Wednesday, May 1, 2013

No Substitute For Prayer


“Your effectiveness, your productivity, your fruitfulness, the holiness of your life, the ministry that you have whatever it might be, the victory you have in your Christian life, you can link all of that to that intimate relationship you have with Almighty God through prayer. And you can do anything and everything else you want to and ignore praying, or make it a secondary something out there in your life, and I am going to tell you, you are not going to amount to much for God.”

These were the opening words to today’s In Touch message by Dr. Charles Stanley titled “The Battle of Prayer.” He goes on to say that, “Praying is talking to God and listening to Him. … There is no substitute in all of life for prayer.”

In Proverbs 3:5-6 we read , “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”

In order to know God’s direction for our life we need to spend time with Him, and the way we do this is through prayer. As Dr. Stanley said, everything good in our Christian life is a result of our intimate relationship with our Almighty God, and as we spend time with Him he will direct us in all things. Sarah writes today about being on the path of God’s choosing which emanates from our spending time with Him and listening for His will and direction in our lives – living every moment in His Presence.

Today in “Jesus Calling” by Sarah Young (5/1)

You are on the path of My choosing. There is no randomness about your life. Here and Now comprise the coordinates of your daily life. Most people let their moments slip through their fingers, half-lived. They avoid the present by worrying about the future or longing for a better time and place. They forget that they are creatures who are subject to the limitations of time and space. They forget their Creator, who walks with them only in the present.

Every moment is alive with My glorious Presence, to those whose hearts are intimately connected with Mine. As you give yourself more and more to a life of constant communion with Me, you will find that you simply have no time for worry. Thus, you are free to let My Spirit direct your steps, enabling you to walk along the path of Peace.

“who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?” Luke 12:25-26

“… To shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.” Luke 1:79

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