A prepared heart is much better than a prepared sermon. A prepared heart will make a prepared sermon.

E. M. Bounds, Power Through Prayer (chapter xii)

Pray from the heart and not the head. Sincerity matters more to God than the surface-level praying we perform when trying to impress our fellow man.

We’re called to be honest with God in the secret place of our prayer times and prayer closets. We must allow God to deal with the conditions of the hearts and minds, and to clean up whatever’s buried deep there that hinders our relationship with Him.

Only when we’re at an honest place with God can we then be honest with others.

All our efforts at preaching, testifying, evangelism, or missionary trips will fail if we don’t deal with the obstacles in our lives. We cannot do that on our own; we have to ask the Holy Spirit for His help.

Be willing to let go and let Him do His work in us.

Practical side

At your next writing session, pray and ask the Holy Spirit to bring to your mind whatever is keeping you from growing in your prayer life. List it all down in your diary or prayer journal, and pray to God to help you deal with each one.

Prayer prompt

Reflect on the Lord Jesus’s words to ‘Watch and pray!’ Ask God to strengthen you and show you how to do so.

God bless you in your journey. Amen

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What truths did you learn about yourself when reading ‘Power Through Prayer? Share your thoughts on the book and how it has changed your life in the comments section below.