Mark 1:35

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up and went to a deserted place, and there He prayed.

We will close out the year in prayer.

My challenge to you today is to be a person of prayer. To set aside time everyday dedicated to nothing but prayer. Even seven minutes a day scheduled for bosom communing with our Father is powerful, renewing, and life-changing. Schedule it on your calendar just like you would an appointment with someone. For most of us, if it’s not scheduled, it does not happen. Not with any regularity at least.

Demons hate when we pray. They know its power which can drive them away. That’s why they work so hard to keep us from it. This is why distraction is so damaging; it keeps us from the mightiest force in the world. The enemy of our souls doesn’t seem to care about keeping us from anything like prayer. This is a quite common teaching of early Christianity.

If we’re praying, the devil and evil forces are screwed. If we’re not, chances are they’re having a heyday with us.

We all have time to pray. Remember, whenever we say we don’t have time for something, what we’re really saying is, “I value something else more.”

My wife shared this quote with me from Paul Miller in his book A Praying Life:

If you are not praying, then you are quietly confident that time, money, and talent are all you need in life. You’ll always be a little too tired, a little too busy. But if, like Jesus, you realize you can’t do life on your own, then no matter how busy, no matter how tired you are, you will find the time to pray.