Paul E. Billheimer once stated, “Satan does not care how many people read about prayer if only he can keep them from praying.” What a sobering statement that rings true in this modern church age!
In the life of a child of God, there is often no easier sin to commit than the sin of prayerlessness. This sin of willing omission is against man as well as against God. Our prayerless state has eternal ramifications, and there are things that cannot or will not happen except when we enlist ourselves into the arena of incessant prayer. Reference I Samuel 12:23 (NIV): “As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you.”
In the life of a Christian, one cannot only sin by doing what is biblically or morally wrong but also by neglecting what is right or righteous, such as prayer and intercession. Reference James 4:17: “Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.”
The sin of omitting prayer greatly weakens our spiritual lives. The sad result is that we often experience burnout due to neglecting God’s grace (divine assistance), which is only available through a lifestyle of prayer. We learn to live on past experiences and learned behavior patterns that are rooted in dead religion but void of divine union with the Lord.
The primary reason for the powerlessness in much of the modern church is the fact that we have learned to operate in various ministry expressions void of real prayer and true intercession. We have exchanged professionalism for prayer; we have focused on production while neglecting prayer; and we have exerted our energies in religious activities while neglecting God’s power through prayer.
On this week’s episode of Maintain the Flame, I continue sharing on the subject of prayer and focus on The Sin of Prayerlessness. Be prepared to be challenged and stirred by this important episode, which focuses on what the church is in desperate need of in this hour! {eoa}
Keith Collins is the founder of Generation Impact Ministries and Impact Global Fellowship. He is actively involved in itinerant ministry, teaching and writing. In recent years, Keith served as the president of the Brownsville Revival School of Ministry and as the director of FIRE School of Ministry, which were both born out of the Brownsville Revival in Pensacola, Florida. His recent books, Samuels Arising: Waking Up to God’s Prophetic Call and A World Without Absolutes: Discerning the Perils of Postmodern Thought are now available on Amazon, and his podcast, titled Maintain the Flame, can be heard on iTunes and at cpnshows.com. You can contact Keith via his websites at keith-collins.org or impactgf.org.
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