Editor’s note: These guides to prayer were first published in May 2023 in advance of the General Assembly.
“Your will be done,” we pray. We are prone to saying it by rote, week in and week out, without even thinking. For God’s will to have any chance of being heard and heeded, submission is vital. When we pray for God’s will to be done, it means that we are willing to see it, accept it, and then submit to it, even when it’s contrary to our own thinking or the ways of our world. I wonder to what extent the average, well-meaning Christ follower is acutely cognizant of those things.
Clearly, we all have work to do.
Let’s pray with a renewed vow to seek the holy and perfect will of God the Father in all that we do. Truly powerful prayer includes the ability to forgive one another. “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” (James 5:16)
Satan is real and loves to attack the church and its leaders. He is a wolf in sheep’s clothing and is the master of lies and deception. We must be wary. Discernment is the process of determining whether someone is acting in God’s will – or not. It’s a challenge. Believers have been deceived.
As we pray, we are first invited to adopt a spirit of humility. Life is not about us. Next, we are called to submit the heart, mind, and spirit to the Lord. Do it early and often. Regularly check the pride meter and bring yourself down if needed. Add a dash of humility. Keep asking the Lord to speak and to have ears to hear and eyes to see. Watch for the fruit of the Holy Spirit as evidence of God’s hands at work. Look for the behaviours of those who follow the desire of their sinful nature.
The desires of our sinful nature are powerful. We have limited ability to resist. That’s why we see so much in the way of “sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties” and other sins like these (Galatians 5:19-21). We are called, as follows of Christ, to be better. First, to be aware of our sinful nature. Second, to seek spiritual assistance – because we are powerless on our own. We are invited in Ephesians 6:13 to “put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.”
People who are obedient to the Lord are a target of the enemy and a potential spiritual battleground. We seek the peace of Christ, Who wants us to be One with Him.
And we mean it. Nothing withered or past its prime. That’s not a comment on our outer conditions. We can be bruised and wrinkled. But that’s physical. When we talk about fruit, it’s the spiritual.
The fruit of the Spirit are described in Galatians 5. When we refuse to follow the desires of our sinful nature and choose to submit to the Spirit of Christ, we begin a life-long process of sanctification. Our progress is demonstrated by the fruit produced in our lives.
“The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22)
If there are any sour grapes, they aren’t from God.
An assembly of God’s people can be very good when kindred souls united in Christ seek His pure and perfect way. But it’s more likely that we will coexist with people who have a different idea of the Gospel. It’s not always easy to be at peace. But we must endeavour to try, otherwise Satan will take advantage of the discord and provide all sorts of temptation and disruption.
We seek the peace of Christ, who wants us to be One with Him. We are invited to wear our spiritual armour, to approach one another with unconditional love. And when we are at odds with one another, may we be willing and able to allow the Holy Spirit to speak through us.