"... God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy."
1 Timothy 6:17
________________________________________________________________________________________
Holy Brethren who pray,
As The Church matures, God is able to share with us deeper truths about prayer. Why? Because we have ears to hear. This is referring to hearing in your spirit. Read Mark 4:9-25.
In our last lesson, we said prayer is uncontainable and to try and define it and place it in a religious box is not describing prayer in its fullness, for the way Jesus operated in prayer was His very existence, His entire life. Every breath He breathed, all He said, all He accomplished through the anointing of the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:38) was based on His oneness and His submission to go inward to see and to hear the will of His Father. John 5:30
Jesus dominated the natural by living from the inside…out.
PRAYER AND THE WILL OF MAN
In the Garden of Eden man chose his own will over the Father’s will. No prayer involved.
In prayer at the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus, suffering in unimaginable torment, sought and yielded to His Father’s will.
Thank God! “By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” Hebrews 10:10
“And so it is written, ‘The first man Adam became a living being.’ The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.” 1 Corinthians 15:45
God made man with the right to choose.
That will is at the root of decisions we make, either following the:
- old Adamic nature, which is carnality
- or yielding to the higher ways of being led of the Holy Spirit within us
This study lesson we’ll be taking a brief look at two opposing topics: unanswered prayer and answered prayer.
Since the Holy Spirit is the Teacher of The Church, we will depend upon His leading and insight to give us direction in how this generation can pray more effectively.
Why?
To fulfill the Master’s command to do the works He did, and even greater works because He has gone to the Father. See John 14:12
The Carnal Nature: Genesis Chapters 25 - 32
Even in the womb of his mother Rebekah, Jacob fought with his twin brother Esau to be the first born.
Throughout his life, he was after the blessing, first tricking Esau to get his birthright, later deceiving his father Isaac to get his blessing, and finally his personal encounters with God when the Lord gave Jacob the blessing of Abraham and then changed his name to Israel.
Jacob craved for the blessing but sought it by the works of the flesh, twisting and conniving this way and that way to achieve his desire.
The Influence of Religious Tradition
For hundreds of years, Christians grew up under religious teachings that relied on the doctrines of men to try and reach God to get their prayers answered. Imagine paying money for answered prayer and forgiveness of sins! Thank God for the reformation and also the invention of the printing press that brought about the spreading of Bibles throughout all Europe beginning in the year 1547. Knowledge of the truth brought correction to set men free! Interesting note: Only 71 years later, after people could read the Bible for themselves, the Puritans traveled to America’s shores to worship Almighty God in freedom.
Multitudes in our generation have heard the word of truth and have chosen to seek God’s word and disconnect from lies. We have been very blessed with anointed leaders and Christian media that have been on the advance, teaching people the right way into God’s Presence and the principles He requires for answered prayer.
Beware if you’re trying really hard, like Jacob, wrestling with God to get Him to answer your prayers.
No child of God has to jump through hoops and perform tricks to get His attention; after all, He lives with you. You are one with your Father, just as Jesus is one with Father. John 17:21
Renew your mind to what the New Covenant teaches about your covenant rights because that will impact your life of prayer.
Knowledge of the truth and acting on it brings liberty.
Did you know that you can only grow spiritually according to what you hear?
Why is that?
- “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed?
- And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?
- And how shall they hear without a preacher?” Romans 10:14-15
Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God—by a preacher who really believes it! Romans 10:17
Saints, pray often for your Pastors/Preachers.
Two preachers I highly recommend are Kenneth Copeland and Keith Moore. To hear and study more about your covenant rights, go to KCM.org or FLCBranson.org and search for teachings on this subject. This will affect your right standing with God and your confidence and faith to produce answered prayer.
On the other hand, to hear the traditions of men, just visit any small church on the corner of Main Street, USA, that hasn't grown in 50 years and teaches that healing passed away with the Apostles. Choosing the tradition and error of men hinders the work of the Holy Spirit and the spreading of the gospel.
This is what separated the believing Jews from the unbelieving Jews.
And, this is what made our Savior weep over Jerusalem.
“Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, ‘If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.” Luke 19:41-44
So then, we can see how man’s will to choose tradition over the truth of God is a decision: a bad decision!
Uncovering Tradition:
As we enter this New Year, let’s take some time with the Lord in prayer and ask Him if we unknowingly are holding onto religious doctrine not founded on God’s Word. It could be, as they say, “the fly in the ointment.” Ecclesiastes 10:1
Read out loud the “Who I Am in Christ” scriptures slowly and ask yourself after each one, “Do I really believe this is me?” Here’s that link: Who You Are Scriptures
It’s easy to change. It just starts with a decision and a dependence on our Helper, the Holy Spirit.
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:8
ANSWERED PRAYER
In our last lesson, we learned that prayer is a life of communion—communication with God the Father through and with His Son, Jesus Christ.
Since no man can come to the Father except by Him, (John 14:6) answered prayer is dependent upon the new birth. Even the prayer of salvation relies on faith in what Jesus did on the cross.
- So then, answered prayer is based on a covenant which you entered into when you asked Jesus into your heart. You gave Him your life, He gave you everything He has.
- Old Testament prayers and New Testament prayers are different because of different dispensations and differences in the position of God’s people. We, The Church, have boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, through the veil, His flesh. Hebrews 10:20
- We have been raised up and made to sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:6) An example of New Testament prayer can be found in Ephesians 1:15-23 and 3:14-20.
- Prayer is the communion of God’s will and man’s will united as one.
- Prayer is working with God for His will to be done on earth as it is done in Heaven.
- The prayer of faith transfers God’s promise, what has been granted in the written Word, into this natural world to meet every one of your needs and the needs of those you intercede for.
- Prayer is a declaration of your dependence on God. “Without Him we can do nothing.” John 15:5
- Effective prayer is two-fold: abiding in Jesus and His word abiding in us. “Ask what you desire and it shall be done for you.” John 15:7
Jesus also said:
“For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8
“And whatever you ask in my name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” John 14:13
“And when you pray you shall not be like hypocrites…that they may be seen by men… do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do for they think they’ll be heard for their many words.” Matthew 6:5-7
God’s Part — Our Part
Sometimes we get confused about prayer. Our part is to have a surety in our heart that when we pray, He hears us and He will do it. This is faith and faith is a requirement to answered prayer.
God’s part is to bring it to pass.
It’s not our job to strive and toil to try and make the prayer come to pass. Answered prayer is not based on works or the arm of the flesh. What is answered prayer based on? Faith working through love! See Galatians 5:6.
“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.” 3 John 2-4.
__________________________________________________________________________________
JANUARY: An Important Month
Let us continue in our assignments:
For your edification, read one chapter of the Book of Revelation out loud every day—without studying it.
Each Wednesday we are fasting and praying about the weather to bring order to the heavenlies. Scroll down and read the January 7, 2014—Bible Study for further details.
___________________________________________________________________________________
The Glorious Church:
Praying for our cities and counties:
The Church —The Lost—Elected Leaders
Copyright © 2013 – 2014 Prayer with Purpose; prayerwithpurpose.org