God the Father Christ Ahnsahnghong
It is really hard for a person to have little or no conversation with the people around him. Like a felon, who is imprisoned in solitary confinement, completely isolated from others, we become spiritually disconnected from God if we do not have conversations with Him. In this situation, we can feel no joy, nor can we fully obey the will of God.
Above all, we need to have a conversation with God in order to fulfill His will. For example, to obey the words of God-"Go and make disciples of all nations," we need to repeatedly ask God, "When shall I go? Of whom shall I make disciples? How shall I preach to them?" and continually pray to God to allow us circumstances to do as He has told. Only through continual conversations with God, we can fully obey Him.
Mother told us to preach the gospel very actively, full of hope and laughter, this year. To obey the words of Mother, we should always talk to God through prayer and do what pleases God.
God Ahnsahnghong
Prayer is the breath of the soul
Let me talk about a brother. He was eager to put his faith into action, but at some moment his faith began to cool, without knowing the reason for that. It was not because he lacked confidence in the truth or because he was troubled or persecuted. Of course, he did not neglect studying and preaching the word of God.
He didn't realize why his faith was cooling down, and it troubled him. One day, he heard the news about a fire on TV. After that, his heart began to burn again. I asked him what made him restore his faith. He said that through the fire accident he realized something of great importance. When he was watching the news, he focused on the fact that most of the victims died of suffocation from the smoke rather than from the heat. Then suddenly he was reminded of God's words, "Prayer is the breath of the soul."
'What will happen if I do not breathe spiritually?'
When he thought this way, he came to know the reason why he failed to stand firm in faith even though he diligently attended worship services and preached the gospel. Reflecting upon himself, he realized it was prayer, the breath of the soul, that he really needed. Though he believed in God, he wan't having earnest conversations with God; rather, he lived the gospel life by his own efforts and zeal. That was why his faith stagnated rather than grew.
He earnestly prayed for repentance, asking God to allow him to have a continuous conversations with Him. After that, he prayed to God for everything, no matter how small. As he talked to God in prayer every day, his heart overflowed with thankfulness even in distressing and difficult situations. His faith became much more active and stronger than ever before.
Christ Ahnsahnghong
Give yourselves to prayer at all times
As I heard of the brother's gracious enlightenment, I came to realize that our conversation with God is an important key to the growth of our faith. If one feels empty inside and the fervor of his faith diminishes, even though he is diligent in attending services and is active in gospel preaching, it shows that he does not have enough time to talk to God every day.
Now, let's take a look at ourselves. If we feel our soul becoming weary and losing its vigor, we need to ask ourselves how much time we spend in conversation with God. And we also need to examine ourselves whether we pray just mechanically.
We can not fulfill the gospel ministry with our own strength. We absolutely need help and advice from Almighty God. In spite of knowing all this, we do not often talk to God. So the Bible emphasizes that we should devote ourselves to prayer-a conversation with God.
Col 4:1-3 ... Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, ...
Ro 12:9-12 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
God has chosen us, knowing our weakness. What if we, who are so feeble and lacking in ability, try to do the gospel work with our own wisdom and strength, without asking God for help? Can we fulfill the work of God? Never.
God richly provides everything we need if we confess our weakness and ask Him for help. Our forefathers of faith described in the Bible gained wisdom, courage and strength through their conversations with God whenever they faced difficult and desperate situations.
God Almighty Christ Ahnsahnghong
Elijah gained courage through his conversation with God
When King Ahab reigned over the northern kingdom of Israel during the period of the Divided Kingdom, the prophet Elijah was delivering a message from God. There were 850 prophets of Baal and Asherah, who were supported by Jezebel, the Queen of Israel. Elijah fought all alone against the 850 false prophets at Mount Carmel and defeated them all with the strength provided by God. It was the power of prayer that enabled the great victory (1 Kings 18).
This made Jezebel furious. She tried to kill Elijah, and he fled from her into the wilderness. Then he said to God, "Lord, take my life; I am no better than my ancestors." "I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too."
God consoled Elijah and refreshed his weary soul and body. He thought he was alone, but God told him that there remained 7,000 faithful prophets. God's words gave him great joy and encouragement. Through his conversation with God, he took courage again, so he could carry out his mission as a prophet (1 Kings 19).
Thus, our forefathers of faith had continual conversations with God throughout their lives. Though the followers of God were inferior in number to the wicked and seemed far weaker than the evil ones, God encouraged the little flock, saying, "Do not fear," "Take heart," "I am with you," ....
With His powerful words, God floods our hearts with exceeding, overflowing joy. A continual conversation with God unceasingly inspires the courage and fervor of faith within ourselves.
May God bless you all.
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