"...for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations."
Isaiah 56:7
|
Did You Know?
Did you know that every thing you need to have an effective powerful prayer life lies within the promises of God for prayer? We often question whether or not our prayer life is what it should be, or if our prayers are effective. Sometimes we are so unsure about our ability to pray or our effectiveness in prayer that we become dependant on others to pray for us.
The promises of God for prayer is all you need to have an effective and powerful prayer life. One that will not only draw you closer to Him but will strengthen you in the word and build up your confidence in who you are in Christ. If your prayer life is going to be all God wants it to be, then there are some things that you should know.
Believe - "and whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive." Matt 21:22
This scripture tells us that just asking is not enough, you must believe in His ability to answer your prayer and you have to believe that He loves you so much it is His desire to answer your prayers. You have to trust Him and know His Character, believe that God is who He says and will do what He promises.
Ask - "therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe them, and you will have them". Mark 11:24
As a blood bought child of the King, you have the right to ask God for what you need. We know that the bible says He already knows what we need but we still have to ask. Notice that he says here "whatever things YOU ask when you pray." As believers we should pray for one another. Pray for others but also for yourself. Your prayer time is not just asking, it is seeking. Be bold before the throne, not wimpy. You have a right to go before the Father. So don't be afraid to ask Him for what you need or desire. He loves you and wants to hear from you. The devil will try to convince you that you have no right to ask, but you were given the right when you gave your life to Christ. It is Jesus name you pray and ask in not your own.
Take time - "But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut the door, pray to your father who is in the secret place; and your father who sees what is in secret will reward you openly." Matt 6:6
I know that one of the most difficult challenges we as Christians have is taking time for God. God promises that if we will take the time to lock ourselves away with Him, He will reward us. I believe that reward includes answers to our prayer and it allows us to get closer to Him. You can't go behind closed doors, spend time in prayer communing with the Father without coming out closer to Him and knowing Him better. "Being rewarded openly" means people will see the fruit of the time you have spent with Him and they will see your prayers being answered.
Abide - "If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you." John 15:1
The word "abide" in the Greek language means "to stay in a given place; to dwell, to be present or to remain". There is so much we can see in this promise of scripture, if we will continue in relationship with Him, dwell with Him and allow His word to dwell, (remain in and be present in us). Then when we ask what we desire it will be done. How does this make your prayer life more effective? I'm glad you asked. If I am continuously building relationship with Him, then I will know Him better and better. If I allow His word to dwell in me, be present in me then when I pray, I will be praying His will. I will be praying according to His desire not my own which means my heart is becoming more like His. I will know better what to pray in any given situation because His word will tell me what to pray and His Spirit will tell me how to pray. If His word is dwelling in me and I am abiding in His presence then I will pray with power and confidence because I know better who He is and who I am in Him. That's awesome!
The word of God is filled with promises for answered prayer. God has already done His part, now we have to do ours. We can't expect our prayer life to be effective if we don't take the time to know what God says about answering our prayers, empowering our prayers and meeting our needs. Learn to trust in the one who has promised to answer our prayers. Be confident that we have the right to pray to the Father in the name of Jesus because Jesus' sacrifice for us allows us to approach the throne with boldness. Don't allow the devil to make prayer a burden. Remember that prayer is our opportunity to talk with our heavenly Father, our time to listen to what He has to say to us. He wants to be in fellowship with us and He wants to commune with us. Prayer is the way to accomplish that.
Think about it, He gave His only son that we might have life, but not just life. Jesus took away the veil. His blood washed us clean and now we can go before the throne of almighty God and be in His presence with out being afraid. Listen, our prayer life is the most important part of our walk with God. If we have a life of prayerlessness then we will feel lost and insecure about who we are and what we are to accomplish for Him. Prayer is not just getting answers to problems or getting needs met, its building relationship with our Father in Heaven, getting close to Him, becoming intimate with Him and being changed from the inside out. I pray this will help build you up, and encourage you to deepen your prayer life.
In His Love and Service,
Heidi Tobin
Prayer Pastor DCFI
Psalm 37;4 " delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart"
Psalm 91:15 "He shall call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him."
Jeremiah 33:3 "Call to me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not now."
|
Main Page
Prayer For The Nations
Prayer For The Lost
Prayer For Our Troops
Prayers for Physical & Emotional Healing
Prayers & Confessions For Our Children
Prayer To Prepare For Worship Service
Did You Know...?
|