By Bruce Witt
“Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
PRAYER IS NOT MADE GREAT by a lot of words, for God knows your inmost feelings before you express them. True prayer comes from the spirit. You pray only for what you really desire. If you do not see what you are desiring from the depths of your heart, your prayer is deceitful. You could pass whole days “praying,” but if you do not pray from your deepest, inmost desires, you are not praying. You “pray without ceasing” when there is true love in your heart and when is a desire born of God resides there.
Prayer as a discipline has its greatest force in strengthening the spiritual life only as we learn to pray WITHOUT CEASING (see 1 Thessalonians 5:17 and Philippians 4:6). We can train ourselves to invoke God’s presence in every action we perform. This is an experiential fact that has been proven in the lives of many disciples of Jesus, ancient and modern. God will meet us in love, and love will keep our minds directed toward Him just as the magnet pulls the needle of the compass. Habit will be confirmed in gracious interaction, and our whole lives will be bathed in the presence of God. Constant prayer will only “burden” us as wings burden the bird in flight.
“Avail yourself of the greatest privilege this side of heaven. Jesus Christ died to make this communion and communication with the Father possible.” — Billy Graham
“God’s acquaintance is not made hurriedly. He does not bestow His gifts on the casual or hasty comer and goer. To be much alone with God is the secret of knowing Him and of influence with Him.” —E. M. Bounds
“Time spent in prayer will yield more than that given to work. Prayer alone gives work its worth and its success. Prayer opens the way for God Himself to do His work in us and through us. Let our chief work as God’s messengers be intercession; in it we secure the presence and power of God to go with us.” — Andrew Murray
BW
Purchase the Entire Devotional – “Experiencing Christ as Life and Leader”
The devotion above was taken from the 52-week Devotional entitled “Experiencing Christ as Life and Leader”.
Many give a mental assent to this teaching yedft are often asking, “What do I do? What does Christ as life look like?“ Too often Christians err by moving too far to one side or the other—reducing the Christian life to a list of do’s and don’ts, or they actually do nothing.
These inspiring weekly devotions are just some of the actions that reflect the life of Christ in each of us, and they explore four areas as we follow the One Leader, Jesus Christ –
- A Foundational Focus
- A Personal Focus
- A Relational Focus
- A Missional Focus
Be challenged, encouraged, and spurred on to a deeper walk with Christ.
Purchase Your Copy in our online store
Purchase Your Copy on Amazon
