Prayer

Eight hundred million people go to bed every day without eating any food whatsoever. Five hundred million of them are children. If you make ten thousand dollars per year, you make more money than eighty-five percent of the population of earth. If you make fifty thousand dollars a year you make more money than ninety-nine percent of the world’s population. Regardless of your situation here in the United States of American, you really don’t have anything to complain about. Take time to thank God for everything. This means so much to Him. Let Him know you appreciate all the blessings He has bestowed upon you. Blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God. Blessings are on the head of who that do what is right, and a faithful person will receive many blessings.

There are seven basic principles if we desire effective communication with our Lord. Read them very carefully and apply them to your next conversation with God. I know there are a lot of things going on in your life, and these 7 steps will help you share your concerns with God.

1.) And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. Mathew 21:22

Do not try to solve your own problems without God’s guidance.

2.) If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it. John 14:14 You receive an audience in heaven by using the name that is above every name, the name of Jesus Christ.

3.) Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.  And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. 1 John 5:14-15  God’s will is clearly stated in the Bible, and His will is consistent with His word.

4.) So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. Mathew 21:21 Our prayers begin and end in faith. Faith creates an environment where miracles are the only possible result.

5.) Be specific with your prayer request so that when your prayer is answered, you will know God sent it.

6.) If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear. Psalms 66:18  If we have  sin that we

have not confessed to God, He will not hear our prayer.

7.)  God will only forgive your sins as you forgive those who have sinned against you.

A Christian who doesn’t pray is weak and is powerless to spiritually change the outcome of events around him. When we don’t have a healthy prayer strategy it causes a heavy load to build up inside of us until we are carrying this heavy burden.

 This burden becomes so great you stop being your true self. I have seen countless Christians stop going to Church because their burden overwhelms them as   they sit in the pew singing and listening to God’s Word. They just can’t take it. One of my favorite songs is,  What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and grieves to bear! All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer! Oh, what peace we often forfeit, Oh, what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry, everything to God in prayer!

Pray to the Lord so that you will receive wisdom and instruction. To be able to perceive  the words of understanding. To be able to be taught  wise behavior, righteousness, justice and equity; To be able to think before you act and have good judgment. Pray for the ability  to increase your learning through  life and to be able to accept a wise person’s advice. Pray for these things in Jesus Christ’s name.

Fasting is primarily an extension of prayer  and is mentioned eleven times in the Bible. When we go without eating it intensifies our prayer life. Fasting should be taken on slowly and with caution. Some of the adverse symptoms are dizziness and headaches, However I have found it a rewarding experience. A easy fast that I have undertaken many times is the fast that Daniel undertook in Daniel 4:12. On this fast I go without meat and sweets for 3 weeks. It simply becomes a diet you will need to plan ahead for. Complete fasting has some remarkable stories in the Bible where Jesus and Moses went forty days without eating. There have been modern day stories of men accomplishing this feat, but I do not believe it is for the average person. In Matthews Jesus tells us that if we had the faith of a mustard seed we could simply move a mountain by speaking to it. He continues, “the casting out of demons takes fasting and prayer”. David says, “fasting humbles and improves his soul.” In the Bible one of the synonyms for fasting is the afflicting of the soul. The apostles fasted when they sought out the Lord for direction, however we are never commanded in the New Testament to fast. My recommendation is go from one evening meal to the next evening meal. Allow yourself to drink plenty of water.Set aside a special day so you will have plenty of time for Bible study and prayer.

The Lord’s Prayer Symbolizes How We Should Pray

Our Father : We should address all of our prayers to our Heavenly Father.  And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. Galatians 4:6-7

Who art in heaven: …One sat on the throne.  And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald.  Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on

the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads.  And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. Revelation 4:2-5

Holy be thy name: Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord! Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face evermore! 1 Chronicles 16:8

Thy kingdom come: Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. ¹¹ And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. Revelation 12:10-11

Thy will be done: Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness. Quicken me, O LORD, for thy name’s sake: for thy righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble. Psalm 143:10-11

On earth as it is in heaven: Let all the people praise You. Oh let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for You shall judge the people righteously and govern the nations on earth. Psalm 67:4

Give us this day our daily bread: I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. John 6:35

And forgive us our debts: If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. 1 John 1:8-10

As we forgive our debtors: Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.  And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.” Luke 17:3-4

Lead us not into temptation: Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.  Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.  But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.  Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. James 1:12-15

But deliver us from evil: Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. He who does good is of God, but he who does evil has not seen God. 3 John 11

For Thine is the kingdom, the power and glory forever: After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God! For true and righteous are His judgments… Revelation 19:1-2

Amen: So be it.

Be anxious for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. Philippians 4:6 NASB.

“Tell God all that is in your heart, as one unloads one’s heart, its pleasures and its pains, to a dear friend. Tell Him your troubles, that He may comfort you; tell Him your joys, that He may sober them; tell Him your longings, that He may purify them; tell Him your dislikes, that He may help you to conquer them; talk to Him of your temptations, that He may shield you from them; show Him the wounds of your heart, that He may heal them; lay bare your indifference to good, your depraved tastes for evil, your instability. Tell Him how self-love makes you unjust to others, how vanity tempts you to be insincere, how pride disguises you to yourself as to others.

If you thus pour out all your weaknesses, needs, troubles, there will be no lack of what to say. You will never exhaust the subject. It is continually being renewed. People who have no secrets from each other never want subjects of conversation. They do not weigh their words, for there is nothing to be held back; neither do they seek for something to say. They talk out of the abundance of the heart, without consideration, just what they think. Blessed are they who attain to such familiar, unreserved communication with God”.

Author Unknown

Protection – Psalm 34:7  – Psalm 32:7

Wisdom – James 1:5

Peace – John 14:26—Philippians 4:7

Presence of God – Psalm 46:1

Inner Strength – Ephesians 3:16

Clear Mind – 2 Timothy 1:7

Security – Psalm 17:8

Health for Physical Body – Philippians 4:13

Courage – Joshua 1:9

To Help Others – Philippians 2:3-4

To be Aware of God’s Love – Psalm 42

Family Concerns – 1 Peter 5:7

Rest – Mathew 11:28-29

Sleep – Psalm 4:8

Unity in Purpose – 1 Peter 3:8

Loneliness – Deuteronomy 31:6

Children of Military – Isaiah 54:13

Spouses of Military – Isaiah 40:11

Patience while Waiting – Psalm 33:20

God Directing their Steps – Psalm 32:8

Diligent in their Work – Colossians 3:23

Resist Temptation – 1 Corinthians 10:13

Discernment – Philippians 1:9

Fighting Depression – Psalm 42:5

Protection from evil – 2 Thessalonians 3:3

Encourage those around Them – Proverbs 11:25

Personal Prayer Life – Jeremiah 33:3

Deliverance from the Enemy – Psalm 31:15

Traveling Safely – Psalm 121:7-8