The Principles of Prayer III

 The simple act of obedience toward God ensures both protection and blessing for those walking in it. Prayer, whether prayer of thanksgiving, praise, adoration, intercession, intervention, or the groaning heart cry of one who needs comfort, are all forms of obedience. We are commanded to pray, and when we do, we fulfill the commandment, thereby walking in obedience.

If ever there was a question as to which the Lord prefers between burnt offerings, sacrifice, or obedience, it was laid to rest in the first book of Samuel.

1 Samuel 15:22, “So Samuel said: ‘Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.”

For us as individuals, sacrifice, whatever that may entail, is likely easier overall than walking in obedience. A sacrifice presupposes a one-time offering of some sort, brought to the altar and laid upon it, and once it is complete, the act is done. Obedience, on the other hand, is a lifelong endeavor, one we must consistently strive to walk in, requiring the denial of the flesh, our egos, our aspirations, and anything else that would stand in the way of our ability to remain obedient in all things.

It is inevitable that someone walking in obedience will make sacrifices along the way, perhaps not as vivid as bleeding a ram or charring some animal as in the days of old, but rather sacrifices that will likely be more painful for the flesh since they have to do with the mortification thereof. At its core, obedience is about surrender, and when we strive to walk in it, we are daily called upon to surrender something the flesh prefers over what God commands because the will of God and the will of the flesh are ever at constant odds.

God is a constant gardener, ever pruning us. He is the potter to which the clay must submit if it desires to become the finished masterpiece of the potter’s hand, molded and fashioned into a vessel of honor, and once that phase is complete, as any potter will likely tell you, the vessel in question must be fired at a high temperature, that it grows strong and is able to withstand the pressures of being filled and emptied, only to be filled again.

If a vessel is not properly fired, it will develop cracks, and whatever it is filled with will seep out onto the ground, making the vessel unusable.

The absence of prayer cuts off our line of communication with God. I’ve met people who insisted they were afraid to pray because of what God would tell them. They were so afraid of rebuke or correction and being held accountable for having been told what areas they must focus on in their spiritual walk that they neglected prayer altogether. If that’s the case, you already know there’s something in your life you need to repent of, and trying to plead ignorance before an all-knowing God is no less than folly on your part.

If the desire of your heart is to be what He desires you to be, you will look forward to God’s correction. However, if your desire is to be what you want to be while pretending to belong to Him, then you will try to avoid God’s corrective measures at all costs.

A prayer, no matter how wordy, poetic, lengthy, or eloquent, can only be sanctified if the individual in question is likewise sanctified. When we speak of consecrated prayer, in layman’s terms, it is a prayer wholly dedicated, devoted, and set apart to God and for God. As such, the individual uttering the prayer must be consecrated unto God in order for it to qualify.

God hears the prayers of His children. The operative words being His children. Before beginning the task of rebuilding the altar of prayer, the first question that must be asked and answered is, who do you belong to? Are you His or your own? Do you belong to Him, or are you riding the fence of indecision, wanting to know Him more fully yet unwilling to sacrifice the things keeping you from it?

Living for the world while belonging to God are incompatible ideals, no matter how often the televangelist asking for your money insists otherwise. An eight-ounce glass will always ever hold eight ounces of liquid. It all depends on what the liquid is. What is my heart filled with? It can either be filled with the spirit and presence of God or with the spirit of this world. It can’t be both. It must be one or the other.

Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

If ever there was a more apt definition of what it means to be consecrated to God, I have yet to find it. It is no longer we who live, but Christ lives in us. Therefore, we are sanctified in Him and by Him, seeking not our benefit but only to be pleasing in His sight.

When an individual is consecrated to the Lord, their prayers will invariably reflect it. Their prayers will no longer center around their wants, desires, or needs, but they will be fully focused on giving God praise and glory for all that He has done and all that He is.

A surrendered, sanctified life is the perfect environmental condition for one’s prayer life to grow, mature, and expand consistently. When we are children, we speak as children, understand as children, and think as children, but once we are grown, we put away childish things. The same principle applies to prayer and what we focus our prayers upon as we grow and mature in God. We transition from continually asking God to give us more to thanking Him for what He’s already given us. We shift our focus from desiring the things of this earth to desiring more of Him. These are the indispensable signs of spiritual maturity that accompany those who walk in obedience.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr.  

Posted on 14 April 2025 | 11:26 am