What Did Paul Mean When He Said Pray Without Ceasing?

4 Prayer Radio Talk show episode. “Pray without ceasing” can sound like a setup for guilt until you hear what the words actually demand and what they don’t. We open 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 and treat it like a single, integrated vision for Christian living: a heart trained toward joy, a life that keeps returning to prayer, and gratitude that doesn’t depend on perfect circumstances. Along the way, we dig into the Greek nuance behind “unceasingly” and why Paul’s command is meant to press us forward, not hand us an escape hatch.

We also get honest about why people avoid prayer. If prayer feels boring, if we think we’ll “miss out,” or if we label disciplined Christians as “prayer warriors” so we can stay lazy, we’re revealing a deeper battle for attention and desire. A hilarious youth group story exposes how easily we reduce prayer to a moment with closed eyes, while the real call is a practiced awareness of God that can run under driving, conversation, work, and even grief.

From there we connect the dots across Scripture: Jesus teaches that people ought to always pray and not lose heart, the church is meant to be a house of prayer, and rejoicing “always” doesn’t erase sorrow, it roots joy deeper than emotions. We talk thanksgiving in all circumstances, the sacrifice of praise, and the sobering contrast between those who “keep on” sinning and the believer commanded to “keep on” praying. If you want a practical, Bible-grounded approach to constant prayer and spiritual discipline, this is for you. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs a reset, and leave a review with the biggest obstacle that pulls you away from prayer.

Transcript

Opening And Scripture Focus

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Uncommon Christian Network presents for Prayer Talk Radio. Today we're going to talk about First Thessalonians 5, 16, 17, and 18. This should not be a surprise. Always rejoice. Without ceasing, pray. In everything, give thanks. These three commands form one description of God's will for the life in Christ. Continual joy, which most people strive for, prayer, which most people avoid, and thanksgiving for some people is just a holiday.

What “Pray Without Ceasing” Means

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The Greek outline of pray without ceasing. It's an adverb meaning unceasingly, continually, constantly, without persistent interruption or omission. It modifies the command to pray. Simply, we are to pray without intermission. To pray in its grammatical form is in the present tense. The imperative mood is a command. You all pray. But it is in the middle form, middle passive, meaning simply pray. The present imperative naturally emphasizes an ongoing or repeated, maintained activity. Keep praying. Continue in prayer. All of this can be found in the Greek nuance of the word. In other words, the literal word order is approximately unceasingly keep praying, all of you. Unceasingly keep praying. All of you.

Literal Or Hyperbole And Why It Matters

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The question I get asked the most is, is that a literal every second? I worry when I hear that. They're missing it in hopes for the hyperbolic statement given by Paul. They begin to miss the point. Because they're going to scrutinize it to say it is not mathematically literal, it's not mathematically possible. We cannot at all times be praying. We have to sleep. We have to eat. We have to talk to friends. Therefore, how can we pray unceasingly? And this is just an indication that often they only see prayer as a particular posture, perhaps on the knees and hands folded, head down and eyes closed. This is what happens most of the time in gatherings.

The Youth Group Ball During Prayer

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I remember one time, and I laugh a lot. People who know me know this is true, and they probably laugh as I say this. But I would laugh at the wrong time. I didn't mean to. And so we were in church. And they usually say, at this point, bow your head and close your eyes, and we all usually do. But this was youth group, so in about two seconds I raise my head and I start looking around. And I usually catch the eyes of one or two people who immediately close their eyes as if I am the prayer police. They didn't understand that you could pray with your eyes open, but I wasn't necessarily praying at the time. I was literally just scrutinizing the rooms, snooping, looking around. Well, I would do this quite often and were got out because people would peek. It's the only way they would know. And a good friend of mine was sitting next to me a few weeks, hence, and the youth pastor's son was on a big round ball just playing, having a good time. Couldn't have been but three, four years old. And it was interesting just to watch him frolic as his dad would try to maintain some seriousness in this high school youth group. And then, as it would have it, youth group was almost over, and it would be time to pray. And right about this time, the youngster happens to jump up on the ball one last time. But this time he kind of got caught with his momentum on top, on top of the ball. And at this point, he says, you know, bow your heads and close your eyes. But I am now being elbowed by my friend who sees what I'm seeing. There's no way we can close our eyes. We have to see how this is going to play out. And as gravity would have it, and the youngster having a pretty solid head on his shoulders, his momentum carried him over the ball as he went rolling with the ball. And at this point, everybody else is praying. And there's silence in the room except for the rolling of the ball. And a child who was doing his best not to cry, because he knew he shouldn't have been playing on the ball during prayer. And I should have not had my eyes open because as I gazed next to me and I see my friend. And he is splittingly laughing, as quiet as he can be, just trying his best not to laugh out loud. And you know how painful that is when something is extraordinarily humorous, but you can't laugh. You're not allowed to laugh. It is inappropriate to laugh. And how did we see this take place anyway? And we weren't praying. I mean, we could be excommunicated now from youth group, much less there's basketball after youth group. We got to get down to the gym. And there's sometimes refreshments. We cannot blow it now by not praying when we should pray. But if we would have prayed, we would not be experiencing the gut-wrenching pain of not trying to laugh inappropriately during this mass prayer. This happened to be one of the longest prayers this man has ever prayed. I needed him to say amen so bad. Tears. I mean, tears were streaming. I could not breathe. I could not talk. I could not look around at this point. And it was ironic. It was right at this point that he says, Amen. Well, with tears in my eyes, head down and eyes closed from trying to hold back laughter. It looked like I was just touched by the Holy One. And people come gather around and start laying their hands on me. You know, God has been ministering to me, I guess they thought. It was just a funny bone, but they didn't know. And what are you going to do, Lie? You know, no, we're just, we're not, we weren't praying. This is not God. We were just laughing at the youth pastor's son tip over that ball in slow motion during prayer. We should have had our eyes closed. But we didn't. I learned a valuable lesson. But the lesson was not that my eyes needed to be closed by any means, because they don't need to be closed when you pray. You can pray when you drive, and I would hope that you would drive with your eyes open, especially if you drive around where I live. You can be a great driver, but not everybody else is, so you have to pay attention. As they finished their prayers and tended to the young man who apparently hadn't hit his head and needed some prayer as well. I began to catch my breath a little bit and thanked everybody for praying. And as we made our way down to the gym, my friend and I. Some aftershock laughs, of course, throughout the rest of the night, but boy, prayer was the reason that we could have missed all of this joy. And

Prayer Discipline Versus Easy Excuses

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that's how most people think of life. Prayer is so boring. You're going to miss something if you're praying. You can actually miss out on life if you pray all the time. I've heard this excuse from others. You know, we'll pray when we're older, but prayer is boring. I just don't pray. And sometimes they will salute me in a way to say, well, God allows you, God has so blessed you just to be a prayer warrior. They almost say it sarcastically because it's somewhat the intention. See, if God has blessed me to be an athlete in prayer, they have an excuse to be lazy. So I have to let them know, no, no, that's not it. I have the same mustard seed that you have. And just because I show up to the gym doesn't mean I was blessed to show up to the gym anymore or less than you were blessed to show up to the gym. I just happened to show up to the gym. Now you can give credit to God and pretend, you know, we could pretend that's humility, but what it is is you're overlooking your lack of discipline and you're trying to create a reason for your lack of discipline by saying, I'm so blessed, and let's give credit to God. But your woe is you because you didn't have that blessing from God. You have a heart, you have a voice, and you have time. Therefore, you have the same blessing I have. And if you think we want to pray, that's where you'd be wrong. Everything in the mind, in the body is anti-prayer. It's just the way it is. The world is anti-prayer. Because prayer does take discipline and focus, and the world wants your focus, and it is difficult to split attention. Some people think they'll be the first Christian, to split their attention between the world and God, and it can have it both ways. They think they'll be the first one, even though the Bible warns against it. You cannot serve both God and man, and that's just one illustration, but they think they can. So they go down the path of prayerlessness. Because prayer and the discipline of prayer and the time allotted, they're just not real happy about. Because the first thing they're going to say, well, we can't pray always. But again, when you already are looking for a way out, just stay down. When you're already saying, I can't do it. And the problem with many preachers and teachers that we listen to, they will get us off the hook too quickly. And I would like to encourage you if you're a minister, preacher, or teacher, don't get us off the hook so quick. Paul didn't. It says, unceasingly keep praying, all of you. He doesn't equivocate. He doesn't give us another statement saying, but what I was really saying, he leaves it there. So is it mathematically literal? No. Is it hyperbolic? Yes. Because there's a lot of things people do all the time. And in fact, Paul uses the same word when he makes mention in the Romans without ceasing in prayer, that he makes mention of the and he remembers the Thessalonians continually. He thanks God continually for the reception of the gospel. And it's not like he's just constantly verbalizing this prayer. So we're starting to see the nuance of the word. We're starting to see what he says all the time and without ceasing, that it means in every circumstance. And I don't think anybody with CBS or common Bible sense would argue that they're praying enough. But we want to use the impossibility of the word, pray without ceasing, to say, well, I don't have to pray at all. And we bring in the all or none theories. Well, that's impossible. And so now they have a prayer-less life because being prayerful takes the discipline, and the command is to be unceasing in the discipline. And so we see the hyperbolic, we see the extreme, and we rebel against the extreme and we pray zero because prayer is not fun. In other words, they have become lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. He never said it had to be fun. That was never the mandate. He says, rejoice. So if you're commanded to rejoice, that means rejoicing was not native to who you are. You don't have to command

Why Church Should Feel Like Prayer

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someone to do something that is native to who they are. So when the command comes to rejoice, there's going to be an antagonism in your flesh, in your old self, in your old system, that doesn't want to rejoice. And when he says pray without ceasing, there's something in you that doesn't want to even pray at all, much less without ceasing, which is why we argue against it. Or we spend time teaching it. People teach this verse. That's I got notes from people who were teaching the verse, some of them very, very, very well. I heard a professor talk about this verse and then immediately got himself off the hook and the entire congregation by saying, I know I could pray more. I spent so much time in study, I know I should pray more. And then with a quick roll of the eye, he was going to the next verse to give us more fruit of his study. My house shall be called a house of A, study. My house shall be called a house of B, prayer, or my house shall be called a house of C, preaching. If you said B, you are correct. It is a house of prayer. Give yourself an A. But how much prayer goes on in the house? So if prayer without ceasing, all of you was to command, and this house shall be called a house of prayer, would it make common Bible sense to think that prayer should dominate the meeting we call church? And if prayer is not dominating the meeting we call church, why would it be called a house of prayer? A modern, synonymous phrase would be we have a house of preaching, but that's not what he commanded. And it is it a one-to-one? I mean, that was in the Gospels, and you know how to interpret scripture. We have to look for a parallel to find out was this to be interpreted as such, and we have all of you pray without ceasing. It is difficult to look past that. Are there any other commands then that express this constancy? Yes. How about in Luke? Yeshua, Jesus taught the people ought to always pray. He taught them that, and not lose heart. So now we have another condition here. And by adding, not lose heart, he was not loosening about praying always. So he taught the people to always pray. Now, this is him teaching that they should always pray. And then he gives an illustration of what that looks like. Now I just think that's fascinating, right? He taught the people. So what did Yeshua teach the people when he was alive on earth? To pray always. What do you teach the people? Is it his message? So his house shall be called a house of prayer, and he taught the people to pray always, hence the reason Paul reiterates that to the Thessalonicans.

Shortwave Plans And Where To Tune

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And speaking of Thessalonica on the map, we're looking to get our short wave out there. And in fact, if you tune in to 15770, coming starting August on Saturday, if you are in Thessalonica, we're coming your way. It was a faint signal I could hear, but I could hear the words over the static. So if you're in Greece, we're coming your way Saturday. Africa, we're coming your way. And if you're hearing this after August, it's starting Saturday, but it's every Saturday morning, and we're looking to expand that. He taught the people to always pray. So then prayer must be foundational to the Christ, to him, Yeshua. The second phrase explains the first. Continual prayer means persistent prayer that refuses to give up, not lose heart. Don't give up. So now we have a modifier. We have a parallel. And a parallel to this is saying he's going to explain the first phrase by the second phrase, and the second phrase was saying, not only are you to pray always, but you can't lose heart when praying. In other words, don't just honor him with your lips and let your heart be far from him. Don't lose your heart in your words. Don't lose your heart and just mumble phrases that you were taught when you were six. I repeated the prayer right. I said it right. And everybody looks at you because you misquoted a word, but your heart was not in it. It is embarrassing to hear what passes for prayer. But we're adults now. This is 18 and over. We're adults. I have to talk to you like adults, but I'm willing to talk to you like I know you. This is talk radio. I do hope that you grant me that liberty. And in fact, say it to your radio speaker. Say, be yourself. Thank you, I will. And feel free to be yourself, as long as yourself is like himself. I'm going to talk to you like I know you. Makes it easier on me. And I'm over 50 now, so I'm going to

Sorrowful Yet Always Rejoicing

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enjoy that liberty. I did a lot of dancing for people when I was younger. Now I'm going to play some music. Romans 12 and 12, be constant in prayer. Ephesians 6 and 18. You knew we would get there. Pray at all times, with all perseverance. Be constant in prayer. Pray at all times and with all perseverance. Colossians 4 2. Continue steadfastly in prayer, Colossians 1 9. We have not ceased to pray for you. 1 Thessalonians 5 and 16 does say, though, you gotta rejoice always. So the question is, should you rejoice or pray? Because you can't do both always, can you? Philippians 4 4. Rejoice in the Lord always. Should I say it again? Rejoice. 2 Corinthians 6 and 10. Paul describes himself as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing. The last verse is extraordinarily important, is it not? Always rejoicing. Doesn't that mean never feeling sorrow? This gets confused when people start to apply the verses to their emotion. And they're saying, okay, so I should never feel sad, and if I feel sad, it's a sin. I should always be laughing and giggling. That's not normal either. This rejoicing clearly went beyond his emotional gait and into the heart. And from the heart, he was rejoicing. Though feeling was sorrowful. Some of you understand this. If you've ever been to a Christian funeral, someone that you cared about or loved, isn't that a fancy split there? I've done multiple eulogies, you never get used to them. You don't really practice for them. You just know what you need to know when you when you go up front, and there's a sorrowfulness while you try to rejoice. And both are very palatable. He used to sing a song called Walk Around Heaven. And even when I was a kid, I used to hear him sing, we were in church a lot. Because even when we weren't listening to preaching, we were listening to somebody sing. We had to go to church Sunday night. My dad would sing. And this man would sing that song about Walk Around Heaven all day. And he was, I think he would call it a soprano. He had that high voice, but he could sing. Wow. And it made me sad one day. I remember sitting there. Usually I try not to pay attention. I was a kid. I was ADHD. I'm just looking around, trying to play tic-tac-toe or not laugh. And he sang that song that caught my attention. And I just remember feeling real sad. I don't know why. But I was able to rejoice, and I think I had uh just one of those moments you get as kids. I maybe you didn't, but at night sometimes I would lay in bed and think about eternity and just scare myself, honestly. You know, trying to think, okay, what does eternity really mean? I know I'm I'm a kid doing this, but what does it mean? What does endlessness mean? And I would have these panic attacks pretty much. And then with this panic would come discomfort at the same time. It's difficult to explain. It's that sorrow, it's that rejoicing. It's hearing that song and wanting to cry, but wanting to smile. Because I understood what he was singing about. We're going to walk around heaven, but there was a loss and rejoicing at the same time. You see, that's what prayer is. Prayer is like that rejoicing. There's something going on in your hearts. You can have a conversation with someone like we're having right now, and best believe right now I'm praying for you while I talk. Both can be happening at the same time, just like sorrow and joy, prayer and

Thanksgiving And The Sacrifice Of Praise

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conversation, fear and comfort. Constant thanksgiving and praise. First Thessalonians 5 and 18 does say give thanks in all circumstances, not necessarily for every evil circumstance, but while living within every circumstance. Ephesians 5 and 20, give thanks always, and for everything. There it is. Persevere in prayer with thanksgiving. Now we have a combination. So within the prayer, add the thanks. And within that prayer, we can add our rejoicing. Continually offer up a sacrifice of praise. Preach Hebrew author. Hebrews 13 and 15. Continually offer. The word sacrifice should be emphasized if you're a pastor, preacher, teacher, Bible study leader. It's the sacrifice of praise that we need to hear as we sit in the pews or in our living room, wherever you go to church. The sacrifice. That was such a beautiful sentence. He draws into the parallel the sacrifice. It doesn't mean much to all of us. Now, if you're living in Africa and you're hearing this, if you're living in these places where you are struggling, then you understand. The sacrifice of a praise. Not everybody who's listening to this understands sacrifice. We know that because they understand the word complain. See, a sacrifice of praise means that there's something that is literally painful going on. You're losing something. You're surrendering something that you would rather hold on to, even if it's time. Even if it's your emotion, even if it's boredom, whatever it is, you're sacrificing so that you can praise. Now, this was clearly going to be drawn to the parallels of the sacrifices, and there was a sense of loss. When you bring a sacrifice to the temple, when you bring a sacrifice to the priest, there's a loss. You've raised a sheep. You've raised your crops. And then you're going to donate this to someone else. And not, hopefully, not at the worst, not the raggedy, not the not the skinny and the weak. So the sacrifice had to be examined to make sure it was a proper sacrifice. And then we see a parallel. I'm not going to make it directly yet, because we're not diving in that deep. We're just having a conversation. But there was a sacrifice. And that parallel would be drawn into the Hebrew mind that there was a sacrifice, and that sacrifice has to be examined to make sure it was present, presentable, to whom you were going to give it to in the name and the honor. Do you understand that sacrifice of your praise? Without being scrupulous, can you examine your praise to make sure you're praising God appropriately? Now some people would love to argue. They would say, Well, why do I have to sacrifice? Why can't it just be natural? Oh, it will be. It will be. But right now, bring a sacrifice. It's a sacrifice of time, if not anything else. The time you could be spending doing a million other things or praising. Isn't it amazing how quick we stop praising? But I move on. I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth. There's Old Testament. There's a poet writing this. Old Testament poet, prophet, picks up a pen, lays it down on papers or some sort, and begins to write, I will bless Yahweh at all times. Well, go ahead, sir. I love it when they preach like that. His praise shall continually be in my mouth. He's letting us know that his praise was going to be in his mouth all the time. He's going to always be saying something bountiful about Yahweh, Yahoo, the Lord. The Lord here being a cover for the Yudhewahe for the Tetra Gamatin, but we'll get into that as time permits. His praise shall always be spoken. Continually offer up a sacrifice of praise. But people still argue, well, is it possible to do it all the time? Because what does it really mean? Nail that down for me. Because you remember, if you've been listening to the

The Search For The Minimum Standard

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Uncommon Christian podcast, there's a lot of people in this world who are always looking for the way out. What's the least I can do and be saved? That's the question. That's the intention of the question. I hate answering that because the Bible doesn't. What's the least I can give and God's okay with me? What's the least I can go to church and I'm okay? What's the smallest prayer I can pray to know I'm a Christian? I'm sorry I can't answer any of that. What's the least amount of prayer I can pray for God to be happy? Always unceasing? That's hyperbolic. I mean, what's I just want to know what's when am I okay? Because nobody can do anything all the time. This is what they'll tell you. Nobody can do anything all the time. Well, Genesis 6.5, humanity's thoughts were described as only evil continually. Humanity's thoughts in Genesis 6.5, from the beginning of time. Where do you think they are now? Did we get better or worse since Genesis? If you say worse, give yourself an A, you'd be correct. But we definitely did not get better, and it would be impossible to think we're doing much better. Genesis 6 and 5. Humanity's thoughts were described as only evil. Key word continually. Isaiah 65 and 3, God describes people who provoke him continually. Jump to the New Testament with me, 2 Peter 2 and 14. False teachers are described as being unable to cease from sin. It's a different word, but it carries the idea of not stopping. Hebrews 10, 28 warns about those who deliberately go on sinning. And you know we got to talk about 1 John at that point, because it speaks of the person who keeps on sinning. So now we have a contrast, yes? A paradoxical parallel, if you will. If that doesn't make sense, I'm common Christian. This does not mean the Christians never commit an individual's sin. I have to say that right away. I don't like to. I have to say it right away because people get angry. I'm gonna share something with you soon. But John himself, the writer, says that claiming to have no sin is self-deception, right? And that believers have an advocate when they sin, if they sin. The contrast is between falling into sin and confessing it versus making one's sin settled in a continual practice. But let's go a little bit further than that. The note was a tight bit misleading. See, John deals with different groups and at different times in this letter, and we try to combine it into one statement, and it is disappointing. In 1 John, John warns of somebody who would say they've never sinned. You might say, well, nobody would say that, but people have. I want you to live in 1 John's day, 1 John, John's day, who wrote 1 John, and not your day for a second. Even though I heard somebody say, not long ago, I don't have anything to repent for. But this man, there were men in this time who were living lives and they were considered holy. I mean, we have an example of someone walking up to the Lord Himself. What must I do to enter into eternal life? You should go close to him a few commandments. Guess what the man says next? All of this I have done. You know what the man didn't say? Hmm. You got me. You got me. I've been doing this, I've been sinning so much. I'm so glad you said that because I wasn't he didn't say that. He says, I've been I've been keeping all of those. Everything you just said, I've been doing it all my life. And Yeshua at this point, right? So we're watching this. And we're if you're if you've never read the story, you're you're thinking he's just gonna let him have it. He's gonna look into his heart and just start prophesying his greed or his lust or his perversion or his something about his wife, or maybe at, you know, too many cornfields, anything. We don't know. You say there wasn't corn over there, you follow the boy. But he doesn't. He just comes back, intensifies, invites him into the New Testament, and says, if you want to have eternal life, if you want to live forever. And then he tells him, you know the story well. But wait a minute. He says, I've been keeping all these. Now, multiply him. Let's pretend he's not the only person in the world who's ever said that at the time, because there he is. Yeshua didn't chastise him for saying it. You liar, if you're lying right now, all you do is lie. He didn't say anything like that. He just said, hmm, okay. So if you want to be perfect, do this. This interesting concept, but we're looking now not at the story, but at the man. Could there be another one of him? Could there be somebody else who would think that's what they've been doing? Of course there would be. He was not the anomaly. He would be the norm. See, we get focused on a our time, who we are. Now we live undisciplined lives, and we project it historically. Oh, they must have been helliens too. And rightly so. For there was no one righteous, no not one. There's no one who understands, there's no one who seeks God. So correct. But at the same time, just like you would see about Sodom and Gomorrah, you know, there were cities that weren't that evil in comparison. Now, in comparison to the standard that Christ is now introducing, well, that's a whole new standard. But at the time, if you followed the law, at least to the best of your ability, people were living. Because you know, if you there were certain death penalties for certain things, if you're still alive, I mean you're doing okay. At least in their minds, right? When Yeshua comes, he shows that the sin was in the heart and not just any action. And he and you understand what he did. But they didn't understand what he did because if he's not there listening to this conversation with the rich man or not even understanding what's going on, then somebody's gonna walk up to John and John's staying here, John preaching about what Yeshua said and says, Well, I've kept the commandments, I'm okay. So John says, if anyone says he is without sin, he's deceiving himself. You see, you see who he's talking to now? He's talking to people like who Yeshua talked to, and says that person is deceiving themselves. But at the same time, as we get further into John's letter, he changes the topic and starts talking to a different group of people who have made the decision to follow Yeshua and says to them, but if you keep on sinning, you have neither seen God or known God. Do you make the connection now? We like to sometimes confuse and weave the stories together, but this group of people have now made a decision. Now he says, if you keep on sinning, because people will use 1 John and say, Well, I'm allowed to sin because he kind of said you can't say you're without sin. False, don't ever do that. Anyone who justifies sin by any means, by any verse, by any reason is steeped in sin and deceived. There's no way the Bible excuses that. No. Should we go on sinning, that grace may increase by no means? No. That's kind of how Paul would emphasize it. But I'm not Paul. I'm just reiterating things that he said. But do you understand that John is now switching his focus, talking to a different group of people, and now without trying to misinterpret 1 John chapter 1 as if it is a commentary on this, you and I, or anyone who keeps on sinning has neither seen God or known God, or makes a practice of sin.

Replacing Continual Sin With Continual Prayer

SPEAKER_00 32:59

But do you know anybody who makes a practice of sin? Most of you are shaking your head, right? Most of you. But isn't it interesting when we switch it and say, didn't you know anyone making a practice of prayer? Feels a little strange. Well, you see, people say we can't do something all the time, but they're doing something all the time. That's why they say that. Because it's to send commentary telling them no, because you might have to stop doing this in order to pray all the time. See, now there's a sacrifice of intention. There's a sacrifice of ideas, there's a sacrifice of time, there's a sacrifice of will, saying, I will pray, I will bless the Lord at all times. So now, because of that discipline, that sacrifice, now all the world nuances are coming, especially lying about vocabulary. It's impossible, I can't do it. All these thoughts, all these voices. Nobody can do anything all the time, and yet people sin all the time. So the question is, can you switch and pray without ceasing, the way we used to sin without ceasing, because your body can definitely do things without ceasing. They would say no. I wonder what you would say. But that is the central contrast, yes? The human heart is always being trained towards some recurring practice. Some return continually to sin, and the believer is commanded to return continually to prayer, joy, and thanksgiving with praise. So without ceasing does not mean without taking a breath, it does not mean you have to be on your knees, and if you're going to close your eyes, that's fine unless you're driving. And if you're in a public place, like a youth group, and there's people playing, and you should close your eyes. I would suggest go ahead and close your eyes for that. It could save you some embarrassment down the line. But I confess it's 30 years later. So without ceasing does not mean a scrupulous badgering of prayer to where you're so stressed out because you felt like you stopped praying for a second. Wait, I saw the light, but it was red, and I stopped, but I stopped praying because I stopped at the light. I had to look at the traffic, but I stopped praying. We're not talking about being scrupulous. It means permanently not. It means permanently practicing prayer. Just the same way you could permanently practice sin. One of these two will win, I tell you that. And the reason some people cannot practice prayer is because they're practicing sin, and sin is winning. Oh, if we had time to talk about James, but I don't want to keep you all day. But I would suggest you enjoy the book of James a few times, because if God permits, he's gonna talk a lot to us about what sin and how it grows and what it produces. And now you're trying to pray with these grown-up sin things in you, and they're gonna talk to you. And they're gonna tell you it's impossible and you can't. But like any other mountain, it can be uprooted with words. So can these mountains and these ep these obstacles and these things that are trying to block your good intention to God, and these lies that are in your mind that says you can't because you can, and without arguing over words in front of people, and without trying to make it seem so impossible, you won't even try without being scrupulous, worrisome, nervous, inactive, extreme, or oppressed.

Closing Prayer And Final Charge

SPEAKER_01 36:35

You are now prayed for, and you are now, by his grace, prayed for. I pray for everyone who can hear my voice.

SPEAKER_00 36:47

I pray especially for those who cannot. I pray for you who pray.

SPEAKER_01 36:52

I pray for those who do not that we make a practice of prayer. I'll see you there.