Keep a Conversation Going with God
By Rick Warren
"Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion." Ephesians 6:18 (NLT)
Did you know that you don’t have to end your prayers with “In Jesus’ name. Amen”? In fact, you don’t have to stop praying at all.
Prayer is a running conversation with God. It never has to end! You can talk to him like you would a friend or a loving father. If something comes up, you talk to God about it. Then, maybe a minute or two goes by, and you talk to him about something else.
Another way to think about prayer is that it’s spiritual breathing. You don't think about breathing—you just do it. In the same way, prayer needs to become so natural that you don't even think about it.
Right now, your prayers may require a lot of intentional thought. But you can develop a habit of praying so you don't even have to think about when to start or what to say. In a way, it’s like talking to yourself. You talk to yourself about everything you experience—all the time! Start talking to God instead. To pray conversationally, you simply talk to God about whatever you're interested in at that particular moment.
"Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion" (Ephesians 6:18 NLT). That means you can talk to God anywhere, anytime, about anything, as the Spirit leads. When God puts something on your heart, pray about it!
Maybe you’re someone who often doesn’t feel like praying. If you don't feel like praying, it means you're praying about the wrong things. God wants you to talk to him about anything you’re interested in and everything you’re feeling. God doesn’t need you to tell him what’s going on in your life—he already knows. But he wants you to talk to him, like a father or a mother longs to have their children talk to them.
Keep a conversation with God going throughout your day. Talk to him about what you’re feeling, and you’ll feel like praying a lot more.
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This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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