God Wants Us To Pray Mostly For
OTHERS
Note in our text verse above from Colossians
4:12 that the apostle Paul mentions “LABOURING fervently for you in prayer.”
Prayer is often only thought of in selfish terms, praying for ourselves.
Prayer is sadly viewed these days as a means of satisfying personal
ambitions, lusts and desires. However, we read in Colossians 4:12 that
Epaphras was a faithful servant of Jesus Christ who laboured intensely in
prayer for OTHERS (“for you”). There are NO coincidences in the Bible.
Everything is written the way it is for specific reasons, whether we know
what those reasons are or not. God doesn't make mistakes.
Having said that, I want to bring your
attention to Matthew 6:7-8 and Luke 12:5-13...
Matthew 6:7-8, “But when ye pray, use not
vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard
for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father
knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.”
Notice in the preceding Scripture passage that
God tells us NOT to pray long prayers, thinking that we are earning an
answer to prayer or impressing God. God already knows exactly what we need
before we even begin to pray. The reason why God wants us to pray is so that
WE KNOW that we need Him. James 4:6 teaches that God resists THE PROUD who
don't pray, but God gives GRACE to the humble. In 2nd Chronicles 7:13-15 God
tells His people to humble themselves, pray, seek His face (His approval)
and turn from their wicked ways so that God will forgive their sins and heal
the land. Notice that humility precedes prayer. Proud people don't pray.
God
turns His face against the wicked, which includes those who don't pray.
So we learn from Matthew 6:7-8 that we don't
have to pray lengthy prayers to receive answers from God. The Lord just
wants us to pray, evidencing that we trust upon the Lord and need His help,
provisions and guidance in life. Now notice the convicting Scripture passage
in Luke 11:5-13 which teaches us to PRAY LONG PRAYERS FOR OTHERS...
Luke 11:5-13, “And he said unto them, Which
of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto
him, Friend, lend me three loaves; For a friend of mine in his journey is
come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? And he from within shall
answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are
with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. I say unto you, Though he will
not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his
importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth. And I say unto
you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it
shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that
seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. If a son shall
ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he
ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an
egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give
good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give
the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?”
How many of us spend most of our prayer time
praying FOR OTHERS verses our self? The Lord thought about OTHERS while
living on earth, and you can be assured that He still thinks about OTHERS
today. Hebrews 13:8 proclaims “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to
day, and for ever.” The same Lord Who cared about OTHERS, “who for the
joy that was set before him endured the cross,” still CARES about OTHERS
today. Here is
a precious poem written by the faithful man of God, Pastor Jack Hyles...
Lord, let me
live from day to day
In such a self-forgetful way,
That even when I kneel to pray,
My prayer shall be for others.
Others, Lord, yes, others;
Let this my motto be.
Help me to live for others
That I may live like Thee.
Why Wash Our Face After Fasting?
I was curious why the Bible tells us to wash
our face after fasting to hide from others that we've been fasting. In the
Bible they put ashes and often oil on their faces while fasting. I don't
know who the following author is nor if the gentleman is a Christian, but he
did well writing the following words to explain Matthew 6:16-18, which I
want to share with you now...
Matthew 6:16-18:
“When you fast, do not look somber as the
hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting.
I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you
fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be
obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen;
and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
I want to remind you that, in Chapter 6, Christ moves from the general
aspects of Christianity to specific items on Christian piety. And the three
areas which we are covering in Chapter 6 is almsgiving, which has to do with
our relationship to one another; praying, which has to do with our
relationship to God; and now He is dealing in verses 16-18 with fasting.
If you read the whole passage, you will notice that Christ is contrasting
these three areas with the practices and teachings of the scribes and
Pharisees. For example in verse 1, Christ says:
“Be careful not to do your ‘acts of
righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them.”
That is how the Pharisees were doing it.
Then He gives His counsel on praying. Verse 5:
“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray
standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men.”
Then, in verse 16, He goes to fasting:
“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure
their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have
received their reward in full.”
I want you to notice that Jesus is in harmony with all three of these areas
concerning piety. But He is dealing with an area that has to be done
correctly. Our almsgiving, our praying, and our fasting must be done in a
true Christian way. And so I would like, first of all, to look at the text
itself. We’ll go on with verses 17 and 18:
“But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will
not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is
unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
First of all, what does the word “fast” mean? The Greek, as used here,
actually means “abstinence from food.” That, basically, is what the word
means. According to Luke 18:12, we know that the Pharisees fasted twice a
week [Mondays and Thursdays]:
“I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.”
It became a tradition. But when we look at scripture, we discover that they
went far beyond God’s requirement.
When Moses gave them the Law, God required (through Moses) that the Jews
fast only once a year and that was on the Day of Atonement. Then, after the
Babylonian captivity, one or two more fast days were added. But then
tradition began to add and add and add until twice a week they were fasting.
Christ is not dealing here with the number of times. He is dealing with two
things. He is dealing with the method of fasting and the reason for fasting.
I would like to show you the wrong reason and the wrong method for fasting
and the right reason and the right method. First, let me say something about
fasting. While most Christians lay stress on almsgiving and on praying,
there has been a kind of departure from the emphasis on fasting. This was
partly because of the way the Catholic Church handled fasting. Fasting
became a requirement to attain salvation. Fridays you could not eat any
meat. The Orthodox churches followed the same route and the result of this
was that many felt that fasting was eliminated in the New Testament.
But if you read your New Testament, you will discover that Jesus did not do
away with fasting; the Christian church did not do away with fasting. Let me
give you a couple of examples. Right here in the passage that we just read,
Jesus said, “When you fast.” He didn’t say, “don’t fast.” He said, “don’t
fast like the hypocrites.” Also, we know that Jesus Himself fasted for 40
days before He entered the second phase of His ministry which was pointing
Him toward the cross.
As another example, the Church at Antioch, when they were about to send Paul
and Barnabas on their first missionary journey, spent a period of time in
prayer and fasting. So fasting is clearly taught in the New Testament.
Let’s look now at the wrong reasons. Number one, we must never fast for an
ulterior motive. In other words, we must not fast hoping that God will give
us some extra blessing. We must not use fasting as a means of twisting God’s
arm (“See, I am fasting.”) That is not taught in the New Testament. We do
not fast because we want a favor of God. God has already blessed us with all
the gifts.
By the way, the same can be said about tithe paying. We don’t pay tithe
because we want our bank account to increase. God has not promised that. He
has promised to make our bread and water sure. We must not fast for any
self-interest. Fasting must be based on a spiritual relationship with God.
Let’s look at the wrong method now. Number one, we must not fast
mechanically. This is what the Catholic and Orthodox churches did. They set
aside certain days for fasting. We have Lent (40 days before the cross); we
have weekly fasts. In the Anglican Church, the Catholic Church, the Orthodox
churches, they fast mechanically; it is one of their requirements. It is
part of their religious formula. We shouldn’t just go through the motions of
fasting, for that is of no real benefit.
Number two, we must never fast for outward show. This is what Christ is
condemning here. When the Pharisees fasted, they disfigured their faces,
they put ashes on their bodies, and they looked as if they were half dead to
show people that they were fasting. And Christ is saying that if they fast
so that people may see them, they have their reward: they have been seen.
Let’s go now to the right reason. What is the reason for fasting? It must be
a spiritual reason. For example, the Day of Atonement was a very solemn day
for the Jews. It was a day of judgment. That is why the Lord admonished the
Jews to fast on that day. When Christ was about to enter the second phase of
His ministry, which pointed Him to the cross, He realized that this involved
God-abandonment and He wanted to spend much time in fasting because He
wanted to dedicate Himself to this cause.
If you look at all of the fasting in the New Testament, you will notice that
all of it involves, to some degree, self-denial. Let me tell you why. When
you become a Christian, no change takes place in your nature. Your nature
remains sinful. Because this body of sin (Romans 6), the body of this death
(Romans 7), this body of ours is controlled by the law of sin. Paul says,
“sin that dwelt in my members.” Romans 7:23:
...But I see another law at work in the
members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a
prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.
In Christian living, that body controlled by the law of sin is a great
stumbling block to our Christianity. It is a hindrance to spiritual growth.
Christ is saying that fasting is often an expression that we are taking up
our cross and following Jesus Christ. There are two basic drives that are
found in our bodies through the law of sin. Number one is our appetite and
Number two is greed. Both of these need to be kept under subjection and
fasting is simply turning to God and saying, “God, I want to humble myself
before you; I want You to take over; I want to put myself completely in your
hands.” And fasting is one form of self-discipline. Not to earn heaven, not
to gain merit, but to remind yourself, to impose upon yourself that our
bodies must not control us. It is our converted mind that must control the
body.
Real fasting must do something to us. If
you will turn to Isaiah 58, you will notice what God said through His
prophet concerning fasting. If fasting makes you self-righteous and proud
then you are not fasting in the correct way. True fasting should make you
humble and concerned about others.
SOURCE: The Sermon on the
Mount (Part 20 of 30)
Christian Women Can Serve God With
Prayers, Fastings &
The Gospel
This includes you ladies too. The apostle Paul
mentions Christian women who laboured with him in the gospel. Philippians
4:3, “And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which
laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my
fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life.”
Luke 2:37, “And she was a widow of about
fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served
God with fastings and prayers night and day. And she coming in that
instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them
that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.” Whew, that's good stuff!
Amen! This 84 year old widow waited and watched for strangers who came to
Jerusalem seeking redemption in Jesus Christ. They had heard from afar in
foreign lands about Jesus Who died, was buried and then miraculously
resurrected from the dead after three days. They traveled all the way to
Jerusalem to find out how to be saved. They wanted redemption in Christ and
this dear old lady eagerly awaited for them in Jerusalem to tell them about
Jesus. Oh how the world still needs Jesus.
So many multitudes today are still seeking the
redemption of their souls. Satan has blinded them with the lies of
evolution. Satan has confused them with thousands of different religions.
Satan has misled them with hundreds of false Bible versions. Satan has
offered them hope in the false religion of religious humanism, which makes
men feel comfortable in their unsaved condition, leaving out the gospel of
Jesus Christ which is the only way of salvation to them that believe.
Ladies, whoever you may be, if you are a Christian, then you have a golden
opportunity to share the gospel and to serve God with prayers and fasting.
It is entirely a matter of faith. Although God will answer prayers without
fasting, fasting compels us to pray more fervently, since our flesh is
unhappy that we are afflicting it by denying it food, et cetera. The flesh
is our biggest enemy. Fasting is a means of subduing the flesh to boost our
faith, letting go of the physical in order to grasp more of the spiritual.
Romans 7:24, “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the
body of this death?”
The Philosophy Behind Prayer And Fasting (from
Exploring Prayer With Dr. Jack Hyles)
Please understand that prayer and fasting, and
laying up heavenly rewards, have absolutely NOTHING to do with salvation
itself, which is the free gift of God by faith in Christ Jesus our Savior.
Pray Without Ceasing
The
Bible, God's Word, commands Christians to PRAY WITHOUT CEASING. In today's fast-pace, high-pressure, hustle-and-bustle world, it's very easy
for Christians to forget to pray. It's tragic. We are spoiled in
America, having an over-abundance of food, clothing, and toys to consume our
time. There is generally a direct relation between our blessings and
the amount to time we spend praying, i.e., as God blesses us, we forget
about Him.
In Deuteronomy 6:10-12, Moses warned the Israelites about
this... "And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall have brought thee
into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to
Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not, And
houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged,
which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst
not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full; Then beware lest thou forget
the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the
house of bondage." Have you forgotten God in your busy life?
Do you take time to pray? When's the last time you poured out your
heart to God, and wept over the sinful condition of America?
I believe that the reason God tells us to pray
without ceasing is because He understands that it's difficult to spend large
amounts of time in prayer for a busy mother or a working father. I know, I
know, there's the old saying that goes, “If you're too busy to pray, you're
too busy.” But I know from my own experiences that once I begin to pray, I
think of more things and people that need to be prayed over, and a few
minutes can easily become a few hours. We don't always have the privilege of
spending hours in prayer.
And quite frankly, PRAYER IS WORK.
Colossians 4:12, “Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth
you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers,
that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.” I love
that Scriptures. Genuine prayer set aside as an activity by itself is work
my friend. That's why most people don't pray. Notice that that the Apostle
Paul was praying for OTHERS. In Luke 11:2-4 we find the Lord's Prayer (which
is really the disciple's prayer because Jesus was teaching them how to
pray), we are given a pattern to follow. Jesus taught in Matthew 6:7 not to
pray long prayers, because God already knows our needs.
Persevering Prayer
&
Answers To Prayer
Carefully notice in Luke 11:5-10 Jesus taught
about persevering prayer where we pray for OTHERS. This is where we ought to
spend the greater lengths of time, because there are many people to pray
for, and many spiritual as well as physical needs. Literally, God wants us
to stop thinking about ourselves all the time. In Philippians 2:5 we are
told to have the mind of Christ, and in Philippians 2:4 (the Verse before)
we are told that Jesus thought on the things of others. Philippians
2:4-5, “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the
things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.”
Jesus was concerned about OTHERS, not Himself. Oh, that we would learn
this truth as God's children!
So when you go to pray, spend a few minutes on
yourself and then spend some quality time praying for OTHERS in your life.
Prayer makes a difference! If we don't care about others, then how can we
reasonably expect God to cater to our selfishness. Most people pray for
themselves, and that's it. Then they wonder why God doesn't answer. It's a
total lack of faith. If God openly answered your prayers, then where is
faith?
No, the way God works is behind the scenes, in
ways unseen as Romans 1:20 teaches. It is the invisible things of God at
work that we cannot see, such as the angels, God's power and the Godhead.
When we pray we are looking to see God's eternal power, but the Bible says
it is invisible, seen only by the things which are made. Pray my friend, and
trust what you see around you as evidence that there is a God and He rewards
those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).
Since God sees what we cannot see, then we must
trust Him, understanding that our prayers will often produce very different
results that what we had intended. Trust the Lord, for He cares for you (1st
Peter 5:7) and has promised to guide us (Proverbs 3:5-7). Do you know that
the Bible never says God will answer all our prayers? Rather, the Bible
teaches that if we acknowledge God in all our ways, then He will direct our
steps. Psalms 34:7, “The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them
that fear him, and delivereth them.”
Prayer Made Simple
Carefully study 2nd Chronicles 7:14,15... "If
my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray,
and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from
heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. Now mine eyes
shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this
place." Notice the progression:
- Humble yourself
- Pray
- Seek God's face
- Turn from sin
This is God's divine order. This is what
America needs today to
get right
with God. It all begins with humility. Tragically, America
is a
sinfully
proud and
stubborn nation. We are in desperate need of a spanking as a
nation, because we are out-of-control brats in this country. The
greatest blessing God could give America today would be harsh judgment, to
drive us to our knees! We have flaunted our sins in God's face, even
naming one of our cities... SIN CITY!
To Whom Do You Pray?
Unfortunately,
of those people who do pray, few people genuinely pray to the God of the
Bible. When most people go to pray, they recite the
Rosary, a damnable doctrine of Roman Catholicism. God hates the
Rosary because it is a manmade tradition that violates the Scriptures. Jesus forbade anyone from praying with
vain
repetitions.
God wants us to pray from our hearts, not from a
prayer book. God hates prayer books! Do you think God is
impressed when the President of the United States publicly reads a prayer
that someone else wrote for him? No way! Prayer books are
FORMALIZED religion, which quenches the work of the Holy Spirit of God.
You can't mechanicalize the Christian life. God didn't intend for us
to recite chants like dead robots. Listen for
yourself.
Freemasons pray to the
Great
Architect, which is Satan in disguise. To whom do you pray? If we believe the Bible, then we must pray to the God of the Bible. There is NO other God (Isaiah 45:22). James 2:19 tells us that
believing there is a God is not enough to get a person to Heaven. Yet,
John 3:16 tells us that believing on Jesus Christ is enough to get us to
Heaven.
Genesis 15:6 tells us that Abraham, "...believed in the
LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness." Thus, the only
Biblical conclusion is that Jesus is the "LORD" which Abraham believed upon
in Genesis 15:6. When we pray, we must always realize that Jesus
Christ came to this earth as the manifestation of God, i.e., the Godhead, in
the flesh (1st Timothy 3:16). This is why the Scriptures direct us to
pray "in Jesus' name." This simply signifies our acknowledgment that
it is Jesus' blood which gives us a right to approach God's throne of grace
(Hebrews 4:15,16).
It is foolish for any believer not to exercise
their right to the throne of grace, when God is offering to... give us
grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16).
Prayer is Trusting God
Oh! that Christians would learn to trust
God--and that's what prayer really is... TRUSTING GOD. King David
prayed in Psalm 56:1-4... "Be merciful unto me, O God: for man would
swallow me up; he fighting daily oppresseth me. Mine enemies would daily
swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me, O thou most High.
What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his
word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do
unto me." David didn't allow himself to become overwhelmed with
worry; but rather, cast his burdens upon the Lord (1st Peter 5:7), trusting
God to protect and deliver him. Please read,
Don't Worry, Be Prayerful!
A
U.S. study was
done showing that prayer doesn't work. What ingrates! We
disobey God, toss the Bible and prayer out of our public schools, teach our
kids that there is no Creator, worship Santa and the Easter Bunny instead of
God's Son, and then put God on trial for not answering our prayers. What is wrong with us? I'll tell you in one word... SIN. American's deserve nothing good from God; yet in His divine mercy He
patiently waits for us to repent... "The Lord is not slack concerning his
promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward,
not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." God is incredibly patient, but we are provoking His anger in America.
Shame
on those who use prayer books, Rosaries, and recited prayers. If you
can't pray from your heart at the drop-of-a-hat, then you aren't praying
enough in your own personal life. Prayer is not a recital, or a
speech. Prayer is not a religious ceremony. Prayer is when we
reach out to our Creator from the sincerity of our heart. Prayer is
asking God for His help, strength, and guidance in every area of our life. Proverbs 3:5-7 states, "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean
not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him,
and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD,
and depart from evil." Prayer is trusting God, by placing our
worries, burdens, and concerns upon Him. The heathens are turning to
Oprah Winfrey, John Edward, Char Margolis, Dr. Phil, Miss Cleo, James Van
Praagh, and other demonically inspired imposters for guidance, who are
leading the masses away from the God of the Bible. If you want
guidance, then seek the God of the Bible, through the Bible.
There is an Omnipotent God in Heaven!
Oh! That believers would learn to pray
continually! Do you know why people don't pray? It's because
they don't get the immediate answers they want. This is due largely to
the greedy televangelists today who have
mislead people about God and prayer. Imposters like Joel Osteen and
Creflo Dollar have reduced God to a genie in a bottle, who guarantee us
health, wealth, and prosperity in this sinful world. Tell that to the
martyrs in Hebrews 11:36-38.
Tell that to Lazarus, the beggar in Luke
16. Tell that to Paul, who suffered often... "Of the Jews five
times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once
was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in
the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers,
in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the
city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among
false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger
and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness" (2nd Corinthians
11:24-27). Are you sure you want to follow Jesus Christ?
Today's
apostate religious world promises health, wealth, and success; but this is
all of the Devil. 2nd Timothy 3:12 states... "Yea, and all that
will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." 2nd Timothy 4:3 warns... "For the time will come when they will not
endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to
themselves teachers, having itching ears." The Bible is so
accurate, and perfectly describes these imposters who call themselves
ministers of righteousness. They are ministers of covetousness!!!
We need to get back to the old-time religion in
America, when Christians still believed that the Bible was God's inspired,
infallible, inerrant, and preserved Word! I believe that to be the
King James Bible (NOT the New King James Bible either,
which is corrupt). Most people today view prayer as a "therapy" or a
form of "meditation." Shame on us! Prayer at The White House
has been diminished to a mere formal speech, prepared in advance for the
President to recite. This is wickedness. Listen folks... THERE
IS A GOD IN HEAVEN!
Praying According to God's Will
Prayer is asking. God wants to answer our
prayers, but we need to ask according to HIS WILL... "And this is the
confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his
will, he heareth us" (1st John 5:14). Most people pray for the
blessings of God, while deliberately disobeyed the commands of God. Does that seem reasonable, or fair, to you? Why should God answer the
prayers of a nation that murders babies?
Have you spoken out against
abortion? Have you spoken out against homosexuality? Are you
contending for the faith? Are you are soulwinner? Do you care? Jesus said in Matthew 11:29,30... "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of
me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your
souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
A "yoke" is a
device placed upon two animals, to enable them to share the workload
together. Jesus wants us to take His burden upon us, i.e.,
soulwinning. Then, and only then, can we truly begin to learn of Him. Many people have churchianity, but they have no desire to win souls to
Christ. There is something very wrong with a devout religious person
who has no desire to win lost souls to Jesus Christ.
Christians, now more than ever, need to pray
without ceasing to God in Heaven. We ought to pray throughout the day,
as we go about our busy schedule. Jesus Christ, while in the flesh,
prayed often, setting a precedent for us to follow. Jesus often went
up into the mountains, to pray all night. When's the last time you
prayed ALL NIGHT? I don't think this is what pop singer, Lionel
Richie, meant in his song All Night Long. Oh! That believers
would learn to pray continually!
Do you know my friend that God loves you so
much that He chose to LIVE INSIDE EVERY BELIEVER as the Holy Spirit the
moment we are saved and for the rest of eternity (Romans 8:9)! Literally,
God wanted to live inside me and you if you are saved. If you're not a
Christian, then God very much wants you to become His child (2nd Peter 3:9).
It warms my soul to know that God lives in me and loves me, and has sealed
me with His Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13; 4:30).
“Pray
without ceasing.” —1st Thessalonians 5:17
"And it
came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to
pray, and continued all night in prayer to God." —Luke 6:12
God rewards individual believers for their labours. 1st Corinthians
3:7-8, “So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that
watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that
watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to
his own labour.” No one else can stake claim in Heaven to our own
rewards. Each Christian believer must earn their own rewards. 