"When you said, 'Seek My face,' my heart said to You,
'Your face, LORD, I will seek.'"
Psalm 27:8
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What is prayer?
Many might have a very good definition of what prayer is, place it in a nice square box and put a lid on it. But really, prayer is uncontainable.
We can make an attempt to describe what prayer is and how to operate in it, but things that are truly of the Spirit are a challenge to interpret.
As Jesus Christ continues in His present day ministry to sanctify and cleanse His church with the Word of God (Ephesians 5:26), we can expect Him to remove prayer out of the box of religious traditions of men and take us up into the higher realms of prayer that He experienced when He ministered on earth.
Prayer was not only the foundation of His ministry, it was His entire life. Prayer was in every breath He breathed, in what He heard, how He saw things, and what He spoke. As Jesus was the Word made flesh, Jesus was prayer in the flesh. He is our example of prayer and His church is called “a house of prayer.”
THE CHURCH: Dual Citizenship — Dual Occupancy
When Jesus ministered on earth He ministered under the Old Testament, fulfilling all the Law. He said it was to man’s advantage that He go away, for if He did not leave the Helper would not come. We know The Helper, the Holy Spirit, came on those gathered in the upper room on the Day of Pentecost, baptized them with fire and with power, and so began The Church, the called out ones. Read Luke 3:16 and Acts 1:5 & 8.
We are living under the New and Better Covenant in the dispensation of grace, where every member is cleansed by Blood, born of the incorruptible Word of God, made a new creation, the temple of the Holy Spirit. We have been raised up and made to sit together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus, not of works, lest anyone should boast. We are created in Christ Jesus and given the gift of grace to do good works. See Ephesians 2:4-10.
Seated in Heavenly Places
This is the seat that we have been given to pray from, which we access by going inward. This glorious seat is reserved and only the Blood-bought church can assemble there, individually and corporately. This seat is our Headquarters, the official place where The Glorious Church is to govern, rule, and reside over earthly affairs, over the nations, to bring manifestations of God’s Heavenly Kingdom to the earth realm. “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10) And really, we can go all the way back to Genesis 1:26-30, for God’s original intent for man to have authority.
Just as an Ambassador is sent to another country to represent his government, we are Ambassadors for Christ, representatives of the Kingdom of God. Prayer is our continual connection into Father’s Kingdom and His Presence within to direct and instruct us in His higher ways that have no earthly limitations.
Jesus said, “The Kingdom of God is within you.” Luke 17:21 Praise God!
The Storm
“On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, ‘Let us cross over to the other side.’ Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, ‘Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?’
“Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace, be still!’ And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.
“But He said to them, ‘Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?’ And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, ‘Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!’ Mark 4:35-41
Was prayer involved in what Jesus did?
The Fig Tree
“Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter, remembering, said to Him, ‘Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away.’” (Was prayer involved?)
“So Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.
“Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” Read Mark 11:12-24 for the complete passage.
JESUS—One with His Father: A Picture of Prayer
Let’s look at what Jesus said about Himself and His Father in the book of John.
“Then Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.’” John 5:19
“I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.” John 5:30
“Then Jesus said to them, ‘When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. And He who sent Me is with Me.’” John 8:28-29
“For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.” John 12:49
“Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.’” John 14:9-11
Jesus said He could do nothing of Himself. His will was totally submitted to His Father for what He should say and what actions He should take.
We know Jesus would separate Himself to be alone with His Father. Times of secluded fellowship with God provided strength, restoration, and direction. Yet, Jesus never disconnected from God when He came down the mountain and He was again teaching, preaching, and healing multitudes.
Our Father should never be placed on a shelf after we have had our prayer time with Him. As busy as we are with daily activities, that is precisely what Father wants to be involved with—not separated from. Why? To manifest the Kingdom and the greater works through you!
We are His body, The Church, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
Ephesians 1:23
That fullness of Him influencing all of our being in our daily life is—prayer.
The Lord’s Prayer: John Chapter 17
The culmination of prayer is the fulfillment to what Jesus asked His Father for:
“that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.” John 17:21
Let us inquire of the Lord, seeking His instruction throughout our day, and take prayer out of that religious box so we may "do the greater works!"
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January Assignments:
Let us continue in our assignment to read one chapter of Revelation out loud every day.
And remember that each Wednesday we are fasting and praying about the weather to bring order to the heavenlies. For more details see the end of the last Bible Study.
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OUR ASSIGNMENT IS TO PRAY FOR:
The Church —The Lost—Elected Leaders
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