Epaphras Prays Podcast

Today is the National Day of Prayer, now designated as the first Thursday in May each year. Long before, came the presidential proclamation, which we reaffirm here today.

You can read Proclamation 97—Appointing a Day of National Humiliation, Fasting, and Prayer By the President of the United States of America, Abraham Lincoln attached here:

A couple of highlights, Lincoln writes:

And whereas it is the duty of nations as well as of men, to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions, in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord.

We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven. We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power, as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God.

It behooves us then, to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.

And I do hereby request all the People to abstain, on that day, from their ordinary secular pursuits, and to unite, at their several places of public worship and their respective homes, in keeping the day holy to the Lord, and devoted to the humble discharge of the religious duties proper to that solemn occasion.

What would our nation be today had we actually done that every year since?

Please note: I am NOT advocating the common ecumenical gathering at the courthouse events. We recommend you gather at your church, or your home, with those who will pray together. What our country needs most is repentance for our many transgressions against the Holy Word of God, and these city-wide events typically do not focus praying this way.

Prayers of the Founding Fathers

From our nations founding, We The People have offered prayers for her and for those in government. It is also true that our founding fathers offered prayers. Today we recite two from George Washington and one from Thomas Jefferson in the PrayerPodcast.

Praying with others today? Would you give this a

Praying for our Nations Government

Here are 7 prayers for our earthly government; and asking for the Lord's kingdom here.

If this has blessed you, then you can bless us. We are reader supported only, and we are looking for pray-ers, just like you, who do actually pray!

Pray For The People Of God From The Word Of God

These are prayers for revival in the church and across the land:

* Thursday - Acts 6:7- Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.

* Friday - Acts 12:24- But the word of God grew and multiplied.

* Saturday - Acts 14:27 - they reported all that God had done with them, and that He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.

* Sunday - Acts 19:20- So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.

Until Monday, grace and peace…

Thank you for reading Epaphras Prays. We are a small group writing about prayer and actually in prayer. We are supported by Subscribers, not advertisers. Please consider a subscription for free.

There is no subject of more solemn importance to human happiness than prayer. It is the only medium of intercourse with heaven.

--George Offor, Editor

(from the Introduction of the book)

NOTE: This article is much longer than our usual, even then it is an abridged version of the original section of the book. I consider it time well spent. O, that we all could learn well to pray like this!

On Praying in the Spirit

I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind. I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind. –(1 Corinthians 14:15)PRAYER is an ORDINANCE of God, and that to be used both in public and private; yes, such an ordinance as brings those that have the spirit of supplication into great familiarity with God; and is also so prevalent in action, that it gets of God, both for the person that prays, and for them that are prayed for, great things.

It is the opener of the heart of God, and a means by which the soul, though empty, is filled. By prayer the Christian can open his heart to God, as to a friend, and obtain fresh testimony of God's friendship to him.

I might spend many words in distinguishing between public and private prayer; as also between that in the heart, and that with the vocal voice. Something also might be spoken to distinguish between the gifts and graces of prayer; but [refraining] this method, my business shall be at this time only to show you the very heart of prayer, without which, all your lifting up, both of hands, and eyes, and voices, will be to no purpose at all.

"I will pray with the Spirit."

The method that I will go on in at this time will be:

* FIRST. To show you what true prayer is.

* SECOND. To show you what it is to pray with the Spirit.

* THIRD. What it is to pray with the Spirit and understanding also. And so,

* FOURTHLY. To make some short use and application of what will be spoken.

WHAT PRAYER IS

What [true] prayer is. Prayer is a sincere, sensible, affectionate pouring out of the heart or soul to God, through Christ, in the strength and assistance of the Holy Spirit, for such things as God has promised, or according to the Word, for the good of the church, with submission, in faith, to the will of God.In this description are these seven things:

* It is a sincere;

* A sensible;

* An affectionate, pouring out of the soul to God, through Christ;

* By the strength or assistance of the Spirit;

* For such things as God has promised, or, according to his word;

* For the good of the church;

* With submission in faith to the will of God

First. For the first of these, it is a SINCERE pouring out of the soul to God. Part of the exercise of prayer is sincerity, without which God looks not upon it as prayer in a good sense (see Psalm 16:1-4). Then "ye shall seek me and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29:12-13). The want of this made the Lord reject their prayers in Hosea 7:14, where he saith, "They have not cried unto me with their heart," that is, in sincerity, "when they howled upon their beds." Thus, "The prayer of the upright is his delight" (Proverbs 15:8). And why must sincerity be one of the essentials of prayer which is accepted of God, but because sincerity carries the soul in all simplicity to open its heart to God, and to tell him the case plainly, without equivocation; to condemn itself plainly, without dissembling; to cry to God heartily, without complimenting.

Second. It is a SENSIBLE pouring out of the heart or soul. It is not, as many take it to be, even a few babbling, chatter, complimentary expressions, but a sensible feeling there is in the heart. Prayer has in it a sensibleness of diverse things; sometimes sense of sin, sometimes of mercy received, sometimes of the readiness of God to give mercy, so on. 1. A sense of the want of mercy, by reason of the danger of sin. The soul, I say, feels, and from feeling sighs, groans, and breaks at the heart. David roars, cries, weeps, faints at heart, fails at the eyes, loses his moisture, (Psalm 38:8-10). Hezekiah mourns like a dove (Isaiah 38:14). Ephraim bemoans himself (Jeremiah 31:18). Peter weeps bitterly (Matthew 26:75). 2. Sometimes there is a sweet sense of mercy received; encouraging, comforting, strengthening, enlivening, enlightening mercy. Thus David pours out his soul, to bless, and praise, and admire the great God for his loving- kindness to such poor vile wretches. "Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. 3. In prayer there is sometimes in the soul a sense of mercy to be received. This again sets the soul all on a flame. "Thou, O lord of hosts," saith David, "hast revealed to thy servant, saying I will build thee an house; therefore has thy servant found in his heart to pray - unto thee" (2 Samuel 7:27). Third. Prayer is an AFFECTIONATE pouring out of the soul to God. O! the heat, strength, life, vigor, and affection, that is in right prayer! "As the hart pants after the water-brooks, so pants my soul after thee, O God" (Psalm 42:1). "I have longed after thy precepts" (Psalm 119:40). "I have longed for thy salvation" (verse 174).

“O! How wide are the most of men with their prayers from this prayer, that is, PRAYER in God's account!”

When the affections are indeed engaged in prayer, then, then the whole man is engaged, and that in such sort, that the soul will spend itself to nothing, as it were, rather than it will go without that good desired, even communion and solace with Christ. And hence it is that the saints have spent their strengths, and lost their lives, rather than go without the blessing (Psalm 69:3; 38:9,10; Genesis 32:24,26).Fourth. Prayer is by the strength or ASSISTANCE OF THE SPIRIT. For all these things do so depend one upon another, that it is impossible that it should be prayer, without there be a joint concurrence of them. For without a sincere, sensible, affectionate pouring out of the heart to God, it is but lip-labor; and if it be not through Christ, it falls far short of ever sounding well in the ears of God. So also, if it be not in the strength and assistance of the Spirit, it is but like the sons of Aaron, offering with strange fire (Lev 10:1,2). That which is not petitioned through the teaching and assistance of the Spirit, it is not possible that it should be "according to the will of God (Romans 8:26,27).

Fifth. Prayer is a sincere, sensible, affectionate pouring out of the heart, or soul, to God, through Christ, in the strength and assistance of the Spirit, FOR SUCH THINGS AS GOD HAS PROMISED, (Matthew 6:6-8). Prayer it is, when it is within the compass of God's Word; and it is blasphemy, or at best vain babbling, when the petition is beside the book.

David therefore still in his prayer kept his eye on the Word of God. "My soul," he says, "clings to the dust; quicken me according to thy word." And again, "My soul melts for heaviness, strengthen me according unto thy word" (Psalm 119:25-28; see also 41, 42, 58, 65, 74, 81, 82, 107, 147, 154, 169, 170). And indeed the Holy Ghost does not immediately quicken and stir up the heart of the Christian without, but by, with, and through the Word, by bringing that to the heart, and by opening of that, whereby the man is provoked to go to the Lord, and to tell him how it is with him, and also to argue, and supplicate, according to the Word, as did Daniel.

It is a praying then according to the Word and promise. The Spirit by the Word must direct, as well in the manner, as in the matter of prayer. "I will pray with the Spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also" (I Corinthians 14:15). But there is no understanding without the Word. For if they reject the word of the Lord, "what wisdom is in them?" (Jeremiah 8:9).

Sixth. FOR THE GOOD OF THE CHURCH. This clause reaches in whatsoever tends either to the honor of God, Christ's advancement, or his people's benefit.

For God, and Christ, and his people are so linked together that if the good of the one be prayed for--the church, the glory of God, and advancement of Christ, must needs be included. For as Christ is in the Father, so the saints are in Christ; and he that touches the saints, touches the apple of God's eye; and therefore pray for the peace of Jerusalem, and you pray for all that is required of you.

He that prays for the peace and good of the church, asks in prayer which Christ has purchased with his blood; and also which the Father has given to him as the price thereof. Now he that prays for this, must pray for abundance of grace for the church, for help against all its temptations; that God would let nothing be too hard for it; and that all things might work together for its good, that God would keep them blameless and harmless, the sons of God, to his glory, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation. And this is the substance of Christ's own prayer in John 17.

And all Paul's prayers were that way, as one of his prayers shows: "And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge, and in all judgment; that you may approve things that are excellent; that you may be sincere, and without offense, till the day of Christ. Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God" (Philippians 1:9-11).

Seventh. And because, as I said, prayer does SUBMIT TO THE WILL OF GOD, and says, Thy will be done, as Christ has taught us (Matthew 6:10); therefore the people of the Lord in humility are to lay themselves and their prayers, and all that they have, at the foot of their God, to be disposed of by him as he in his heavenly wisdom sees best. Yet not doubting but God will answer the desire of his people that way that shall be most for their advantage and his glory. When the saints therefore do pray with submission to the will of God, it does not argue that they are to doubt or question God's love and kindness to them.

"Yet this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us; and if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him," that is, we asking in the Spirit of grace and supplication (1 John 5:14,15).

For, as I said before, that petition that is not put up in and through the Spirit, it is not to be answered, because it is beside the will of God. For the Spirit only knows that, and so consequently knows how to pray according to that will of God.

"For what man knows the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knows no man but the Spirit of God" (1 Corinthians 2:11).

But more of this hereafter. Thus you see, first, what prayer is.

Next to proceed (in another article) - What it is to pray with the Spirit.For now, if you would be so kind as to

or to

and possibly

Any of these would be extremely helpful!

Until Thursday, grace and peace

Thank you for reading Epaphras Prays. We are a small group writing about prayer and actually in prayer. We are supported by Subscribers, not advertisers. Please consider a subscription for free.

Come, join us in praying from these five Scriptures for the Church: Revelation 1:5, 6; Psalm 67: 1-2; Acts 19:20; Romans 15:13; 2 Peter 3:18

Listen along or read along with the attached transcript (browsers only)

* Revelation 1:5, 6 - To Him who loves us and has released us from our sins by His blood, and He has made us a kingdom, priests to His God and Father--to Him be the glory and the dominion to the ages of the ages. Amen.

* Psalm 67: 1-2 – May God be gracious to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us, that Your ways may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations.

* Acts 19:20 – So the word of the Lord powerfully continued to spread and prevail.

* Romans 15:13 – Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

* 2 Peter 3:18 - But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

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Until Monday, grace and peace…

Brethren, I have to EXHORT YOU TO PRAY FOR OTHERS.

—C. H. Spurgeon

Why would he have to? In the final part of the sermon—Intercessory Prayer, the preacher urges his hearers to actually engage in the activity. Apparently, he doesn’t think the congregation does so as they should. And, if they have, he admits he himself has not!

Do you always pray for others, yes or no? He asks, “Do you think you have taken the case of your children, your church, your neighborhood, and the ungodly world before God as you ought to have done?”

He stands, as do we, as the chief culprit of neglecting intercessory prayer. Spurgeon ends by admonishing us to practice a decidedly noble privilege.

Someone has prayed for you

If you are reading this, likely your faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord is an answer to someones prayer. You came to Christ because somebody else prayed for you. In Spurgeons case, it was his mother.

Many of us were prayed for in our cradles. Husbands who owe conversion to the prayers of their wives. Brothers who know it was a sister’ pleading. There were Sunday school teachers and youth leaders who were on their knees for one such as me!

And if by the prayers of others we were brought to Christ, how do we repay this Christian kindness?

By pleading to Almighty God for others.

He who has not a man to pray for him may write himself down a hopeless character.

Is there anyone unsaved of your acquaintance that has nobody to pray for him? As you had someone pray for you, then you be the one who pleads for your acquaintance. Spurgeon says you prove your love to Christ and to His church by praying for others.

We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death. (I John 3:14)

Praying for others is the very least we can do, and if we cannot do the least, we fail to do anything greater. Loving one another means praying for them.

Your own prayers unanswered

Will God answer your own prayer if you neglect prayers for those around you? Will not the Lord say, “Selfish wretch, you are always knocking at My door, but it is always to cry for your own welfare and never for another. Inasmuch as you have never asked for a blessing for one of the least of these My brethren, neither will I give a blessing to you.”

Our prayers are selfish if only to be personally blessed, but Christians were meant to be selfless, and pray not just for themselves, but plead for God’s grace for our friends. The Lord blessed Jobs friends when he prayed for them.

O brethren, let us unite with one heart and with one soul to plead with God for this neighborhood!

Awake the Watchmen

We pray for more people of God to be prayers to God. The Church needs prayers, our family, friends, neighbors, and all those near and far from us NEED our shouts, like those on Zion’s walls in the ancient day.

Brothers and Sisters, we are surrounded by people who do not pray, or pray as they ought. We must renew our prayers, it is ours to rise up and call aloud to the Almighty, go before the throne of mercy, to ask, and ask, and ask again. Let ours be the fervent prayer that avails much, ours be the striving prayers like Epaphras, ours be as Daniel in our commitment and constancy.

God has put high up in the mountains of His promise springs of love, it is yours to bring them down by the divine channel of your intense supplications.

And let’s dispense with shallow, feeble, flippant, or occasional intercession. These have no place in the prayer closet nor in the meeting. Praying like this is being as those four men who tore through the roof to bring their friend to Jesus.

Spurgeon concludes

Let us be Christians—let us have expanded souls and minds that can feel for others.

Let us weep with them that weep, and rejoice with them that rejoice, and as a church and as private persons, we shall find the Lord will turn our captivity when we pray for our friends.

God help us to plead for others! And as for you that have never prayed for yourselves, God help you to believe in the Lord Jesus!

Amen.

Thank you for reading our study of the sermon. If this post is where you began, the other parts of the sermon series are available here, here, here, and here

We hope this summary has been of help to you in your praying, and we’d ask you to do us a favor. Please help us get the word out about our newsletter to encourage more people of God to pray more from the Word of God.

Until Monday, grace and peace…

And in case you get lost while praying, here is a previous post that may help:

Job prayed for his friends, and so we pray for our friends. There are four types of others for whom we should especially intercede. Some of these will be in the church and others outside it, but we most likely have all these people near us.

Our study is of a Spurgeon sermon—Intercessory Prayer, having already covered an introduction, studied his commending the exercise of it, his encouraging us to enlist in it, and now we come to his suggestions for whom we particularly pray.

May we continue being taught to imitate the example of Job praying, and learn to uphold one another; and perhaps if we have been in trouble, our own difficulty may be turned.

Offending Friends

Three men were with Job during his suffering, and all was well while they were silent, yet when each spoke in turn, they offered little insight, solace, or comfort to Job.

There is a lesson here of being silent when near one who is suffering. Just being present is often enough to comfort to a grieving soul.

The three friends, and later a fourth who spoke, were harsh to Job, blaming him for some unconfessed sin against God as the reason for his suffering. Though the Lord had declared him upright, they accused him of hypocrisy and supposed all that he did was for selfish gain.

Job however was accepted at the mercy seat “and begs that his friends may be accepted too.” So carry to the throne those offending you, which would prove your forgiveness of any offense.

When alone before God, ask Him to forgive your erring brother or sister.

Controversial Friends

These men had argued about Job’s past and supposed offense to God, stating he was getting what he deserved: justice for a sin. They disputed his claim of innocence.

This caused the controversy to drag on, but better to pray than argue. If two disagree, Spurgeon suggests rather than public discussion, it is “a better thing to have prayer over it.”

Spurgeon recommends praying for a friend who thinks you are wrong, that God would allow them to see it. He wishes they would also pray that God would set them both right. He was perfectly willing to put it to the test that God answers by fire, with prayer over the matter the final arbiter, and he would let that stand.

Carry your argumentative friends to the prayer closet, and let this be your cry, “Oh! you that teaches us to our profit, teach me if I be wrong, and teach my friend wherein he errs, and make him right.”

Arrogant Friends

Pride is likely the thing that causes most to fall, isn’t it? Many think they are right, and even superior! How high and haughty were Eliphaz and Bildad, looking down on Job, accusing him of sins and hypocrisy.

Were they actually any better? They were not commended by the Lord. But some may think they are more gifted, blessed, or more graced by God than we are. They may puff up with spiritual pride because they serve in a more visible or important church position. They may speak piously of Bible studies or how they stay away from ‘bad things’ or memorize more verses.

We should not be upset by their being prideful. Spurgeon says pride is a very bad disease, and we should go and pray for the Lord to heal our friend of it. Our anger will not do it, but our prayer may set him right.

And if he be proud, I know this, if you prevail with God, God will soon take the pride out of His own child and make him humble as he should be.

Friends Unable To Pray

There are those who will not, or cannot pray and we should plead before the mercy seat for these.

Job had three friends unable to pray for themselves for the Lord said He would not accept them even if they did! He was angry with them, but the Lord said He would accept Job.

Even as Christians, there are times we cannot pray. “When a man has just been committing sin, repentance is his first work, not prayer.” We should first get right with God ourselves before we intercede.

Fears or doubts creep in and some cannot pray with confidence and faith. Now if you can pray, then take their pleadings with you to the throne room, go into the prayer closet and pray for them.

You will be heard on behalf of those unable to pray.

Then there are those unwilling to pray: our unsaved friends, who are dead in sins and cannot pray. You can offer intercession for those who have no faith, praying they be brought to repentance and salvation in Christ.

March 28th we conclude the sermon as Spurgeon exhorts us to pray for others.

Have you learned from this series? We’d ask you to help an intercessor you know

Until Thursday, grace and peace…

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Come, pray with us from these five Scriptures for the Church, for the wisdom, insight, knowledge, revelation of God which we lack.

Listen along or read along with the attached transcript (browsers only)

…make your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; - yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. - Proverbs 2:2-5

Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling! - Psalm 43:3

So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. - Psalm 90:12

that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, - Ephesians 1:17

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. - James 1:5

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Until Monday, grace and peace…

All Scriptures from: The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001, 2007, 2011, 2016 by Crossway Books and Bibles, a Publishing Ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Do we know, or need to remember, that intercessory praying is the sweetest praying our Father hears? This is because it is the nature of the prayers of his own Son. There are no prayers for Himself, but only us. “Do not doubt that Christ’s prayer is the most acceptable of all supplications,” says Spurgeon.

We continue to study the sermon—Intercessory Prayer, which draws it’s points from Job, who prayed for his friends. And God not only blessed those, but Job as well.

Our petitions for ourselves will be heard and accepted, but our prayers for others will be a more sweet offering to God because they are more like Christ’s. May we learn to cheerfully offer intercessory supplications.

“…your pleadings for others, having in them more of the fruits of the Spirit, more love, perhaps more faith, certainly more brotherly kindness, they will be as the sweetest oblation that you can offer to God, the very fat of your sacrifice.”

Intercessory prayer is exceedingly prevalent

Spurgeon does not mean that it is widely or commonly used, but that has often prevailed over adversity. What wonders it has wrought! he says.

“Intercessory prayer has stayed plagues. It removed the darkness which rested over Egypt; it drove away the frogs upon the land; it scattered lice and locusts which plagued the inhabitants of Zoan; it removed pestilence, and thunder, and lightning; it stayed all the ravages which God’s avenging hand did upon Pharaoh and his people.

“Intercessory prayer has healed diseases—we know it did in the early church. We have evidence of it in old Mosaic times. When Miriam had leprosy, Moses prayed, and the leprosy was removed. It has restored withered limbs. When the king’s arm was withered, he said to the prophet, “Pray for me,” and his arm was restored as it was before.

“Intercessory prayer has raised the dead, for Elijah stretched himself upon the child seven times, and the child sneezed, and the child’s soul returned. As to how many souls intercessory prayer has instrumentally saved, recording angel, you can tell! Eternity, you shall reveal!

There is nothing which intercessory prayer cannot do.

Spurgeon calls it a mighty engine we have in our hand. It is a tool for a carpenter, a brush for an artist, a pen for a writer. Prayer for others is fire before the alter, the incense before the mercy seat. Use it well, he says, use it continuously in faith, and surely you will prevail.

But perhaps you feel weak or powerless

Strength comes by exertion, by exercise. So, exercise in praying and strength of faith will come. “But besides, the prevalence of prayer does not depend upon the strength of the man who prays, but upon the power of the argument he uses.” The prayers of faith come from the Word. It is dropped into the ground like a seed, with hope, and it does not depend on your weakness or strength. The prayer will still prevail with God and bring down blessings from on high.

Job’s intercession was while he was still in his weakness, how can we refuse to intercede while on our couch? So, says Spurgeon, “see to it that you be not negligent in these exercises, but that you pray much for others even as Job prayed for his friends.”

Here is the thing: each of us found our salvation through someones intercessory prayer. Or our healing, our blessing, our job, or some grace given us because of the praying of our friends for us. If we have been so prayed for, should we not be in turn offering supplications for them?

The troubles around us are plenty, our pleadings should be all the more abundant. Intercession can do what voting cannot, what a pill will not, what a million dollar bank account doesn’t, what a bigger church building can’t, or what a lawsuit would fail to do.

Brothers and sisters in the Lord, let us pray for our friends.

Thank you for reading through this far. We pray this post is an encouragement to enlist in intercessory prayer. Please consider supporting us.

We will continue the sermon on Monday. Here is a previous article you might enjoy:

Until Thursday, grace and peace…

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Come, pray with us these four Scriptures for the Church: Romans 15:5-7, 1 Corinthians 16:13-14, Ephesians 1:17-19, Colossians 1:9-12

Listen along or read along with the attached transcript (browsers only)

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Until Monday, grace and peace…

This edition comes in audio form as we read from Chapter 3 of "Purpose in Prayer" by E.M. Bounds

Thank you for listening to Epaphras Prays . This post is public so feel free to share it.

Here are 10 key points:

* Importance of Prayer: Bounds emphasizes that prayer is an essential duty in Christianity, yet it is often neglected. Many perceive it as a tiresome formality, leading to languid and distracted prayers that do not bring blessings.

* Christ's Continuous Prayer: Jesus is portrayed as continually praying through His people. Believers are called to prepare themselves to pray like Christ and to be in a constant attitude of prayer.

* Access through Prayer: Man's access to God through prayer opens the way to all things, making his impoverishment his wealth. All things, including wealth and glory, belong to Christ, and prayer is the means through which believers can claim these blessings.

* The Oath-Bound Covenant: The Father's invitation to "Ask of Me" is seen as the assurance of an answer and victory. The Father holds authority and power, making the conditions of prayer easy, but humanity often fails to fulfill them.

* Prayer in the Church: The life of the Church is defined by its prayer life. The Book of Revelation emphasizes the aggregated force of all saints' prayers, which continue as a powerful, living energy even after their death.

* Role of Prayer in Success: John Foster asserts that more and better praying is the key to the triumph of God's cause. Feeble and formal prayers lead to decay, while a vibrant prayer life in the closet anchors the Church and ensures success.

* Dependency on God through Prayer: Edward Payson emphasizes the importance of recognizing dependence on God, and how every man, aware of this dependence, would be impelled to pray constantly for success in his endeavors.

* Neglect of Prayer: Despite the vital importance of prayer, people often let hours pass without engaging in this holy exercise. The progress of the Lord's Kingdom is directly tied to prayer, and neglecting it harms both individual spirituality and the advancement of God's cause on earth.

* Revolution through Prayer: Foster predicts that when the Church is truly awakened to its obligations and exercises the right faith in claiming Christ's promises through prayer, a revolution will take place.

* Power of Prayer: James' statement in the New Testament reinforces the power of prayer, stating that results are lacking because people fail to ask or ask with wrong motives. The potency of prayer is presented as a solution to the leanness of results in believers' lives.

A priority of praying must come upon the children of God, of making petition not merely for our earthly comforts, but for his kingdom come, the good news spread, the salvation of lost souls, the light outshine the darkness, and that God be glorified.

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Until Monday, grace and peace…

Come, pray with us these five Scriptures for the Church: Acts 4:29-31, Ephesians 3:16-19, Philippians 1:9-11, 1 Peter 4: 7-9, 1 John 1:7