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Pray Without Ceasing

Dr. Willie Jolley is a true modern-day Renaissance man. As a global thought leader, Hall of Fame speaker, award-winning singer, popular radio and TV personality, and bestselling author, Willie has made his mark in this world by sharing the truth of Jesus and offering motivation and inspiration to anyone who will listen. His decades-long career in the spotlight has opened numerous doors for success, but he redirects all the glory back to God. Today, he’s opening up about the faith that fuels his accomplishments and the spiritual habits that help him grow.

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Every day, I find it powerful to pray with purpose, intention, and focus. I pray first for wisdom because the Bible teaches us that wisdom should be one of our primary goals in life. Next, I pray for good health for my family, my friends, and myself. Then I pray for God to use me like a telephone today—to speak to and through me and to use me as he sees fit (and then hang me up until he needs me again). Plus, I make it a point to listen to positive, uplifting music and praise God every day. I also have a weekly prayer call with my prayer partner in which we pray for each other and for health, family, friends, and finances.

We have done this consistently every week for the last 21 years. Even when I’m speaking in Australia or Japan or Malaysia or South Africa, we find time to pray. Either I’ll get up early so we can connect or I’ll stay up late, but somehow, some way we have faithfully prayed every week for over two decades.

I believe the old saying is true—prayer changes things. Prayer is a powerful tool that not only changes the situations we experience in our lives but also changes how we view them. And most importantly, prayer gives us hope, and hope in the future gives us power in the present—the power to keep moving forward! The truth is that everyone needs hope, especially in the midst of challenging times.

In addition to my morning and weekly prayer times, I make it a point to close every night with prayer. By starting and ending the day with prayer, I strive to "pray without ceasing" (see Colossians 4:2). Does that mean I pray all day long? No! It means I stay in a prayerful mindset all day long. While I work, I’m excited about praying for my achievements, and I do that with an attitude of prayer (not necessarily stopping and falling on my knees). The attitude of prayer is the key to my daily prayer activity, and I can attest that prayer truly does change things!

—Willie Jolley, TV personality, as told to Rapt Interviews