Prayer is the surest remedy against the devil and besetting sins.
– J. C. Ryle
Tag: Habit of Prayer
Prayer Quote of the Week
The name of Jesus is a never-failing passport for our prayers.
– J. C. Ryle
Prayer Quote of the Week
Praying and sinning will never live together in the same heart. Prayer will consume sin, or sin will choke prayer.
– J. C. Ryle
Passion Points
Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:
The Character of the Christian: Generous – Tim Challies
It is the Christian’s duty and delight to hold loosely to wealth and to give generously to the Lord’s work. Any problem with money is not the fault of the money itself but with the sneaky, sinful human heart.
What if you’re not as awesome as you think you are? – Denny Burk
There is often a gap between the reality that God sees and the illusions that I sustain in thinking about myself.
25 Quick Tips and Reminders to Help Your Prayer Life – David Qaoud (GR)
17. Meditate on Scripture before prayer as a bridge into prayer.
Nine Questions to Help You Steward All of Your Life for God’s Glory – Brad Hambrick (BCC)
The main thing is to begin to have a vision for life that involves being God’s servant and actively engaging that vision where you are currently equipped.
Hope you have a great Lord’s Day celebrating our Lord’s resurrection with your local church!
Passion Points
Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:
The Character of the Christian: Temperate – Tim Challies
The Bible makes it crystal clear—God’s people are to be enslaved only to Jesus Christ. They are to resist any competitors, chief among them alcohol.
Rest in the Prince of Peace– Jon Bloom (DG)
An accurate gauge of our level of faith is how and how much we pray. A growing prayerful dependence on God is evidence of our growing spiritual maturity. And the more we pray in faith in everything, the more we experience the peace of God.
How To Be Conformed to the World – Tim Challies
Worldliness is like gravity, always there, always pushing down on you, always exerting its influence on you. As a Christian you are charged with resisting it day by day.
Beware the Black Hole of Time – Austin Brown (GR)
People get sucked away and lost forever on the second or third or fourth visit immediately following a church service (and especially during any waiting periods- like before a fellowship meal). This is the black hole of time. Initial hellos have been said. Handshakes have been exchanged. So everything is supposedly good now. The regulars can do their regular things, and the visitors are supposed to feel at home. But they don’t feel at home. Not even a little…. Let me encourage you to go out of your way to fill the black hole of time with warmth. Stay with the new people. Actively invite them to your table or sit down next to them. Go out of your comfort zone. Can I say all that again? It is really quite important. Stay with the new people. Be a good host. Take the time to hear their story and share yours. Ask good questions. Don’t leave them feeling awkward.
Hope you have a great Lord’s Day worshiping our great God and enjoying fellowship with His people!
Classic Quote
Continue in harmony among yourselves,
and in prayer with one another.
– Ignatius
Passion Points
Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:
John Calvin’s 4 Rules of Prayer – Joel Beeke (Ligonier)
For John Calvin, prayer cannot be accomplished without discipline. He writes, “Unless we fix certain hours in the day for prayer, it easily slips from our memory.” He goes on to prescribe several rules to guide believers in offering effectual, fervent prayer.
The Character of the Christian: Sound Judgment – Tim Challies
When we put these traits together we see a person who has mastered his thinking and behavior so he is now capable of making wise judgments. His own life is a showcase of such wisdom.
Helping One Another Forsake Sin and Follow Jesus – Randy Alcorn
We should share the truth with humility, as an act of grace, reminding ourselves and each other that we desperately need God’s grace every bit as much as do those we’re offering it to.
How to Have Intimacy with God– Jon Bloom (DG)
The secret to drawing near to God and having him draw near to us is revealed clearly in the Bible: we draw near to God through faith in Christ who alone gives us access to him…
Hope you have a great Lord’s Day!
Passion Points
Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:
The Character of the Christian: A One-Woman Man – Tim Challies
Thus this qualification is a call to devotion—devotion first to God and then to a God-given spouse.
Private Prayer Walk – Jordan Monson (DG)
Pray without distraction. The message is the same, but the means have reversed. One of the best ways to close the door in the 21st century is to open the door and leave your home to go on a prayer walk.
8 Ways to Grow in the Fear of God – Albert Martin (via Tim Challies)
Learn to feed your soul on the majestic greatness of God. By that, I mean those aspects of His character and attributes such as His absolute sovereignty, holiness, power, omnipotence, and immensity. As we contemplate His majestic greatness, it is unthinkable that any rational creature would not fear such a God.
The Best Day of the Week – Nick Kennicott (TCC)
Lord’s Day worship isn’t a burden to endure, but a joyful offering from God to receive. Christians don’t put aside their earthly cares each week to earn God’s favor, but to enjoy worshipping the God whose favor has already been granted in Jesus Christ. It is a true delight to forego even the best worldly endeavors for the day, without feeling any sense of guilt for being lazy or uncaring, to revel in the heavenly things of God which are the truest and greatest treasure for any Christian.
Hope you have a great Lord’s Day!
Father of Glory
In Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 1:16-20, he approaches God as the Father of glory. God is our Father, and yet at the same time he is the God of all glory. In the Old Testament, God is often referred to as the God of glory or the King of glory. Now we can call him our Father, but he is still the Father of glory. Or as Jesus teaches us, he is our Father in heaven. Calling him our Father means we can come boldly into his presence through Jesus as his children. “In heaven” and “of glory” means we must approach him with reverence and humility.
Is this how we approach God when we come before him in prayer or to worship? Boldly before our Father? Reverently and humbly before our glorious God? Do we mindlessly come into his presence, or do we consider into whose presence we come? He is the Father of glory.
New Year’s Collection
It is time to ponder some new year’s resolutions! Here are some good posts as you reflect upon your life this past year, and how God might be leading you to grow in 2016:
Ten Questions to Ask at the Start of a New Year – Donald Whitney
One Big Tip to Make Your Resolutions Stick – Tim Challies
Striving for a More Intentional Life of Prayer – Erik Raymond
The Church Comes First – Nick Batzig
Brian J. Mikul 