Throughout the Old Testament, there was a progression of covenants with the Fathers of our Faith, leading up to our final covenant with Jesus. Even though we don't think in terms of covenants much today in the Old Testament, a covenant, specifically a blood covenant, was the most powerful and binding agreement known to man. It was a permanent joining of two people, two families, or two groups of people. This is exactly how much God wants to be in covenant with us.

If we don't have a revelation of our covenant with God, we will never have the boldness to operate in what has been given to us. A biblical blood covenant is a permanent, sacred union between two parties. We are familiar with temporary contracts today, but that is not how God does things. Our covenant involves His life and our life becoming one. And as believers, we are joined with God through the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross.

Prayer should not be ritualistic or religious. It is a relationship with God, and prayer is the time we get in tune with the Master. Thankfully, Jesus does give us an outline in Matthew 6 for how to pray, but it is meant to be much deeper than just repeating the Lord's Prayer. Prayer is where the Father's heart and way of thinking overtake our own. It is a place where we find belonging in the Lord. Prayer is not a religious checklist, but an encounter with God and His Word that changes us.