Showing posts with label Prayer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Prayer. Show all posts
How Can I Become A Prayer Warrior?
Although
the phrase “prayer warrior” is not found in Scripture, a prayer warrior is
generally thought of as a Christian who prays continually and effectively for
others in the manner of praying taught in Scripture. Therefore, prayer warriors
pray to Father God (Matthew 6:9) in the power of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians
3:16; Jude 1:20) and in the name of Jesus (John 14:13). To be a warrior in
prayer is to engage in the spiritual battle and fight the good fight of faith
wearing the full armor of God and “pray[ing] in the Spirit on all occasions
with all kinds of prayers and requests” (Ephesians 6:10-18).
While all Christians are to be prayer warriors, there are some people who feel
they have a special and unique ability to pray and have been called by God to
pray as their special ministry. The Bible never specifies certain people who
are to pray more often, more diligently, or more effectively than other
Christians, but there are diligent pray-ers who are known for their emphasis on
prayer. Paul commands that “requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be
made for everyone” (1 Timothy 2:1), and he says nothing that would indicate
some people are exempt from doing so. All believers in Christ have the Holy
Spirit who helps us communicate our prayer requests (Romans 8:26-27). All
believers are to be praying in the name of Jesus, which means that Jesus Christ
is our Lord and Savior, that we trust in Him for everything, including His
interceding with the Father for us in all things, and that we live and pray in
accordance with God’s will. Praying in Jesus’ name does not mean merely adding
“in Jesus’ name” to a prayer. Rather, it means praying in submission to His
will.
As prayer warriors, we rejoice in all things and have a spirit of thankfulness
for what God is doing in our lives and the lives of others, and our own spirits
grow day by day as we come to realize the magnitude of our blessings. We know
with certainty that God provided the breath we just took (Isaiah 42:5); that He
has forgiven our past, present and future sins (1 John 2:12); that He loves us
with an eternal love (Ephesians 2:4-7); and that we have a place in heaven with
our Lord (1 Peter 1:3-5). Our hearts, then, are filled with joy and peace and
overflow with love for God, and we want others to have this same love, joy and
peace. Therefore, we work for them by praying.
Effective prayer is indeed work. We have to learn to walk with God, so we meditate daily on Him and His ways in order to become more and more humble, which is essential for effective prayer (2 Chronicles 7:13-15). We also study Scripture thoughtfully every day to learn what is pleasing to God and therefore what constitutes acceptable prayer. We learn to eliminate hindrances to prayer (Mark 11:25; 1 Peter 3:7; 1 John 3:21-22) and not to grieve the Spirit of God (Ephesians 4:30-32). We learn that we are in a spiritual battle with Satan, so we must pray for our own spiritual well-being to maintain our strength and focus in praying for others (Ephesians 6:12-18).
Prayer warriors have a heart for God, a heart for prayer, a heart for people,
and a heart for Christ’s church. Therefore, we pray continually and trust that
God answers each prayer according to His perfect will and in His perfect
timing.
- Provided by "Got Questions Ministries"
How Can I Have My Prayers Answered By God?
Many people believe answered prayer is God granting a prayer request that is offered to Him. If a prayer request is not granted, it is understood as an “unanswered” prayer. However, this is an incorrect understanding of prayer. God answers every prayer that is lifted to Him. Sometimes God answers “no” or “wait.” God only promises to grant our prayers when we ask according to His will. “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of him” (1 John 5:14-15).
What does it mean to pray according to God’s will? Praying according to God’s
will is praying for things that honor and glorify God and/or praying for what
the Bible clearly reveals God’s will to be. If we pray for something that is
not honoring to God or not God’s will for our lives, God will not give what we
ask for. How can we know what God’s will is? God promises to give us wisdom
when we ask for it. James 1:5 proclaims, “If any of you lacks wisdom,
he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it
will be given to him.” A good place to start is 1 Thessalonians 5:12-24,
which outlines many things that are God’s will for us. The better we understand
God’s Word, the better we will know what to pray for (John 15:7). The better we
know what to pray for, the more often God will answer “yes” to our requests.
- Provided by "Got Questions Ministries"
What Is The Proper Way To Pray?
Is
it best to pray standing up, sitting down, kneeling, or bowing down?
Should our hands be open, closed, or lifted up to God? Do our eyes need to be
closed when we pray? Is it better to pray in a church building or out in
nature? Should we pray in the morning when we get up or at night before we go
to bed? Are there certain words we need to say in our prayers? How do we begin
our prayers? What is the proper way to close a prayer? These questions, and
others, are common questions asked about prayer. What is the proper way to
pray? Do any of the above things even matter?
Far
too often, prayer is viewed as a “magic formula.” Some believe that if we do
not say exactly the right things, or pray in the right position, God will not
hear and answer our prayer. This is completely unbiblical. God does not answer
our prayers based on when we pray, where we are, what position our body is in,
or in what order we word our prayers. We are told in 1 John 5:14-15 to
have confidence when we come to God in prayer, knowing He hears us and will
grant whatever we ask as long as it is in His will. Similarly, John
14:13-14 declares, “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the
Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and
I will do it.” According to these and many other Scriptures, God answers prayer
requests based on whether they are asked according to His will and in the name
of Jesus (to bring glory to Jesus).
So, what is the proper way to pray? Philippians 4:6-7 tells us to
pray without being anxious, to pray about everything, and to pray with thankful
hearts. God will answer all such prayers with the gift of His peace in our
hearts. The proper way to pray is to pour out our hearts to God, being honest
and open with God, as He already knows us better than we know ourselves. We are
to present our requests to God, keeping in mind that God knows what is best and
will not grant a request that is not His will for us. We are to express our
love, gratitude, and worship to God in prayer without worrying about having
just the right words to say. God is more interested in the content of our
hearts than the eloquence of our words.
The closest the Bible comes to giving a “pattern” for prayer is the Lord’s
Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13. Please understand that the Lord’s Prayer is
not a prayer we are to memorize and recite to God. It is an example of the
things that should go into a prayer - worship, trust in God, requests,
confession, and submission. We are to pray for the things the Lord’s Prayer
talks about, using our own words and “customizing” it to our own journey with
God. The proper way to pray is to express our hearts to God. Sitting, standing,
or kneeling; hands open or closed; eyes opened or closed; in a church, at home,
or outside; in the morning or at night - these are all side issues, subject to
personal preference, conviction, and appropriateness. God’s desire is for
prayer to be a real and personal connection between Himself and us.
- Provided by
"Got Questions Ministries"
What Is The Purpose Of Prayer?
Prayer is
an important part of the Christian life. It is the way we communicate with the
Lord and praise Him. To understand the purpose of prayer, it is important to
first understand what prayer is not. There are many wrong views in the world
and culture about prayer, even among Christians, and these should be addressed
first. Prayer is not:
• bargaining with God.
• making demands of God.
• only asking God for things.
• a therapeutic, meditation-type exercise.
• bothering God and taking up His time.
• a way to control the Lord.
• a way to show off one’s spirituality before others.
Many people believe that prayer is only about asking God for things. Although
supplication is a part of prayer (Philippians 4:6), it is not the sole purpose
of prayer. Praying for the needs of ourselves and others is needed and
beneficial, but there is so much more to prayer. A. W. Tozer warned,
“Prayer among evangelical Christians is always in danger of degenerating into a
glorified ‘gold rush’” (Mornings with Tozer: Daily Devotional Readings,
compiled by Gerald Smith, Moody Publishers, 2008, entry for Feb. 26). But God
is not a magical genie who answers our every wish, nor is He a weak God who can
be controlled by our prayers.
The best way to learn about the purpose of prayer is studying the example of
Jesus during His earthly ministry. Jesus prayed for Himself and for others, and
He prayed to commune with the Father. John 17 is a great place to see
Jesus’ use of prayer. He not only prays that the Father be glorified but also
prays for His disciples and “for those who will believe in me through their
message” (John 17:20). Submitting to the Father’s will was another aspect to
Jesus’ prayer life, highlighted in His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane: “Yet
not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39). With any request we have, we
must submit to God’s will.
In addition to interceding for others, prayer is also a way to strengthen our
relationship with God. Jesus set the example, as He prayed to the Father
throughout His earthly ministry (Luke 6:12; Matthew 14:23). Those in
relationships will naturally seek to communicate with each other, and prayer is
our communication with God. Other good examples in the Bible of those who spent
time in prayer are David, Hezekiah, and Paul.
Ultimately, the main purpose of prayer is worship. When we pray to the Lord,
recognizing Him for who He is and what He has done, it is an act of worship.
There are many examples of prayer being an act of worship in the Bible,
including 2 Kings 19:15, 1 Chronicles 17:20, Psalm 86:12–13, John
12:28, and Romans 11:33–36. How we pray should reflect this purpose; our
focus should be on who God is, not on ourselves.
Interestingly, the model of prayer that Jesus gave the disciples in Matthew
6:9–13, known as the Lord’s Prayer, has all these elements. The first part
includes praise and worship of God (Matthew 6:9), and then the second part
moves on to praying for God’s will to be done (Matthew 6:10). After this, there
is supplication for ourselves and others (Matthew 6:11–12), as well as asking
for strength to deal with temptation (Matthew 6:13). Jesus modeled this prayer
for His disciples, and it shows all the reasons for prayer with the central
focus of worship.
Prayer is an important part of the Christian life, and one’s prayer life should
be developed. Not only does prayer affect our lives and the lives of others,
but it is also a way to communicate with the Lord and grow in our relationship
with Him. At the heart of prayer is an act of worship to the Lord. God’s Word
places an emphasis on the power and purpose of prayer, and, therefore, it
should not be neglected.
- Provided by "Got Questions Ministries"
What Is Prayer?
The
most basic definition of prayer is “talking to God.” Prayer is not meditation
or passive reflection; it is direct address to God. It is the communication of
the human soul with the Lord who created the soul. Prayer is the primary way
for the believer in Jesus Christ to communicate his emotions and desires with
God and to fellowship with God.
Prayer can be audible or silent, private or public, formal or informal. All
prayer must be offered in faith (James 1:6), in the name of the Lord Jesus (John
16:23), and in the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:26). As the International
Standard Bible Encyclopedia puts it, “Christian prayer in its full New
Testament meaning is prayer addressed to God as Father, in the name of Christ
as Mediator, and through the enabling grace of the indwelling Spirit” (“Prayer”
by J. C. Lambert). The wicked have no desire to pray (Psalm 10:4), but the
children of God have a natural desire to pray (Luke 11:1).
Prayer is described in the Bible as seeking God’s favor (Exodus 32:11), pouring
out one’s soul to the Lord (1 Samuel 1:15), crying out to heaven (2 Chronicles
32:20), drawing near to God (Psalm 73:28, KJV), and kneeling before the Father
(Ephesians 3:14).
Paul wrote, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by
prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the
peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and
your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6–7). Worry about nothing; pray
about everything.
Everything? Yes, God wants us to talk with Him about everything. How often
should we pray? The biblical answer is “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians
5:17). We should keep a running conversation going with God all day long. Some
find the ACTS
formula of prayer helpful, but there is really no special formula
for how to pray in the Bible. We should just do it. We can pray under
any and all circumstances. Prayer develops our relationship with God and
demonstrates our trust and utter dependence upon Him.
Prayer is the Christian’s way of communicating with God. We pray to praise God
and thank Him and tell Him how much we love Him. We pray to enjoy His presence
and tell Him what is going on in our lives. We pray to make requests and
seek guidance and ask for wisdom. God loves this exchange with His children,
just as we love the exchange we have with our children. Fellowship with God is
the heart of prayer. Too often we lose sight of how simple prayer is really
supposed to be.
When we make petitions to God, we let God know exactly where we stand and what
we would like to see happen. In our prayers, we must admit that God is greater
than we are and ultimately knows what is best in any given situation (Romans
11:33–36). God is good and asks us to trust Him. In prayer, we say,
essentially, “Not my will, but your will be done.” The key to answered prayer
is praying according to the will of God and in accordance with His Word. Prayer
is not seeking our own will but seeking to align ourselves with the will of God
more fully (1 John 5:14–15; James 4:3).
The Bible contains many examples of prayer and plenty of exhortations to pray
(see Luke 18:1; Romans 12:12; and Ephesians 6:18). God’s house
is to be a house of prayer (Mark 11:17), and God’s people are to be people of
prayer: “Dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and
praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love” (Jude 1:20–21).
- Provided by "Got Questions Ministries"
Jesus Wants You To Know...
"When you pray, I want you to share everything with Me: your joys and heartaches, your struggles and triumphs, your worries and questions. I am your best Friend - pour out your heart to Me. And then thank Me for the answers that are already on the way."
"Jesus has the power of God. His power has given us everything we need to live and to serve God. We have these things because we know him. Jesus called us by his glory and goodness."
- 2 Peter 1:3 (ICB)
- "Jesus Calling for Kids" by Sarah Young
What Do I Do When My Attitude Stinks?
Let my prayer be set before You as incense,
The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
Psalm 141:2 (NKJV)
Yesterday morning, I needed a slight attitude adjustment. Thinking some fresh air, sunshine and exercise would help me out, I went on a brisk walk.
As I made my way down the street, so did a neighborhood garbage truck. It was rather uncanny; my pace and the truck’s duties seemed to line up perfectly. The large truck would stop to collect garbage while I moved ahead, but then it would invariably catch up with me, and we’d be side by side again. I turned right, and to my disgruntlement, so did the garbage truck. I couldn’t seem to escape its route or its awful smell.
While breathing in the not-so-fresh air, my mind made a connection: What if our thoughts and emotions had smells attached to them? What if the age-old phrase “your attitude stinks” was actually true in the heavenly realm? What odor would worry put off? Or bitterness? Or unforgiveness?
Second Timothy 2:16-17 refers to empty chatter spreading like gangrene — now that’s stinky for sure!
How do we rid ourselves of the “stink”? Soon after my walk, the Lord directed me to these verses: “O LORD, I call upon You; hasten to me! Give ear to my voice when I call to You! May my prayer be counted as incense before You; The lifting up of my hands as the evening offering” (Psalm 141:1-2, NASB1995).
Can it be that our prayers “smell” good to God?
I looked further into incense offerings and found Exodus 30:7-8: “And Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on [the altar]. Every morning when he dresses the lamps he shall burn it, and when Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he shall burn it, a regular incense offering before the LORD throughout your generations” (ESV).
My Bible’s commentary explains that incense represented the prayers and praises of God’s people. Also, incense helped extinguish the smell of dead animals that had been sacrificed in the temple.
Maybe when we lay down our worry, pride, bitterness or you-name-it stinky sin — lifting up prayers instead — then these new words become the fragrance that rises to heaven.
Today, let’s rid ourselves of garbage truck odors and replace them with a lovely aroma of prayer. For me, I will lay down …
- Worrying about my children. Instead, I'll pray for each one of them by name.
- Resentment toward my co-worker. Instead, I'll ask God to bless him.
- Negativity. Instead, I'll lift up praises to the One who gives me breath.
It’s humbling to think that our words can be “counted as incense” (Psalm 141:2) before the Lord. Let’s trust that He not only enjoys the sound of our voices but delights in the sweet fragrance of our uplifted prayers.
Dear Lord, remind me to give all my anxious thoughts and errant emotions to You through prayer. As I choose to pour out my heart before You in faith, help me also to remember that You delight in hearing my voice. Thank You for listening, my Father and my Friend. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
- Chris Baxter
Provided by "Proverbs 31 Ministries"
Jesus Wants You To Know...
"How do you know which voice is Mine? Spend time with Me - quiet time in prayer and praise. Just as good friends know each other’s voices, you will come to know Mine. And I will tell you the right way to go."
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” - Isaiah 30:21 (NIV)
- "Jesus Calling for Kids" by Sarah Young
Wisdom Through Meditation
Psalm 119:145-152
I cry out with my whole heart;
Hear me, O Lord!
I will keep Your statutes.
I cry out to You;
Save me, and I will keep Your testimonies.
I rise before the dawning of the morning,
And cry for help;
I hope in Your word.
My eyes are awake through the night watches,
That I may meditate on Your word.
Hear my voice according to Your lovingkindness;
O Lord, revive me according to Your justice.
They draw near who follow after wickedness;
They are far from Your law.
You are near, O Lord,
And all Your commandments are truth.
Concerning Your testimonies,
I have known of old that You have founded them forever.
Our receiving God's wisdom begins with prayer, but it does not end there. He has a method in His transformation process, and it requires our full cooperation. We are not passive recipients of His mind; we are active in our pursuit. He offers it, but we must want it. And there is more to wanting than just asking.
We can learn the Word of God through study. But it does not become a part of us until we meditate on it. Lacking that step, we become knowledgeable without becoming wise. There is a profound difference between knowing about God's will and His ways and actually knowing God's will and His ways. One leads to an illusion that we're spiritual when we're not. The other leads to life.
Churches are full of people who hear the Word of God preached on Sunday and then have forgotten it on Monday. There are many tools to incorporate God's truths into our lives, but the first, after prayer, is to meditate on it. What does that mean? It means to chew on it, think of what God does with it and why it came from His mouth, how we've failed it in our past, and how it might be applied in our everyday lives. The Word of God is not given simply to be admired; it is given to be learned. It is not spoken to make us smart; it is spoken to change us and conform us to the bright image of the living God.
At all costs, do not passively let the Word of God go in one ear and out the other. Do not read it so casually that it is forgotten the next day or the next hour. There's power in it! It is a gift that will craft us into the person God wants us to be, the person we were designed to be from the very beginning. That molding process is the greatest earthly fulfillment we can ever experience. And God first begins to answer our prayers for that when we meditate on His truth. Let it soak in, completely and deeply. Let it do its powerful work.
“Meditation is…allowing the Holy Spirit to take the written word and apply it as the living word to the inner being.” - Campbell McAlpine
[An excerpt from "The One Year Walk with God Devotional" by Chris Tiegreen]