7 So submit to [the authority
of] God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him] and he will flee from
you. –James 4:7 (AMP)
“I,
the Lord, search and examine the mind, I test the
heart, to give to each man according to his ways, According to
the results of his deeds. --Jeremiah
17:10
“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one
thinks of changing himself.” - Tolstoy
As
strange as it may seem, most folks give lip service in our churches. We say the sermon is good and we forget it
before we reach home. We use prayer as a transition in worship
service. We name prayer an invocation or
benediction. We have relegated prayer to
a moment’s pause through our day. Prayer
is a battle; prayer is work! Our Lord
prayed until his sweat was like drops of blood (hematohidrosis) (Luke 22:44). Prayer is a pressing part of our Christian
faith. Without prayer we are doomed in
the greatest battle ever fought. Prayer
is the battle against the “schemes and the strategies and deceits of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11). “12 For
our struggle is not against flesh and blood [contending only with physical
opponents], but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world
forces of this [present] darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the
heavenly (supernatural) places
(Ephesians 6:12). If you do not believe we are in a Battle,
just listen to the T.V. News Casts. PRAYER
IS LIFE!
Who
IS the person of prayer? Before all
prayer we should be willing to total submission to our God and King. When we learn to pray in God’s character, we begin
the journey to become more like His Son, Jesus Christ. We believe as we grow in the character of
Jesus, our prayers grow as well. When we
submit, we begin to pray God’s Will rather than our will. As we discover the love God has for us, we
begin to love others in that same love. In submission our thoughts become less
selfish and more giving. We grow in
sanctification as we grow more intimately with our Lord and as our branches
cling to the Vine (John 15:1-8).
Submission
is not easy. It is probably one of the
most difficult acts that we do in our Christian walk in sanctification. Submitting our personal will to the will of
the Father, Abba, our God is a relinquishment of self. Richard J. Foster in his book, Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home,
describes this as the “the School of Gethsemane.”
When one realizes, we mean really realizes, the love
God has for us as individuals, as a person created by God, a life with a
purpose, with the power of the Holy Spirit we submit to God’s Will and not our
will. Our prayers become effective and
powerful. God’s love is profound; it is overwhelming.
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