Growing Your Faith: Being In Prayer Always

Last week we talked about how to grow your faith by being in God's Word daily. Another very important way to be intentional about growing your faith is being in prayer always.

I would have to say that my prayer life was strongest when I was in high school. Our youth group had a prayer night that met weekly. What a lesson in prayer that was! One of the messages that I learned back then that has stayed with me is found in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 - 'pray without ceasing.'

We lead busy lives. There is always something vying for our attention. We live in a world where we can be contacted wherever and whenever by a phone call or text message. As easy as it is for us to contact others, so often, we fail to realize, fail to remember, that 'contacting' God is even easier! There are three ways I feel we can pray without ceasing each day:

1. Whisper Prayers

Whisper prayers are those that are little, quick prayers that you can lift up as you go about your everyday life. These are prayers that as I am going throughout my day and something or someone comes to mind, I lift it up to God. Giving thanks for something or someone, lifting up a quick prayer as something is pressed on your heart.

2. Everyday Prayers

I consider everyday prayers as those before a meal or before digging into God's Word. They are a little more formal than whisper prayers. These also include those items or people on your prayer list.

3. Dedicated Prayers

These are the prayers where there is such a tugging on your heart that you can't help but find a quiet place to sit down and spend some time in dedicated prayer. Times when you feel the Holy Spirit urging you to slow down and drawn near to God.

The one thing we must remember with prayer is to not forget to pray in the good times. We are never not in need of drawing near to God in prayer. I love what Timothy Keller has to say in his new book, Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God:

Don't fall into the trap of going lax in prayer when things are going good. There is always something right around the corner, and you need to be prepared for that. The only way to do that is to draw near to God in both the bad times and the good times!

The one thing that I will leave you with today is to use what is available to you out there to help you remain in prayer daily. Keep a prayer journal, download an app to keep your prayer time organized, set alerts on your phone to remind you to take time to pray. There are so many tools out there nowadays - make them work for you!

Is there an app or other tool that helps you stay in prayer daily? Please share below!

Linking to Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop @ Carrie This Home, Pretty Pintastic Party @ The Wetherills Say I Do, Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest, Weekend Bloggy Reading @ Serenity Now