Several months ago, I spoke at a women’s retreat about how fervent prayer imparts God’s wisdom into our lives and produces obedience to His commands.  Prayer opens the door to having a conversation with God and nourishes our personal relationship with Him.  Prayer involves interceding for others and praying with other believers.  We should also pray for ourselves, families, children, ministries, and those hurting around us.  But, when we pray in secret God will reward us openly (Matthew 6:6).  Our private time with God is vital to sustaining a healthy spiritual life.  The blessings are extraordinary and firmly rooted in hearing God’s voice speaking through Scriptures.  Countless times, individual prayer supplied boldness to confront strongholds hindering my spiritual maturity.  Indeed, God is lovingly placing the right people in my path to clear away the cluttered parts to draw me nearer to His presence.  James 5:16 reminds believers to never underestimate the power of prayer because “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”  Effective prayer casts down strongholds, slays giants, wards off attacks, removes bondages, heals sickness, brings deliverance, and keeps believers on the path of righteousness.  The power of prayer is limitless because with God nothing is impossible (Luke 1:37).

Family Comes First

Lately, my days are filled with trying to maintain a sensible balance of managing family responsibilities around the challenges of life.  There have been enough times of feeling too tired or too preoccupied to seek private time with God.  I am most grateful for the support from my courageous husband of twenty-years who heads our household under the authority of Christ.  My fifteen-year-old is especially helpful with her two younger siblings, an enthusiastic ten-year old and a lively four-year-old.  Yes, hubby is severely outnumbered by lovely females!  Yes, there are days when I am reminded that I am certainly not a superwoman who can do it all because God is in control, not me.  We aim for diligence in praying that our marriage remains binded by the love of Christ to condemn unwanted intruders from interrupting God’s plans for our family.  We saturate our hearts with Scripture and persevere at being equally yoked as I willfully submit to my husband’s loving leadership and we mutually submit to one another in the fear of God (Ephesians 5:21-28).  Our girls are involved in prayer and trained to not depart from the mission of Christ (Proverbs 22:6).  The oldest can speak life into dead situations.  The ten-year-old reminds us that we are redeemed through Jesus Christ.  The toddler is empowered to lead prayer.  More importantly, persistent prayer safeguards family as our first ministry because ministry begins at home. 

Faith and Prayer

Sincere prayers express an unshakable faith in God and give believers the strength to be champions of the faith because “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:17).  Faithless prayers permit folly to disrupt our lives and question God’s ability to take care of our problems.  But the faith of a mustard seed will move a mountain (Matthew 17:20).  As good and faithful servants we are instructed to decrease to allow God to increase and make everything beautiful in His appointed time (John 3:30).  Remember, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1), “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17), and “Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).  When we authentically seek God we trust that He will overshadow the enemy’s work of twisting lies in the flesh.  We must do our best to run the race of faith without weariness or uncertainty to avoid becoming disqualified and losing sight of God’s promises.  We should wholeheartedly rely on God to push us out of our struggles, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).  Be steadfast as a faithful laborer in Christ.  Press forward and run well to get to the finish line because we are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37).  Remember, just because you can’t see Him does not mean that He isn’t there!

The Discipline of Prayer

A disciplined prayer life results in flowing with God’s purposes, receiving the Holy Spirit’s discernment, and gaining a better understanding of the God’s eye perspective on life.  Can you imagine the blessings of prayer anchored in the proper application of Scripture and viewing the world through the lenses of Christ more each day?   Believers should seek to know more about the beauty of God’s holiness with a desire to pray, fast, praise, and worship through difficulties.   Often times, one on one time with God is neglected because we find ourselves too busy to hear His direction for our lives.  But, listening is an essential part of ministry.  When we gently share the love of Christ and intentionally listen to others telling their story, we show compassion and affirm that their lives are valuable.  The reality is that a better listener represents a better minister of the Gospel.  Undeniably, a successful ministry springs directly from listening to the Spirit properly equipping believers for His service.  In the end, the illuminating works of the Comforter leads in edifying a believer’s faith and completes the process of helping others to find their way to the Cross.

Fall in Love with Jesus

Love Christ with all your heart, all your soul, and with all your mind (Matthew 22:37).  Seek Him in prayer because He is the one that strengthens us (Philippians 4:13).  The adversary is powerless and strategically resorts to past issues to repackage his schemes.  He can only attack our mindset if we let him.  Instead of entertaining his tactics, stop him in his tracks by falling in love with Jesus, the supreme model of humility, self-sacrifice, servitude, and selflessness.  When we study the active prayer life of Jesus we learn that He made communion with God a priority in His ministry by earnestly praying for others, genuinely praying with others, regularly praying alone, and praying for Himself.  Jesus also instructed us how to pray.  In Matthew 6:7-8 Jesus said, “And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.  Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.”  The good news is that the dynamic power resides in the saving blood of Christ.  When we pray in the name of Jesus Christ anything outside of God’s plans will perish.  The blessings unfold as the presence of heaven triumphs over the adversary’s deceptive attempts to kill, steal, and destroy those who are yearning to be imitators of Christ.  Resist the god of the world and rejoice in Christ for He has made you glad (Psalm 92:4).

God is More Than Enough

Our Heavenly Father is in the business of renewing minds, transforming lives, and bringing the light out of the darkness (John 1:5).  If God says He will do something, it is so!  He cannot lie (Titus 1:2).  He is our refuge and fortress.  He is bigger than any problem.  He answers prayers, which should seek His solutions, not ours.  In prayer, ask God to tell you what to pray for and that His will be done.  God’s thoughts are not our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9).  Romans 8:26-27 reveals, “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”  Pray that you are able to let the consuming fire of the Holy Spirit speak for you in the moment to work things out.  At times, we may experience discouragement after getting an answer that we were not expecting.  We may even taste some form of defeat, but we do not have to accept it.  “But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you (Matthew 6:33).  The divine providence of God has the most loving outcome planned for our lives.  Embrace God as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Wait on Him because the latter with be greater than the past (Haggai 2:9).  I find great comfort knowing that when I praise God through my circumstances He makes my bitterness sweet.  How about you?

Fight the Good Fight

The world is a noisy place.  Pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).  Adopt a lifestyle of prayer.  Let God order your steps (Proverbs 16:9).  Seek Him with a broken and contrite spirit (Acts 3:19).  Our hearts must be pure and upright.  Be a Prayer Warrior, not a Prayer Worrier.  The battle is beyond our natural strength because the struggle is not against flesh and blood, but with the forces of darkness and spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12).  Stop, drink, and listen!  STOP and slow down to DRINK the water (Word of God) and LISTEN to the faint whisper of the Spirit’s guidance into righteousness!  Stay hungry for prayer and dining on His Word.  Every Word that God speaks has direction (Isaiah 55:11).  Be still!  Begin with you!  Immerse in the Word of God!  Gird Up!  Be sober-minded!  Come out from among them!  Let His glory fill those empty places!  The truth is that we can only pour into others what we are filled with and no one can pour from an empty cup.  But a cup that runneth over blesses others (Psalm 23:5).

Cynthia Thompson, MATS, MSW, BA is an accomplished social work professional and graduate of the Liberty University School of Divinity.  She is committed to offering compassionate guidance to people from various facets of life including children, young adults, and persons with disabilities.  Cynthia has made great contributions to the mental health and social service arenas, diversity, children’s advocacy, community development, and collaborative partnerships.  Her dedication centers on mentoring and discipling women, reconnecting families, and restoring hope in the lives of those seeking to grow in faithfulness in Christ.  

Learn more about Cynthia: 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthia-thompson-mats-msw-ba-111328bb/