All tagged repetitive
How persistent are we in prayer? Today our message is in regard to praying persistently and not neglecting our desires and those of others as we pray. In my morning reading Pastor E.M. Bounds referred to this as "a mighty move of the soul toward God." Jesus taught persistence in a parable to demonstrate the importance of being dogged in our prayers, and we either call it “The Parable of the Persistent Widow”, or, because it is so basic to praying, we refer to it as “the Parable on Prayer”.
How often do we sin, then confess and ask for forgiveness only to find purity before falling back once again into that selfsame sin? How many battles must we fight with an adversary before they are at last declared defeated? Do we ask God to heal the wounds of sin, but neglect to ask that He fight them for us?
As Christians we would like to think of ourselves as being mature in our faith, but sometimes we behave more like children by repeatedly asking the Lord “Why?”. When we don’t like what He has asked us to do, or don’t understand His reasoning, then we begin to ask “Why?” over and over again. If someone were to ask us whether we are trusting and obedient when God speaks to us, we would say yes, but our constant questioning of Him indicates otherwise. Do we behave in this manner?
Is there a particular sin or temptation that you struggle with, and that sometimes makes you feel helpless? Do you feel weak in its presence, and each time you think that you have finally conquered it, it rises up to knock you down again? Well, as Christians we are not meant to ride a rollercoaster of sin, forgiveness, grace, and then sin again. No, In Christ we have received His complete dominance over all sin, if we will only claim it by faith. As Christians we know that sin is always waiting in the wings, but if we focus on Christ and the abundant grace He provides us, then our peripheral vision will narrow with each passing day until at last we will be free of temptation, and see our sin no more.