Praying without ceasing?

[mcauliffeandy]

Does any body try to attempt to live life by Praying without out ceasing as the bible commands?
And have you read books by Jeanne Guyon or "Practicing his Prescence" by Brother Lawrence and Frank Laubach.

 

[Endure2]

well i havent read either of those books, but i do certainly try to pray without ceasing. its wonderful, to stay in fellowship with God.

 

[Evie]

Does any body try to attempt to live life by Praying without out ceasing as the bible commands?
And have you read books by Jeanne Guyon or "Practicing his Prescence" by Brother Lawrence and Frank Laubach.

hello

mcauliffeandy,yes I- pray without ceasing.I love to talk to God all day,so I don't become too weak and dry.I find He's helpful in every situation that we go through in our walk.Especially while driving. No,I have not read those books that you mentioned.

 

[Count]

Does any body try to attempt to live life by Praying without out ceasing as the bible commands?
And have you read books by Jeanne Guyon or "Practicing his Prescence" by Brother Lawrence and Frank Laubach.

Yes brother, I have read both of those books. The title of the book of Jeanne Guyon is: "Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ", or in it's original edition: "The Method of Prayer".

Both of them are really wonderful books. They doesn't speak for a prayer that comes from our mind, but for prayers that comes from our spirit. Guyon speaks of a prayer that cannot be interrupted by outward things. She says that once we have learned to pray this way, the prayer in our live will be easier than breathing. The common mistake that we christians do today is that we think that prayer means only to talk to God. The prayer, as every spiritual thing is not an activity of our soul, it is passivity of the soul/flesh, and activity of our spirit.

Guyon talks about two ways of prayers. 1) Quiet times and 2) Praying the Scripture. I strongly recommend these books as well as others by Jeanne Guyon.

Brother, the best way to practice His presence is by doing it with at least onother brother or sister. I know groups of Christians that often practice that kind of prayer. During this time me and my wife are having some time with the Lord every morning. I also try to keep in mind the Lord as much as I can during the day.

 

[Count]

I am writing some small passages of the first chapter of the book "Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ." I strongly recommend that all of you read this book.



As you pick up this book, you may feel that you simply are not one of those people capable of a deep experience with Jesus Christ. Most Christians do not feel that they have been called to a deep, inward relationship to their Lord. But we have all been called to the depths of Christ just as surely as we have been called to salvation.

When I speak of this "deep, inward relationship to Jesus Christ," what do I mean? Actually, it is very simple. It is only the turning and yielding of your heart to the Lord. It is the expression of love within your heart for Him.

..................................


I give you an invitation: If you are thirsty, come to the living waters. Do not waste your precious time digging wells that have no water in them.

If you are starving and can find nothing to satisfy your hunger, then come. Come, and you will be filled.

You who are poor, come.

You who are afflicted, come.

You who are weighted down with your load of wretchednes and your load of pain, come. You will be comforted!

You who are sick and need a physician, come. Don't hesitate because you have diseases. Come to your Lord and show Him all your diseases, and they will be healed!

Dear child of God, your Father has His arms of love open wide to you. Throw yourself into His arms. You who have strayed and wandered away as sheep, return to your Shepherd. You who are sinners, come to your Saviour.

I especially address those of you who are very simple and you who are uneducated, even you who cannot read and write. You may think you are the one person most incapable of this abiding experience of Christ, this prayer of simplicity. You may think yourself the one farthest from a deep experience with the Lord; but, in fact, the Lord has especially chosen you! You are the one most suited to know Him well.

..........................................

How then will you come to the Lord to know Him in such a deep way? Prayer is the key. But I have in mind a certain kind of prayer. It is a kind of prayer that is very simple and yet holds the key to perfection and goodness-things found only in God Himself. ..................

You see, the only way to be perfect is to walk in the presence of God. The only way you can live in His presence in uninterrupted fellowship is by means of prayer, but a very special kind of prayer. It is a prayer that leads you into the presence of God and keeps you there at all times; a prayer tht can be experienced under any conditions, any place, and any time.

Is there such a prayer? Does such an experience with Christ truly exist?

Yes, there is such a prayer! A prayer that does not interfere with your outward activities or your daily routine.

There is a kind of prayer that can be practiced by kings, by priests, by soldiers, by laborers, by children, by women, and even by the sick.

May I hasten to say that the kind of prayer I am speaking of is not a prayer that comes from your mind. It is a prayer that begins in the heart. It does not come from your understanding or your thoughts. Prayer offered to the Lord from your mind simply would not be adequate. Why? Because your mind is very limited. The mind can pay attention to only one thing at a time. Prayer that comes out of the heart is not interrupted by thinking! I will go so far as to say that nothing can interrupt this prayer, the prayer of simplicity.

...................................................

.............Dear reader, there is nothing in this universe that is easier to obtain than the enjoyment of Jesus Christ! Your Lord is more present to you than you are to yourself! Furthurmore, His desire to give Himself to you is greater than yur desire to lay hold of Him.

How than do you begin? You need only one thing. You need only to know how to seek Him. When you have found the way to seek Him, you will discover that this way to God is more natural and easier than taking a breath.

By this "prayer of simplicity", this experiencing of Christ deep within, you may live by God Himself with less difficulty and with less interruption than you now live by the air which you take into you. If this is true, then I ask, wouldn't it be a sin not to pray? Yes, it would be a sin. But once you have learned how to seek Jesus Christ and how to lay hold of Him, you will find the way so easy that you will no longer neglect this relationship to your Lord.

Let us go on, therefore, and learn this simple way to pray.

 

[mcauliffeandy]

Oh Thank You for your replys.
Isn't it wonderful to lead such a life. Count, I am blessed to see your interests in Madame Guyon's books. They have blessed my life and have feed and lead my soul towards God.

Thank You, Evie and Endure 2 for your sharing about your walk with Christ. Constant fellowship with our loving Father is wonderful, isn't it?

Any more comments would be appreciated.

Andy

 

[Joannekay]

Hi Andy: I have been living in God's Presence for many years. I have read both those books - they introduced and taught me how to live this way. A. W. Tozer has some wonderful books of which The Pursuit of God adds to what you will learn from the two you mentioned. Tozer also wrote Man The Dwelling Place of Christ and both are contained in the classic works of A. W. Tozer which you can pick up for next to nothing on Amazon Kindle Books. These classic works are the best books to read when learning to live deeply in God. There are many other works available on the web-based libraries for classic works. Several of them exist which you can find by searching for classic Christian book libraries. Augustine is another I can encourage you to read. I have read few comparable written by current contemporaries, except Misty Edwards' What's the Point; Discovering Life's Deeper Meaning and Purpose. Her book is not specifically on living in God's Presence, but you will gain so much understanding of the depth of our God through her work. There is something about the simplicity of those I listed which draw a reader deeper and deeper.

I have a Facebook group dedicated to the mission of bringing as many people to life in the Presence of God and many back to their First Love. We have an emphasis toward serving the suffering of the world, but anyone with a desire to deepen their relationship with God is welcome as well. For many people who are ill as I am, learn to seek for depth in God to explain their suffering, but as well to go somewhere that pain is less and God is more. Let me know if you are interested in knowing more about this group and I will send you the URL.

May God bless your seeking with more of Himself. Love, Joanne

 

[GodsGirlToday61]

Does any body try to attempt to live life by Praying without out ceasing as the bible commands?
And have you read books by Jeanne Guyon or "Practicing his Prescence" by Brother Lawrence and Frank Laubach.

_______________________________________________________________________

I haven't read the books mentioned (in OP's message pasted above) but I pray from the time I wake up (as much as possible) until I fall asleep, praying AS I fall asleep whenever possible. I had a habit of talking to myself, starting in childhood (violent home) and I pray to God now, smiling, when I catch myself, and say something simple like, 'Sorry, an old habit, just keep bringing my attention back to you because talking to myself really is living 'in vain', i.e. meaninglessly."

I read the Bible throughout the day, too, and after prayer in the morning, as soon as I get up, I put on worship music, starting with a gospel compilaton CD my husband burned--after we bought the songs via iTunes.

When I pray, usually? It's a kind of listening after telling Him something like, 'Give me whatever, I'd be grateful you know, for anything you would give me to better obey you and be a member of Christ's body here on Earth, today', and then He does, of course.

I'm grateful He's been so faithful to me throughout my life, and I believe He called me before I began growing in my biological mother's womb, because He Was, He Is, Always Will Be: Perfect Love, and it's my human job, in my limited way, to the best of my ability, to ask Him what I am to do, and then do it, or sometimes 'not' do it, as in 'be quiet':

The time after 'Silence' is always fruitful; I grow a lot after a time of prolonged silence, you know, no Internet, no emails, no phone calls, no visiting: Just home praise and Church service. <3 <3 <3
~ Carolyn

 

[Softfeather]

Andy, I heard Jesse Duplantis say, "I hardly ever pray. I talk to God all day long." Much like how Evie said she does. I do that too, I talk to Him and thank Him a lot throughout the day and sometimes my family will say, "who are you talking to??" and I say, "I'm praying. "

 

[Noxot]

origen said to pray without ceasing we have to become a prayer. I have not read "Practicing his Prescence" by Brother Lawrence and Frank Laubach but I bet they say something similar.

 

[michaelwriting]

Sadly no. I used to include God in every part of my life, I think. I would talk to him about everything that was going on in my life. Both positive and negative. Whether it was anger, disappointment, struggles, moral failures, or anything else. It wasn't about me just coming to God to manipulate him into doing my will. It was sharing my life with him. In my readings of the psalms, David was able to share all kinds of feelings and problems with God as well. I usually felt that my 'prayers' had to be sanitized, and that I had to say only 'certain' things that would be 'acceptable' to God. But instead, I need to speak reality to him. I need to not hide what is going on in my life. I can share the ugly junk as much as everything else. And I can also share with him the mundane ordinary stuff too. I learned that he is interested in even hearing the boring stuff in my life. I just need to keep reaching out to him and keeping him included with all facets of my life.

Somehow I had fallen away from this.

 

[Softfeather]

Sadly no. I used to include God in every part of my life, I think. I would talk to him about everything that was going on in my life. Both positive and negative. Whether it was anger, disappointment, struggles, moral failures, or anything else. It wasn't about me just coming to God to manipulate him into doing my will. It was sharing my life with him. In my readings of the psalms, David was able to share all kinds of feelings and problems with God as well. I usually felt that my 'prayers' had to be sanitized, and that I had to say only 'certain' things that would be 'acceptable' to God. But instead, I need to speak reality to him. I need to not hide what is going on in my life. I can share the ugly junk as much as everything else. And I can also share with him the mundane ordinary stuff too. I learned that he is interested in even hearing the boring stuff in my life. I just need to keep reaching out to him and keeping him included with all facets of my life.

Somehow I had fallen away from this.

________________________________

And are you back to it now? If not, let's encourage you to get back to it! What's the saying, "Nothing to it but to do it!" So let's do it. We can all do it. Begin Today. Go for it and do it now, right where you are, reading this. Begin by Thanking Him for anything and everything! Thank Father God for This Day, Thank Him for Loving You, Thank Him for Protecting You, for Providing For You, start each morning by quoting scripture back to Him, He loves that and we are instructed to do that, and doing that we start things in motion to allow them to come to pass in our lives. Plus it rebukes the devourer when we praise Him, Matthew 21:16 and Psalm 8:2.

Thank Jesus for being your Saviour, your Protector, your Deliverer, your Healer.

Tell Him you regret being away from Him for a time, ask Him to forgive you for that and tell Him you love Him. Just take some time to simply tell Him you love him.

Then say things like, "This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it! No weapon formed against me shall prosper and every lying tongue that rises up against me I will show to be in the wrong, for this is the heritage of the saints and my righteousness is of the Lord! I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me! Jesus meets my needs according to His riches in Glory, Greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world, Jesus came so I can have life and have it more abundantly, halelujiah!"

If you start, it will get easier and soon it will be first nature to you, as we were made to worship and praise him all throughout the day. You do this and I will do it with you! Yeah I will!

Dear Father today I come to you in prayer for michaelwriting, I ask you to heal him today and make him every whit whole, with your healing power Father, and I thank you for this healing in Jesus' Name, Amen and Amen!