* Prayer; A Thing Of The Past?

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, 

and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; 

and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

(Matthew 7:7-8)

Prayer is much needed in the church today! True prayer, communication, meditation, and conversations with God, are almost a thing of the past. Apostle Paul admonishes us to pray without ceasing. Proverbs advises us to not only acknowledge God in all of our ways but to also lean to Him for understanding. 

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.  Proverbs 3:5-6

How can this be done without praying on some level? It's not enough and actually it is a shame to only turn to God when a personal need is present. This is treating our Lord and Savior as if He is our personal genie, our sugar daddy, our fairy Godmother, our Santa Clause, etc. but, when will we recognize that He is first and foremost our Savior from sin and our entrance into eternal salvation?   

We are in a spiritual battle like never before as the enemy unleashes his imps of deception not only into the world but right into the church.  

Wake up, beloved saints of the Most High!  

Put on the whole armour of God and pray!

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. . .

. . . Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;  Ephesians 6:12-13, 18 

There are three levels of intensity in prayer:  Asking, seeking, and knocking:

*    Asking is the first level of prayer. It is simply presenting a request to God and receiving an immediate answer. In order to receive, the condition is to ask:  

Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. (James 4:2)

We have the powerful spiritual weapon of prayer, and yet many do not use it. They do not ask, and because of this, they do not receive.

*    Seeking is a deeper level of prayer. This is the level of prayer where answers are not as immediate as at the asking level. The 120 gathered in the upper room where they "continued" in prayer is an example of seeking. 

These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.  Acts 1:14

These men and women sought fulfillment of the promise of the Holy Spirit and continued "seeking" until the answer came. (Acts 1, 2)

*    Knocking is a deeper level yet. It is prayer that is persistent when answers are longer in coming. It is illustrated by the parable Jesus told in Luke 11:5-10. The knocking level is the most intense level of spiritual warfare in prayer. It is illustrated by the persistence of Daniel who continued to knock despite the fact he saw no visible results as Satan hindered the answer from God. (Daniel 10)

There are various types of prayer illustrated in the model prayer given by the Lord (Matthew 6:9-13). Types of prayer include:

         √     Worship and praise:  You enter into God's presence with worship and praise:   

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise; be thankful unto Him, and bless His Name. (Psalms 100:4)

Worship is the giving of honor and devotion. Praise is thanksgiving and an expression of gratitude not only for what God has done but for what and who He is. We are to worship God in spirit and in truth:  

But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him.  God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. (John 4:23-24)

Praise and worship can be with:

Singing:                                                                      Psalms 9:2,11; 40:3; Mark 14:26

Audible praise:                                                          Psalms 103:1

Shouting:                                                                    Psalms 47:1

Lifting up of the hands:                                           Psalms 63:4; 134:2; I Timothy 2:8

Clapping:                                                                    Psalms 47:1

Musical instruments:                                               Psalms 150:3-5

Standing:                                                                    II Chronicles 20:19

Bowing:                                                                      Psalms 95:6

Dancing:                                                                     Psalms 149:3

Kneeling:                                                                    Psalms 95:6

Lying down:                                                               Psalms 149:5

The warriors of God in the spirit world is shown with...

Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand;(Psalms 149:6)

           √     Commitment:    This is prayer committing your life and will to God. It includes prayers of consecration and dedication.

            √     Petition:  Prayers of petition are requests. Requests must be made according to the will of God as revealed in His written Word.  Petitions may be at the levels of asking, seeking, or knocking. Supplication is another word for this type of prayer. The word supplication means "beseeching God or strongly appealing to Him in behalf of a need."

And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.  1 John 5:15

I love the Lord, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications.  Psalms 116:1

            √     Confession and repentance:  A prayer of confession is repenting and asking forgiveness for sin:   

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

            √     Intercession:   Intercession is prayer for others. An intercessor is one who takes the place of another or pleads another's case. The Bible records that at one time God looked on the earth and saw there was no intercessor:

And He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore His arm brought salvation unto Him, and His righteousness, it sustained Him.  (Isaiah 59:16)

When God saw there was no intercessor He supplied the need. He sent Jesus:  

For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. (1 Timothy 2:5)

It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. (Romans 8:34)

Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:25)

My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous.   (1 John 2:1)

Intercession in spiritual warfare is prayer to God on behalf of another person. Sometimes this intercession is made with understanding:

I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.  (1 Timothy 2:1-2)   

At other times, intercession is made by the Holy Spirit. It may be with groanings resulting from a heavy spiritual burden. It may be in an unknown tongue. It may be intercession for another or the Holy Spirit making intercession for you. When this happens, the Holy Spirit speaks through you praying directly to God and according to the will of God. You do not understand this type of intercession:  

Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities; for we know not what we should pray for as we ought; but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. (Romans 8:26)  

This is the deepest level of intercessory prayer and the most effective in spiritual warfare.

No matter what type or level of prayer, prayer on some level should be a consistent part of our lives.  We function much better when we lean on God for every aspect of our lives!

(Biblical Studies)

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