Prayer and Staying Saved
—Prayer in Perseverance
Once we are saved, there are things we must do to stay saved. We ought to do those things prayerfully. We ought to continue obeying, but also continue praying. Prayer is essential in our way of life after conversion to Christ.
1 Pray for Cleansing by the Blood of Christ.
We remain saved through the power of Christ’s cleansing blood (1John 1:7). But we must always confess our sins to God, calling on the advocacy of Christ (1John 1:8 to 2:2).
He is our Great High Priest to help us. We should "come boldly to the throne of grace to obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:14-16).
Jesus is "able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through him, since he ever lives to intercede for them" (Hebrews 7:25).
We should follow the example of the publican who humbly prayed to God, "Lord, be merciful to me a sinner" (Luke 18:9-14).
When Simon the erstwhile Sorcerer stumbled, he was told to "repent and pray" that he might be forgiven (Acts 8:18-24).
2 Pray in the Holy Spirit
We remain saved through the Holy Spirit who seals us and guarantees our inheritance, and pours the love of God into our hearts (Ephesians 1:11-14, Romans 5:5).
As Paul says, "...as befits his mercy, he saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewing by the Holy Spirit. He poured out the Spirit on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour. We were made right by his grace to become heirs. Such is our hope of eternal life" (Titus 3:4-7).
This wonderful promise assumes that we keep following him and continue to pray. Jesus taught that "People should always pray and not give up" (Luke 18:1).
Jude exhorts us, "But you beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life." (Jude 1:20-21).
3 Pray as You Study God’s Word
We remain saved through the holy word bearing fruit in us, as shown in the parable ofthe sower (Luke 8:5-8,11-15).
We should pray, as we study God’s word, that God will help us to understand its message.
¶“17I pray to the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory. May he give you the Spirit of wisdom. May he give you revelation in his knowledge. 18May he enlighten the eyes of your minds so that you see the hope of his calling. May you perceive the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the people made holy. 19May you understand the surpassing greatness of his power towards us whose faith is wrought by his mighty power.” (Ephesians 1:17-19).
Later Paul says, "Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying always with all prayer and petition in the Spirit..." (Ephesians 6:17-18).
God answers our prayers for understanding by providing true teachers and helps, who can explain the scriptures accurately to us as Philip did to the Ethiopian (Acts 8:26-39).
Conclusion
Prayerful people remain in Christ. Prayerless people don't. Those who have prayerfully come to Christ should prayerfully remain with him day by day.