"Adoration is the highest form of prayer."
Louis Cassels
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The Damage of Prayerlessness
The Damage of Prayerlessness
Dr. Charles Stanley
Colossians 4:2-6
Colossians 4:2-6
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Prayer is a priority for any person who is used mightily by God. Jesus often slipped away to spend quiet moments with His Father. If the Son of God needed prayer time, then we certainly cannot live well without it! Yesterday we saw that those who go it alone become weary bearing unnecessary burdens. Today we will look at the results of slogging through life under that extra weight.
When someone is spiritually, emotionally, or physically drained, he or she becomes susceptible to discouragement. Joshua was exhorted to meditate upon the Law, because his success was dependent upon following God's will (Josh. 1:8-9). Keeping the Lord at the center of one's focus builds confidence. Without prayer and Bible reading--which cannot be separated--believers enter a vicious cycle where troubles loom ever larger as man-made solutions fail. Under such conditions, discouragement is unavoidable.
Loss of confidence is soon followed by doubt. A believer immersed in prayer and Scripture reading will find security in the Lord's power and presence. But someone who questions God's faithfulness will look for refuge everywhere except in those disciplines. Eventually, he or she is going to step out of God's will while chasing a counterfeit solution. Sadly, a testimony-damaging situation often results.
Forsaking prayer results in a downward slide, but the good news is that the direction can be reversed at any time. The corrective steps are simple: confess your prayerlessness and then prioritize a regular quiet time with the Lord. In those moments of communion, He will make burdens light, offer encouragement, and fill His children with confidence.
Prayer is a priority for any person who is used mightily by God. Jesus often slipped away to spend quiet moments with His Father. If the Son of God needed prayer time, then we certainly cannot live well without it! Yesterday we saw that those who go it alone become weary bearing unnecessary burdens. Today we will look at the results of slogging through life under that extra weight.
When someone is spiritually, emotionally, or physically drained, he or she becomes susceptible to discouragement. Joshua was exhorted to meditate upon the Law, because his success was dependent upon following God's will (Josh. 1:8-9). Keeping the Lord at the center of one's focus builds confidence. Without prayer and Bible reading--which cannot be separated--believers enter a vicious cycle where troubles loom ever larger as man-made solutions fail. Under such conditions, discouragement is unavoidable.
Loss of confidence is soon followed by doubt. A believer immersed in prayer and Scripture reading will find security in the Lord's power and presence. But someone who questions God's faithfulness will look for refuge everywhere except in those disciplines. Eventually, he or she is going to step out of God's will while chasing a counterfeit solution. Sadly, a testimony-damaging situation often results.
Forsaking prayer results in a downward slide, but the good news is that the direction can be reversed at any time. The corrective steps are simple: confess your prayerlessness and then prioritize a regular quiet time with the Lord. In those moments of communion, He will make burdens light, offer encouragement, and fill His children with confidence.
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WORDS TO WARM THE HEART
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"I love the Lord, for he has heard me and listened to my prayer." Psalm 116:1
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"The great tragedy of life is not unanswered prayer but unoffered prayer." Frederick Brotherton (F.B.) Meyer
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"God has not always answered my prayers. If he had. I would have married the wrong man--several times!" Ruth Graham Bell
"God has not always answered my prayers. If he had. I would have married the wrong man--several times!" Ruth Graham Bell
"All my discoveries have been made in answer to prayer." Sir Issac Newton
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"There is a communion with God that asks for nothing, yet asks for everything . . . He who seeks the Father more than anything he can give is likely to have what he asks, for he is not likely to ask amiss." George MacDonald
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"Therefore with Angels, and Archangels, and with all the company of heaven, we laud and magnify thy glorious Name; evermore praising thee, and saying: Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts, heaven and earth are full of they glory: Glory be to thee, O Lord most High. Amen."
--Book of Common Prayer
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