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Higher Experience
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the agony of the judgment hall and the cross, and the resurrection
glory.
The Privilege of Prayer
We, too, must have times set apart for meditation and prayer
and for receiving spiritual refreshing. We do not value the power
and efficacy of prayer as we should. Prayer and faith will do what
no power on earth can accomplish. We are seldom, in all respects,
placed in the same position twice. We continually have new scenes
and new trials to pass through, where past experience cannot be a
sufficient guide. We must have the continual light that comes from
God.
Christ is ever sending messages to those who listen for His voice.
On the night of the agony in Gethsemane, the sleeping disciples
heard not the voice of Jesus. They had a dim sense of the angels’
presence, but lost the power and glory of the scene. Because of
their drowsiness and stupor they failed of receiving the evidence that
would have strengthened their souls for the terrible scenes before
them. Thus today the very men who most need divine instruction
often fail of receiving it, because they do not place themselves in
communion with heaven.
The temptations to which we are daily exposed make prayer
a necessity. Dangers beset every path. Those who are seeking to
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rescue others from vice and ruin are especially exposed to temptation.
In constant contact with evil, they need a strong hold upon God lest
they themselves be corrupted. Short and decisive are the steps that
lead men down from high and holy ground to a low level. In a
moment decisions may be made that fix one’s condition forever.
One failure to overcome leaves the soul unguarded. One evil habit,
if not firmly resisted, will strengthen into chains of steel, binding
the whole man.
The reason why so many are left to themselves in places of
temptation is that they do not set the Lord always before them. When
we permit our communion with God to be broken, our defense is
departed from us. Not all your good purposes and good intentions
will enable you to withstand evil. You must be men and women
of prayer. Your petitions must not be faint, occasional, and fitful,