Pray Without Ceasing

“Pray without ceasing.” I Thessalonians 5:17

Y’all I hate getting under the dryer for a hairstyle. Like why does it take so long for your hair to dry??! But I took this picture because we pray in some odd spaces. I pray when I’m under the dryer sometimes and while I’m getting my hair styled. And guess what? That doesn’t stop God from answering my prayers.  How cool is that?! How often do you pray? Do you pray nonstop? I hope that you do. Prayer is essential to the life of a believer in Jesus Christ and it should continue always.

Continual prayer is possible. It’s not that you don’t have other things to do, it’s just that your spirit pushes you to pray during what appears to be odd times and even unusual places. Some people just pray when they’re scared. That’s fine. But what about the other times that you may need to pray. Praying without ceasing IS a real thing.   It means to have an inspiration to pray at all times, to have a heart of prayer at inconvenient times and to pray even when you don’t feel like praying because your heart is compelled to be in communion and fellowship with God. Just remember that wherever or whenever you pray God is listening.  

God answers prayer.

God answers prayers for healing and protection. James wrote, Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him." James 5:14-15 

God answers prayers for peace and provision. God answers prayer for faith and direction. "Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you." Jer. 29:12 

God answers prayers for favor and mercy. "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." Heb. 4:16 

God answers prayers for forgiveness and repentance. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." I John 1:9

God answers even the most simplest prayers that you think you can pray--a prayer of thanksgiving. "Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving." Col. 4:2

There are so many scriptures that remind us about the power of prayer, but it's up to us to do it. When we pray we should also believe that we have received what we have asked God to do. "And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive." Matt 21:22

Prayer and faith go hand in hand. You can't have one without the other so keep praying and continue to believe that God has heard and answered your prayers. We tell our kids to pray because we want them to understand the power that they possess and the intimacy that they have with God. But we must also remind them to pray everywhere and at all times.

You can pray anywhere! Yo can pray in your house, on the treadmill, at the hair salon and barber shop, and even at the store. Your prayers touch the heart of God and they are meaningful. When I was 9, (this was in 1986) I was getting my hair done at a shop and a guy busted in wearing a long black leather coat and carrying a sawed off shotgun. He announced, “Nobody move and give me all of your money.” It was what they called a stuck up. It was terrifying. I immediately started praying. The guy wanted us to get on the floor and empty our pockets to give him what ever money we had. The shop was filled and we did just that. But  I believe that this was a "God moment." Instead of this man going crazy and shooting up the hair salon, he left peacefully and no one was harmed. That was a prayer answered.

But can you imagine how different things could have been? God answers prayer! You and I are the products of our great grandparents and grandparents prayers. We are the manifestations of our parents prayers. Furthermore, we are warriors of prayer--relentless in our pursuit of God's plans and purposes. We are called to pray in every season of life-- the good and the bad. We are called to pray for others (to intercede for others) and ourselves. Let’s not take prayer for granted. We must be intentional, effectual, fervent and dedicated to our prayer lives. Our prayer life is our lifeline in these unprecedented times.

God wants our time with Him and to be honest, we need a prayer life to get through this life. So today take the time to pray. Take 5 minutes, 10 minutes or even 30 seconds to talk to God in prayer. If you don't know what to say, tell God thank you and share what you're thankful for. That's called a prayer of thanksgiving. And, if you want to continue in prayer, but you don't know what to say, go to the Word of God and pray a psalm aloud. Trust me-- it will change your life. The more you pray, they stronger you will feel because you are growing in intimacy with God. Your countenance wll change. That is a beautiful thing.

I wear my pretty girls pray sweater with pride. It reminds me that I need to pray at all times. Actually, its my beauty secret because “pretty is an inside job” that starts with prayer. That‘s why "pretty girls pray." But you already knew that right? And for the record, prayer is @preachergirlswag’s success plan. Now go and get the t-shirt, cop the sweater, buy the gifts and rock your swag, but don't forget to pray.

I hope that this blog was a blessing. Please know that you're in my prayers.

With love,

Preacher Girl Swag