POWERFUL
CONTINUAL PRAYER
BREAD
16 Be
joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give
thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)
35 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. Mark 1:35 (NIV)
9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we
have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge
of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10 And
we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may
please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the
knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his
glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12 giving
thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the
saints in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness
and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in
whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:9-14 (NIV)
15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith
in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 I
have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 I
keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may
give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I
pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may
know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious
inheritance in the saints, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe.
That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20 which
he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his
right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion,
and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the
one to come. Ephesians 1:15-21 (NIV)
8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of
you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. 9 God,
whom I serve with my whole heart in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my
witness how constantly I remember you 10 in
my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God's will the way may
be opened for me to come to you. Romans
1:8-10 (NIV)
16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for
each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful
and effective. James 5:16 (NIV)
5 Then I said: “O LORD, God of heaven, the great and
awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey
his commands, 6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear
the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants,
the people of Israel.” Nehemiah 1:5-6
(NIV)
12 Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ
Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may
stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. 13 I
vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and
Hierapolis. Colossians 4:12-13 (NIV)
BUTTER
“If
only saints could see their souls as the ten afflicted lepers saw their bodies,
they would pray far better than they do.”
J.C. Ryle
“‘Pray without ceasing’”…and here the word ‘pray’ does not mean to beg or to plead as if God were unwilling to give – but simply to expose by faith every situation as it arises, to the all-sufficiency of the One who indwells you by His life.” Major W. Ian Thomas
“Men may spurn our appeals, reject our message,
oppose our arguments, despise our persons; but they are helpless against our
prayers.” J.
Sidlow Baxter
“Do
not pray for easy lives; pray to be stronger people! Do not pray for tasks
equal to your powers; pray for powers equal to your tasks.” Phillips
Brooks
“The church may hold its confirmations by the thousands, it
may multiply its baptisms, and it may administer its sacraments innumerable
times, and yet be as far from fulfilling its true mission as human conditions
can make it. The principle need of the church is neither people of money nor
people of intelligence, but people of prayer.” E.M. Bounds
“Prayer is a shield
to the soul, a sacrifice to God, and a scourge to Satan.” John Bunyan
“God shapes the
world by prayer.” E.M.
Bounds
“I would rather
teach one man to pray than ten men to preach.” John
Henry Jowett
“We can be world changers
by bending the knees. Prayer changes
things the least of which is our own hearts.
As Chesterton aptly stated: ‘Dear
Sir: Regarding your article ‘What’s Wrong with the World?’ I am. Yours truly.’ Prayer is ever mighty in its working. It moves the hand of God. Be faithful in prayer.” BHY
“Life is war. That’s not all it is. But it is always
that. Our weakness in prayer is owing largely to our neglect of this truth.
Prayer is primarily a wartime walkie-talkie for the mission of the church as it
advances against the powers of darkness and unbelief. It is not surprising that
prayer malfunctions when we try to make it a domestic intercom to call upstairs
for more comforts in the den. God has given prayer as a wartime walkie-talkie
so that we can call headquarters for everything we need as the kingdom of
Christ advances in the world. Prayer gives us the significance of frontline
forces and gives God the glory of a limitless Provider. The one who gives the power gets the glory.
Thus, prayer safeguards the supremacy of God in missions while linking us
with endless grace for every need.” John
Piper
“Faith is to prayer, what the feather is
to the arrow; it feathers the arrow of prayer, and makes it fly swifter, and
pierce the throne of grace.” Thomas Watson
“You
know the value of prayer; it is precious beyond all price. Never, never neglect it.” Thomas Buxton
HEART SAVOR
·
Pray
without ceasing. We can pray at all times. The curtain has been torn. There is no fear in our approaching Him. The golden scepter is ever held out. Our souls can be on its knees when our feet
are on the ground just as the cupbearer Nehemiah prayed before answering the King
(Nehemiah 2:4).
·
Unoffered
prayer is a great tragedy indeed.
·
Prayer
is a precious gift from God Who is ever attentive to them. We can approach Him with great
confidence. He hears. He answers. If does not change the circumstances, He changes
us through them (which is a far greater miracle to be sure). Never neglect this precious gift.
