Why Is Prayer Necessary? What Kind of Prayers Conform to the Lord’s Will?

By Zhang Xiaoping

We Christians are all clear that praying is essential in our daily life. But as for why prayer is necessary, and what kind of prayers conform to the Lord’s will, we fail to explain these details clearly. We usually pray according to our own will and imaginations, seldom seek the truth regarding prayer, and have no idea whether our prayers accord with the Lord’s will. Thanks be to the Lord! Through consulting the Bible and some spiritual books, I have gained some knowledge of the truth regarding prayer. Today I’d like to communicate my knowledge with you, which I hope will be beneficial to you. May the Lord lead us!

Why Should We Pray and How Should We Pray to God to Accord With His Will?

By Zhang Xiaoping

We Christians are all clear that praying is essential in our daily life. But as for why we need to pray, and what kind of prayers conform to the Lord’s will, we fail to explain these details clearly. We usually pray according to our own will and imaginations, seldom seek the truth regarding prayer, and have no idea whether our prayers accord with the Lord’s will. Thanks be to the Lord! Through consulting the Bible and some spiritual books, I have gained some knowledge of the truth regarding prayer. Today I’d like to communicate my knowledge with you, which I hope will be beneficial to you. May the Lord lead us!

Only Those Who Truly Submit to God Shall Receive His Salvation

In words and in doctrine, we all acknowledge that God is faithful and whatever he says will be fulfilled, but many times we do not truly believe God’s word from the bottom of our heart and even often deny it in our practical experience. For example, God says: “Nothing is too difficult for me.” However, when we encounter some difficulties or when we achieve no results in the gospel work, we no longer believe this word but think that the practical difficulties are there and that even if we rely on God, we will not be able to resolve the problems or achieve the results. God says: “God perfects people according to their different functions.” But some of the brothers and sisters who preach the gospel, handle general affairs, or do hosting cannot believe this word. They always consider that only the leaders and those who water the churches are the ones to be perfected by God, while they are the serving ones, not the ones to be perfected by God. God says: “I do not care whether you have done laborious service and made great contribution, whether you have much seniority…; as long as you do not act according to my requirements, you can never receive my approval.” But some brothers and sisters cannot believe this word. And they always consider that as they have followed God for so many years, they have done hard work if not good work and God will not be so heartless as to eliminate them in the end. God says: “God’s will is to save man to the utmost.” However, some brothers and sisters do not believe this word but think that they are through and God will never forgive them, because they have brought great losses to God’s family in performing their duties or have once committed a grievous transgression. God says: “All God’s words are directed at everyone who acknowledges God and at everyone who follows God.” But we say that some of God’s words are directed at us and some not, for in us there are not those kinds of states God speaks about. Again, some people see that God always says such words as “My day has been laid before your eyes,” “my day will not be delayed,” and “my day is truly not very distant,” but so far God’s day still has not come; so they think that God’s words are without accuracy.

To Pursue to Be an Honest Person We Must First Know Our Crafty Nature

After reading the two fellowships from the above “The Four Indices One Has to Grasp in Pursuing the Truth to Attain the Transformation of His Disposition” and “Only Being an Honest Person Is True Repentance,” most brothers and sisters feel that they have become much clearer about the truth concerning being an honest person, and they also feel that they have had ways to practice and enter into it. So they all begin to practice being an honest person. However, while pursuing to be an honest person, we neglect an important matter, that is, we do not have true knowledge of our crafty nature. Thus, we often give up practicing being an honest person after doing it for a period of time, never being able to practice it with eagerness or perseverance. In the fellowship from the above, it says: “Men, after being corrupted by satan, have all become ones full of lies. Corrupt human beings lie about everything, and even none of their words is not mixed with a lie. They have all become experts in telling lies and master-hands in making up lies. As for the words spoken by corrupt human beings, it is very difficult to tell which of them is true and which is false. None of corrupt human beings is trustworthy.” “What is most unbelievable to them is that people lie not under compulsion but unconsciously and involuntarily, and those who lie seriously lie even to such a terrible extent that they lie everywhere, lie about everything, and lie the minute they open their mouth.” Most of us cannot relate these words to ourselves. Some think, “I only tell lies or cheat occasionally; how could I be said to be an expert in telling lies or to lie to the extent of lying everywhere and lying about everything? Perhaps what the above says is somewhat exaggerated.” And some, only out of their “sense,” admit that what the above says is definitely right, but they do not think these words are directed at them. As we have such understanding and knowledge, we have failed all along to achieve results in exercising to speak honest words and do honest things.