True Born Again Christians Are Not Forced, Coerced Or Frightened To Pray

I have been teaching on prayer in my recent articles. Most Christians, especially those in Africa spend hours to pray during church meetings and at home. Believers usually gather to pray during specially organised programmes with visiting ministers.

However, the sad reality is that many do not commune with God on their own unless their leaders ask them to. In fact, some of them do not pray until they are forced, coerced or even frightened with revealed demonic attacks in their families or on their lives. This is unfortunate.

This situation is not common with true born again Christians who walk by the Holy Spirit. They are not forced, coerced or frightened to pray. To them, prayer is not a struggle but peace. Prayer is not forced but spontaneous. Finally, prayer is not timed but timeless. In other words, Spirit-inspired prayers are not offered within a specific timeframe or duration.

These are genuinely born again Christians who are led by the Holy Spirit. He guides them to pray. Thus, they do not always pray because their pastor or parent instructed them to. They receive intimation from the Holy Spirit in their heart that they must pray. And when they yield to the move of the Spirit and pray they receive answers.

Intimation from the Spirit of Christ Jesus is a divine suggestion or signal which stirs up a believer’s heart that this act be performed. This is what is called Spirit’s inspiration, motivation or prompting. It is a heartwarming, satisfying and fulfilling experience.

This is why I said, for instance, that prayer is not a struggle or forced. The urge for true born again believers to pray comes spontaneously often after a song is given to them to sing or a Bible verse is released into their heart to meditate upon.

A call to pray in the Holy Spirit with your mind or with your spirit can come at any time of the day or night. Yours is to discern and yield to the leading or stirring of the Holy Spirit in your heart or conscience.

Very often, I have had to park my car on the shoulder of the road to write messages that were divinely given to me. And I have had to stop eating and pray on several occasions. God knows the best, and His time is the best. Sometimes, it just happens when I am driving, especially when alone. It is the same during night prayers.

As indicated earlier, it is surprising that many church folks pray only when their pastors convince them to. If believers will not pray until they are forced, coerced or frightened, then, they are either infants in Christ or they are not born again.

It is high time church leaders in Africa realised this challenge in the churches of God and taught their congregants to understand that Christians pray according to the will of God when they are led, inspired and prompted to do so. It is when they receive intimation from the Holy Spirit to speak with the Father.

By James Quansah