Category Archives: Daily Life

The Great Demand for Importune Prayer

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Stephen Nielsen's avatarPrayer A to Z

 

From what I have discovered from my study, there seems to be two main aspects of importune prayer: it is urgent, and it has a dogged persistence.  Each of these has their own demands.  Urgency is demanded because of great needs.  Persistence is demanded because of the time factor—the fact that it takes time for prayer to be answered.

The Demand for Urgency

In every importune prayer there is a demand for urgency.  In the parables and stories we saw that there was always a great need, which required urgency.  The man who went to his friend for bread (Lu. 11:5-10) had a great need for bread.  The woman in the parable in Luke 18 had a great need for justice.  The Canaanite woman had a daughter who had an urgent need to be healed (Matt. 15:21-28).  And the blind man had a great need to see (Lu. 18:35-43).

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Being Glad in My Weaknesses

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Paul had what he called “a thorn in his flesh.” He said that it was a messenger of Satan to keep him from exalting himself. We don’t know what it was. Some say it was his poor eye sight.

I’m sure you know your weakness. That thing that torments you, that keeps you from doing your best. But that weakness can be the very thing you can be glad about, because Christ will perfect His power through that weakness—so that we can be content with our weakness.

2 Cor 12:9-10

And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

Four Ways to Pray With Importunity

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Stephen Nielsen's avatarPrayer A to Z

Importune prayer is prayer that is aroused and energized by the Holy Spirit.  According to E. M. Bounds,

It [importune prayer] is not an impulse of energy, not a mere earnestness of soul; it is an inwrought force, a faculty implanted and aroused by the Holy Spirit.  Virtually, it is the intercession of the Spirit of God, in us; it is, moreover, “the effectual, fervent prayer, which availeth much.”  The Divine Spirit informing every element within us, with the energy of His own striving, is the essence of the importunity which urges our praying at the mercy-seat, to continue until the fire falls and the blessing descends.

 I think this is right on.  When we pray with importunity it is really the Holy Spirit praying in us.  He moves us and motivates us in our prayers.  Here are four ways the Holy Spirit motivates us to pray with importunity:

 

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Dressing Modestly

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1 Timothy 2:8-10

Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension.

9 Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments, 10 but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness.

This passage is good for me as a man, because my lustful old nature is attracted to women who are not modest. And those women are also acting on their old lustful nature. Hence, there is sin on both sides. Also, the Christian man is wrong if he does not keep himself in prayer always—not committing all things to God.

In this passage Paul is addressing the Christian woman especially, who are to dress modestly. They should know better. And so, they should be an example to other younger women and women of the world, as well as to be an example of a pure women to all men.

In this evil world, all of us who are believers should do all we can to encourage purity and holiness. And this issue of being modest in our dress, is such an easy thing for us to do. It is how we should start the day. Let not any Christian do otherwise. Also, let every man look away from any woman who is dressed inappropriately!

Update: Fighting a Headache

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I have been fighting a headache for almost three weeks. I’m waiting on an MRI report—but I don’t think it will show anything. I have a feeling that I have nitrates in my body from the packaged meats that I have been eating lately. Sometimes we do things, stupid things, without thinking about it. Packaged meats are loaded with preservatives.

Well, anyway, I have decided to take some steps to cleanse my body starting today. I will also start a juice fast. I have a juicer. The right away to do it is to juice mostly green veggies with an apple and also dilute it with one-third water. I hope and pray this will work to stop my headache.

Satan blinds the minds of the unsaved to the truth. In 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 it says, “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.”

If you are a Christian and wonder why your witness is not effective, this is one reason why. They just can’t understand the truth of the gospel, because Satan is blinding them from it. They think it is foolish or extreme! But if we understand that, and keep preaching the truth to them, some day it will hopefully break through. We all have see it. We must not give up!  

Over the years I have been discouraged over this—that people are so obstinate toward the gospel. But I’m starting to see now that it is all because of this work of Satan, and so we just have to work harder at it—to rip that blindfold off and to flood in the gospel and to pray.

I’m believing in prayer for everyone I encounter. I have started keeping track of everyone I run into and say a few words to during the day. At the end of each day, I record their names and pray for them. I am believing that they will see my life and witness and that God will open the truth to them. I think the more I do this the more I will see God work and also the more I will be encouraged. You know, all Christians who are walking in the Spirit are an aroma of Christ (2 Cor. 2:14-16). We make manifest to them who His.

Laying aside every weight (from Hebrews 12:1). I’m sure you know that when you run in a race, to have your best performance you should not wear a lot of clothing. It will weigh you down and slow you down. In the Christian life any sin and anything not committed to God in prayer is a weight; and anything you do that is not of the truth is a weight. What weight is holding you back? Get rid of it. Strip if off. And keep looking to Jesus who is the author and finisher of faith (v. 2).