I have been thinking about prayer more and more the past few weeks. There have been several instances where the topic of prayer has arisen lately. I wonder if God has been speaking to me about this important issue.
The word Prayer appears 112 times in 104 verses of the bible. The most popular prayer that most have heard is known as The Lord's Prayer located in the book of Mathew Chapter 6:9-13. This is the example that Jesus gave to his disciples in regards to prayer. In today's society everyone seems to know the basic idea behind prayer. It is you asking God for something you need. In most cases I feel it is something we want.
Have you ever had some one say - "I am praying for you"? We all have. What bothers me the most are the times where someone says it, and you know its not true. Sadly, I feel that, "I'll be praying for you" has been reduced to a modern day catch phrase.
Here is an example I have seen. A man claimed he was praying for a friend in regards to personal issues. Yet the man offering the prayer clearly lives a lifestyle contradictory to that of Christianity (or any anther religion for that matter.) I question if the man really prayed? Or was it just the right thing to say to someone in need? All of life's answers can be found in the bible. It is the unfailing word of God. I'll look to the scriptures for answers to the question - Did the man really pray for his friend?
Now its hard to tell whether or not anyone does anything when they are alone or in private. Here's something to think about. James Whitcomb Riley coined the term - "when I see a bird that walks like a duck and swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, I call that bird a duck." When someone routinely practices, without remorse or guilt, the deed of the flesh found in Galatians 5:19 - immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealously, out burst of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing and things like these, it may be safe to say they aren't praying regularly. Although it is likely that a man who attends church, lives a life with morals and values, and is respectable, would in fact pray when he says he will.
What if the man DID pray? Lets see what scripture says about that. I traditionally will not use "Proof Text" to drive home a point. However, in this study, it is clear to see that God does not hear the words or prayers of those who do not turn from sinful ways. Check out these verses:
Proverbs 15:29 says - The LORD is far from the wicked, But He hears the prayer of the righteous.
Proverb 28:9 is similar - He who turns away his ear from listening to the law, Even his prayer is an abomination.
Isaiah 1:15 - "So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; Yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood.
Peter 3:12 tells us that - THE EYES OF THE LORD ARE TOWARD THE RIGHTEOUS, AND HIS EARS ATTEND TO THEIR PRAYER, BUT THE FACE OF THE LORD IS AGAINST THOSE WHO DO EVIL."
In conclusion, I don't feel that the man actually prayed for his friend. It is was a nice thing to tell his friend though. I am sure he meant well. Ultimately God's will is in everything we do and don't do. I know that everything worked out well in this scenario though.
We must commit ourselves as Christ followers to time of prayer. We need to follow the guideline Jesus gave to us. A good practice to maintain is as follows:
You need to find a quite time and place. Some place where you can be alone to meditate.
Start off you prayer time by giving praise to God for all of the good things that he has done. Praise him for who he is, for his gift on the cross, for the things that he is doing and has done in your life.
Next it is important to repent and surrender. We are all human we make mistakes and fall short of the glory of God. By admitting our mistakes and asking for forgiveness we put ourselves back into a right relationship with God. We then surrender our lives to God so that he has the ability to most us into righteous and godly people.
Always ask for the guidance of the Holy Spirit during prayer time. After Jesus left this earth he promised us his Holy Spirit to help us in our Christian walk. It is important for us to ask for the Holy Spirit to continue to work in our lives.
Read the Bible. The Holy Scripture is the primary way that God communicated to us. Spend a few minutes each prayer time reading scripture and let God speak to you through his word.
Listen. God does speak to us. Spend some time in quiet and listen for the voice of God. Reflect on what he was saying to you in scripture. If you are not sure how to tell when God is speaking than ask God to show you. He will speak! It may take some time, maybe more than a few minutes or more than a day but if you ask God will make his voice clear to you.
Intercede for others. This is the time to pray for your needs and the needs of others in the community. Pray for healing, for God to touch a situation or for a person in need and for the needs of the day. Make sure to remember to pray that God would be with you through the day and that he would protect you from temptation and the "flaming arrows of the evil one". It is a good idea to end with the "Our Father".
I hope you enjoyed reading this. This was a topic that has been on my mind and the blog is a good way to share it. Most of the information I took from the bible and personal experience. So items items I got from www.youthpastor.com and www.wikipedia.com
Thanks !
Thoughts and considerations from an average young American Family man. Christ Follower, Husband, Father. We're not rich, but we're not poor. We are above the below, and below the upper.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Sunday, May 16, 2010
My Doctrine. What I believe. The God I serve.
God: I believe that God is eternal. Always has been, always will be the One and only supreme being of the universe. God is Holy, Righteous, Just, Sovereign, Immutable, Omnipresent, and Omnipotent. He is a God of Love and Truth full of Mercy and Grace.
Creation: God created all things in the beginning starting with the Heavens and the Earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.
God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning--the first day.
And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water." So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. God called the expanse "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning--the second day. And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear." And it was so. God called the dry ground "land," and the gathered waters he called "seas." And God saw that it was good.
Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so.
The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning--the third day.
And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so.
God made two great lights--the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.
God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness.
And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning--the fourth day. And God said, "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky." So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind.
And God saw that it was good. God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth." And there was evening, and there was morning--the fifth day. And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground--everything that has the breath of life in it--I give every green plant for food." And it was so. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning--the sixth day.
The Bible: The scripture describes it best..... All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness. (2 TIM 3:16)
Salvation: Accepting and belief in Jesus Christ. Acknowledgement that he died for the sins of man and that the only way to the father is through him.
The Trinity: God exists as one God, three natures: God the Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Sin: All people are born into sin. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God - Romans 3:23 The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ - Romans 6:23
Christ's Death, Burial and Resurrection: Jesus Christ was crucified. Buried in a tomb. Three days later, he rose. Since he was without sin he could defeat death.
The Church: The body of believers and Christ followers are the Church. Not the building we meet at. As a Christ follower you must be active within the body and have a right relationship with people. If you do not have a right relationship with people, your growth in the Lord will be stunned.
Ultimately I believe that as a Christ follower I am called to: LOVE GOD, LOVE PEOPLE, SERVE THE KINGDOM, AND TELL THE WORLD.
Creation: God created all things in the beginning starting with the Heavens and the Earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.
God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning--the first day.
And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water." So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. God called the expanse "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning--the second day. And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear." And it was so. God called the dry ground "land," and the gathered waters he called "seas." And God saw that it was good.
Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so.
The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning--the third day.
And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so.
God made two great lights--the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.
God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness.
And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning--the fourth day. And God said, "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky." So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind.
And God saw that it was good. God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth." And there was evening, and there was morning--the fifth day. And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground--everything that has the breath of life in it--I give every green plant for food." And it was so. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning--the sixth day.
The Bible: The scripture describes it best..... All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness. (2 TIM 3:16)
Salvation: Accepting and belief in Jesus Christ. Acknowledgement that he died for the sins of man and that the only way to the father is through him.
The Trinity: God exists as one God, three natures: God the Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Sin: All people are born into sin. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God - Romans 3:23 The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ - Romans 6:23
Christ's Death, Burial and Resurrection: Jesus Christ was crucified. Buried in a tomb. Three days later, he rose. Since he was without sin he could defeat death.
The Church: The body of believers and Christ followers are the Church. Not the building we meet at. As a Christ follower you must be active within the body and have a right relationship with people. If you do not have a right relationship with people, your growth in the Lord will be stunned.
Ultimately I believe that as a Christ follower I am called to: LOVE GOD, LOVE PEOPLE, SERVE THE KINGDOM, AND TELL THE WORLD.
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