Vital Signs: Saturday, March 8, 2025

Prayer Boot Camp: Strengthening Your Spiritual Discipline

“I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.” - ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭9‬:‭27‬ ‭NLT‬‬

During our time together, we’ll do exercises to strengthen your ability to pray—both alone and with others. By the end of this plan, if you follow each step, you will have a stronger relationship with Jesus and more confidence in leading others to Christ through prayer.

Have you ever done a boot camp-style workout? For years, we attended an outdoor boot camp program at our local YMCA. A great friend of ours led the program, and we loved it. The diversity was inspiring—people showed up with courage and determination to grow stronger.

The exercises were set for the group, but each person had the opportunity to perform at their own fitness level. If we traveled a certain distance, some ran while others walked. If we completed an obstacle course, we competed against ourselves to see how many times we could finish within a set time.

In a similar way, some of the prayer exercises will be simple, while others will require grit. We’ll start with easier challenges and gradually increase the intensity. Consider the beginning your warm-up.

Step 1: Pray More on Your Own

If you’ve never planned personal prayer time, let today be your first step. Consider setting an alarm to remind you to pray.

How long should you pray? That depends on your current habit. If you’ve never planned prayer, start with 30 seconds. If you already pray for five minutes, try increasing to ten minutes or focusing on daily consistency.

Choose one or two meaningful topics related to your own life. Why? Because prayer should feel like a relationship, not a burden. God wants you to share your life with Him. For example, ask Him to increase your desire to read His Word or spend time reflecting on His blessings.

First, we will pray together. Then, pray on your own as you read God’s Word.

Lord, We desire to be close to You. We choose to discipline our bodies, training them to follow You (1 Corinthians 9:27). When we look in the mirror, help us see strength like David, Elijah, and Paul. We give You our weaknesses and our strengths, and we ask that You make us stronger. Make us prayer warriors. - Amen.