Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your
sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at
God’s right hand. Colossians
3:1
To the Faithful in
Christ who long to see Him face to face!
‘It will
save years of frustration and effort for one to understand that prayer can not
be learned or developed, because prayer is the natural outflow of the our new
nature, our new life in Christ. As one grows and the Cross frees the new from
the old, there is the growth of effective prayer. ms
What really became
clear to me this week is the importance of the Cross in a believers prayer
life. Many books are written about prayer, good or not so good. Caution! Be
aware in your reading on prayer, taking notice whether the Cross is put forth
as the sole ground and basis of God’s provision! The Cross allows us to come to
Him, through the blood of Jesus Christ. If the Cross is absent or secondary, it
is not worth the paper it is written on. The shed blood gives us the right to
come boldly before His throne in prayer and petition, confessing our sins and
receiving grace to help in time of need. The Cross is the central point of
focus in our Christ-life. We come with praise, thanksgiving and intercession.
Without the Cross, isn’t
prayer a mere formality? A religious exercise we perform to gain favor and
acceptance with God and to make ourselves feel righteous? Without the Cross
prayer is arrested in it’s purpose! We are not heard because of our eloquence,
our many words or how we turn a phrase. It is always a matter of our heart
condition. God looks at our heart.
Prayer warriors will
find praying is a most difficult endeavor. Exhausting. Wonderful. Necessary.
Heart rending. Intimate. In prayer we are contending for the faith. I have
often heard a missions pastor say: Little prayer, little power. Much prayer,
much power! Prayer is filled with mystery. God takes our imperfect prayers and
presents them faultless before the throne of grace, as the Holy Spirit prays
through us! Who can explain this? It is so humbling.
In
the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.
We do not know what we ought to pray for,
but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through
wordless groans. Romans 8:26
It is the Cross that
works death to our osn (old sin nature) as the Holy Spirit applies God’s truth.
It is only as the Holy Spirit keeps in the
place of death, our osn and all that is
in us, that is against God, that our spirit has viable communication with
the living, Holy, God!
One of the most
delightful and necessary parts of prayer is meeting with other believers to
pray. This past year I have been blessed to have weekly prayer partner, to pray
for our families. This had been my desire for a long time. I also love Mom’s
in Prayer where I meet with other moms to pray for our High school and
our student. I pray for my granddaughter.
“For
where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their
midst.” Matthew
18:20
We know God is always
with us and will never leave or forsake us, so this scripture is to say He
attends us in a very special way when we honor Him by meeting with even one
other person! What a Savior! My feet are dancing!
In prayer: We are to
come with our cup up! (in expectant faith) Hebrews 11:6 We are to be humble
enough to expect God to pray through us. We are to begin with a time of praise,
followed by a time of confession, as He searches our hearts to reveal sin that would
hinder our prayers. Now, a time of thanksgiving. Then intercession! We can
pray scripture for our loved ones and bring any praises for answered prayer and
whatever requests we have to the LORD.
“Faith is not a force we exercise or a striving to believe that
something shall be,
thinking that if we believe hard enough it will come to
pass.”ARH
It is necessary to
approach God as Sovereign and good. We are not come with an attitude that if we believe God hard enough, somehow
He is obligated to answer our prayers according to our will. Not just answer, but to answer in the way we have decided is the right
answer. This makes it about us… which doesn’t make sense because we are sinful,
foolish, short-sighted and cannot make our heart beat one more time. Why do we
so readily pray for our will to be done rather than God’s will? O how we must
grieve our precious LORD.
So then
faith comes by hearing, and
hearing by the word of God. Romans
10:17
God’s word is a key
in our prayer life. Strong faith is developed through reading and meditating on
His word. Begin praying His word! Do not let prayer become about you, even when
praying for your self. Let me encourage you to keep a prayer journal for His
glory and your own encouragement. And….
Rock your world! Ask God
to give you a prayer partner!
Revive your
perspective of God’s sovereignty with words from J.I. Packer: "We may be frankly bewildered at the
things that happen to us, but God knows exactly what He is doing, and what He
is after, in His handling of our affairs. Always, and in everything, He is
wise; we shall see that hereafter, even if we never saw it here. (Job in heaven
knows the full reason why he was afflicted, though he never knew the reason in
this life.) Meanwhile, we ought not hesitate to trust His wisdom, even when He
leaves us in the dark." - J. I. Packer
LORD, I open my heart
to You. In Your gentleness look deeply into my heart and change in me what
needs changing; so I love You better. Suffering or healing, sickness or health,
comfort or allowing me to feel my trial and the pain of others as I wait on
Your comfort. Cause me to adore Your will even if it is remains a mystery. I
long for faith to endure and even more so, I long to endure with joy. I pray
for my brothers and sisters, teach us to pray! Grow us up. Give us a gnawing
hunger to ‘know’ You intimately and a hunger for Your word that it would
established in us, that which produces reverence for You. It is in Jesus most
holy name I pray. Amen
God graciously
answers prayer, az
Dove's Eye at http://az-doveseye.blogspot.com/
http://www.gramzkidz.com
http://www.gramzkidz.com
The Gospel (or Good News) message of Jesus
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