Prayer, Our Lifeline to God

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I would like to speak to you today about the subject of prayer. I believe that God would have each of us enter into prayer rather than discuss it, but we must realize the importance of prayer. We must know what prayer isn’t, and what real prayer is according to the Word of God.

The first thing that I would like to discuss with you is, what prayer is NOT:

A. Prayer is not a mental exercise of speaking words into the air that we have memorized to say that we have spoken to God. Prayer is not telling someone that you pray to God that this or that will happen, but actually going to God and bringing Him your burdens and cares so that He can be Lord over them.
B. Prayer is not speaking so that men will know how godly we might be. (Luke 18:10-14)
C. Prayer is not an exercise of desperation that possibly will get God's attention.
D. Prayer is not mindless repetition of certain words that have a religious symbol or ideology.
E. Prayer is not meant for the ears of men, but for the heart of God alone, for he is the one who has loved us and given Himself for us even while we were yet sinners.
F. Prayer is not meant to impress God with our knowledge or our piety either, but is our life line to him through his son Jesus Christ.
If we are praying with any of those above mentioned motives, then we should repent before God and let Him disclose Himself to us through the expressions of our hearts as we diligently seek Him through fellowship and love.

In the upcoming weeks we will be speaking about what real prayer to God is.

May you find the blessed experience of His presence and love when you draw near to Him today through the vehicle or means of prayer. He is waiting for your fellowship, friendship, and adoration. Won't you come to His throne of grace boldly and receive mercy and find the help that you need?

A. Prayer is communicating or communing with God in fellowship by speaking words out of our heart by our mouths. Simply put, it is talking to God about our needs, problems, concerns, and issues of our hearts.

1. Prayer is ASKING. Matt. 7:7 & 8 , “Ask and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”
2. Prayer is SPEAKING GOD'S WORD BACK TO HIM. (Isaiah 43:26), and also speaking in an unknown tongue to our own minds (In our natural tongue and prayer language tongue that is spoken out of our spirit, not out of our intellect). 1st cor. 14:15, jude 1:20
3. Prayer is a NEVER SAYING "IT IS FINISHED" petition. Eph. 6:12-18 vs. 18 says, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; ”
4. Prayer is FELLOWSHIP with the Lord and believers. Also by praising, worshiping, and adoring Him with songs, hymns and spiritual songs (Eph. 5:18-19).

B. Prayer is simply BRINGING GOD INTO OUR LIVES BY TALKING TO HIM AND BELIEVING THAT HE IS ABLE TO HELP US ACCORDING TO HIS WORD. James 5:13-16:

“Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is any merry? Let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

In the above scriptures we fine that we are to pray when we are in turmoil or problems. Then the elders of the church where you are attending are also to pray THE PRAYER OF FAITH and anoint you with oil in the Name of the Lord. Then we are also to pray for one another that we might be healed. The Spirit of God concludes through James, that fervent effective prayer (of a righteous man) who is in Christ will accomplish much. Praise the Lord!

C. PRAYER THAT ACCOMPLISHES ANYTHING MUST BE DONE IN FAITH FROM THE HEART, according to the Word or Covenant that God has offered those who receive His son Jesus Christ as their own Lord and Savior. Heb. 11:1 & heb. 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” You and I must come to God believing from our hearts that He is really concerned about us, loves us, and is for us. Then too, we must believe that as we come to Him that He is going to reward us with natural and spiritual blessings.

D. PRAYER OR COMMUNING WITH GOD IS NOT ONLY ACCOMPLISHED FROM OUR SPEAKING TO GOD, BUT HE WILL ALSO BE SPEAKING TO US. (Romans 8:14-16 and Proverbs 20:5 & 20:27). Romans 8:14, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”

GOD WILL ASSURE THAT OUR PLANS ARE ESTABLISHED AS WE COMMIT THEM UNTO HIM (Proverbs 16:3 & 4). Many times our prayers are not heard because we did not bring them in faith to the Lord. We have all probably found ourselves wondering why God did not do anything concerning what we thought we spoke to Him about. Although in reality, we never did commit them to Him in prayer.

If fear is tormenting you today, then chase it away IN THE NAME OF JESUS! Go to God in prayer by faith in His Covenant Word today and then allow the peace of God that is unfathomable, reach into your soul and heart and life and bring confidence, peace and joy! Philip. 4:6, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

MANY PEOPLE ASK THIS QUESTION OF SCHOLARLY MEN, “WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO PRAY?” While it is true that men should seek Him early in prayer, it is not a must that our time be in the morning. We are not under bondage to a certain time limit or period when it comes to fellowshipping with the Lord Almighty or His Son. We have been set free when it comes to liberty in Jesus Christ. Gal. 4:9-11 “But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.” Jesus said in John 8:36 “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”

Paul said by the Spirit in Romans 8: 15 “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.” Gal. 2:4 “And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage.”

We are not in a legal religious system that binds us with 10,000 do’s and don’ts, but we have entered into a life changing relationship with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords through a blood covenant with the Son of God Himself. Gal. 5:1 “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”

Remember this, that men will always try to put other men under bondage to something. It seems to be in our nature to want to be restricted by laws, rules, or regulations of some kind, but in Christ we have been set free from the law though we are not to use our liberty to sin against God or one another. Gal. 5:13 “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.”

HAVING SEEN THIS IN SCRIPTURE, LET US LOOK INTO THE WHOLE OF GOD’S COUNCIL:

Psalm 5:3 says,“My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.”
Ps. 59:16 “But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble.”
Ps. 88:13 “But I cry to you for help, O LORD; in the morning my prayer comes before you.”
Isaiah 26:9 says “My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you.”

WE ARE TO SEEK HIM, FOR HE IS ALWAYS AWAITING OUR APPROACH. Ps.119: 2 “Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart.” Jer. 29:13 “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”

WE ARE THE ONES THAT ARE TO PRESS INTO GOD OR DRAW NIGH UNTO GOD, THEN HE WILL RESPOND OR RECIPROCATE AND DRAW NEAR TO US. James 4:8, “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”

MANY THINGS WILL DEMAND OUR ATTENTION, BUT NOTHING WILL CHANGE OUR LIVES AS AN ENCOUNTER EARLY IN THE MORNING WITH THE LIVING GOD. We, as children and men and women of God, need to start our day off with a close encounter of the God kind. Then when the storms of life come, and they will, we will have the assurance in our hearts that He is with us and is for us. His presence and fellowship will linger throughout the day also if we practice His presence. Acts 4:13, “marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.” 1st Chron 16:27, “Glory and honour are in His presence; strength and gladness are in His place.”

While there is a time that we should set aside to speak to God, there is something more than this that we can have to enrich our lives. It is attitude of prayer or on going sense of prayer, where we throughout the day speak to him and he to us about issues of our heart and life. Isaiah 55: 6 “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.”

There are also seasons of prayer & meditation, which we can draw even closer, sensing that God wants to reveal Himself to us and disclose His covenant Ps 63: 6 “When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.”

Beloved, God desires that we come, whether at morning, noon, or evening time. Our Father is awaiting your fellowship and friendship together with Him. Won’t you draw near today and have your life changed in the presence of the living God and His Son Jesus Christ?

There will be many things that come into your life that will attempt to choke out your time with God, but you are the one who determines, in the end, when and how much time you want to spend. Your personal prayer life also will differ from someone else’s, so don’t try to be someone else, but be who you are in Christ and let Him change you with Godly virtues from the inside by His Spirit.

A. Friendship and fellowship with God. (TRUST WILL DEVELOP BETWEEN YOU AND GOD.) The more that we seek God in our daily walk with Him, the more a trust will develop between you and Him. We will not only know Him, but He will know us and we will be known by Him. Let us look at what God said about Abraham and Job. Isaiah 41:8 “But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.” Then in Job 1:8 “And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?”
Remember also that God told Abraham to offer Isaac up as a sacrifice to Him in Gen. 22:2 “Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about." Abraham had joined God in a covenant, and God’s Word was His covenant to Abraham. When we come to know God according to His Word, then a trust will come into our heart as it did with Abraham. Abraham did not know how God was going to do it, He trusted God to keep His former Word about his seed, meaning Isaac. Gen 17:1 &2 and Gen. 17:19.

ONE OF THE SECRETS OF KNOWING GOD IS DOING HIS WILL. IN ALL OF OUR WAYS WE SHOULD BE ACKNOWLEDGING HIM. (Prov.3:5-6).

God, our Father is very much interested in us, our future, our plans, hobbies, and all that we do. Let us come close to Him today and ask Him of His council and plan for our lives.

GOD'S DESIRE IS TO SPEAK AND COMMUNICATE HIS HEART TO YOU AND I THROUGH OUR PRAYER AND THE COVENANT THAT HE HAS MADE IN JESUS CHRIST.

God does not desire to destroy us or wait until we make some mistake to smash us as something insignificant thing. But His heart if found in the passage below. He desires to forgive us and remove any stain from our lives by the blood of His Son Jesus. Then He would like each of us to bring His covenant Word before Him, so that we are honoring His Word. When you honor someone, you honor them by believing their word.

The desire of God to commune with you: lsa.43:25-26; “I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins. Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified.”

Our God is a jealous God (Ex.20:3,4-5, 3 “Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me.”

Again God says that He is a jealous God in vs. 34:12-14; “ For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God: Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice.” Someone may well say that it was under the old Covenant, but God is still the same yesterday, today and forever. He is the God "that changes not". What are we trying to say then? Our hearts should not be for anyone or anything else if we are indebted to Christ and saved by His loving kindness.

God hated idolatry in the lives of His people the Jews, and he also hates it in our lives as we run after strange objects of worship. 1st John 5:21 says, “Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.” 2nd Cor. 6:16, “And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” Vs.17, “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.”

The last thing that we might want to look at is guarding our hearts so that they don’t become hardened. Prov.4:23 says: “ Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee. Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.”

One of the most difficult things for Christians in these last days is to stay focused on Him and the Work that He has called each one of us to do. We are so busy looking at so many different things, and caught up doing so many so called good things, that we forget to continue in the things that we have learned from our youth. It is a great challenge to our hearts to keep us stayed on Christ and to put away the toys of the world and spend time with the Lord. However, if we want to maintain our faith in Christ and grow in Him, in this last day, then we are going to have to sacrifice some of the things that have our attention and come away and pray and seek His face. Jesus once said to Peter and the other disciples, “Could you not even pray 1 hour?”

We are the people of God, if no one else is praying, then we as Christians should be the ones who are praying and seeking God. The changes in any society can be effected greatly when a nation is a praying people. I trust that you will seek him today, as someone once said, “Wise men still seek Him.”

Let us all find time to fall at His feet, be changed, and fall in love again with the one who gave us His life so freely. May each of you feel the warmth of His love, the returning joy of your salvation, and the peace that only His presence brings as you fellowship with the Lord God Almighty and His Son Jesus today around His Living Word.