The Bible Guide [Chp.4 - Prayer and Thankfulness] - By Vance Ferrell

7/28/2019 The Bible Guide [Chp.4 - Prayer and Thankfulness] - By Vance Ferrell

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A Full-Message Evangelistic Sermon: Chapter Four

Prayer and

ThankfulnessTwo Powerful Helps in Your LifeHow much does a prayer weigh? The only

man I ever knew who tried to weigh one stilldoes not know.

Once upon a time he thought he did. That waswhen he owned a little grocery store over on the westside. It was the week before Christmas, just afterWorld War I. A tired looking woman came into thestore and asked him for enough food to make upa Christmas dinner for her children. He asked her

how much she could afford to spend.She answered, My husband was killed in the

war and I have nothing to offer but a little prayer.This man confesses that he was not very senti-

mental in those days. A grocery store could not berun like a bread line.

So he said, Write it on a paper, and returnedto his business.

To his surprise, the woman plucked a piece ofpaper out of her bosom and handed it to him overthe counter and said, I did that during the nightwatching over my sick baby.

The grocer took the paper before he could re-cover from his surprise, and then regretted havingdone so! For what would he do with it, what couldhe say?

Then an idea suddenly came to him. He placedthe paper, without even reading the prayer, on theweight side of his old-fashioned scales. He said, Weshall see how much food this is worth.

To his astonishment the scale would not go downwhen he put a loaf of bread on the other side. Tohis confusion and embarrassment, it would not godown though he kept on adding food, anything he

could lay his hands on quickly, because people werewatching him.

He tried to be gruff and he was making a badjob of it. His face got red and he was unsure whatto do next. So finally, he said, Well, thats all thescales will hold anyway. Heres a bag, Youll have toput it in yourself. Im busy.

With what sounded like a gasp or a little sob,she took the bag and started packing in the food,wiping her eyes on her sleeves every time her armwas free to do so. He tried not to look, but he couldnot help seeing that he had given her a pretty big bag

and that it was not quite full. So he filled anothersack with beans and potatoes, and tossed it downthe counter, but he did not say anything; nor did he

see the timid smile of grateful appreciation whichglistened in her moist eyes.

When the woman had gone, he went to lookat the scales, scratching his head and shaking it in

puzzlement. Then he found the solution. The scaleshad broken.

The grocer is an old man now. His hair is white.But he still scratches it in the same place and shakesit slowly back and forth with the same puzzled ex-pression. He never saw the woman again. And, cometo think if it, he had never seen her before either.

Yet for the rest of his life he remembered her betterthan any other woman in the world and thought ofher more often.

He knew it had not been just his imagination,for he still had the slip of paper upon which the

womans prayer had been written: Please, Lord,give us this day our daily bread.

P R A Y E R L E S S L IV E S M IS S S O M U C H

Oh, my friend, how much we need prayer inour lives! We need it every day. We need i t hourly.

The only footprints on the sands of time that willreally last are the ones made after knee-prints!

Some go a whole week without prayer, yetseven days without prayer makes one weak. Manyonly pray when they are in an emergency. Suchpeople seem to look upon prayer as a spare tire,something only to be gotten out and used when theyare in trouble. Yet the truth is that there is immensestrength in frequent prayer to God. The humblestsaint can see further on his knees than the most

learned philosopher can see from the worlds high-est eminence.

How little we realize what a mighty forceis the simple act of talking with God. There isnothing which lies outside the reach of the handextended up to heaven in prayer, except that whichlies outside the will of God. Those who pray oftenand earnestly know well the depth of comfort andhelp they can receive from those precious momentswith their Maker.

It is the name at the foot of the check which givesit value when handed to the cashier in the bank.Prayer becomes priceless through the name in whichit is presented, regardless of how impoverished maybe the one sending it up to heaven.

More things are wrought by prayer than this

world dreams of. Alfred Lord Tennyson

In the previous two chapters, we viewed the won-drous power of God at the moment of conversion,and as the soul begins a new life in Him.

But there is a tendency with some to expectthat all conflict will end at conversion. They as-

sume that the happiness and peace they experienced


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in that initial coming to Christ will continue on,uninterrupted, month after month. For a time, thereis a new power within, new strength to overcomeweakness, and a sense of forgiveness that makes

the person radiantly happy in his newfound faith.But in the experience of many, this deep peace

gradually fades away. Old temptations, old feelings,old thoughts, may clamor again for recognition. Aman may yield momentarily to these old impulses.He may find himself suddenly irritable and bad-tempered. Yet he thought he would never be thatway again!

What happened? What went wrong?Let me tellyou this, and let it sink deep into your thinking: Itwas not Gods fault. We are quick to blame God forwhatever happens. But that is the worst thing we can

do, for doing so only deepens our separation fromHim. Fact one:God never errs or does anythingwrong.Fact two:All our problems originate eitherwith ourselves, our environment, or the devil.God is always good. He permits trials to come, butHe never does anything evil.

But now, back to our question: What wentwrong? When you stop to think about it, the answeris quite simple. How did you first find God? Byhumbling your heart before Him, pleading withHim for His help, and surrendering your life toHim.

Why did you later lose Him? You stoppedwalking with Him! The prayer, praise, and thank-fulness that you had when you first found Himhad ended. Without realizing it, you had severedyour connection with Heaven, and the devil quietlybegan moving back in and tantalizing your mind,and drawing you back to you old ways and formermiseries.

If My people, which are called by My name,

shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My

face, and turn from their wicked ways; then willI hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and

will heal their land. Now Mine eyes shall be open,

and Mine ears attent unto the prayer that is madein this place.2 Chronicles 7:14-15.

Christianity is living with J esus. It is notsomething you do once in a while. It has to be anongoing experience, day after day, or it is not real.

Face the fact:Do you really want to be withJ esus, or do you just want to live your own lifeand manage yourself?

In special gardens in J apan, you will findtrees which should be forest giants, yet are only12 inches high. Each tree is a dwarf of what it could

be. I ts growth has been stuntedso much so that itis now smaller than a common bush.The puzzle is solved when the gardener explains

that the taproots of these trees have been carefullycut back for decades, so they cannot grow normally.

They are only supplied by nourishment from tinyroots which lie close to the surface.

Many people live anxious, complaining livesbecause, for years, they have kept their taprootscut off. They go through life, never realizing whatthey are missing. For it is the roots that feed the tree,and theirs are stunted. Such people live on theirsurface roots (their connections with those aroundthem), while the taproots, which would go downdeep into the soil, have been chopped off.

When the great ocean liner, T itani c, wasfil ling with water on that fateful night of April 14,1912, the orchestra switched from the dance musicit had been playing for daysto a hymn of prayer:Nearer, my God, to Thee . . daylight all gone, dark-ness be over me . . Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearerto Thee!

Why is it that people wait till they are confrontedby a terrible emergency before they think of praying?

W H A T P R A Y E R IS

Prayer is the opening of the heart to God as to

a friend. Not that it is necessary in order to make

known to God what we are, but in order to enableus to receive Him. Prayer does not bring God down

to us, but brings us up to Him . .

Our heavenly Father waits to bestow upon us thefullness of His blessing. It is our privilege to drinklargely at the fountain of boundless love. What a

wonder it is that we pray so little! God is ready and

willing to hear the sincere prayer of the humblest

of His children, and yet there is much manifest re-

luctance on our part to make known our wants to

God. What can the angels of heaven think of poorhelpless human beings, who are subject to tempta-

tion, when Gods heart of infinite love yearns toward

them, ready to give them more than they can ask or

think, and yet they pray so little and have so little

faith?Steps to Christ, p. 94.

The taproots of the soul, which connect youto God, are prayer, study of Gods Word, thankful-ness, and living to help those around you.

Lord, what a change within us one short hour

Spent in Thy Presence will prevail to make! What

heavy burdens from our bosoms take! What parched

grounds refresh as with a shower! We kneel and

all around us seems to lower, We rise, and all, thedistant and the near, Stands for us in sunny outline,

bright and clear, We kneel how weak, we rise howfull of power! William Trench

It is only by clinging to Christ that we aresafe for a day or even a moment. It is the deci-

sion to make Him first, last, and best in everythingthat brings that peace and deep joy into your life.


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But, unfortunately, many only experienced that fora few hours or days when they first found Christ.Later on, by their neglect, they went back on outinto the world.

During World War I, two men were crawlingtogether through the darkness toward an advancedposition in the frontline trenches. One whispered tothe other, that they were approaching an outpost.But his comrade was unable to distinguish it in thedarkness. Back came the reply, Lieutenant, the bestway to see in the dark is to get close to the groundand look up against the sky. Good advice for thedark days of life: Get close to the groundandlook up in prayer.

Prayer is talking to God. That is simpleenough. There is nothing complicated about it.Prayer is something that a fervent Christian engagesin quite frequently, when he is reading Gods Word,is about his daily work, walking the streets, anddriving down the road. When alone, he generallyprays out loud; but when others are around, hesends up silent prayers. He prays for protectionand for guidance. He sends up expressions of thank-

fulness and praise to God for all the blessings oflife. He asks for help in knowing what to do next,how to find others he can help, and how he can helpthem in the best way. I can tell you that living thisway results in very happy living.

He is putting God first in his life. He is fulfillingthe words of J oel: Turn ye even to Me with all yourheart.J oel 2:12.

I have been driven many times to my knees by

the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else

to go.Abraham Lincoln.

When the first Atlantic cable was laid in 1850,great celebrations broke out on both sides of theAtlantic. Two great continents, which had beenseparated through the ages, were now united.

When the deluge of sin first separated heavenand earth, a mighty cable of prayer was laid inthe love of God, and never from that day to thishas it been broken. The tempted and tried of earthcan communicate with the God of heaven! They canpray for help and they can receive help.

Prayer puts man in touch with God. It forms theconnecting link between human weakness and Godsomnipotent strength. Out of weakness a man ismade strong (Hebrews 11:34).

Conversion brings you into Gods family, andyou now have the rights of sonship. Before youis a standing invitation to bring all your petitionsand present them before your heavenly Father in

full expectation that they will receive attention. Theear of God is bent to hear the faintest cry of His

children. His greatest joy is helping them, and Healways knows when it is the best time to do this.

One writer has said, Prayer is the key in thehand of faith to unlock heavens storehouse, where

are treasured the boundless resources of Omnipo-tence (Steps to Christ, pp. 94-95).

Prayer brings definite results. It was whenDaniel prayed that God sent the angel to shut themouths of the hungry lions. It was when Paul andSilas prayed that the doors of the prison wereopened and they were set free. It was when Elijahprayed that God shut up the heavens, so that therewas no rain.

Prayer is not the overcoming of Gods reluctance;it is the taking hold of Gods willingness.Phillips

Brooks.

Concerning the power of prayer, the ApostleJ ames declared, The effectual fervent prayer of arighteous man availeth much (J ames 5:16).

Christ told us that men must ask if they wouldreceive, seek if they would find, and knock if theywould have the door opened (Matthew 7:7).

This is the confidence that we have in Him, that,

if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth

us. And if we know that He hear us, whatsoever weask, we know that we have the petitions that we

desired of Him.1 J ohn 5:14-15.

But we must ask according to His will. He

knows that it would not be best to give us some ofthe things we ask for.

Every prayer that is made in simple faith isanswered, but the answer is given according toGods understanding of the needs, and not accord-ing to the asking. His wisdom is infinite, and His loveis boundless. He loves His earthly children far toowell to give them things that would be injurious tothem. Therefore, in His great love He sometimessays Yes; at other times He says No; and atother times He says Wait. The answer may bedelayed, but it will be fulfil led in the best way and at

the right time to work most for our eternal interest.God knows; He cares; He loves. Nothing this

truth can dim. He does the very best for those Wholeave their choice with Him.

In the 1960s, Billy Grahams wife, Ruth, toldan audience of Minneapolis women, God has notalways answered my prayers. If He had, I would havemarried the wrong manseveral times.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said, What dis-cord we would bring into the universe if our con-fused prayers were all answered! Then we wouldgovern the world, and not God. And do you think

we would govern it better?A child may see a beautiful, gleaming knife and

plead his parent for it. His desire and request are


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intense, but the parent knows that the bestowal ofsuch a gift would bring danger and harm to him.So the request is refused.

As parents may in deepest love Refuse their

childs request, Our loving Father may say no; He,too, knows what is best.

Although most prayers are not answered im-mediately, the prayer for forgiveness always is.If you will let Him, He is determined to provide youwith help to resist and overcome sin.

Prayer is the Christians greatest and highestprivilege. Through this means he is able to holdconstant communion with the King of the universe.He is in touch with God. To him heavens store ofeternal riches is open. And to him the promise isgiven:

My God shall supply all your need according toHis r iches in glory by Christ J esus.Philippians

4:19.

The reason many so-called prayers receiveno answer is the fact that they are made all toocasually. They aresaid, perhaps repeated, but notprayed. Prayer to be real must become the breathingforth of the inner spiritual longings of the soul intothe ear of One who is recognized as the heavenlyFather.

It cannot just be a selfish asking for more thingsfor ourselves, and it cannot just be a form to berepeated over and over.

Andrew Carnegie, one of the wealthiest men atthe beginning of the 20th century, remarked, Whatis the use of praying? I already have everything Iwant. What more could I ask for?

A small boy, when asked if he ever prayed,

answered, Sometimes I pray, but sometimes I justsay my prayers.

Another little boy said to his mother, Mommie,I dont have to say my prayers anymore. I knowthem now.

If we keep the Lord ever before us, allowing our

hearts to go out in thanksgiving and praise to Him,we shall have a continual freshness in our religious

life. Our prayers will take the form of a conversationwith God as we would talk with a friend. He will

speak His mysteries to us personally.

Often there will come to us a sweet joyful sense

of the presence of J esus. Often our hearts will burn

within us as He draws nigh to commune with us asHe did with Enoch.

When this is in truth the experience of the Chris-

tian, there is seen in his life a simplicity, a humility,

meekness, and lowliness of heart, that show to allwith whom he associates that he has been with

J esus and learned of Him.Christs Object Les-sons, 129-130.

C O N D IT IO N S O F A N S W E R E D P R A Y E R

They had nearly reached the summit of themountain high in the Alps.Then, suddenly, they

were there! Exultantly, the young man leaped up, but

his guide immediately pulled him down,Get down!Youre only safe here on your knees!In this life, weare only safe when we are frequently on our knees.

God promises to hear our prayers.O Thou that hearest prayer, unto Thee shall all

flesh come.Psalm 65:2.

God answers prayer.If ye then, being evil, know how to give good

gifts unto your children, how much more shall your

Father which is in heaven give good things to themthat ask Him?Matthew 7:11.

He that spared not His own Son, but delivered

Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him alsofreely give us all things?Romans 8:32.

Here is how to pray so your prayers will beanswered in such a way, and at such a time, asGod sees best.

In order to receive answers, prayer must bemade in absolute faith.

Without faith it is impossible to please Him: for

He that cometh to God must believe that He is, andthat He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek

Him.Hebrews 11:6.

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God,

that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not;and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith,

nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave

of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let

not that man think that he shall receive any thing

of the Lord.J ames 1:5-7.

Another condition of answered prayer is im-plicit obedience to Gods Word. Unless we are will-ing to follow His instruction and live in conformityto His will, we have no claim whatsoever upon theleast of His mercies.

Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then

have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever

we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep Hiscommandments, and do those things that are

pleasing in H is sight.1 J ohn 3:21-22.

If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord wil l

not hear me.Psalm 66:18.

No good thing will He withhold from them that

walk uprightly.Psalm 84:11.

Solomon said it in even stronger words:He that turneth away his ear from hearing the

law, even his prayer shall be abomination.Prov-

erbs 28:9.

But this, of course, is only reasonable. If men

will not ally themselves with God by following J e-sus example of obedience to Gods requirements,they are actually enemies of His and not disciples.


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He that is not with Me, said J esus, is against Me(Matthew 12:30). This is the test. If we are with Him,He is also with us to bless and keep.

He that hath My commandments, and keepeth

them, he it is that loveth Me: and he that lovethMe shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him,

and will manifest myself to him.J ohn 14:21.

When we recognize the true character of God,as a God of deepest love, our deepest thanks poursout in words and songs of praise for His constantrevelations of love and mercy to us,

In everything by prayer and supplication with

thanksgiving let your requests be made known

unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all

understanding, shall keep your hearts and mindsthrough Christ J esus.Philippians 4:6-7.

True prayer must be accompanied with thespirit of forgiveness. J esus explained how seriousa matter this is:

But if ye do not forgive, neither wil l your Father

which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.Mark

11:26.

When ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought

against any: that your Father also which is in heaven

may forgive you your trespasses.Mark 11:25.

The more we praise God, the greater strengthwe will have for our daily duties.

For the joy of the Lord is your strength.Ne-

hemiah 8:10.

When we bless God for mercies we prolong them,

and when we bless Him for miseries we usually endthem. Praise is the honey of life, which a devout

heart drinks from every bloom of providence and

grace. As well be dead as be without praise; it is the

crown of life. Charles H. Spurgeon

As the armies of Napoleon were sweeping acrossEurope, one of his generals decided to attack thelittle town of Feldkirch on the Austrian border. Acouncil of citizens quickly gathered. They knew thatto defend themselves was hopeless. So, after pray-

ing, they decided to rejoice in God that He wouldsomehow care for them. So they rang the bells ofthe church and sang praises to the Lord. The en-emy, hearing the sudden peal, concluded that theAustrian army had arrived during the night. Quickly,they broke camp and fled; and, before the bells hadceased ringing, the danger had been lifted.

Our prayers should often be sent up to God.Praying always with all prayer and supplication

in the Spir it.Ephesians 6:18.

Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In

everything give thanks: for this is the will of God inChrist J esus concerning you.1 Thessalonians

5:16-18.

Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray,

and cry aloud: and He shall hear My voice.Psalm

55:17.

And when He had sent the multitudes away, He

went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when

the evening was come, He was there alone.Mat-thew 14:23.

Watch and pray, that ye enter not into tempta-

tion.Matthew 26:41.

Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye

may be accounted worthy to escape all these thingsthat shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son

of man.Luke 21:36.

Every day should open and close with prayer.In the morning our prayer should be one of dedica-tion, giving ourselves anew to God for the days workand service, and asking His care and protection. In

the evening, our prayer should confess our sins ofthe day, thank God for His mercies, and commitourselves in childlike faith into His hands for thecoming hours of darkness and sleep.

The morning is the gate of day; But ere you enter

there, See that you set to guard it well, The sentinelof prayer. So shall Gods grace your steps attend;

but nothing else pass through. But what can give

the countersign, The Fathers will for you.

When you have reached the end of the day, Where

night and sleep await, Set there the sentinel againTo bar the evenings gate. So shall no fear disturb

your rest, No danger and no care; For only peace

and pardon pass The watchful guard of prayer.

Even the lowly camel can teach us importantlessons:

The camel at the close of day, Kneels down uponthe sandy plain, To have his burden lifted off, And

rest to gain.

My soul, thou too shouldst to thy knees, Whendaylight draweth to a close, And let thy Master lift

Thy load, And grant repose.

The camel kneels at break of day, To have hisguide replace his load; Then rises up anew to take

The desert road.

So thou shouldst kneel at morning dawn, That

God may give thee daily care; Assured that He noload too great, Will make thee bear.

We should often pray for others. Oh, there areso many, both near and far, who need help!

All his thoughts of people gradually turnedto prayers was the remark made concerning themissionary J ohn Forman. How is it with you andme? Are we as faithful in offering up our pleas for

Gods help for others in need?

I wish there was space in this book to quoteten or fifteen astounding stories of how God has

answered prayer, but here is one:Dr. Harry A. Ironside, a powerful preacher in theearly 20th century, told the story of an unsaved man


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who had gone to sea. One night his mother awokewith a deep sense of need. A burden for her unsavedboy rested heavily upon her heart. She earnestlyprayed for his salvation. After a time, peace came

to her, and she went back to sleep.Weeks passed. Then, one day, there was a knock

at her door and there stood her son! Mother, Ivefound J esus! he exclaimed joyfully. Then he toldher what had happened:

A few weeks ago, our ship was caught in a fearfulstorm. The waves seemed mountain high. Hope ofour outriding the storm vanished. Suddenly the shipgave a lurch and I was swept overboard. As I beganto sink, the awful thought came to me: Im lost for-ever! Where will I spend eternity? In agony of heartI cried out, O God, I look, I look to J esus! Then I

lost consciousness. After the storm had abated, thesailors came up from below deck,and they foundme lying, unconscious, against a bulwark!

How fully will our kind Father provide for us?Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abun-

dantly above all that we ask or think.Ephesians

3:20.

But my God shall supply all your need accord-ing to His riches in glory by Christ J esus.Philip-

pians 4:19.

F A M IL IE S N E E D P R A Y E R A L S O

Not only is personal prayer important,but

family prayer is also. If at all possible, you want tohave family prayer and reading of Gods Word everymorning and evening. Set aside definite times forthis, and you will be blessedand everything willgo better all day long.

In the life of so many, prayer is often crowdedout. No longer do many children in Christian homeshear their parents praying for them, as at the familyprayer circle each one is presented before God. Thusa mighty Christian influence is lost. Far too often,the children grow up and wander out into the world.

Prayer involves thanksgiving. Recognizing thisgreat truth can make your prayers more powerful.

Husbands and wives, prayer can change yourmarriage!Robert Newton, a well-known nineteenth-

century pastor, and his bride, began their marriedlife by each going alone twice each day and prayingfor one another. When an old man, Pastor Newtonsaid, My wife and I have just passed our fiftieth wed-ding anniversary, and I knew not, during the pastfifty years of our union, an unkind look or unkindword has ever passed between us.

P R E A C H E R S M A D E P O W E R F U L

B Y P R A Y E R

Before closing, we should not forget thepreachers. They should pray earnestly, both be-

fore and after their sermons. It is because so manydo not do this that what they present to the peopleis so devoid of life and strength.

A pastor, while watching a marble cutter at work,

exclaimed, I wish I could deal such clanging blowson stony hearts! The workman replied, Maybe youcould if you worked like me, on your knees.

Martin Luther once said, I am so busy nowthat I find if I did not spend two or three hours eachday in prayer, I could not get through the day. If Ishould neglect prayer but a single day, I should losethe fire of my faith.

It is known thatJ ohn Wesley regularly spent atleast two hours each day in prayer. And D.L. Moodydeclared, Every great movement of God can betraced to a kneeling figure! Such are the kind of

men who, in the past, accomplished things for God!George Whitefield, the eighteenth-century

evangelist, always took with him on his preachingmissions a little crippled man who utterly believedin prayer. Very rarely did the crippled man attendthe meetings. Often he did not leave his hotel room.It was his prayers, even more than Whitefieldspreaching, which were the cause of the wonderfulresults which followed.

J ohn Hyde graduated from McCormick Semi-nary in 1892 and then went to India as a mission-ary. He had always sought the Lord earnestly in

prayer for others. But, in I ndia he saw such greatneeds that he spent even more time in prayer. As a result, both his and his fellow missionarieswho were working with him, were able to makemany more conversions. Soon he became knownas Praying Hyde.

Dr. Wilbur Chapman wrote to a friend: At oneof our missions in England, the audience was ex-ceedingly small; but then I received a note sayingthat an American missionary was on furlough fromIndia and was going to pray for Gods blessing onour work. He was known as Praying Hyde. Almost

instantly the tide turned. The hall became packed,and at my first invitation fifty men accepted Christ astheir Saviour. (Nearly all of these afterward provedto be genuine conversions.)

As we were leaving the hall that night, I said,Mr. Hyde, I want you to pray for me.

He came to my room, turned the key in thedoor, and dropped on his knees, and five minutespassed without a single syllable coming from hislips. I could hear my own heart thumping, and hisbeating. I felt hot tears running down my face. I knewI was with God. Then, with upturned face, while the

tears were streaming, he said, O God. Then forfive minutes at least he was still again; and then,


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when he knew that he was talking with God, therecame from the depths of his heart such petitionsfor me as I had never heard before. I rose from myknees to know what real prayer was. We believe

that prayer is mighty and we now believe it as wenever did before.

It has been said that prayer is the greatest un-used power in the world, and faith i s the greatestundiscovered resource. Oh, my friends, how muchwe need the strength and closeness to God which anongoing prayer experience can bring into our lives!

M Y C O M M IT M E N T

Oh, my Father, which art in heaven. It is mydesire to seek a far closer walk with Thee than Ihave had in the past, and I recognize that deepening

my prayer time with Thee is a very important part.Please help me to begin today on this higher path.In J esus name I ask it. Amen.

The next two chapters are summarized from the best

single book that the present author has ever found

on how to come to Christ and stay with Him.

Reading them will provide you with an even deeperunderstanding of how to remain solid

in your daily walk with Christ.

The Bible Guide [Chp.4 - Prayer and Thankfulness] - By Vance Ferrell

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Transcript of The Bible Guide [Chp.4 - Prayer and Thankfulness] - By Vance Ferrell