Philippians 4;6 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
We are being reminded that to keep anxiety at bay, we need to present to God everything, every single detail of our lives in prayer and supplication tied together with thanksgiving, not complaining or grumbling or murmuring, but with a thankful heart, we should present our requests to God.
Prayer is talking to God. Communicating with Him means we speak, then we sit quietly to listen to Him talk back at us. It is not one-way, but two-way. Someone said, that prayer is giving our attention to God, and He promised that every time we draw near to Him, He draws near to us. Are you by any chance living in doubt? Are you frustrated that your prayers are not being answered? Do you feel like God is at a distance? I would love to encourage you today…
The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
To live a life free of anxiety and worry:
- Rejoice always, even when you feel there is no reason to.
- Pray ceaselessly. Do not give up on God, do not quit praying because He hears your prayer and He will answer.
- Give thanks in all circumstances. Whether good or bad, there is always a reason to give thanks to God, and when you do, your countenance will brighten up. Count your blessings, my dear friends.
Because this is God’s will for you and me.
Jesus also calls you who are weary and heavy-laden to come to Him and you will find rest for your souls. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. And one way of coming to Him is through prayer.
What are these 5 life-transforming benefits of prayer?
- Prayer boosts your intimacy with God
- Helps keep anxiety at bay
- Through prayer, we allow His word to dwell in us
- Helps you to avoid temptation
- Helps us to cultivate a lifestyle of gratitude
Prayer boosts your intimacy with God
Psalms 63:1-8 shows a prayer that expresses the level of intimacy David had with God. He says, “You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water…Because your love is better than life.”
You know, the beauty of having a prayerful lifestyle is that it gets you to the point where you can freely express yourself before God. You become intimate with Him when you continually communicate with Him no matter the ‘weather’.
“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:16
God is calling us to approach Him in confidence, to receive the help we need in our time of need. Let us not forget that God is a relationship God, and He loves us so much that He sent His only son to die in our place! No wonder His love is better than life! Our relationship with God requires us to sacrifice our time in order for our love for God to grow and deepen just like David’s.
Prayer helps to keep anxiety at bay
Everytime we pray, we cast our cares upon God, that makes our hearts and our minds way lighter than if we carried it all on our own. (1 Peter 5:7)
We are encouraged again in Philipians 4:6, not to be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication, we should present our requests to God. Let go of anxiety and take it at the foot of the cross. Run boldly to the throne of grace to find grace and mercy to help you in your time of need. You will be surpsied at tha calm and peace you experience just by drawing near to God through prayer.
Allow the peace of Christ to rule in your hearts by going to God and casting all your cares upon Him for He cares for you!
Through prayer we allow His Word to dwell in us.
Someone called it prayer-reading, where we pray using God’s word. For instance you open the book of Psalms 91 and make it a prayer as it is. Also, we are often encouraged to pray the Word, remind God what He said in His word. I mean, when you ‘pray-read’ your heart will be so rich with His word that everytime fear or anxiety comes knocking you have a word to counter the attack!
Colossians 3:16 says, “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly…” We are encouraged to fill ourselves with the Word. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks! Your prayer life acts like a filling station that helps you tap into the fuel, which is the word of God.
Prayer Helps Us Avoid Temptation
Matthew 26:41, Jesus talking to His disciples says, ““Stay awake and pray, so that you won’t enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
My friend, stay awake and pray. Subject your body to the Word of God through prayer, so that you will not fall into temptation. Jesus Himself, tempted in the wilderness, countered the enemy’s temptation using the Word and He overcame.
Everytime we pray using the Lord’s prayer we say, ‘do not bring us into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.‘ That is a prayer to keep temptation away from the children of God.
Helps us cultivate gratitude
One of the most important ingredients of prayer is gratitude. Philipians 4:6-7 and 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, emphasize how necessary it is to present our prayers or requests to God with thanksgiving. When we pray we are often aware of how good God is in our lives and thanksgiving then flows through us. Through thanksgiving we confidently acknowledge the Sovereignity of God in our lives and in the end we develop a patient attitude.
Have you joined the Genesis Program Waitlist yet? Do not be left out! We are counting down days to the close of 2023 and the start of 2024! In case you are wondering what the Genesis Program is about, feel free to book a call with me, or email me at patdyer@breakthroughflags.com.
