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The Victorious Prayer Life

In the morning, long before sunrise, Jesus went to a place where He could be alone to pray. (Mark 1:35 GW)

I am quite sure that I have the agreement of most of the Lord's people when I say that one of the most difficult things, if not the most difficult thing, is to be able to get to prayer and give ourselves to prayer. When we contemplate prayer we meet a host of unsuspected and unforeseen difficulties which suddenly rise up as ambush forces breaking out upon us. Anything to prevent prayer! I am not saying something that you do not know, but I am saying it in order that you may recognize it clearly, definitely and deliberately, and face the fact that it is not just ordinary circumstances, but a designed, well-laid scheme of the enemy to prevent prayer. The enemy, instead of objecting, will promote occupation with a thousand and one things for the Lord if thereby he can crowd out prayer. He does not mind how busy we are in the Lord's work, nor how often we are found preaching, conducting meetings, and doing the many-sided work of the Lord, as we may call it. He knows quite well that all the work for the Lord which is not founded upon triumphant spiritual prayer will count for little or nothing in the long run and will break down. I say that he does not mind you working. Work for the Lord as hard as you can, but if you leave out prayer you will not accomplish very much. One of the subtleties of the enemy is to get us so busy, so occupied, so much on the go and on the rush with as we think things for the Lord and the work of the Lord, that our prayer is cramped and pushed up into a corner and limited, if not almost entirely ruled out; and the Lord will never accept the excuse: "Lord, I am too much engaged in Your interests to pray." The Lord never favors an attitude like that....

Immediately you begin to contemplate or purpose a fuller prayer-life, the enemy launches a new scheme for keeping you more busy and occupied, heaping up the work and crowding in demands so that you will have no time or opportunity for prayer.... But we must recognize this: that the enemy will construct his best arguments about responsibility, duty and conscience to stop us praying, and there is a place where, if we see prayer is utterly ruled out, or brought down to such a limited place that it is completely inadequate for a life of spiritual ascendancy and victory, we have to say: "Lord, I am going to trust the responsibility with You while I pray, that You will not allow my breaking away for this time to have detrimental results, and that You will protect this prayer-time which I seek for Your glory from the inroads of the enemy."

Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness.

Who among you fears the Lord? Who obeys the voice of His Servant? Who walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord and rely upon his God. § Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand. § The commandment is a lamp, and the law a light.

Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; when I fall, I will arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me. I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against Him, until He pleads my case and executes justice for me. He will bring me forth to the light; I will see His righteousness.

The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

Ps. 112:4;  Isa. 50:10;  Ps. 37:24;  Prov. 6:23;  Mic. 7:8,9;  Matt. 6:22,23

He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young.

I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way. § We do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses.

Then they brought little children to Him … And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them.

I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Your servant. § The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. § You were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. § “I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down,” says the Lord God.

Isa. 40:11;  Matt. 15:32;  Heb. 4:15;  Mark 10:13,16;  Ps. 119:176;  Luke 19:10;  1 Peter 2:25;  Luke 12:32;  Ezek. 34:15

Touch Not!

I, through the law, am dead to the law" (Gal. 2:19).

The law will not touch us if we do not touch it.

"We were born in the first Adam. He was responsible before God to stand in righteousness. He failed. We were responsible in him and we failed. We sinned in Adam (Rom. 5:12, 19). What did God do about it? He gathered us up into the Last Adam, and we died in Him. God allowed His holy law to condemn us utterly and the law, seeking to slay us, found us in Christ on the Cross and set upon us and slew us." -W.R.N.

"Law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth' (Rom. 7:1), but when it has cursed him and killed him the law has no more to say to him; and we are become dead to the law by the body of Christ' (Rom. 7:4), for we have died judicially with Christ on the Cross. The new life which we have in Him comes to us from Him in heaven, the risen and glorified Man before the Father." -H.F.W.

"There prevails a notion that the Lord Jesus was keeping the law for us and establishing our righteousness when He was here below. Now His life was necessary to vindicate the Father and His holy law, as well as to manifest Himself and His love; but the righteousness that we are made in Christ is another thought altogether - not the law fulfilled by Him, but the justifying righteousness of the Father founded on the Lord Jesus' death, displayed in His resurrection, and crowned by His glory in heaven." -W.K.

"The Ten Commandments require no life of prayer, no Christian service, no evangelism, no missionary outreach, no Gospel preaching, no life and walk in the Spirit, no union with the Lord Jesus Christ, no fellowship of saints, no hope of salvation, and no hope of heaven." -L.S.C.

"Now we are delivered from the law" (Rom. 7:6).

Bond of Unity

A Duel Heritage