All tagged fervent

The Armor of God and Consecration

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Dedication and Prayer

This morning I have been concentrating on Matthew 6 and a statement I read in my morning devotional. I am contemplating what it takes to be consecrated and filled with the light of God, and what we must do when we stumble. Pastor E.M. Bounds wrote "Consecration is really devoting oneself to a life of prayer. It means not only to pray, but to pray consistently and effectively... It puts him in reach of God. It places him where he can get hold of God, and where he can influence God to do things that He would not otherwise do."

In the Heat of Faith and Prayer

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Fervent Faith

My devotional reading was a hot one today, dealing with fire and specifically the fire in our prayers. E.M. Bounds wrote that "It takes fire to make prayers work. God wants warmhearted servants. We are baptized with the Holy Spirit and with fire." Bounds then continued with this observation... "If our faith does not set us on fire, it is because our hearts have become cold." Of course he wasn't referring to literally being set aflame, but rather a fervency that ignites the passion within us and adds intensity to our faith and prayers. We must feel an emotional and spiritual upwelling that comes from the realized presence of God and an anticipation of His answer to our prayers. In our prayers we need to convey the importance of our petition through our attitude and the fire embodied in our effort to seek Him.

Placing Our Face in the Veil for Those We Love

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Joined in Prayer

This morning let’s delve into the true object and source of our fervency and desires... and that is God. Do we realize that although fervency and desire are rooted somewhat differently that they both have to do with God, and seeking His presence? Pastor E.M. Bounds said this when he wrote these words: "Fervency, just like prayer, has to do with God. Desire always has an objective. If we desire at all, we desire something. The degree of enthusiasm with which we form our spiritual desires will always serve to determine the earnestness of our praying."

The Seed of a Fervent Spirit

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Fervently

A fervent spirit is the precursor to fervent prayer, but it isn't something we can conjure up, it is a gift. Pastor E.M. Bounds describes it like this... "Fervency has its seat in the heart, not the brain or intellect of the mind. Fervency is the pulse and movement of the emotional nature." And he goes on to say that "we can ask God to plant it in our hearts. Then it is ours to nourish and cherish." The apostle Paul speaks of a fervent spirit as well…

Prayers on Fire

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Intense Prayer

On this very morning in 2016 I was sitting in the common area of Centennial Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee waiting for my wife to complete physical therapy on her leg. She was rehabbing after knee replacement, and I was enjoying having this time alone in the waiting room which allowed me to contemplate my prayers and devotional reading from earlier in the day. Pastor E.M. Bounds had written that prayer should be aflame and it struck me as being truth. Here in the southern United States we would say, with quite a strong accent, "don't pray no milk toast prayer!" Truly, a prayer without emotion, or intense devotion, demonstrates very little sincerity and passion.

Praying is not Simply Child’s Play

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Children’s Prayers

This morning our devotional message deals with fervent prayer, and the strength it takes to pray in this way. Children pray with an amazing degree of faithfulness, innocence, and trust which seems to flow so easily from them, but adults strain and groan in their prayer closets as they bring the challenges of their lives before the Lord, and wrestle with fear and trembling over their faith and salvation.

Praying With Our Entire Being

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Fervent Prayer

Our study of prayer continues this morning with the theme of praying with our entire being. Are we totally engaged when we kneel to pray in the battle against evil, dark forces, and to win lost souls? When our prayers are asking that God’s will be advanced is our whole heart in them? E.M. Bounds wrote that "Just as it involves every part of a person's being to pray successfully, so in turn the person receives the benefit of such praying." In making this case Bounds uses Romans 15:30; which I have expanded to include verse 31 as well. Are we benefiting the Kingdom of God when we pray, and thus increasing in faith as we do?

Fervent Prayer and the Groaning of the Spirit

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Fervent Prayer

How do you know when you have been in fervent prayer? Is it when you end your sentence with Amen, or is it when you unfold your hands, open your eyes, or get up off your knees? Those can all be indications of having prayed, but the real give away regarding fervent prayer is your heart; when the fingers of your soul begrudgingly let go of the hand of God as you return to your body... and language serves you once more.