Not everyone that says to Me, 'Lord, Lord' shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he that does the will of My Father Who is in heaven.
You will not be saved through prayer alone; you must unite prayer to the fulfillment of the will of God - all that each person is responsible for according to his calling and way of life. And prayer should have as its primary object the petition that God not let us depart from His holy will in any way. Conversely, he who is zealous to fulfill God's will in all things has boldness in prayer before God and greater access to His throne. Moreover, prayer that is not accompanied by walking in God's will is often not true, sober, and heartfelt prayer, but only outward reading, during which one's moral dysfunction is concealed by a multitude of words like a fog, while the thoughts are actually disorderly and wandering. Both prayer and the fulfillment of God's will must be made orderly through piety, and then there will be fruit.
St. Theophan the Recluse, Thoughts for Each Day of the Year, Wednesday After All Saints
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