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While I was looking for the resolutions post on the Senior High Blog, I stumbled on this post from last year as well. I thought it was so good that I’d repost it here. It’s from an author named Alec Motyer from his book on the letter of James (which is in our bookstore). Here’s what he has to say from James 1:27, where James says we are to keep ourselves “unspotted” (in the NKJV) from the world:

“James summons us to be unstained from the world.  “The world” (see 4:4) has the same meaning for James as for Paul and John.  It is the whole human scheme of things organized in terms of human wisdom to attain a human goal, without reference to God, His laws, His values or His ultimate judgment.  The world is, in fact, anything and everything that is at odds with the Lordship of Jesus in our lives. 

“If we are to live for Him in the world, there is a constant issue of commitment, loyalty, to be faced:  are we His or are we not?  Are we His, not by virtue of a past decision allowed to grow stale, but in the daily pressure of the often small things by which our lives are besmirched?  For it is more than likely true that, if life were all large decisions, few of us would go far wrong.  Yet, faced with the world’s ceaseless bombardment of our eyes, ears, thoughts and imaginations, the world’s insidious erosion of values and standards, and clamor for our time, money and energy, it is easy to adopt a general way of life which, though it avoids the open pitfalls of sin, yet is not discernibly different from the style of one who does not know Christ.  We may well decide to belong to Jesus, yet fail to carry that decision through with the rigor which alone proves that it was a real decision.  It is one thing to yield our lives to Him, but it is another to live each moment of the day on His side of the great divide from the world.”

Last post today from George Muller, The Life of Trust, pg 235-238:

 Oh! I beseech you, do not think me an extraordinary believer, having privileges above other of God’s dear children, which they cannot have; nor look on my way of acting as something that would not do for other believers. Make but trial! Do but stand still in the hour of trial, and you will see the help of God, if you trust in him. But there is so often a forsaking the ways of the Lord in the hour of trial, and thus the food for faith, the means whereby our faith may be increased, is lost. This leads me to the following important point. You ask, How may I, a true believer, have my faith strengthened? The answer is this:–

I. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” James 1:17. As the increase of faith is a good gift, it must come from God, and therefore he ought to be asked for this blessing.

II. The following means, however, ought to be used: 1. The careful reading of the word of God, combined with meditation on it. Through reading of the word of God, and especially through meditation on the word of God, the believer becomes more and more acquainted with the nature and character of God, and thus sees more and more, besides his holiness and justice, what a kind, loving, gracious, merciful, mighty, wise, and faithful being he is, and, therefore, in poverty, affliction of body, bereavement in his family, difficulty in his service, want of a situation or employment, he will repose upon the ability of God to help him, because he has not only learned from his word that he is of almighty power and infinite wisdom, but he has also seen instance upon instance in the Holy Scriptures in which his almighty power and infinite wisdom have been actually exercised in helping and delivering his people; and he will repose upon the willingness of God to help him, because he has not only learned from the Scriptures what a kind, good, merciful, gracious, and faithful being God is, but because he has also seen in the word of God, how in a great variety of instances he has proved himself to be so. And the consideration of this, if God has become known to us through prayer and meditation on his own word, will lead us, in general at least, with a measure of confidence to rely upon him: and thus the reading of the word of God, together with meditation on it, will be one especial means to strengthen our faith.

2. As, with reference to the growth of every grace of the Spirit, it is of the utmost importance that we seek to maintain an upright heart and a good conscience, and, therefore, do not knowingly and habitually indulge in those things which are contrary to the mind of God, so it is also particularly the case with reference to the growth in faith. How can I possibly continue to act faith upon God, concerning anything, if I am habitually grieving him, and seek to detract from the glory and honor of him in whom I profess to trust, upon whom I profess to depend? All my confidence towards God, all my leaning upon him in the hour of trial, will be gone, if I have a guilty conscience, and do not seek to put away this guilty conscience, but still continue to do things which are contrary to the mind of God. And if, in any particular instance, I cannot trust in God, because of the guilty conscience, then my faith is weakened by that instance of distrust; for faith with every fresh trial of it either increases by trusting God, and thus getting help, or it decreases by not trusting him; and then there is less and less power of looking simply and directly to him, and a habit of self-dependence is begotten or encouraged. One or other of these will always be the case in each particular instance. Either we trust in God, and in that case we neither trust in ourselves, nor in our fellow-men, nor in circumstances, nor in anything besides; or we DO trust in one or more of these, and in that case do NOT trust in God.

3. If we, indeed, desire our faith to be strengthened, we should not shrink from opportunities where our faith may be tried, and, therefore, through the trial, be strengthened. In our natural state we dislike dealing with God alone. Through our natural alienation from God we shrink from him, and from eternal realities. This cleaves to us more or less, even after our regeneration. Hence it is that, more or less, even as believers, we have the same shrinking from standing with God alone, from depending upon him alone, from looking to him alone; and yet this is the very position in which we ought to be, if we wish our faith to be strengthened. The more I am in a position to be tried in faith with reference to my body, my family, my service for the Lord, my business, etc., the more shall I have opportunity of seeing God’s help and deliverance; and every fresh instance in which he helps and delivers me will tend towards the increase of my faith. On this account, therefore, the believer should not shrink from situations, positions, circumstances, in which his faith may be tried, but should cheerfully embrace them as opportunities where he may see the hand of God stretched out on his behalf, to help and deliver him, and whereby he may thus have his faith strengthened.

4. The last important point for the strengthening of our faith is, that we let God work for us, when the hour of the trial of our faith comes, and do not work a deliverance of our own. Wherever God has given faith, it is given, among other reasons, for the very purpose of being tried. Yea, however weak our faith may be, God will try it; only with this restriction, that as, in every way, he leads us on gently, gradually, patiently, so also with reference to the trial of our faith. At first, our faith will be tried very little in comparison with what it may be afterwards; for God never lays more upon us than he is willing to enable us to bear. Now, when the trial of faith comes, we are naturally inclined to distrust God, and to trust rather in ourselves, or in our friends, or in circumstances. We will rather work a deliverance of our own, somehow or other, than simply look to God and wait for his help. But if we do not patiently wait for God’s help, if we work a deliverance of our own, then at the next trial of our faith it will be thus again, we shall be again inclined to deliver ourselves; and thus, with every fresh instance of that kind, our faith will decrease; whilst, on the contrary, were we to stand still in order to see the salvation of God, to see his hand stretched out on our behalf, trusting in him alone, then our faith would be increased, and with every fresh case in which the hand of God is stretched out on our behalf in the hour of the trial of our faith, our faith would be increased yet more. Would the believer, therefore, have his faith strengthened, he must, especially, give time to God, who tries his faith in order to prove to his child, in the end, how willing he is to help and deliver him, the moment it is good for him.

More from George Muller, The Life of Trust, pg 175-179

During my stay at Plymouth, I was stirred up afresh to early rising, a blessing, the results of which I have not lost since. That which led me to it was the example of the brother in whose house I was staying, and a remark which he made in speaking on the sacrifices in Leviticus, “that as not the refuse of the animals was to be offered up, so the best part of our time should be especially given to communion with the Lord.” I had been, on the whole, rather an early riser during former years. But since the nerves of my head had been so weak, I thought that, as the day was long enough for my strength, it would be best for me not to rise early, in order that thus the nerves of my head might have the longer quiet. On this account I rose only between six and seven, and sometimes after seven. For the same reason also I brought myself purposely into the habit of sleeping a quarter of an hour, or half an hour, after dinner: as I thought I found benefit from it, in quieting the nerves of my head. In this way, however, my soul had suffered more or less every day, and sometimes considerably, as now and then unavoidable work came upon me before I had had sufficient time for prayer and reading the word. After I had heard the remark to which I have alluded, I determined that, whatever my body might suffer, I would no longer let the most precious part of the day pass away while I was in bed. By the grace of God I was enabled to begin the very next day to rise earlier; and have continued to rise early since that time. I allow myself now about seven hours’ sleep, which, though I am far from being strong, and have much to tire me mentally, I find is quite sufficient to refresh me. In addition to this I gave up the sleeping after dinner. The result has been that I have thus been able to procure long and precious seasons for prayer and meditation before breakfast; and as to my body, and the state of the nervous system in particular, I have been much better since. Indeed, I believe that the very worst thing I could have done for my weak nerves was to have lain an hour or more longer in bed than I used to do before my illness; for it was the very way to keep them weak. As this may fall into the hands of some children of God who are not in the habit of rising early, I make a few more remarks on the subject.

I. It might be asked, How much time shall I allow myself for rest? The answer is, that no rule of universal application can be given, as all persons do not require the same measure of sleep, and also the same persons, at different times, according to the strength or weakness of their body, may require more or less… But my decided advice, at the same time, is, that children of God would be careful not to allow themselves too little sleep, as there are few men who can do with less than six hours’ sleep, and yet be well in body and mind, and few females who can do with less than seven hours. Certain it is that for a long time, as a young man, before I went to the university, I went to bed regularly at ten and rose at four, studied hard, and was in good health; and certain also, that since I have allowed myself only about seven hours, from the time of my visit at Plymouth in Oct. 1839, I have been much better in body, and in my nerves in particular, than when I was eight or eight hours and a half in bed.

II. If it be asked, But why should I rise early? The reply is, “To remain too long in bed” is, 1. Waste of time, which is unbecoming a saint, who is bought by the precious blood of Jesus, with his time and all he has, to be used for the Lord. If we sleep more than is needful for the refreshment of the body, it is wasting the time with which the Lord has intrusted us as a talent, to be used for his glory, for our own benefit, and the benefit of the saints and the unbelievers around us. 2. To remain too long in bed injures the body. Just as when we take too much food, we are injured thereby, so as it regards sleep. Medical persons would readily allow that the lying longer in bed than is needful for the strengthening of the body does weaken it. 3. It injures the soul. The lying too long in bed not merely keeps us from giving the most precious part of the day to prayer and meditation, but this sloth leads also to many other evils. Any one need but make the experiment of spending one, two, or three hours in prayer and meditation before breakfast, either in his room, or with his Bible in his hand in the fields, and he will soon find out the beneficial effect which early rising has upon the outward and inward man. I beseech all my brethren and sisters into whose hands this may fall, and who are not in the habit of rising early, to make the trial, and they will praise the Lord for having done so.

III. It may lastly be said, But how shall I set about rising early? My advice is, 1. Commence at once, delay it not. To-morrow begin to rise. 2. But do not depend upon your own strength. This may be the reason why before this you may have begun to rise early, but have given it up. As surely as you depend upon your own strength in this matter, it will come to nothing. In every good work we depend upon the Lord, and in this thing we shall feel especially how weak we are. If any one rises that he may give the time which he takes from sleep to prayer and meditation, let him be sure that Satan will try to put obstacles into the way. 3. Do trust in the Lord for help. You will honor him if you expect help from him in this matter. Give yourself to prayer for help, expect help, and you will have it. 4. Use, however, in addition to this, the following means: a. Go early to bed. If you stay up late, you cannot rise early. Let no society and no pressure of engagements keep you from going habitually early to bed. If you fail in this, you neither can nor ought to get up early, as your body requires rest. Keep also particularly in mind, that neither for the body nor soul is it the same thing whether you go to bed late and rise late, or whether you go to bed early and rise early. Even medical persons will tell you how injurious it is to sit up late, and to spend the morning hours in bed; but how much more important still is it to retire early and to rise early, in order to make sure of time for prayer and meditation before the business of the day commences, and to devote to those exercises that part of our time when the mind and the body are most fresh, in order thus to obtain spiritual strength for the conflict, the trials, and the work of the day. b. Let some one call you, if possible, at the time which you have determined before God that you will rise; or procure, what is still better, an alarum, by which you may regulate almost to a minute the time when you wish to rise. For about twelve shillings a little German clock with an alarum may be bought almost in every town. Though I have very many times been awakened by the Lord, in answer to prayer, almost to the minute when I desired to rise; yet I thought it well to procure an alarum to assist me in my purpose of rising early: not indeed as if it could give the least help, without the Lord’s blessing, for I should remain in bed notwithstanding the noise of the alarum, were he not to give me grace to rise; but simply looking upon it as a means. c. Rise at once when you are awake. Remain not a minute longer in bed, else you are likely to fall asleep again. d. Be not discouraged by feeling drowsy and tired in consequence of your rising early. This will soon wear off. You will after a few days feel yourself stronger and fresher than when you used to lie an hour or two longer than you needed. e. Allow yourself always the same hours for sleep. Make no change except sickness oblige you.

This is part 4 of a series on personal devotion time. Today we’ll consider our personal prayer time.

First, I should say right away that I do not consider myself an authority on prayer. I am constantly seeking growth in this area. In fact, I regularly pray for growth in prayer. With that clear, here are a few things I’ve collected which may help someone who realizes they need to begin having regular times of private prayer.

To start with , we should be clear that every Christian needs a prayer life that is:

• Regular, not just during crisis
• Private, not only public or “during the day”
• Talking and listening, not just repeating lists
• Comprehensive, not narrow
• Shaped by scripture, not just our own thoughts

1. Write out a prayer list that includes everything you should be normally praying for.

One suggestion: In writing this list, start with your own soul and Christian walk, and then work outward from yourself in expanding “circles”. For example, your list might include the following topics, with specifics under each one:

1.  Soul (walk with God, victory over sin, growth)
2. Immediate Family (parents, brothers and sisters)
3. Close Saved Friends (their walks with God, strength, more faith, those who need healing)
4. Unsaved friends and family (their salvation)
5. Your community (Neighbors, your city, schools near you)
6. Your school/work (the gospel to be spoken and believed, sin to be suppressed, learning to happen)
7. Your Country (peace, boldness for Christians, government to submit to God’s laws)
8. Missions and Missionaries
9. Specific Nations around the world (for help: www.global-prayer-digest.org; Operation World)
10. Special request that come up daily (have a way to keep track of them…)

2. Pick certain Days of the week to concentrate on praying for certain things.

For example, you might make a list that looks like this:

• Monday: Family
• Tuesday: Friends
• Wednesday: Unsaved People I Know
• Thursday: Missions/Missionaries
• Friday: Future Plans
• Saturday: My own walk
• Sunday: Church

3. If a prayer list doesn’t work for you, you might try prayer cards instead. I read about this and started doing it  this past year and it has helped me immensely. At the top of an index card write the name of the person you’re praying for. Then write a verse to pray for them under their name (pray about what verse to pick!). Under that you write a few pressing needs. You end up with one card each for all the people you want to pray for. I also have “group” cards (one for our church, one for the Young Adults group, one for the church elders…etc.). Then, as you pray, you just see one card at a time at the top of the stack. You pray for that person, and then move on to the next card.

4. Leave time for the Holy Spirit to move or speak to you as you pray. Let yourself sit in silence, speak to the Lord (since He’s near) and allow Him to speak to you. Open your Bible again and linger over a verse you read, or a Psalm, as part of your listening to God.

5. Take scriptures and turn them into your personal prayers. Many Psalms are ready made for this. You might also pray thoughtfully through the prayers in scripture like those of Paul (Eph 1:15-23, 3:14-21) or Daniel (Daniel 9:1-19) Commandments and exhortations are great to pray over too, that God would give you strength to obey them or act them out.

6. Read the prayers of great men of God. Not to copy them, but for instruction. Books like The Valley Of Vision can help with this.

Much more could be said about this, of course. Many books have been written. Maybe we could become a group of people who are each pursuing our Lord and growing in prayer, and then sharing with each other the things that help us grow. Few things could be more edifying…