Prayer and Promises

He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. — 2 Peter 1:4, NASB 

The spirit of self-sufficiency and selfish independence that has for years been coming into the hearts of our people is the work of the enemy, that he may cause our feet to slide; and we cannot afford to indulge it. May God help us to put it away! Begin right in your own homes; begin there to be truly courteous, as Christ was; be kind; live not to please yourselves. Then if you are Christians at home, you will carry the same spirit into the church. 

What we want is the spirit of Jesus. When we have this, we shall love one another. Here are the credentials that we are to bear: “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” We need to pray more; and when we have Christ abiding in the soul, his spirit in me will harmonize with his spirit in you; and he who controls our minds, controls also the heavenly intelligences, and they co-operate with us. Then in every council you will have the presence of One mighty in counsel. Jesus will be there. There will be no contention, no strife, no stirring up of the worst passions of the heart. What we want is to find refuge in Jesus. What we want is to be converted. 

If God sees that your souls are in danger, he will send reproof to you. Do not rise up against it. Say, “I will seek God, I will find him, and will be converted.” The True Witness says, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.” Yes, repent. It is not for you to be jealous of the reprover. It is not for you to dissect or discount the message that God may send you. It is for you to receive it, and reform, and be thankful that the Lord has not left you to blindness of mind and hardness of heart. May God help you to be converted. 

What is needed in this, our time of danger, is fervent prayer, mingled with earnest faith, a reliance upon God when Satan casts his shadow over God’s people. Let every one bear in mind that God delights to listen to the supplications of his people; for the prevailing iniquity calls for more earnest prayer, and God has promised that he will avenge his own elect, who cry day and night unto him. 

— General Conference Daily Bulletin, April 13, 1891 

Dear Lord, I want to escape the corruption that is in the world. Forgive me for my spirit of self-sufficiency. In humble repentance I claim Your precious promises that I may be a partaker of the divine nature. I see Satan casting his shadow over Your people with the spirit of strife. O Lord, I pray that Christ will abide in the souls of Your people, that we may be in harmony with one another and in cooperation with all the heavenly intelligences. Fill our hearts with Christ’s spirit of love and kindness.