It’s easy to let our own devotional prayer life begin to slip. It’s easy to get so caught up in doing the business of the Kingdom that you begin to neglect your fellowship with the King of Kings. Well, with the anti-christ system knocking on our nation’s door, who has time to just sit around loving God, adoring, and blessing Him?

Who has time to sing in the Spirit and bask in God’s presence? Who has time to just wait patiently for a Word from God about your own little life when our nation and others are hanging in the balance? Who has time for a devotional prayer life when there is such a need for supplication and intercession? The truth is, we all do! It is more important than ever!

It is the richness and depth of our own devotional time with God that determines how much of God’s heart we have. It is our daily, personal intimacy with Him that determines how well we live. In the Bible, one of the best examples of this truth is the story of Mary and Martha. Complaining to Jesus, Martha said that her sister Mary wasn’t helping her serve. But Jesus told Martha that her sister Mary had chosen the better thing, which was to sit at the Master’s feet and fellowship with Him.

I love that story! It reminds me that life in God is wonderfully simple. Only one thing is absolutely necessary and that’s fellowshipping with the Master. Everything else you need to do will be affected by your time spent with God. Your purposes, perceptions and responses will emanate from your personal fellowship with the Lord.

Prayer can become complicated and burdensome if you allow its importance and practice to slip away. Just think about it! There are so many people and leaders and nations, so many situations that are in desperate need of prayer. How are you ever going to figure out just in your own mind what to pray for? Even if you do decide that you know what to pray about, without the strength and refreshment that comes from personal fellowship with God, those intercessory-type prayers can wear you out.

Do you want the strength to keep praying in faith for seemingly impossible situations day after day? Do you want the spiritual energy to keep praying in faith for your family or your nation or your lost neighbor even when all natural hope is gone?

Well, faith works by love. So the more you fall in love with Jesus, the stronger your faith and your prayers will be. When you spend time just worshipping God and surrendering yourself to Him in times of devotional prayer you begin to experience His love. There is something special about spending time loving and worshipping God. It will keep you on track. Your soul (your mind, will and emotions) will want to do things for Him. You’ll pray for your family, for nations, for souls, and for the Church more effectively. You’ll be able to sense what’s important to pray about right now…and what’s not.

No wonder the apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 1:9-10:

“And this I pray: that your love may abound yet more and more and extend to its fullest development in knowledge and all keen insight (that your love may display itself in greater depth of acquaintance and more comprehensive discernment,) so that you may surely learn to sense what is vital, and approve and prize what is excellent and of real value (recognizing the highest and the best, and distinguishing the moral differences), and that you may be untainted and pure and unerring and blameless (so that with hearts sincere and certain and unsullied, you may approach) the day of Christ (not stumbling nor causing others to stumble).”

When Jesus was asked what the most important commandment was, He answered;

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” Matthew 22:37 Amplified

Jesus rebuked the church at Ephesus in Revelation 2. Despite their hard work and the fact that they held fast to sound doctrine, He said;

“I have this (one charge to make) against you: that you have left (abandoned) the love that you had at first (you have deserted Me, your first love). Remember then from what heights you have fallen. Repent (change the inner man to meet God’s will) and do the works you did previously (when first you knew the Lord), or else I will visit you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you change your mind and repent.” (vv 4-5)

Did you notice what He said about them falling from the heights? If you want to go to high places in the spirit, if you want to pray from that high place where you are seated with Jesus in the heavenlies, here’s how to do it:

Spend time cultivating your love for Jesus. Dedicate time to worship and minister to the Lord. Get to know Him through prayer and the Word. The more you do that, the more you will fall in love with Him. And the more you fall in love with Jesus, the more effectively you will pray!