1 Corinthians 9:25 – 27
Let’s face it. God won’t have the opportunity to paint a detailed picture of our destiny in our hearts if all we give Him are a few scattered moments here and there. To reveal to us the fullness of our calling, to lift us into the places He wants us to go, He needs us to give Him some quality time.
Notice, I didn’t say we must give Him great, massive quantities of time. We don’t have to spend weeks alone in a cabin somewhere reading our Bible on our knees. But we do have to give Him periods of undivided attention. Times when we focus exclusively on Him.
We must also be willing to expend energy—both natural and spiritual—on the things of God. Most Christians these days are much too laid back. They go along their merry little way enjoying life, giving God a little wave now and again. They say, “I guess if God wants me to do anything major for Him, He’ll tell me. After all, He knows where to find me.”Yes, He knows where to find us all right: at the lake, at the movies, at the football game, in front of the television, or at the mall. But it is not His job to run after us and apprehend us in those places. On the contrary, it is our job to run after Him.
We need to have the attitude the apostle Paul had. He put tremendous effort into disciplining himself spiritually. He subdued and buffeted his body on purpose in order to keep his flesh from robbing him of God’s best. He lived his life in God like he was running an Olympic race, not like he was taking a stroll in the park.
Instead of putting up his spiritual feet and saying, “God will get me where I need to go,” he said:
I press on to lay hold of (grasp) and make my own, that for which Christ Jesus (the Messiah) has laid hold of me … one thing I do [it is my one aspiration]: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the [supreme and heavenly] prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upward.
(Phil. 3:12 – 14 AMP)Paul didn’t walk; he ran full out after God.
Scripture Reading: 2 Timothy 2:1 – 7Source: Devotions for the Praying Heart by Lynne Hammond.
Excerpt permission granted by Lynne Hammond Ministries
On the chilly March night in 1972 when Lynne Hammond took her first step into a life of Spirit-led prayer, she had no idea what was about to happen. All she knew was the hunger in her heart for God wouldn’t let her sleep. In the few short months she’d been born again, her desire to fellowship with Him had grown so strong she could hardly contain it. “Help me, God!” she cried. “I want to know you. I want to be able to talk to you. Please, teach me to pray!”
Suddenly, a heavenly presence flooded the room. Lynne sensed waves of spiritual fire sweeping over her and a beautiful language began to flow like a river from within her. Although she’d never heard of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, she knew instantly, without a doubt—this was God!
What began that night soon blossomed into a life of prayer that ultimately became a ministry of prayer when, in 1980, Lynne and her husband, Mac, founded Living Word Christian Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Under Lynne’s leadership, the prayer ministry at Living Word has become an internationally recognized model for developing effective pray-ers in the local church.
A teacher and an author, Lynne publishes a newsletter called Prayer Notes, has written numerous books, and currently serves as the national prayer director for Daughters for Zion. Her passion for inspiring and leading others into the life of Spirit-led prayer continues to take her around the world to minister to believers whose heart cry, like hers, is “Lord, teach me to pray!”