Let’s now face a painful but helpful truth: the boldness of grace cannot come from our natural selves. I am naturally (that is, in my sinful nature inherited from my first parents) self contained and self-praising. I tend to seek assurance of my righteousness by comparing myself with others — judging them as sinners and myself as more or less sin-free (Luke 18:9-14). Following the example of a friend, I must identify myself this way: "My name is Jack Miller, and I am a recovering Pharisee.”.....
The Prayers of a Leader
BY J. OSWALD SANDERS
In nothing should the leader be ahead of his followers more than in the realm of prayer. And yet the most advanced Christian is conscious of the possibility of endless development in his prayer life. Nor does he ever feel he has "already attained." Dean C. J. Vaughan once said: “If l wished to humble anyone, I should question him about his prayers. I know nothing to compare with this topic for its sorrowful self-confessions." Prayer is the most ancient.....
What Should We Pray For?
BY JOHN PIPER
One way to answer this question is to look at what the early church prayed for. Here is a list gathered from the New Testament. It can guide you in how you pray. I suggest that periodically you pray through this list just to test whether your prayers are leaving out anything the New Testament included. We don't have to pray all of these each time we pray. But over time it would be good if our prayers had the breadth and depth of the New Testament prayers.....
How to Pray for the Soul
BY JOHN PIPER
For thoughtful people, how they pray for the soul is governed by how they believe God acts. So, for example, if they believe God changes people's souls so that they make new and right choices, then they will ask God to make those soul-changes through evangelism and nurture. But not everybody is thoughtful about the way they pray. They don't think about what view of God is behind their praying.....