rayer must be accompanied by reverence and humility (Luke 18:9-14; James 4:6). “Reverence” is the recognition that “it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of a living God” (Heb. 10:31), while “humility” is a sense of one’s unworthiness. We should never pray to God with arrogance, as though we have a right to demand this or that. We should approach Him, rather, with a realization of our shortcomings—aware that we are talking to the Almighty, and that “without Him we can do nothing.” When we come near to our Father in prayer, we should do so in awe of who He is, and of what He has done for us. Reverence and humility are not difficult for those who realize that the Hearer of our prayers is the God who created heaven and earth. How great and marvelous He is! How little and insignificant we are! We are made to wonder, “What is man, that thou art mindful of him?” We are compelled to exclaim, “O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!” How can we be otherwise when we recognize our dependence upon God, and appreciate His mercies toward us?

rayer must be accompanied by a forgiving attitude toward others (Matt. 6:14,15; 18:21-35). It will do us no good to ask God to forgive us of our sins against Him if we are unwilling to forgive those who sin against us. If those who sin against us repent and ask our forgiveness, we must forgive them (Luke 17:3).

ne must pray in faith (Hebrews 11:6; James 1:5-8). Prayer is to be an expression of faith in God. Unbelief, here, would not mean that one does not believe in the existence of God, but that one doubts God’s ability and/or desire to help. When we pray, we must believe that God is both willing and “able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us” (Eph. 3:20).

ne must pray according to God’s will (1 John 5:14). God has revealed “all things that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). We may pray specifically and boldly for that which we know to be His will. And we should not pray for that which we know not to be the will of God. We are not, for example, to pray for the forgiveness of a sin of which we are not willing to repent. However, there are some things that God has not disclosed, such as whether you or a loved one will survive a particular injury, disease, etc. While we may pray for a loved one to be healed, we must keep in mind that “it is appointed unto men once to die” (Heb. 9:27). Sooner or later every one will die, except for those who are alive when the Lord returns (1 Thess. 4:13-17). So God may or may not lengthen a particular individual’s life in answer to prayer. We must be content for His will, not ours, to be done in such matters (see Luke 22:39-42). &

THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL

By Randy Cavender

aul declared in Romans 1:16 that he was not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ. The reason for this was, "It is the power of God to salvation." When the Gospel is taught, there is no doubt that we must let the Gospel do the work, but there is still work we must do. Let me illustrate. Several years ago, I took up the game of golf. Now if you don't know anything about golf, it is harder than it looks. One important tip I received was, "Let the club do the work. If you will do this, you will swing much better." Now what does that mean? Can I leave that club in the bag and expect the ball to be hit? Can I take the club out and just hold it? No I must still swing the club. If I don't, the ball will never be put into play! The same thing is true of the Gospel of Christ. It is indeed the power of God to salvation, but it must be used. Until we take up the sword of the Spirit and use it, sin will not be defeated and souls will be lost. How can one use the Gospel of Christ?

irst, we can use it to persuade men to be saved. Some people will object and say that we need not persuade men, that the gospel alone will do this. It is true that we need not use the enticements of this world. The term, "persuade," means, "to prevail upon or win over, to persuade, bringing about a change of mind by the influence of reason or moral considerations." (Vine's Dictionary of N.T. Words p.179) We have the example of Paul when he tried to persuade King Agrippa and the others who were listening to become Christians (Acts 26). In 2 Cor. 5:11, he used the gospel to endeavor to persuade men to be saved and live responsibly before God, in view of the judgment day It is true that we can offer nothing of ourselves to people, but we can offer them the gospel of Christ with all the blessings that come with it

urthermore, we can live consistently with the gospel. Jesus said, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matt. 5:16). Paul admonished Timothy, "Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you" (1 Tim. 4:16). The life of a Christian should be a reflection of the life of our Savior (1 Pet. 2:21; John 2:6) When Christians live consistently with the teachings of God and continue to obey the Lord, they will be seen and God will be glorified. But professed Christians living inconsistently with God's will hinder the cause of Christ. Paul instructed Titus, "in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you. Exhort servants to be obedient to their own masters, to be well pleasing in all things, not answering back, not pilfering, but showing all fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things." (Titus 2:7-10). What do our friends and neighbors see in our lives?

inally, there are blessings in Christ of joy and peace that one can experience