(Galatians 5:13)
Most of us in the Church today don’t know much about the kind of spiritual discipline the apostle Paul exercised. Especially those of us in Charismatic and Pentecostal circles have run so far from the legalistic works mentality that some of our forefathers fell into that we’ve fallen into the ditch on the other side of the road and forsaken spiritual discipline altogether.
We don’t want to be in bondage to man-made rules. We want to be led by the Spirit. Somehow, we’ve thought we could do that by going to church when we want to, praying when we feel like it, and reading the Bible when we feel led. We don’t want to be like the Galatians who fell from the life of grace by becoming slaves again to Old Covenant rules like don’t eat this and don’t touch that. So in many cases, we’ve just decided to eat, touch, watch, and do anything that suits us with little restraint.
As a result, many wonderful, Charismatic saints are living shallow, lackluster Christian lives. Instead of rising to higher places in God where they can fulfill their divine destiny, they’re bound to the spiritual lowlands by their own lack of discipline. They have freed themselves from the religious bondage that required them to pray and read the Bible to gain God’s approval. But they have failed to realize that the natural laziness of their own flesh can bind them just as surely as religion ever did.
Having received righteousness by simple faith in Jesus, we are all indeed spiritually free now to press into God out of desire rather than duty. But if we don’t take dominion over our flesh, that “freedom” will become license for us to behave like spiritual sluggards. Instead of praying, we’ll go shopping. Instead of meditating the Word, we’ll watch television. Instead of buffeting our bodies, we’ll be frequenting the all-you-can-eat buffet.
All because that’s what our low-living flesh wants to do.
Scripture Reading: Galatians 5:16 – 18; 6:7 – 9
On the chilly March night in 1972 when Lynne Hammond took her first step into a life of Spirit-led prayer, she had no idea what was about to happen. All she knew was the hunger in her heart for God wouldn’t let her sleep. In the few short months she’d been born again, her desire to fellowship with Him had grown so strong she could hardly contain it. “Help me, God!” she cried. “I want to know you. I want to be able to talk to you. Please, teach me to pray!”
Suddenly, a heavenly presence flooded the room. Lynne sensed waves of spiritual fire sweeping over her and a beautiful language began to flow like a river from within her. Although she’d never heard of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, she knew instantly, without a doubt—this was God!
What began that night soon blossomed into a life of prayer that ultimately became a ministry of prayer when, in 1980, Lynne and her husband, Mac, founded Living Word Christian Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Under Lynne’s leadership, the prayer ministry at Living Word has become an internationally recognized model for developing effective pray-ers in the local church.
A teacher and an author, Lynne publishes a newsletter called Prayer Notes, has written numerous books, and currently serves as the national prayer director for Daughters for Zion. Her passion for inspiring and leading others into the life of Spirit-led prayer continues to take her around the world to minister to believers whose heart cry, like hers, is “Lord, teach me to pray!”