But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness;
and all these things shall be added unto you.
Matthew 6:33
There is just so much to be said on the
importance of and benefits of prayer; our communication with God. Not only is it our
direct line of communication with God, but it is a powerful weapon in God’s
strategic battle plan for us against the Kingdom of Satan. The most powerful tool is the word
of God followed by the power and authority that comes with the Holy
Spirit. Following those two powerful tools is prayer!
During the earthly ministry of Jesus, His disciples once came to Him with an interesting request:
. . . one of His disciples said unto Him, Lord, teach us to pray. . . Luke 11:1
The disciples did not ask how to
preach or perform miracles. They did not seek lessons on how to build lasting
relationships. They did not inquire regarding the wonders of physical healing.
They asked to be taught how to pray.
What created this desire? It was the
visible effects of prayer in the life and ministry of Jesus. The disciples had
witnessed the powerful results of this spiritual strategy in action.
Jesus gives us the parameters in which we should communicate our prayers. Observe
the various types of prayer we communicate with God:
Praise and worship Our Father, which art in Heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Commitment Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done in earth, as it is
in
Heaven.
Petition Give us this day our daily
bread.
Confession and Intercession And forgive us our debts, as we
forgive our
debtors.
Petition And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil;
Praise and worship For thine is the Kingdom, and the
power and the glory, forever. Amen. Matthew 6:9-13
God gives us so much in His word on How to pray:
- Prayer is to be made to God: Psalms
5:2
- Empty repetition is forbidden, but
earnest repetition is not: Matthew
6:7; Daniel 6:10;
Luke 11:5-13; 18:1-8
- You sin by neglecting to pray for
others: 1 Samuel
12:23
- Pray with understanding (in a known
tongue): Ephesians 6:18
- Pray in the Spirit: Romans
8:26; Jude 20
- Pray according to the will of God: I John 5:14-15
- Pray in secret: Matthew
6:6
- Quality rather than quantity is
stressed.
Prayer is not successful because of "much speaking": Matthew 6:7
- Pray always: Luke
21:36; Ephesians 6:18
- Pray continually: Romans
12:12
- Pray without ceasing: 1 Thessalonians 5:17
- Pray to the Father in the name of
Jesus: John 15:16
- With a watchful attitude: 1 Peter 4:7
- According to the example of the
model prayer: Matthew 6:9-13
- Pray with a forgiving spirit: Mark
11:25
- Pray with humility: Matthew
6:7
- Sometimes accompany prayer with
fasting: Matthew 17:21
- Pray fervently: James
5:16; Colossians 4:12
- Pray with submission to God: Luke 22:42
- Use the strategies of binding and
loosing in prayer: Matthew 16:19
God also lets us know in His word What you should pray for:
- The peace of Jerusalem: Psalms
122:6
- Laborers in the harvest: Matthew
9:38
- That you enter not into temptation: Luke
22:40-46
- Them that despitefully use you
(your enemies): Luke 6:28
- All the saints: Ephesians
6:18
- The sick: James
5:14
- One for another (bearing each
others burdens): James 5:16
- For all men, kings, and those in
authority: 1 Timothy
2:1-4
- For daily needs: Matthew
6:11
- For wisdom: James
1:5
- For healing: James
5:14-15
- For forgiveness: Matthew
6:12
- For God's will and Kingdom to be
established: Matthew 6:10
- For relief from affliction: James
5:13
There are promises of God revealed in His word. We are to Pray the promises:
Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. James 4:3
God answers prayers according to His
promises. When we do not ask on the basis of these promises, our prayer is not
answered. It is similar to how a father relates to his children. No parent
commits to give his children anything they want or ask for. He makes it clear
that he will do certain things and not do other things. Within these limits the
father answers his child's requests.
It is the same way with God. He has
given promises and they form the proper basis for prayer. Learn what God has
promised and pray according to the promises of God. One way to do this is to go
through the Bible and mark all the promises God has made. Use your Bible as you
pray and base your prayers upon these promises.
Just as there are ways to pray, there are also Hindrances to prayer:
- Sin of any kind: Isaiah
59:1-2; Psalm 66:18; Isaiah 1:15; Proverbs 28:9
- Idols in the heart: Ezekiel
14:1-3:
- An unforgiving spirit: Mark 11:25; Matthew
5:23
- Selfishness, wrong motives: Proverbs 21:13;
James 4:3
- Power hungry, manipulative prayers: James 4:2-3
- Wrong treatment of marriage
partner: 1 Peter 3:7
- Self-righteousness: Luke
18:10-14
- Unbelief: James 1:6-7:
- Not abiding in Christ and His Word: John 15:7:
- Lack of compassion: Proverbs
21:13
- Hypocrisy, pride, meaningless
repetition: Matthew 6:5; Job
35:12-13
- Not asking according to the will of
God: James 4:2-3
- Not asking in Jesus' name: John 16:24
- Satanic demonic hindrances: Daniel 10:10-13; Ephesians 6:12
- Not seeking first the Kingdom - It is only when you seek first the Kingdom of God that you
are promised the "other things": Matthew 6:33
- God has a higher purpose in denying
your request: 2 Corinthians 12:8-9
- When you do not know how to pray as
you should, prayer is hindered.
This is why it is important to let the Holy Spirit pray through
you: Romans 8:26
God lets us know through His word When not to pray:
It is important to learn how to wait
before the Lord in prayer for His guidance and direction before acting. But it
is equally important to know when not to pray. When God calls us to action,
we must act, not continue to pray.
For example, at the bitter waters of
Marah when Moses cried unto the Lord, God showed him exactly what to do to
sweeten the waters. There was no need to wait further on the Lord in prayer.
Moses was to act upon what God had revealed. The same was true of Joshua when
he prayed about the terrible defeat of Israel at Ai. God revealed there was sin
among the people of Israel. He actually told Joshua...
Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?Israel hath sinned...Up, sanctify the people... (Joshua
7: portions of 10, 12, and 13)
It was not the time to pray. It was
the time to act upon the direction given in prayer. Some people use prayer as
an excuse to avoid involvement and acting upon what God has told them to do.
Others continue to pray when God has
already answered but they did not like the answer. Review the account of Balaam
in Numbers
Balaam had no right to go to God with the same matter for God had clearly forbidden him to have anything to do with what was being requested of him.
And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed. Numbers 22:12
Our communication with God is a conversation; a two way exchange. Be sure to take the time to listen as God in return speaks to you.
04/26/16
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