The Benefits of Meditation and Prayer
Contents
“But each one is tempted, being drawn away and deceived by his own desires” (James 1:14).
The benefits of doing the duty of meditation and prayer: the deception of sin destroys, protects the soul.
I would like to examine the benefits that earnest prayer and living with God's Word in our hearts can give us in relation to the deceptive work of sin. The two things that receive the influence of the Word and pray earnestly are inseparable. When God touches our souls through the grace of His Word, our souls feel a strong desire to pray, and when we give our hearts to prayer in the right way, we realize we need more light of grace. Sincere and earnest prayer destroys the deceitfulness of sin and protects our souls in grace, the specific method is as follows.
(1) To examine oneself and sin honestly
First, when we pray, God allows us to examine ourselves and our sins honestly. This is the great benefit of prayer. Therefore, when praying, a believer should pray before God, carefully recognizing the poverty of the soul and the pitiful condition of the soul in need of God's help. However, there are factors that hinder this: ① Habitual rhetorical phrases: A specific expression is formed like a frame and automatically repeated, ② Prayer without heart (repeat and repeat): The state of praying but the mind is not there, ③ Self Prayer, which is not interested in the soul of the soul and is filled with thoughts about the needs of external life: This is the state in which desire meets the means of prayer.
Through prayer, the believer sees the miserable condition of his soul, and then God also makes it possible to understand the cause. He makes us discover the sin that is crouching in our souls that we could not see when we are not praying, and it reminds us of the importance of our relationship with God. This is called the illumination of the Holy Spirit, and the illumination is first reflected in the mind, so even if there is illumination of the Holy Spirit, if you are ignorant of the Word of God, you cannot understand it deeply. Therefore, the believer should always live with a spirit of serious consideration and inquiry into the Word of God.
(2) to hate the indwelling sin
Second, God gives us a sin-abhorrence when we pray. Being deceived by sin and living friendly with sin is because we have a love for sin within us. However, through the process of prayer, God changes our emotions so that we have a heart to hate sin. When our emotions are in order, we can lead a healthier life. However, this effect cannot be achieved when prayer is done in a dry manner without putting the heart into prayer, or when the practice of prayer is intermittent.
The universal effects of sin lead believers to hate and rebel against God, and deceive them into thinking about the pleasures they will enjoy as a result of sin. But when we pray with sincerity, sincerity, and constant heartfelt prayer, the Holy Spirit causes the believer to see the disastrous consequences of sin, so that he develops a heart for these things. Also, by becoming angry with oneself for living in compromise with sin, there is a decision toward a new attitude of life before God.
(3) To provide the power of grace to fight sin.
Third, in earnest and constant prayer the believer is supplied with the power of grace to fight sin. In the covenant of grace, forgiveness of all sins and the power to overcome the power of sin are promised. But this promise does not apply to those who love sin and hold on to it. When a believer, after being under the control of sin, tries to abide in grace against the power of sin through the practice of deep prayer, the believer feels the powerful power of sin that oppresses him. At that time, God provides the believer with the power of grace, which is far greater than the power of sin, with which the believer can fight and overcome sin. At this time, the believer needs an attitude of obedience that puts his heart into carrying out his individual duties.
(4) see through the crafty deceit of sin
Fourth, sincere and earnest prayer of the heart has the power to not only grasp the secret and evil work of sin, but to defeat it. When we live in obedience to our desires, the desires within us are not revealed, but when we want to live in grace before God, the desires within us are revealed. Finally, when they see through the subtle deception of sin and have the power to overcome sin through the provision of grace, a marvelous change occurs in the sinner's heart and sets his heart before God. When the believer makes up his mind and prays more earnestly, the Holy Spirit protects the believer's soul in grace by accomplishing the work of killing sin in the believer's soul.
Remember that the duty of prayer is a duty that no one can do for us until the moment we take our last breath. 2004-08-22