This is part 2 and the concluding part of this article. Part 1 of the article can be found here. Reading part 1 before part 2 is strongly encouraged. Recall our focus is on the template for prayer that Jesus gave to his disciples in Mathew 6:9-13.
In this challenging time, we can rely on the integrity of God’s word. In this time of crisis at several levels and even in less challenging times men aught always to pray and not to faint -be dismayed or give up Ephesians 6:18. Prayer can no longer be left on the back burner in churches and by Christians. Our prayer routines must improve. As I write, I am improving mine. No matter the level you are at there are depths in God waiting to be reached when we pray.
Prayer is a two-way communication with God but fundamentally the fellowship of Spirits – the lesser with the greater. It is a communion of the Godkind, a spiritual conversation between the Creator and his sons and daughters in love and truth. It is a privilege and an honor to be able to talk to God and hear from God. Not all created beings can do this. When we pray God answers – it may look, feel, or seem delayed but he does. In prayer we worship, give thanks, make confessions, make declarations, make requests, frame our world with words and receive instructions, comfort, and increase spiritual capacity. The quality and depth of these activities in prayer are based on our knowledge of God, how hungry we are and how far we are yielded to the Holy Spirit. Thus, our prayer life is as effective as our accurate knowledge of God’s word and his character.
It is God’s earnest desire to have a rich and vibrant fellowship with his children. This can be achieved in the place of prayer and the study of the word. It is during prayer that our spirits are seasoned to receive ideas, visions, instructions, and abilities from God.
Before we go further there are 7 foundational truths and benefits of prayer that must be addressed.
1.Ask for what God has not given in the Gospel and Receive or obtain what God has given in the Gospel Hebrews 14:6. Note that I said the gospel. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the new testament. The gospel is a complete package. In the gospel God has already settled the issue of sin, worked out salvation and given us his righteousness through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This was perfected in Christ more than two thousand years ago but until you appropriate it for yourself it will not work for you.
So, if for example, a sinner should ask for salvation in prayer, he may not receive answers because in Christ the entire world was legally saved 2 Corinthians 5:18-20. Now the sinner needs to receive or obtain salvation in Christ by faith by believing in Jesus and confessing his lordship over their life Romans 10:9 instead of asking. Same thing for the gift of the Holy Spirit. We receive him by faith as Christians and not ask because he has been given to all who believe and confess Jesus Christ as Lord Acts 2:38.
2.Prayer is by faith Hebrews 11:6. Faith is a currency in the Kingdom of God. If you do not believe in the unseen God, you are praying to and believe this unseen God can introduce non existing things into this material world then you are wasting your time praying. Your unbelief does not dent the character and power of God, but then you will never be able to conduct a legal transaction in his Kingdom because of your unbelief.
3.Prayer should be based on God’s word and not on the opinions of men. Knowing the accurate word of God concerning any subject is paramount. Beyond knowing the word, abiding in the word, and acting on the word are particularly important. Jesus said, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you” (John 15:7 ESV). He is saying, if you maintain a living communion with me, you can ask for anything and it will be given to you. With out an accurate knowledge of the word of God concerning any subject you may pray inoperative prayers. In the Kingdom, a prayer is a legal request made by a citizen to a King. If you do not know Kingdom law, your prayer will be defective.
4.Take advantage of depths in prayer. There are levels in prayer which may not be treated in this article rigorously, but you should know. Praying according to our knowledge – where you pray based on what you know and in your language 1 Corinthians 14:15. Praying in the Spirit – your spirit praying in tongues as the Holy Ghost gives you utterance 1 Corinthians 14:14. And the Holy Spirit praying through us – you are not in control of this level as the Holy Spirit takes over your vocal cords and you lack vocabulary to express yourself but simply groan Romans 8:26. God accepts all levels but the deeper you go the more beneficial it is for you.
5.Prayer is ineffective if we are distracted though the more, we pray the more we improve our focus on God – Psalm 86:11 NIV/CJB. The distractions of technology, family & friends, food, personal challenges, our assumptions, opinions of men and the pressure of sin negate effective prayer. The others I think we can simply set aside by developing healthy habits. However, Sin consciousness or pressure of sin on the other hand may be a bit tricky for some people. Regarding sin, you must realize God dealt with sin by sending Jesus Christ. You do not have to sin but if you did, genuinely confess your sin to God, receive or obtain forgiveness by faith from God and continue your prayer sessions (1 John 2:1,1 John 1:9). Your mind may be bombarded by what you just did or may do but focus on what Jesus did and know Jesus paid for it all. All you need to do now is to live free from sin daily by practicing your new sinless life. If you fall stand up immediately. Remember we took baby steps in our growth process to adulthood. Consider light and darkness do not fight. Anytime you turn on the light darkness disappears. Practice righteousness and sinful habits will disappear.
6.Prayer helps us to maintain inspiration. There is a glow of the spirit that must be maintained for inspiration to thrive Romans 12:11. If you are not praying and meditating on the word you will lose spiritual fervor and glow that goes with the word of God. The power of the Spirit of God is wrapped up in the word of God. As you meditate on the word and pray fervently the glory of God will stay with you and you will live an amazing fruit bearing Christian life.
7.In prayer we Receive guidance and insight into God’s plans. God shared his plans with Abraham, Daniel, David and so many praying Christians Acts 13:2. The popular but false idea that the will of God is hidden and mysterious is so pervasive that many even doubt God when he reveals his plans and will to them. A Christian who prays and has the accurate knowledge of the word of God is hardly ignorant of Gods will and plans for long. God may not tell you the A-Z of his plans, but you will know your role and where you are in his plans. That is very comforting and immensely special.
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Now that that is done, let us look at the remaining part of the template. Please note that as a template it does not mean that if you miss any part of this you have sinned, or God will not hear you. No! The idea is that every good student knows that for them to make an A in the lecturer’s course they must follow the lecturer’s template. Those that do not follow the template will still be graded but the best scores are reserved for those that follow the template, manner, rules and format set by the lecturer. Do not worry about this, if you are a true believer the more you pray, the more it comes natural to you (See A lifestyle of prayer).
Verse 10: Thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. – Jesus brought the spiritual kingdom of God to the earth and will one day establish God’s Kingdom physically on earth and the headquarters will be at Jerusalem. Clearly God’s will is done in heaven but not on the earth that’s why we pray according to his will for the world. And what is his will for the world? 1 Timothy 2:4 (CJB) says – God …wants all humanity to be delivered and come to full knowledge of the truth. The preceding verses exhort us to pray for leaders, kings, and those in authority. Praying like this has never been so important. In our day Satan is spreading falsehood and influencing leaders to take actions that cripple their economies, suspend civil liberties, and enact authoritarian laws because of false science and the influence of powerful individuals and corporations. We pray to break this influence and declare that leaders make wise decisions even as humanity come to the knowledge of the Jesus and are saved. When we pray like this, we live peaceful lives that enhance the economy, families, and the spread of the gospel. You can start today by praying for your local, city, state, and regional leaders. You can pray that they receive, act on only wise and godly counsel. You can also pray that those who refuse wise and godly counsel be removed from office and replaced with the right candidates who fear God. Is this possible in prayer? Yes, it is. You just let your knees hit the floor in intercessory prayers and see God move.
Verse 11: Give us this day our daily bread. This verse is so powerful. This is more about making a definite request in prayer than the idea that God waits for us to ask for food before he gives us food. How do I know this? Jesus in Matthew 6:25-33 clearly stated that we are more valuable than the birds and lilies that God feeds and clothes without them even asking. He commanded us to worry less about our personal needs but seek first God’s Kingdom (the Kings and his domain, rights, principles, vision, etc.) and our needs will be met. Are you in need of specific financial, health, business, family, break through? God can and will answer your specific requests for these things, but the higher level is to seek his Kingdom first.
Verse 12: And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. The focus here is for us to forgive men’s sin committed against us even as we ask to be forgiven by God. God is a love. Love gives and bears no grudge neither is it vengeful. People err in thoughts and actions knowingly and unknowingly. So, we are commanded to seek God’s forgiveness in prayer. But before doing this, we should also forgive those that sinned against us and even brothers and sisters that owed us. Wow! Forgive debts? Yes! If they pay you back, you are free to collect the debt back but if they do not forgive them. Forgiving people when they sin against you or when they are indebted will free you from the responsibility of bearing a grudge or seeking revenge which are both channels for the Devil to enter your life. Free yourself and walk in love. You may look stupid in the eyes of men but trust the word of God, he will reward you in this life and the one to come for demonstrating love not because people deserve it but because the word of God says so.
Verse 13 And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Asking for guidance and protection in the day or test or trial. The word here should be testing (Greek Eisphero) and not temptation. God does not tempt men but will allow men to be evaluated. James 1:14 lets us know that a man is tempted when he is drawn away or enticed by his own lost and not God. Abraham was tested (his faith in God evaluated) according to Hebrews 11:17-19 and he passed. The aim was to demonstrate Abraham’s faith so that God could enter a higher covenant with him. God will allow us to be tested to produce loyalty, perfection, and completeness (James 1:3–4). Like athletes in a great race, we are rewarded for passing the test, hurdles, and trials. We are rewarded with amazing laurels (check Revelation 3:21 about the Christian who overcomes and the reward).
In prayer we ask for strength and grace to overcome tests and remain steadfast just as Jesus did. When we do, we are comforted, encouraged, empowered, and guided in the right path. It is noteworthy that not all ‘trials’ are from God. People ignorantly make terrible choices and habits and ascribe the tough situation to God. God also does not send sickness to evaluate our faith. Be guided by the accurate knowledge of the word of God and prayerfully seek God’s guidance so that certain environmental, personal and demon inspired temptations or hardship does not weaken your faith in God as some have experienced.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. Making faith proclamations and affirmation in worship are words we offer as priest before God (Hosea 14:2). Offering words of praise and worship to God is our priestly duty. When we worship God like this we are enraptured in his presence and experience a tangible manifestation of God who is a spirit and a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
As we pray, we must recognize that there are issues that may require persistent and fervent prayer for days and sometimes even years. Daniel prayed for 21 days and even though answer came the very first day he started to pray, it was delayed. Elijah declared that it will not rain for a time in Israel, and it did not rain. Hebrews 5:17 lets us into his secret for achieving such a tremendous result – fervent, heartfelt prayer. If you are praying for a family member to be saved, your nation or a difficult situation that has gone on for so long you may have to pray persistently and fervently for some time. Why? There is a whole lot of things at play that cannot be forced. You see God is the ultimate sovereign and has integrity – he does not force people to change, God leased this world to men and need our permission to intervene. Also, there are timelines for certain things to happen in God’s kingdom and finally we may be praying wrongly at first and need more knowledge and guidance by the Holy Spirit to eventual pray right and receive answers.
Have you been praying? Keep praying and enjoying a wonderful fellowship with the father. Is prayer still a mystery to you? Search the scriptures, be born again and start praying and growing in Christ. The days past was tough, and the days ahead will be tougher but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:31
If you are not born again, now is the time. The first step to an effective prayer life is your entrance into the kingdom of God. Follow-this link and say the salvation prayer believe in Jesus Christ >>> Prayer of Salvation.
Book’s recommendation they may help you pray effectively are:
How To Pray Effectively V1: Understanding The Rules Of Prayer For Different Situations And How To Apply Them For Your Desired Outcome By Chris Oyakhilome
Understanding the Purpose and Power of Prayer by Myles Munroe
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