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A.W. Tozer
A.W. Tozer (1897 - 1963). American pastor, author, and spiritual mentor born in La Jose, Pennsylvania. Converted to Christianity at 17 after hearing a street preacher in Akron, Ohio, he began pastoring in 1919 with the Christian and Missionary Alliance without formal theological training. He served primarily at Southside Alliance Church in Chicago (1928-1959) and later in Toronto. Tozer wrote over 40 books, including classics like "The Pursuit of God" and "The Knowledge of the Holy," emphasizing a deeper relationship with God. Self-educated, he received two honorary doctorates. Editor of Alliance Weekly from 1950, his writings and sermons challenged superficial faith, advocating holiness and simplicity. Married to Ada, they had seven children and lived modestly, never owning a car. His work remains influential, though he prioritized ministry over family life. Tozer’s passion for God’s presence shaped modern evangelical thought. His books, translated widely, continue to inspire spiritual renewal. He died of a heart attack, leaving a legacy of uncompromising devotion.
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Sermon Summary
A.W. Tozer emphasizes that true prayer is an expression of our entire life, asserting that the effectiveness of our prayers is directly linked to how we live. He reflects on the regret many feel when they realize their prayer life is not as natural as it should be, especially in times of stress. Tozer encourages believers to cultivate a lifestyle of purity and love through Christ, which transforms individual prayers into powerful expressions of faith. He highlights that the moral power available through redemption enables us to live in a way that makes our whole life a prayer. Ultimately, Tozer calls for reliance on God's enabling power to live a life that naturally flows into prayer.
Scriptures
Whole Life Prayer
"I am the Vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit, for without Me you can do nothing.... If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you." --John 15:5,7 Prayer at its best is the expression of the total life.... All things else being equal, our prayers are only as powerful as our lives. In the long pull we pray only as well as we live.... Most of us in moments of stress have wished that we had lived so that prayer would not be so unnatural to us and have regretted that we had not cultivated prayer to the point where it would be as easy and as natural as breathing.... Undoubtedly the redemption in Christ Jesus has sufficient moral power to enable us to live in a state of purity and love where our whole life will be a prayer. Individual acts of prayer that spring out of that kind of total living will have about them a wondrous power not known to the careless or the worldly Christian. The Root of the Righteous, pp. 91-93 "Lord, the real key here is that there is 'sufficient moral power' available. In my own strength I fail, but thank You for Your enabling power. Amen."
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A.W. Tozer (1897 - 1963). American pastor, author, and spiritual mentor born in La Jose, Pennsylvania. Converted to Christianity at 17 after hearing a street preacher in Akron, Ohio, he began pastoring in 1919 with the Christian and Missionary Alliance without formal theological training. He served primarily at Southside Alliance Church in Chicago (1928-1959) and later in Toronto. Tozer wrote over 40 books, including classics like "The Pursuit of God" and "The Knowledge of the Holy," emphasizing a deeper relationship with God. Self-educated, he received two honorary doctorates. Editor of Alliance Weekly from 1950, his writings and sermons challenged superficial faith, advocating holiness and simplicity. Married to Ada, they had seven children and lived modestly, never owning a car. His work remains influential, though he prioritized ministry over family life. Tozer’s passion for God’s presence shaped modern evangelical thought. His books, translated widely, continue to inspire spiritual renewal. He died of a heart attack, leaving a legacy of uncompromising devotion.