Correct thinking is important
Acts 16:15 When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.
Hymn for scheduled worship: Korean/English Hymnal #446 I Need Thee Every Hour (#500 in previous version)
It is no exaggeration to say that prayer is most important in our Christian walk of faith. If we know prayer correctly, we can have victory in all things. Before we pray, we must examine our thoughts, words and work. What is most important in prayer is our thoughts. If we have incorrect thoughts, we will speak incorrect words and go in the wrong direction in our work or waste our time in foolish things. Even if we pray, if we have incorrect thoughts, we cannot receive correct answers. What are some thoughts that we must set right in the Gospel?
1. Examine your spiritual state
We must take a look at our surroundings that influences us as individuals, such as parents, church and school. The spiritual state of parents will be passed down to their children entirely. Even at church there are quite some people who are left in spiritual thirst and devastation. There are none who know the Gospel at school or at church and the world is faced with spiritual crises. If we lack spiritual power, we will be overwhelmed by the problems at home and complicated circumstances and shrink back and feel oppressed spiritually. If our spiritual state is not healthy, our minds and thoughts will be diseased and we will find ourselves unable to think correctly or to pray even more. We must examine our spiritual state by all costs.
2. We must be assured of our sense of identity
David tended his flock with integrity and prayed, was anointed as a king of Israel, understood the mystery of the Ark of the Covenant and lived a life filled with the Spirit of God. We should not separate prayer and study or prayer and work; instead if we can live as David did, we will have success. We must not forget that we are standing before God no matter what kind of work we do. When prayer and life go hand in hand, we will find the vision that God gives to us and we will receive the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
3. Turn trials into blessings
There is something that we must remember in events both big and small and in meetings with people as we live. Because God works through the church, we will receive concrete answers when we offer our heart, time and materials to all things concerning the church. Because God will raise evangelists who have the Gospel in every age and in every place and change the world through them, we must align the direction of our life with the work of finding and raising the evangelists who possess the Gospel.
- Examine what circumstances are influencing your spiritual state. Do not use such circumstances as excuses or rationalization but look for prayers that you can enjoy in the circumstance you are in right now. Mission Home Training Message / 2012. 3. 27