Theme Introduction
I’ve gotten my personal life in order so many times I’ve lost track. (That’s a confession, not a boast!)
A friend of mine helped produce one of my favorite commercials about that moment when you realize you need a reset in your life come January 1. You might recall the YMCA commercial where a woman, seated on a couch, eats her way through an entire stick of butter—representing all the calories she inhaled during the holiday season. It’s an invitation to get back on track, physically, with a new YMCA membership. As my friend tells it, there were several takes in filming the commercial, and the woman was a trooper, eating a sickening amount of butter!
We’ve all felt that need for a reset in one way or another. We look at the start of a new year with determination to change significant areas of our lives, seeking more balance and discipline. January is definitely a good time for that reset!
Beyond Resolutions
But this issue is not about New Year’s resolutions. It’s not about the determination to develop greater discipline in your life—although that is certainly helpful.
This issue is about praying beyond what you normally do. It’s a recognition that truly extraordinary living comes through a reset of your prayer life—to be fervent, passionate, and full of hope, believing in God’s power to change everything!
With the theme “Extraordinary Living through Prayer,” we’re asking our readers to set their hearts toward extra prayer in this coming year. We implore you to pray more and to pray differently than you have in the past.
When we press into prayer, our lives change, bringing the order needed for healthier spiritual lives, personal relationships, and finances. A life in order naturally enables people to pray more Kingdom prayers than personal-struggle prayers. The more your life is in order, the more effectively you can pray for others, for the advancement of the gospel, and for God’s Kingdom priorities.
So, as you think about all the potential this new year brings, rethink areas of your life where you desire greater freedom and breakthrough, And begin this year with prayer. Extraordinary prayer. Fasting. Crying out. Late night and early morning. Corporate times with other believers. Deeply personal and intimate times with the Lord.
This kind of prayer sets the rest of life in order and has an impact far beyond ourselves.
Let’s Get Started
In this issue, Dr. Ronnie Floyd writes about the wisest decision you can make: I will walk with God today. Getting our lives in order spiritually allows us to prioritize God’s work in our lives.
Dr. Tim Clinton invites us to pray through our relationships—the good, the bad, the ugly, and the questionable. When our relationships are in order, we will naturally be more sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading because our thoughts are not as consumed with turmoil. And Rachel Cruz points out ways to order our finances, avoiding financial disasters and stress that can distract us and cause our prayer lives to become ineffective for the Kingdom.
If there is one thing I for sure want to reset this coming year, it is a new passion for extraordinary prayer. And with the work of the Spirit unleashed, extraordinary living will certainly follow!
CAROL MADISON is editor of PRAY.
