Ignited: Getting and Staying on Fire for GodSample

Going Deeper In Prayer

To be successful at anything, there must be a burning desire. Whether your goal is to practice medicine or to dominate a certain sport, without love for what you want to do, the flame will go out and it will be just too challenging… and overall, draining.

You must also keep in mind that desire does not appear out of nowhere. You are initially intrigued by something. A mild curiosity, if you will. But it is strong enough that you want to know more. Let’s say, for example, you are somewhat interested in marketing like I was. You admire all the digital marketing strategies out there. But gradually your interest goes beyond just watching YouTube tutorials and browsing through books about marketing. Eventually, you want to be involved personally. So you move from a PC to a Mac and apply for a bunch of different courses. As you grow, your passion and curiosity continue to grow as well. After years of dedication to your craft, you learn the ropes and end up launching your own agency or becoming an executive at a high-profile company.

Frankly, developing a passion for God goes through the same steps. For many people, faith in God is more of an unexplored curiosity, a type of emotional safety net to help you get through difficult times, rather than a passion that consumes you.

But it’s time we change that. We were never meant to plateau with God. We are meant to go from glory to glory to glory to Heaven. We must begin diving deeper. Not only when we are at a conference or a retreat, on a mission trip, or in the middle of a hype sermon.

And the way to go have an intimate relationship with Him requires a whole lot of prayer.

Prayer is more than just a task to cross off your list. It's more than just a requirement. One of the greatest blessings and privileges we have as Christians is the ability to pray. God gives us the gift of his availability for communication at all hours of the day or night. His ability to hear what's on your heart and respond in ways you can't fathom.

The purpose of prayer is not to be a last-ditch effort when all else has failed. It's supposed to be your compass and the most significant talk you have all day.

God wants to be in your life every day, all day, not just on Sunday.

Do you know what happens if you incorporate prayer into your daily life rather than only on Sundays?

Fire. Fire always comes after steadfast, diligent prayer! The apostles had been in prayer for several days before Pentecost when the fire was cast onto them. Every significant revival started with a core group of Christians praying.

To remain alive, your physical body needs to breathe. Your spiritual body is no different. It has to pray to stay alive. How long could you survive if you decided to stop breathing?

Jesus is looking for followers who pray.

You cannot stay on fire for God without prayer. At every level of the spiritual fire, prayer is crucial. Never forget that the door to your prayer room also serves as the entrance to God's throne. One of the main ways to maintain the fire is prayer.

Pray to Him. Fellowship with Him. And watch your soul get ignited once more.

Prayer

God,

Purify me of all impurities and cleanse my heart from the inside out. May seeking first the Kingdom of God and all your righteousness be my top focus and greatest passion in life.

My deepest and most fervent wish is to spend my entire life in the Lord's house, where I can gaze upon your splendor and be in your company. Grant me a true, everlasting fire for you. In Jesus' name, Amen.