Changed by God's Spirit through Prayer

Finishing Chapter 4 in Bryan Chapell's book, we end this chapter with a confident look at God changing our affections when we pray in the power of the Holy Spirit. Before we can ever expect our lives to change and our desires for God's will to be supreme in our lives, I believe we must: 1) Know God's mind and character (that reveals what His will is for us in the sense that His will never contradicts His character and 2) as we know Him better we can discipline our minds to reject the allure of worldliness and seek the purity of fellowship with Him.
What I mean by the last statement is that we must value what is of God. I think why many wrestle so long with God's will is that we find it quite enjoyable and pleasurable to "have things go as we want and desire". There are many times when God's way just did not appeal to my flesh. To be honest, most of us see God's will as something we reluctantly go with thinking "it will work out and I will just suffer until it does" What a burdensome approach many of us take.
Mr. Chapell puts it this way:
"Many people pray ritualistically from release from destructive urges in the vain expectation that the LABOR will itself bribe God to unleash His power and eradicate sinful desire. Such persons discipline themselves to pray with the expectation that God will be moved to help them in response to the massive burden of prayer they have assumed to satisfy Him. They offer to God that which they don't want to do, to get what they want from Him. Yet when we pray in the Spirit, we are filled with wanting Christ. We delight to speak with the One whom we love, because we have no greater want than to discover His wants. The discipline of prayer may still challenge us, and our hearts may grow cold, BUT THE SPIRIT-FILLED HEART STILL YEARNS FOR NEARNESS TO GOD AND LONGS FOR PATHS BACK TO WARM FELLOWSHIP." (emphasis mine)

That's why I believe the more we know of Christ's character, His desires and His delights we will come to know the Father. "This is my beloved Son, in Whom I am well-pleased" Matt. 3:17. To know His beloved Son pleases God the Father. It also changes us from the inside out because the Holy Spirit gives testament to Christ. The Holy Spirit affirms our new affections towards the Son and all that He is. The Holy Spirit also empowers us with the strength to replace our desires with God the Father's desires. So praying does not become something we have to do, because we want to ask...but rather, it becomes a dialogue where we just want to know more about Him. We find joy in time spent with Him for the sheer pleasure of it.
I can remember when David and I where dating. I would love to go on long drives with him just to get to know him better. There was no other reason I wanted to be with him than just to be with him. That is how a love grew between us and then a commitment. Today, I love to do things that will bring joy to him...not because I have to as his wife, but because I delight to delight him. Is that the way we approach our relationship with God? Could that be something we change?

We pray desiring all that God wills for us but also knowing that we are His children. It is the relationship we have towards Him that brings us to Him. The Holy Spirit affirms our fellowship with the Father. We pray as cherished children...the beloved of God...the Bride of Christ.

Mr. Chapell finishes the chapter with : "The eternal God listens to mere mortals like us. He grants His Holy Spirit to conform our will to His and to transform our prayers into His purposes...We should not have to know the precise ways that God will answer our prayers to be eager to speak to the One who loves us so much--and sovereignly rules all things."

May our love for Christ grow more and more as we spend time with Him in prayer, Bible study and meditations of His marvelous character.
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TOMORROW CHAPTER 5 "PRAYING BOLDLY"
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Thursday Brunch
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