'Here, it is plainly stated, that unholy conduct is a bar to successful praying, just as it is clearly intimated that, in order to have full access to God in prayer, there must be a total abandonment of conscious and premeditated sin.
We are enjoined to pray, "lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting," and must pass the time of our sojourning here, in a rigorous abstaining from evil if we are to retain our privilege of calling upon the Father. We cannot, by any process, divorce praying from conduct.
(1Ti 2:8 I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.)
"Whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things which are pleasing in His sight." (1Jn_3:22)
And James declares roundly that men ask and receive not, because they ask amiss, and seek only the gratification of selfish desires.
(Jas_4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. )
Our Lord's injunction, "Watch ye, and pray always," is to cover and guard all our conduct, so that we may come to our inner chamber with all its force secured by a vigilant guard kept over our lives.
"And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares."
Quite often, Christian experience founders on the rock of conduct. Beautiful theories are marred by ugly lives. The most difficult thing about piety, as it is the most impressive, is to be able to live it. It is the life which counts, and our praying suffers, as do other phases of our religious experience, from bad living.'
Quoted from- 'THE NECESSITY OF PRAYER By E.M. BOUNDS' (Excerpt 45)
*******
Is this truth?
Are we to take heed to ourselves?
Are we to guard against our own natural desires, our natural tendencies?
Yes, yes, yes. The answer is yes to all of those questions.
To not stand guard over ourselves is to allow ourselves to give into the basest nature inside of us. Truly we might stand up and say that our basest nature isn't all that bad. We aren't bad people. Our natural tendencies don't hurt anyone. We point our fingers at the worst of the worst society has to offer and say that those people, those are the ones who are who have to take heed, they have to look at their awful behavior and stop. Tell me, why don't they stop? Why are people evil and happy in their evil ways? What makes a sadistic murderer keep murdering? What makes a thief keep stealing? What makes a horrific torturer capable of committing his horrendous acts? Why don't they see their own horrors and stop themselves? Why do people continue in evil when they know it's wrong? I'm not talking about any that have medical conditions that cause them to do these things, I'm talking about the ones who enjoy doing what they're doing and know fully well what they are doing. Part of me would LOVE to believe that only those who have medical conditions can be this way, but that's not true at all.
Cain and Abel. The first sons. They had nothing medically twisted in their brains. And Cain turned on Abel, and did not seek repentance after being warned of God that something could happen if he didn't. Instead of doing the 'right' thing for himself and all, Cain murdered Abel. Why?
Is there something inside of people that makes them believe they truly are unaccountable for their actions, some deep down deceptive belief that they only live for here and now and whatever their basest desire is that it is okay to give in to it?
Why did 1/3 of the angels decide that they needed to give in to their basest nature? They lived in view of GOD and they still made that choice!
So why do we believe that we do NOT have to really and truly be concerned with our conduct? Why do we believe that we do NOT have to take heed to ourselves? Why?! In the light of history, why do we ever entertain the idea that our conduct is irrelevant?
Yes, we know just as Paul the apostle knew, that we are wretched beings! That we do things we DON'T want to do. Our carnal nature overwhelms our spirit nature, but with our spirit, with the part of us that makes the choice to serve God or ourselves, we recognize this! We see it in our lives! We repent of our deeds, we lament our bad conduct, we are horrified by our own actions and we seek true forgiveness from God, we seek His help in overcoming that bad conduct. We don't stop and believe that we are the end all. We realize that we are CREATURES with a CREATOR and we answer to that CREATOR for our conduct. Our Creator tells us to take heed to ourselves, to watch out because left unheeded out carnal nature will rear up and control us. We will succumb to over indulgence with food, drink, and let all the cares, all the many, many worries of this life overwhelm us so much so that the things of Christ won't matter at all. Our bad conduct will cloud our minds, consuming us if we let it, if we do not TAKE HEED.
Truly how can we expect our prayers to be prayed in truth, in sincerity, when we don't care how we live? When we aren't at all concerned by bad tendencies? When our carnal nature is encouraged rather than discouraged or lamented over? How dare we believe God will listen to us.
John the Baptist told His followers to REPENT and be BAPTISED.
But people want to forget the repenting part, and the fact they are in need of constant repenting.
Please, Lord, help us to repent of our wrongdoings. Help us to recognize our wrongdoings. Please, Father in Heaven, please keep us from evil. We come before You now repenting and asking forgiveness for all the wrong conduct within us! We would be YOURS, Lord. We don't want to be overcharged with surfeiting, drunkenness, or cares of this life. We want to be Yours, ready for You when You return!
All glory, honor, and praise unto You God!
In YOUR LOVE!
We are enjoined to pray, "lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting," and must pass the time of our sojourning here, in a rigorous abstaining from evil if we are to retain our privilege of calling upon the Father. We cannot, by any process, divorce praying from conduct.
(1Ti 2:8 I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.)
"Whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things which are pleasing in His sight." (1Jn_3:22)
And James declares roundly that men ask and receive not, because they ask amiss, and seek only the gratification of selfish desires.
(Jas_4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. )
Our Lord's injunction, "Watch ye, and pray always," is to cover and guard all our conduct, so that we may come to our inner chamber with all its force secured by a vigilant guard kept over our lives.
"And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares."
Quite often, Christian experience founders on the rock of conduct. Beautiful theories are marred by ugly lives. The most difficult thing about piety, as it is the most impressive, is to be able to live it. It is the life which counts, and our praying suffers, as do other phases of our religious experience, from bad living.'
Quoted from- 'THE NECESSITY OF PRAYER By E.M. BOUNDS' (Excerpt 45)
*******
Is this truth?
Are we to take heed to ourselves?
Are we to guard against our own natural desires, our natural tendencies?
Yes, yes, yes. The answer is yes to all of those questions.
To not stand guard over ourselves is to allow ourselves to give into the basest nature inside of us. Truly we might stand up and say that our basest nature isn't all that bad. We aren't bad people. Our natural tendencies don't hurt anyone. We point our fingers at the worst of the worst society has to offer and say that those people, those are the ones who are who have to take heed, they have to look at their awful behavior and stop. Tell me, why don't they stop? Why are people evil and happy in their evil ways? What makes a sadistic murderer keep murdering? What makes a thief keep stealing? What makes a horrific torturer capable of committing his horrendous acts? Why don't they see their own horrors and stop themselves? Why do people continue in evil when they know it's wrong? I'm not talking about any that have medical conditions that cause them to do these things, I'm talking about the ones who enjoy doing what they're doing and know fully well what they are doing. Part of me would LOVE to believe that only those who have medical conditions can be this way, but that's not true at all.
Cain and Abel. The first sons. They had nothing medically twisted in their brains. And Cain turned on Abel, and did not seek repentance after being warned of God that something could happen if he didn't. Instead of doing the 'right' thing for himself and all, Cain murdered Abel. Why?
Is there something inside of people that makes them believe they truly are unaccountable for their actions, some deep down deceptive belief that they only live for here and now and whatever their basest desire is that it is okay to give in to it?
Why did 1/3 of the angels decide that they needed to give in to their basest nature? They lived in view of GOD and they still made that choice!
So why do we believe that we do NOT have to really and truly be concerned with our conduct? Why do we believe that we do NOT have to take heed to ourselves? Why?! In the light of history, why do we ever entertain the idea that our conduct is irrelevant?
Yes, we know just as Paul the apostle knew, that we are wretched beings! That we do things we DON'T want to do. Our carnal nature overwhelms our spirit nature, but with our spirit, with the part of us that makes the choice to serve God or ourselves, we recognize this! We see it in our lives! We repent of our deeds, we lament our bad conduct, we are horrified by our own actions and we seek true forgiveness from God, we seek His help in overcoming that bad conduct. We don't stop and believe that we are the end all. We realize that we are CREATURES with a CREATOR and we answer to that CREATOR for our conduct. Our Creator tells us to take heed to ourselves, to watch out because left unheeded out carnal nature will rear up and control us. We will succumb to over indulgence with food, drink, and let all the cares, all the many, many worries of this life overwhelm us so much so that the things of Christ won't matter at all. Our bad conduct will cloud our minds, consuming us if we let it, if we do not TAKE HEED.
Truly how can we expect our prayers to be prayed in truth, in sincerity, when we don't care how we live? When we aren't at all concerned by bad tendencies? When our carnal nature is encouraged rather than discouraged or lamented over? How dare we believe God will listen to us.
John the Baptist told His followers to REPENT and be BAPTISED.
But people want to forget the repenting part, and the fact they are in need of constant repenting.
Please, Lord, help us to repent of our wrongdoings. Help us to recognize our wrongdoings. Please, Father in Heaven, please keep us from evil. We come before You now repenting and asking forgiveness for all the wrong conduct within us! We would be YOURS, Lord. We don't want to be overcharged with surfeiting, drunkenness, or cares of this life. We want to be Yours, ready for You when You return!
All glory, honor, and praise unto You God!
In YOUR LOVE!
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