Prayer Grows Character

God changes our mindset and the condition of our heart when we pray. It is one of the most powerful ways God grows our love and helps us become more like Him over time. Time in prayer gives God the room to work in our mind and purify our heart. The more time we spend with Him, the more aligned we become with His character and the better we reflect His righteousness.

For example, interceding for others increases our love for them. The more we pray, the more we love. In fact, this process becomes circular. It is equally true that the more we love, the more we pray. Like the chicken and the egg, it’s not always clear which comes first. It can also be said that prayer is like exercise. When we make the effort to pray for others, it literally trains our mind to love selflessly (unlike pornography, which literally trains our mind to lust selfishly).

Since intercession is praying for others, it takes the focus off of us and promotes humility. It trains us to put others ahead of ourselves. It even trains us to put their needs above our own. Predictably, praying for specific people will motivate us to actually share Jesus with those people.

Spending time in prayer is not a duty, it is relational intimacy. It is the two-way communication between two beings. But unlike talking to a friend, we are talking to our Creator, the One who caused and sustains our existence. Therefore the conversation should be about the things He wants to talk about. The things that He wants to talk about will lead to the growth of our character and greater intimacy with Him. Not only will He address sin issues that we need to surrender to Him, He will cause us to experience His love, His peace, and His joy. In turn, this helps us to be more gracious, more compassionate, and more forgiving toward others. It is through prayer we are changed to worship more freely and live more righteously.

And isn’t that what loving God and loving others is all about?