Are You Throwing Sticks at the Devil?

Jesus was tempted by the devil to turn a stone into bread while He was fasting in the wilderness. He quoted Scripture to the devil to fend him off. Jesus taught us that we must take His Word deep inside us daily. We are more than just physical beings who need food to survive. We are spiritual creations who need to commune with our God every day.

Most of us are too busy to eat properly. Busyness also keeps us from praying. Busyness keeps us from taking time to study, meditate, and hide God’s Word in our hearts. We have an epidemic in the church of spiritually malnourished people who don’t meet Jesus in the secret place daily in the Word and prayer. The admonitions in the Scripture are numerous and pointed. Meditate on the Word and pray. Your spiritual life depends on it.

A Solemn Confession and Warning

Warning

Warning: We Pray Too Little

Everywhere people confess, “We pray too little!” Yet there seems to be a fear that, because of pressure from work and the force of habit, it is almost impossible to hope for a change. Such thinking can only hinder our own joy and our power in God’s service.

What a solemn confession and warning: we pray too little! Is the call of God for our time and attention more important than our work and our service to Him? If God is waiting to meet us and to give us power from heaven for His work, it is shortsighted to put other work in His place? If there is to be significant experience of God’s presence, there must be more definite and persevering prayer.

Andrew Murray circa 1880

What is God’s Will

Pondering

Provoking Thoughts on Prayer

“Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Praying these words, humble yourself before the Lord, earnestly asking Him to accomplish His whole will in you and through you. Surrender your heart into His hands. Surrender your freedom into His hands. Yield to your Lord His right to do with you as He pleases.

Do you know what God’s will is? His will is that His children love Him. Therefore, when you pray, “Lord, Your will be done,” you are actually asking the Lord to allow you to love Him. So begin to love Him! And as you do, beseech Him to give you His love. All that I have described to you will take place very sweetly, and it will take place very peacefully through prayer.

Gene Edwards

The Fire that Consumes

Holy Spirit fire

The Fire that Consumes

Prayer has an incredible power to arrest and change the purposes of God. The prayers of righteous men relieve the stroke of His power. We can witness both the possibilities and the necessity of prayer when we see how the prayer of God’s saints brought about a change in God’s plans.

-Abraham prayed and God healed Abimeleck, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare Children.
-Jonah prayed and Nineveh prayed and God’s decree against the city was changed.
-Moses prayed forty-days and nights and God’s anger was kindled against Aaron to not destroy him.
-Hezekiah prayed and God added fifteen years to his life.

All of these people knew how to pray and how to prevail in prayer. Everything is possible to men and women who know how to pray, and it is still possible today.

E.M. Bounds

Whose Side am I on Anyway?

Good and evil

Am I continually saying with amazement to my common-sense life—why do you want to turn me off? Don’t you know that I must be about my Father’s business? I must give myself to the Word and prayer. Am I simple enough to identify myself with my Lord in this way? Is He getting His wonderful way in me, or have I carefully put Him on one side?

Is the Son of God praying in me or am I dictating to Him? Is the Son of God in me going through His passion for His own purposes?

Oswald Chambers