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Fifth Mention of Jesus and prayer – part 5 of 15

September 1st, 2010

 

And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there.

Matthew 14:23 (NKJV) 

It was a very difficult time with all of the ministry and news of death of John the Baptist. Jesus and the disciples take a boat to other side of lake, but the people run to be their when He comes. He was moved with compassion and spent the entire day in teaching and then feed the five thousand. There is a move to make Him king and then throw off the rule of Rome. (Notice how much this is like Satan’s suggestion in the wilderness).

Jesus sends the disciples off in the boat, dismisses the people, and go up to the mountain to pray and He continued until evening. His habit was to deal with difficulties, temptations, and all needs, was to pray.

To deal with difficulties, temptations, and all needs, we need to have a habit of prayer.

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Seeking to Be a Craftsman of Prayer (part one)

July 7th, 2010

It is fascinating to watch a craftsman in action. They have great skills, so much so that their craft seems to just flow from their hands. There is a wonderful transition of the material from its natural state to where it becomes a finished product. Craftsmen create wonderful things and they give us a glimpse at the ultimate craftsman, God. He creates with a flair that a human craftsman can only envy. A look at creation reveals God’s skill and imagination. He is the model for all craftsmen; they all should long to be like Him. In prayer this same pattern is true, Jesus is the ultimate craftsman and we should all long to be like Him. We should long to be a craftsman of prayer.

The craftsman’s life is one of growing and learning; working to become more adept at their craft. In all aspects of life we should be doing the same, growing and learning. This was true for Jesus, as He walked this Earth. He grew in wisdom and stature.

And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

Luke 2:52 (NKJV)

Christian growth comprises a wide range of subjects, covering every aspect of life; this includes prayer. In prayer the Holy Spirit works to take us from a novice to a craftsman of prayer. This growth is directed by and taught by the Holy Spirit, but it requires the participation of a willing Christian.

We can develop in prayer; the first step is to recognize the possibility of growth. Those who are satisfied with how they pray, seldom grow. Those who think their current practice of prayer is all there is, seldom grow. However, those who long to grow, those who long to be more like Jesus, those who seek training by the Holy Spirit, will grow.

You also gave Your good Spirit to instruct them, and did not withhold Your manna from their mouth, and gave them water for their thirst.

Nehemiah 9:20 (NKJV)

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

1 Corinthians 2:12-13 (NKJV)

Seeking to the best you can be in prayer

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Prospect of Succesful Prayer

June 7th, 2010

In 1859 gold was found in Colorado, a lot of it, those were gold rush days. Fortunes were made overnight. The early years of the rush, gold was found on or near the surface. Prospectors just scratched around and were successful. Soon this changed, most of the gold was still here, but it had to be mined.

Mining is hard and expensive work. Prospectors quickly got out of the gold business. They sold their claims and moving on to something else. However, there were a few individuals who stayed; they bought the claims and developed mines. Their challenge was to dig deep into the hard rock, following the veins of the precious minerals. This was expensive and very hard work, but they were successful, tons of gold was extracted from the mines.

Prayer sometimes is treated like the prospectors looking for gold during a gold rush. Many people pray just scratching the surface of the ground. They hope something will turn up. They look for quick riches, like that nugget of gold, just waiting to be found. Like the prospectors there are some successes. But they are few and far between; this does not meet the needs of most people and is far short of the needs answers to prayer for people and nations.

The gold of the mine is held in quartz, a rock so hard new techniques had to be developed to release the prize. Prayer is much the same. To go beyond the perchance finding of a nugget on the surface; prayer requires dedication and hard work. Obstacles such as doubt, fear, and unbelief, to name but a few will stop the faint hearted. It is only the most dedicated student of prayer who will continue.

What about you, are you willing to work hard to be effective in prayer?

What is working against you, keeping you at the surface?

What must be changed, if you are to go deep?

What in your life contributes, not to your success, but to your failure in prayer?

Will you change, so you might mine the depths of prayer?

Lord teach us to pray!

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Bring on the Answers!

June 3rd, 2010

There is great power in prayer. The power in prayer is from the answers and God answers prayer! This is wonderful, God answers prayer! The more we know about this wonder the better it gets. There is hope for today, hope for dealing without problems, and our hope is real.

Some who pray have a vague understanding of the power of prayer. They say God answers prayers; however they used this as a general statement. For these people, God is far off when it comes to prayer and their expectations and beliefs do not include God working directly in their life or prayers. Their God is a great God, but it is as though He is now retired. They do not make specific requests in prayer because they do not expect answers. They place no expectation on God and they get what they expect.

Other people believe God is involved in people’s life. They know that there is a long record of faith of men and women received answers to prayer. Most people of the Bible are just ordinary people; the spotlight of the Holy Spirit is their only claim to fame. The difference in these people and most people is very simple, these people dared to believe that God answers prayer.

Though there were many Shepard boys in Israel there was this one named David, he believed God answered prayer. Goliath wishes David had not believed in answers to prayer. There were many tentmakers in Israel, but few who believed God answered prayer. The Roman Empire was changed because Paul expected and got answers to prayer.
 

How about you? There are many places around the world with desperate need for revival, and there are plenty of other problems; many seem impossible to overcome. Without men and women who believe that God answers prayer, the battles of life will be lost. So will you pray? And more to the point, will you commit to the proposition that God answers prayer? With this commitment will you pray?
 

Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.”
Psalm 50:15 (NKJV)
 

He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him.
Psalm 91:15 (NKJV)

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Fourth Book of Series on Prayer!

April 20th, 2010

There is more to prayer than meets the eye; it can be hard work. In Prayer: A Force that Causes Change, author David Williamson analyzes how to pray and what to pray and provides a thorough discussion of prayer and effective faith-filled prayers.

In this, his fourth volume, Williamson shares a series of articles previously published in the weekly online newsletter Voice of Thanksgiving. The articles promote power in prayer—prayer that accomplishes God’s plans and goals here on earth. In this collection, Williamson continues with themes leading to power in prayer:

  • Partnership of God and man in prayer
  • Dealing with faith killers: doubt, fear, and unbelief
  • Breaking down barriers to prayer
  • Components of effective prayer
  • Breakthrough in prayer

The articles in Prayer: A Force that Causes Change illustrate how a life of effective prayer is one of a close relationship to God and a life filled with answers to prayers. Effective prayers can lead to changes in people’s lives, family, church, neighborhood, cities, and nations. It shows how prayer opens doors that have previously been closed.

About the Author

David Williamson is an author of books, articles, and newsletters on effective prayer and victorious Christian living. A native of Colorado, Williamson, for the last eight years, has written and edited Voice of Thanksgiving, Stimme der Dankbarkeit, and Głos Dziękczynienia, newsletters on effective fervent prayers.

All four Volumes of Prayer: AForce that Causes Change are now available at

http://voiceofthanksgiving.com/Book/Book.htm

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Great Lessons

March 26th, 2010

There are many men and women of prayer who have prepared for us a storehouse of lessons. They have learn from the Holy Sprit and walked out their prayers and intercessions in His school. Now their example can shows us the way. We dare not copy their specifics, but we must learn from them the general lessons and apply this knowledge to our growth in faith and practice. The Holy Spirit’s prayer lessons are universal in example, but individual in application. What can we learn from this lesson?
    

George Mueller stored up reasons for God’s intervention. As he came upon promises, authorized declarations of God concerning Himself, names and titles He had chosen to express and reveal His true nature and will, injunctions and invitations which gave to the believer a right to pray and boldness in supplication– as he saw all these, fortified and exemplified by the instances of prevailing prayer, he laid these arguments up in memory, and then on occasions of great need brought them out and spread them before a prayer-hearing God. It is pathetically beautiful to follow this humble man of God into the secret place, and there hear him pouring out his soul in these argumentative pleadings, as though he would so order his cause before God as to convince Him that He must interpose to save His own name and word from dishonour! George Mueller stored up reasons for God’s intervention. As he came upon promises, authorized declarations of God concerning Himself, names and titles He had chosen to express and reveal His true nature and will, injunctions and invitations which gave to the believer a right to pray and boldness in supplication– as he saw all these, fortified and exemplified by the instances of prevailing prayer, he laid these arguments up in memory, and then on occasions of great need brought them out and spread them before a prayer-hearing God. It is pathetically beautiful to follow this humble man of God into the secret place, and there hear him pouring out his soul in these argumentative pleadings, as though he would so order his cause before God as to convince Him that He must interpose to save His own name and word from dishonour!                from Pleading With God by A.T. Peirson

Here we see Mueller acting as a lawyer presenting his case. God knows the case and is sympathetic to the case, but He delights to hear our conviction concerning His nature and will as related to the individual situation. Are you prepared to go to the secret place and pour out your soul in argumentative pleadings? Can you so order a cause before God as to convince Him to interpose in event and happenings? Let us learn from Mueller and make these lessons a part of our faith and ability in prayer.

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The Hedge and Care

March 10th, 2010

The hedge and wall is a good picture of the care that is needed for the protection of the heart. Just like a field that is not protected, so the unprotected heart will have problems. The heart is very important. The Bible, as in the book of Proverbs, has dozens of verses about the heart and its great value. Just like other things of great value, the heart must be protected. One of the keys to success in the Christian life and in prayer is the careful care and feeding of the heart.

Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.

Proverbs 4:23 (NKJV)

The word translated, keep, in this verse means to guard. The command is to guard our heart; guard is to protect, maintain, and obey.  We are to guard our heart; we are to protect our heart from evil. In addition, guarding is to maintain our relationship with God and to obey God. The reason for the command is also included here, from the heart comes those things we need for life. Guarding our heart is important; the danger comes when the hedge or wall is damaged or inadequate. The Devil is looking for ways to attack Christians and destroy their work and testimony. He is searching for gaps in their hedge.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

1 Peter 5:8 (NKJV)

Many Christians struggle in dealing with attacks of the Devil. They work at walking through life, but too often there are attacks. When Jesus was tempted by the Devil, Jesus over came the Devil by the Word. Matthew’s Gospel mentions that after he had tempted Jesus, the Devil left Him until an opportune time. Christians, with gaps in their hedges, with parts of their walls down, present opportune times to the Devil. He is always finding openings through which to attack them. We need to fill the gaps and build up our walls so this does not happen to us. We must not be like the nation of Israel and fail to deal with our hedge and walls.

You have not gone up into the gaps to build a wall for the house of Israel to stand in battle on the day of the Lord.

Ezekiel 13:5 (NKJV)

Success in the Christian life requires our dealing with the hedge and wall around our heart. A productive prayer life also requires protecting our heart. A strong and effect hedge around our heart, protects our heart and gives us opportunities to pray effectively.

Now may our God and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way to you. And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.

1 Thessalonians 3:11-13 (NKJV)

For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 4:6 (NKJV)

Part of a prayer ministry is to stand in the gap for the land. This is a ministry that is so important and necessary today. Unfortunately few are able to stand in the gap. Like the man without a belt, who can do nothing else, having to hold up his pants, it is hard to stand in the gap for the land, if we are constantly attacked through the gaps in our personal life. Until we deal with the gaps in our hedges and walls, we limit our effectiveness in prayer.

So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.

Ezekiel 22:30 (NKJV)

God continues to seek men and women who will make a wall and stand in the gap on the behalf of the land; that is for nations and peoples. However, to be effective workmen standing in the gap for nations, we must be careful to maintain the hedge around our personal heart. Then we can effectively stand in prayer for others. God is seeking, will He find someone? Will He find you? Today is the day to check your hedge. Is it solid? Are there gaps that need repair? Let the Holy Spirit show you areas where you need to do repair work. Let Him show you areas where you need to build up the hedge. Let Him show you areas that need improvement. Let Him show you what to do to make the repairs. Do what you must do to make them and make your hedge secure and strong.

How is your Hedge?

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Dealing with Hindrances

December 2nd, 2009

The importance of guarding our heart can be seen in many aspects of Christian life, and it is especially important in prayer. The issues of life determine what we will pray and how we will pray. If we do not guard our heart we limit what we can and will pray. Hindrances cloud the issues. If we are not careful we will draw back from prayers that cause real and effective change. Why, because hindrances working in our life, keep us from boldly coming before God. They try to separate us from God, our source of answers. Hindrances affect our heart and they limit our faith.

 

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 4:16 (NKJV)

 Hindrances come in many styles and types, what have you delt with?

What are you facing today?

Are there areas were you need to make changes to protect your heart?

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Lifestyle of Prayer

October 5th, 2009

Is your lifestyle conducive of prayer?

“A desire for God which cannot break the chains of sleep is a weak thing and will do but little good for God after it has indulged itself fully. The desire for God that keeps so far behind the devil and the world at the beginning of the day will never catch up.”    

E. M. Bounds Power Through Prayer

“I ought to pray before seeing any one. Often when I sleep long, or meet with others early, it is eleven or twelve o’clock before I begin secret prayer. This is a wretched system. It is unscriptural. Christ arose before day and went into a solitary place. David says: “Early will I seek thee”; “Thou shalt early hear my voice.” Family prayer loses much of its power and sweetness, and I can do no good to those who come to seek from me. The conscience feels guilty, the soul unfed, the lamp not trimmed. Then when in secret prayer the soul is often out of tune, I feel it is far better to begin with God—to see his face first, to get my soul near him before it is near another.”  

Robert Murray McChayne

Give heed to the voice of my cry, My King and my God, For to You I will pray. My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up.

Psalm 5:2-3 (NKJV)

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Prayer Prep

September 15th, 2009

How would God have you prepare for prayer? What is He saying to you today? He has called us to be men and women of prayer, so what is your preparation for prayer?
 

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Matthew 6:33 (NKJV)
 

Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Philip. 3:13-14 (NKJV)
 

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,
Ephes. 4:1 (NKJV)
 

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Ephes. 6:11-12 (NKJV)
 

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
Philip. 2:12-13 (NKJV)

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