Lesson 4 – Setting a Good Foundation – Ceaseless Prayer, part 1
Read Colossians 1 - https://www.bible.com/bible/59/col.1.esv

Verse 9 gives us the next stone in our stable foundation of faith in Jesus Christ – “we have not ceased to pray…”

Most who know the Bible well, when they read this verse think immediately of another place where Paul wrote almost the same words – pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

Is it possible to pray without ceasing? Maybe, since the Bible tells us this, our question should be, HOW do we pray without ceasing? Is God telling me I have to spend all my time on my knees just praying? We know that’s not the answer because Paul did a lot of traveling and a lot of preaching in his life.

We need to start with defining prayer. It is not just a long list of telling God all the things we want – though He wants us to come to Him with all our needs. It is not the recitation of all the people we know who are ill and need healing – though He wants us to intercede for others. It is talking with Him to build a relationship between you and Him.

But let’s look at the things Paul does pray for in these verses. In verse 9 he prays that people be “filled with the knowledge of God’s will.” That’s right, God wants you to know His will for your life. The key to knowing is in the next few words – we can only know this with “spiritual wisdom and understanding.” We cannot know His will if we’re trying to find it for our own purposes or our own uses.

Verse 10 tells us the purpose of this knowledge – so we can walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. How are we worthy? By being pleasing to Him, by bearing fruit in every good work, and by growing in the knowledge of God.

You might ask how you gain this spiritual wisdom so you can know His will. Two very important verses in Scripture tell us that. The first is James 1:5.
*According to James 1:5, how do we get wisdom?

The second important verse is Matthew 6:33.
*What must take first place in our life according to Matthew 6:33?

Didn’t God give us the right to choose our own priorities for our life? Yes, but according to these verses, only by choosing His way can we know His will for our life.

We will continue this in the next lesson.