Prayer & Intercession
"No man is greater than his prayer life. The pastor who is not praying is playing; the people who are not praying are straying. We have many organizers, but few agonizers; many players and payers, few pray-ers." — Leonard Ravenhill
In the Book of John, Jesus meets with His disciples and makes a statement that would forever leave its mark on the face of Christianity: "In the same way the Father sent me, I am sending you." When I read these words it immediately brings to mind images of Him laying hands on a blind man and healing his sight, or the woman who had the issue of blood touching him and seeing herself instantly healed.
Much of what we see in the church today resembles little of what Christ's life looks like. This verse in John 20 stands there in our face like an ominous giant, begging the question to the believer: "Can you do what your Master did?"
First: God didn't design prayer to give us a tool to strong-arm Him. He has already purposed to release heaven on earth. Prayer was designed to bring our hearts into alignment with heaven's priorities so that faith can be released to allow Him to move through us. The purpose of prayer isn't to move God; it is to move us.
Second: Jesus' chief priority was to bring the kingdom of heaven to manifest on the earth. To only speak those things that He heard the Father speaking and to do only those things He saw the Father doing. Jesus cultivated a lifestyle of prayer not to manipulate God into producing miracles but to develop an intimacy with His Father so deep that He could always see and always hear at any given moment.
Jesus maintained His connection with the Father in private so that in the midst of the constant need, chatter, and distraction around Him He could recognize the voice that was Spirit and Life, so that He could reach into the unseen and bring it forth into the seen, manifesting the will of heaven on earth.
Purpose to take time each day, even just five minutes, to ask Father God what He wants to show you about your day. Be intentional about finding good resources, a podcast or YouTube channel, where you can receive teaching from people who are doing the things you want to do in the faith. Find and connect with a good local church where you can be in community and practice the things that God is teaching you.