Spiritual Success 3- Prayer

Last week we looking at the first great step towards becoming a spiritual success… reading the Word of God daily. This was not a glamorous or earth shattering revelation to many of you, but the steps towards becoming truly successful in God’s economy are not bolts for the blue, they are simple, achievable and total acts of devotion. 

 

The second area, like the first, will not be a surprise, but you will recognise it as an essential building block to your spiritual success.  I’m talking about prayer.

 

PRAYER IN THE SPIRIT

 

Simply put, prayer is just talking to God. It involves you talking to Him, and then you listening to Him. It is not you talking at Him, but as you pray it involves you opening your heart to hear, to see, to understand what it is He is saying to you.

 

And we are instructed to pray at all times…

 

Ephesians 6:18 (ESV Strong's)

praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.

 

So we are instructed to pray in the Spirit at all times, with all prayer (worship) and supplication (requests).

 

The Greek word for prayer is a broad one, not specifically reverved for church or synagogue. We can pray publicly, privately, verbally, or silently. We can pray kneeling, sitting, standing, lying down, or even while we are driving. We can pray with our eyes open or closed. (If you pray while you’re driving, I strongly recommend the first option.) You can pray in any position, at any time, anywhere, and in fact we are commanded to do this, all the time!

 

WHY PRAY?

 

Prayer has been a massive part of the life of every significant man or woman of God in the Bible, and throughout history. Some like Daniel prayed every morning habitually, another we read about like Nehemiah faced a fearful tense situation and shot up a quick prayer. Jesus Himself prayed many times as recorded in Scripture, praying early in the morning in Mark 1:35, praying for friends, people, healings, miracles and even in His most desperate hours, in the garden alone and even on the cross.

 

If it was good enough for Jesus, it should be good enough for us, right? So given that we should pray, let me give you good reasons why you ought to pray…

 

1.      PRAYER IS COMMANDED IN SCRIPTURE

 

Matthew 26:41 (ESV Strong's)

Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

 

Jesus not only commands us to pray, as does Paul, James and others, but Jesus also demonstrates this right throughout His life. If He commands it, and He demonstrates it, I believe the correct response is obedience.

 

2.      PRAYER IS HOW WE OBTAIN THINGS

 

Prayer is the slender nerve that moves the omnipotent muscle of God… I know this sounds terribly carnal, but prayer opens the door for God’s blessings to flow to us.

 

James 4:2-3

You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

 

These verses show a condition of answered prayer… the right motives. If you ask for things you want, God loves you enough to sometimes not to give them to you! Kaileigh loves ice cream, but we don’t give it to her all the time. However, there are many things God wants you to have, and we don’t obtain those because we don’t ask, says James.

 

“How come I never seem to know God’s will in my life?” You do not have, because you do not ask. “Lord, why am I always just scraping by?” You do not have, because you do not ask.

 

3.      PRAYER OVERCOMES WORRY AND ANXIETY

 

Let’s face it, we have loads to worry about in our modern life. We worry about relationships, our families, jobs, money, careers, not to mention our country, morals, terrorism, etc. I even worry about the fact I have so much to worry about!

 

Philippians 4:6-7 (ESV Strong's)

do not be anxious 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 surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

 

So if you want peace, the peace in your heart that transcends all understanding, even in the face of incredible pressure and loss, the solution is to pray!

 

4.      PRAYER CHANGES US

 

Romans 8:26 (ESV Strong's)

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

 

In our weakness, prayer is what begins to change us, with groaning or words beyond our comprehension. Romans later takes about being transformed by the renewing of our minds, and that happens with prayer.

 

Prayer prepares us for the return of Christ. We are the bride of Christ, and prayer prepares us to be that spotless bride whom He is coming back for. Prayer either changes circumstances, or frequently it changes us! We should not see prayer as an attempt to change God, but rather us.

 

True praying is not overcoming God’s reluctance, but laying hold of His willingness.

 

HOW DOES GOD ANSWER PRAYER?

 

As you probably have already figured out, God can answer prayers in a way we are not expecting, or even wanting.

 

One of the most disturbing aspects of prayer in our modern age is the mistaken idea that if we pray and believe for something hard enough, God has to give it to us, based on…

 

Mark 11:24 (ESV Strong's)

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

 

This thinking is dangerous, destructive and wrong! Let me remind you again of this…

 

James 4:3

You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

 

Wrongly motivated prayer plus faith does not equal God’s hand being forced. When we ask out of wrong motives, for personal gain or personal glory, we won’t change God no matter how much faith we think we can muster. I have seen churches enter financially crippling investments because the more conservative people were told they lacked faith. That’s why any expansion here at Ignite must be of God, not man.

 

I’m sick of hearing people name it and claim it, blab it and grab it, thinking that if they are just passionate enough and can summon enough faith, God will give them what they want. This must not be! No, we need to seek the Lord, discover His will and then pray in faith for His will, even if it is not our first choice. And here’s the kicker… if you do that, all of a sudden He blesses you no end!

 

Matthew 6:33 (ESV Strong's)

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

 

Here is a simple guideline to keep in mind when you are waiting for your prayers to be answered:

 

If the request is wrong, God says, “No.”

If the timing is wrong, God says, “Slow.”

If you are wrong, God says, “Grow.”

But if the request is right, the timing is right, and you are right, God says, “Go!”

 

How can you see more “Go” answers in your prayer life? Let’s look at the model Jesus gave us.

 

THE PRAYER PATTERN

 

Luke 11:1-4 (KJV) Because that is what we all know it in.

 

One of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

 

Jesus is not suggesting magical power in the “by rote” prayer people have made this out to be. You face danger or disaster, and you start to mouth the words, “Our Father, which art in heaven.” Rather this is a model, a blueprint of how we should pray, and we would do well to study and understand it!

 

1.      OUR FATHER WHO IS IN HEAVEN, HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME

 

I heard of a child praying one time, and he kept calling God Harold, Harold, could you bless my parents, Harold, could you please give me a bike. His parents asked why he was calling God Harold, and he quoted the Lord’s Prayer, Harold be thy name! But it is hallowed, or exalted!

 

Psalms 147:4-5 (ESV Strong's)

He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names.

Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.

 

God is infinite, He is all present, all knowing and all powerful. Many times the modern church has demoted God to a servant, ready to do our bidding, there if we need Him in times of trouble. I refuse to worship a puny, man made, man serving imitation, I choose to worship the awe inspiring God of the Bible!

 

Before we utter a word of personal petition, we must first consider who it is we are speaking to. He is the Almighty God and yet He is also our Heavenly Father. So we begin our prayer with worship, adoration, and acceptance of His will.

 

 

2.      YOUR KINGDOM COME, YOUR WILL BE DONE

 

In His darkest hour, Jesus of course prayed

 

Mark 14:36 (ESV Strong's)

And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

 

News flash… prayer is not the way you can manipulate God to do what you want. You can claim what you want with boldness all you like, but it’s not your will it’s His that matters!  We need to stop giving God orders and expecting Him to move when and where we want. We need to start praying, “Your will be done!”

 

It has been said that Nothing lies outside the reach of prayer except that which lies outside the will of God.

 

Remember the story of the farmer in the great flood. The flood rose to cover the road and a guy cake by in a 4 wheel drive saying hop in, but the man said, “Nope, I am believing the Lord to be saved.” Waters rose up into the house and along came a rescuer in a boat saying climb in… but he said “Nope, I am believing the Lord to be saved.”  In the end He is standing on the roof, all around is flood waters and a helicopter lowers a ladder a begs him to climb up… but he said, “Nope, I am believing the Lord to be saved.”

 

The waters rose and he was killed. Up in heaven he asked, Lord why didn’t you save me, and the Lord said, “Well, I sent a 4 wheel drive, a boat and a helicopter…”

 

Mature prayer doesn’t tell God what to do. It doesn’t dictate terms or try and negotiate a favourable settlement in your favour! It says, show me your will. Not mine but thine be done!

 

Psalms 143:10 (ESV Strong's)

Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!

 

3.      GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD

 

God is all knowing, so He knows what you need. But He loves it when you ask, and especially when you ask in faith, believing He will never let you down.  Listen to what Jesus said…

 

Matthew 6:31-33 (ESV Strong's)

Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

 

Ask, yes. Trust, yes, but above all seek Him, seek His kingdom and His righteousness, and you get the lot. Everything you need, everything you want, because when you seek Him first, what you want more than anything is aligned with what He wants for you.

 

4.      FORGIVE US OUR SINS

 

1 John 1:9 (ESV Strong's)

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

 

Forgiveness is an essential part of prayer, because if you do not confess your sin and seek forgiveness, there is a major blockage in your prayer life.

 

In fact, God treats this so seriously that  Psalmist says that, had he cherished sin in his life, the Lord simply would not have listened.

 

Psalms 66:18-19 (ESV Strong's)

If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.

But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer.

 

Do you want the Lord to listen? Of course! Then we must seek forgiveness and when we do it opens the floodgates of blessing.

 

Sin confessed, forgiveness sought, hang on to nothing longer than you ought!

When you confess your sin, the Lord promises to forgive you, whether it is big or small, whether it is affecting others or done in secret. Corrie Ten Boom says that when God forgives a sin, He throws it in the sea of His forgetfulness, and puts up a sign saying “No Fishing.”

 

So if God forgives you, what right do you have to not forgive yourself. Come to a Him with clean hands and clean heart and watch what He will drop into them.

 

5.      AS WE FORGIVE OTHERS

 

Now the hard bit, we have to forgive others. I have seen even mature Christians struggle to forgive others. They hang onto it, believing that they have been wronged, and when they do it ruins their prayer life.

 

This is so serious that the very next verses after the Lord’s Prayer are these…

 

Matthew 6:14-15 (ESV Strong's)

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

 

How dare we withhold forgiveness when this clearly blocks God forgiving us! If you hold unforgiveness in your heart, not only does it destroy you (it is like drinking poison hoping the other guy dies) but it ruins your life and your prayers become futile. Do you want to feel right, or do you want to be set free? Don’t hold onto unforgiveness. Don’t cover up your sin, confess it, and let God cover it over with a His forgiveness and love!

 

6.      LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION

 

Temptation is a part of life, but we are instructed to pray that we may not be led into it. Temptation is not sin, but it becomes so when you give in to it.  We have a great tendency to rationalise temptation, to explain it away or flirt with it, but we need to get serious with dealing with it.

 

1 Corinthians 10:13 (ESV Strong's)

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

 

You can stand up under it, but you are better to flee from it. You are better to guard your heart and not even flirt with it, or as Jesus Himself instructs us,

 

Matthew 26:41 (ESV Strong's)

Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

 

Truly, we are weak when it comes to temptation, but God knows so well that if we give into temptation it will destroy our prayer connection with Him. So He tells us to pray against it specifically!

 

When we do, s the next part of the Lord’s Prayer says, He delivers us from evil!

 

BE PERSISTENT

 

When it comes to answered prayer, many times it is not that we lack ability, it’s that we lack stickability! We pray, then we give up, but God calls us to persist in prayer. Keep praying until you get an answer, whether that be the answer you want or not.

 

Colossians 4:2 (ESV Strong's)

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.

 

The Greek for continue steadfastly is proskartereō, which means persevere, be earnest towards, be constantly diligent in prayer. Couple this with the parable of the persistent widow, and you’ll realise that God wants you to keep asking, keep believing and keep seeking Him. As He says,

 

Jeremiah 29:11-13 (ESV Strong's)

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

 

When I pray, I make it my practice to keep praying and keep believing until God tells me otherwise.  Praying for healing, I keep praying until either God heals the disease or He shows me He has something different in mind. I don’t pray and then give God an “out” just in case He can’t manage to do it.

 

I believe in Him and trust Him for all results, whether it is what I want or not, because my prayers must never be about my will, but God’s will in my life.

 

PRAY AGAINST THE CAUSE NOT THE SYMPTOMS

 

Let me also add that we need to be careful about what we are praying about. So often we pray for the symptoms, not the cause. I was reminded of this yesterday when I was cutting down some trees that were hanging low and touching the cars as we drove in and out. I could cut near the end, solve the immediate problem, but have to do it all again a month later. Or I could cut further back towards the trunk and solve the problem for a year.

 

With prayer we most often pray about the symptoms, not the actual cause, because the cause is often hidden from us. But listen to this..

 

Ephesians 6:12 (ESV Strong's)

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

 

 Think about it. Perhaps we should recognise that we don’t pray against people, diseases or circumstances, but the spiritual forces behind these things.

 

We should be praying for our nation and morality, but not against the people so vehemently attacking us. Let’s pray against the spirit of the age that is behind it all, and pray that we may be vigilant not passive and limp in response. Let’s attack the root cause in our prayers, not just the low hanging branches!

PRAYING WITHOUT CEASING?

 

So the first step in spiritual success is to read the Word of God daily. The second is to pray with power constantly, and to do this you need to stay close to God. You need to seek Him, you need to avoid temptation and you need to be in constant communication with Him.  That’s what a truly powerful prayer life is.

 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (ESV Strong's)

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

 

How can you pray without ceasing? Must you spend the entire day on your knees with eyes closed?

 

You can try this if you wish, but most of the rest of us have to live in the real world. I believe when the Bible says pray without ceasing it means that you can live, all day every day, in the zone of constant communication with God. Speak to Him, and constant

Y have your spiritual heart open to let Him speak into your heart. In others words, live in the zone of constant connection to Him.

 

So whatever you face, whatever life brings along, like Nehemiah did so long ago, just constantly pause, shoot up a quick prayer and then be aware of the Lord’s leading and guiding. You might meet someone, and as you shake hands pray, “Lord, what can I say to bless this person.” If you face a volatile situation, pray, “Lord, please give me the right words to calm this and bring about unity.” If we lived in this zone we would the minimise explosive conflict many of us seem to live with.

 

BOTTOM LINE, STAY CLOSE (AND STAY ON THE LINE)

 

I believe the Lord is challenging us today to clear out the sin in our lives and stay connected to Him, all day every day. Can you trust Him? When you pray, can you honestly trust Him for the results, even if they are not what you desire? That’s true faith if you can.

 

Stay close to God, or as Jesus puts it, abide in me!

 

A grandfather was walking past his young granddaughter’s room one night when he saw her kneeling beside her bed, with head bowed and hands folded, repeating the alphabet.
“What are you doing?” he asked her.
She explained, “I’m saying my prayers, but I couldn’t think of just what I wanted to say. So I’m just saying all the letters of the alphabet, and God can put them together however he thinks best.”
Maybe some of the rest of us should have that kind of faith.
As “His Prayer” puts it, “THY will be done.”

 

Psalms 139:23-24 (ESV Strong's)

Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!

And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!