It is useless to say you cannot pray till you have faith and a new heart, and that you must sit still and wait for them. This is to add sin to sin. It is bad enough to be unconverted and going to hell. It is even worse to say, "I know it, but will not cry for mercy." This is a kind of argument for which there is not warrant in scripture. "Call ye upon the Lord," saith Isaiah, "while He is near" (Isa. 55:6). "Take with you words, and turn unto the Lord," says Hosea (Hos. 14:2). "Repent and pray," says Peter to Simon Magus (Acts 8:22). If you want faith and a new heart, go and cry to the Lord for them. The very attempt to pray has often been the quickening of a dead soul.--JC Ryle, A Call to Prayer, pg. 22
I’m a follower of Jesus Christ. I live in Gaithersburg, Maryland, with an amazing wife and three wacky, fun kids. I'm a pastor at Covenant Life Church. I’m also a writer.
My friend Donald Miller shares a helpful tip for writers: get a kitchen timer. Don explains, "When I have two or three writing assignments I just make a list, then pick one, then set my little timer for an hour or twenty minutes or whatever amount of time that specific assignment will cost me. And then, while the timer is ticking away on my desk, I don't let myself do anything else....When the timer goes off, I decide whether I want to keep working on it, or move on. It's a simple tool, but it works." Read more.
Tim Challies asks whether he's ready to address his Google search history with God. "What would I say to him if he were to ask me about the things I have gone looking for online? Could I tell him with confidence that what I have sought is an indication of a heart that is aligned with his purposes? Or would I have to confess that my searches point to a heart that is drawn to what is evil and perverse?" Read the post.
- Albert Mohler
- Bob Kauflin
- Carolyn McCulley
- Church Matters
- CJ Mahaney
- Denny Burk
- Girl Talk
- Justin Taylor
- Kevin DeYoung
- Miscellanies
- Next
- Of First Importance
- Pure Church
- Reformation 21
- Russell Moore
- Ryan Kelly
- The Blazing Center
- Tim Challies
- Together for the Gospel
- Trusting God with a Migraine
- Tullian Tchividjian
- Vitamin Z
















9 Comments
wow.
^^What she said.
I have brought my Buddhist buddy to Church once a month for a year... He loves to come, loves to pray, loves to worship God in song... but has not accept Christ.
Ryle's words express my heart.
I have brought my Buddhist buddy to Church once a month for a year... He loves to come, loves to pray, loves to worship God in song... but has not accept Christ.
Ryle's words express my heart.
Keep on praying so the Holy Spirit open up his heart for Jesus and be thankful. At least your buddy still goes to the church.
Great stuff and prompts me to be yet more intentional in my prayers. Thanks.
Great stuff and prompts me to be yet more intentional in my prayers. Thanks.
Well...I am a Christian and I 95% convinced I may have committed the unpardonable sin when I was told by the Holy Spirit not to look on porn one morning and I resisted the convicted and did it anyway. I felt literally the presence of the Holy Spirit leaving me. Now its like I feel dry and dead and empty and lost and the only thing I am resolved to do is "CRY OUT TO GOD FOR MERCY" in hopes that I may be restored. Anybody...tell me what you think
Omar,
It's good to be convicted over sin, but God-given conviction leads to repentance and FAITH, not despair. The sin against the Spirit that is unpardonable is an unrelenting denial and opposition to his work. That is not what you did.
1 John 1:9-10 says, " If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
Receive God's forgiveness for your sin. Allow God's word to inform your perspective.
Joshua
Leave a comment