All my recent reading -- actually listening -- has led me back to a great desire to see revival in the churches. Although I still think there may be conditions that aren't being met, I'm not as sure of that as I was before si because I'm more aware of just how little prayer is done by us Christiansx and how important prayer is to seeking antything from God. Prayer was Ravenhill's focus in his many exhorations to seek revival and since revival had not come as a result I began to think in terms of unmet conditions.
After learing the first part of a book by R. A Torrey I see how lacking in prayer we all are. I guess I can't say all beause I don't know, I can hope there are some out there who pray as fervently and at great length. I do doubt it though, it seems to be a mentality of an earlier era that we have lost.
Torrey's book "Power in Prayer and Prayer in Power" is a very long book and I've only heard an hour or so of the seven hours it takes to finish it. Many other writers I've been reading emphasize the weakness of our churches these days and offer many analyses and remedies but nobody emphasizes prayere as Torrewy does, and he's very confincting. He gives many very inspiring examples.
Prayer is difficult, very difficult. When I hear the accounts of the great prayer warriors I am astonished at their perseverence. Even if I do manage a long period of prayer I find that th4e next time I try to prayer it won't come as that one did. Distractions are a typical part of the problem but even if you have the concentration and the fervor it is hard to keep it up for the long periods usually aswsociated with effective prayer, especially prayer for revival.
We must pray "in the spirit" and nobody ever quite defines how we bring that about. We have the Holy Spirit if we are born-again Christians but actually being "in the Spirit" ISW NOT A GUARANTEE. If we are told to "walk in the Spirit" oit is clear that it is possible to NOT walk in the SPireit. If we are told to prayer "in the Spirit" that makes it clear it is possible not to prayey in the SPirit. Although the Corinthians were Christians who had the indwelling SPirit of God {ai; mevertje;ess ta;ls tp tje, as
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