the mountain and hills – how He handles them. As deep and wide as the ocean, God could scoop it with His hands. As vast as the sky, He could measure it between His thumb and His little finger. As numerous as the nations of the earth, they are like a drop in the bucket before Him. As abundant as the stars are, He knows each and calls them by their names. What can He not do? This implies that what you see as a mountain today is but nothing to the Almighty. You can trust Him to crush such mountain before you as it is no match for Him.

As we seek Him in prayer and His Word, God will unveil various dimensions of His greatness to us as much as we can access in this present time. The greatness of God can be seen in the beauty and array of creation. Knowing that our God is great, and there is no impossibility with Him, let us take advantage of His greatness to advance His Kingdom among men. Our greatness in life is knitted to our walking in intimacy with Him because as He is, so are we in the world. Be blessed!

PRAYER: Father, thank You for Your unfathomable greatness. Help me Lord to maintain a closer walk with You daily in Jesus’ Name!

THE INCOMPARABLE GOD

Sunday 14th May 2023

So who even comes close to being like God? To whom or what can you compare Him? “To whom will you compare me? Who is my equal” Asks the Holy One – Isaiah 40:18, 25

It is common to compare a thing with another or a person with another. However, there is One who does not have a comparison – that is our God! We cannot liken Him to anything seen or unseen; this speaks of His matchless greatness. After unleashing His judgment on Egypt and its gods, the Israelites sang: “Who compares with you among gods, O GOD? Who compares with you in power, in holy majesty, in awesome praises, wonder-working God?” – Exodus 15:11. After about six thousand years, this question is yet to be answered; the whole of creation has got no answer to this question because God is peerless.

God’s incomparability gives Him the right of first place in your heart. Neither your money nor your career should take His place because none of these things is worth His place in your heart. In some cases, certain individuals may be so dear to us that they tend to play ‘god’ in our lives making us to set God aside. Jesus while on earth addressed this by saying: “If you want to be my follower you must love me more than your own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, more than your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple” – Luke 14:26. Hah! Even your own life is not worthy to take His place. If nothing compares to our God, be sure that that raging storm (challenges) which threatens your faith can dasappear in a moment if only you can take it to Him in prayer by faith. AMEN!

PRAYER: Father, thank You for being the incomparable God to me. I pray that you still every raging storm in my life in Jesus’ Name!

THE HEAVENLY PLACES

Saturday 13th May 2023

And what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead, and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. – Ephesians 1:19-21

But God who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. – Ephesians 2:4-6

In continuation of his prayer for the Ephesian Believers, Paul stated that as Christ was raised from the dead, He is seated at the right Hand of the Father in the heavenly places far above all powers in heaven and earth. In the chapter that follows (Ephesians 2:4-6), we are made to know that as we partake of His death and resurrection, so also do we partake of His position – “… raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” – Ephesians 2:6.

The phrase ‘The heavenly places’ signifies our position of authority in Christ Jesus, and this is part of our inheritance in Him. Our blessings as Believers can only be accessed from this position (Ephesians 1:3). This privileged position is bestowed on us as a result of our union with Him. Paul clearly states in his epistle to the Romans, “… and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together” – Romans 8:17. Also, the Writer of Hebrews confirmed that, “So now Jesus and the ones He makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them His brothers and sisters” – Hebrews 2:11 NLT.

Our spiritual position and authority as Believers is deeply rooted in this relationship (Spiritual family relationship) with Christ, and it is that which determines our placement in the heavenly places. It is only in Him that we are strong, and a threat to the devil and his cohort. This position is part of our redemption package, and by it our dominion over the forces of darkness is established.

PRAYER: FATHER, thank You for my privileged position in Christ. I pray for grace not to lose my place in You in Jesus’ Name!

THE SPIRIT OF WISDOM AND REVELATION

Friday 12th May 2023

I keep asking God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better – Ephesians 1:17NIV

Our spiritual progress in the Kingdom is largely based on a growth in knowledge and revelation of Jesus. This, Paul made a key part of his prayer for the Ephesian brethren. This to him was a prayer so important that he prayed it regularly, “I keep asking God…” It was to him a continuous prayer for the Ephesian Christians.

While revelation is the insight or light received from the Word of God, the Spirit of wisdom teaches us the spiritual ‘know how’, that is, the right application of the revelation gotten from His Word. God strongly desires to be known by His people, but this cannot be without the Instrumentality of the Holy Spirit who supplies wisdom and revelation. Growing in grace and the knowledge of God will become an effort in futility if we do not receive the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the place of prayer.

If we must know Him beyond the present level, this also must become our daily cry as it was for Paul concerning the Ephesian Believers. Since our revelation of God is progressive as we keep pace with Him; therefore, the need to keep pressing for deeper realms in God. Knowing Christ better and becoming like Him should be our utmost goal, and this we should seek in prayer by the help of the Holy Spirit. Be blessed!

PRAYER: Thank You Father for the provision You’ve made for me to know You more. Lord, I ask for the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in Your knowledge in Jesus’ Name!

THE HOPE OF HIS CALLING

Thursday 11th May 2023

By having the eyes of your understanding flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you, and how rich is His glorious inheritance in the saints (His set-apart ones) – Ephesians 1:18AMP

As the Apostle Paul continues His heartfelt prayer for the Church in Ephesus, he brings up a very important theme: The Hope of God’s Calling. Time and time again, God has assured us that He has not called us in vain, just like He declared in Isaiah 45:19 (AMP): “I have not spoken in secret, in a corner of the land of darkness; I did not call the descendants of Jacob [to a fruitless service], saying, Seek Me for nothing [but I promise them a just reward]…” The Scriptures are replete with such messages of hope, which is an indication that we’re not running blindly, but with the hope of eternal life. And this hope, we are told is, Christ living in us, which is the assurance that we shall fully partake in His glory (Colossians 1:27).

This hope the Bible says, also serves as an anchor for our soul – steadfast and sure (Hebrews 6:19). Living each day with this assurance that God hasn’t called us in vain, but unto glory will enable us make the most of our time on earth. In our calling, God has not hidden from us what His plans are, but has graciously made them known to us in the many pages of Scriptures. It is now left to us to search the Scriptures and discover in prayer what God’s eternal purpose is for us; and this is only made possible by the enlightenment of our eyes of understanding.

Unlike mere mortal men, we can fully trust Him to bring His Word to pass because “… by two unchangeable things [His promise and His oath] in which it is impossible for God to prove false or deceive us…” – Hebrews 6:18AMP.

PRAYER: Father, thank You for the hope I have in You. I pray for grace to be sustained by this hope which is the anchor for my soul until You return to take me home in Jesus’ Name!

COMFORT FOR THE FAINTHEARTED

Wednesday 10th May 2023

Now we exhort you brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all – 1Thessalonians 5:14NKJV

To be fainthearted simply means to be fearful, nervous, weak or timid. In the Christian race, we all operate at different levels of strength and faith. Little wonder Paul’s charge to the Church in Rome, “Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status” – Romans 15:1MSG.

This ministry of comfort is also important because there are downtimes in life’s journey when we need the comfort of the Spirit and the brethren to press on. For this, according to the Word of God is the fulfillment of the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2). Is there a brother or sister who is fainthearted around you today? God beckons on you to lend a hand of comfort and encouragement. We are told not to be self-conceited, but to lend a helping hand to a weak brother or sister. We are like soldiers on the warfront. True soldiers do not abandon their wounded comrade in the heat of the battle, but see to it that he or she is rescued from the battle field.

So also, God expects us to run this race with the spiritual and physical welfare of others in mind. We will be more fulfilled at our journey’s end when we see that once ‘timid’ fellow whom we helped to be strong, smiling at us as we together recline in the Master’s embrace! Stay blessed!

PRAYER: Father, thank You for the privilege to be a source of comfort to fellow brethren. I pray that You’ll help me not to be self-conceited, but care for the weak in Jesus’ Name!