Press into Him
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Here we go with the rest of this list in chapter 5 of actions for successful living. The apostle Paul continues with his exhortations to the Thessalonian church teaching them life principles that will bring them fulfillment in their walk with God. As we explore this list, we can easily identify areas that will help us even today to walk closer with our Savior.
- Rejoice always
- Pray without ceasing
- Give thanks in all things
- Do not quench the Spirit
- Do not despise prophecies
- Test all things
- Hold fast to what is good
- Abstain from every form of evil
First, we are to rejoice always, pray without ceasing and give thanks in all things. Right away we can become overwhelmed and think this seems impossible to do. These steps are not actions you can decide one day that you are going to do and then the next day you perfectly do them. These are life habits and attitudes that have to be developed and grown inside of you in the same way you develop and grow in any area of life. You practice. So the number one place to start is committing your actions and attitude to God and ask for His help.
You can pray a prayer something like this: Father, I know there are areas in my life where I need to make adjustments. My desire is to honor and glorify You and I know that I cannot do that without Your Spirit’s help and empowerment. Today I want to ask that You would empower me to live a victorious life by: always rejoicing, continually praying and talking with You and that I would give thanks wherever I am and in whatever I do. I ask that I would not quench or shut down the voice of Your Holy Spirit inside of me (which is Your voice) and that I do not despise prophecies/inspired messages, but that You would show me how to test all things that come my way so that I can know the truth and receive it. Thank you for helping me to hold on tight to the good and give me the wisdom to recognize every form of evil, call it what it is and get far from it. I ask all these things in the mighty name of Jesus, Amen.
Of course, you don’t have to say those exact words, but if you start each day with this heart, you can begin to make this list your lifestyle. Soon these habits will become the result of pressing into God more each day.
Today I want to encourage you to pray the prayer of commitment to walking life closer to your loving Father. Even if you already walk close to Him, it is important to keep growing and learning more of His goodness. He is infinite and eternal, and certainly we always have room to expand our connection with Him. He told us in his Word that when we ask we receive and when we seek, we will find. Let’s begin to ask for more and seek more of Him in our lives today.
Today’s scripture reading: 1 Thessalonians 5:14-22
The Daily Dose 