Do you want more spiritual power? Do you desire to walk in signs and wonders? To see revival? To advance the gospel to hard and dark places and prepare people for Jesus’ glorious return?
As followers of Jesus, we are designed to do these things (Mark 16:17–18). We hunger for it—to see God’s kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven—and we’re not satisfied without it!
But the desire is costly. It won’t come easily; there’s something that’s required from us.
That something is intimacy with God.
As much as we want to walk in power, Jesus gave us this warning:
“Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ But then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from Me, you who practice evil’ (Matt. 7:22-23).
Intimacy is to be our first priority. We must do God’s work God’s way, which is in close relationship with Him. This means that we read His Word, talk to Him and listen for His voice so we can know that we’re doing His will.
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me,” Jesus said in John 10:27.
This is what it means to pray. Prayer is simply conversation with God. We talk, listen, worship, read the Word and spend time in His presence.
Intimacy is important because it sustains us—especially if we face hard times in our ministry or life. Jesus warned us that trials are sure to come, but He is our peace (John 16:33).
God does not want us to do the Christian walk—including ministry—apart from Him. If we try, we will lose the very peace and power that He wants to give. “I am the vine,” Jesus said in John 15:5, “you are the branches. He who remains in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit. for without Me you can do nothing.”
So what does it look like to abide? How do we remain in Christ when we live in a broken and busy world?
It is here that making a commitment to pray every day is helpful.
When Jesus taught us to pray, His first petition for us was “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matt. 6:11). This means we will need a fresh supply every day.
Not praying daily means we are trying to survive on yesterday’s bread—which can get hard, stale and unfit to eat.
Christianity is supposed to be a fresh, dynamic and daily encounter with the living God. While we may hit a dry or difficult season, we can still press in daily to know Him more. And even in tough times, prayer helps us find the living water—and the daily bread—that sustains us until the season shifts.
Our God is good, and He desires so much that we seek Him that He’s given us a need to pray daily. Prayer connects us with the source of all life, fulfillment and joy with God Himself. As we talk to the one who lacks nothing, our needs will be met (see Ps. 23).
By gazing on the one with all beauty and power, those aspects will start to fill us.
Prayer may seem mysterious, but it is so important. No one seeking to do God’s will can survive without it. Praying daily—preferably for one hour or more in a focused way—will transform your walk with God like few other things can.
It may be hard at first, but make a commitment and stick with it. Read books and articles on prayer to learn how to do it. Ask more seasoned saints for tips and advice. Study your Bible or turn on worship music—anything to help you connect with God. In a short while, your time of prayer could become your favorite hour of the day.
Up next, we’ll talk about fasting—which is another great way to strengthen your walk with the Lord. Blessings as you pray daily!
Is there anything keeping you from making a commitment to pray daily?
For further study in this area, we recommend 7 Commitments for Spiritual Growth by Mike Bickle. {eoa}
A Detroit native who was raised in Vermont and Connecticut, Adam Wittenberg worked as a newspaper journalist until 2012, when he moved to Kansas City to complete the Intro to International House of Prayer Kansas City internship. Afterwards, he earned a four-year certificate in House of Prayer Leadership from IHOPU and is now on full-time staff in the Marketing department at IHOPKC. Adam is also active in evangelism and has a vision to reach people everywhere with the good news of Jesus Christ.
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