Mommy always used to sing this song we laughed at, but once you get past the cheesiness of it, (mainly because it’s the same tune as “Walking in a Winter Wonderland” 😂) it’s nothing but truth.

“Much prayer, much power, little prayer, little power. If you don’t talk to God, He won’t talk to you. Prayer is our communication key.”

Cheese & all, it’s stuck in my head forever (my mom is the real MVP). No relationship can be one-sided.

Giving thanks, gratitude is a really big deal. God’s not saying give thanks FOR all things, because we all know some things really suck, but IN, in the midst of ALL circumstances we can find some reason to give thanks (even if it’s just for His presence with us through it). It keeps our heart & mind in a certain posture. We never want to think God, or anyone for that matter owes us anything, or take Him for granted. It goes hand in hand with one word-HUMILITY. If for no other reason we desire to do any of these things, it’s God’s will for us in Christ. That alone is reason enough.

Isn’t that what we’re striving for anyway, to do His will?

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 NIV

These verses set the tone for a grateful, plugged in, connected life. When we neglect God’s will for us, we quench the spirit. Operating disconnected & from a position of ingratitude is like pouring water on a fire. That fire is our zeal, our passion for God & the things that concern Him, His will. The Holy Spirit in our lives should be lively, active, a functional part of our lives, not a stifled, muffled bystander. How to we keep this part of us alive?

Rejoice, Pray, Give Thanks.

Some reasons why these work? Rejoicing, praise counteracts despair & it confuses the enemy, also what we rejoice in…Christ our Savior, there’s always room for that. God is WORTHY. We owe Him EVERYTHING. Pray, not sometimes but continually…why? It builds momentum. It’s our lifeline.

Prayer: we praise, we confess, we intercede, we ask, we hear, we listen.

I used to get so caught up about prayer. Never the right time, right place, right conditions. All I was doing was limiting my view of God’s reach. Where is He not? What time & spaces does He not exist in? None. He can hear & see me anywhere. If you always look for the right time, place & circumstances to meet & talk with God you will NEVER always find it. Majority of my prayer time happens in my car & I’ve come to really appreciate it. I would love to be sitting in some scenic place with some nice tea reading my Bible, praying & reflecting on the deep things about God…but in my life, most of your lives it’s not realistic. Don’t beat yourself up about it, find what works for you, work with it & MAKE it work for you. We have an enemy that will create every opportunity for us not to pray because he knows the power of it & doesn’t want us to. So, what do we do? Create space for God to dwell in the places of your life where He needs to be, which honestly is everywhere. Make time. If there’s anywhere in our life He can’t be then it doesn’t need to be in our life.

Lastly, don’t just talk, give God time to respond. Prayer is not a one sided conversation. Sometimes we’ll have to talk, sometimes we’ll have to listen. God is still speaking.