Andrew Murray (1828 – 1917) was a well-known writer/pastor who lived and ministered among the Dutch Reformed churches in South Africa. He was serious about living a life of holiness and emphasized the importance of prayer in his teachings and books. Murray wrote over 50 books on living the deeper Christian life and abiding in Christ. I pray that many of his quotes below will challenge you to become more serious about your walk with the Lord.1
“Pride must die in you, or nothing of heaven can live in you.”
“Each time, before you intercede, be quiet first, and worship God in His glory. Think of what He can do, and how He delights to hear the prayers of His redeemed people. Think of your place and privilege in Christ, and expect great things!”
“The sooner I learn to forget myself in the desire that He may be glorified, the richer will be the blessing that prayer will bring to myself. No one ever loses by what he sacrifices to the Father.”
“God cannot hear the prayers on our lips often because the desires of our heart after the world cry out to Him much more strongly and loudly than our desires for Him.”
“Being filled with the Spirit is simply this – having my whole nature yielded to His power. When the whole soul is yielded to the Holy Spirit, God Himself will fill it.”
“We must begin to believe that God, in the mystery of prayer, has entrusted us with a force that can move the Heavenly world, and can bring its power down to earth.”
“As truly as God by His power once created, so truly by that same power must God every moment maintain.”
“Beware of praying only for a blessing. Let us seek first obedience, and God will supply the blessing. Our constant question as a Christian should be ‘How can I obey and please God perfectly?’”
“As bread is the first need of the body, so forgiveness for the soul.”
“Jesus never taught His disciples how to preach, only how to pray.”
“Father, may the Holy Spirit have full dominion over me: in my home, in my character, in every word of my tongue, in every thought of my heart, in every feeling towards my fellowmen; may the Holy Spirit have entire possession.”
“Do not be thinking of how little you have to bring God, but of how much He wants to give you.”
“The whole difficulty is that we wish to pray in the Spirit and at the same time walk after the flesh. This is impossible.”
“The Spirit must be honored not only as the author of a new life but also as the leader and director of our entire walk.”
“No man can expect to make progress in holiness who is not often and long alone with God.”
“God formed man to be a vessel in which He could show forth His power and goodness.”
“Prayer is not merely coming to God to ask something of Him. It is, above all, fellowship with God and being brought under the power of His holiness and love, until He takes possession of us and stamps our entire nature with the lowliness of Christ, which is the secret of all true worship.”
“Nothing so reveals a defective spiritual life in a minister or a congregation as the lack of believing and unceasing prayer. Prayer is the pulse of the spiritual life. It is the great means by which ministers and laypeople alike receive the blessing and power of heaven. Persevering and believing prayer precludes a strong and abundant life.”
“The place of private prayer is the key, the strategic position, where decisive victory is obtained.”
“We cannot possibly be satisfied with anything less than to walk with God – each day, each hour, and each moment, in Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
1 All of these quotes are from the website below: