A BELIEVER'S FOCUS

"BUT YOU, BELOVED, BUILD YOURSELVES UP ON [the foundation of] YOUR MOST HOLY FAITH [continually progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher], PRAY IN THE HOLY SPIRIT."
Jude 20 (NKJV)

The main assignment given to those who are called into the ministry work is to teach people how to walk or relate with God (Ephesians 4:11,12).
And the goal of every believer, which should be his or her focus is, should be how to know God the more and walk intimately with Him and become a useable vessel in His hand (Ephesians 4:13-16).
Asking God in prayer in order to receive from Him would not be a difficult thing If you succeeded in building a strong communion or fellowship with Him (Jeremiah 29:12; Matthew 6:33).
Mostly, believers miss it in the place of communion. Thus, let your attention be more on communion in your Christian life and journey, than any other thing.

Let your focus be on how to build intimacy or communion with God.
A lot of believers are chasing shadows, what could not be materialize, or be a reality.
Whatever you would need, the foundation is in having a good rapport with God. Having a strong communion or fellowship with Him!

Some people pray and fast for power, while some pray that they may have one success or another—either in their businesses or careers or whatever pursuit (Jeremiah 29:12).
But the truth is, whatever you want to receive from God, either spiritual or physical, the foundation is a strong fellowship or communion with God (John 4:23,24).
There is nothing wrong in asking God to meet your needs in prayer, He Himself said we should do that (Jeremiah 29:12). However, the foundation to that is your intimacy with God.

After your salvation through Christ Jesus, being born-again (John 3:3-6; Romans 10:9,1); you should endeavour to build intimacy with God—fellowship or communion and friendship with Him (Genesis 18:16-33).
• First and foremost, this is achievable or done through a daily reading and studying and pondering on the Word of God, the Bible (Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:1-3).
• The next is that you endeavour to subdue your flesh to be able to do or practice what you know in the Word of God (James 1:22-25).

When the issue of consistent reading and studying and practicing of the Word of God is established, your prayer life which is communing with God gets built up.
This communing with God in prayer is what is called fellowshipping with God.
All it involves is talking and hearing from God—a kind of conversation—conversing and dialoguing with God (Genesis 18:22-33).
It is at such atmosphere you tell God a lot of things, and things bothering your heart are talked over with God (Genesis 15:1-6).
If you have not gotten to this level in your walk with God, you would still be considered a baby Christian—one who is yet mature in the Christian faith (1 Corinthians 3:1-3; Hebrews 5:12).

Some people, believers, have prayer books through which they pray.
Now, a prayer book to lead and guide you in prayer might not be bad outrightly, but that could only be good at a particular stage or level of your Christian life—based on your level of understanding and maturity.
If you are praying through a particular prayer book, you could only pray within the context or setting of that prayer book. However, if you are fellowshipping with God, which is a form of conversational prayer, talking and hearing from God—a kind of dialogue—you would have a better depth in your prayer with God.
• The subject of your prayer would be varied and you would be able to cover many things in your prayer as you are with God (Ephesians 6:18).
• The Holy Spirit would readily be there to guide and remind you of vital things you needed to talk over with God (Romans 8:14,26,27).

I have heard some people saying; How would you spend hours in God's presence, praying and talking to Him?
• Would you not be bored?
• What would you be saying?
• How would you do it?
• And a number of such other questions.
At such a time, there is nothing like boredom. In fact, It is the most enjoyable and fulfilling aspect of Christian life.
If you had such a time with God, every feeling of spiritual emptiness would disappear and you would have faith and courage to face the future and overcome whatever challenge that may come your way.

Whilst you are fellowshipping with God, one discussion in prayer would lead to another one, you would discover that you have cover many areas or subjects whilst you are praying and dialoguing with God (Luke 6:12,13).
Through this type of praying, you would discover that you have tarried or spent a great deal of time with God (Luke 5:12; 6:12,13).
Such time is also called an extended time of praying and tarrying in the presence of God. Much praying in tongues and talking with God is done which made you build up hopes, faith and courage before you leave (Jude 20).
It is through such prayers that your bond and intimacy with God is built and your faith and trust in Him is deepened and strenghened (John 10:30).

If such a time of prayer as discussed and shared here is not commonly or regularly or routinely or daily had in your life as a believer, you would discover that you are malnourishing spiritually.
• The kind of satisfaction and joy and fulfilment you ought to have as a believer would not be there.
• You would be having the feeling of not being satisfied in your spirit, which is a sign that your spiritual appetites are not properly satisfied.
• Your heart would be yearning or hungering, being unsatisfied spiritually, with the feeling on the inside of you that something is missing.
• You be having the feeling that you are not complete, something is missing—feeling of emptiness would be there.
Such a thing is known as spiritual malnutrition and it leads to spiritual unhealthiness!

Note:
Every genuine believer who is born-again and having the Holy Spirit on the inside of him or her would be having this experience If their spiritual life is not at par or healthy enough.
However, a lot of believers usually shrug it off. After a while, the functional part of their recreated human spirit—conscience, intuition and fellowship—yearning for intimacy with God would be silenced.
The feeling of that emptiness would still be there but the believer would try to be quenching it with religious and social activities. The yearning or longing to be satisfied from their human spirit might still be there but gradually ebbing and would be very low and less intense.
It is at such a time that the believer's conscience and intuition become less active and callous because of inactive fellowship in their human spirit.
The consequences are; deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons might be embraced and welcomed at such a time (1 Timothy 4:1,2).

Peace.