«　WEEK 1　DAY 5　»

　　1 Thes. 5:16-19 Always rejoice, Unceasingly pray, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit;

　　John 6:57 As the living Father has sent Me and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also shall live because of Me.

　　In 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Paul charges us to pray without ceasing. What does it mean to pray unceasingly? Although we may eat several meals a day and although we may drink many times during the day, no one can eat and drink without ceasing. But we certainly breathe unceasingly. Paul's command to pray without ceasing implies that unceasing prayer is like breathing. But how can our prayer become our spiritual breathing? How can we turn prayer into breathing? The way to do this is to call on the name of the Lord. We need to call on the Lord Jesus continually. This is the way to breathe, to pray without ceasing. Because we are not accustomed to this, we need to practice calling on the Lord's name all the time. To live is to breathe. Spiritually speaking, to breathe is to call on the Lord's name and to pray. By calling on the name of the Lord Jesus, we breathe the Spirit.

　　To pray without ceasing by calling on the Lord's name is to live Him. By calling on the Lord, we automatically take Him as our life and spontaneously live Him. If we pray, we shall not do things by ourselves, apart from Christ. Instead, by praying without ceasing, we shall live Christ. (Life Study of Philippians Page 352 – 355)

　　Our calling before the Lord is a spiritual breathing, even a deep breathing. A certain medical doctor in the United States Air Force found out through experiments that the most beneficial practice to human health is deep breathing. If we practice deep breathing every day, our body will be healthy. It is the same spiritually. Deep breathing in our spirit makes us strong, burning, and beside ourselves.

　　Whenever we truly open to the Lord and call on His name, we have the sense of the Lord's presence within us. The more you call, the more you receive the supply of the Lord; the more you call, the more you are watered by Him; the more you call, the more you are filled with Him. The Lord is the Lord of all! When the Lord comes into us, whatever we need, He is. He is all that we need, and He supplies all of our needs. (The Lord's Recovery of Eating Ch 4)

　　We may enjoy the Lord in our spirit simply by calling on His name. Do you know why we enjoy the Lord when we call on Him? We enjoy Him in this way because by calling on the Lord we automatically exercise our spirit. For example, even though I may not have the intention to exercise my legs and feet, I spontaneously exercise them whenever I walk. In like manner, whenever we call on the Lord from deep within, we automatically exercise our spirit. Anywhere and at any time we may enjoy the riches of Christ by calling on the Lord's name. By calling on the Lord in this way we walk by the Spirit. Calling on the Lord also defeats the negative things within us.

　　As Christians we should be known by the fact that we call on the name of the Lord Jesus. We know that this was a mark of believers in the first century by the fact that Saul of Tarsus was given authority by the chief priests to bind all those who called on the Lord's name. Calling on the name of the Lord Jesus should also be a mark of believers today. The church people especially should be known as those who call on the Lord. (Life Study of Galatians Page 471 – 472)