This gift of direction is available in every area of your life. If you are having a hard time with one of your children, take a step back and make time to pray in the Spirit. He will show you how to respond. If you are in sales and you don’t know what to do, close your office door and ask for insight from the One who knows everything. He already resides in you; now simply draw out what has not yet been revealed to you. His desire is to give you direction! Isaiah 48:17 says, “I am the Lord your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you should go.” God wants you to live out your kingdom purpose, and He desires to lead you every step of the way.

I sometimes hear people say, “John, that’s just ‘spiritual’ and kind of weird. We can’t really bring these types of requests to God. He only cares about ministry-related things.” First of all, there is nothing weird about God, so there is nothing weird about His involvement in any and every area of our lives. People may be weird, but God is never weird. Also, we should never discount God’s promise just because certain people have perverted or misused an expression of His Spirit.

Secondly, the Bible instructs us to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Many Christians have never studied the context of this verse to understand what it means. Obviously, Paul is not saying, “Keep your lips moving in prayer every minute of the day.” After all, the Bible tells us to share the gospel and encourage one another. We cannot do either of these things if we spend every second moving our lips in prayer.

What Paul is actually referring to in this verse is continuous communion with the Spirit of God. How can we experience this? Paul tells us the answer, for he goes on to say: “Do not quench the Spirit” (verse 19). To pray without ceasing is to never quench the Holy Spirit’s presence. It means that you are aware of His presence and sensitive to His voice. In other words, don’t suppress His involvement in your life. The Spirit wants to be involved in every aspect of your life. He wants to guide you. His desire is to have constant communion with you. This unceasing communion will produce His peace, strength, and direction in your life.

I’m not called to be a businessman. But if I were, I would spend a lot of time praying in the Spirit about my business. I would then make decisions according to the peace in my heart. Don’t ever discredit your ability to receive direction from your Creator just because you are not in “full-time ministry.” He guides your path, just as He guides mine.

Personal Times of Prayer