Friday, July 04, 2008

No Christian is Greater Than His Prayer Life!

A few years ago I was given a little card that reads, "No Christian is greater than his prayer life." I have come to a gripping realization that prayer is probably one of the greatest contributions we can make to advance the Kingdom of Christ. Yet, we as Christians, have yet to utilize this amazing resource at the levels God will allow us to do when we press into Him.

Surveys show the average Christian prays 15 to 30 minutes a week. If the statement, "No Christian is greater than his prayer life," is true, then it would explain, in part, why so much of the world is still not evangelized, and why so many lives are unraveling.

Years ago, when I was a high school teacher, I had a poster in my classroom, right next to the ten commandments. It read "Life is fragile, handle with prayer." This is so true!

Why do we spend so little time in prayer? Why is prayer one of the first things we neglect as we drift away from God? Many pastors have preached sermons condemning us for spending up to 3 hours a day in front of a television set while we pray less than 30 minutes a week. Although there is a need for such sermons, I have no intention of pointing out something for which you are probably already painfully aware. It is my desire to encourage you to pray more.

Satan would like nothing more than to distract us from our prayer life, because we can do so much vital good with prayer! Put your prayer time at the highest priority in your life. The family that prays together, stays together. The church that prays together moves mountains in the lives of its members!

When we as Christians approach God, He wants us to trust Him fully and understand that the solutions to our problems lie beyond our abilities. It is this recognition that releases the power of God. Prayer is an expression of the commitment and trust we have in God. When we come before God in prayer and give Him full control of a situation, we are acknowledging His sovereignty in that area. This is a powerful truth. We must humble ourselves before our God.

We are at our most powerful when we realize our own weaknesses and get on our knees. We will never have a true appreciation of how powerful and effective our prayers are until we enter God’s presence and He unfolds the completed story. At that time we will see how people were saved and lives changed as a direct result of our prayers.

Please pray for the sick and pray for those who are struggling with unbelief. Pray for the lost and pray for those who have hurt you. Pray for changes in heart and mind. Pray the Lord's prayer and mean every word. AMEN. AMEN!

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