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Are You Bored During Your Prayer Time?
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Posted by: Steve
Do you find yourself distracted, bored, or falling asleep during your times of prayer? Has your personal prayer time become drudgery, or something that weighs you down? Have you ever wondered why you just can't seem to get a break through in your personal prayer closet?
Yesterday, I was reading a book by E.M. Bounds on Prayer. When I came across these few paragraphs, I was struck to the core on how much our hourly/daily decisions, choices, and attitudes determine the effectiveness of our prayer time. Read these next few paragraphs and let me know what you think...
"The spirit of the prayer chamber must control our lives, or the hour in the prayer closet will be dull and sapless. Always praying in spirits, always acting in the spirit of praying - these make our praying strong. The spirit of every moment is that which imparts strength to the communion of the prayer closet. It is what we are outside of the prayer closet that gives victory or brings defeat to the prayer closet. If the spirit of the world prevails in our non-closet hours, the spirit of the world will prevail in our closet hours, and that will be a vain and idle farce.
We must live for God out of the prayer closet if we would meet God in the prayer closet. We must bless God by praying lives if we would have God’s blessing in the prayer closet. We must do God’s will in our lives if we would have God’s ear in the prayer closet. We must listen to God’s voice in public if we would have God listen to our voice in private. God must have our hearts out of the prayer closet, if we would have God’s presence in the prayer closet. If we want to have God in the prayer closet, God must have us out of the prayer closet. There is no way of praying to God, except by living to God. The prayer closet is not a confessional, simply, but the hour of holy communion, of high and sweet communication, and of intense intercession.
Men would pray better if they lived better. They would get more from God if they lived more obedient and well pleasing to God….”Whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight” (1 John 3:22)" (E.M. Bounds - Prayer, page 73-74).
Wow! It's so elementary, yet so profound! If we find that we are distracted, bored, or falling asleep during our prayer time, could it be that we are filling our lives with too much of the non-essentials of life (T.V., sports, entertainment, hobby time)? If we want to have effective prayer lives that see answers to the prayers we are praying, we must be serving the Lord with our whole heart, mind, soul, and strength (24/7). We must be willing to obey at any cost! “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men” (Colossians 3:17). If we want to have times of personal prayer that burn with the fire of God, we must make sure that we are wholly given to the Lord, in every area of our life (this includes couch potato time), during every moment of our life. If we fail to pick up our cross daily and follow Jesus (outside of the prayer closet), our times of prayer will be rendered powerless and ineffective. I hope and pray that this will bring encouragement to someone who is seeking more of the Lord.
Posted by: JG
Wow! It's so elementary, yet so profound! If we find that we are distracted, bored, or falling asleep during our prayer time, could it be that we are filling our lives with too much of the non-essentials of life (T..... It is so profound,,,,
I pray everyone who reads this will be blessed
Dad
Posted by: jeanneferry
I understand this principle and have applied it to my life. This is the key for the release of Gods power in our lives. I hope all of our members will find this and read it. Very well written. God Bless you,Steve and Thank you!
Posted by: RonJ
Thank you Steve yes it is simple but why do so many of us don't get up off our couches and go out and do what the Lord wants us to do. I feel we/I have gotten lazzy and if we/I have any time to spare I need to just go do it. If the Lord promps me to call a friend or someone I know it is so easy to just pick up the phone and call or go see them. If the Lord tells me to say something to someone I am working with I need to just say it and let the Lord lead the rest of the conversation. This is why we as christians need to WORK on perfecting our ear to the Lords voice. There have been sometimes when I feel the Lord has told me to tell someone Jesus Love them. But then I try to think of what I am going to say after insted of letting the Lord give me the words when I am done. I am still working on this and the Lord is teaching me step by step what to do. God Bless you Steve