Major W. Ian Thomas in his book The Indwelling Life of Christ-All of Him In All of Me said, “Jesus died for us to give His life to us to live His life through us.” Wow! Words of wisdom! Jesus not only works in and through us, but He also prays in and through us. Wow again! Ephesians 6:18 supports this statement, “With all prayer and petition, pray at all times in the Spirit.”
With the thousands of books written on prayer, it is obvious that Christians continue to seek out helpful ideas for enriching their prayer life. As part of your journey down “The Galatian Road,” you have seen continued references to our core verses, Galatians 2:20 and Colossians 1:27. These are only 2 of the 242 verses in the New Testament that describe the living presence of our Lord in His followers – you and me!
At Growing in Grace Ministries we believe praying by directing your requests and praises through Christ Jesus who lives in you is an enormous blessing and benefit in how one prays. Examples like: Don’t ask Jesus “Help me be more patient,” but rather, “Jesus, be my patience in this situation.” Or, “Reveal Your patience through me in this situation.” Then, WWJD, watch what Jesus does!
Some may ask, “What is His purpose in living His life through my work, my social activities, my family, my worship and everything else? “ Scriptures describes all believers as His body, His arms and legs, His hands and feet. He uses us as instruments of His righteousness, as a branch to bear fruit and for His will and way to be done. Do you remember the illustration of the tea bag and the hot water? The fusion became so great, that even while the water and tea are separated by the tea bag, we still call the water, tea! But the water is not the tea; it’s the tea in the water.
Well, the fusion of His life with ours is so great, we call our actions “Christlike,” but it is NOT us, it is Christ in us who is doing His work through us. What work does He want to do through us between now and His return? He wants to live and pray in the Spirit through us as instruments of His righteousness. Why does He want to live in and pray through us? So we can participate in His Divine nature and to give us the privilege of being an eye witness to the fulfillment of His plan here on earth.
It is because of the Christians’ position of absolute unity with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit that we pray for the will of the Lord to be expressed through us. And, all for the glory of God.
The following are samples of “Christ as Your Life” prayers:
Dear Lord, the people at work are sometimes very difficult to show love to. Pour out Your love through me, to those I find hardest to love, when I am at work. Thank You in Jesus name.
Father God, even with 242 Scripture verses that describe You living in me, it is still hard for me to wrap my mind around. Please continue to transform me, renew my mind and live out Your will and way for my life.
My friend is depressed and I am ready to visit him/her. Let Your light and encouragement radiate through me so my friend will feel the comfort that can only come through You. Amen
In Romans 6:13 Paul tells us to offer the parts of our body to Him as instruments of righteousness. In John 15:5, Jesus describes us as a branch to bear fruit to be used for His will and His way. Jesus as the vine for the branch wants to continue His ministry through His body of believers, so that He can get as many people into the kingdom of God before He returns to rule and reign. While on earth, our Lord set His deity aside and was fully man allowing the Father to fulfill His purposes through Him, so He would be an example for us of how the Spirit filled life is lived. Jesus lives in us and His Spirit prays through us, just like the Father did with Him.
Jesus said: “Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing His work.” John 14:10 (NIV)
Additional Scriptural Support For “Christ As Your Life” Prayers
I Cor 6:15 “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself.”
Romans 12:1 “Therefore, offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your Spiritual act of worship.”
Colossians 2:9-10 “For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. So you also are complete through your union with Christ….”
LIFE LESSON: What a privilege to be used by the Lord as a temple for prayer; His life and His prayers being lived and prayed through us.
Our ministry prayer: “Lord Jesus please let those who support and pray for our ministry know in their hearts how much we love them and appreciate their prayers and financial support.”
Growing in His Grace