Dr. Wesley L. Duewel- Importunity is shameless persistence in asking; it indicates an urgency of spirit so great that it cannot be deterred from pressing its requests. The Bible repeatedly shows the importance of holding on in urgent prayer and not fainting or giving up.
Jesus told His disciples a parable to illustrate this truth. There was an unjust judge whose heart was hardened to God and man, yet because of the shameless persistence of a needy widow, he acted in her behalf (Luke 18:1-8). How much more surely, Jesus promised, will God answer the persistent prayer of His children. (Google image, Kneeling in prayer)
Jesus taught that urgent persistent asking will bring results from a friend who would not help for the sake of mere friendship. He concludes, "I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man's persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs."
Then Jesus immediately gave His great prayer command and promise indicating increasing degrees of importunity:
"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. for everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened" (Luke 11:5-10).
Judson said, "God loves importunate prayer so much that He will not give us much blessing without it." Urgent persistent prayer trains you in the life of prayer. Bounds wrote, "Few things give such quickened and permanent vigor to the soul as a long, exhaustive season of importunate prayer." Such seasons of prayer are times of tremendous growth in grace and spiritual maturity.
Urgent persistent prayer involves your whole soul and being. It is a mighty movement of your whole soul toward God.
"You will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you" (Jer. 29:12-14).
Bounds said, "Heaven is too busy to listen to half-hearted prayers." God cannot tolerate lukewarmness. Prayer feeds on flame. It is the fiery intercessors who conquer. Such burning desire makes intercession invincible. Importunity is prayer on fire. Desire is the flame within; intercession is the flame leaping out to God.
White-hot prayer burns its way through obstacles to the throne of God. A burning heart is your best preparation for prayer. Fiery prayer is the intensity born of the Holy Spirit. The fire of the Spirit baptizes your heart as a prayer warrior and empowers your praying.
If your prayers are not touched with holy fire, you have not yet felt the heartbeat of God. To be absorbed in God's will, God's purpose, God's zeal, and God's glory will set your heart and prayer aflame.
(Chapter 27, p. 200-201, italics added for emphasis)
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Father, to pray with shameless persistence indicates an urgency of spirit so great that we cannot be deterred from asking You to answer us. May we not faint in our praying and give up!
In the parable of the unjust judge, Jesus explained that the man gave up after the woman kept persisting for his help in her defense. Jesus said that He would answer our persistent prayers for help too.
If we would ask, it would be given to us; seek, and we would find; knock and the door would be opened to us. As we learn to pray with persistency, we will notice growth in grace and spiritual maturity as we move towards You, calling upon You to meet with us, to listen to our petitions from our hearts.
Make us understand that if we are lukewarm in our prayers, they will not get Your attention, as You don't tolerate such prayers. Burning desire makes intercession invincible, setting our petitions on fire, causing them to leap up to You. It will baptize our hearts as prayer warriors and will empower our praying.
Help us be touched by holy fire, so we can feel You heartbeat. May we be absorbed in Your will, purpose and zeal for Your glory in and through our prayers. We ask this in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.
Today's Bible verses-
Philippians 4:6-7 (Living Bible) “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs, and don’t forget to thank him for his answers. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus.”
Galatians 6:9 "And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up."
Psalm 37:7 "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!"
Quotes for today-
~ Mary Southerland- "Each one of us is uniquely shaped for service. We were created in response to His plan for our very existence. They determine that shape and experience all that God has for us, we must understand ourselves in a way that only the Holy Spirit can make possible. Built into each one of us are unique gifts, passions, abilities, and talents that resource His purpose and plan for us. Even our personalities, along with every strength and weakness, become part of our individual life plan . . . When we understand and live out His purpose, our lives will begin to fall into place and we will experience a peace and balance that can only be found in a life that is centered on obedience to Him." (pp. 187- 188, Hope in the Midst of Depression)
~ Aaron Brown- "When was the last time you let someone share a thought you disagreed with, but chose not to rebuttal? When was the last time you had a conversation and didn’t rush to talk about yourself? When was the last time you had a conversation and didn’t feel the need to mention yourself at all? These are questions I have confronted in my own life with parents, friends, colleagues, and acquaintances. There is power in words, and that power is made clear in the Bible.
Yet, wisdom and love are the very two things we as Christians should strive toward as we listen and speak every day. Wisdom teaches us the right way to live. Love helps us to care about how we live. Only when we perfect the two can we overcome our modern-day issue of communication." [How Wisdom and Love Transform the Way We Listen and Speak] "This is how we relate to each other, and God. We listen, we speak."
Words of wisdom-
~ God gives us fair warning of our sure death, like everyone else who’s ever lived. He has set a time for each of us. Will you take the time to make sure of your inheritance into glory through the Salvation provided us by His death, burial and resurrection some 2,000 years ago! Repent for your sins and ask Him to save you today. He'll help you begin a brand new life with His Spirit living within you. Read the Bible and find a Bible-believing church to guide you in your walk with Christ.
Tonight, Feb 16 at 8 pm EST for How We Rebuilt a Better Marriage After Broken Trust.
(7pm CST, 6pm MST, 5pm PST).
By Jill and Mark Savage
==> Sign up for the free webinar by clicking here
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If you're concerned for your marriage and you want to improve your relationship, make sure you watch this.
The North Country Christian Fellowship Center Churches,
located in the St. Lawrence county of NY,
broadcast their Sunday services at 10 or 10:15
You can view past services too.
Helpful ways the Lord helped me in my marriage
Upcoming posts-
#98 You Cannot Manufacture This Fire of The Spirit
18th- Thursday's post by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel
Time To Persist
20th- Saturday's post by Dave Butts
#99 Urgent Prayer Can Be Agonizing
23rd- Tuesday's post by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel
#100 You Can Be A Prayer Warrior
25th- Thursday's post by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel
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