[Waterfall At Descanso Gardens Outside Los Angeles, California]
Monday of this week, the good Lord admonished me and corrected me in the matter of prayer. I pray everyday and talk to Him throughout the day, but lately they have been short prayers. It was as if He was telling me to spend even more time with Him on my knees. It also occurred to me that the Lord wanted me to share more about prayer with you friends here. Actually, last year I did write an article titled "Faith and Prayer Work Together". There were two short sermon clips included in that post which were by Andrew Murray; one clip on prayer, and the other clip on faith. Here is the link to that article:
https://inspiringnaturephotography.blogspot.com/search?q=faith+and+prayer+work+together
https://inspiringnaturephotography.blogspot.com/search?q=faith+and+prayer+work+together
Prayer is commanded. If we are not praying and do not have the desire to pray, then we need to ask ourselves if we sincerely desire time with God, or are we self-absorbed and think only about our fleshly desires and what this world offers.
"Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." - Jesus at Matthew 26:41
We do not want to fall into the category mentioned by Jesus at John 8:47, which follows:
"He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God."
Keep in mind in the above Scripture, that Jesus was talking to the hypocritical Pharisees and religious leaders. So if you are a true believer that verse does not apply to you. However, there are many who profess to be Christians who are not; they claim to be Christians, but it is in name only. Granted, some may believe they actually are Christians, when in reality they are lost. We need to help them to come to truly know Jesus as their Savior and for them to love Him with all of their being: heart, mind, soul and spirit. When you learn to put God and Jesus first, and to love Him deeply, you will want to spend much time with Him in prayer and in reading His Holy Word.
We do not want to fall into the category mentioned by Jesus at John 8:47, which follows:
"He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God."
Keep in mind in the above Scripture, that Jesus was talking to the hypocritical Pharisees and religious leaders. So if you are a true believer that verse does not apply to you. However, there are many who profess to be Christians who are not; they claim to be Christians, but it is in name only. Granted, some may believe they actually are Christians, when in reality they are lost. We need to help them to come to truly know Jesus as their Savior and for them to love Him with all of their being: heart, mind, soul and spirit. When you learn to put God and Jesus first, and to love Him deeply, you will want to spend much time with Him in prayer and in reading His Holy Word.
E.M. Bounds, who has written many insightful articles on prayer (I have a large book which includes most, if not all, of his thoughts on prayer), has a lot to say about the necessity of prayer.
He tells us to pray for the desire to pray, for such a desire is God-given and heavenly-born. "Spiritual desire, carried to a high degree, is the evidence of the new birth. It is born in the renewed soul. As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow." So says Bounds.
"Two things are intolerable to Him (God) - insincerity and lukewarmness," says Bounds, and he goes on to say: "To the Laodiceans He said, in terms of unmistakeable severity and condemnation: "I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth." This quoted verse is found at Revelation 3:16. When the Lord says in this verse, "I will spue thee out of my mouth," He literally means to vomit. What a vivid way of depicting His condemnation where lukewarmness is concerned!
Bounds goes on to comment, "This was God's expressed judgment on the lack of fire in one of the churches , and it is His indictment against individual Christians for the fatal want of sacred zeal."
Following is a 44 minute video sermon by Pastor Adrian Rogers on the secret of effectual prayer:
This sermon is the best I have ever heard on the subject of prayer! Pastor Rogers tells us, among many things, that prayer bonds us with God; and that God wants to work within us through prayer. Pastor Rogers says that our prayers are not answered because we are not rooted in the purpose of God.
Below is a song by Tauren Wells titled "When We Pray" :
Below is a song by Tauren Wells titled "When We Pray" :
If you follow this blog, you know there is much information given here on the fact that we are living in the last moments of the last days; and much mention of how ancient Bible prophecies are now coming true. So much is coming true now that the Bible predicted that many prophecy preachers and scholars say there is no way to keep up with it all; with the convergence of so much prophecy happening at warp speed and all at once now. Guess what this means?!
Jesus will return any day, any moment now, to take His Bride, the Church, to heaven when He appears in the Rapture!!
Maranatha! We look forward to that blessed hope! (Titus 2:13)
Are you Rapture ready?
If you have been saved, born again from above, then you are assured to be taken to heaven when Jesus returns very soon.
If you are carnal, and love the world, and have no desire to know God and His Son, Jesus Christ the Savior, then you are bound for the other alternative.....hell.
But it is not too late!
You do not have to be doomed to eternity in hell!
Jesus loves you and is waiting for you to turn to Him in faith!
Admit you are a sinner and in need of a Savior. (Romans 3:23)
Believe in Jesus as the Savior and surrender to Him (Romans 6:23 and John 3:16)
Call on the name of the Savior and commit to His will and confess your need of Him (Romans 10:13)
Romans 10:9,10,13 tells us, (9) "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (13) For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." - John 3:16
Have a blessed and Christ centered weekend..... and life!
Jesus will return any day, any moment now, to take His Bride, the Church, to heaven when He appears in the Rapture!!
Maranatha! We look forward to that blessed hope! (Titus 2:13)
Are you Rapture ready?
If you have been saved, born again from above, then you are assured to be taken to heaven when Jesus returns very soon.
If you are carnal, and love the world, and have no desire to know God and His Son, Jesus Christ the Savior, then you are bound for the other alternative.....hell.
But it is not too late!
You do not have to be doomed to eternity in hell!
Jesus loves you and is waiting for you to turn to Him in faith!
Admit you are a sinner and in need of a Savior. (Romans 3:23)
Believe in Jesus as the Savior and surrender to Him (Romans 6:23 and John 3:16)
Call on the name of the Savior and commit to His will and confess your need of Him (Romans 10:13)
Romans 10:9,10,13 tells us, (9) "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (13) For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." - John 3:16
Have a blessed and Christ centered weekend..... and life!
