Oh that God would give me the thing which I long for! That … I may see a people wholly devoted to God, crucified to the world, and the world crucified to them. A people truly given up to God in body, soul and substance! How cheerfully would I then say, “Now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace.”
– John Wesley –
I want deliberately to encourage this mighty longing after God. The lack of it has brought us to our present low estate. The stiff and wooden quality about our religious lives is a result of our lack of holy desire. Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth. Acute desire must be present or there will be no manifestation of Christ to His people. He waits to be wanted. Too bad that with many of us He waits so long, so very long, in vain.
– AW Tozer –
Apostasy begins in the closet. No man ever backslid from the life and power of Christianity who continued constant and fervent in private prayer. He who prays without ceasing is likely to rejoice evermore.
– Adam Clarke –
God abhors godly speech which is not joined with a godly life.
– William Perkins –
1558–1602
taken from The Art of Prophesying … also see – Psalm 50:16, 17
The true man of God is heartsick. He is . . .
grieved at the worldliness of the Church,
grieved at the toleration of sin in the Church,
grieved at the prayerlessness in the Church.
– Leonard Ravenhill –
Come away to private communion. Come away, shut the doors of your chamber and talk with your Lord Jesus and have close and intimate dealing with Him.
– Charles Spurgeon –
Turn your soul’s vision to Jesus, and look and look at Him, and a strange dimness will come over all that is apart from Him.
– Lilias Trotter –
(note: this is the quote that inspired the song “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus”)
The wonder of the grace of God is that God can take an unholy man out of a unholy world — and make that man holy — and put him back into a unholy world, and keep him holy!
– Leonard Ravenhill –
If your religion does not make you holy, it will damn you. It is simply painted pageantry to go to hell in.
– Charles Spurgeon –
