I read this article from "Today in the Word", June 29, 1992.
Early African converts to Christianity were earnest and regular in private devotions. Each one reportedly had a separate spot in the thicket where he would pour out his heart to God. Over time the paths to these places became well worn. As a result, if one of these believers began to neglect prayer, it was soon apparent to the others. They would kindly remind the negligent one, "Brother, the grass grows on your path."
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So my friends, does the grass grow on your path? How are you doing in time with the Lord? Are you spending adequate time for your soul in His Word, and in prayer with Jesus? If not, intentionally make time today. He's waiting to talk with you.
God bless your Sunday,
Live holy, preach Jesus!
Showing posts with label prayer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label prayer. Show all posts
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
A prayer thought for meditation this Sunday
I know I posted this once before, but it is still true today....
John Burton, Jr. (1803-77) writer of songbook #588 "I often say my prayers" penned these words to consider while you pray and seek God's face today...
I often say my prayers; but do I ever pray?
And do the wishes of my heart go with the words I say?
I may as well kneel down and worship gods of stone,
As offer to the living God a prayer of words alone.
For words without the heart the Lord will never hear;
Nor will he to those lips attend whose prayers are not sincere.
Lord, show me what I need, and teach me how to pray;
Nor let me ask thee for thy grace, not feeling what I say.
Live holy, preach Jesus!
John Burton, Jr. (1803-77) writer of songbook #588 "I often say my prayers" penned these words to consider while you pray and seek God's face today...
I often say my prayers; but do I ever pray?
And do the wishes of my heart go with the words I say?
I may as well kneel down and worship gods of stone,
As offer to the living God a prayer of words alone.
For words without the heart the Lord will never hear;
Nor will he to those lips attend whose prayers are not sincere.
Lord, show me what I need, and teach me how to pray;
Nor let me ask thee for thy grace, not feeling what I say.
Live holy, preach Jesus!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
A question, "Have you no tears for Revival?" By Leonard Ravenhill
Note the high praise to the Salvationists of his time - I pray all who call themselves "salvationists" still have tears today.
This is the divine edict. This is more than preaching with zeal. This is more than scholarly exposition. This is more than delivering sermons of exegetical exactitude and homiletical perfection. Such a man, whether preacher or pew dweller, is appalled at the shrinking authority of the Church in the present drama of cruelty in the world. And he cringes with sorrow that men turn a deaf ear to the Gospel and willingly risk eternal hell in the process.
Under this complex burden, his heart is crushed to tears. The true man of God is heartsick, grieved at the worldliness of the Church, grieved at the blindness of the Church, grieved at the corruption in the Church, grieved at the toleration of sin in the Church, grieved at the prayerlessness in the Church. He is disturbed that the corporate prayer of the Church no longer pulls down the strongholds of the devil. He is embarrassed that the Church folks no longer cry in their despair before a devil-ridden, sin-mad society, "Why could we not cast him out?" (Matt. 17:19).
Many of us have no heart-sickness for the former glory of the Church because we have never known what true revival is. We stagnate in the status quo and sleep easy at night while our generation moves swiftly to the eternal night of hell. Shame, shame on us! Jesus whipped some money changers out of the temple; but before He whipped them, He wept over them. He knew how near their judgment was The Apostle Paul sent a tear-stained letter to the Philippian saints, writing: "I have told you often and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ" (Phil. 3:18). Notice that he does not say they are enemies of Christ; they are, rather, the enemies of the cross of Christ. They deny or diminish the redemptive values of the cross. There are many like this today.
The church of Rome does not stand as an enemy of Christ; it traces heavily on His holy name. Yet it denies the cross by saying that the Blessed Virgin is co-redemptive. If this is so, why was she not also crucified? The Mormons use the name of Christ, yet they are astray on the atonement. Have we tears for them? Shall we face them without a blush when they accuse us of inertia at the Judgment Seat saying that they were our neighbors and an offense to us, but not a burden because they were lost? The Salvationists can scarcely read their flaming evangelical history without tears. Has the glory of the evangelical revival under Wesley ever gripped the hearts of the Methodists of today? Have they read of the fire-baptized men in Wesley's team? Men like John Nelson, Thomas Walsh, and a host of others whose names are written in the Book of Life; men persecuted and kicked in the streets when they held street meetings? Yet as their blood flowed from their wounds, their tears flowed from their eyes.
Have the Holiness people set a guard at the door of the beauty parlors lest any sister should enter to get her hair curled, while a block away there is a string of prostitutes trying to sell their sin-wracked bodies with none to tell them of eternal love?
Do the Pentecostals look back with shame as they remember when they dwelt across the theological tracks, but with the glory of the Lord in their midst? When they had a normal church life, which meant nights of prayers, followed by signs and wonders, and diverse miracles, and genuine gifts of the Holy Ghost? When they were not clock watchers, and their meetings lasted for hours, saturated with holy power?
Have we no tears for these memories, or shame that our children know nothing of such power? Other denominations had their Glory Days of revival. Think of the mighty visitations to the Presbyterians in Korea. Remember the earth-shaking revival in Shantung. Are those days gone forever? Have we no tears for revival?
Live holy, preach Jesus!
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Have We No Tears for Revival? "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy." (Ps. 126:5).This is the divine edict. This is more than preaching with zeal. This is more than scholarly exposition. This is more than delivering sermons of exegetical exactitude and homiletical perfection. Such a man, whether preacher or pew dweller, is appalled at the shrinking authority of the Church in the present drama of cruelty in the world. And he cringes with sorrow that men turn a deaf ear to the Gospel and willingly risk eternal hell in the process.
Under this complex burden, his heart is crushed to tears. The true man of God is heartsick, grieved at the worldliness of the Church, grieved at the blindness of the Church, grieved at the corruption in the Church, grieved at the toleration of sin in the Church, grieved at the prayerlessness in the Church. He is disturbed that the corporate prayer of the Church no longer pulls down the strongholds of the devil. He is embarrassed that the Church folks no longer cry in their despair before a devil-ridden, sin-mad society, "Why could we not cast him out?" (Matt. 17:19).
Many of us have no heart-sickness for the former glory of the Church because we have never known what true revival is. We stagnate in the status quo and sleep easy at night while our generation moves swiftly to the eternal night of hell. Shame, shame on us! Jesus whipped some money changers out of the temple; but before He whipped them, He wept over them. He knew how near their judgment was The Apostle Paul sent a tear-stained letter to the Philippian saints, writing: "I have told you often and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ" (Phil. 3:18). Notice that he does not say they are enemies of Christ; they are, rather, the enemies of the cross of Christ. They deny or diminish the redemptive values of the cross. There are many like this today.
The church of Rome does not stand as an enemy of Christ; it traces heavily on His holy name. Yet it denies the cross by saying that the Blessed Virgin is co-redemptive. If this is so, why was she not also crucified? The Mormons use the name of Christ, yet they are astray on the atonement. Have we tears for them? Shall we face them without a blush when they accuse us of inertia at the Judgment Seat saying that they were our neighbors and an offense to us, but not a burden because they were lost? The Salvationists can scarcely read their flaming evangelical history without tears. Has the glory of the evangelical revival under Wesley ever gripped the hearts of the Methodists of today? Have they read of the fire-baptized men in Wesley's team? Men like John Nelson, Thomas Walsh, and a host of others whose names are written in the Book of Life; men persecuted and kicked in the streets when they held street meetings? Yet as their blood flowed from their wounds, their tears flowed from their eyes.
Have the Holiness people set a guard at the door of the beauty parlors lest any sister should enter to get her hair curled, while a block away there is a string of prostitutes trying to sell their sin-wracked bodies with none to tell them of eternal love?
Do the Pentecostals look back with shame as they remember when they dwelt across the theological tracks, but with the glory of the Lord in their midst? When they had a normal church life, which meant nights of prayers, followed by signs and wonders, and diverse miracles, and genuine gifts of the Holy Ghost? When they were not clock watchers, and their meetings lasted for hours, saturated with holy power?
Have we no tears for these memories, or shame that our children know nothing of such power? Other denominations had their Glory Days of revival. Think of the mighty visitations to the Presbyterians in Korea. Remember the earth-shaking revival in Shantung. Are those days gone forever? Have we no tears for revival?
----------
Let these words sink in, and ask yourself when the last time was you cried for someone you knew was lost - and then let your tears drive you to action - tears alone accomplish nothing unless accompanied by prayer and proclamation.Live holy, preach Jesus!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Simple advice on praying... by A.W. Tozer
A.W. Tozer :
"Praying Till We PRAY" Dr. Moody Stuart, a great praying man of a past generation, once drew up a set of rules to guide him in his prayers. Among these rules is this one: "Pray till you pray."
The difference between praying till you quit and praying till you pray is illustrated by the American evangelist John Wesley Lee. He often likened a season of prayer to a church service, and insisted that many of us close the meeting before the service is over. He confessed that once he arose too soon from a prayer session and started down the street to take care of some pressing business. He had only gone a short distance when an inner voice reproached him. "Son," the voice seemed to say, "did you not pronounce the benediction before the meeting was ended?" He understood, and at once hurried back to the place of prayer where he tarried till the burden lifted and the blessing came down.
The habit of breaking off our prayers before we have truly prayed is as common as it is unfortunate. Often the last ten minutes may mean more to us than the first half hour, because we must spend a long time getting into the proper mood to pray effectively. We may need to struggle with our thoughts to draw them in from where they have been scattered through the multitude of distractions that result from the task of living in a disordered world.
Here, as elsewhere in spiritual matters, we must be sure to distinguish the ideal from the real. Ideally we should be living moment-by-moment in a state of such perfect union with God that no special preparation is necessary. But actually there are few who can honestly say that this is their experience.
Candor will compel most of us to admit that we often experience a struggle before we can escape from the emotional alienation and sense of unreality that sometimes settle over us as a sort of prevailing mood. Whatever a dreamy idealism may say, we are forced to deal with things down on the level of practical reality. If when we come to prayer our hearts feel dull and unspiritual, we should not try to argue ourselves out of it. Rather, we should admit it frankly and pray our way through.
Some Christians smile at the thought of "praying through," but something of the same idea is found in the writings of practically every great praying saint from Daniel to the present day.
We cannot afford to stop praying till we have actually prayed.
--Live holy, preach Jesus!
"Praying Till We PRAY" Dr. Moody Stuart, a great praying man of a past generation, once drew up a set of rules to guide him in his prayers. Among these rules is this one: "Pray till you pray."
The difference between praying till you quit and praying till you pray is illustrated by the American evangelist John Wesley Lee. He often likened a season of prayer to a church service, and insisted that many of us close the meeting before the service is over. He confessed that once he arose too soon from a prayer session and started down the street to take care of some pressing business. He had only gone a short distance when an inner voice reproached him. "Son," the voice seemed to say, "did you not pronounce the benediction before the meeting was ended?" He understood, and at once hurried back to the place of prayer where he tarried till the burden lifted and the blessing came down.
The habit of breaking off our prayers before we have truly prayed is as common as it is unfortunate. Often the last ten minutes may mean more to us than the first half hour, because we must spend a long time getting into the proper mood to pray effectively. We may need to struggle with our thoughts to draw them in from where they have been scattered through the multitude of distractions that result from the task of living in a disordered world.
Here, as elsewhere in spiritual matters, we must be sure to distinguish the ideal from the real. Ideally we should be living moment-by-moment in a state of such perfect union with God that no special preparation is necessary. But actually there are few who can honestly say that this is their experience.
Candor will compel most of us to admit that we often experience a struggle before we can escape from the emotional alienation and sense of unreality that sometimes settle over us as a sort of prevailing mood. Whatever a dreamy idealism may say, we are forced to deal with things down on the level of practical reality. If when we come to prayer our hearts feel dull and unspiritual, we should not try to argue ourselves out of it. Rather, we should admit it frankly and pray our way through.
Some Christians smile at the thought of "praying through," but something of the same idea is found in the writings of practically every great praying saint from Daniel to the present day.
We cannot afford to stop praying till we have actually prayed.
--Live holy, preach Jesus!
Sunday, March 15, 2009
A prayer thought for your Sunday meditation
John Burton, Jr. (1803-77) writer of songbook #588 "I often say my prayers" penned these words to consider while you pray and seek God's face today...
I often say my prayers; but do I ever pray?
And do the wishes of my heart go with the words I say?
I may as well kneel down and worship gods of stone,
As offer to the living God a prayer of words alone.
For words without the heart the Lord will never hear;
Nor will he to those lips attend whose prayers are not sincere.
Lord, show me what I need, and teach me how to pray;
Nor let me ask thee for thy grace, not feeling what I say.
Live holy, preach Jesus!
I often say my prayers; but do I ever pray?
And do the wishes of my heart go with the words I say?
I may as well kneel down and worship gods of stone,
As offer to the living God a prayer of words alone.
For words without the heart the Lord will never hear;
Nor will he to those lips attend whose prayers are not sincere.
Lord, show me what I need, and teach me how to pray;
Nor let me ask thee for thy grace, not feeling what I say.
Live holy, preach Jesus!
Sunday, March 1, 2009
A day for prayer and rest
A blessed Sunday to you.
In between "doing ministry" and "doing ministry" Mark 1:35-36 tells us...Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37and when they found him, they exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for you!"
Maybe you are tired from being busy about the Lord's work, or maybe you are just tired of everyone on the planet needing your attention, phone, cell phone, instant message, text, email, on, and on... everyone is looking for you.
Jesus knew that the only way to stay properly connected to The Father, and empowered by His Spirit, was to intentionally be alone with God in prayer.
The world can survive without you for a while, get yourself to a solitary place and spend some time in prayer today.
By the way, after you have allowed God to recharge you, remember that there is a world that needs you, go to tell them of the Savior.
Recharge in private, then be spent doing the work of telling the world about Jesus.
Note
As always if you don't have a personal relationship with Jesus, who lived, sacrificially died in your place, and rose from the dead, then repent of your sins (confess and turn from them), have faith in Jesus alone (faith is simply placing your full trust solely in Him), and receive Him by faith today.
In between "doing ministry" and "doing ministry" Mark 1:35-36 tells us...Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37and when they found him, they exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for you!"
Maybe you are tired from being busy about the Lord's work, or maybe you are just tired of everyone on the planet needing your attention, phone, cell phone, instant message, text, email, on, and on... everyone is looking for you.
Jesus knew that the only way to stay properly connected to The Father, and empowered by His Spirit, was to intentionally be alone with God in prayer.
The world can survive without you for a while, get yourself to a solitary place and spend some time in prayer today.
By the way, after you have allowed God to recharge you, remember that there is a world that needs you, go to tell them of the Savior.
Recharge in private, then be spent doing the work of telling the world about Jesus.
Note
As always if you don't have a personal relationship with Jesus, who lived, sacrificially died in your place, and rose from the dead, then repent of your sins (confess and turn from them), have faith in Jesus alone (faith is simply placing your full trust solely in Him), and receive Him by faith today.
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