2 Corinthians 6:17–7:1
I’ll be blunt about it. Many of us have gotten a little too comfortable with the ways of this world. Even though we’re born again, even though we’ve been brought out of the kingdom of darkness and into the light of God, we watch the same movies and television programs the world watches. We look at the same magazines, read the same books, and spend too much of our time doing the same things worldly people do.
We’ve let our affections and emotions get entangled with earthly affairs. Bless the Lord, it’s time for us to act on the admonition in Colossians 3:1–3 where the apostle Paul says, “…seek those things which are above, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” It’s time for us to get the worldly clatter out of our minds so that we can more readily hear and respond to the voice of the Lord.
Exactly how can we do that?
We do it by purposely putting more time and energy into spiritual things. We do it by spending extra time each day worshipping the Lord, meditating on His Word, and praying. We do it by giving more of our attention to Him.
Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 30:1 – 20
Excerpt permission granted by Lynne Hammond Ministries
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!”