Prayer: 5 Ways to Grow in Your Spiritual Life (Part 3)

In this episode, we continue our mini-series on five ways to grow in your spiritual life—with a focus on evangelism and the importance of sharing Jesus with the world around you. I want to talk about the “volcano effect” and what happens when you get to know Jesus (truth) and the passion and enthusiasm that comes out of your life. We will also discuss three ways you can begin to Share Jesus with the world around you.

As Christians, we understand that prayer is important in our lives—but what IS prayer? Is prayer merely giving a list of our desires to God, hoping that He’ll one day meet our every request … or is it something more?

While we will continue to talk about prayer more in-depth in future episodes, let’s go to a basic understanding of what prayer is: talking with God. In its most simple form, prayer is merely a conversation we have with the God of the Universe. It’s not merely talking to God, nor is it simply doing nothing and hoping to hear His voice—it is a conversation. And just like a conversation with a best friend, prayer is both talking AND listening.

In today’s podcast, I want to give you a key concept concerning prayer that has radically changed my life.

Listen to and Download the Episode

---

Episode 5 Overview

In this episode, we continue our series looking at the third pillar of spiritual growth: prayer. You will learn …

• That prayer is more than merely talking with God
• What Paul means when he commands us to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
• Why obsession is a good thing and how it can deepen your intimacy and relationship with Jesus
• How you can begin to form the habit of practicing God’s presence and continually invite Jesus into the everyday moments of your life
• How even green beans can cause you to focus more on Christ and increase your intimacy with Him
• 3 simple ideas to help you get started talking to Jesus

Show Notes / Additional Resources

What Jesus is supposed to be in our lives:

• the word upon our lips
• the single thought upon our mind
• the delight of our heart
• the ache of our soul
• the tune of our song
• the drive of our life
• the focus of our eye
• the excitement of our day
• the flow of our life
• our sole attention
• our center
• our consuming passion
• our life’s strength and resource
• the depth of our being
• our everything!

3 Simple Ways to Start Talking with Jesus

1. Have set times of prayer. While I want to talk with God all throughout the day, having set times of prayer is important. I want purposeful time to focus upon and converse with Jesus daily.
2. Find your own trigger. Think of a way to establish a habit of turning your mind upon Jesus. Whether you set a timer on your watch, use door knobs, or think of some other method, develop the habit of reminding yourself that Jesus lives inside your life, and thank Him for such an incredible reality. Allow that habit to expand so you are involving Jesus in your life moment by moment.
3. Pray God’s Word. As you come to God’s Word, use it as a way to talk with Him. Ask Him (the Author) what His Word means. Declare the promises in your prayers and ask Him to develop the life of Christ in you.

Other Great Resources To Go Deeper 

• deeperChristian.com
• Book: 5 Pillars of Christian Growth
  
  • Paperback version for purchase on Amazon
  • Check out other resources to grow spiritually
• Book: Brother Lawerence’s The Practice of the Presence of God 
• Book: Brother Lawerence’s (abridged version, and the one I recommend) Practicing God’s Presence
• Check out the deeperChristian article on Obsession

Great Quotes In The Episode

Andrew Murray’s favorite hymn “Moment By Moment”:

Moment by moment I’m kept in His love,
Moment by moment I’ve life from above;
Looking to Jesus till glory doth shine;
Moment by moment, O Lord, I am Thine.

Join the Conversation

Question: What is your current “obsession” and how would your life change if Jesus replaced it?

Leave a response or ask a question and we will try to address it in a future episode.

The difficulty with podcasts is that they are one-sided—so each week I ask one question for you to participate in the conversation. Head over to the deeperChristian Facebook page to leave a comment and join in the conversation.

---

Subscribe to the Podcast

If you have enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe on your favorite app by searching for “Deeper Christian Podcast” or clicking the button below.

---

Help Others Out –
Leave a Rating & Review on Apple Podcasts (formerly called iTunes)

If you enjoyed the show, please take 30 seconds and rate it on Apple Podcasts and write a brief review. This would be a tremendous blessing to help us get the word out to others who might also enjoy it—as Apple uses the rating and reviews in their searches to help other people find the show.

About NRJohnson & the Deeper Christian Podcast

NRJohnson (Nathan Johnson) is a Christian who has an overwhelming passion for Jesus, the Gospel, and Studying God’s Word. He is a writer, teacher, and communicator who helps other believers understand and apply the Bible as they grow and mature in their faith—desiring that they gain greater intimacy with Christ, experience the victorious Christian life, and transform the world through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Read more about him here.

The Deeper Christian Podcast is the podcast to help you study God’s Word, know Jesus intimately, and discover how you can build your life around Jesus Christ. This weekly audio program, hosted by NRJohnson, dives into Scripture and encourages Christians to keep their focus upon Jesus Christ—equipping believers in how to study the Bible and know God’s Word, grow in their spiritual lives, and change the world. Main discussion topics center around practical advice on Christian living, Bible study, prayer, the Gospel, freedom from sin, evangelism and how to share your faith, the Christian disciplines, and the lives and messages from the Christian heroes from yesteryear such as A.W. Tozer, Charles Spurgeon, Major Ian Thomas, Oswald Chambers, Hudson Taylor, Amy Carmichael, Corrie Ten Boom, C.T. Studd, George Müller, Andrew Murray, Leonard Ravenhill, E.M. Bounds, and others. Learn more about the deeper Christian life.