The worst sin is prayerlessness. Overt sin or crime or the glaring inconsistencies which often surprise us in Christian people are the effect of this or its punishment. We are left by God for lack of seeking Him.
P. T. Forsyth1

We are not free to pray or not to pray, nor to pray only when we feel so inclined. For prayer is not an activity which is natural to us. Prayer is a grace, and we can expect this grace only from the Holy Spirit.
Karl Barth2

Before any habit can be broken or formed, we need to become convinced that change is necessary. Until then, nothing will happen. The natural inclination of our psyches is to maintain the status quo. Something needs to happen to get us off dead center.

What can move us off dead center? Often the happening is the result of an accumulated unhappiness at the way life is going.3 Other times it's a specific incident, something we read, or a friend finally setting us straight.

Theophan the Recluse wrote at length about what it takes to incite change. Change ...

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