The Time Is Now - Developing A Lifestyle Of Prayer

family. And we made such an impact within our community that, after only two months of our new prayer commitment, our congregation of eighty-one adults drew an Easter crowd of four hundred, and one hundred people prayed to receive Christ. We became instant believers in the power of prayer to change our hearts and to change others around us. We learned that praying was the most loving thing we could do for people. We also came to realize that we had never before really known God. My personal priorities and the priorities of the church quickly changed as we began to connect with Him, heart to heart. As a result, today we are the strongestsingle influence in the town ofJefferson. Neigh­ bors regularly stop us to give us their prayer requests, because they know we love them and are devoted to them. And the effects of prayerful love have spread around the world. In Sierra Leone, West Africa, we have established two schools, with about five hundred students each, and seven churches, with a cumulative attendance of more than two thousand members. We eagerly await the next miracle God will perform because we care and we pray.

1. According to each ofthese passages, how important is love in your relationships with God and with other people?

Matthew 22:37-40

Romans 13:8-10

1 Corinthians 16:14

Proverbs 15:17

When we are giving and receiving love, we are incredibly happy. When we aren't, we are incrediblymiserable. Love is the basis of our sense of worth. It's as essential to our souls as breathing is to our physical bodies. Only One Source So, then, how do we go about giving and receiving love? First and foremost, by knowing we are loved by God.