Go! And Be Devoted in Prayer - Colossians 4:2 (NLT)
INTRODUCTION – “WHEN THE CHURCH FORGETS TO BREATHE”
Church, imagine walking into a hospital ward and discovering that the oxygen supply had been switched off. Patients would struggle. Nurses would panic. Doctors would rush to reconnect the lifeline. Everyone knows that without oxygen, life cannot continue.
In the same way—prayer is the oxygen of the Christian life. Prayer is the breath of the believer. When prayer fades, spiritual vitality fades. When prayer is absent, spiritual power disappears. When prayer becomes mechanical, our hearts become mechanical too.
As we continue our Go! And… series, today we come to a short yet powerful command from the Apostle Paul:
COLOSSIANS 4:2 (NLT): “Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.”
Paul gives us three simple, profound instructions:
Devote yourselves to prayer.
Pray with an alert mind.
Pray with a thankful heart.
This one sentence encapsulates the lifestyle of a mature disciple, a Spirit-filled believer, a Christ-centred church. So let’s unpack it together—word by word, truth by truth.
1. GO! AND DEVOTE YOURSELF TO PRAYER
“Devote yourselves to prayer”
The Greek word Paul uses for “devote” is proskartereo—
meaning to continue steadfastly, to persist, to remain engaged, to refuse to quit.
It describes the early church in Acts 2:42 (NLT): “All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals, and to prayer.”
Historically, proskartereo means to keep at something even when it is difficult, even when you do not feel it, even when distractions come.
Paul is saying: “Don’t treat prayer as a last resort. Make it your first priority.”
1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NLT): “Never stop praying.”
In Greek this reads literally: pray without intermission.
Like breathing. Like heartbeat. Like life itself.
In the 21st Century we live in a world of constant notifications, constant noise, constant interruptions. If we prayed as often as our phones buzzed, we would be spiritual giants.
Prayer is not something we go to—prayer is something we live in.
John Piper: “Prayer is the open admission that without Christ we can do nothing.”
Piper is right—prayer is not merely communication; it is confession. When we pray, we declare, “Lord, I depend on You. I cannot do life, ministry, holiness, or mission without Your power.”
The Boy Under the Water
A father once took his son to a swimming lesson. The boy kept lifting his head out of the water every few seconds because he was terrified of drowning. The instructor gently said, “Son, you will never swim well if you stop breathing.”
Church, many Christians are like that boy. We dip into prayer… then panic… then try again… then stop. But we will never walk in the power of the Spirit unless prayer becomes the steady breath of our soul—constant, natural, and essential.
2. GO! AND PRAY WITH AN ALERT MIND
Paul writes: “Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind…”
The Greek word for “alert” is gregoreo—meaning to stay awake, to be spiritually vigilant, to be aware of danger and opportunity.
Jesus used the same word when He warned the disciples in Matthew 26:41 (NLT): “Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation.”
1 Peter 5:8 (NLT): “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil.”
Peter writes this to believers facing persecution, temptation, discouragement, and false teaching. And what does he say?
Stay alert—because prayerlessness is spiritual sleepiness.
When Paul wrote Colossians, false teachers had infiltrated the church with deceptive philosophies, Jewish mysticism, and pagan asceticism. Paul’s answer wasn’t clever debate—it was devoted, alert, discerning prayer.
In the 21st Century the dangers are different but equally real:
Digital distraction
Spiritual apathy
Cultural compromise
Moral erosion
Entertainment addiction
False gospels and political idols
This world dulls our minds. Prayer sharpens our minds.
R.T. Kendall: “The greatest barrier to knowing the will of God is the assumption that we already know it.”
R.T. Kendall exposes our pride. When our minds are not alert, we assume instead of seek, we presume instead of pray, we react instead of discern. Prayer is not informing God—prayer is aligning ourselves with God.
The Lighthouse Keeper
A lighthouse keeper had one job: keep the flame burning. One night he grew careless and let the oil run low. The light dimmed. And a ship crashed against the rocks.
Brothers and sisters, your spiritual alertness matters. Your prayer life matters. Someone else’s salvation, encouragement, or breakthrough may depend on your faithfulness in prayer. The enemy is real. The dangers are real. The mission is real.
So Paul says—Stay alert! Pray awake!
3. GO! AND PRAY WITH A THANKFUL HEART
Paul ends the verse: “…and a thankful heart.”
The Greek word is eucharistos—meaning deep gratitude, overflowing thankfulness, a heart that remembers grace.
Philippians 4:6 (NLT): “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.”
Gratitude transforms prayer from duty into delight.
From obligation into adoration.
From ritual into relationship.
Thankfulness is the language of redeemed people.
It is impossible to be truly thankful and spiritually cold.
It is impossible to be truly thankful and self-dependent.
It is impossible to be truly thankful and prideful.
Thankfulness reminds us:
God has been faithful.
God is faithful now.
God will be faithful tomorrow.
Max Lucado: “Gratitude always leaves us looking at God and away from dread.”
Gratitude is the antidote to fear. When we thank God, we lift our eyes off the problem and fix them on the promise. We shift from anxiety to assurance, from panic to praise.
THE GOSPEL – THE FOUNDATION OF PRAYER:
Church, why can we pray at all?
Why can sinners call upon a holy God?
Why can rebels speak to the King of Heaven?
Because of Jesus.
Because of the Cross.
Because of His finished work.
We were separated from God by sin—
but Jesus came.
Jesus lived the perfect life we could never live.
Jesus died the sacrificial death we deserved to die.
Jesus was buried.
And on the third day—He rose again in victorious resurrection power!
Hebrews tells us:
Hebrews 10:19–22 (NLT): “ And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.”
Prayer is not a religious act—
Prayer is a blood-bought privilege.
If you do not know Jesus today, your greatest need is not a better prayer life—
your greatest need is salvation.
CALL TO ACTION FOR BELIEVERS:
Church, Paul’s command is simple and urgent:
1. Devote yourselves to prayer.
Make prayer your lifestyle, not your last resort.
2. Pray with an alert mind.
Be watchful. Discern the enemy’s tactics. Intercede intentionally.
3. Pray with a thankful heart.
Let gratitude fuel your worship and shape your prayers.
This week:
Establish a daily prayer pattern.
Place reminders around your home or phone to prompt prayer.
Pray Scripture.
Pray for your neighbours by name.
Pray for revival in our nation.
Pray for opportunities to share Jesus.
Pray boldly, persistently, gratefully.
INVITATION TO SALVATION:
If you have never placed your faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, today is the day of salvation. The Bible says:
Romans 10:13 (NLT): “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Call on Him today. Repent of your sin. Surrender your life. Trust in His finished work on the Cross. He will forgive you. He will cleanse you. He will save you. He will make you His own.
BENEDICTION / EXHORTATION:
Go and be a people of prayer.
Go and breathe deeply of God’s presence.
Go and stay alert in a distracted world.
Go and give thanks in every circumstance.
Go strengthened by the grace of Jesus,
empowered by the Spirit,
and confident in the Father’s love.
And as you go—
Devote yourselves to prayer.
Amen.
