GROWING IN PERSONAL PRAYER

Growing in Personal Prayer

TEXT:   Mark 1. 35, Psalm 1. 1-3, Psalm 55. 16-17,

Man, as a spiritual being, needs an intimate relationship with his creator. Even God established this in the Garden of Eden through His fellowship with man before the fall. In the same way, every born again child of God required this close fellowship with his redeemer daily for nourishment, guidance and mutual relationship. Much more than this, he needs to grow in this exercise so as to increase in God’s grace and in His knowledge. Christ in our text gave us a good example through His lifestyle of personal devotion and prayer life to the father. Personal prayer is a means of seeking the Lord regularly for adoration, fellowship, and relationship, self-examination, guidance, request, and reassurance in times of challenges. We also cannot afford to do anything less than this as this is the only way to show we are cleaving to the Lord and abiding in Him. Jesus practiced it and preached it (Matt. 6.6). It is a period of personal closet relationship with God. A time we are personally left alone with God (Gen. 32.24) for reshaping and remolding us. The purpose of this message, therefore, is to teach ourselves on how to develop a vibrant and dynamic yet growing attitude of personal prayer and intimacy with the Almighty which will make us grow into maturity in our Christian experiences.

Basic preparations and planning for Growth in Personal Prayer. Amos 3.3, Rom. 10.9-10, Gen 3.9, 1 Peter 2.2, Mark 1.35, Luke 5.16, Mk. 14.23, 1 Cor. 14.10-11, Acts 17.11,

To enter into a relationship with God, there are some basic principles that must be understood clearly which requires adequate preparations. There is a need for both physical and spiritual preparations to enjoy an enriched personal prayer with God. Personal prayer to God is a process and not a spontaneous phenomenon. It must be cultivated bearing in mind the following principles and planning guides. (i) The Person: It is important that you must be born again before you can have devotion with God. (Amos 3.3). The broken relationship at Eden must have been restored through the blood of Jesus at salvation (Rom. 10.9-10). (ii) The Priority: You must know that the purpose of personal prayer is for your own good, and you must make it a priority to grow in it. God is Supreme and He demands your devotion and fellowship (Gen 3.9). It is therefore highly essential for you to maintain a closer walk with God through learning from Him and speaking to Him, and grow thereby. So, give it the topmost priority every day and discipline yourself not to miss your devotion any day. (iii) The Pattern: This refers to what you do during personal devotion. You must create time to praise God as your father, Read His words (the Bible), and meditate (Josh 1.8) on it to apply its message to your life, make promises to receive the corrections and obey the commandments thereby (1 Peter 2.2). (iv) The Planning: You need to plan your personal prayer time very well to suit your lifestyle so that you won’t be in a hurry before your God. Planning requires that all necessary arrangements be made to have a good time when you are not under any pressure to meet any other target either of work, business or family (Mark 1.35). You may choose early in the morning like Christ or late at night. (v) The Place: As part of the plan is the place of your personal devotion. Your place of personal altar must be conducive enough free from all distractions (Luke 5.16, Mk. 14.23). (vi) Proper materials: Growth depends on feeding. Your spiritual growth and intimacy with God in prayer will be determined by your spiritual diet. Depending on your level of literacy, and your interest, you need a good study Bible with concordance, Devotional outlines e.g daily manner etc and maps. (1 Cor. 14.10-11, Acts 17.11). The Duration and frequency: The duration of your prayer must be determined by you but must be made constantly stable initially, then gradually increasing. You must be ready to spend quality time not less than 30 minutes daily before Him.  (vii) The Prayer: Sincere prayer of humility is required from every believer who comes to God. Your prayer must be deep and full, expressing your gratitude, your trust in God and your deficiencies. Also, make your fears known to Him. And hand over your battles to Him. Make your prayer flow from your heart, towards adoration, and intercession and then, personal challenges (Phil. 4.6, Ps. 5.3). The necessity of Faith Faith in God's ability to answer and respond to our prayers is very important. Believing God is to trust His ability to do whatsoever you ask of Him. (Heb. 11.6)

Barriers that prevent growth in personal prayer life: 2 Cor. 13.5, Ps. 66.18, James 4.8, Eph. 5. 3-8, 1 Thess 5.22.

We need a thorough examination as we come to the presence of the Lord. Sin is a great barrier and would separate anyone from his maker. Although God desires our fellowship and relationship and He is ready to walk with us, yet He abhors sin. Therefore un-confessed sin is a principal factor that may hinder our fellowship with God. Others include pride, animosity, lying, careless lifestyle of jesting and playfulness, evil communication etc. We must remove these far away from us if we must have our prayers answered as we walk with God. Another obstacle is obscene and immoral pictures in our house that may make the mind to wander away from Christ to fl.eshly lusts. We must also avoid absent-mindedness, indiscriminate sleeping, and dosing during prayers. Prepare your mind for it and don’t overwork yourself before you approach your personal altar. Avoid unbelieve and doubt in God's power and ability so you can always approach the throne of grace with faith and confidence.

Blessings and profits of purposeful prayer lifestyle. Ps 91. 1-16, Ps 16.11, Ps. 23. 1-6, 1 John 5.14, Job. 1.5, 10, 2 Chro. 20. 6, 20-24, Dan. 6. 3, 5-7, 10, 19-23, Isa. 40.31, Ps. 84.1, Gen. 32.24

There are tremendous benefits in the Christian’s life if we can discipline ourselves to maintain a daily walk with God. The joy of heaven fills our heart that we are with the Almighty God. Not only that He creates us now, but that we have Him in person and this brings confidence always that God is for me. He guides and lead us as our shepherd daily (Ps. 23. 1-6). He makes a hedge around us protecting us from danger. He prospers us abundantly. He fights our battles for us as He did for Jehoshaphat and Judah (2 Chro. 20. 6, 20-24), He also promoted Daniel, a devoted believer from all the conspiracy of the enemy. (Dan. 6. 3, 5-7, 10, 19-23). Indeed, great benefits await us as we walk with the Lord. He prospers us and promotes us like He did for Daniel; He protects us like He did to David, and preserves us from evil as He did to Abraham, and He will eventually take us home to reign with Him like Enoch (Gen. 5. 22-24). We can also make up our mind to begin today to walk with God. And if you had started before, you can renew your personal altar today and reap abundant benefits and blessings, and eventually, when Christ shall come, we shall all reign together with Him.