First Baptist Church of Diana, Texas

The fifth key to prayers that are powerful given to us in Colossians 4:2-3 is the key labeled, mind on the things of God. The Apostle Paul modeled a life sold out to Jesus Christ and given to His kingdom. Some might say Paul’s life was given as a sacrifice and he did say he was being poured out as a drink sacrifice speaking of his coming end. However, I do not believe Paul considered his life to be a sacrifice. Actually, he considered his life to belong to Christ. That is why he could say, ye are not your own but you are bought with a price. Man’s physical activity list generally follows his mental activity list. There are a few exceptions to that statement such as when a wife hands a husband one of those “honey do” lists or his supervisor at work gives him a list of things to do. Even in these circumstances a man does what has already been conceived in the mind.

When our minds spend themselves lost in the things of God, our prayer life changes and so does the power found in those prayers. Paul asks, in verse 3 of our text, for the prayers of the Colossians to center on the opening of doors so that he might be allowed to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. His thoughts were truly on the things of God. A lesser man might have asked prayers for his safety or his health. Paul cared more about the Gospel than his own life.

Just how does setting our minds on the things of God add power to our prayers?

1. Setting our minds on the things of God adds power to our prayers by setting aside our foolish pride. The Old Testament reminds us that pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. In Matthew 18: 1-10, the disciples asked Jesus, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom?” He replied by telling them to let the little children come to him. He showed them that a person comes into the kingdom like a little child, full of humility which is the counter virtue to the vice of pride. He went on to tell them to get the stumbling blocks out of their lives that might keep them from coming to Him in humility. He speaks of members of their own body such as hands and eyes. He is speaking of the things that make us proud. Our pride must go. If we are intent on pursuing God’s agenda, our own takes a back seat. When our agenda has taken a backseat and God’s agenda is driving the conversation, we have made a way for God to enter with power.
2. One of the hindrances to powerful prayers is the desires of the flesh. Such desires drive our thoughts and actions making it difficult to hear the truth of God over the lies of the enemy. It is a little bit like the little boy who desperately wanted to taste the pleasures of a bag of candy. Against the pleadings of his mother he ate an entire bag of candy saturated with sugar. Eventually, the overindulgence of sugar caused the young man to get sick at his stomach. He could not hear the warnings of his mother because the desire of his flesh altered his clear understanding.Colossians 3:2 tells us to set our minds on things above. The verses that follow speak of being hidden in Christ and dead to character traits driven by lusts of the flesh. Since lusts of the flesh are driven to consummation by entertaining thoughts in the mind, redirecting our thoughts serve us well in walking in the power of the spirit.Psalms 1 tells us to meditate on the law of the Lord. Meditation in this sense, is to apply one’s mind to thought and meditation. John chapter 15 talks about the words of Christ abiding within the believer. Psalms 119:11 says, “Thy word have I hidden in my heart that I might not sin against thee.” Thinking on the things of God clears our minds of the lustful thoughts that lead to sin.Not only does the word of God clear our minds, it fills us with victory. Jesus said in Mark 4:4, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes out of the mouth of God.” Just as bread sustains the physical body, the word of God sustains the spirit and grants power to the believer. When the believer walks in the power of the spirit in this way, he walks in obedience to God and his relationship with God grows more intimate. An intimate relationship with God cultivates a heart intent on serving God, brings clarity to his hearing God, and fills him with confidence resulting a powerful prayer life and a powerful servant of the living God.
3. Finally, keeping a mind set on the things of Christ and praying with a heart set on Christ, brings power to the prayer room because we are praying like Christ commanded us to pray. Jesus said in the model prayer found in Matthew 6:9-13, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” One can only pray this prayer honestly when he has totally surrendered his will to the will of God. He has become selfless. He can also only pray this prayer effectively when he knows what God’s will really is.Some have misunderstood Jesus’ powerful prayer in the Garden. He knew the will of the Father, it was for him to endure the humiliation set before him. He prayed specifically for God’s will knowing it was going to mean great suffering and persecution. The key is that he knew. He had spent time with the Father. He knew his purpose. His mind was clearly set on the things of God. The result of this prayer was a calmness in His humanity to face the strongest terror and persecution ever known to man.

All this talk of powerful praying brings us to a question, “Are we praying wimpy, meaningless prayers? Or, are we praying prayers in perfect agreement with the will of God, filled with the truth of the Word of God, filling our hearts with the kind of confidence in Him that causes our lives to be lived out in powerful faith rather than wishy-washy doubt? May your prayer be filled the power of God because you possess a mind set on the things of God.