1 Thes. 5:17 Unceasingly pray, (18) In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (19) Do not quench the Spirit.
Fellowship with the Lord does not permit any barrier between you and the Lord. If within you there is a little thought of unwillingness to forgive others, this unwillingness to forgive would become a barrier between you and the Lord. Sometimes the barrier exists because within us there is a little pride, boasting, or showing off. These are some factors, or rather, you can call them poisons, which slay the spirit of prayer within us. It is a marvelous thing that the life within us is a life of prayer. If you were to ask me, "What is the primary function of the Holy Spirit within us?" I would say that it is to lead us into prayer. Whenever you yield some room to the Holy Spirit and obey Him a little, the inevitable result is that He leads you to pray. On the other hand, whenever you disobey or quench the Spirit a little, the prayer within you will immediately cease and the spirit of prayer will also disappear. Therefore, brothers and sisters, if you want to be a man of prayer, you must be one who abides in God and one in whom the Spirit of God has room. You must be in the Spirit of God and have continual fellowship with Him, i.e., the two spirits are flowing through one another. The greater the flow, the more prayer you have. You may flow to such an extent that not only can you pray in your room, but the spirit in you can also pray while you are in the car, on the street, or talking with people. The spirit of prayer is a law of prayer, just like the digestion which takes place in the stomach is a law. While I am speaking my stomach is digesting; while I am sleeping it is also digesting; while I am walking it is still digesting. In the same principle, in our spirit there is also the law of prayer. Whenever we live in the spirit, allowing the Spirit to have place in us, we will continue in prayer according to the law of prayer in our spirit. At this moment our prayer will be very spontaneous. Never think that only when one shuts the door and devotes himself to prayer can it be counted as prayer. I admit that this is necessary, but with regard to a man of prayer, the emphasis is not that he should devote himself wholly to prayer; rather, he should allow the spirit of prayer to have room in him. Once the spirit of prayer has place, there is the law of prayer in the spirit causing him to pray at any time; even while he is not outwardly praying, he is still praying.
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible and Words of Ministry from Lessons on Prayer by Witness Lee, pp. 40-42. Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA. Please visit us at www.emanna.com. Send comments to: [email protected].
To unsubscribe from the mailing list, either: Send an email to: [email protected] (No subject or message needed; a blank email will work) or visit www.emanna.com and fill out the unsubscribe form there.
