Pray Unceasingly
by Ellen White
No man is safe for a day or an hour without prayer. GC 530
All the Lord requires is a willing mind to walk in the way of the Lord. If there be a
pure heart he shall see God and will feel His keeping power even in the busiest, most
excitable crowd, if duty requires him to be there . . . In such places every true, genuine
receiver of Christ . . carries the lamp of life . . .
We must not have a religion that is retained only in favourable circumstances. A
religion dependent on circumstances will surely fail when it is most needed, in the most
difficult surroundings. HP 84
If we would develop a character which God can accept, we must form correct habits in
our religious life. Daily prayer is as essential to growth in grace, and even to spiritual
life itself, as is temporal food to physical well-being. We should accustom ourselves to
often lift the thoughts to God in prayer. If the mind wanders, we must bring it back; by
persevering effort, habit will finally make it easy. We cannot for one moment separate
ourselves from Christ with safety. We may have his presence to attend us at every step,
but only by observing the conditions which he himself has laid down. PH048 34
Self-denial, self-sacrifice, benevolence, kindness, love, patience, fortitude, and
Christian trust are the daily fruits borne by those who are truly connected with God.
Their acts may not be published to the world, but they themselves are daily wrestling with
evil, and gaining precious victories over temptation and wrong. Solemn vows are renewed
and kept through the strength gained by earnest prayer and constant watching thereunto.
The ardent enthusiast does not discern the struggles of these silent workers; but the eye
of Him who seeth the secrets of the heart, notices and regards with approval every effort
put forth in lowliness and meekness. It requires the testing time to reveal the true gold
of love and faith in the character. When trials and perplexities come upon the church,
then the steadfast zeal and warm affections of the Christian are developed. RH JAN.18,1881
It is the privilege of every one to so live that God will approve and bless him. You
may be hourly in communion with Heaven; it is not the will of your Heavenly Father that
you should ever be under condemnation and darkness. It is not pleasing to God that you
should demerit your self. You should cultivate self-respect by living so that you will be
approved by your own conscience, and before men and angels. It is not an evidence of true
humility that you go with your head bowed down, and your heart filled with thoughts of
self. It is your privilege to go to Jesus and be cleansed, and to stand before the law
without shame and remorse. "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are
in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." While we should
not think of ourselves more highly than we ought, the word of God does not condemn a
proper self-respect. As sons and daughters of God, we should have a conscious dignity of
character, in which pride and self-importance have no part. RH MAR.27,1888
We should educate the mind so that we can hold communion with God constantly. We must
learn to glance upward in sincere desire, sending a prayer to Heaven in all places and
under all circumstances. You may have that faith that will place your hand in the hand of
Jesus, and by faith you may keep hold of him. You should keep your mind filled with the
precious promises of God. As Christians we do not make half enough of the promises, for
God will never fail in any good thing which he has promised. We should take these promises
singly, view them critically in all their richness, meditate upon them until the soul is
burdened with their greatness, and delighted with their strength and power. I am so sorry
that we deprive ourselves of the blessing we might have, and it is simply because we do
not cherish the thought that the promises of God are for us. God has left them in this
word for us, and we should dig for them as for hidden treasures. Why are we so easily
satisfied with little flashes of light when there is a heaven of illumination for us? We
drink at shallow streams, when there is a great fountain just above us, if we will only
rise a little higher in the pathway of faith. Our natures must be raised from their
earthliness, they must be kindled and purified in the upper brightness of God's divine
presence. But you must remember that only those who obey the commandments of God through
his grace have a right to appropriate the promises written for the consolation of the
children of God. The psalmist says: "Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts;
and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom." ST APR.14,1890
Workers for Christ must derive all their life and inspiration from God. They must seek
to be conformed to his will and his ways, and not seek to have their own will and way. He
who would become a living channel of light, must be governed by something more than habit
or opinion. He must live hourly in conscious communion with God. His life must be brought
into contact with the principles of truth and righteousness. He must become a partaker of
the divine nature. ST NOV.30,1888
I wish I could impress upon every worker the great need of continual, earnest prayer.
They cannot be constantly upon their knees, but they can be uplifting their hearts to God.
This is the way that Enoch walked with God. When young, or even married men and women open
their family secrets to you, beware. When they express a desire for sympathy, know that it
is time to exercise great caution. Those who are imbued with the Spirit of Christ, and who
are walking with God, will have no unholy repining for sympathy. They have a companionship
that satisfies every desire of the mind and heart. Married men who accept the attention,
the praise, and petting of women, should be assured that the love and sympathy of this
class is not worth the obtaining. It is valueless. This is a subject to which we must give
heed. We must guard against the sins of this degenerate age. We must stand aloof from
everything that savours of commonness and undue familiarity. God condemns it. It is
forbidden ground, upon which it is unsafe to set the feet. Every word and action should
tend to elevate, refine, and ennoble the character. There is sin in thoughtlessness about
such matters. ST OCT.15,1885
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