Key to Self Discipline in Prayer

Wednesday 27 September
READ: 1 Kings 18: 41-46 
MORE LESSON:  Psa. 28: 1-2

Having earlier emphasized the importance of discipline in handling the flesh, there is need to still look at certain features of the life and teachings of Jesus. This will enable us to learn from the things that helped Him to keep a disciplined life of prayer.

First you need to train your mind to think about pure things by setting your mind on God and His Word. You must deal with the hindering spirits and make conscious effort to bring your mind back when it is distracted by the enemy at the place of prayer.

Also, always exercise spiritual authority over territorial spirits ruling your location of prayer. Go ahead and pull down all satanic strongholds and cast down his imagination before you fully engage in prayer. Every territory has a prince controlling it and no such spirits will want you disrupt their territory with your prayer. That is why you need to bind and incapacitate them before you fully go into prayer.

Discipline and wisdom will help you to avoid foods that make you too heavy to pray, especially when you are going for meetings like night vigil or your own private hour of prayer. You must also mind the hour or time and location you choose for prayer. Jesus' hours of prayer are very instructive - either very early or late in the night and most times in lonely places (Mk. 1:35). I also guess that before the Gethsemane prayer He ate only the communion and with the burden in Him, He was fit for rigorous prayer.

Finally, be flexible in the posture of prayer - kneel, lie, stand. bend, roll or pace around, so long as you keep awake. Note that the Bible doesn't specify any posture in prayer, so you can use any posture that helps you to be alert and sensitive when praying. I guess that the need to be alert and sensitive must be part of Elijah's reasons for the posture he took in the prayer at Mount Carmel.

Maybe he also  didn't want to look at the sky until the miracle has happened in the sky. But then it was a lot of discipline to have chosen a mount to pray after a rigorous all day encounter and contest with the prophets of Baal (1 kings 18: 26-29). And getting to the mountain he chose to put his head in between his knees for only God knows how long. This is instructive for young people who cannot stand to pray or sing for few minutes in church.  

Prayer/Action
*Ask God for help to be disciplined in maintaining a consistent and vibrant prayer life.
*Pray against every distraction you face in your place of prayer.
*Ask God for grace not to be judgmental but to also bless in the place of prayer .

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Thank You Jesus, You are working all things out and well, no more delay, no more “No” for answer, in the mighty name of Jesus.