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Our Prayer closet
The heart of prayer is worship. In order for us to hear the LORD clearly, we need to set aside quiet time with Him in prayer - to disappear into our prayer closet or simply withdraw into a quiet space where we can be totally alone with the LORD. No wife, no husband, no children, no parents, no pets... Just one-on-one. The Father seeks true worshippers. This kind of praying is different from praying in a community.
Some people have a dedicated corner in their home just for this purpose, while others have a dedicated prayer room. We can play soft worship music as background music to help get us into a prayerful mood.
The story of Martha and Mary is a timeless lesson touching on the importance of spending quality time with the LORD. It touches on our priorities. When JESUS and His disciples stopped over in Bethany, they visited the two sisters. Martha was busy with many things - entertaining the guests, preparing food, etc. whilst Mary was attentive, sitting close to JESUS, listening to His every word. In the midst of her busyness, Martha got upset with her sister Mary for not helping out. The LORD gently rebuked Martha saying her sister has chosen the 'better part' of spending her time listening to Him.
We can relate to both characters ourselves as - at times - we juggle between the two in our spiritual journey. Yet, while we are all called to serve, spending quality time with the LORD takes precedence. It is therefore a good practice at the start of each day - when we wake up - to spend at least an hour in prayer; one-on-one with the LORD. We need to invest time in relationships. Likewise, our relationship with GOD.
As believers, we are given kingdom authority and as our relationship with the LORD deepens, we will be entrusted with greater authority. We need to know the LORD as we progress in our spiritual life, and not just merely knowing about Him. There is a difference.
Therefore, our silent time with the LORD is of the utmost importance; all the other prayers said previously are to lead the soul to this encounter....because, in the silence of the heart, God speaks. Every time when we come into an encounter with Him, He wants to give us something - whether Rhemas, visions, instructions, teachings, or directions. In other words, we do not leave any encounter empty-handed.
Prayer is not just meditation but a conversation with GOD. It involves an increasing silence within so that God's voice can be heard.
Love of GOD proceeds from conversing with Him. This conversation of prayer come about through stillness. And stillness comes with the stripping away of self.
St. Issac the Syrian
Spending quality time in prayer
IF we are the sort that simply rush through our prayer time, putting in 10-15 mins of reciting a certain set of prayer, then we are not really praying at all. This is called devotional prayer. If we truly believe that prayer is a genuine conversation with GOD, sharing with Him what we have gone through throughout the day, our struggles, or pains and frustrations, our hope .... then, our time with the LORD is purposed in such a manner we want to spend quality time in His Presence.
Our prayer life needs to evolve. It calls for a longer session of resting in Him, focused - where we leave the world and all its distractions behind... It is likened to a meeting between two good friends. Do we set a time limit when we are in the company of our good friend? No. That moment seems to be timeless. We would share our thoughts on many things- it would be a rich, immersive, meaningful two-way conversation; very natural, and we pour our heart out to our dear friend. There will be moments when we would talk and our friend would listen, and there will also be moments when we remain silent and listen attentively to what our dear friend has to say.
Likewise, we should approach the LORD in a similar way. The difference here is this is a Divine appointment. The Almighty GOD is our Creator who created all things in the heavens and on earth, all things seen and unseen. He alone, deserves all our praises. He longs for our fellowship with Him. Consider how much time we spend with our good friends, we should devote time for the LORD - quality time in worshipping and praising Him, who is our first love. As disciples and followers of Christ, we are called to be prayerful people.
Knowing JESUS vs. knowing about JESUS
Make time to develop a personal relationship with JESUS. It is one thing to know about someone say, President Trump for example, but we may not necessarily know him on a personal level. The same with the LORD. Relationship takes time to build; it won't happen overnight. So, start now.
We need to know JESUS on a deeper, personal level - knowing His Word [through spending time reading the Bible], knowing His character, what He likes and dislikes, His voice [able to discern when He is speaking to you]... We can only develop such a relationship by drawing ourselves closer to Him. Knowing His Word through the Bible is key in discerning His Voice. Also learn to fast more....because prayer and fasting are important in hearing GOD's voice.
Having such relationship becomes increasingly significant in these Last Days [when there are much confusions in the world]. We need to be able to discern His will for us moment to moment, in order to move in the direction where the LORD wants us to move.
As for our prayer time, if we are used to praying 1 hour a day, now we should increase to 1.5 hours. Slowly, make more time for prayer. The best time to pray is during the wee hours when everybody in the family is asleep and when there is no distraction.
If we say we don't have time, well, sleep faster and wake up earlier than usual. Initially, this new routine can be a struggle, but the way our body works is- once we are able to persevere and maintain it for at least a week, the body will slowly acclimatize to this new routine, to this new way of life. Try it and you will see. And as we progress, slowly increase more and more the time for prayer. We initiate by making 'baby steps' of progress, and not big leaps.
Seal your conversations with the Precious Blood of JESUS
The devil hears everything. He is after all an angelic being. Before you converse with the LORD, ask Him to seal it with His Precious Blood. This is spiritual warfare; you do not want the enemy to listen in to your plans, your conversations. Be discreet.
⏤ Fr Michel Rodrigue | exorcist
Examine oneself
Train yourself to concentrate and focus on the LORD in such a way that nothing around you matters. During this time, ask the LORD is there anything in your life that is not pleasing to Him, and if yes, to reveal these offenses - if any - to you. Keep your own thoughts silent and free from distractions and any wandering thoughts so that you can hear His Voice clearly.
Cutting out distractions is easier said than done, as it takes practice in disciplining the mind. Start with baby steps by targeting a 5-min distraction-free moment, totally focused on the LORD. This is easier said than done and needs practice. As you progress in your prayer life, slowly increase to 10 mins, and so on. It is essential to keep our hearts and thoughts empty and pure. For 'Blessed are the pure in heart, they shall see God.'
In this silence, we learn to discern His voice - which is often very gentle, and oftentimes mistaken for our own thoughts. It is essential to be still and wait on the LORD - to free our thoughts from any anxieties and worldly cares, and stay focused on Him. My sheep hear my Voice.
There are many ways the LORD can speak to His children. When you come before the LORD, be mindful that you are coming before an Almighty, all-knowing, incomprehensible, sovereign God, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, the Holy One of Israel, God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; the GREAT I AM.
The Lord explains to a chosen soul, " Prayer will be your greatest weapon. Pray and listen carefully. Expect Me to instruct you, give you visions, answers, understanding. Expect it and learn to discern it early. The sooner you embrace this wisdom, the safer you will be. I will lead you and teach you the way you should go.
Use the Bible for Rhemas, listen for Scriptures that float in your mind. I will be speaking to you in so many different ways, only be alert and pay attention. Do not allow anything to escape your notice. I will send you signs and images to alert you of danger ahead.
My Precious Brides, do not be in a hurry when come into prayer, waiting on Me, examining your conscience, repenting of even the little things that you may have done to displease Me. (remember Martha and Mary, how one chose the better part) When you are called up higher, there is a price to pay. There are sacrifices I may ask you to make, and no one else. My heart is to speak to you, to inform you, to counsel and guide.
These are the delights of a real relationship with Me. When you enter into true worship in spirit and in truth, it is an absolute wonder to Me and I allow Myself to be drenched in your love and thanksgiving. You can never do that too much. Abide in Me and I will abide in you, dear ones.
In order to cultivate the ability to hear My still small voice, it is necessary for you to still your mind, your own voice. Avoid being in the presence of agitating sounds and voices. One way you can recognise My Voice is that it is very, very gentle. When I speak to you, I honor your free will and My words are ever so gentle, not forceful. Many times I will bring up a subject or a metaphor that you never would have thought of on your own. That too is a way you can differentiate My thoughts from your thoughts."
On discernment, the LORD points out: Discerning in prayer is key. Love without discernment will result in misplaced action. Discernment without love will result in harsh judgment. You must have both, and you will have both when you spend quality time leaning your head upon My Heart and listening to Me. And worshipping Me. Either in the silence of your heart or alone in your room."
⏤ Love letters from JESUS
The power of visualisation | imagination
IT IS a good practise to cleanse ourselves daily from the 'junk' we are exposed to - things we might have seen or heard that are inappropriate. We can say this prayer when we come before the LORD:
" LORD GOD, may the fire of your Holiness cleanse my spiritual eyes and ears, purify my imagination, consume all the impurities within this vessel - that it be sanctified before your holy Presence. "
[ Using the power of imagination, imagine the fire of GOD - representing His holiness - passes over you, purifying your every being -the vessel - sanctifying you. When something comes close to a fire, it will inevitably be consumed by its flame]
At times, we might also find it difficult to stay focus in prayer. In such instances, we can resort to our imagination, using visualisation method. A tip here is to close our eyes and imagine rays of light coming from above. This light represents God and we place ourselves in His midst. Let go of the cares of the world and stay in the Lord's presence. You can meditate the name of the Lord in your heart* by repeating slowly, YESHUA - repeating it like a chant. The Lord's Name is the shortest prayer you can say and it is also powerful.
Neville Johnson explains, "What you focus upon using your imagination, you will connect with the spiritual power behind it. That bridge between your soul and the spirit realm is your imagination. it is a powerful tool. JESUS considers imagination a reality. We find this in Matthew 5:28 when He said whoever looks at a woman to lust for her..... now, that is your imagination at work." And that act - though committed in your thought - is considered a sin for one has committed adultery. Therefore, be mindful and practise self-control in your imagination.
How long should I spend time with the Lord?
Kynan Bridges affirms that, "The KEY to everything you want in life is via intimacy with GOD." Spend at least 45 mins to 1 hour in one prayer session. Committing to 30 mins is too short and too rush to hear from the Lord. The 4-hour proposed prayer time can be broken into 45- 60 min session, spread over the entire day. It is a good practice to commit the 1st hour when you wake up and the last hour before you sleep, to prayer. Of course, if you can devote more time, so much the better. In fact the best time to pray is during the wee hours, when everyone is still asleep and there is no distraction. Set a regular time each day to come before the LORD. For those who would pray at 4AM every day, for example, let that be your ' Divine appointment' to seek the LORD.
The main issue why many believers do not encounter God during prayer or He is not manifesting Himself to them is because of our lack of patience. We need to learn to wait on the LORD.
Dealing with distraction | wandering thoughts | the enemy
Handling distractions : There are times when we get distracted by wandering thoughts or temptations during prayer. This can be common and there is a remedy to deal with this. We can cut out the distraction by chanting the name 'YESHUA' or 'ALLELUIA' continuously until our mind returns to prayer mode and the distraction goes away.
The enemy: If the enemy throws temptation at you, rebuke it. It might come with an array of temptations just when you are in the midst of prayer, rebuke it immediately by saying:
I rebuke you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
( this is the same prayer used by exorcist Father James Blount)
Study and meditate on the WORD of God
Study Holy Scriptures and at the same time meditate on the Word. Repeat and reflect on the Word. The Lord speaks to us through His Word. Before we start reading Scripture, it is a good practice to say a short prayer asking the Holy Spirit to guide and show us what He wish to reveal to us; to grant us wisdom and understanding.
You will feel it in your heart. That is an illuminated Word for you to apply to current living situations. Once you begin to grasp that, you are coming closer to the tuning that is necessary to hear My Voice from your heart directly.
⏤ JESUS
Today we have many versions of the Bible available to us. No one Bible can claim to be the 'most accurate'. We do encourage you to read a few versions to compare the meaning to get the gist of the message or teaching - to read between the lines. We suggest using King James Version as your main reference and compare it with other versions at the same time. With the numerous Bible apps available on smartphones these days, comparing the various versions is just a few clicks away. A commendable Bible app can be found here.
One example to illustrate the need to compare different Bible translations can be seen in Mark 9:29. Have a look at the various translations here:
Some translations say prayer alone is enough which other translations indicate prayer and fasting. The most accurate translation of this verse is : This kind of spirit can only come out by prayer and fasting. Through real life testimonies from exorcists, we know for a fact that prayer and fasting are much more powerful in driving out evil spirits than prayer alone. If we were to read just one translation alone, we would have missed that, believing that prayer alone should suffice, when in actual fact we need both.
Does GOD answer my prayer?
The LORD listens to all prayers. Whether our prayer gets answered depends on the condition of our soul. The LORD explains to a chosen soul, "Those who have made every effort to live by the Gospels, to love their brother, to be generous in giving and forgiving, and to order their time around ME, those souls are heard very loud and clear, for they have labored much for My Kingdom to come."
Overfamiliarity with GOD
It is worth noting that even when we have regular spiritual experiences like visitations from the LORD, endowed with dreams and visions, gifts of the Holy Spirit, or the ability to see in the Spirit realm, there is a danger of us becoming overfamiliar with GOD and take Him for granted.
GOD is still GOD, sovereign, Almighty, Creator of all things in the Heavens and on earth. We are merely a creation in His vast kingdom, and as such we must approach Him with reverence. Yes, we can pray at any time during the day, while in the car etc. but when we come before Him at a set time every day in our prayer closet, we need to maintain a proper protocol - one that is proper for a subject to come before the King.
We also need to give Him all our attention during this time, controlling any wandering mind, mindful of His presence in our midst. Come before the LORD in a posture of worship, with bended knees, hands raised in the air, and pray ardently.
When the Apostle John encountered JESUS when He was working on the Book of Revelation, He saw the Lord in a vision coming with great power and glory. He was so fearful that He fell at His feet like a dead man. Now this is the same John who knew Him and walked with Him during His three and half year ministry on earth. Yet, when He saw JESUS, He is different this time. He came as a lamb the first time, and He is going to come as a lion in the Second Coming.
As believers, we need to embrace both of His qualities - the lamb and the lion - and instil in our heart a healthy fear of the LORD.
Footnotes
*heart - is translated as understanding; the subconscious mind