Prayer is the most necessary thing that God has given for us to do. Prayer, when emanating from a righteous heart, has the ability to initiate events, and determine outcomes anywhere on the planet! This is because God responds to the prayers of the righteous. As an individual Christian, prayer intensifies our receptivity to the great revelations and instruction imparted by the Holy Spirit. This will enhance our spiritual development and growth. He will also provide spiritual chastisement, when needed.
In our time of prayer and meditation, God is enabling us to maintain spiritual victory in this life, and he is preparing us for our role in eternity. To be victorious in this life requires us to always be aware that earthly life is secondary to our spiritual existence in Christ. We are being introduced to, and acclimated, to a whole new world. We are transitioning from a limited, or finite, natural world to the spiritual world of infinity! No doubt, this is why Jesus said to his followers in John 14:1-3, “Let not your heart be troubled: you believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”
However, while Christians are still on earth, yet looking forward to the time when they will enter the kingdom of God, they have access to experiences that bring great joy and fulfillment. These heavenly experiences far exceed anything that can be experienced on earth. This is why the Christian that maintains the proper prayer life will never return to the shallow pleasures of sin. In the Bible book of John chapter 14, Jesus was assuring his followers that he was not promoting an impossible dream, but a reality that would receive in heaven. But later in the chapter Jesus promised that after his departure, God would send the Holy Spirit to live in his followers. Indeed, heaven would be available to them later, but in the meantime, comfort and joy by the Holy Spirit would be available immediately. It is by the Holy Spirit that Christians can have a taste of the heaven gift and the powers of the world to come. By these experiences we receive joy unspeakable and full of glory.
The Holy Spirit works these mighty works, but we must receive them by faith; active faith. To have active faith we must have successfully completed all of the biblical steps required for salvation. As a born-again person, it is by continuing in fervent prayer that will help you grow spiritually. Using the biblical guidelines for prayer, which is seeking first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, which are spiritual; and continue to desire spiritual gifts and spiritual blessings; then you can go into action.
The overall prayer process should mainly follow the example of Mark 11:24:
(1) Realize what your spiritual desires are;
(2) Reflect on them and ask for them as you pray from the heart;
(3) Believe with expectations, for them to come;
(4) Your request will be granted, according to the will of God.
Therefore, being in the “Prayer Closet” should be the most rewarding experience of your life in Christ! It allows you to be in the presence of God without distraction! That’s why Jesus said enter your PRAYER CLOSET when you pray. Your Prayer Closet can be anyplace that is as free from distractions as possible.
Please refer to other pages and blogs on this website to learn more about how to walk, or live, by faith and not by sight!
