Day 20
"Continue steadfastly in prayer, watching in it with thanksgiving, praying together for us also, that God may open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ"
Colossians 4:2-3
Prayer
Heavenly Father, in this verse You have told us to continue steadfastly in prayer... to watch in prayer.2.4 " It says that we are to pray... to ask You to open a door for the word. Then we watch for You to open a door for the word and we speak Your words into the need. Some translations of this verse say "devote yourselves to prayer". So, prayer is a lifestyle you have ordained for us.
This prayer, to open a door for the word, is one of the Endorsed Prayers of scripture.4.4c Since You have instructed us to pray this prayer, we know that it is endorsed by You... an Endorsed Prayer.
As we pray that You open a door for the word, we "watch in it". We watch for signs in our conversations with a lost people that Your Holy Spirit has opened the door by convicting the unbelievers of sin... convicting them of their need for You in their lives. In the Endorsed Prayer for Words of the Gospel,4.4b we ask You to give us words of the gospel. Then we watch for You to bring the words into our minds3.3... we speak them by faith as You give them in grace. In this way Your Holy Spirit speaks through us and testifies of You.
Father, I see a crisis of the Spirit in Your people. There are few who know what Your Holy Spirit does in the invisible, spiritual realm.3.1 And there are few who know the Endorsed Prayers of scripture.4.1 So, there are few who are aware of the intimate interaction of Your Holy Spirit as He responds to Your saints when they pray the Endorsed Prayers.
Without this knowledge of the Holy Spirit and the Endorsed Prayers, few understand how to walk by the Spirit.4.7 Few understand how to "watch in" prayer.2.4 Instead of walking by the Spirit, they live by rules. They live as if they were in the Old Covenant of Law instead of the New Covenant of the Spirit.A3 Instead of the intimate spiritual interaction of scriptural prayer, they have the debilitation of legalism.
My Lord, fan the flames of Your Spirit in Your people.
According to Your word, Your Holy Spirit preaches, teaches, speaks through us, provides words for witnessing, testifies, convicts unbelievers of sin, reminds us of scripture, leads, warns, and speaks to us through our conscience.3.3
As we read scripture we ask for understanding by praying the Endorsed Prayer of Revelation.4.2d After we ask, we watch for understanding to appear in our minds as Your Holy Spirit teaches us.3.3
We pray the Endorsed Prayer for Wisdom or the Endorsed Prayer for Knowledge of Your Will.4.2a,c Then we watch for Your Holy Spirit to lead, warn, speak through our conscience and remind us of scripture.3.3
We watch as the preacher preaches, watching for prayers to pray as we listen, praying part of the message for ourselves, part for others. You have said in Your word that we are to pray:
- at all times
- continually
- always
- in everything
- without ceasing4.12
So, prayer is how we interact with the world. As Your word in Colossians 4:2 says, we are to "continue steadfastly in prayer". Some translations say "devote yourselves to prayer". So, in the world, we watch in prayer, engage the world in prayer and receive everything we ask for.2.5 (John 15:16)
Our Lord, please teach Your people to watch in prayer, to walk by the Spirit, to engage the world in the spiritual realm. I ask these things that You may be glorified and receive all the praise!
Amen.
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You are reading the Walk by the Spirit Daily Devotional Series, which is subchapter 3.7 of the free, online book Fellowship with God in the Sixth Path. In the Walk by the Spirit Daily Devotional, readers learn how to how to walk by the Spirit. Walking by the Spirit is one way the New Testament describes fellowship with God, the subject of this online book.
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