Heads Up!

July/19/2010 09:21 AM

Our church has a couple of teams that play in a community softball league. It’s a great time of fun and fellowship for the church. Our guys get out there and give it all they‘ve got. Those of us who come out to support our teams, sit in the stands and eat (way too many) boiled peanuts, french fries, and candy. We basically yell and cheer until we hardly have a voice left!

The team members in the outfield have to stay very alert to see where the batter will hit the ball. To do this, they watch how the batter stands or at what angle he is holding the bat. Outfielders must watch closely so they can be prepared to catch the ball and get the batter out.

The players aren’t the only ones who have to be watchful and alert.
We spectators are easily distracted by our nachos and cheese or talking to the person next to us. Suddenly, someone shouts, “Heads up!” When we hear those words we know that there is a wild ball flying over the fence and that we need to take cover.

I was thinking about this in relation to prayer. In the word of God, there are so many verses of scripture that say, ‘Heads up’ church! God’s plan is unfolding on the earth in these last days and we cannot afford to have a weak or inconsistent prayer life. If the flow of prayer is strong in our life, we will be strong no matter what comes our way.

1 Thess. 5:17 says to “...pray without ceasing.”

Notice what the word says in Colossians 4:2 (NKJV) “Continue earnestly in prayer being vigilant in it with thanksgiving…”

Another translation reads, “Devote your selves to prayer, being watchful and thankful…” (NIV)

The word “continue” means we are to keep it up by being consistent in our prayer life; devoted to spending time in God’s presence. Devotion to praying for His will to be done on earth is priority. If we continue earnestly in prayer, then we can be prepared for what’s to come and even change things completely. Church, we should never underestimate the power of a praying believer!

James 5:16 says, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much (makes tremendous power available, dynamic in it’s working).

In the verse we read earlier, it speaks of being watchful and vigilant in prayer. We must constantly be on the alert because we have an adversary.

1Peter 5:8: “Be self controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

If we stay consistent and watchful in prayer, we can thwart the plan of the enemy and stop him dead in his tracks! Staying in prayer also keeps our spirits sensitive to the Holy Spirit and in tune to His voice. If we stay devoted and vigilant, we will hear the “Heads up” from our Father. We will know by the Spirit to watch out in a situation or get guidance to what we should do.

We can also be led by the Spirit of God to know exactly what to pray for. The Holy Spirit partners with us providing great power, praying out the perfect will of God. We can see and know plainly the vision that He has for us daily, for the upcoming year, and beyond. Heads up everyone!

Habakkuk 2:1-3: “I will stand my watch and set myself on the rampart, and watch to see what He will say to me and what I will answer when I am corrected.”

Then the LORD answered me and said: “Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.”