One of the highlights of my mornings are when I get the chance to do a devotion with my wife and we get to pray together. Few things set my day up for success as well as that special time. As we were having that privilege this morning Diana said something that has stuck with me now for several hours. She was praying for God to guide me as well as herself, and that we would pray before we did anything because “there are so many opportunities for us to fall into sin.” That line was so impactful this morning, and I have been thinking about all the opportunities since our prayer time that I could have miss stepped. We live in a world that is full of temptation not just out in the physical world, but especially within our digital world. God then brought 1 Thessalonians 5:17 to my mind. The book of 1 Thessalonians is a book inspired by God and recorded by the apostle Paul to a church that was struggling with pressure inside of the church as well as from outside the church. Persecution was very real for the Thessalonian believers at the time Paul was writing. In some ways persecution is beginning to become real to believers within America. I want to be clear that we are not facing the persecution that many in the New Testament faced, nor are we facing the type of persecution many brothers and sisters around the world are facing. However, we are seeing a culture that is becoming less tolerant of Christianity, and a government who seems set on defying biblical mandates. Towards the end of his first letter to the church at Thessalonica Paul writes, “pray without ceasing.” This doesn’t mean that Christians are to go around all day, every day mumbling prayers. Rather Paul is speaking more of an attitude that we should have.
To pray without ceasing speaks of an attitude in which we are always ready to pray. We are to be faithfully consistent in our prayers. This is certainly a challenge for many Christians. As one pastor put it, “We need to pray more than just rub a dub dub, thanks for the grub.” Prayer is being connected to, in communion with God and that cannot occur mindlessly or flippantly. If I am going to be in an attitude of prayer, then I need to be on guard for those many opportunities that present themselves every day to get out of fellowship with God through sin. If I am watching something that is inappropriate, reading something inappropriate, listening to something inappropriate then I have become disconnected with God, and therefore I’m not ready to pray until there is confession. If my attitude towards someone isn’t loving, compassionate, and kind then I am not ready again because sin has disconnected me from God. Therefore, I have to be vigilant to guard my heart, my mind, my words, and my actions. The natural outflow of guarding ourselves is that we will be connected to God in a spirit of worship and prayer, because we will actively be seeking to please Him in our lives.
Another part of praying without ceasing is seeking God’s guidance throughout our day. There are many decisions that we must make, the majority of them we make without giving it a second thought. It is my belief that the greatest temptations lie within the ordinary, mundane parts of life. A Christian man or woman is going to know that going into a strip club isn’t honoring to God. But how many of us watch shows on TV or the internet that have strong sexual connotations in them? Watching TV is ordinary and mundane, most of us after dinner sit down in front of the TV, turn it on, and give very little thought about what we are seeing on the screen. Some decisions that we have to make don’t have the danger of temptation connected to them. Sometimes you will have to decide between two things that are good, but you must decide which is the best. We see this in Luke 10:38-42. Jesus comes and visits Mary and Martha in Bethany. Martha is being a good host, which was the job of the woman in those days. She was making sure that the house was straight, a meal was being prepared, and that Jesus would be comfortable during His stay with them. Martha wasn’t wrong because she was being a good hostess. Mary on the other hand chose to sit at the feet of Jesus. In those days it was a symbol of putting yourself under the authority of a teacher. So while it looks like Mary was being lazy and just sitting while her sister was working, that isn’t what was occurring. Mary wasn’t wrong in her decision to sit at the feet of Jesus and learn. Mary and Martha had a decision to make between a good choice and the best choice. Mary made the best choice because she was focused on Jesus and learning from Him. Jesus had already predicted His death on several occasions. There was always going to be housework to be done, but Jesus wasn’t going to be with them much longer. Mary focused on a relationship not works. This is the constant pull many people feel, and without trying to judge or condemn anyone who has uttered the statement, “cleanliness is next to Godliness” or “God understands I only have two days to get all this done so I will miss church”; neither of those statements are true or biblical. When presented with two good choices, we need to prayerfully seek which is the best choice.
As we live a life that is connected to God throughout the day, a life in which we are ready and able to pray at any moment we will find it easier to live out the words of Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.” The reason many times we struggle to pray, to feel connected to God, to know God’s will for our life or this situation is because we have disconnected ourselves from God. Therefore, let us be intentional about striving to live in connection with God. Pray each morning for God to help you guard your heart, your mind, your mouth, and your actions. Be on the lookout for those opportunities to fall into sin, they are there, and they will rear their ugly head when you least expect it.
By His grace and for His Glory,
Pastor Justin