by Tim Cameron | Sep 22, 2017 | Uncategorized
What in the world does obedience mean? Just the sound of the word conjures up thoughts of: don’t smoke; don’t drink; don’t this; don’t that; bla, bla, bla, bla, bla. But, if we want to access the fullness of the Holy Spirit and see answers to prayer, we better get a precise understanding of obedience. Is it vital? Check out the verse for the day above (Rev. 22:14).
Here is the short of it: obedience is simply doing God’s will and obeying His commandments. Do you think God gives commandments men can’t obey? Look at it this way. Do loving parents require their children to perform tasks completely out of their reach? Is our Heavenly Father less kind and compassionate than our earthly parents? What an irrational thought.
Our obedience is an act of love, an expression of delight in pleasing the beloved (1 John 3:22). Here’s what I mean. It is discovering what pleases our Lord and doing it with boundless joy and anticipation. Anticipation? Yes, the great anticipation of the “God possibilities” that simple obedience brings to our prayers.
by Tim Cameron | Sep 20, 2017 | Uncategorized
The boldest statement possible exposes the fundamental truth surrounding prayer and character—without prayer there is no supernatural change in the character of the believer. Our sins are freely forgiven. God invites us to know Him intimately. God’s grace allows us the opportunity to experience the gifts of the Spirit. But, He does not give us character.
We do not become more righteous by doing righteous acts. Prayer creates the change in us that produces righteousness. Jesus commanded us to always be on our guard to cover our conduct (Luke 21:34). The most difficult thing about virtue is to live it out. Fervent, persistent, passionate prayer produces right thinking and right living. We have wasted the whole office of prayer if it does not produce godly conduct and character. The very nature of prayer requires us to stop praying or curtail our ungodly conduct. A life that is given to prayer can grow but one direction—in holiness and devotion to Jesus.
by Tim Cameron | Sep 18, 2017 | Uncategorized
There are many distinguishable traits of a Christian. They should be kind, compassionate, humble, forgiving, and more. But there is one infallible test of the child of God, prayer. The citizens of the Kingdom of God are prayerful. The citizens of this world are prayerless. Christians depend on God. The worldly depend on themselves. Yet, every Christian must cultivate and nourish a spirit of prayer, that prayer life that lingers throughout the day. Prayer must be a habit, but it needs be so much more. Prayer must be a duty, but it needs escalate so much farther than the normal inferences of that word.
Prayer is an expression of intimacy with God. It is God’s invitation to see deeply into the mystery of who He is. There is no pathway for a man who does not pray to travel down and yet call himself a Christian. There is no other way the soul (mind, emotions, and will) of a man can enter into fellowship with God. The Prayer life is the infallible test of being a follower of Christ.
by Tim Cameron | Sep 15, 2017 | Uncategorized
We can be accused of a lot of things, but we should never be accused of lacking passion for prayer. Prayer without passion is heartless. It is the fervent prayer of a righteousness man that avails much (James 5:16).
The Holy Spirit comes as fire to dwell in us. When we are baptized we are baptized with the Holy Spirit and fire (Luke 3:16). Our charge is not to drum up fire, but we can cry out to the Holy Spirit to burn away the chaff in our lives that prohibits us from cultivating a passionate, fervent prayer life. When a man is passionately bent on intimacy with Jesus through prayer and purity, he or she will attain all the powerful graces that adorn the child of God.
by Tim Cameron | Sep 14, 2017 | Cost of Prayer
There are two things that the God of heaven will not tolerate in His followers: lukewarmness and insincerity. These two things characterize a lack of heat and a lack of heart—God hates both (Rev. 3:15-16).
The true prayer will be prayer that is on fire, aflame. And that is the way we should be as followers of Jesus. No excuses granted here. We must have the desire and heart that presses close to God for intimacy. Jesus wasn’t excitable or given to “noisy” speech, yet, He was on fire with zeal for God’s house. And this zeal consumed Him (Ps. 69:9, John 2:17). A lack of passion for prayer is a sure sign that we are in trouble; repentance is the first step back to spiritual health.
