Prayer or obedience?

I'd never read anything by C. T. Studd before today, but when I randomly had some time for extra reading, I opened a free download of his The Chocolate Soldier Heroism.  While it is quite short, it is nonetheless a compelling work, calling all true Christians to decisive devotion to Jesus.

 We Christians too often SUBSTITUTE PRAYER FOR PLAYING THE GAME. Prayer is good: but when used as a substitute for obedience, it is naught but a blatant hypocrisy, a despicable Pharisaism. We need as many meetings for action as for prayer--perhaps more. Every orthodox prayer-meeting is opened by God saying to His people, "Go work today; pray that laborers be sent into My vineyard." It is continued by the Christian's response, "I go, Lord, whithersoever Thou sendest me, that Thy Name may be hallowed everywhere, that Thy Kingdom may come speedily, that Thy Will may be done on earth as in heaven." But if it ends in nobody going anywhere, it had better never have been held at all. Like faith, prayer without works is dead.

 This booklet is well worth the minutes it would take you to read it.