Pray without ceasing.
1 Thessalonians 5:17
When the two-faceted requirement for salvation has been accomplished, in that i have come to God in repentance and faith, God gives me the wonderful privilege of entering into His presence by the vehicle of prayer. The ceaseless process of doing so is actually commanded in the Word of God and is accomplished on my behalf by the intercessory work of Christ and the ministry of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
The biblical alternative for worry is prayer offered up in His will with the accompanying habit of bringing every thought into obedience to Christ. My praying needs to be scriptural praying, that is, in line with the Word of God if I am to be assured that my desires are in line with the design of God. A continuous and free-flowing prayer life, based on the Word of God will produce a life that is in constant meditation on the Word with a prayer life of communion with God that is wholly dependent upon the heart of God as revealed in Scripture. Every statement to God, or request from Him, must be according to His revealed will.
Good interpersonal relationships with others involves my taking even my persecutors to the throne of God for His working out His pleasure in their lives for His eternal glory and for their eternal good. For me to fail to pray for others is to sin against God. Before ever confronting an area of difficulty, I should talk to God about them, according to His will, so that He works in their life. When He gives opportunity, I will be able to talk to them about the very things I've been praying about. It is only then that I will have the joy of seeing them respond to the Word of God, in response to the Spirit of God, and I can then praise God.
What, according to God's Word, can short-circuit an effective prayer life for me, as a believer? God clearly answers that question for me. It is two-fold, being 1) sin, according to Psalm 66:18, and 2) selfishness, according to
James 4:3.
What a blessing to have open communication with the God of the Universe, the Savior of my soul!
May God help me to keep my focus on Him, resisting and rejecting sin and selfishness, so that He is pleased
and others are profited by my life.
(C) 1992, 2014 N.A. Collins
Limited copy permission for one personal file copy
1 Thessalonians 5:17
When the two-faceted requirement for salvation has been accomplished, in that i have come to God in repentance and faith, God gives me the wonderful privilege of entering into His presence by the vehicle of prayer. The ceaseless process of doing so is actually commanded in the Word of God and is accomplished on my behalf by the intercessory work of Christ and the ministry of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
The biblical alternative for worry is prayer offered up in His will with the accompanying habit of bringing every thought into obedience to Christ. My praying needs to be scriptural praying, that is, in line with the Word of God if I am to be assured that my desires are in line with the design of God. A continuous and free-flowing prayer life, based on the Word of God will produce a life that is in constant meditation on the Word with a prayer life of communion with God that is wholly dependent upon the heart of God as revealed in Scripture. Every statement to God, or request from Him, must be according to His revealed will.
Good interpersonal relationships with others involves my taking even my persecutors to the throne of God for His working out His pleasure in their lives for His eternal glory and for their eternal good. For me to fail to pray for others is to sin against God. Before ever confronting an area of difficulty, I should talk to God about them, according to His will, so that He works in their life. When He gives opportunity, I will be able to talk to them about the very things I've been praying about. It is only then that I will have the joy of seeing them respond to the Word of God, in response to the Spirit of God, and I can then praise God.
What, according to God's Word, can short-circuit an effective prayer life for me, as a believer? God clearly answers that question for me. It is two-fold, being 1) sin, according to Psalm 66:18, and 2) selfishness, according to
James 4:3.
What a blessing to have open communication with the God of the Universe, the Savior of my soul!
May God help me to keep my focus on Him, resisting and rejecting sin and selfishness, so that He is pleased
and others are profited by my life.
(C) 1992, 2014 N.A. Collins
Limited copy permission for one personal file copy
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