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| God has left a wonderful promise to His people: "...ask and
it shall be given...!" The very suggestion that all a Christian
need do to "bend" God's ear is to ask is one of the most
astounding principles of the Christian faith.
However, prayer is much more than making and reciting a "wish list." Prayer is one of the links we have with our Creator, Lord, and Savior. God "speaks" to us through his Word; we speak to him through prayer. Prayer is more than requests and petitions -- it is also communion and fellowship with God. It is a connection between the Light (God) and the light bearers (us). We must be diligent not to sever the "cable" that connects the two. Jesus said that we are the light of this world (Matthew 5:14). We must be connected to the Light source, which is God. "This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all." 1 John 1:5 "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." James 1:17 To break the link with our source of Light will make our light grow dimmer and fade, much as the Bible lamp would run dry of oil and slowly grow dimmer and dimmer until the oil was depleted. Monday What is Prayer? Prayer is communication with God. It involves the heart, mind, and soul of man. To communicate with him must be done in faith. Act of faith Prayer is an act of faith! Any individual who prays must believe that God is and that he is "...a rewarder of those who diligently seek him." At the very least, prayer implies a dependency upon God -- an admission of our own inability to repair situations and overcome our circumstances by ourselves. It is a "daring" of the heart. The correct prayer will approach the throne of God humbly, passionately, and submissively. Our souls are unclothed and unmasked before ourselves and our God. It bares the inner man, the "real us", before our perfect, holy Lord. Commitment of will Prayer is a commitment of will. Through prayer, we seek not our own direction but his direction and guidance in all matters of the heart. The prayer of Christ in the garden exemplifies this: "...not my will but thine..." We acknowledge our own inability and find peace in his will and direction. Sometimes, it is only after our own efforts of being our "own man" and wrecking our lives and the lives of others that we, then, seek help from God. For some, prayer is made not to seek direction, but to ask God to validate the direction they have already decided. This kind of prayer is not acceptable to God. True prayer throws off what we desire and seeks the will of him who knows all truth. Prayer, the source seeker Prayer seeks the source and strikes at the heart of all matters. Correct prayer does not travel a long road to a needed solution, but prayer directs the heart straight to our Heavenly Father. In matters of need, we go to the storehouse. In matters of burden we go to the burden bearer. In matters of direction, we go to the great guide. In matters of hurt, we go to the great physician. We can come "boldly" to the throne of grace to find our help in times of need. We go straight to God. Matthew 7:7-8 Ask, and it shall be ____________ you; __________, and ye shall __________ ; _____________, and it shall be _____________ unto you: For ___________ one that ____________ receiveth; and he that _______________ findeth; and to him that _____________ it shall be opened. Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come ____________ unto the throne of ____________, that we may obtain ________________, and find ___________ to help in time of ___________. Questions:
How to Pray "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us. 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 5:14-15 In these verses rests a promise of God. Every Christian's prayer that is prayed within God's will is heard! It is necessary, then, that the Christian should know what the will of the Lord is. The Christian who is not a student of the Word will find difficulty in knowing what to pray for. The more you know, the more you know what to pray for. We frequently pray that lost individuals might be saved. Knowing God's Word allows us to understand that he will NOT save an individual against his will no matter how hard we might pray. A better direction for such a prayer is that we pray that God would send the Word to these people and then convict their hearts of their need of a Savior. Christians may not know how to arrive at a solution to a spiritual problem in their lives and consequently pray for the wrong thing, or things that are in direct contradiction to what the Word requires in that specific matter. Without spiritual knowledge, man's prayers will sometimes be hindered. However, there are times when the Christian does know the Word -- they are a student of the Word -- but they still do not know what they should pray for. There are times when the mind is clouded with emotions and prejudice. There are time when we are uncertain of the direction we should be going. At these times, we lay it into God's hand and his Spirit makes intercession for us. He understands our heart and is able to sort out all the emotions and feelings that may be associated with this particular prayer. Romans 8:26 Likewise the _____________ also helpeth our _______________: for we know not what we should ____________ for as we ___________: but the _____________ itself maketh ______________ for us with ___________ which cannot be uttered. Ephesians 5:17 __________ be ye not _____________, but _______________ what the _________ of the Lord is. Jeremiah 33:3 Call unto me, and I will ___________ thee, and shew thee _________ and ___________ things, which thou _____________ not. Questions:
Wednesday Practices in Prayer Pray often, with humility, without ceasing, boldly, always, instantly, sometimes in secret, sometimes openly, with the Spirit, without doubting, without wrath, according to his will, without empty repetitions, in Christ's name, by knowledge, with wisdom, and always in faith. God's people sometimes prayed with bowed heads, while on their knees, and some, while laying prostrate on their faces. They prayed before great battles, after great defeats. At times, they prayed on mountains, sometimes in valleys, and once in a lion's den. Men have prayed selfishly, sacrificially, with broken hearts, and occasionally in anger. While the position, the time, or the location of the one praying may reflect the attitude of the heart, it does not necessarily do so. We often utter prayers while in situations that make it impossible to kneel or even bow our heads, in locations where closing the eyes would invite disaster. One common denominator in all prayers should be that the heart is earnestly seeking the Master and his will. Quality of prayers Prayer should be a condition of the heart guided by the knowledge and will of God. Our very character should be one that yearns for communion with God. The greatest Friend, Lord, Savior is only as far away as a prayer. 1 Thess 5:17 _________ without __________. James 5:16 The _____________ ___________ prayer of a _________________ man __________ much. Psalms 145:18 The Lord is ____________ unto all them that ________ upon __________, to all that _________ upon him in _____________. Questions:
Thursday Expectation of Prayer God's people seek shelter when the storm develops. We need a Rock under whose ledge we can find refuge. No matter the size or the severity of the matter, prayer is the release of the Christian's spirit. Christians need to know that God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think. A child of God must count on the closeness and willingness of God to answer prayer. "Anything large enough for a wish to light upon, is large enough to hang a prayer upon." George Macdonald Things we are to seek by prayer We petition for help, comfort, forgiveness, strength, guidance, relief, repentance, laborers for the harvest, deliverance from temptation, for other's love to abound, for those who misuse you, for wisdom, for knowledge that the Word would have free course, sickness, deliverance, and to offer thanksgiving. Prayer can be the lever that moves the heart of God. We read where God's mind was changed by the petition of Moses, melted by a prayer of faith, and angered by the obstinance and arrogance of Israel. We EXPECT God to be touched and influenced by our flight to him in humbled prayer. The preciousness of our prayers are alluded to in Revelation 5:8, when John saw the golden vials full of the prayers of the saints, which had been collected and held until the day when God could answer them. His children expect his answer, but will patiently await the appropriate time for its fulfillment. What can be done through prayer Prayer closed a lion's mouth and opened a sea. It has delivered a servant, bound a king. It has given victory and caused defeat. Prayer has caused the foolish to envy and given courage to the faint of heart; it has opened the eyes of the blind and blinded the eyes that were open. Prayer is the instrument of God's children to defend, destroy, overcome, and deliver. When a righteous man prays according to the will of God -- stand back and see how great our God is! Psalms 138:3 In the day when I __________ thou __________ me, and _____________ me with __________ in my ___________. Psalms 40:1 I _________ patiently for the Lord; and he _________ unto me, and heard my __________. Psalms 3:4 I _________ unto the __________ with my voice, and he ________ me out of his ________ ____________. Questions:
Kinds of Prayer Following is a partial list of the prayers that saints of God make. Prayer of intercession "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;" 1 Timothy 2:1-2 The Bible requires that we pray for our enemies and those that despitefully use us (Matthew 5:44), for the sick (James 5:14), for your brother that sins (1 John 5:16), for the brother that is in need (2 Thess.3:1), and he said in James 5:16 to "...PRAY FOR ONE ANOTHER." We need those who will lift us up to the Lord -- those who will take our name to the throne and petition God on our behalf. We need those who will intercede for us when we are incapable of praying for ourselves. Sometimes our judgment is clouded by emotions or just the closeness of a situation, and we need others who are unconnected to intercede in our behalf. At times, we don't know what is proper and need other more mature Christians to come to our aid. At other times of distress and heavy burdening, we need the unified prayer of all our brothers and sisters in Christ. It is these prayers that God answers to make available the means by which individuals are directed, convicted, or any other need that has arisen in their lives. Prayer of thanksgiving Unfortunately, some Christians fail to see God actively operating and solving problems in their lives. They take for granted events and occurrences as happenstance and do not regard them as any direct action of God. Christians must be in tune with God's direct working in their lives and should acknowledge his workings. Out of a heart of gratitude, we present to God an acknowledgment of what he has done, what he is doing, or what he will do in the future. A prayer of thanksgiving is given to honor God and recognize him as the sole provider in our lives. Prayer of supplication Beyond requests and petitions comes a prayer in which the whole being is involved, beseeching God's help. It implies a broken or burdened manner, a begging for the request to be fulfilled. Further, it implies a MUST in the Christian's life. Prayer of confession Confession is admitting that we have sinned and unloading our sins on God, knowing that he is faithful and just and will forgive anything that we have done in the name of his Son. Prayer of petition This prayer is simply a request for daily needs and implies a wanting without begging. Prayer of promise Based upon what we think God has directed us to do, we make vows to God. Promises to God should always be made as a result of understanding a command in the Word of God, or a special calling to a certain direction from God based upon this Word. Ephesians 6:18 Praying ____________ with all ____________ and _____________ in the ________, and watching thereunto with all ___________________ and _____________ for all saints. Hebrews 5:7 Who in the days of his _________, when he had offered up ____________ and ______________ with strong ____________ and __________ unto him that was able to _________ him from death. Philippians 4:6 Be ____________ for nothing; but in every thing by __________ and ____________ with _____________ let your __________ be made known unto God. Questions
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