PRAYER Governs our Conduct and Conduct makes Our Character

Tip! God's people do not have authorization to demand the Savior's promise of, "...Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do," in order to gain something very special for themselves.

PRAYER governs our conduct and conduct makes our character. Conduct, is what we do; character, is what we are. Conduct is our outward life. Character is our life that other people do not see, it is hidden within us, but yet it is evidenced by what is seen. Conduct is external, seen from without; character is internal -- operating within us.

From God's perspective, conduct is the substance of what makes our character. Character is the state of our heart; conduct is its outward expression. Character is the root of the tree, conduct, is the fruit that it bears.

Prayer is related to all the gifts of grace. To character and conduct its relation is that of a helper. Prayer helps to establish our character and fashion our conduct, therefore, in order to have continuing success with these two, depends on our prayer life.

There may be a certain degree of moral character and conduct independent of prayer, but there cannot be anything like distinctive religious character and Christian conduct without it. Prayer helps, where all other aids fail. The more we pray the purer and better our lives will become.

The very end and purpose of the atoning work of Christ in us is to create spiritual character in us so we will show the world our Christian conduct.

"Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."

In Christ's teaching, it is not simply works of charity and deeds of mercy that He requires from us, but it is our inward spiritual character as well. This much is demanded of us as children of the Most High God our Father, and nothing short of it, will be sufficient.

If you look into Paul's Epistles, there is one thing that stands out more clearly and unmistakably than anything else -- the persistence on holiness of heart, and righteousness of life. Paul is not trying, so much, to promote what he calls "personal work," nor is the leading theme of his letters deeds of charity. It is the condition of the human heart and the blamelessness of our personal life that forms the burden of the writings of Apostle Paul.

Tip! So it is the same elsewhere in the Holy Bible (James 1:5) we have 'asking' put into view as a prayer: "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men liberally, and upbraiding [scolding somebody] not, and it shall be given him."

You can see everywhere in the Scriptures, too, it is character and conduct that are made most important. The Christian faith deals with people who are lacking in spiritual character, and who are unholy in life, and aims so to change them, that they will become holy in heart and righteous in life. It desires to change bad people into good people; it deals with inward badness, and works to change it into inward goodness. And it is just here where prayer enters and demonstrates its wonderful value and fruit.

Prayer drives toward this specific end. In fact, without prayer, no such supernatural change in our moral character can ever happen. Because the change from badness to goodness is not brought on, "by works of righteousness which we have done," but only according to God's mercy that saves us "by the free gift of Salvation through Jesus Christ." And this marvelous change is brought to pass through earnest, persistent, faithful prayer. Any alleged form of Christianity that does not effect this change in the hearts of people, is a fantasy and a trap.