EM Bounds on Prayer
EM Bounds (1835-1913) was a noted pastor and writer who ministered during and after the American Civil War.
Bounds was better known after his death than during his life, for his writings and insights concernin
g the often neglected subject of prayer.
A couple of weeks ago, we had a week of prayer at Trinity Baptist Church. These quotes were taken from the writings of EM Bounds and used in a sermon entitled The Conditions for Answered Prayer:-
To graduate in the school of prayer is to master the whole course of a religious life. The first and last stages of holy living are crowned with praying. It is a life trade. The hindrances of prayer are the hindrances in a holy life. The conditions of praying are the conditions of righteousness, holiness, and salvation.
Faith gives birth to prayer…. An earthbound, earth satisfied spirit cannot pray.
God must have our hearts out of the closet, if we would have God’s presence in the closet…. There is no way of praying to God, but by living to God.
God sees to it that when the whole man prays, in turn the whole man shall be blessed.
As prayer brings the answer, so the answer brings forth gratitude and praise. ….. Thanksgiving follows answered prayer just as day follows night.
The two great evils- not asking, and asking in a wrong way. Perhaps the greater evil is wrong asking, for it has in it the show of duty alone, of praying when there has been no praying.
Bad living makes bad praying. We pray feebly because we live feebly. We cannot talk to God strongly when we have not lived for God strongly.
The closet cannot be made holy to God when the life has not been made holy to God…. We cannot divorce praying from conduct.
We have hedged God in till we have little faith in his power..…we have a little faith in a little God….
The conditions of time, place, nearness, ability and all others which could possibly be named, upon which the actions of men hinge, have no bearing on God.
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