WHAT IS PRAYER?
HOW IMPORTANT IS PRAYER?
DIFFERENT KINDS OF PRAYER?
WHY PRAY?
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU PRAY?
WHY SHOULD I PRAY?
First of all, Jesus tells us to pray in
Matt 6:5-6 We were created to have fellowship
with God.
Prayer is simply talking to God. It is
NOT daydreaming, communing with nature,
or thinking of an infinite but abstract
power. There are 12 Hebrew words and 5 Greek
words that translate into the English word
PRAYER, but each have the basic meaning
of TALKING TO GOD, as a child talks to his
parents. Even though the prayer may not
be audible, it takes the form of words in
the mind. Prayers do not need to be lengthy
to be effective. But sometimes we just need
to spend time with the Lord.
So...Prayer is ~
A. Talking with God
B. Focusing God's power on a specific need
C. Hearing God share specific, divine directions
D. Ministering to the Lord in praise, thanks-
giving and worship (Ps. 95:2, Ps. 27:4).
There are 8 different kinds of prayer
1. Thanksgiving and praise
2. Worship
3. Confession (searching my heart) (Ps.
139:23-24)
4. Petitions (requests)
5. Intercession (praying for others)
6. Meditation ~ to ponder on a spiritual
theme
in reference to God. In meditation, our
mind
is very active.
7. Fellowship ~ Just talking with God
8. Praying in the Spirit
PRAYER IS THE SECRET WEAPON OF THE KINGDOM
OF GOD ~ IT OFTEN HAS A DELAYED DETONATING
DEVICE.
HOW IMPORTANT IS PRAYER?
There are some things God will do if we
ask Him, and others that He will not do
if we don't ask Him. "If you ask, I
will do it", "You do not have
because you do not ask" (James 4:2).
Prayer needs to be:
1. In the will of God
2. In the Name of Jesus
3. For the glory of God
For a prayers to be answered it must be
according to God's will and the pray-er
must be living according to the will of
God.
GUIDELINES FOR PRAYER:
Be sincere, pray with simplicity and be
specific. Pray until you receive the answer,
until you have assurance that you will receive
it or until God says "No." Prayer
is a heart work. Unless we obey the divinely
revealed laws concerning prayer, it's power
will not operate for our good. "If
I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord
will not hear me" (Ps. 66:18).
When we do what pleases Him, He will do
what pleases us.
We can expect little when we are consciously
disobedient to Him. Read I John 3:21-22
Some direct hindrances to prayer are known
sin, unbelief, an unforgiving spirit and
stinginess toward God and men. Without heart
searching, there will be few answers to
prayer.
So, to have an effective prayer life you
need to know God and to know your own condition.
God wants us to pray according to His will,
but...How do we know His will? Some people
ALWAYS pray, "If it is your will do
this or that." Often, God tells us
what His will is and then expects us to
pray accordingly and to pray with faith.
We can know it is God's will by the promises
in the scriptures, and sometimes by His
providence and by His Spirit.
James 5:16 tells us that God answers the
prayers of those who keep His commandements
and the prayers of those who do the things
that are pleasing in His sight.
WHY ARE THE PRAYERS OF SOME INDIVIDUALS
ANSWERED MORE FREQUENTLY OR EFFECTIVELY?
The #1 reason is because they have an intimate
knowledge and trust of God, which is called
faith. The #2 reason is that their life
is in tune with God the Father and it doesn't
present a blockage to their prayers.
THE COST OF PRAYER
Prayers costs time and energy. Satan attacks
the prayer warrior like he attacks no other
believer. Those willing to pay the price
are destined to achieve much for God.
The Christian life is one of conflict.
We are at war, not with other believers
but with the enemy of our soul. Six times
in Ephesians 6:10-18, Paul uses the word
AGAINST. It refers to hand to hand combat
and emphasizes the intensity of the battle
and the personal nature of the fight. The
Christian is fighting against something
and something is fighting against the Christian.
We are engaged in spiritual warfare and
we must meet the devil on his own ground
(II Corinthians 10:3-4). The church has
always been slow to understand the tactic
needed for spiritual warfare. Battles are
won and lost in the prayer room. Before
our outreaches can be effective, we must
lay a foundation of intercession...
INTERCESSION IN BOLD PRAYING
Genesis 18:23-25 ~ Abraham
Exodus 32:6-12 ~ Moses
INTERCESSION IS STUBBORN PRAYING
Luke 11:1-8
Luke 18:1-8
INTERCESSION IS DESPERATE PRAYING AND MOST
AREN'T DESPERATE ENOUGH
PRAYER LEADS TO:
Salvation ~ Rom 10:9-10
Fellowship ~ Rev. 3:20
Spiritual Growth ~ Acts 6:4
Unexplained Miracles ~ Acts 12:5
Ezek. 22:30 tells us God will spare a land
if the people will stand in the gap and
pray.
As we pray for someone, our prayers always
stimulate the Holy Spirit's activity in
and around the person for whom we are praying.
And they also diminish the freedom of evil
spirits that are trying to gain additional
influence over that person.
As we pray for people, we have the authority
to alter the spiritual environment they
are living in, but we do not have the authority
to dominate their personal will. They still
have their own will, but if they are being
prayed for, they will receive more positive
spiritual input because demonic influences
are displaced by godly influences of the
Holy Spirit.
As we pray for individuals, their potential
of positive response to the Gospel greatly
increases.
The same is true for locations, such as
Saginaw and our nation! This same principle
is true as we pray for leaders, i.e. the
president, senators, etc. It obstructs the
opportunities for evil spirits to suggest
thoughts and ideas, giving the Holy Spirit
room to inspire them.
THINGS THAT KEEP OUR PRAYERS FROM BEING
ANSWERED:
1. Wrong motives.
2. Sin in the heart or life of a person
or
wordliness. (Ezek. 14:1-3)
3. An unforgiving spirit, strife, or resentment.
(Mark 11:25)
4. Stinginess in our giving. (Prov 21:13,
Luke
6:38)
5. Wrong treatment of spouse. (I Peter 3:7)
6. Guilt...Being unable to look up because
of
guilt. (Ps. 40:12)
7. Unbelief. (Matt 21:21-22)
GOD WANTS US TO KNOW HIM ENOUGH TO BE BOLD
IN OUR PRAYING. PS 34:10 "THOSE WHO
SEEK THE LORD SHALL NOT LACK ANY GOOD THING."
TAKE YOUR NEEDS TO HIM,
LEAVE THEM, WORSHIP HIM,
AND PRAY FOR OTHERS!
Taken from a Sunday Sermon by Pastor Don
Dinninger
Old Town C.O.C. Missions Ministry
The goal of the Mission's Ministry at Old
Town C.O.C. is to have a strategic part in
fulfilling the great commission by reaching
the lost by showing god's love in our communities
and beyond..
Find out how you can get involved in a
missions trip this year.
