Ephesians 4:13 – 15
My three-year-old granddaughter once asked me a question that really made me think. It was a simple question—the kind youngsters often come up with—but the Lord used it to speak deeply to my heart.
“Mimi,” she said, “why did you get saved?”
Initially, the answer seemed obvious. “Because I loved Jesus …,” I started to say. But even before I spoke the words, I knew that wasn’t right. I didn’t love Jesus before I was saved. I didn’t even know Him. There must have been another reason. So I paused a moment and tried again. “I got saved so I could glorify God and fulfill His purpose for my life …,” I began.
Time to Grow Up
Wait a minute, I thought. That’s not it either. I didn’t care about glorifying God before I was saved. And I certainly didn’t know He had a purpose for my life.
Dear heavens, I wondered, why did I get saved?
Oh yes, I remembered. I did it for me! I found out there was a hell to shun and a heaven to gain. I found out about the benefits and blessings that come to those who trust in Jesus—and I wanted those benefits for myself.
If you think that sounds selfish, you’re right. I was selfish when I first became a Christian. So were you. We were all selfish when we first came into the kingdom of God because we all started out as spiritual babies, and spiritual babies are just like natural babies. They’re only concerned about themselves.
You know as well as I do that when a three-month-old infant wakes up in the middle of the night wet and hungry, he doesn’t think, Gee, I hate to wake Mom right now. She had a really tough day. I think I’ll just lie here quietly until morning.
No, even if a baby had the mental ability to think those thoughts, he wouldn’t. Why? Because he doesn’t care about his mother or anybody else. All he cares about is getting his needs met and getting them met now!
That’s the way new believers are. They’re always asking, “What’s in this for me?” When they read the Bible, they’re reading it only to find out how they can be blessed. When they go to church, they go so the minister will feed them. When they pray, they’re usually praying for themselves.
That’s all right for spiritual babies. It’s normal for those who are immature in the Lord. But God never intended us to stay in that infantile condition. He meant for us to mature. He meant for us to grow up into all things into Him who is the head. He meant for us to go on to maturity so that we could think and act and pray like Jesus.
Don’t you think it’s time we did?
Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 3:1 – 3
Source: Devotions for the Praying Heart by Lynne Hammond.
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!”