I do not have time to be in a hurry. — John Wesley

Samuel said to Saul, … “but you stay here for a while, so that I may give you a message from God.” (1 Samuel 9:27, NIV)

We are not to wear out or to rust out, but to live out, and God has as much to say about being still as about being busy. — Vance Havner

Wait for the Lord and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land; you will look on when the wicked are cut off. (Psalm 37:34, ESV)

Here is the secret of Jesus’ life and work for God: He prayerfully waited for His Father’s instructions and for the strength to follow them. Jesus had no divinely-drawn blueprint; He discerned the Father’s will day by day in a life of prayer.

                                                            — Charles E. Hummel

Jesus gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 1:4-5, NIV)

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. (1 Timothy 2:1, NLT)

Prayer is the main thing—the center, the core, the root, the spirit of all we do. It is our primary task. … Prayer is our essence and genius—our principal work and the means by which everything else is done. – David Roper

The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops. (James 5:16-18, NLT)

The secret of life is in the secret place where God waits. … There is nothing about which I do not pray. I go over all my life in the presence of God. All my problems are solved there. All questions of liberty as well as duty are settled there. I seek counsel of God, and submit all things to the judgement of God. The sanctuary of my soul is there. — Samuel Chadwick

King David says, “I am prayer.” (Psalm 109:4, ESV)

I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. (Philippians 1:6, NLT)

The saving work of Jesus Christ is that he finds us after we lose our way in trying to become something other than who we are. That salvation invites us to live the rest of our lives in humble gratitude for the really good life Jesus keeps giving back to us. — M. Craig Barnes

Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. … The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him. (Romans 12:2-3, MSG)

Jesus sees us not only as we are, but as we can be; and he says: "Give your life to me, and I will make you what you have it in you to be." Once someone came on Michelangelo chipping away with his chisel at a huge shapeless piece of rock. He asked the sculptor what he was doing. "I am releasing the angel imprisoned in this marble," he answered. Jesus is the one who sees and can release the hidden hero in every man. — William Barclay

Then Andrew brought Simon to meet Jesus. Looking intently at Simon, Jesus said, Your name is Simon, son of John—but you will be called Peter (which means “rock”). (John 1:42, NLT)

To walk is a step-by-step activity. Given the main destination, all that matters is the next step. Christian living is concerned, therefore, just with the implication of the present moment, not with past or future. — Norman Grubb

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (Romans 8:1, KJV)

Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16, NIV)

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:1-3, ESV)

As you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. (Colossians 2:6-7, ESV)

By this we may know that we are in [Jesus]: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. (1 John 2:5-6, ESV)

It is not revolutions and upheavals that clear the road to new and better days, but someone’s soul inspired and ablaze. — Boris Pasternak

Abraham confronted God, “Are you serious? Are you planning on getting rid of the good people right along with the bad? What if there are fifty decent people left in the city; will you lump the good with the bad and get rid of the lot? Wouldn’t you spare the city for the sake of those fifty innocents? …
He wouldn’t quit, “Don’t get angry, Master—this is the last time. What if you only come up with ten?”
God said, “For the sake of only ten, I won’t destroy the city.”(Genesis 18:23-24, 32, MSG)

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:13, NIV)

Jesus knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. (Luke 22:41-44, NIV)

God loves a man aflame. The lukewarm He cannot abide. He never keeps hot hearts waiting. — Samuel Chadwick

The effectual . . . prayer of a righteous man [and woman] availeth much. (James 5:16, KJV)

What do you think when you read that verse? For many of us the term "righteous" takes us out of the conversation, because if we know anything, we know that we are not "righteous." From there we devolve into thinking that because we are not righteous our prayers are "not" effectual and are therefore useless. So why pray?

Don't get sucked into that lie. In tonight's session I look at our righteousness in Christ and how we can live in a righteous manner (out of love for Jesus) that can be used for good in our prayers and for God's glory in our lives.

I pray that my offering at the Youtube link below will be a blessing and encouragement to you. God wants us to pray, to look to Him and to call upon His Name. May we draw near to Jesus and pray effectively for our friends, our loved ones and for God's hand in our own lives.

Catch all the foxes, those little foxes, before they ruin the vineyard of love, for the grapevines are blossoming! (Song of Songs, 2:15, NLT)

You will find in your life that generally “the little foxes spoil the vines,” not the major storms. People fall away from following Christ, not because of some cataclysmic circumstance, but rather a series of small events. — Walter Henrichsen

Jesus said, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own? “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. (Luke 16:10-13, NIV)

You and I live in little moments, and if God doesn’t rule our little moments and doesn’t work to re-create us in the middle of them, then there is no hope for us. — Paul David Tripp

So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him make himself scarce. Say a quiet yes to God and he’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet. (James 4:7-10, MSG)