Prayer and Promises

THE PROMISE 

And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word by the accompanying signs.

— Mark 16:20, HCSB

THE TESTIMONY 

Brethren, we must have less of self, and more of God. We are not to trust for success to what we can do, but to what Christ can do through our efforts. The efficiency of our labor depends upon our hold on God. 

May God make his servants wise through the divine illumination, that the mould of man may not be seen on any of the great and important enterprises before us! 

It is through the church that the self-sacrificing love of Jesus is to be made manifest to the world... Self-love excludes the love of Jesus from the soul, and this is why there is not in the church greater zeal and more fervent love for Him who first loved us. 

When the church shall come out from the world, and be separate from its maxims, habits, and practices, the Lord Jesus will work with his people; he will pour a large measure of his Spirit upon them, and the world will know that the Father loves them... Shall the grace of God, the divine enlightenment, be shut away from his church, because of their lukewarmness? It will be, unless there is most thorough seeking of God, renunciation of the world, and humbling of the soul before God. The converting power of God must pass through our churches. 

A revival of true godliness among us is the greatest and most urgent of all our needs. We must have the holy unction from God, the baptism of his Spirit. This is the only efficient agent in the promulgation of sacred truth. It is the Spirit of God that quickens the lifeless faculties of the soul to appreciate heavenly things, and attracts the affections toward God and the truth. What we need, what we cannot do without, is the power of the Holy Spirit to work with our efforts. All pampering of self must be at an end... There must be an earnest longing, a soul-hunger, for the presence of the Lord. 

He is only waiting to be invited by us with earnest heart, with sincere desire. Nothing is wanting but a preparation of heart; we are to clear away the rubbish, open the door, and invite Jesus to come in and abide with us. Simple, earnest, believing prayer always brings him to our side as a mighty helper. 

— The Home Missionary, November 1, 1890 

THE RESPONSE 

Seek after God and renounce the world and its practices. Humble your soul before God for His converting power. 

Pray for the baptism of His Spirit and earnestly long for the presence of the Lord. Ask for the power of the Holy Spirit to work with your efforts.

Prepare your heart by clearing away the rubbish and opening the door to invite Jesus to come in and abide with you.

Seek the presence of the Lord. Bring Jesus to your side as your mighty helper by simple, earnest, believing prayer.