The Complete Works of E. M. Bounds: Power Through Prayer, The Reality of Prayer, The Essentials of Prayer, The Weapon of Prayer, Satan: His Personality, Power And Overthrow and More

by E.M. Bounds

Martyn observes that at times of inward dryness and depression, he had often found a delightful revival in the act of praying for others for their conversion, or sanctification, or prosperity in the work of the Lord.

It is in the home that the revival must commence.

Failure to receive an immediate answer is no evidence that God does not hear prayer.

Paul, and

His teaching is that praying is the most important of all things on earth. All else must be restrained, retired, to give it primacy.

The nature of prayer is deeper than nature.

Prayer is the true test of character.

Praying is a business, a life-long business, one to be followed with diligence, fervor and toil.

A desire for God which cannot break the chains of sleep is a weak thing and will do but little good for God after it has indulged itself fully.

It is not simply the getting up that puts men to the front and makes them captain generals in God’s hosts, but it is the ardent desire which stirs and breaks all self indulgent chains.

If they had lain in bed and indulged themselves, the desire would have been quenched.

The divinest thing in religion is holy men and holy women.

Oh that I may be a man of prayer.--Henry

The Gospel, in its success and power, depends on our ability to pray.

The life of the Church is the highest life. Its office is to pray. Its prayer life is the highest life, the most odorous, the most conspicuous.

Persistence is of the essence of true praying.

"I saw the most important thing I had to do was to give myself to the reading of the Word of God, and to meditation on it, that thus my heart might be comforted, encouraged, warned, reproved, instructed; and that thus, by means of the Word of God, whilst meditating on it, my heart might be brought into experimental communion with the Lord. I began, therefore, to meditate on the New Testament early in the morning. The first thing I did, after having asked in a few words for the Lord's blessing upon his precious Word, was to begin to meditate on the Word of God, searching as it were, into every verse to get blessing out of it; not for the sake of the public ministry of the Word, not for the sake of preaching on what I had meditated on, but for the sake of obtaining food for my own soul. The result I have found to be almost invariably thus, that after a very few minutes my soul has been led to confession, or to thanksgiving, or to intercession, or to supplication; so that, though I did not, as it were, give myself to prayer, but to meditation, yet it turned almost immediately more or less into prayer."

The study of the Word and prayer go together, and where we find the one truly practised, the other is sure to be seen in close alliance.

If I have slept too long, or I am going an early journey, or my time is in any way shortened, it is best to dress hurriedly and to have a few minutes alone with God than to give up all for lost.

Whenever there is little praying in the pulpit or in the pew, spiritual bankruptcy is imminent and inevitable.

When its leaders are men of prayer, when prayer is the prevailing element of worship, like the incense giving continual fragrance to its service, then the cause of God will be triumphant.

God, true to His promise, "Ask of Me," though the praying came from a woman's broken heart, heard and answered, sending a new day of holy gladness to revive His people.

And, to return to the vital point, secret praying is the test, the gauge, the conserver of man's relation to God.

The prayer-chamber, while it is the test of the sincerity of our devotion to God, becomes also the measure of the devotion.

The self-denial, the sacrifices which we make for our prayer-chambers, the frequency of our visits to that hallowed place of meeting with the Lord, the lingering to stay, the loathness to leave, are values which we put on communion alone with God, ...

The sheet-anchor holds not the ship more surely and safely than the prayer-chamber holds to God.

Satan has to break our hold on, and close up our way to the prayer-chambers, ere he can break our hold on God or close up our way to heaven.

And if for any wish thou dare not pray Then pray to God to cast that wish away."

Prayer is the simplest form of speech That infant lips can try. Prayer is the sublimest strains that reach The Majesty on high.

"What various hindrances we meet In coming to a mercy seat."

"That Satan trembles when he sees The weakest saint upon his knees."

"To have prayed well is to have studied well." More than that, to have prayed well is to have fought well. To have prayed well is to have lived well. To pray well is to die well.

We must live for God out of the closet if we would meet God in the closet. We must bless God by praying lives if we would have God's blessing in the closet. We must do God's will in our lives if we would have God's ear in the closet. We must listen to God's voice in public if we would have God listen to our voice in private. God must have our hearts out of the closet, if we would have God's presence in the closet. If we would have God in the closet, God must have us out of the closet. There is no way of praying to God, but by living to God.

The prayer habit is a good habit, but praying by dint of habit only is a very bad habit.

The miracle was one thing; the revival that followed it was quite another thing. The revivals in the Apostles' days were connected with miracles, but they were not miracles."

Press on, you can't pray too much, you may pray too little.

True strength lies in the vital godliness of the people.

There is no leadership in God's Church but the leadership of the Holy Spirit. The man who has the most of God's Spirit is God's chosen leader, ambitious and zealous for the Spirit's sovereignty, ambitious to be the least, the slave of all.

The friendship of the world is violative of our marriage vows to heaven.

Doubtless much of sickness is due to the power of the devil.

We see how he plans. If he cannot keep people from praying nor absolutely prevent the answer to prayer, he can cause delay in the answer to prayer that he may discourage and break down faith and discount urgent, importunate praying.

He tells us to discourage us that we shall never succeed. The way is too hard and narrow and the burden too heavy.

An undisciplined body would hurl Paul from the apostolic heights down to the fearful abyss of apostasy.

A non-growing piety, with an arrested spiritual development, whether the arrest is in the initial stages or at the more advanced steps, is always and everywhere an exposed position, always vulnerable to Satan's attacks.

The full sight of heaven will give strength to his loins, ardour to his faith, glory to his future and victory to the present.

Head and hands and heart must be filled, impregnated and surcharged with God's Word; by it we live and by it we grow. It is our battle call, and the sign by which we conquer.

As a weapon of defense and offense, God has magnified His Word above all His name.

This intense conflict with the devil requires sleepless vigilance, midnight vigils, a wakefulness which cannot be surprised, a perseverance which knows neither halting, fainting, nor depression, which knows by clearest spiritual intelligence what it needs, and what the illimitable provisions are to supply all those needs, and the imperative necessity of pressing the prayer till the need is supplied and the succour is secured.

Present they always may be to the faithful and holy, but cannot exist in nor be met by a frivolous, negligent and laggard spirit.

Prayer stands in closest connection with all the duties of an ardent piety.