If you stay in touch with me and absorb what I say, you can achieve anything. (NLT) John 15:7
Making petitions to God is something we are obligated to do. One of the most elementary reasons to pray is that God ordered it. Becoming a disciple is dedicating oneself fully to God’s will.
“Stay on the lookout and pray for help from above. You’ll cave in to temptation if you don’t. The mind and heart are on board, but the physical self is lagging. New Living Translation of Matthew 26:41
Then Jesus used a parable to drive home the point that constant prayer was essential. (Lucas 18:1)
Furthermore, make your requests known to the Holy Spirit at all times. Don’t forget this while you keep praying for and keeping an eye on God’s saints. (NIV) Bible verse cited (Ephesians 6:18)
What’s the Point if I Can’t Pray?
If you find yourself at a loss for words in prayer, have faith that the Holy Spirit will direct you:
When we are weak, the Spirit makes us strong. The Holy Spirit intercedes on our behalf when we have no idea what to pray for. The Holy Spirit intercedes on behalf of the righteous in accordance with God’s purpose, and anybody who studies our hearts will know the thoughts of the Spirit. Romans 8:26–27, New International Version
A minister a few years ago at a church I attended said, roughly, “give me liberty or give me death.” Without using such words, he stated assuredly, “the Bible says.” Strangely, the impression he was going for was achieved with terms that are nowhere to be found in the Bible. The overwhelming majority of the congregation responded to what was said with an enthusiastic “Amen!” When I first walked in, I looked around and thought, “What the hell is going on in here?” The widespread adoption of what must be a bogus reading of the Bible begs the question: why? I was astonished by what had happened, but I had to face the fact that the members of this church, at least the ones who had given their blessing, were probably not only biblically incompetent but biblically ignorant as well.
However harsh it may seem, false teaching is one of the greatest threats to a strong and healthy walk with God. False teaching has infiltrated the church via the distortion and blatant denial of God’s Word. The first reported words of Satan, spoken by the snake to Eve:
The snake the LORD God had made was more crafty than any other reptile. ‘He probed the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?'” Inventing: 1.
With these words, Satan plants the seeds of doubt and distrust in Eve’s mind. But his subsequent comments were what actually introduced her to the false teaching that questioned and misunderstood God’s intentions.
The snake reassured the woman that her death was not inevitable. You will become as God if you partake of the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, the Bible says. Genesis 3:4-5 are a scriptural reference for this.
There have been many manifestations of open hostility toward God’s Word throughout history. This, however, begs the question: how? Jude gives us a hint in his letter:
Because among you are some whose fates were sealed in stone long ago. To paraphrase Jude: “They are ungodly people, who change the grace of our God into an occasion for immorality, and who put Jesus Christ to open shame” (Jude 1:4).
Bad people were able to enter the church and propagate their heretical ideas because of the church’s limited finances. God’s people need a plan that includes consistent, in-depth study of the Bible to safeguard themselves from the perils of false teaching.
