Being in the Ministry for a few years now, I've noticed one major issue that most Christians seem to have trouble with that issue is understanding prayer.
I can not count how many times people talk as if prayer is a foreign thing, or the numbers of prayers will equal success with getting God to move on your part. I too, have struggled with this issue for many years. I use to think that prayer was some form of special God given talent; futhermore, I would try and find someone who I thought could really pray, to pray for me, as if their great prayers could help me in my problems. I can recall seeing a church billboard saying "praying with many tears can move mountains with God." As I was reading this sign, the Spirit of God moved on me and said, "prayer of tears will not make me move, only prayers that are based on the word of God."
With Gods words, hovering in my heart, I started to think about that statement, "Only prayers that are based on the word of God will make God move." I have always tried to base my prayers on what the Bible said, yet with little to no real action from God. So what are prayers based on the word of God. Well, that is what we are going to explore in this newsletter. We will start the process of Understanding Prayer.
First thing I would recommend for you is to forget everything you know about prayer, and with this study to start and rebuild your thought and understanding of prayer. Now some might say, Brother Daryl that is a big statement, and I would reply "Yes it is", yet I am almost confident that you, as I was have learned prayer in an religious form, and not what the Bible says prayer is.
Now, there are numerous types of prayer, and I will not be going into the different prayers. I want to show you what prayer is, and how you can to start to use prayer in an effective way.
Prayers based on the word of God, are not easy prayers. If you are going to base your prayer on the word of God, then you are going to have to know the word of God. Let's look at
Joshua 1:5-9
"No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. [6]" Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. [7]" Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. [8] " This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will
make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. [9] " Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord! your God is with you wherever you go."
Notice, in the above scripture; God told him to not let the book or words of the Law depart from his mouth. Why is that? Well God has put his will for us in the word of God, and we must know the word of God in order to understand what God's will is for our life.
2 Tim. 2:15
"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth."
Have you ever wondered why you must handle the word of God with such care? It's not that you must quote the scriptures to people, or be able to argue the scriptures at a moment notice. Their must be a reason why God puts so much infuness on the word of God?
Psalm 119:76
"O may your lovingkindness comfort me, According to Your word to your servant."
This scripture shows a key for the reason that we must study the word of God and keep it before us daily. The world of God is our guide to what God wants in our life. Remember, in 1 Joshua 1:8 reads "This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success." Now, for when you will make your way prosperous. There is defiantly a connection between what we speak and the word of God. We can see this even more clearly in some New Testament teachings.
Mark 11:24
"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."
Here is another key to understanding prayer, Jesus says what ever we ask for in prayer, believe that we have received them. Jesus is giving us the definition of faith.
Hebrews 11:1-2
"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. [2] For by it the men of old gained approval."
In its basic form, pray must be firm and rooted in faith. So one may ask, Brother Daryl, if it must be firm and rooted in faith, why are you telling me it must be based on the word of God. Here is why. It must be firm, in order, to believe what you ask for. If you really don't believe that you will receive, then you will not hold fast to your prayer.
James 1:6-8
"But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. [7] For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, [8] being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."
And how can it be rooted in faith with out the word of God?
Hebrews 11:6
"And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him."
Hebrews tells us that it is impossible to please God without faith, and if we are going to approach God we must believe that he is a rewarder of those who seek him. This can not get much simpler. We need faith in order to get our prayers answered. So how do we get this faith?
Hebrews 12:2
"Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
First we must understand that Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith. This means that we have the same faith as Jesus has. He was the creator of your faith and he had perfected your faith. So, why can we not get any prayers answered, simple we are not applying our faith to the will of God. For the most part, most of us do not really know what Gods will is for us, so how can we pray it. There lies the problem, when we pray "Father if it be they will" this is really a cop out, it's a lazy prayer. If we are going to get results in our life, we are going to have to know the will of God for our life, and there is only one way of doing this, by faith. How is faith built?
Romans 10:17
"So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ."
We can see it's by reading the word of God, our Bible, what we can get our faith to operate at full potential. See Jesus created the faith, and the word of God will prefect it. We need to quite trying to con God into answering our prayers. What we need to do is start to understand how to pray. Think of prayer like a baseball player. Does he get up to bat to strike out? No, he wants to hit a home run every time he gets up to bat. And that is how we should be, Prayer is hard work, and it's like home work when you're in school. You will get out of prayer what you put into it.
In conclusion, it's by knowing the word of God, and keeping the word in our mouth that we can start to produce the faith that will please God and get him to move on our part. It is not how much you pray, or how many times a day that you pray, it's really what you are saying that will make the difference in your prayer life. Base your pray's on the word of God and you will see God move in your life.
In Part 2 of Understanding Prayer, I will show you how to Pray Effectively. I will show you how to apply this lesson as well as part 2, and you will have the right foundation to be a Master in the art of Prayer.
Daryl Frisbee Covenant Ministries: I have started this Ministry to help the children of God, to understand who they are in Christ. I have studied the topic of "Covenant" for over 4 years. I will show you, how to apply this covenant you have with God, in your everyday life. Topics of Prayer, Healing, Faith, Covenant, The Authority of the Believer, and more can be found on my website. These topics are in written Text Lessons, Audio Sermons, and Video Feeds. So come and learn your wonderful Covenant you have with your God.