Richard Sibbes wrote, “It is atheism to pray and not to wait in hope. A sincere Christian will pray, wait, strengthen his heart with the promises, and never leave praying and looking up till God gives him a gracious answer.” The primary point of intensified intercession is that it is far more than a conversational tone....
The scriptural mandate is that every church should function as a house of prayer. Listen to Samuel Chadwick: “There is a marked absence of travail. There is much phrasing, but little pleading. Prayer has become a soliloquy [monologue] instead of a passion. The powerlessness of the church needs no other explanation. . . . To be prayerless is...
Prayer is the greatest force on earth. Andrew Murray said, “We must begin to believe that God, in the mystery of prayer, has entrusted us with a force that can move the Heavenly world, and bring its power down to earth.” A locomotive has sufficient power to travel great distances from one place to another, but it...
The reason many people do not attend our prayer meetings is because they have attended our prayer meetings! Lifeless prayer gatherings are exhausting, and in most churches, the prayer meeting is the least attended service. Why? Could it be that repetitious praying—verbalizing the same requests week after week, often saying the same words—is not only...
“A man that is an heretick (divisive) after the first and second admonition reject; Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself” (Titus 3:10-11). SCHISMATICS ARE DIVISIVE “Heretic” means divider or one who causes schism. We think of modern heresy-hunters as those who sniff out doctrinal error and expose...
Job’s friends were not the type of “friends” he needed. The moment they opened their mouths, they lost their ministry to Job. In fact, they were far beyond neutral, they were toxic. They accused and attacked his integrity. Think about Job experiencing such soul agony, only to have more misery piled on him by his...