Guide And Defend

For any leader and on any journey there are decisions and dangers. We are asking for wise leaders who will seek guidance, and we are asking for their protection.<br/><br/>In our PrayerPodcast, let&#8217;s lift up those in authority today praying from James 1:5, Proverbs 3:21, 1 Corinthians 16:13<br/><br/>Prayer Insights &#8230; from E. M. Bounds<br/><br/>Prayer and Desire <br/><br/>Desire is not merely a simple wish; it is a deep seated craving; an intense longing, for attainment. In the realm of spiritual affairs, it is an important adjunct to prayer. So important is it, that one might say, almost, that desire is an absolute essential of prayer. Desire precedes prayer, accompanies it, is followed by it. Desire goes before prayer, and by it, created and intensified. <br/><br/>Prayer is the oral expression of desire. <br/><br/>If prayer is asking God for something, then prayer must be expressed. Prayer comes out into the open. Desire is silent. Prayer is heard; desire, unheard. The deeper the desire, the stronger the prayer. Without desire, prayer is a meaningless mumble of words. Its exercise is a waste of precious time, and from it, no real blessing accrues.<br/><br/>Our judgment tells us we ought to pray -- whether we feel like it or not -- and not to allow our feelings to determine our habits of prayer. In such circumstance, we ought to pray for the desire to pray; then, when desire has been given, we should pray according to its dictates. Lack of spiritual desire should grieve us, and lead us to lament its absence, to seek earnestly for its bestowal, so that our praying, henceforth, should be an expression of "the soul's sincere desire."<br/><br/>Hunger is an active sense of physical need. It prompts the request for bread. In like manner, the inward consciousness of spiritual need creates desire, and desire breaks forth in prayer. Desire is an inward longing for something of which we are not possessed, of which we stand in need -- something which God has promised, and which may be secured by an earnest suppli