the secret of PRAYER

If you would have power from God to accomplish the will of God it is necessary to follow the example and teachings of Christ.

Matthew 14:23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.  When evening came, he was there alone…

Mark 1:35 And in the morning, a great while before day, he rose and went out to a lonely place, and there he prayed.

Luke 5:16 But he withdrew to the wilderness to pray.

Luke 6:12 In these days he went out to the mountain to pray; and all night he continued in prayer to God.

Luke 9:28 Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray.

Luke 11:1 He was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”

The disciples learned, by watching Jesus, that in the midst of ministering to multitudes he always took time for prayer.  From following Him daily they knew His prayers were always heard.  They could see the continued source of his power and total freedom from pride came through secret prayer.  This created a hunger in them to know how to pray, so they asked Him to teach them.

I too desire to be enrolled in this school of prayer.  Jesus, please be my teacher. Help me to practice faithfully, every day, the lessons learned in prayer. For me, prayer is, and has always been, quiet time spent alone with my Abba Father. The desire of my heart is to pray effectively.

Matthew 6: 5-11  But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

Matthew 11:25-30 NLT  At that time Jesus prayed this prayer: “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way!
   “My Father has entrusted everything to me. No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
   Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

In Matthew 6:9-14 and Luke 11:2-4 Jesus teaches his disciples the kingdom principles of prayer. Today we refer to these verses as “The Lords Prayer,” but the pattern for our prayer is always to remain the same.

Prayer begins with adoration, praise, and the interests of God’s kingdom. In Matthew 6:33 I find “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.”

Our Father in heaven,
may your name be kept holy.
May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven. NLT

I believe knowing God’s will for His children is a critical part of praying correctly.  Jesus said, “Don’t bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This is not a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we’re in. If your little boy asks for a serving of fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? If your little girl asks for an egg, do you trick her with a spider? As bad as you are, you wouldn’t think of such a thing—you’re at least decent to your own children. And don’t you think the Father who conceived you in love will give the Holy Spirit when you ask him?" Luke 11:11-13 (The Message)

We are to be thankful for God’s provision in life. In Matthew 6:33 I find “and ALL these things will be yours…”  I have heard it said the most ancient authorities translate the next line of Jesus’ teaching:

“You give us our bread for this day, and our bread for tomorrow.”

Or, in today’s language; “thank you that you give us what we need today, and will do the same tomorrow.”

Then follows the plea for forgiveness; “as we forgive others.” Jesus taught in Matthew 5:23 that sacrifices with an unforgiving heart would not be acceptable to God.  I believe He included these words in His model for prayer for the same reason.  Prayer, with an unforgiving heart, will not be acceptable to God the Father either. I believe there is a condition implied in the words “as we have.”  What if we haven’t?  Peter wrote to his followers, warning that where there was conflict and strife in a marriage union the couple’s prayers would be “hindered".” 1 Peter 3:7 Grandma taught me, “never go to bed angry!”

If I want to pray with power, I must forgive.
    Matthew 6:14 For if you forgive others when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
    Mark 11:25 "Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions

and forgive us our sins,
as we have forgiven those who sin against us. NLT

Finally, we are to ask God for protection and guidance.

And don’t let us yield to temptation,
but rescue us from the evil one.

And, just as we would never leave the presence of a dearly loved friend without saying goodbye…a humble salutation…

For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen [So be it]

Luke 11:5-9 NLT Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him,  ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’  And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’  But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.
     “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.

Point by point Jesus told them:

1. when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private.

2. come with childlike faith, casting your cares on the shoulders of the Christ who carried it ALL

3. begin with adoration, praise, and the interests of God’s kingdom in mind

4. express thanks for God’s provision in your life

5. be certain your heart is free from unforgiveness and anger toward others

6. ask God to protect and guide your prayers

7. offer humble thanks for what God is doing in response to your prayers

Jesus told them, “Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him.
    "Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you. Mark 11:23-25 (New American Standard Bible)

words to live by

I am sharing these “key words” to help you get into shape for the race you have been called by God to run. For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable. (Romans 11:29)

Jesus IS Lord:

The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart, because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved. For man believes with his heart and so is justified (just as though he had never sinned), and he confesses with his lips and so is saved. (Romans 10:8-10)

By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his own Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him and he in God. So we know and believe the love of God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God and God abides in him. (1 John 4:13-16)

And this is the confidence which we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have obtained the requests made of him. (1 John 5:14-15)

We know that any one born of God does not sin, but He who was born of God (Jesus) keeps him and the evil one does not touch him. We know that we are of God, and the whole world is in the power of the evil one. And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding to know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. (1 John 5:18-21)

We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose. What shall we say to this? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, will he not also give us all things with him. In all things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, not things present, nor things to come, nor powers, not height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:26-39)

The name above ALL names:

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11)

Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say, Rejoice. Let all men know your forbearance. The Lord is at hand. Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (Philippians 4:4-8)

The Word is a sword.

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And before him no creature is hidden but all are open and laid bare to the eyes of him with whom we have to do. (Hebrews 4:12-13)

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teach and admonish one another in all wisdom and sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:16-17)

All scripture is inspired (breathed) by God and profitable for teaching for reproof, for correction, and for training to righteousness that the man (or woman) of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

We are guarded by angels

Behold, I send an angel before you, to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place which I have prepared. Give heed to him and harken to his voice, do not rebel against him. (Exodus 23_20-21)

Are they (angels) not all ministering spirits sent forth to serve, for the sake of those who are to obtain salvation? (Hebrews 1:14)

We are healed by His stripes

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; By his wounds you have been healed.

Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:4-5)

word study – peace, favor & grace

- FAVOR & PEACE & GRACE – God’s favor for His Children – The Lord’s favor gives you peace - we can rejoice in his favor when circumstances say we have nothing to rejoice about.

The Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.
Numbers 6:25–26

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Jeremiah 29:11

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,
2 Peter 1:2–3

For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.
Psalm 30:5

For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; with favor You will surround him as with a shield.
Psalm 5:12

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Psalm 23:5–6

And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand. So Joseph found favor in his sight,
Genesis 39:3–4

You have granted me life and favor, and Your care has preserved my spirit.
Job 10:12

What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet,
Psalm 8:4–6

Who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies, who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Psalm 103:4–5

And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.
John 17:22–23

So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
Acts 2:46–47

Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.
Jeremiah 33:3

… For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many.
Romans 5:15

For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
Romans 6:14

For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.
Romans 5:17

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.
2 Corinthians 8:9

And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.
2 Corinthians 9:8

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
Ephesians 1:3

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,
Ephesians 1:7–8

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 2:4–7

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.
2 Thessalonians 2:16–17

And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.
1 Timothy 1:14

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

But when the kindness and the love of God our Savoir toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Titus 3:4–7

what should I do?

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Hebrews 11:16

Possibly one of the most difficult questions – for someone in crisis who wants to please God, because they desperately want something from God – is, “what should I do to get God’s attention?” 

The answer is really pretty simple.  Believe that God exists.  Believe that God sent Jesus to the cross to bring you personally into a relationship with his Heavenly Father. Believe that God is who he says he is, that God will do what he says he will do, and that you can have what God says you can have. 

Once you’ve decided for sure, I DO believe in God and I DO want to please Him, and you’ve told Him so in plain non-manipulative language, you can enter into a relationship with Him.  Once you’ve entered into a relationship (contract) with God, all His promises are yours for the asking.

Let’s break that down into the simplest form.  Let’s say you know of a major corporation that offers its employees fantastic benefits, amazing perks and a world class retirement package.  You’ve seen evidence of this in the lives of people you know who work for this corporation.  You think to yourself, “Everything they have, I could have, too; if I worked for their corporation.”  You know the CEO of the corporation has the final say in who gets hired, but you also know the chances of your meeting him face to face are pretty slim.  But you belong to the same social network as the CEO’s son. You have access to the son and you feel fairly certain getting to know him won’t be too difficult. So…whatcha gonna do?  Get the son to introduce you to his Dad, right? Then, once you’re introduced to Dad, the CEO, the BIG man… you’ll eventually work your way around to telling him who you are, what you want, what you need and if you’re a friend of his son, you stand a pretty good chance of getting what you want and need. We often begin our relationships with an eye toward what we will gain from them…it’s human nature to do so. 

Often we try to begin a relationship with God, from a point of crisis…crying out to Him to get his attention. We’ll try bargaining with Him so He’ll pay attention to us…”give me what I’m asking for and I’ll do thus and so for you.”  I gotta tell you honestly, that’s not the best way to approach the situation.  There’s a pretty good chance you aren’t gonna meet the BIG man face to face anytime soon.  And even if you could force yourself into His presence…God doesn’t need anything you can offer Him.  He created it all in the first place!

Ok…so there you are, and you’re still in a crisis and people are telling you about all the wonderful benefits of knowing God, and you can’t get past security to meet Him! 

Here’s the good news.  You belong to the same social network as His Son!  Get to know Jesus.  He’ll introduce you to His Father, and the Father will give you what you want, and what you need, and even more than you can ask or even think, just because you are friends with His Son.

So, let’s say you’ve hired on as a junior executive with THE corporation.  What’s next?  Well, it’s a pretty good bet you won’t be promoted to VP-in-charge-of-everything your first week on the job, right.  And even if, by some miracle you did land a really cushy job, there will still be a training period.  I mean, come on, we may think we know it all…but truthfully, most of us don’t.  That means we’ve got the job, and we’re going into the training period, and we’re gonna have to read the company manual.

Same goes for signing on with God. Before you can know what to expect you’re going to have to read the manual….it’s called the Bible. (An acronym for Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth). It’s in the pages of God’s Word that you’re going to find out God is who he says he is, God will do what he says he will do, and you can have what God says you can have. 

Following along with our analogy of reading the company manual…let’s just say what you’re really interested in learning about right now, is healing, and you don’t have time to read all 66 books of the manual cover to cover to find out what you want to know.  Common sense and years of schooling tell you, if you want to know about a particular subject, you go to the index, look up that subject and find out all you can about it. Right?  So…you rummage around in your space (on your desk, in your room, in the trunk of your car, whatever) and find that Bible somebody shoved into your hands awhile back, and check out the index (it’s usually in the back of the book). After you find the word you’re looking for, you do what you’ve always done when you were studying, you look up each reference, maybe make notes about it, memorize it, do whatever helps you remember the information so you can pass the test.  And believe me – there will be a test – there always is. And sometimes it’s a POP quiz.  Don’t you just hate those?

Now, when you get past the crisis – and with God on your side, you will – if you don’t pick up the company manual again until the next crisis your only alternative is to panic and start bargaining with the BIG man for your job all over again.  I gotta tell you here, if you’ll spend a little time reading the manual every day, checking out the subjects you need to know about as you think of them, your next job crisis is gonna be a whole lot easier to handle, because you’re gonna KNOW what God says you can have.

word study – healing & divine health

 

What God has to say about it –
“I am the Lord who heals you.”

Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them out of their distresses. He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.
Psalm 107:19–20

My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart; for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh.
Proverbs 4:20–22

But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
Romans 8:11

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
Romans 8:2

I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.
Psalm 118:17

So you shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you. …
Exodus 23:25–26

Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.
Isaiah 53:4–5

Then your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
Isaiah 58:8

And the Lord will take away from you all sickness, and will afflict you with none of the terrible diseases of Egypt which you have known, but will lay them on all those who hate you.
Deuteronomy 7:15

… who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness — by whose stripes you were healed.
1 Peter 2:24

Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.
3 John 1:2

And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.
Matthew 14:14

… and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched it were made perfectly well.
Matthew 14:36

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
John 10:10

Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for You are my praise.
Jeremiah 17:14

And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.
Matthew 4:23

Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
Psalm 91:9–10

When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: “He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.”
Matthew 8:16–17

But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there. And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all.
Matthew 12:15

… how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
Acts 10:38

But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing.
Luke 9:11

And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.
Mark 16:17–18

And behold, a leper came and worshipped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
Matthew 8:2–3

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases,
Psalm 103:2–3

With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation.
Psalm 91:16

Behold, I will bring it health and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth.
Jeremiah 33:6

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.
Proverbs 18:21

… For I will restore health to you and heal you of your wounds,’ says the Lord, ‘Because they called you an outcast saying: “This is Zion; no one seeks her.”’
Jeremiah 30:17

He also brought them out with silver and gold, and there was none feeble among His tribes.
Psalm 105:37

“… I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.”
Exodus 15:26