30th Mar 26 | 13:54
Studies by Book
Luke 11 5-13 Persistent prayer Persistent prayer 3
📖 Luke 11:5-13
*Longing to be filled and led by the Holy Spirit* _Luke 11:5-13_
God is teaching us about persistent payer. What should be the substance or content of persistent prayer? Till yesterday, we understood that the very first item that must take precedence over everything else, for persistent prayer, is to seek God Himself.
We must long for God. We do not come to Him for a reason. He is the reason for our prayer. We want Him and we desire Him. He is our persistence in prayer.
Today, we will look at the other matter for persistent prayer that the Lord wanted for His disciples and that is for the Holy Spirit. _Luke 11:9-10 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. (10) For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened._ Our Lord wants us to persist with Him, for His Holy Spirit _Luke 11:13._
Why is our Lord longing that we will persist with Him, for the Holy Spirit? Let us remember, we have been created in the image of God, as persons, with free will. We have the option to run our lives out of our fallen flesh or out of and under the control of the Holy Spirit. Out of the flesh no one can please God _Romans 8:8, 7:18._ Our ‘will’ is sovereign to us. God will not force His will on us. God longs for us, if we will, willingly, submit to His will. It is only by the Holy Spirit that we can obey God, or do His will.
Loving God is to obey His commandments _John 14:15._ God longs for us to love Him, unconditionally, just as He loves us, completely. We are called to love God, unconditionally as well as people, unconditionally _John 13:34._ This is possible only in the Holy Spirit. He, the Holy Spirit will abide with us forever _John 14:16._ He, the Holy Spirit is our helper, counsellor and an advocate, who enables us to love God and people, unconditionally.
There are great treasures that God has in store for us _I Corinthians 2:9._ These treasures, our Lord longs to reveal as well as give to us, to enjoy in Him. It is God, the Holy Spirit, who takes these treasures from the heart of the Father and brings them to our spirits _I Corinthians 2:10-11._ We have the option to surrender to the Holy Spirit and live our lives out of revelation from God as well as of the fullness of the Holy Spirit. If we choose not to do so, we do not live in a state of vacuum but the spirit of the world will immediately take over _I Corinthians 2:12._ The spirit of world, which is ordered by satan and allied with our fallen flesh.
This is an either-or situation. We must decide. What will it be for each of us?
*Thought to ponder*
```Romans 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.```