Wesley L. Duewel- "Not only is prayerlessness neglect, it is disobedience. This disobedience can take many forms.
We are responsible to pray for all leaders, specially the leaders of our government and of other nations. Do You?
'I surge, then first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for
everyone—for kings and all those in authority'
(Tim. 2:1-2).
Not to include these topics in your private or public praying is a sin of disobedience.
On two separate occasions Jesus commanded, 'Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field' (Matt. 9:38; Luke 10:2).
If you do not pray for evangelism and missions, you
are directly disobeying Jesus' command. This is a sin of
disobedience.
Jesus taught us in the Sermon on the mount that we should pray, 'Thy kingdom come' (Matt. 6:10). The Christian has no option.
He or she must pray regularly for the advance of Christ's cause, for the hollowing and glorifying of Christ's name, for God's blessing on the church. Not to do so is a direct sin of disobedience of Christ.
Examine your prayer life and see if you have been grieving God frequently by such disobedience.
Jesus gave us a model prayer to teach us: 'This, then, is how you should pray' (Matt 6:9). In fact, we should often use these exact words, because Jesus commanded us, 'When you pray say...' (Luke 11:2).
In this model prayer, Jesus taught that normally we should first pray for God's name, kingdom, and will to be done before we begin to pray for our personal needs. (Matt. 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4).
Therefore, regularly to center most of your praying on yourself, your family, and your immediate circle of friends, rather than on Christ's kingdom His church, world needs, and world evangelization is contrary to Christ's example when He said, 'This, then is how you should pray' (Matt. 6:9).
To pray for oneself is petition, not intercession. Intercession is prayer for others. Prevailing prayer is usually prayer for others.
For Christians day after day to pray primarily for themselves, their own family, and their immediate circle of friends and not to pray primarily first for others, as Jesus taught, is a form of sin.
For Christians to be so self-centered that they never weep like David as they pray for their enemies' welfare of salvation;
-for Christians never to weep over their own city or area, as Jesus wept over Jerusalem;
-for Christians never to pray with a broken heart for the poor and the homeless, ones who are starving, those in prison, orphans, widows, the bereaved, those enslave by drink, drug addicts, and abused children and wives is to sin against Paul's injunction to 'mourn with those who mourn' (Rom. 12:15).
Job asked, 'Have I not wept for those in trouble? Has not my soul grieved for the poor?' (Job 30:25).
For Christians to know that Christ has taught—and commanded—them to pray and is waiting for their prayer partnership and still fail to pray is direct disobedience.
For a Christian to know that Christ desires that the world be given a chance to be saved, that Christ has commanded us to pray for workers in His harvest, and that lasting spiritual results from evangelism come only when the evangelism is covered with prevailing prayer—for a Christian to know all this and still fail to pray is direct disobedience of a most serious kind.
It raises a doubt as to how much we love people and how much we really love Jesus.
Not to pray regularly and faithfully for others is to prove that our love is very selfish, that our vision is very limited, and that we have not yet learned the heartbeat of Jesus, who loves and longs for the welfare and salvation of the whole world."
(Google image and my emphasis added)
#17 A Sin of Disobedience
by Wesley L. Duewel
by Wesley L. Duewel
(pp. 30-32) Zondervan
Used by permission of the author and
Duewel Literature Trust, Inc., Greenwood,
Indiana
May we begin to understand what our responsibility is in praying for Your will to be done on earth.
Help us to not be so self-centered that we overlook the great needs in the world.
Open my eyes to see what it is You're asking me to pray for specifically. I ask this in Jesus' Name. Amen.
Today’s Bible verse: Hosea 12:6 "Therefore turn thou to thy God: keep mercy and judgment, and wait on thy God continually."
Today’s quote by James H. Cagle
The Hand of the Heart
"I reached out with the hand of my heart
To the Eternal Living Word;
He embraced my soul and spoke to me
In tones of surrender, which I heard.
He held it there for fellowship,
To remain in touch with Him;
That I, by His spirit, may be led,
And walk Home all the way with Him.
Many dark storms and trials have come
When my faith was sorely tried;
But nothing could wrest my heart from Him,
When on His grace and love I relied.
The hand of the heart holds the Wonder
And gives substance to what is Divine;
By loving Him Whom I've never seen
Makes Jesus real to this heart of mine."
Taken from A String of Pearls
poetry by James H. Cagle
(Used by permission)
Our thought today: The Holy Spirit was active among the first Christians, (see Acts 2), and He desires to be active today for those who ask Him.
Today's question and answer: "Why is the prayer activity of the Church so sadly neglected and put aside? What is the reason for the Church's lack of prayer?
Many reasons could be mentioned but perhaps the most basic reason is LACK OF FAITH IN THE GOODNESS AND HONOR OF THE WORD OF GOD" (p. 109, Destined for the Throne, by Paul E. Billheimer).
#18 A Sin Against Your Own Spiritual Life
18th- Thursday’s post by Wesley L. Duewel
Hang In There
20th- Saturday's post by Max Lucado
Benefits of Reading the Bible
21st- Sunday evening's post by Jean Oathout
#19 You Will Regret Prayerlessness
23rd- Tuesday's post by Wesley L. Duewel
Exiles from Jerusalem were told to intercede for the cities they now lived in ( see Jer. 29:7).
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