Spirit-Led Persistence

by Joyce Meyer - posted September 19, 2011


What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit [by the Holy Spirit that is within me], but I will also pray [intelligently] with my mind and understanding.

—1 Corinthians 14:15

I really want to encourage you to pray persistent, persevering prayers by the leading of the Holy Spirit—not mere repetitious prayers that do not come from your heart, but prayers that refuse to give up. It is possible to use your mouth to speak words of prayer that have no meaning behind them at all, and those prayers are nothing but dead works. I could quote the entire Lord's Prayer while I am thinking about something else, and that would not bless God or do me any good, but if I am sincere and pray from my heart, God hears and works in my behalf.

Lip service doesn't do anything for God or accomplish anything in our lives, so even when we pray about the same thing over and over again, we need to be careful not to fall into meaningless repetition. Instead, we need to allow the Holy Spirit to lead us in a fresh way, even when we are addressing a subject about which we have prayed for a long time. Sometimes He will lead us to be diligent and persistent about a matter, but there is a difference between repetition and Spirit-led persistence.

Words spoken in prayer that are not connected to our hearts are words without power. When we pray we should focus and concentrate on what we are saying. We should never merely verbalize things we have memorized while our hearts are far from God. The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available (see James 5:16).

God's word for you today: Your heartfelt prayers to God have power and He hears them.

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From the book Hearing from God Each Morning: 365 Daily Devotions by Joyce Meyer.

Christian Meditation

Psalm 1: Blessed is the man who does now talk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.

When I read this, one question comes to mind. "How do I follow this example?".  I began to think about the word "meditate". Meditating is a great way to retain the Word.  But how do I learn to mediate in a world so full of distractions?  For me, meditating on the Word often necessitates turning off the radio and TV while I do housework or drive.  Silence gives me freedom to mull over what I've studied and pray it into my life or the lives of others.

Meditating on the Word also means I will have spiritual "meat" to offer to others around me.  What I have studied and meditated on - developed in my own mind - may be the exact insight that others need.

Meditation Builders:

• How do you manage to reflect on what you've learned from Scripture when you're constantly battling distractions?
• What is something you've recently learned from God's Word that you might share with your friends/family/loves ones this week?

The Doers of the World

We need to hear the Word of God To know what we should do But listening is not enough Without our followthrough Just after we moved to a house in a new neighborhood, we invited my sister-in-law and her husband over for Sunday dinner. As we were greeting Sue and Ted at the door, an odd noise directed their eyes toward the kitchen. As I followed their gaze, I froze in horror. An errant hose of our old portable dishwasher was whipping about like the trunk of an angry elephant, spewing water everywhere! Sue went into action mode. Dropping her purse, she was in the kitchen before me, shutting off the water and calling for towels and a mop. We spent the first 15 minutes of their visit on our knees mopping the floor. Sue is a doer - and the world is a better place because of the doers of the world. These are the people who are always ready to pitch in, to be involved, and even to lead if necessary. Many of the doers of the world are also doers of the Word. These are the followers of Jesus who have taken the challenge of James to heart: "Be doers of the Word, and not hearers only" James 1:22. Are you doing all that you know God wants you to do? As you read God's Word, put what you've learned into practive. First hear - then do. God's blessing comes as a result of our obedience. The value of the Bible does not consist merely in knowing it, but in obeying it!

Read James 1:19-27 Posted by Shelia, a fellow RW