Almighty and most merciful Father, I
most humbly beseech Thee, for Thy Son’s
sake, Jesus Christ our Lord, have mercy
upon me, and succor me in these terrible
assaults and temptations of the devil. De-
liver my soul from all his power and craft;
send me strength from above, that I may re-
tain my integrity, may resist the enemy, and
stand steadfast in the day of trial. Be Thou
my strong rock, and tower of defence; that,
being preserved through Thy grace and
assistance, I may continue Thy faithful sol-
dier and servant unto my life’s end. Nou-
rish all the seeds of grace that are sown in
my heart, and make them fruitful unto
every good word and work. Give me the in-
crease of faith, hope, charity, and all other
Christian graces: and, that I may obtain
that which Thou dost promise, make me
ever to love that which Thou dost command;
and this I beg through the merits, and for
the sake, of Thy dear Son Jesus Christ our
Lord. Amen.
The pursuit of private, subjective interpretation effectively denies both the objectivity and rationality of God's truth. It also denies the sufficiency of His inspired Word, presuming that there is no more we need to know than what God has placed in Scripture. In the end, this anti-intellectual search for truth often leads to the kind of chaos we see dominating the charismatic movement. For others, it leads to disappointment, despair, and apostasy.
John MacArthur