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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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Lessons for the Student

July 26th, 2010

Students come in levels of ability and skill. For some, today’s lesson is learning their letters, for others it is learning proper grammar, still others it is learning to form paragraphs is their current assignment. All are learning a language, but each is at a different place in their development. The daily lessons are geared for the needs of the student, but the goal is mastery of that language. In prayer this is true as well.

Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.
Luke 11:1 (NKJV)
 

Is this our cry today, Lord teach us to pray? It is easy to see ourselves as modern and sophisticated, knowing what we need to do. We know how to preach and teach, we know missions, we have seminars for everything, and we think we know it all. However, we still need Jesus to teach us and this is especially true in prayer. There is much we need to learn and the truth of the Bible is still the truth today. Those who want to pray will come to Jesus and say, Lord teach us to pray.
 

As students of prayer we are at different places in our lessons. Sometimes we may think we are further along than we are, but the Holy Spirit examines us and knows us and presents to Jesus the true needs that we have as students. He is the great teacher and gears our lessons to our needs for growth as students. His goal is mastery in prayer, just as He had with the Father. Are you a student of prayer? What are the lessons Jesus is teaching you today?
 

Teach us what we should say to Him, for we can prepare nothing because of the darkness.
Job 37:19 (NKJV)
 

For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”
Luke 12:12 (NKJV)
 

Who is the man that fears the Lord? Him shall He teach in the way He chooses.
Psalm 25:12 (NKJV)
Good and upright is the Lord; therefore He teaches sinners in the way. The humble He guides in justice, and the humble He teaches His way.
Psalm 25:8-9 (NKJV)

Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.
Proverbs 9:9 (NKJV)

Today we need to respond to the call to come to the classroom of prayer. When we come and listen to the teacher, His lesson perfectly tailored just for you, will take us to new places in effective fervent prayer.

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Time for Listening

July 22nd, 2010

Paul tells us of a time when people will not listen well.
 

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.
2 Tim. 4:3-4 (NKJV)

Paul wrote to Timothy about people who turn their ears away. They would not endure sound doctrine, they wound not listen. When we talk about music turning your ears away is not always bad. I turn my ears away from much of the “music” young people listen to today. The crash of sounds does not appeal to me. I turn away. In spiritual things to turn or not turn away is an important question, one with which we all must deal. There are things out there I should not listen.
 

Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron,
1 Tim. 4:1-2 (NKJV)

If we listen, we might give heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons. This is a good time not to listen. However, when God is speaking, we should listen. He is our father; he has much to tell us His children. Will we listen as He speaks?
 

Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge;
Proverbs 22:17 (NKJV)
 

Hear, my son, and be wise; and guide your heart in the way.
Proverbs 23:19 (NKJV)

He makes it very clear we are to listen with more than our ears; we are to listen to Him with our heart. Like the change that comes when a song we love comes on the radio. Like the change that comes when the orchestra plays a song we love, we listen with new interest and excitement. When god speaks we should listen to Him, with interest and excitement. A pastor I know says, we should turn the radio up like when our favorite song is on, this is how we should listen to our Father.

Those who will not listen, with their ears and hearts tuned in, careful to hear with their ears and heart, will come to a place where they cannot hear.
 

For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing,
And their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.’
Matthew 13:15 (NKJV)

Today the world around us dulls our hearing. The world would make our ears heavy, and shut our eyes, so we cannot hear or see. However, prayer is conversation with God and I must listen. If we are to pray effective prayers we must include listening to our prayer time. When we pray it is time to turn our radio up and listen to the sound of His voice.

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The Craftsman of Prayer (part two)

July 9th, 2010

How much do you want to be effective in prayer? Those who desire to do great exploits for family, friends, and nations, will learn to pray. They will learn to pray like Jesus. They will seek to be like Jesus, the Great Craftsman of prayer.

Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.

Daniel 11:32 (NKJV)

Another key to growth in prayer, a hidden secret of the successful craftsman of prayer, is our asking for the searching of the Holy Spirit. The craftsman asks for the Holy Spirit to reveal areas that need work. These may be in prayer and its practices, but also in our daily walk with the Lord. The Holy Spirit will show us areas that are not in alignment with the Word of God, and areas where hindrances are limiting our prayers and their effectiveness. The craftsman seeks to know anything limiting his or her success and deal, with the help of the Holy Spirit, with these revealed areas.

However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

John 16:13 (NKJV)

But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.

1 Corinthians 2:9-10 (NKJV)

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,

Ephesians 4:1 (NKJV)

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

Hebrews 12:1 (NKJV)

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Amazing Powerful Prayer

June 13th, 2010

It is an amazing time to live. There are so many new and exciting happenings in technology and communications. There was a time when new technology was the telephone. When It was invented the telephone was a modern marvel. It was amazing to one and all that you could speak into an apparatus and some one could hear your voice at the other end, even miles away. Today we take phone communication for granted. We think nothing of calling people on a whim and calls to far away places are common place. Now there is no need for bulky equipment or even wires. We take all this in stride, but if you stop and think about it, it is amazing. We speak into a device so small it fits in your pocket, or sets on your ear, and you can send your voice to any place on earth. That is a marvel.

Communications have come a long way. Phone calls especially calls to and from overseas were difficult. Today we carry phones and can call anywhere in the world at any time. One time while I was in Poland at a conference, I had some free time so I went to a nearby park. I thought I should call someone to make sure that my cell phone was working. So I called my mom. No set up or plans were needed, just dial, correction, I just entered a few numbers, the phone rang, and I was talking to my mom.

While it is not new, another marvel is prayer. No modern invention can compare. From the prayer closet you can affect the course of men and events in your home, up the street, across town, or even in some far away place. This is the power of prayer. Far reaching and irresistible, prayer is an agent of change of heart, mind, and action. It has toppled kings and kingdoms. It has turned the course of lives and hearts. No fortress or government is immune to its power, nor can law or army stop it.

As powerful as is prayer, however, there are many who shy away from prayer. Like those people who first saw the telephone. Convinced they might be electrocuted or suffer calamity they refused to touch or use it. Today there are very few who are afraid of the phone, some are afraid that their children spend too much time on the phone, but they are not afraid to use it. The phone is okay, but for many there is still a fear and awe concerning prayer. They refuse to learn its ways; to practice prayer, to learn its secrets and plumb its power.

Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.
Isaiah 55:6 (NKJV)

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
Matthew 7:7 (NKJV)

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
Philip. 4:6 (NKJV) 
 

God is calling us, one and all, to come and pray. Even as people learn to use the phone; as they made improvements in range, power, and capability of phones, so we must learn to pray. There is a world of prayer that is waiting for us to explore. God is calling you to be on the cusp of the exploration and exercise of prayer. Will you let the Holy Spirit teach you and lead you? Come let us pray!

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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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The Simple Key to Success

May 24th, 2010

The most important secret to success in prayer is very simple, everyone can do it. The secret is praying. Too often this is the forgotten secret, but it is the key to effective, fervent prayer that avails much. Paul told the Philippians in everything pray.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;

Philippians 4:6 (NKJV)   

The key is praying, is a simple and obvious statement, but it identifies a problem that keeps many from effective prayer. People do not pray or only pray on special occasions. They are waiting for something. It is as though they are at the race, but have not responded to the starter’s gun going off. So they wait. They have a variety of reasons for waiting; they think they need more time, more training, more faith, or more ability, more of something. The result is day-by-day they do not pray. 

For many people, there is a expectation that a prayer life will come some day. It will come when the moment is right. Unfortunately this seldom works, things do not get right. People need prayer to make things right. When we pray, really pray, we are in a machine of change. This powerful machine, the prayer closet, and it could be called the chamber of change. It is here that God changes a person who prays and changes the world around them.

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) 

Time with God brings change in a person and this is especially true of time with God in prayer. We can not be in His presence without being changed. That is one of the great values of prayer, worship and Bible study. If done correctly, they bring you into contact with God. If you want to change things in your life, make things right, then pray so you will be spending special time with God.

Time in prayer with God also brings change to the world around us. It is nearly impossible to spend time with God in prayer and not begin to have the feel of His heartbeat. It beats with love for the world. He is love and His love is manifest in reaching out to a lost world. Time with Him will put the world on your heart. This will direct your prayers and life activities, just as it has directed His activities.

The world has always been on His heart, so God gave His Son, Jesus Christ, as a sacrifice for the world. His heart cry is a desire that no one should perish, but each person should come to saving grace. If you spend time in prayer, your heart will come into alignment with His and your life activities will align with His as well. You will reach out to a lost world and sacrifice for them. If you spend prayer time, you will be more and more like God and act more and more like Him.

Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

1 Timothy 2:1-4 (NKJV)

So how will you respond? Is this just another “nice” article, or will you respond with prayer? The key is your decision, you must respond to God’s call. He longs to spend time with you in prayer, but must He continue to wait until you have time or things are just right? Or will you respond today and pray?

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Fear Not

May 11th, 2010

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication,
with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
Philip. 4:6 (NKJV)

This is a powerful statement of faith, “Be anxious for nothing”, there seems to be plenty to be worried about. Even Jesus tells about things that could cause worry.

 

And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.
Matthew 24:6-7 (NKJV)

Yet Paul wrote, “Be anxious for nothing.” How is it possible for us to be anxious for nothing? Is Paul talking of some sort of denial of what we see? How can he tell us this? The answer is, Paul knows His God. He knows who Jesus is and what He has done. With this knowledge he is able to confidently tell us to “Be anxious for nothing”. He knows things like this:

 

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.
John 16:33 (NKJV)

The question we are faced with is, has He or hasn’t He overcome the world? This question is really the crux of the matter. If Jesus has overcome the world then Paul is correct. Christians need not be anxious for anything. However, for some people this verse and others like it mean nothing. They do not believe Jesus’ claims to have overcome the world. These people view the world through their eyes and experience. They see the tribulation, not Jesus’ overcoming. They have decided to believe what they see.

 

Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons,
1 Tim. 4:1 (NKJV)

Jesus’ claim to have overcome must be received by faith. It is a matter of who you believe. I worked in an American High School and I had two girls who are in my office often. They always had a story of what happened, unfortunately their story most of the time did not have anything more than a remote resemblance to the truth. I just did not believe their claims, as most of the time their story is wrong. The question then comes back to you, who do you believe? What evidence are you going to believe? In this matter your choices are what you see or the testimony of the Bible. You can believe your experience or the testimony of many saints.

The Bible tells of many example of the overcoming power of Jesus. The books Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are filed with examples for us. The rest of the Bible is also filled with examples and statements by men and women of the faithful testimony of the Bible to the overcoming power. There are also many examples from the testimony of saints as well. George Müller, Andrew Murray, Rees Howells, John G. Lake, Oral Robert and the list goes on and on. These lived by and demonstrated the overcoming power of Jesus. And like John’s their testimony is true.

 

This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true.
John 21:24 (NKJV)

Paul tells us “Be anxious in nothing” and then he gives us instruction on the way to do this. He explains we are to let our requests be made know to God. The first point of this process in to make our request know by prayer and supplication. The word translated prayer in this verse means a prayer of worship. We are to come to God honoring His name, His deeds, and abilities. We must honor Him as God. When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He began with the prayer with prayer of worship.

 

So He said to them, “When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.
Luke 11:2 (NKJV)

To hallow the name of the Father is to honor His name and Him. The word translated supplication means a petition; that is a request. This fits in with what Paul has been telling us, we are to let our requests be made know to God. That is, we need to come to God in prayer and tell Him of our needs and wants.

 

Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.
Jeremiah 29:12 (NKJV)

 

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
Matthew 7:7 (NKJV)

All of this is to be done with thanksgiving. We honor God when we recognize our need to ask of Him, we also honor Him when we thank Him for what He has done for us. Too often we forget to recognize His hand in our life, His provision for our day, and His protection of our family.

 

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
Psalm 100:4 (NKJV)

 

And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
Col. 3:17 (NKJV)

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Quick Start to Effective Prayer

April 27th, 2010

The Bible’s directions for effective prayer include trusting God, pouring out our heart to Him, and coming boldly to Him through the entrance provided by Jesus. Additional directions include asking in faith, not doubting, and searching for Him with all of our heart. The practice of effective prayer also consists of praying in the Holy Spirit, pray with thanksgiving, and making our requests known to God. This is just a short list; (kind of like the “get started quickly” part of assembly instructions), but even this list will get us praying.

But there is more, effective prayer includes praying to completion. We need to begin to pray and then continue in faith, never wavering, until we complete the prayer. The prayer is not complete until we see the answer or the Lord says the prayer is complete. When doubt tries to stop our prayer, when fear would grab our heart with its icy grip, we must keep our faith. We must pray and stand in faith, never wavering, until the answer comes. Paul tells us he will do anything to finish his race, we should have the same attitude.

And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

Acts 20:22-24 (NKJV)

Paul declared that nothing could move him from the finish of his race. We should be like him; if we win this race we have kept the faith. God is calling us to effective prayer. Will we respond and pray? And once we begin will we fini…

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

2 Timothy 4:7 (NKJV)

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