Prayer Is No Substitute for Obedience
True spiritual growth and renewal require both prayer and obedience, not just prayer alone.
A.W. Tozer emphasizes that while prayer is essential for spiritual growth and revival, it cannot replace the necessity of obedience to God's will. He argues that many believers mistakenly believe that prayer alone will bring about the blessings they seek, neglecting the vital role of personal obedience and self-denial. To truly experience spiritual advancement, one must not only pray but also actively cooperate with God through humility and a willingness to carry one's cross. This call to obedience challenges the natural inclination to seek shortcuts in the spiritual journey. Ultimately, Tozer calls for a deeper commitment to living out one's faith through actions that align with God's commands.
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Granted that the man who seeks revival has stopped thinking in plurals and has narrowed his faith down to one single individual, himself, what then? How can he find that after which his soul is yearning? How can he cooperate with his hungers to the end that he may indeed be filled?
He must rid his mind of the false notion that prayer alone will bring the blessing. Normally all transactions between the soul and God are carried on by prayer. It is right and scriptural and according to the testimony of all the saints that any spiritual advance on any front, any deliverance, any purification, any enduement of power, comes by the prayer of faith. Our error is that we try to secure these benefits by prayer alone.
The correction of this error is extremely difficult for it entails more than a mere adjustment of our doctrinal beliefs; it strikes at the whole Adam-life and requires self-abnegation, humility and cross-carrying. In short it requires obedience. And that we will do anything to escape.
Sermon Outline
- The Problem of Seeking Revival
- The need to focus on personal faith
- The struggle to cooperate with our spiritual hungers
Key Quotes
“He must rid his mind of the false notion that prayer alone will bring the blessing.” — A.W. Tozer
“Our error is that we try to secure these benefits by prayer alone.” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- We must be willing to let go of our false notions and accept the need for obedience to experience true spiritual growth.
- Prayer is not enough on its own; we must also be willing to make changes in our lives to cooperate with God's plan.
- Obedience is not easy, but it is necessary for spiritual advancement and renewal.