Seeking the Throne: The Benefits of a Diligent Prayer Life

 

The air was heavy, like a wet wool blanket draped over my shoulders. I was sitting in my room, staring at the wall, and I felt that familiar, dark shadow creeping in. If you have ever struggled with depression, you know exactly what I’m talking about. It is a spirit that tries to nest in your hair if you let it. I had seen the doctors, I had taken the pills, but I realized something profound during that season: pills don't work on the devil.

I was entertaining thoughts of missing my family, letting the "pity party" go on a little too long. It is like the birds flying over your head—you cannot stop them from flying, but it is your fault if you let them build a nest. I was in the middle of this battle when the Lord began to turn my perspective around. I was reading through Ezekiel, and usually, when I read about the "rebellious people," I see it through a lens of judgment. But the Holy Spirit whispered something different to my heart that day. He showed me His passion—the sheer, overwhelming love He has for the rebellious children.

This is the pain point many of us face: We approach God out of self-preservation. We are running from the "pigs" and the "famine" of our lives, or we are simply trying to avoid Hell. But God is calling us to something much higher than escaping fire. He is inviting us to sit with Jesus on His throne. The solution is not just "getting to heaven." It is the transformation that comes from a diligent, prioritized pursuit of the Father's heart.

Moving Beyond Self-Preservation

When I first had my encounter with the Lord back in 1995, everything changed. I had come out of the New Age movement because the "church"—in quotation marks—didn't seem to believe in the supernatural. But when I met Jesus, I found the real thing. I started going for long prayer walks in the spirit, sometimes two or three hours a day. I wanted to be like Enoch, who walked with God, or Adam in the cool of the day.

In those early days, I wasn't praying because I had a "to-do" list for God. I was seeking Him because I loved Him. However, as the years went by and I started ConradRocks.net, I noticed a subtle shift. I would find myself praying thinking, "Oh, I need to get a revelation to share for a podcast," or "I need to find a word for the newsletter." My motivation had shifted from "First Love" to "Productivity."

I had to repent. I had to realize that if my relationship with God is based on what I can get out of Him—even if it is "spiritual" stuff—I am missing the mark. Many of us are like the Prodigal Son in his initial moment of return. We are hungry, we are miserable, and we realize that even the servants in the Father's house eat better than we do. But notice something in that story: the son's prepared speech was all about his own survival. He didn't say, "Father, I missed your face." He said, "I'm hungry, make me a servant so I can eat."

The Secret of the First Two Lines

I want to share a prescription the Lord gave me recently that has been transforming my prayer life. We all know the "Lord's Prayer" in Matthew 6. Jesus said, "After this manner therefore pray." It is a model, an outline. Lately, I have been practicing something I call "bracketing" my prayer. I will spend my entire prayer time focusing only on the first two lines:

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:9-10 KJV)

And then I stop.

I don't move on to "give us our daily bread" or "forgive us our debts." Why? Because my flesh has a knee-jerk reaction to make everything about me. The moment I start asking for things, I often "back out" of the spirit and get back into my selfish desires. By staying on those first two lines, I am forcing my soul to prioritize God's kingdom and His holiness above my own needs.

When we meditate on the Word this way, we are meeting the Spirit of Truth. Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (KJV). We want the "added things," but we often skip the "seeking first" part. When you spend time just hallowing His name, your hierarchy of values begins to switch. You stop looking for a "genie in a bottle" and start looking for a King.

Personal Reflections: What I Learned in the Dust

I think about the Apostle Paul a lot. In Galatians—which was the first book he wrote chronologically—he talks about how he didn't confer with flesh and blood. Before Acts chapter 9, Paul had the Old Testament practically memorized. He was "religious," but he was persecuting the very Christ he thought he was serving.

God had to knock him off his high horse and into the dust of the earth. Why the dust? Because that is where we come from. It is a place of humility. Paul had a pride issue, and God had to reset his vision. I’ve been there. I’ve been in that place where I thought I knew it all, only to have the Lord show me that I didn't even know how to love Him properly.

I learned that faith works by love. (Galatians 5:6). If you want your faith to work, you have to have that compassion—the same compassion the Father had when He saw the prodigal son a long way off and ran to him. The Father didn't wait for a perfect apology; He ran because He loved. When we seek God diligently, not just to "get out of Hell," but to know Him, the "byproducts" start to happen. The words of knowledge ramp up. The healing starts to manifest.

Biblical References: The Reward of the Diligent

The Bible is very clear about the results of this kind of life. Hebrews 11:6 says, But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. (KJV).

Notice the word "diligently." This isn't a casual "hey God" once a week. This is the kind of seeking William Seymour did before the Azusa Street Revival, praying five to seven hours a day. This is the kind of intercession Daniel Nash did before Charles Finney’s meetings. They weren't seeking "gifts"; they were seeking the Giver.

If we look at Adam, the day he ate the fruit, God said he died. He was still breathing, but he was banished from the Presence. In God’s eyes, being away from Him is death. Jesus said the same thing about the prodigal: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. (Luke 15:24 KJV). To be "alive" is to be in communion with the Father.

So the real question is not, “Am I still functioning?” The real question is, “Am I near?” When we drift from the Presence, we can be active and still be “dead” in the way Scripture means it. But when we turn back toward the Father, life returns, because communion returns.

Key Takeaways

• Relationship over Religion: Christianity is about sitting with Jesus on His throne, not just avoiding Hell.
• The Priority of the Will: Sin is rooted in "I will," while Christ-likeness is rooted in "Thy will be done."
• Diligence Rewards: Spiritual gifts, words of knowledge, and revelations are byproducts of spending time in God's presence, not the primary goal.
• Mind Renewal: We must learn to see things from God's perspective, realizing that being apart from Him is the true definition of death.

Conclusion and Call to Action

My friends, I want to encourage you to go higher. Don't settle for a "fire insurance" faith. There is so much more in this supernatural journey than most people ever touch. If you feel like your "battery" is low, it’s because you haven't been "charging" it in the presence of the Lord. You wouldn't let your phone die, so why let your spirit wither?

If you want to dive deeper into these supernatural experiences and learn how to overcome the things that hold you back, I encourage you to check out my books, OPEN YOUR EYES: MY SUPERNATURAL JOURNEY and Overcoming Night Terror: Making the Demons Leave. They go into much more detail about the realities of the spirit realm.

I’d love to hear from you. How has your prayer life changed recently? Are you seeking the Kingdom first? Leave a comment below or reach out at ConradRocks.net.

Action Items

• The Two-Line Challenge: For the next seven days, spend the first 10 minutes of your prayer time focusing only on the first two lines of the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9-10). Do not ask for anything for yourself during this time.
• Cast Down Imaginations: The moment a thought of depression, pride, or selfishness enters your mind, consciously "cast it down" as an act of the will before it can "nest."
• Schedule a Prayer Walk: Get out into nature this week—even if it’s just for 20 minutes—and talk to God like Enoch did. Don't take your phone; just walk and listen.
• Audit Your Motivation: Ask the Holy Spirit to show you if you are seeking Him for His "hand" (what He can give) or His "face" (who He is). Repent if necessary and return to your First Love.

Keep digging deeper and going higher. God bless you!