Prayer Chair

“Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face continually.”—1 Chronicles 16:11 (NASB)

The photo above with 1 Chronicles 16:11 is what I refer to as My Prayer Chair.  Every morning anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour, I sit in that chair with my journal, Bible and devotion books.

I am not sure if you can see the impression in the chair from where I sit. I curl up my legs and lean to the one side. I know I really need to take it to the upholsterer and add some stuffing to fluff it back up, but there is a part of me that likes the reminder of what it represents.

I read my daily devotions, work on my Bible reading plan and say my prayers. It is where I seek the LORD and His strength. Being near to God is the source of our strength. Seeking Him each morning is what keeps me grounded for the day. Don’t get me wrong, there are days it doesn’t take much to get me off-center. Thankfully, I can call on God to redirect me back to Him.        

Other than that time in the morning, I don’t sit in that chair. Any other time of the day, you will see my husband in it. The other day when he was talking to my daughter and she was sharing some stressors in life, he was in another chair looking at the other one.

He said, well, I know your mom prays for you every morning. You should see MY chair from her. Honestly, it warmed my heart to hear my husband say that. He knows that is “his” chair, but also respects my time in it at the beginning of my day.

Depending on when you start your day, having some type of ritual to center yourself in Jesus is what keeps you centered. It links me to my True Identity. It reminds me who I belong to in this world where the enemy tries to lure us away from our security in Christ.

There is a battle for our souls, this is why it is so important for me to spend time in my prayer chair before I leave my house. If you don’t have some type of routine, it is never too late to implement one. God’s desire is for You to be close to Him and the best way to do that is spend uninterrupted time in His presence in his Word.

Father God,
Forgive me when I rush through my morning quiet time with You. Reveal Your presence in my daily tasks. Help me to take breaks from the world’s noise and find a place to be still in Your presence to hear Your voice. I lift those up to You who struggle with prioritizing a pocket of their day with You. Remove obstacles from their life to make this possible. I pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

July Verse
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”—2 Corinthians 3:17
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Keeping in Step with the Spirit

“Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”—Galatians 5:25

 A few verses before Galatians 5:25, Paul writes about the fruits of the Spirit in verses 22-23; But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

As I was reading a devotion about this, it pointed out what many would see as a grammatical error in this passage. According to grammar rules, it should read the fruit of the Spirit are not is. However, we know that to be one in the Spirit, we should embody all these qualities. The Holy Spirit within us is the Source and Author of all these attributes.

We can’t do it on our own. Since we live it the spirit, we have it to keep in step with it. We can’t force fruit in our life. We also can’t try to get God to “go along” with our plan. Our plan isn’t going to work. Trying to do things my way not God’s way never ends well. Thankfully, when I realize I have strayed, He hasn’t. God never leaves our side.

When we let God lead us, life goes smoother. It doesn’t mean it will be easier, but with Jesus by our side, we aren’t alone. Life isn’t meant to be powered by us. Through the power of the indwelling Spirit, we can call on Him to help us live out love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

In order for us to live out Galatians 5:25, it requires for us to communicate with God throughout our day. We depend on the Holy Spirit who convicts and leads us. It is impossible for us to live out and walk in the Fruits of the Spirit in our own flesh.

As we rely on God and not ourselves, we are empowered to walk in His ways for us which will produce Christ-like character. Making choices that honor God strengthen our character. Being dependent on God is not the social norm. Self-reliance is. We live unashamed of our dependence on Our Living God who is the Bread that sustains us.

Father God,

Thank You for being the Sustenance nourishing my soul through the priceless gift of the Holy Spirit living inside of me. I ask for forgiveness when I am not in step with Your Spirit trying to do things with my own strength. When I wander like this, I ask for You to quickly draw me back to You. Continue to lead and guide me in Your will and ways this week. I pray these things in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

June Verse

“So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.”—Hebrews 4:16 (NLT)

If you are knitting or crocheting gifts to give away, please make sure you tweet @KnitPrayShare or share your projects on the Knit, Pray, Share Facebook page or Instagram using the hashtag #KnitPrayShare. Be sure to attach a tag to whatever gift you make.