Prayer Tip #2 – The More Time You Spend In Prayer, The Closer You Get To God!

Many people are liars! Plain and simple.

Why?

Many declare that ‘Jesus is my friend’, but when you ask when was the last time you spent at least an hour ‘reasoning with your ‘friend’, they cannot tell you.

First of all, we cannot say someone is our friend unless we have spent quality time with them getting to know who they really are — not based on what others say, not based on what is written about them — but based on what we found out about them personally, How open we are with them, and what they say to us in confidence.

Some people will even declare ‘Jesus is my best friend’, yet ask what did He reveal to you concerning your day, your week, your family, your church, etc. they stumble for words. If someone is your friend you will desire to spend time with them. If someone is your best friend you run to them to tell them about your day, to ask their advice on things that comes up throughout your day and you listen to hear what they have to say in return.

¹¹ The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend… (Exodus 33:11).

Moses spent time in God’s presence and God spoke with him as he would a friend. Moses had the honor of being called God’s friend, so much so that at the end of his life, God himself buried Moses in secret

^” So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord.⁶ And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day. (Deuteronomy 34:5-6)

Then again…

“But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham my friend… (Isaiah 41:8)

²¹ Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? ²² You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. ²³ And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,”^[e] and he was called God’s friend. (James 2:21-22).

Based on the stories of Both Moses and Abraham, they spent a lot of time in the presence of God. So much so that in one instance Mose’s face shone like the sun when he finally left God’s presence. Abraham was able to quickly identify when God’s angels showed up. He knew His voice because of the time spent together. He knew the voice of God when He asked him to do what seemed the most difficult of things, sacrifice his only son, and he knew God’s voice when He told him to not sacrifice his son after all.

When was the last time God revealed something to you and you pleaded on the behalf of that person, organisation or your nation because of that revelation so that God listened and decided to do as YOU have asked — he stayed His hand of punishment as a result of you because He values your opinion as a friend?

We can ONLY become God’s friend when we share intimate time with him and maintain that relationship. It is no different from our relationship with man. Because we met someone a few times, maybe having a five-minute conversation with that person does not make them our friends or them ours. Many people have met celebrities they admire and will begin to declare to others how that celebrity is their friend, simply from one or two encounters. But is that the truth? No. Yet you may never see that person again, or even if you do you have to remind them where you met first.

A friend is someone you spend quality time with through good and bad times. A friend is someone you will stand by and who will stand by you when everyone else has left. A friend is someone you can trust. Can God trust you? He’s the God who changes not, so the same way he looked to Moses and Abraham, and so many people in each generation, is the same way He’s looking for a few He can trust now. a few to truly call His friend. Can He trust you?

How to Make God Your True Friend

1. Give God your time and attention. Whatever you give more time to becomes the center of your attention. Psalm 100:3 and Revelations  4:11, remind us that God is the one who made us. Who better to be friends with than the one who knows everything about us?

If God blesses you with a job, do not use that job to turn your back on God as so many are doing with the deceptive notion that ‘God understands’.

Yes, He understands. He understands that you no longer make the sacrifice to give Him your time. You have swithched allegience. That makes Him very hurt. And do not let anyone tell you that God does not feel, that He has no emotion. Love is an emotion, hate is an emotion, anger is an emotion, jealousy is an emotion, joy is an emotion — the Bible tells us throughout that God showed these emotions.

What if a friend ask you for something and the moment you give it to them you stop hearing from them. When you try to call they hang up on you. They keep making promises to come visit but never do. How would that make you feel. Yet this is someone you loved dearly and would do anything for. many times this is the way we treat God.

2. Get to know God. When you pray, give yourself time to just sit in the presence of God and listen. Do not go to spend time with God and you are busy watching the clock or responding to ‘urgent’ messages. It is very disrespectful. Imagine going on a date and all the next person does is be on their phone, not hearing a word you are saying. A conversation is a two-way affair. It is not a dictatorship. You dictate to God and He listens and shuts up, then you leave without giving Him a chance to respond. Again, how would you feel if someone comes to you with a long list and just talks and talks, and before you get a chance to respond they get up and leave and never had the courtesy to wait for you to respond?

3. Dedicate time specifically to God. We have specific times that we get to work, times when we cook, times when we shower, and times when we eat (breakfast, lunch and dinner). But do we have a specific time when we meet with God? This is where a personal/individual prayer altar comes into play.

It is only when we spend time with God that He can trust us enough to give us gifts of the spirit. It is only then that we get to know His heart, what affects Him, and what doesn’t. It is only then that flesh dies and the Spirit of God can truly reign within us. Only then will we be given spiritual authority to fight and conquer all the attacks that the enemy throws our way. Only then can we truly live in victory! The more time you spend before God the more power He bestows on you. You get that which you put in. You put in much you gain much. you put in little you gain little. You put in nothing you get nothing. What you give is what you shall receive.

¹³ You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. ¹⁴ I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. (Jeremiah 29:13-14)

The amount of time you spend in the presence of God will determine your spiritual authority. You cannot pray and ask God for gifts of the spirit when you have no time to go on the assignments He wants to send you on to exercise those gifts. God’s gifts are not for show, they are to enhance the Kingdom of God and destroy the kingdom of darkness. What is the purpose of being given gifts if you are too busy to use them? And if you cannot find time for Him in prayer now, why would He trust to give you gifts that must impact others?

Spending time with God is a sacrifice. Are you willing to saccrifice for Him — not in words but in your actions? Remember God rewards faithfulness and He will elevate you to sit in positions of authority.

IF YOU KNEEL BEFORE GOD, HE WILL CAUSE YOU TO STAND BEFORE KINGS! He will give you authority! Both before man and in the spiritual realm.