The Time Is Now - Developing A Lifestyle Of Prayer

E. Our world system has trapped us into a frenzied lifestyle that leaves very little time for prayer. I once heard a seminar speaker claim that, in India, new believers often begin praying three hours per day.I couldn't believe it.In all my years of life and minist1y, I'd never seen any new believer start out this way.During a break I challenged him on it. "It's easy to understand," he explained. "Believers in India don't own a cai; a house, a dog, a lawn, a mower ... and most don't have jobs. They have nothing else to do." It suddenly struckme that we have too much stuff, and we've been fooled into believing pos­ sessions are the ultimate good in life. Is it wrong to own possessions? No. Is it wrong to put time into caring for our possessions? No. Is it wrong that the average believer thinks he or she is helpless to find an hour for prayer? YES! We must take a hard look at our possessions and our priorities, and ask, "What must go?" To free up some of our precious hours for prayer, we may need to sacrifice certain time-consuming activities as a love offering to God. My creed leads me to think that prayer is ejJi'cacious, and surely days ask­ ing God to overrule all events for good is not lost. Still, there is a great feel­ ing that when a man is praying, he is doing nothing, and this feeling makes us give undue importance to work, sometimes even to the huriJJing over or even to the neglect of prayer. Do not we rest in our day too much in the arm of theflesh? Cannot the same wonders be done now as of old? Do not the 1:;,yes of the Lord run to andji·o throughout the whole earth still to show Himselfstrong on behalfof those who put their trust in Him? Oh that God would give me more practical faith in Him! Where is now the Lord God of El&'ah? He is waiting for Elijah to call on Him. -James Gilmore of Mongolia

9. With which of the sisters in Luke 10:41-42 do you most closely identify? In your strug­ gle over priorities, what is it that competes most strongly with prayer?

Bursting the Barriers We've looked at both sides of the battle over our prayer lives.On one side, God promises rich blessings for faithful prayer.On the other side, the world system, the forces of darkness and our own flesh put up barriers to keep us from praying faithfully.

10. In thefollowing diagram

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