Monday, October 23, 2023

Weekly Bible Study, October 23, 2023; The Doctrine of Prayer:

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Scripture References, Word & Phrase descriptions: the “Logos Reftagger” scripture links are hover pop-up active, meaning the scripture reference will just pop-up if you hover your cursor over it (don’t click on the link, just hover your cursor over it), when finished reading, hover your cursor off the scripture reference link. If the Reftagger pop-up doesn’t show all the verses, left click on the “More” button in the Reftagger pop-up window and it will take you to the online bible. If RefTagger pop-ups don’t work on your computer, that’s OK, try right clicking the link then open in new tab or window; or if that doesn’t work, you can always use your Bible to look up the verses. Word or Phrase definition links may not have a website that opens.

Preparing yourself for the study of God’s Word

Before we begin, only if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ (that is; you have believed [trusted] in Him for His promised gift of eternal life) John 3:16, John 6:47 as a few examples; it is very important to prepare yourself to learn God's Word so the Holy Spirit can teach you as to what your reading or hearing is true or false. To be taught by the Holy Spirit you must be filled with the Holy Spirit which means abiding in Christ. To place yourself in fellowship with God the Holy Spirit [also called abiding in the Christ], take a moment to simply name, cite or acknowledge [confess] your known unconfessed sins privately to God (i.e.; with your thoughts directed only to God the Father). Why? Because you cannot grow spiritually if you’re not abiding in Christ [in fellowship with Him] when you take in bible truth.

1 John 1:9, says: “If we confess [meaning to simply name, cite or acknowledge to God the Father] your sins [known unconfessed sins], He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins [known sins] and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness [all unknown and forgotten sins];” NKJV [New King James Version]; we call this REBOUND; read the full doctrine as to “why” we need to use 1 John 1:9 to grow spiritually. Left click the following link to learn more and fully understand the doctrine of Rebound; which answers the question, why do I need to keep confessing my sins all the time? REBOUND

If you have never personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, that He is the Son of God, the promised Messiah, as your Savior (that is, believed in Him for eternal life), the issue for you is not to name your sins; the issue for you is to simply exercise faith alone in Jesus Christ alone eternal life; when you do, you will instantly receive Eternal Life: John 3:16, 5:24, 6:47, 20:30, 31.

John 6:47 says: "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me [Jesus Christ] has everlasting life." NKJV

Notice again what Jesus said in John 6:47: "…he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life." It doesn't say, "will have"; it says, "has." Therefore, the very moment you believe in Jesus Christ for His promise of everlasting life, you have it (it's really just that simple; nothing more and nothing less), and it can never be taken away from you (John 10:28-29). Furthermore, the gift (Ephesians 2:8c) of everlasting life (also called eternal life in scripture) is available to every human being; there are absolutely no exceptions.

John 3:14-15, 16, 17, 18, says: "14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." NKJV

Let us now bow our hearts and take a moment to prepare for worship and learning God's Word. If there is any known sin in your life, this is the time to just cite it privately to God the Father with your thoughts directed towards Him. With your head bowed and your eyes closed, you have total privacy in your mind and soul:

Study to show yourself approved to God!

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Grace Bible Church Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries

The Tree of Life is a weekly teaching summary: God’s Word is taught Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday

STUDY TITLE:

Weekly Bible Study, October 23, 2023; The Doctrine of Prayer:

The Doctrine of Prayer.

Eph 3:14-19

“For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

All verses are taken from the New American Standard Bible, unless otherwise noted.

All rights reserved.

Robert R. McLaughlin Bible Ministries

Copyright © 2008, 2009

Second Edition Printing

The Doctrine of Prayer Introduction

Let’s begin this study of prayer with some introductory principles: The most obvious one is the fact you cannot con or deceive God in prayer. Remember that He knows all of your thoughts and nothing is hidden from Him. As Heb 4:13 says, And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things lie open and exposed before the eyes of Him with whom we have to answer. Many believers use prayer to try to get their own way, not God's way. And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him (1Jo 5:14-15).

Notice that knowledge of God and confidence in Him are both very important in prayer. People lack knowledge because of ignorance of Bible doctrine, and they lack confidence because of not understanding grace. Prayer must always be compatible with God's will and God's way, not our will and our way. You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. And you are envious and cannot obtain; so, you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures (James 4:2-3).

Prayer must recognize Who and What God is, not who and what we are. We are to draw near to God with adoration and thanksgiving because of Who and What He is. Additionally, prayer is not designed to get us out of trouble, but rather it is to express our helplessness, our humility, our total dependence on God, and our recognition of His grace and His mercy toward us. The Apostle Paul learned this in 2Co 12:8-9, when he prayed three times that the Lord would remove one of Satan's angels from troubling him, and the Lord would not answer the prayer. Instead, the Apostle Paul had to recall the doctrine he had previously learned to handle the situation. The answer is found in 2Co 12:9, And he had said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you.” Prayer is also a part of Christian service, and as such, effective prayer is a result of spiritual growth, and must comply with other doctrinal principles of Christian service.1 What is Prayer and How Do We Pray?

Introduction - The Doctrine of Prayer

Prayer is that function of the Royal priesthood whereby the Church-age believer has the access, and the privilege to present two categories of requests to God the Father.

1. Petitions: this is prayer for you.

2. Intercessory prayer: this is prayer for others.

Your prayers for others become a powerful and vital ministry. Without the right motivation and understanding of doctrine, prayer for yourself can often indicate failure to utilize the problem-solving devices. This is why spiritual growth is essential to effectively utilize prayer on behalf of yourself and others.

Remember that as a part of the equal privilege of election, the Church-age believer is a Royal priest. It is the unique function of the Royal priesthood, and the equal privilege and opportunity for every believer to have an effective ministry. The most effective service is invisible service such as prayer. In past dispensations, there were special priesthoods in which certain people functioned as priests. A priest is a person representing the human race (believers) to God. Any system of specialized priesthood in the Church-age is a false system.

All believers in the Church-age are Catholic priests, Catholic simply meaning universal not denominational. Therefore, you have the right to represent yourself before God the Father, in the name of the Son, and through the power of the Holy Spirit. You also have the right to spiritual privacy. God the Father receives our prayers through the Person of Jesus Christ, under the filling of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, prayer is communication with God for the expression of personal needs in petition and the function of intercession for others. Prayer is a weapon and is meant to be used offensively, not defensively, as in the prayer of “Oh God, Help!” Prayer is a system of thought, an area that Paul addressed to the Corinthians who had been deceived by Satan.

“But now, brethren, if I come to you speaking in tongues, what shall I profit you, unless I speak to you either by way of revelation or of knowledge or of prophecy or of teaching? Yet even lifeless things, either flute or harp, in producing a sound, if they do not produce a distinction in the tones, how will it be known what is played on the flute or on the harp? For if the bugle produces an indistinct sound, who will prepare himself for battle? So also you, unless you utter by the tongue speech that is clear, how will it be known what is spoken? For you will be speaking into the air. There are, perhaps, a great many kinds of languages in the world, and no kind is without meaning. If then I do not know the meaning of the language, I shall be to the one who speaks a barbarian, and the one who speaks will be a barbarian to me. So also you, since you are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek to abound for the edification of the church. Therefore, let one who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. What is the outcome then? I shall pray with the spirit and I shall pray with the mind also; I shall sing with the spirit and I shall sing with the mind also.

Otherwise if you bless in the spirit only, how will the one who fills the place of the ungifted say the ‘Amen’ at your giving of thanks, since he does not know what you are saying? For you are giving thanks well enough, but the other man is not edified. I thank God, I speak in tongues more than you all; however, in the church I desire to speak five words with my mind, that I may instruct others also, rather than ten thousand words in a tongue. Brethren, do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil be babes, but in your thinking be mature.

In the Law it is written, ‘By men of strange tongues and by the lips of strangers I will speak to this people, and even so they will not listen to Me,’ says the Lord. So, then tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe, but to unbelievers; but prophecy is for a sign, not to unbelievers, but to those who believe.” (1Co 14:6-20) Your system of thought will line up with divine viewpoint as you grow spiritually, and this is critical in prayer,

What is Prayer and How Do We Pray?

The Doctrine of Prayer

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.

Prayers should also be concise, to the point, avoiding needless repetition, and this requires concentration. The approach to prayer is a part of the Pre-designed Plan of God (PPOG = predesigned plan of God) of the Royal Family of God, and therefore it is to be a precise and correct procedure. This means that all prayer must be offered to God the Father, not to Jesus Christ or to the Holy Spirit. Any prayer offered directly to Christ is automatically cancelled, since it fails to follow God's procedure for prayer. This is illustrated by the model prayer for the disciples, “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name’” (Mat 6:9). The Lord Jesus Christ taught that all prayer must be offered to God the Father, not to Jesus Christ or to the Holy Spirit.

And it came about that while He was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples.” And He said to them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come.’” (Luk 11:1-2) The apostles Paul and Peter also taught that all prayer must be offered to God the Father only.

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. (Eph 1:17) And if you address as Father the one who impartially judges according to each man's work, conduct yourselves in respect during the time of your stay upon earth; (1Pe 1:17) Prayer is to be in the name of, or through the Son, and in the enabling power (filling) of God the Holy Spirit. “And whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.” (John 14:13-14) All prayer must follow the precise correct procedure of the PPOG to be effective. This is why God the Father, the recipient of prayer, receives prayer from three sources in the Church-age.

1. From God the Son, He always lives to make intercession for them (Heb 7:25).

2. From God the Holy Spirit, But the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; (Rom 8:26-27). God the Holy Spirit prays for you when you need help even when you don’t know you need help. He also prays for people who cannot pray for themselves. This is probably unique to the Church-age and related to the function of the omnipotence of the Holy Spirit on our behalf.

3. From Church-age believers as Royal priests. Let us be approaching the throne of grace with confidence that we may receive mercy and acquire grace with reference to seasonable help (Heb 4:16).

True confidence can only exist in prayer when the believer attains at least spiritual self-esteem, Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight (1Jo 3:21-22).

Prayer effectiveness is related to reaching spiritual self-esteem. Failure in prayer is related to no personal love for God, mental attitude sins, and lack of motivation and momentum in the PPOG.

If you offer prayer to God while in the state of grieving or quenching the Holy Spirit, your prayers will not be answered. This demonstrates the importance of the rebound technique (1Jo 1:9), the first and most basic of the problem-solving devices. Rebound is how we enter back into the PPOG for our lives.

Prayer and How Do We Pray?

The Doctrine of Prayer

Prayer is also related to the omniscience of God. It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear (Isa 65:24). God actually hears the prayer twice: Once in eternity past, and then again at the time of the prayer. Prayers, and their answers, were originally entered into the Divine decrees. This means that God knew and answered all your prayers in eternity past.

In fact, all answered prayer is part of your escrow blessings. There is a direct relationship between your prayer life and your invisible assets. Prayer is an invisible power directed toward invisible God in relationship to our invisible assets. Prayer is most effective when used by spiritual champions or invisible heroes, believers who have attained spiritual maturity. The more you grow in grace, the greater your spiritual growth, the greater your effectiveness in your prayer life. Effectiveness is not measured in terms of your eloquence when praying in public, but on the basis of your spiritual growth when praying in private. The power of prayer increases as the believer advances in the PPOG for the Church-age.

The Prayer Mandate or the Command to Pray

Prayer is commanded for all dispensations.

In the Old Testament we have passages such as Psa 116:1-2, “I love the Lord, because he hears my voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I shall call upon him as long as I live.” Or Jer 33:3 “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”

Prayer was at an all-time low just prior to the Church-age. Our Lord showed so much dedication and devotion to prayer while on earth, that it inspired the disciples to ask Him to teach them to pray. He always encouraged prayer in His earthly ministry, and especially just before the Church-age began with Pentecost. In fact, the night before He died He said to His disciples, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you” (John 15:7). The disciples could have asked even for a gift as incredible as the ministry of God the Holy Spirit (Luk 11:13). However, since the disciples didn't ask, Christ breathed on them the Holy Spirit.

What is Prayer and How Do We Pray?

The mandates, or the commands, to have a consistent daily prayer life require cognizance of the PPOG. Therefore, since we are commanded to reside in the PPOG, we are commanded to pray frequently or consistently, without ceasing (1Th 5:17). This is a mandate for both habitual and spontaneous prayer. Hence this verse can be translated, “make a habit of prayer.” In the PPOG you are always in a position tooffer prayer. With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit [the filling of the Spirit inside the PPOG], and with this in view, be alert in prayer for all the saints with persistence and petition (Eph 6:18). When you are in the PPOG, you have discernment as to when prayer is needed.

Stop worrying 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 passes all understanding shall garrison your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Phil) 4:6-7)

Thanksgiving is your capacity for appreciation, and a part of the function of impersonal love. You also cannot divorce the faith-rest drill from prayer. Prayer demands faith. “All things for which you ask in prayer, believe that you shall receive them, and they shall be given to you.” (Mark 11:24) “And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive.” (Mat 21:22)

Effective prayer is understanding and the proper application of your invisible assets. This is why effective prayer is related to executing the mandates of the PPOG. Without executing the PPOG your prayer life is useless. Whatever we ask, we shall continue to receive from Him, because we continue to execute His mandates and keep on doing what is pleasing in his sight (1Jo 3:22). The only thing that is pleasing in His sight is the execution of the PPOG.

Effectiveness in Prayer

Maximum confidence and effectiveness in prayer exists only inside the PPOG when the believer has advanced to spiritual adulthood. Confidence in prayer really begins at the point of spiritual self-esteem, continues to grow and gain momentum in spiritual autonomy, and then reaches its peak in spiritual maturity or spiritual adulthood. Confidence is a virtue directed toward God and is developed only inside the PPOG. Confidence in prayer, also called believing or having faith, is dependent upon our knowledge of God's will. Therefore, your effectiveness of prayer must relate to knowledge of the will of God.

And this is the confidence which we have before Him [or face to face with Him], that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask [and He does], we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him (1Jo 5:14-15).

This is really a prayer promise for the believer who has reached spiritual adulthood. For the believer in spiritual childhood, effective prayer is related to several factors. Rebound gives us the filling of the Holy Spirit, and thus we have residence in the PPOG. The filling of the Holy Spirit is a prerequisite of all prayer petition and intercession (Eph 6:18).

So, we have rebounded (1Jo 1:9) and we are filled with the Holy Spirit. Then we function in the faith-rest drill (Mat 21:22). This is when we have total faith that our God will come through for us in His timing.

The Prayer Mandate or the Command to Pray

Those are the first three problem-solving devices. Even a believer in spiritual childhood can consistently apply these. However, the most effective prayer life is in spiritual adulthood, since the believer now has a thorough understanding of God's will, and so the prayers now comply with God's will.

Having confidence in prayer is also brought out in Heb 4:16, Therefore, let us be approaching the throne of grace with confidence, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in a seasonable time [when under suffering for blessing]. Efficacious prayer, or prayer that has the power to produce a desired effect, exists only to the extent that the believer is grace-oriented.

Until the believer begins to attain spiritual growth, his prayers will be semi-effective at best. In each stage of spiritual growth, the believer's power in prayer increases dramatically.

In spiritual childhood your prayers are not very effective because many of your petitions are related to arrogance, and your intercessions are only for those people you like. Eventually, as you grow through spiritual self-esteem, spiritual autonomy, and finally into the realm of spiritual maturity, your intercessory prayers become impersonal.

The great power in intercessory prayer is impersonal love. The effectiveness of prayer and the mature believer is brought out in such passages as Psa 66:18-20 “If I regard wickedness in my heart, the Lord will not hear; But certainly God has heard; He has given heed to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, who has not turned away my prayer, nor His lovingkindness from me.”

This contrasts the believer in self-pity with the mature believer who is focused on others. Even when prayers are not going to be answered in the way the believer would like, God the Father still heard all prayers in eternity past.

I love the Lord, because He hears my voice and my supplications (Psa 116:1). Notice that effective prayer even increases our personal love for the Lord. “Because He has inclined his ear to me, therefore I shall call upon Him as long as I live (Psa 116:2).

The promise to the New Testament believer in spiritual adulthood is found in John 15:7 “If you abide in me [life in the PPOG], and my doctrines abide in you, whatever you wish shall be done for you.” This refers to life in the PPOG. This promise is not like a blank check on which you can write any amount, or anything you want; the key to prayer is doctrine first. Prayer alone does not give you momentum in the spiritual life; that comes from learning and applying Bible Doctrine. When doctrine is in you, then you can ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you, and that's because by that time you'll have enough knowledge to know how to use the weapon of prayer effectively.

Every effective prayer is related to your invisible assets as a Royal priest, and under the function of Christian production. In fact, one of the most important functions of your Christian service is your prayer life. However, many believers are so subjective in prayer that they usually only pray for them selves, their family, or close contacts; and they completely ignore the fact that prayer is a part of their Christian service. It is important to note that every effective and answered prayer is a part of your personal PPOG that God the Father designed especially for you in eternity past. In fact, one of your evaluations at the Judgment Seat of Christ will be how many of your prayers were answered. One of the signs of spiritual self-esteem is your devotion to prayer in your own life. Remember, you can have effective prayer in spiritual childhood; however, it is limited.

Effectiveness in Prayer

The first three problem-solving devices begun in spiritual childhood have a definite impact on the effectiveness of your prayer life:

1) The rebound technique.

2) The filling of the Holy Spirit.

3) The faith-rest drill.

These problem-solving devices, along with persistence in the PPOG, determine prayer effectiveness. With consistent use of rebound, you persevere in the PPOG and you do not quit. This is why the first two problem-solving devices are so important. Prayer cannot be effective unless the believer is residing inside the PPOG under the enabling power of the Holy Spirit and consistent intake of Bible doctrine.

This is when you begin to really understand both the limitations of your prayer life, and the fantastic opportunities that come with it. When you are residing in the PPOG and you have consistent intake of Bible doctrine, you can have a fantastic prayer life. So effective prayer depends upon knowing what you're doing (1Jo 3:22). The result of rebound in prayer is noted in Phi 4:6 Stop worrying about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. Worry is mentioned because it's a malfunction of the faith-rest drill, as well as a sign that you're in the cosmic system. Anything that causes malfunction in the faith-rest drill also means malfunction in your prayer life. The faith-rest drill makes your prayers effective long before you've learned enough Bible doctrine to understand the Christian life.

The Dynamics of Intercessory Prayer

As we have noted, intercessory prayer refers to your prayers for others. Let’s look at some examples of this important type of prayer. The prayer of Elijah on Mount Carmel demonstrates the power of intercessory prayer for the nation. So Ahab went up to eat and drink. But Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he crouched down on the earth and put his face between his knees. He said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” So, he went up and looked and said, “There is nothing.” And he said, “Go back” seven times. It came about at the seventh time, that he said, “Behold, a cloud as small as a man's hand is coming up from the sea.” And he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down, so that the heavy shower does not stop you.’” In a little while the sky grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy shower. And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel. Then the hand of the Lord was on Elijah, and he girded up his loins and outran Ahab to Jezreel. (1Ki 18:42-46)

The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain; and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the sky poured rain, and the earth produced its fruit. (James 5:16-18)

I wonder how many of God's people really believe that something like this is possible. It's also interesting that James 5:17 says that Elijah was a man with a nature like ours! The power of prevailing prayer was exercised in the early Church on behalf of Peter, who was in prison and about to be executed. The result of this prayer was Peter's dramatic deliverance. Now about that time Herod the king laid hands on some who belonged to the church, in order to mistreat [or to afflict and persecute] them. And he had James the brother of John put to death with a sword (Acts 12:1-2). In this passage the Apostle James died, while the Apostle Peter was delivered from the exact same circumstances. Why didn't God deliver James?

Effectiveness in Prayer

The death of James was the means of waking up the early Church to the importance of God's grace and the importance of prayer. When James was captured, there wasn't any prayer meeting, and no prayers were offered up for him. So, the death of James was the means of alerting the Church, and waking them from the apathy that existed toward prayer.

In verse 3, in the next crisis, the early Church began to be stimulated to use the great weapon of prayer. And when he [Herod Agrippa] saw that it [persecuting Christians] pleased the Jews he proceeded to arrest Peter also. Now, it was during the days of unleavened bread (Acts 12:3). The Jews had a law that there could be no executions during a feast day; therefore, the execution of Peter would be delayed until the feast was over. And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out [and kill him] before the people (Acts 12:4). He was chained between two Roman soldiers, and there were two more at the door of the cell, and twelve more in other places. So, you can see that Herod wasn't taking any chances. The point here is that at this particular point, the situation seemed hopeless. There was maximum security around Peter and he was as good as dead. So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God (Acts 12:5). For one week, because of the seven day feast, the Church was praying. A tragedy has awakened the Church to utilize the weapon of grace, prayer. What do you suppose Peter was doing at this time? You might expect him to be freaking out and pacing the floor. Well, he was either having problems staying awake, or he was faith-resting it!

And on the very night when Herod was about to bring him forward, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains; and guards in front of the door were watching over the prison. (Acts 12:6)

Notice that Peter was very relaxed, sleeping because he knew that his life was in the Lord's hands. The Church was awake and praying while Peter was sound asleep, and when you look at it, this was a rather humorous passage. Remember when the Lord was awake and praying in the garden in Mat 26:40, Peter was sound asleep then also. So at least he's consistent: when other people were praying, Peter was still sleeping.

Actually, what Peter was really doing here was what he tells us to do in 1Pe 5:7, “Cast all your cares and worries upon Him, because He cares for you.” The Church was dong the right thing; they were awake and praying; Peter was doing the right thing, faith-resting. In fact, Peter was in such a sound sleep that the angel from the Lord had to wake him up. And behold, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared, and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter's side and roused him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And his chains fell off his hands. And the angel said to him, “Gird yourself [get dressed] and put on your sandals.” And he did so.

And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me” (Acts 12:7). Notice that the Lord takes care of the things beyond our power, but He does not interfere with the natural functions. The angel knocked the chains off of Peter, but Peter had to get himself dressed. You see, some people misapply the faith-rest technique, and they expect God to do everything. So, with every Roman guard asleep, Peter simply walked out of the prison. In fact, if Roman soldiers lost their prisoner they would be killed, and all the Roman soldiers were executed for this according to verse Acts 12:19.

The justice of God allowed this to happen because they were so evil that it was their time to die. And he went out and continued to follow, and he did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought that he was seeing a vision (Acts 12:9). In other words,

The Dynamics of Intercessory Prayer

Peter didn’t even know what was going on here; how many times this is true for all of us! As believers we have been delivered many times and didn't even know what was happening. And when they had passed the first and second guard, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which opened for them by itself; and they went out and went along the street; and immediately the angel departed from him. And when Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I know for sure that the Lord has sent forth His angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.” And when he realized {this,} he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was also called Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying. And when he knocked at the door of the gate, a servant-girl named Rhoda came to answer. And when she recognized Peter's voice, And when she recognized Peter's voice, because of her joy [or excitement] she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter was standing in front of the gate (Acts 12:10-14). She was so excited that she didn't know what to do! Now remember, Peter was still outside hammering on the door trying to get someone to let him in before the Romans came again. Peter's knocking, banging, yelling, and one thing for sure, he's wide awake now.

In verse 15, notice the reaction of the Church that had been praying fervently without ceasing. And they [the spiritual believers who have been praying constantly for Peter to be delivered] said to her, “You are out of your mind,” but she kept on insisting that it was so (Acts 12:15). They had been praying for Peter’s deliverance, but refused to believe that God had answered their prayer. However, note a very important principle here; God answered the prayer even though those in the Church did not really believe it would be answered; that's another form of grace. When you get right down to it, they prayed, and their prayers were answered, but they simply did not believe that prayer would work! But Pe-er continued knocking; and when they had opened {the door}, they saw him and were amazed (Acts 12:16).

Prayer is answered because of grace, and this is probably why they were astonished, for this was the Jerusalem church, a legalistic church.

Next, there is intercessory prayer for unbelievers, which is legitimate, and a part of your dynamics in intercessory prayer. Remember that we are not to attempt to violate their volition by asking God to force them to believe in Christ. Brethren, my heart's desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation (Rom 10:1). Do not let anyone tell you that you cannot pray for the unsaved. Col 1:3-12 says, We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints; because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel, which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth; just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf, and he also informed us of your love in the Spirit. For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

This is a demonstration of the power of impersonal love, because impersonal love has the greatest motivation in praying for those who are enemies and for those who are unknown.

The Dynamics of The Doctrine of Prayer

The dynamics of Paul's intercessory prayers are seen in Eph 1:15-23 and Eph 3:14-21. In looking at this powerful prayer it’s important to note what Paul prayed for. For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you, and your love for all the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fulness of Him who fills all in all. (Eph 1:15-23)

For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man; so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fulness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. (Eph 3:14-21)

The dynamics of Paul’s intercessory prayers are seen in these two passages; let’s go back and notice what he prayed for.

1. In Eph 1:17, Paul prayed that God the Father would provide for them the mystery doctrine they needed to metabolize.

2. In Eph 1:18, he prayed that the eyes of their right lobe would be enlightened or that they would have spiritual discernment. In this verse Paul also prayed that they would understand the doctrine of election and their escrow blessings.

3. In Eph 1:19-23, he prayed that they would perceive, metabolize, and apply the doctrine of Divine omnipotence and the angelic conflict.

4. In Eph 3:16, his prayer was that they would be strengthened in the new creation or the new spiritual species.

5. In Eph 3:17, he prayed that their hearts would be filled with doctrine and impersonal/unconditional or virtue love.

6. In Eph 3:18-21, he prayed that they would know and understand the PPOG and how to ultimately bring glory to God.

So, notice those seven aspects of Paul’s prayer and how they are all spiritually oriented: Mystery doctrine, spiritual discernment, election and their escrow blessings, divine omnipotence and the angelic conflict, the new spiritual species, doctrine and impersonal love, the PPOG and the glorification of God. The point is that everything Paul prayed for had to do with the spiritual realm!

The Dynamics of Intercessory Prayer

Why the Believer's Prayers Are Not Answered Failure in prayer is related to carnality and being out of fellowship, which means you are residing in the cosmic system. Residence in cosmic one, sin, grieves the Holy Spirit, which means your prayers cannot be answered.

In cosmic two, religion and human good, the believer quenches the Holy Spirit (1Th 5:19), and again, your prayers cannot be heard. In either case, the only prayer which can be heard is rebound which is the private confession of your sins to God; so in that sense, it is a prayer that can be answered. The general reason for malfunction of prayer is always related to the believer's rejection of Bible doctrine. Whatever your reason for rejecting doctrine, it means you have no understanding of the mechanics of prayer. Only Bible doctrine teaches the mechanics of prayer and the will of God. Your prayers must comply with the will of God and must follow the precise correct procedure for prayer. This means that indifference to, or rejection of Bible doctrine, produces three categories of ignorance that guarantee the malfunction or failure of your prayer life.

1. Ignorance because of indifference to doctrine.

2. Ignorance because of wrong priorities; if wrong priorities persist in your spiritual life, you'll become a loser believer with no prayer life.

3. Ignorance because of the arrogance complex of sins: jealousy, bitterness, vindictiveness, implacability, hatred, selfpity, inordinate ambition, inordinate competition, slander, maligning, judging, and revenge motivation. Arrogant believers never get through to the throne of grace. Prayer is related to your fulfillment of the PPOG and the execution of the Christian way of life, and prayer becomes more and more effective as we execute His mandates. In fact, you can have effective prayer right from the start of your spiritual life if you live in His plan.

However, becoming a great prayer warrior demands your daily intake of Bible doctrine and the daily use of the problem-solving devices. This is when you don't depend on others to solve your problems; rather you handle your problems from the doctrinal techniques you've been taught.

In 1Jo 3:22 to do “what is pleasing in His sight” describes spiritual adulthood when the believer reaches the peak in his prayer life. So then, failure to execute His mandates and to attain spiritual adulthood obstructs, inhibits, and undermines all effective prayer. One of the least known reasons for unanswered prayer is malfunction in marriage or lack of domestic tranquility. Likewise you husbands, live with your wives on the basis of knowledge as with a weaker vessel, since she is a woman, and show her respect as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered (1Pe 3:7).

When there is a domestic problem, the husband is not commanded to love (as he is elsewhere in scripture where no problem exists), but he is commanded to live with his wife on the basis of knowledge of pertinent doctrine. From this, we can conclude that personal love for people is not a problem- solving device. Only knowledge of Bible doctrine and the resultant virtue can solve domestic problems. The woman is called the weaker vessel since she is designed by God to be a responder. Being a responder explains why the woman must be under more authority than the man. Let a woman quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve. And it was not Adam who was de- ceived, but the woman being quite deceived, fell into transgression (1Ti 2:11-14).

The Dynamics of Intercessory Prayer

The application is that an un controlled woman is an unhappy woman, one who also can easily become a troublemaker. The principle here is that failure in your marital life spills over into failure in your prayer life, and failure in your prayer life simply reflects failure in your spiritual life. Of all the categories of sin and carnality which hinder effective prayer, arrogance is the number one cause of failure, not only in prayer, but in the spiritual life and in fact the temporal life as well. It is the number one reason why people are not teachable, not receptive, and why people do not profit from suffering. We produce our own arrogance without any help from anyone else, for we all have an old sin nature which daily knocks at the door and says, how about a little arrogance?

“They cry out, but He [God] does not answer because of the arrogance of evil men. Surely God will not listen to a phony [empty] prayer, nor will the Almighty regard it.” (Job 35:12-13)

Prayer is also not answered because of lust, criminality, jealousy, and false motivation, which neutralize prayer. James 4:2-3 is addressed to believers: “You lust and do not have [what you want], so you commit murder. Also, you are jealous and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask [in prayer] and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on pleasures.” The point is that lust and murder, jealousy and fighting, are the wrong ways to get what you want. So, the whole system of failure in prayer becomes failure in the PPOG [predesigned plan of God]

When the client nation is under the cycles of discipline, prayer for deliverance cannot be answered. This is because the justice of God is going to remove that nation. “You have covered yourself with a cloud [negative volition] so that no prayer can get through,” Lam 3:44. Malfunction of the faith-rest drill in prayer means the malfunction of effective prayer. “I say to you, all things for which you ask and pray, believe that you shall receive them, and you shall be given them,” Mar 11:24. With the malfunction of faith-rest and prayer, your life eventually mal- functions as well.

So, prayer is really an index to your spiritual life. If you're not praying correctly, or fail in prayer for any reason, that means there's some problem in your spiritual life; there's some kink, syndrome, some form of arrogance, or some problem. This is why many prayers have not been answered for those who are physically sick (James 5:15). It is legitimate to pray for individuals who are sick, although many times their sickness is the result of the law of volitional responsibility or divine discipline. In those cases, prayer for the sick will not be answered.

Another reason for failure in the believer’s prayer life is related to concentration, namely the lack of it. In fact, all forms of worship are a concentration test that can be divided into these categories: Concentration on the teaching of doctrine. This reflects your values, your motivation, your spiritual condition, and your spiritual status quo. Bible doctrine must be your number one priority.

Concentration in the Communion service. The Communion service is a reflection of the person and work Christ. Concentration in your personal and private prayers, during public prayers when others are praying, and in your petitions and intercessions.

The pattern of concentration in all forms of worship is esablished in the function of your perception, metabolization, and application of Bible doctrine. If you can concentrate on Bible doctrine in time of stress, adversity, or even in time of prosperity, then you can concentrate in prayer. So there is a direct relationship between concentration in Bible study under the ministry of the Holy Spirit and concentration in prayer under the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

Why the Believer’s Prayers Are Not Answered

The Mechanics of Prayer - Special Prayers

First of all, we note that public prayer should be short and should avoid repetition. “And when you are praying [publicly], do not use meaningless repetition, as the Gentiles do, for they assume that they will be heard for their many words” (Mat 6:7). God is not impressed with repetitive verbiage. In public prayer, you always add the principles of impersonal love, flexibility, and thoughtfulness of others.

You must be thoughtful of the others in prayer who are gathered with you. Long prayers should be reserved for private intercession and petition. “But when you pray, go into your private room, and when you have shut the door, pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will provide for you” (Mat 6:6).

There is an itinerary for your private prayer:

1. Confession of sin (rebound), if necessary (1Jo 1:9). This is to ensure the filling of the Spirit and residence in the PPOG. Only prayer offered when filled with the Holy Spirit will be heard.

2. Thanksgiving expresses the concept of worship in private prayer. Always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; Eph 5:20. In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1Th 5:18). Capacity for thanksgiving comes from your personal love for God and your impersonal love for others. The capacity for thanksgiving increases as you grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is hard to stay alert when you are in a routine situation, doing the same thing over and over again. However, your thanksgiving to God is a part of your personal love for God. The more you love God and the more you appreciate Him, the greater your thanksgiving, and the greater your alertness in prayer.

3. Intercession or praying for others (Eph 6:18; 1Ki 18; Jam 5:16-18). This is a spiritual ministry. It usually requires that you have your own private prayer list. Prayer is a powerful way to make a difference in the lives of others; only in heaven will you know the full impact of your consistent prayers for others.

4. Petition which is praying for your own needs. You can also use prayer for self in situations where you are confused and have not yet learned a problem-solving device for that situation. Therefore, petition is prayer offered on behalf of self, as in Let us therefore approach boldly the throne of grace, that we might obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Heb 4:16).

To approach boldly means you approach in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. As you grow spiritually, through impersonal love your prayer life will focus more on others; however, praying for yourself is a vital part of your relationship with your heavenly Father. Your volition is involved in the angelic conflict, so there are times when God cannot come through for you unless you ask! (You do not have because you do not ask. James 4:2b) Remember God is glorified when He can bless and deliver you!

“Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me” (Psa 50:15).

Consider our Lord’s words regarding prayer in, “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened” (Luk 11:9-10). In this case, asking refers to prayer for yourself, seeking refers to prayer for others, and knocking is in reference to God opening doors in your life. The principle of seeking is emphasized here in our Lord's example of the man who continues to ask, for his friend's sake, and does not give up until he receives an answer (Luk 11:5-8). Asking (petition), seeking (intercession), and knocking (moving forward through open doors) are all vital functions in the believer’s spiritual life.

Spiritual growth will in time lead a believer to the attitude of regarding one another as more important than yourself, as described in Phil 2:3. However those who only pray for others and neglect it for themselves, can fall into the trap described in They made me caretaker of the vineyards, But I have not taken care of my own vineyard (SOS 1:6 b).

In fact, in Phil 4:6-7 prayers for yourself and others (“in everything”) lead to the peace of God beyond human understanding, which enables a believer to focus on others even in times of adversity.

There are also special prayers found in the Word of God.

1. The sanctification of food or saying grace before meals is a special prayer. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, if it is received with gratitude; for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer (1Ti 4:4-5). This is a mandate for all believers. There may be ingredients in the food that are very harmful, but offering this special prayer will protect you. Grace before meals is the expression of gratitude to God for His logistical grace support, which includes food. Sanctification of that food eliminates any potentially harmful effects.

2. There is prayer for those in authority over us, and this refers to the physical (natural) realm and the spiritual realm. As citizens of a client nation to God, this is a very important function for believers. First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity (1Ti 2:1-2). Verse one points out that there are certain people for whom we should express our thanksgiving for to God in prayer. In addition, there is intercession on behalf of all mankind and petition for ourselves.

Verse two gets specific; we are commanded to pray for governmental authority and all other authority. When you reach spiritual autonomy and have impersonal love toward all mankind, this prayer really becomes effective. Having impersonal love gives you the ability to forget about the personality, the idiocy, the antagonism, and to actually pray for those people with whom you do not agree. This includes those who are leading our nation the wrong way, or who are damaging our client nation. Impersonal love gives you phenomenal power for such a prayer, and the confidence to offer such a prayer comes from personal love for God.

3. There is prayer for the sick. And the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him (James 5:15).

4. There is prayer for the unsaved. Brethren, my heart's desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation (Rom 10:1). Paul prayed for the salvation of unbelieving Jews. Although you cannot pray that their volition will be coerced, you can pray that they will be exposed to the Gospel and have the opportunity to believe in Jesus Christ.

5. There is prayer for your enemies. “But I say to you, love your enemies [impersonal love], and pray for those who persecute you” (Mat 5:44). This prayer reflects the phenomenal dynamics in spiritual freedom from the confidence of mystical self-esteem and impersonal love.

6. There is prayer for spiritual adulthood. And this I pray, that your virtue-love may abound still more and more in metabolized doctrine and all discernment (Phil 1:9).

Virtue-love is confidence from personal love for God and impersonal love toward all mankind. Virtue-love is not only a problem-solving device used to pass momentum testing, but at the same time, it is maximum effectiveness in prayer. This is especially true for all of these categories of special prayers. Like prayer for salvation, you cannot pray that their volition will be coerced, but you can pray that they will be exposed to doctrine and have the opportunity to grow in grace and knowledge. So prayer for spiritual adulthood is not a prayer which violates the volition of others.

7. There is prayer for the communication and communicators of Bible doctrine; for pastor-teachers, missionaries, evangelists (2Th 3:1; Col 4:2-3).

8. There is the prayer of widows, that is, women who become single either by the death, divorce, or abandonment of their husbands. Now she who is a widow indeed, and who has been left alone has fixed her hope on God, and continues in entreaties and prayers night and day (1Ti 5:5). This special category of widows in spiritual adulthood can pray both night and day (more often than once a day) for themselves and for others. As a result of their very tranquil and uncomplicated life, they are able to be effective in continuous prayer on behalf of others. There is no place for sloppiness in prayer. Yet, today many believers have failure in their prayer life because of this. Misguided emotion, ignorance, stupidity, and sloppiness abound when believers ignore the Biblical principles that mandate precisely correct procedure:

1. All prayer is directed to God the Father. You never pray to God the Son or God the Holy Spirit. “But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will repay you. And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition, as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need, before you ask him [Father].

Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name’” (Mat 6:6-9). Peter said in 1Pe 1:17 And if you address as Father the one who impartially judges according to each man's work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay upon earth; Furthermore, God the Son as our High Priest makes intercession for us at the right hand of the Father (Heb 7:25).

God the Holy Spirit

The Mechanics of Prayer.

Special Prayers The Mechanics of Prayer - Special Prayers Spirit makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered (Rom 8:26-27).

2. All prayer is offered through the channel of our Great High Priest, in the name of the Son. “And whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in My name, I will do it” (John 14:13-14). You can begin your prayer with the approach, “Heavenly Father, I’m coming in the name of the Son;” or you can conclude your prayer with “in Christ's name, Amen.” Whichever, you must go through channels, for this is the precise correct procedure. There is no place for sloppiness in prayer.

3. All effective prayer is offered through the filling of the Spirit or the enabling power of the Spirit inside the PPOG (Eph 6:18). The principle of precise correct procedure demands that the believer offers all prayers to God the Father in the name of the Son and in the power of the Spirit. As a part of the principle of precise correct procedure, prayer is a part of your escrow blessings. Prayer originates from the equal privilege of election. You are a Royal priest; this gives you additional ability in prayer. There is nothing for which you cannot ask God on your own as a priest, under the principles and restrictions noted, and in accordance with His will.

Under your invisible assets, effective prayer is a part of the production of the Christian life. Even answered prayer is a part of the Divine decrees programmed by the omniscience of God the Father in eternity past. Remember, For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them (Eph 2:10).

Included in your Christian service is the invisible impact you can have in prayer; all designed by God in eternity past! Therefore, accurate and effective prayer is one of the most powerful weapons in history. In prayer, the Christian actually takes the offensive against Satan in his world.

The kingdom of darkness will bring as much adversity as they can against believers who are living to glorify God in the angelic conflict. However even huge obstacles can be overcome with prayer!

“Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him. 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.” (Mark 11:23)

However, prayer is not a system for controlling the lives of others. We cannot pray a prayer which violates the volition of someone else. The function of your Royal priesthood is for the benefit of yourself and for the benefit of others, but it is not a system whereby you control others. Remember that God has only one way of doing a thing: the right way.

The right way is compatible with God's divine attributes, including His omnipotence. God is perfect; therefore it would be impossible for perfect God to come up with an imperfect plan.

God's plan is perfect just as God is perfect. Therefore, a right thing done in a wrong way is wrong. In the PPOG, a right thing must be done in a right way to be right. The right thing done in a right way is the long established code and procedure which God has laid down for us in the PPOG. In the spiritual realm, a right thing can only be done in a right way through the utilization of Divine power inside the PPOG. You cannot substitute human dynamics for divine power. In God's plan, there is procedure for the Church-age believer, and a right thing done in a right way is the believer's residence, function, and momentum inside the PPOG.

The Mechanics of Prayer - Special Prayers

The Four Categories of Petition in Prayer

There are certain ways that God answers prayer that the believer must recognize. For example, when you offer a petition or prayer for yourself to God, there is the thing for which you ask, called the petition, and then behind that petition is your desire or motive for it. The four categories we will look at show that God views both parts of your prayer as separate, and answers each part either positively or negatively.

In the first category, the petition is answered yes, but your desire behind it is answered no. For example, if you pray to make a million dollars, the desire behind the prayer is to make you happy. God answers the petition yes, so you make a million dollars; however, the desire is answered no; it doesn’t make you happy. Let me illustrate this Biblically. In 1Sa 8, the Jews wanted to have a human king they could see (the petition), so they could be like other nations as they thought that would make them happy (the desire).

Samuel warned them nevertheless, the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel, and they said, “No, but there shall be a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” Now after Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the Lord’s hearing. The Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to their voice, and appoint them a king.” So Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Go every man to his city” (1Sa 8:19-22). God answered their petition yes, and permitted them to pick out their own king.

Prayer and the Principle of Precise Correct Procedure

They wanted someone who was taller, stronger, and more handsome than the kings of the nations around them; and by this criterion they picked Saul. So their petition was answered yes; however, their desire to be happy with a human king was answered no; Saul turned out terrible and the Jews suffered miserably as a result.

We also have another account where the Lord answered the prayer, but the desire behind the prayer was not fulfilled. In Psa 106:13-15, the Jews were tired of the great divine provision of manna, the greatest health food ever, and they requested another type of food that they thought would satisfy them.

This is the grass is always greener on the other side syndrome. They quickly forgot His works; They did not wait for His counsel, But craved intensely in the wilderness, And tempted God in the desert. So, He gave them their request, But sent a wasting disease among them (Psa 106:13-15).

They longed for the Egyptian meat and food they used to eat, so God answered their petition yes; He sent them quail. However, the desire for satisfaction was not answered; instead, they suffered terribly from it and thousands died. So when you offer a petition or prayer for yourself to God, there is the thing for which you ask, called the petition, and then behind that petition is your desire or motive for it. The Lord may allow the petition to be answered even though the desire will not be met.

In the second case, the petition is answered no, yet the desire is answered yes. This means that the answer to the petition or to the request is no, but the desire behind the petition is answered yes. Continuing with our example: No, you will not make a million dollars, but yes, you will be happy.

In Gen 17:18 Abraham prayed that Ishmael, the son of Hagar, might be his heir, And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before Thee!” God said no to Ishmael becoming his heir, but yes to the desire behind it which was to have an heir; he eventually had Isaac.

In Gen 18:23-33, Abraham prayed that God would spare Sodom. His actual desire was the preservation of his relatives there. After bargaining with God Abraham settled with asking God to spare Sodom if there were just ten believers there; he was sure there were at least ten believers in that large city of perhaps 200,000 people. However, he was wrong; there were only three believers.

The Four Categories of Petition in Prayer.

Prayer and the Principle of Precise Correct Procedure

The petition to spare Sodom was answered no; the desire that Lot and his two daughters be preserved was answered yes. In 2Co 12:7-10, Paul prayed three times that God would remove his thorn in the flesh. “Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.’

Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong” (2Co 12:7-10).

God answered no to the petition, because his suffering was for blessing designed to strengthen his spiritual self-esteem so that he might advance to spiritual autonomy. This is a more stable stage where one is less prone to arrogance. Hence his desire, to continue to grow in grace and to glorify God, was answered yes.

The third category is answered, petition yes and desire yes. For example, in Judges 16:28, Samson was blinded and tied up in the Temple of Dagan. Then Samson called to the Lord and said, “O Lord God, please remember me and please strengthen me just one time, O God, that I may at once be avenged on the Philistines for my two eyes,” Jdg 16:28. Both his petition, to strike the Philistines, and his desire, revenge, were answered yes. Not because God approves of revenge, but because of the degeneracy of the Philistines.

Samson was the instrument that God used. He got his strength back, wrapped his arms around two pillars of the temple, and pulled the whole thing down on all of them. The Hebrew word for revenge is naqam which means to avenge and punish. There's a difference between revenge and avenge. Revenge means to hurt and retaliate and it is unjust, whereas avenge means to inflict a punishment or penalty for a real crime committed.

In 1Ki, Elijah built an altar, dug a trench around it, and prepared a sacrifice for the Lord. Then he instructed that water be poured on the offering and on the wood three times, and so much water was poured that it filled the trench. Elijah then prayed that God would light His offering on the altar with fire, and God answered yes. Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench, 1Ki 18:38. His desire which was expressed in 1Ki 18:36 was also answered yes. Then it came about at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, today let it be known that Thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that You have done all these things at Thy word,” 1Ki 18:36.

In John 11:41-45, the petition was for the resuscitation of Lazarus; the desire was that the bystanders who witnessed this might be saved. So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised His eyes, and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me.” When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.” The man who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” Therefore many of the Jews who came to Mary, and saw what He had done, believed in Him (Joh 11:41-45). Here again, both petition and desire were answered yes.

Of course, the fourth category is petition no, and desire no. Look at James 4:3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.

But it greatly displeased Jonah and he became angry. He prayed to the Lord and said, “Please Lord, was not this what I said while I was still in my own country? Therefore in order to forestall this I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity. Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for death is better to me than life.” The Lord said, “Do you have good reason to be angry?” (Jon 4:1-4)

The Principle of Grace in Prayer

In his prayer approach, the believer must be compatible with the throne of grace. Grace is the policy of the integrity of God in the imputation of blessing from the justice of God to the indwelling righteousness of God.

Prayer is a privilege, the function of the Royal priesthood; therefore, it is a powerful weapon in the hands of the believer in the PPOG. Since grace is the principle of prayer, no believer can petition for himself, or make intercession on the basis of human merit, ability, morality, production, service, or spiritual gift.

Every believer approaches the throne of grace on the merits of our Lord Jesus Christ who is our great High Priest. While the Father is propitiated with the work of Christ on the Cross, He is not a respecter of persons. Therefore, we must approach the Father from inside the PPOG, in fellowship with Him, and only in the name of Christ. Inside the PPOG our Lord, during the First Advent, had maximum effectiveness in His prayer life.

Believers who are out of fellowship are weak, and have no effectiveness in their prayer life. God does not answer prayer because a believer is good, moral, sincere, benevolent, religious, concerned, altruistic, talented or possesses a pleasing personality, but on the basis of grace alone. Answer to prayer is a divine decision; therefore the believer's popularity with others is never a factor in answered prayer. Prayer is a weapon, and one of our greatest grace gifts from God, relating to the angelic conflict. Therefore, you must understand how it functions, just as you should understand how any weapon functions before you use it. Always remember that one prayer can change the course of history.

The Prayer That Could Not Be Answered.

“My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me? Far from deliverance are the words of my groaning [screaming]. O My God, I cry by day [first three hours, 9 a.m. - 12 noon] but You do not answer and by night, but I have no rest [the continued prayer of our Lord during the darkness that surrounded the Cross from 12 noon-3 PM. when He was ing judged for our sins].” (Psa 22:1-2)

Psa 22:3 tells the reason why that prayer could not be answered in one phrase. “Yet You are holy, O You Who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel.” God the Father was imputing our sins to Christ and judging them from His holi ness.

The Four Categories of Petition in Prayer

Therefore, He couldn't answer the prayer for deliverance on the Cross. In Psa 22:4-5, Jesus even pointed out to the Father that He had previously delivered Israel under severe conditions. “In You our fathers trusted; they trusted, and You delivered them [You answered their prayers!]. To You they cried out, and were delivered; in You they trusted, and were not disappointed.”

So why couldn't our Lord's prayer be answered? “But I am a worm, and not a man, a reproach of men, and despised by the people” (Psa 22:6). Remember that the Hebrew word for worm, tola, is not the word for an ordinary worm. This worm was used for red dye in the ancient world.

It was crushed in a vat; the blood extracted was used to produce the crimson dye used for the robes of kings and aristocrats. The phrase “I am a worm,” illustrates why His prayer could not be answered. He was being crushed for our sins, so that you and I, as Royal Family of God, could wear the crimson robe of the Royal Family forever. Christ was being judged for our sins; therefore, prayer at that time from the humanity of Christ could not be answered because He was made sin for us. “All who see me sneer at me; They separate with the lip, they wag the head, {saying,}” Psa 22:7 This was fulfilled in Mat 27:39-40, And those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads, and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”

Psa 22:8 gives some of the verbal sarcastic abuse of the crowd, “Commit yourself to the Lord; let Him deliver him; let Him rescue him, because He delights in him.”

Our Lord's prayer was heard by all who were there, and they saw that it wasn't being answered. However, they didn't understand that the reason was because He was bearing their sins and our sins in His own body on the Cross. This was the only prayer of our Lord Jesus Christ that could not be answered, because it was the way of our so-great salvation. He was being judged for our sins; He was our substitute; He was taking our place. During His time on the cross, He could only be judged; and during His judgment His prayer could not be answered.

10 One of the greatest mistakes that a Christian can make is to imagine that increased social or spiritual activity can be any compensation for the lack of communion with God. A prayerful life is always a powerful life; just as a prayer less life is always a powerless life. There is a spiritual law at work in our experience that says that the more we pray, the more we need to, and want to; and the less we pray, the less is the desire we have to do so.

Because prayer is a spiritual function, in order for it to become an enjoyable and lasting experience for us, we must cooperate with the Holy Spirit. It’s vital to consider these two important areas: Time and Method. Without time for prayer, nothing can be accomplished, and yet frequently many believers excuse or explain their lack of prayerfulness by saying they don't have the time. There's always time for business, pleasure, eating, etc., but no time for one thing that would add so much to our lives: Prayer.

We must regard prayer to be as important to our soul as food is to our bodies. Therefore, for everyone of us some time each day must be reserved for private communion with God.

What time it should be, and how long it should be is no one's business but your own; that’s between you and the Lord. However, that there should be some time is not a matter of opinion but an unquestionable necessity. So much more progress can be made in all areas of our life when it is seasoned with prayer.

How can we improve our prayer life? The first thing must be a recognition of our failure to pray properly (method). In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words (Rom 8:26).

Notice the phrase “for we do not know how to pray as we should.” We don't even know how we should pray, so we need to make the same request as the Disciples did, It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples” (Luk 11:1).

The manner, or method, of prayer is very important to un- derstand. Assuming that one has put aside some time to pray, and that one's heart and mind is adjusted to the will of God, the most important thing in the prayer life is to have a right method. For many of us, our perception of prayer has been very narrow, and limited to only asking things from God. What we need is a real understanding of what prayer is! Such an understanding will come to us only as we bring Bible doctrine, and our prayer life into an intimate relationship. Bible doctrine and prayer have been divorced and separated by so many.

Notice what Eph 6:17-19 says, “And take [receive favorably, grasp, and welcome] the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel.” The Word of God and prayer are to be intimately united. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, if it is received with gratitude; For it is sanctified by means of the Word of God and prayer (1Ti 4:4-5).

When we read the Bible God speaks to us, while in prayer we speak to God. Therefore, we need a knowledge of God through His Word. When it comes to the subject of prayer, there are two errors that we are in danger of making:

1) Knowing the Bible intellectually without being concerned with application and experience.

2) Striving after the experience in prayer without knowing how to intellectually and Biblically pray.

These are opposite errors which should be avoided. You can have an excellent knowledge of Bible doctrine, and at the same time be blind to its Divine privileges such as prayer. In studying doctrine something more than mental consent is needed. For many individuals when they come to the subject of prayer this error is generally reversed. In prayer, many people look for the Spirit to illuminate them with some message, vision, or some emotion. This can result in our thoughts becoming scattered and thinking that we are accomplishing nothing; then we become weary, disappointed, and discouraged. This is what happens when our prayer life becomes forced and unnatural.

Our whole being must be involved with prayer: the mind, the heart, and the will. The mind must be at work as the apostle Paul stated “I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the mind also” (1Co 14:15). The heart must be at work as David said “I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart” (Psa 9:1a). The will must be at work as Jacob said “I will not let you go unless You bless me” (Gen 32:26b).

The Principle of Grace in Prayer

So, the principle is that we must have a mental basis for prayer, so that we don't become weary and enter into failure. Do you realize that the most important thing you can do every day is to have your soul filled with happiness from the Lord? The first thing to be concerned about is not how much you should do for the Lord, or how you should serve Him, but how to fill your soul with happiness by learning and appreciating what He has done for you. If the soul is filled with happiness our inner man will be nourished.

We might then seek to present the truth to unbelievers, to benefit and help other believers. We may even desire to relieve the distressed. However, if our soul is not filled with happiness and contentment, then we do not have the proper motivation. This is what the Jews were warned about in Deut 28. They were serving God and following Him, but there was a problem and they were under a curse. Deut 28:45-47 gives us the reason, “So all these curses shall come on you and pursue you and overtake you until you are destroyed, because you would not obey the Lord your God by keeping His commandments and His statutes which He commanded you. They shall become a sign and a wonder on you and your descendants forever. Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and a glad heart, for the abundance of all things.”

Many believers try to serve God without first receiving strength through doctrine and prayer, while meditating on the Word to receive comfort, encouragement, reproof, and instruction. They do not take advantage of the secret weapon called prayer. Prayer is the secret weapon for the Christian that secretly destroys and undermines satanic plans and schemes against us.

One of the goals and purposes of prayer is to cause a person to talk directly to the Lord without distraction. “This I say for your own benefit; not to put a restraint upon you, but to promote what is appropriate and to secure undistracted devotion to the Lord” (1Co 7:35). Prayer is a time of extreme concentration, and worship toward the Lord.

Prayer is not a time for concentrating on problems unless God places those problems on your heart. Ecclesiastes chapter 5 gives us some excellent instruction concerning our attitude when we come into the presence of God. Guard your steps as you go to the house of God, and draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools; for they do not know they are doing evil. Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few (Ecc 5:1-2).

We have been given the power of the Holy Spirit, and the Word of God, the ability to hear from God, and we should be alert to this during our prayers. Prayer is a time of communion, and to be effective in prayer you must be lined up with the viewpoint and plan of God. If you are, you can certainly receive guidance through prayer, as in Acts 11:6. Prayer is also taking advantage of the access that the Lord Jesus Christ has opened up. It pleases God the Father when He sees His children taking advantage of that which cost Him so much to open up. “Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb 4:16). Prayer should be you and I coming boldly unto the throne of grace; this is why distractions are so devastating. Overt persecutions may distract your body, but mental distractions attack your spirituality. Emptiness, vanity, and distractions can be just as devastating to a believer as any evil the believer is confronted with. Bible doctrine gives us the information that we need so we won't be distracted.

The Importance of Time and Method Concerning Prayer

With doctrine we'll have something to attend to or to concentrate on. Unfortunately many believers are so occupied with external activities that they don't have an inner communion with the Lord. This is where your concentration in Bible class helps your concentration in your prayer life. Prayer must be very persistent and why we are told to:

“Watch and pray” (Mark 13:33).

“Pray without ceasing” (1Th 5:17).

“I want the men in every place to pray” (1Ti 2:80. Our Lord Jesus Christ gave tremendous encouragement to persevere in prayer:

Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, saying, “In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. “There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me legal protection from my opponent.’ “For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.’” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge said; now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. “The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ “But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying,

‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ “I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.” And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them, but when the disciples saw it, they began rebuking them. But Jesus called for them, saying, “Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. “Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all." A ruler questioned Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luk 18:1-18)

“Finally, brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it did also with you; and [pray] that we will be rescued from perverse and evil men; for not all have faith [doctrine]” (2Th 3:1-2).

A pastor-teacher can communicate Bible doctrine, but he also must pray that people will have the deceptions of Satan exposed. So, prayer is an excellent power base when it's released in the power of the Spirit. However, in order that the power of the Spirit is released, concentration is necessary and vital. In fact, the whole key is concentration which produces unbroken communion. This is why the Lord said “But you, when you pray, go into your inner room [a room of privacy], close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret” (Mat 6:6a). And after He had sent the crowds away, He went up to the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone (Mat 14:23). On the next day, as they were on their way, and approach ing the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. (Acts 10:9)

The Importance of Time and Method Concerning Prayer

The Greek word for worship is “proskuneo” and emphasizes the act, rather than the feeling which motivates the act. In other words, you may or may not feel like worshipping, but it's the act that matters. In prayer our soul is placed in a helpless position bowing itself before God in total submission. Adoring God is one of the keys to prayer, worship, honor, and admiration which will lead to a devoted pray er life. “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). Because of this, many have a difficult time in worshipping someone they cannot perceive through their natural senses. However, God has not left us to ourselves; instead He has given us ways whereby we may know Him. I'm not just talking about receiving Bible doctrine, which is the best way to get to know God; there are also some other areas where God reveals Himself. Let’s look at some of these briefly.

First of all we may know God through nature. “Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather into barns, and {yet} your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!” (Mat 6:26-30). Think of how powerful the One who created all things is. Think of His goodness revealed in providing for all. Think of the stars and the heavens which David spoke of in Psalm 8.

“When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained; What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him? Yet You have made him a little lower than God, And You crown him with glory and majesty! You make him to rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, All sheep and oxen, And also the beasts of the field, The birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, Whatever passes through the paths of the seas. O Lord, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth!” (Psa 8:3-9)

Conclusion: Prayer is an Essential Area of WorshipThe Importance of Time and Method Concerning Prayer

In other words, the glory of God can take your mind off your own problems for a while. “Only fear the Lord and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you” (1Sa 12:24). “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands” (Psa 19:1). So God reveals Himself in nature.

We may also know God through man. Man was made in God's image, after His likeness (Gen 1:27). Man's heart has eternity placed within it as we have noted before, “He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart” (Ecc 3:11a). Therefore, all of man's desires, aims, hopes, and goals, insofar as they are good and true, have their source in God. Our Lord gives us an example, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!” (Mat 7:11).

All tenderness, affection, nobility, courage, and virtue found in man has its origin in God. When we see these godly qualities in one another, it gives us another reason to glorify God. In fact, that's the true meaning of Mat 5:16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” As you look into the mirror of the Word of God, divine power is working in you, so that as you grow spiritually, you will eventually reflect Who God is to others. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit, (2Co 3:18). So, God reveals Himself through man.

We can also know God through history. The writer to the Hebrews tells us that it is God who has framed the ages. The apostle Paul said, “of Him, and through Him and to Him are all things.” It doesn't matter how strong nations appear; when it's time for them to be destroyed, they go down. It was also not a coincidence that on the eve of the Reformation, the printing press was invented which gave the Bible to the whole world. The point is that the Lord Jesus Christ controls history. God is in complete control, raising up and casting down those things necessary to fulfill His plan. This should cause us to respect Him, to worship Him, and to be totally relaxed concerning current events. Things which seem to us to be tragic are actually working out an eternal purpose and fulfilling an eternal plan.

Therefore, a right view of history will give us another view of God. This will lead us to more worship of Him as the One Who is building the ages. So, the Lord Jesus Christ controls history; never forget it, worship Him for it as a part of your prayer life. Of course, God may be known mainly through Christ. God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high (Heb 1:1-3). God can be fully known only through Christ! The Lord Jesus Christ existed in the form of God and was made in the likeness of men. When we worship Christ, we worship God, for He represents God, and of course is God. Our Lord said “No one comes to the Father, but through Me” (John 14:6b).

Therefore, there can be no acceptable worship of God which rejects the Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ is the only way of access to God, and therefore God is worshipped when Christ is worshipped. So, we've seen the attitude of worship, and we've seen the object of worship. Let's look at the character of true worship. “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:24)

Conclusion: Prayer is an Essential Area of Worship

These words are full of meaning. First of all, no one can truly worship God unless it is in spirit and in truth. This is why an attitude of worship and adoration is important in prayer. Therefore, those who worship Him must worship in spirit, the filling of the Holy Spirit, and in truth, Bible doctrine. Here we have a reference to the entire trinity. God the Father, the author of the divine plan, is to be worshipped. The Holy Spirit directs our human spirit to worship what is spiritual.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the truth and teaches us through that truth to a worship which is free from error. Until Christ appeared, God was pleased to help His people in their worship by using aids and materials such as the tabernacle, sacrifices, etc. All these aids pointed to Christ and to His work. Things [meat and drink and feast days] which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ (Col 2:17). There is no longer any need for the Tabernacle, the Temple, the ark, altars, the sacrifices, or the priests because Col 3:11 reveals to us {a renewal} in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, butChrist is all, and in all.

So, the worship that the Father seeks and accepts is that which is in spirit, but it must also be in truth. Therefore, we should never be sentimental. The woman saying the rosary beads is not heard by God as a form of worship or prayer. The Rosary, which is mechanical praying with beads, was invented by Peter the Hermit in the year 1090. If God hears and accepts the rosary, He must also hear and accept the prayers to Buddha, Mohammed, and all the rest, but He doesn’t. God is a spirit and they that worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth. So, if you don't know truth or doctrine, you cannot worship the true God.

If we know truth, we will come to understand the real principle of confession, which is also vital to truly worship God in prayer and develop a better prayer life. Of course, you are familiar with the Greek word for “confession” in the New Testament which is “homologeo” meaning to say the same thing, to agree, to admit, or to acknowledge. We have already seen that prayer is something to be practiced and that it must be cultivated. In fact, the soul must be put under extreme concentration or else the flesh will triumph. Confession of sin is even a result of adoration. This was the experience of Isaiah.

In the year of King Uzziah's death, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.” And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.” (Isa 6:1-5)

This has been the experience of the saints throughout the ages. The closer their relationship with God, the more conscious they are of their sin and unworthiness. Any person who has grown spiritually will agree that many things which seemed to be alright a few years ago are now wrong.

This is because the keener our spiritual senses become, the more sensitive we become to sin and evil. The one thing which can separate our soul’s experience from God is sin that has not been confessed. There are times when it's difficult to express and confess the sins we've committed because of the guilt and the shame we may feel. However, confession of sin is vital in prayer because prayer is a time of communion and concentration.

Conclusion:

Prayer is an Essential Area of Worship

Conclusion: Prayer is an Essential Area of Worship

It is very unhealthy for us to be pre-occupied with our sins when approaching God in prayer. Sin is an ugly fact; it is not to be ignored, but honestly faced. In fact, Christianity is the only religion in the world which takes sin seriously and offers a satisfactory remedy for it. The way to enjoy this remedy is not to deny the disease, but to confess it, and realize our forgiveness is dependent on His faithfulness (1Jo 1:9). Sin produces guilt and we can't be free in prayer while guilt is present. We're all going to fall short of our own ideals, let alone God's standards. We break our own rules of conduct, let alone God's Holy laws.

So never cover up your sin. “He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion” (Prov 28:13). Many believers are not prospering in the Christian life, and they are making little or no progress because they reject this principle of confession. It is the person who covers his sins who is unhealthy. The Bible gives us an account of the inner turmoil of a man who tried to cover his sins. “When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long.

For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. Selah. I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I did not hide; I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord; And You forgave the guilt of my sin.

Selah” (Psa 32:3-5). Daily or even hourly confession is the way to walk in the light and to abide in Christ. Finally, relating to our adoration of the Lord, let's note the means of worship. Let's begin with the subjective or inward means. During prayer, the heart, mind, and the will must all function properly. During prayer our heart must be set upon God without distractions. Our mind is to concentrate upon the facts and methods of prayer. Our will chooses to keep both the heart and the mind focused in on our Lord. The worship of God deserves and demands all three: the heart, the mind, and the will. When we implement these principles we will find our difficulties in prayer disintegrating. Then we also have the objective, or the outward means of prayer. In worship we need to focus in on Christ. He is the goal of our communion with God, and it is only through Him that we can commune with God. The Bible is the soil in which our faith must take root, and out of which our prayers must grow. Then finally there's the Spirit, who illuminates us and shows us the hidden meanings and power revealed in His Word.

If our heart is occupied with Christ, our mind is set upon the Word, and our will is controlled by the Spirit, then we will develop a prayer life which has been transformed. I want to illustrate this by using a passage in the book of Revelation. You go into your prayer room and shut the door and prepare to worship God. Your physical posture doesn't really matter; you could be standing, lying, sitting, or kneeling; it's not the outward position, but the inward attitude that matters. Now, you have a portion of scripture prepared to read. You read it silently or out loud, asking for the Spirit to direct you and reveal things to you. You open up with confession of your known sins, and now you're filled with the Holy Spirit. You already want to enter into adoration; that's why you're in the room; you've come into the prayer room not because of guilt or duty, but rather because you want to! So, you begin to read this passage:

“I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, saying, ‘Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.’ Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands; and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His breast with a golden sash.’” (Rev 1:10-13)

Conclusion: Prayer is an Essential Area of Worship

Think of it, it's the Son of Man who is set before you, spiritually speaking. He is the object of your worship. You think of Him, the glory of His person, the majesty of His office. He is clothed with a robe reaching to His feet which is a sign of official dignity. You reflect on His dignity and majesty! The golden girdle represents His strong or everlasting affection. You think of that and His affection toward you.

“His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and his eyes were like a flame of fire.” (Rev 1:14) The white wool like snow represents His perfect holiness, so you think about that! What consuming knowledge He has; you recall Heb 4:13 “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.” So you think of that! “His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters.” (Rev 1:15)

This righteous judgment and absolute authority causes you to have respect and awe. “In His right hand He held seven stars; and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength” (Rev 1:16). What sovereign administration, what control of His own church. What glory, here is the Son of man, the Son of God. Once crucified, now alive forever and ever. “When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as a dead man. And He laid His right hand upon me, saying, ‘Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades’” (Rev 1:17-18).

Think of it, our Eternal Savior, He holds the keys of death and Hades, the One who conquered death eternally for our sakes! Is it any wonder why Rev 4:11 says, “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.” Images like that make you feel humbled in the presence of One so mighty. The point is that you just used a simple portion of scripture you’re familiar with to pray. Put the method to the test and you'll find that it does improve your prayer life.

Conclusion: Prayer is an Essential Area of Worship

The Doctrine of Prayer

The following link is to a good news message describing how one can receive eternal life: Ticket to Heaven, it was written for anyone not absolutely certain about their eternal future.

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