Day Twenty-two - Fixing our Minds on Christ

Well, we made it to our family farm where there is a flurry of activity in and around and through us. We are preparing for my son's wedding and this little farm has been flooded for several weeks so there's much work to be done. But I wanted to share this daily devotion with you. We are talking about prayer. 

“Devote yourselves to prayer; stay alert in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us that God may open a door to us for the message, to speak the mystery of the Messiah, for which I am in prison, so that I may reveal it as I am required to speak."

Colossians 4:2-4

Investing in Prayer

Paul tells of several things about prayer which is just so important and powerful and effective as it relates to our ministry. First of all, we are to devote ourselves to prayer. Which means that we're willing to invest in it. What we invest more than anything in prayer are time, ourselves and our hearts. So be willing to devote yourself to prayer.

Staying Alert

Also, were to stay alert in prayer, with thanksgiving. Now staying alert means that we are ready to move into action at a moment's notice. When a need comes up, we're ready to pray. When there's something that happens, we're ready to move into action and pray for that. When we have a prayer request presented to us, we are ready to pray for that. Stay alert. Stay alert not only within your physical sense but also in your spiritual sense and listen to the Lord as you do so.

Giving Thanks

Also, we are to continue in thanksgiving and have hearts that are full of gratitude. Quite honestly my heart is overflowing with gratitude right now as we prepare for this wedding. I've written a couple of different blog posts on prayer and one that I wrote recently was a guest post for a friend of mine who lives in Georgia.  

One of the things that I addressed was that we don't pray big enough for our kids. Once upon a time my son had gone through a really rough time. He's had a lot of different challenges in his life. This mama's heart was really close to giving up hope that he would ever find the woman of his dreams, that he would ever find someone who loves the Lord, someone that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. But God knew better and He had a plan. We are just so incredibly delighted that my daughter-in-law has chosen to join our family. We're thrilled and excited. 

Prayer works. It is powerful. It is effective and I just want to encourage you once again to remember to pray. 

When you think you've prayed enough, pray some more. 

When you think you've prayed big enough, pray bigger.

That’s my encouragement and my challenge to you today. Be blessed. Be strengthened by the word in Jesus name.

To view the video devotion, click here:

Cathy McIntosh is the author of Victorious: Finding Triumph When Hope Seems Lost. When you can’t see God’s activity in your situation, you might begin to feel hopeless. You’re tempted to doubt His care and involvement in your life because He feels so . . . absent. Victory feels elusive as if God intends it for everyone but you.

But God is never absent. He is as involved in your life today as He was when He protected Queen Esther and the entire Jewish nation from annihilation, and He will bring victory.  Click here to purchase.