Part 2: The Peace of God: " The Practice of Right Praying"
Ephesians 6:18:
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. (NIV
1 Thessalonians 5:17: " pray continually;"
2 Thessalonians 1:11
With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. (NIV)
The second important thing we need to practice is praying and praying the right way. According to Nelson’s Bible Dictionary," prayer" is "personal communication with God". God is "soverign, holy and righteous", yet, he is also so "personal and aproachable" that we can talk to him both "corporately and collectively". We are commanded to "watch over each other and remember each other in prayer", but even if no one petitions God in our behalf, we have the power to pray to God in our own behalf.
The main reason a child of God petitions God is out of recognition of our complete dependence upon him in every way and for every thing. Every day as we live, grow and have another chance at life as believers and servants, we recognize "the need" to communicate with him on a daily basis. The bible says "we are to pray without ceasing and to be instant in praying". Praying should be both constant and instantaneous. (1 Thessalonians 5:17) The bible also said in James 5:16 the effectual fervent prayer of the righteous avails much. Our prayers to God must be a "scriptural informed response to God". The reason is God hears and answers prayer is based upon Jesus Christ interceding in our behalf when he hung on the cross, taking our place . Jesus absorbed our rightful punishment and dying a sinner’s death to redeem our souls. Outside of a "personal relationship" with God the Father through Jesus Christ, the only sinner's prayer that usually recieves an answer from God is a prayer of both repentance and a reconcilliation the Jesus Christ as Savior.
There are "techniques" (methods) by which we ought to pray.There are 7 "aspects" to effective praying:
A. Faith.
Hebrews 11:6 says "without faith, it is impossible to please God". Any person who petitions God must "first believe that God is who he says he is"; then, believe that God is a rewarder to those who diligently seek him. The most meaningful prayer will come from a person whose heart trust in God. (Jehovah) When we take the time to study the Word, we quickly discover that God does speak to us through his word and we in turn should respond to him by prayer, believing his word and by obedience.
(Here's 2 important things to remember:)
1. First,
we will learn how to pray the right kind of prayers when we believe that God is holy, just, living, personal, active, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, immutable, and is from ever lasting to everlasting.
2. Second, the more we become personal with God, the more we can be assured and confident that God is a prayer answering God. A "confident prayer life" is built on the cornerstone of the finished work of Jesus Christ, the written testimonies of those patriarchs, prophets and servants contained in the Word of God, and the real testimonies shared by others living in the faith in our times.
B.`Worship.
It has been said that "worship is learning how to work in God's ship". Worship is solely about giving your undivided attention to God in adoration, praise and thanksgiving. In worship, we discover what is really important in this life, and that is, submitting to the sovereignty of Almighty God. It’s all about Jesus and not about us at all. We are benefactors from our humble submission to God in the true spirit of worship. In our worship, we recognize that God deserves our highest respect, and by setting our life’s standards according to his precepts, principles, and commandments, all of the things we value in life will be in line with the will of God and in line with his sacred standards. We will truly see that the Lord our God is holy the same way Isaiah did in Isaiah Chapter 6.
C. Confession.
When we are aware of God’s holiness, it will lead to us discovering more about ourselves. In Isaiah Chapter 6, Isaiah both saw the Lord high and lifted up and he quickly saw his own condition. Isaiah said this about himself: “Woe is me, for I am undone. I’m a man of “unclean” lips and I dwell among people of unclean lips because I have seen the King, the Lord of Host”. (Isaiah 6:5)
We must realize 2 things:
First, we must remember that all of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)
Second, we must remember whenever we sin, we don’t hurt just ourselves, but we bring hurt and shame to others and grief to God.
God loves us all, but he hates all sin. When we sin, according to King David, we sin against God. (Psalms 51:4) Whenever a confession is necessary, we must make all our confessions directly to God. God is just and able to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all of our unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
D. Adoration.
"Adoration" is a quintescential element of "admiration" that can lead us to emulation. When we admire the Lord and focus upon all of his handiworks, there is a part of us that wants to emulate him in character. According to Matthew 22:37, God desires that we love him with all of our being. It also desires that we show love by living by his glorious commandments. When we pray to God, we ought to let him know verbally how much we really love him. This can only happen when the love of God truly fills our hearts and is expressed in the many works we do in our life.
E. Praise.
We are to speak well of God because of all he is and what he has done for us. Praise is expressing the adoration we have for the Lord. It’s our way of telling him how much we adore him, how much we respect him and hold him in high esteem. God is to receive our highest acclaims and commendation. The psalmist said in Psalms 150:2 “Praise him for his mighty acts according to his excellent greatness, even for his righteous judgments. (Psalms 119:164) When we think of all of his goodness toward us and the new mercies he gives us everyday, we would be remised if we didn’t praise him in our prayers. F. Thanksgiving.
Our thanking of God should more than transcend the “things” that we have received to also include those "things" we didn’t receive but really deserved from God. Remember, Christ died for us while we were yet sinners. We were not his people before "our salvation" came through Jesus’ crucifixion on the cross. Truthfully, we really don’t have any legal claims to his goodness or his mercy. What God did through Jesus was impute "His righeousness" upon us as we believed that Jesus is the only way to salvation. (Romans 10:9,13; John 3:16-17) Revelation 13:8 tells that Jesus, the Lamb of God was slain before the foundation of the world. If God doesn’t do anything else for us, we still have enough to give him thanks just for salvation and another day. The bible tells us to give God thanks in everything.
G. Dedicated Action.
The end result of the practice of praying the right way is 2 fold:
1. First, the believer will listen for the voice of the Lord for the answered response to their prayer.
Sometimes the enemy will trick us through our conscious and cause us to think that God said yes when in fact he said no and visa versa. God has 4 answers to any of our prayers: yes, no, wait, and yes and even more than what you asked for. 2. Second, the "right kind of praying" will result in the right kind of responsive action to God's answer to the prayer request.
We are to become dedicated to God in every way and in everything. King Solomon experienced the last answer in 1 Kings 3:5-14. In verses 7 thru 9, Solomon closes his prayer request: "Now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?"
Now, notice God's response to his prayer:
1 Kings 3:10-14
The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. So God said to him, "Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for — both riches and honor — so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. And if you walk in my ways and obey my statutes and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life." (NIV)
In conclusion, we become more pro active and not reactive. We become better stewards and servants and render more service to those who need salvation and are in need of other aid because we learned how to pray the right way and from answered prayers we kboth know what to pray for and how to pray for whatever it may be..
Ephesians 6:18:
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. (NIV
1 Thessalonians 5:17: " pray continually;"
2 Thessalonians 1:11
With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. (NIV)
The second important thing we need to practice is praying and praying the right way. According to Nelson’s Bible Dictionary," prayer" is "personal communication with God". God is "soverign, holy and righteous", yet, he is also so "personal and aproachable" that we can talk to him both "corporately and collectively". We are commanded to "watch over each other and remember each other in prayer", but even if no one petitions God in our behalf, we have the power to pray to God in our own behalf.
The main reason a child of God petitions God is out of recognition of our complete dependence upon him in every way and for every thing. Every day as we live, grow and have another chance at life as believers and servants, we recognize "the need" to communicate with him on a daily basis. The bible says "we are to pray without ceasing and to be instant in praying". Praying should be both constant and instantaneous. (1 Thessalonians 5:17) The bible also said in James 5:16 the effectual fervent prayer of the righteous avails much. Our prayers to God must be a "scriptural informed response to God". The reason is God hears and answers prayer is based upon Jesus Christ interceding in our behalf when he hung on the cross, taking our place . Jesus absorbed our rightful punishment and dying a sinner’s death to redeem our souls. Outside of a "personal relationship" with God the Father through Jesus Christ, the only sinner's prayer that usually recieves an answer from God is a prayer of both repentance and a reconcilliation the Jesus Christ as Savior.
There are "techniques" (methods) by which we ought to pray.There are 7 "aspects" to effective praying:
A. Faith.
Hebrews 11:6 says "without faith, it is impossible to please God". Any person who petitions God must "first believe that God is who he says he is"; then, believe that God is a rewarder to those who diligently seek him. The most meaningful prayer will come from a person whose heart trust in God. (Jehovah) When we take the time to study the Word, we quickly discover that God does speak to us through his word and we in turn should respond to him by prayer, believing his word and by obedience.
(Here's 2 important things to remember:)
1. First,
we will learn how to pray the right kind of prayers when we believe that God is holy, just, living, personal, active, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, immutable, and is from ever lasting to everlasting.
2. Second, the more we become personal with God, the more we can be assured and confident that God is a prayer answering God. A "confident prayer life" is built on the cornerstone of the finished work of Jesus Christ, the written testimonies of those patriarchs, prophets and servants contained in the Word of God, and the real testimonies shared by others living in the faith in our times.
B.`Worship.
It has been said that "worship is learning how to work in God's ship". Worship is solely about giving your undivided attention to God in adoration, praise and thanksgiving. In worship, we discover what is really important in this life, and that is, submitting to the sovereignty of Almighty God. It’s all about Jesus and not about us at all. We are benefactors from our humble submission to God in the true spirit of worship. In our worship, we recognize that God deserves our highest respect, and by setting our life’s standards according to his precepts, principles, and commandments, all of the things we value in life will be in line with the will of God and in line with his sacred standards. We will truly see that the Lord our God is holy the same way Isaiah did in Isaiah Chapter 6.
C. Confession.
When we are aware of God’s holiness, it will lead to us discovering more about ourselves. In Isaiah Chapter 6, Isaiah both saw the Lord high and lifted up and he quickly saw his own condition. Isaiah said this about himself: “Woe is me, for I am undone. I’m a man of “unclean” lips and I dwell among people of unclean lips because I have seen the King, the Lord of Host”. (Isaiah 6:5)
We must realize 2 things:
First, we must remember that all of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)
Second, we must remember whenever we sin, we don’t hurt just ourselves, but we bring hurt and shame to others and grief to God.
God loves us all, but he hates all sin. When we sin, according to King David, we sin against God. (Psalms 51:4) Whenever a confession is necessary, we must make all our confessions directly to God. God is just and able to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all of our unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
D. Adoration.
"Adoration" is a quintescential element of "admiration" that can lead us to emulation. When we admire the Lord and focus upon all of his handiworks, there is a part of us that wants to emulate him in character. According to Matthew 22:37, God desires that we love him with all of our being. It also desires that we show love by living by his glorious commandments. When we pray to God, we ought to let him know verbally how much we really love him. This can only happen when the love of God truly fills our hearts and is expressed in the many works we do in our life.
E. Praise.
We are to speak well of God because of all he is and what he has done for us. Praise is expressing the adoration we have for the Lord. It’s our way of telling him how much we adore him, how much we respect him and hold him in high esteem. God is to receive our highest acclaims and commendation. The psalmist said in Psalms 150:2 “Praise him for his mighty acts according to his excellent greatness, even for his righteous judgments. (Psalms 119:164) When we think of all of his goodness toward us and the new mercies he gives us everyday, we would be remised if we didn’t praise him in our prayers. F. Thanksgiving.
Our thanking of God should more than transcend the “things” that we have received to also include those "things" we didn’t receive but really deserved from God. Remember, Christ died for us while we were yet sinners. We were not his people before "our salvation" came through Jesus’ crucifixion on the cross. Truthfully, we really don’t have any legal claims to his goodness or his mercy. What God did through Jesus was impute "His righeousness" upon us as we believed that Jesus is the only way to salvation. (Romans 10:9,13; John 3:16-17) Revelation 13:8 tells that Jesus, the Lamb of God was slain before the foundation of the world. If God doesn’t do anything else for us, we still have enough to give him thanks just for salvation and another day. The bible tells us to give God thanks in everything.
G. Dedicated Action.
The end result of the practice of praying the right way is 2 fold:
1. First, the believer will listen for the voice of the Lord for the answered response to their prayer.
Sometimes the enemy will trick us through our conscious and cause us to think that God said yes when in fact he said no and visa versa. God has 4 answers to any of our prayers: yes, no, wait, and yes and even more than what you asked for. 2. Second, the "right kind of praying" will result in the right kind of responsive action to God's answer to the prayer request.
We are to become dedicated to God in every way and in everything. King Solomon experienced the last answer in 1 Kings 3:5-14. In verses 7 thru 9, Solomon closes his prayer request: "Now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?"
Now, notice God's response to his prayer:
1 Kings 3:10-14
The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. So God said to him, "Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for — both riches and honor — so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. And if you walk in my ways and obey my statutes and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life." (NIV)
In conclusion, we become more pro active and not reactive. We become better stewards and servants and render more service to those who need salvation and are in need of other aid because we learned how to pray the right way and from answered prayers we kboth know what to pray for and how to pray for whatever it may be..
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