The secret to Jesus success in ministry was a lifestyle of prayer.

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1 Living By Faith (Lesson 37) The Purpose and Power of Prayer (Part 6) Ricardo Rick Pina Victory Gospel Experience (VGE), Camp Victory, Iraq Monday Night, 7:00pm (October 5 th, 2009) Introduction: Tonight we continue our new series on the Purpose and Power of Prayer. For the last two weeks we 10 Steps to Preparedness in Prayer. Tonight we will look at: Jesus Model Prayer (Part I). (Luke 11:1 NIV) One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples." We know that the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray. What followed was Jesus Model Prayer. We will take a closer look at the Model Prayer next week. For this week we will see what led the disciples to ask this of Jesus. The secret to Jesus success in ministry was a lifestyle of prayer. Of all the things Jesus disciples hear Him say and do, the Bible records only one thing that they asked Him to teach them, and that was how to pray. Why didn t they ask Him to teach them how to perform miracles? Why didn t they ask Him to teach them how to feed the multitudes? Why didn t they ask Him to teach them how to cast our demons? Maybe it was because they connected all those things to prayer! Maybe it was because they believed that prayer was the secret to His success. Instead of doing things and then asking the Father to bless it, it seems like Jesus actually found out (first) what the Father wanted to bless and then sought to do that! He received His marching orders IN PRAYER! What the Disciples Observed The disciples live with Jesus for 3 ½ years. They went everywhere He went and they observed Him closely. Some things are taught, others are caught. Wisdom is transferred by association (Prov 13:20). They observed the fact that He prayed for hours every day. (Mark 1:35 NIV) Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. While the disciples were still sleeping, Jesus was praying. Then they would get up, find Him, and then He would say something like, Let s go to Jerusalem, or somewhere else, where He would spend a few seconds healing someone, after having spent hours in prayer. 1

2 Notice the ratio: hours doing one thing and seconds doing another. This was His M.O. He would spend hours in prayer, and then a few seconds healing a leper or casting out a demon. The disciples probably said to themselves, Wow. He healed that man in a few seconds, but He spent hours in prayer this morning. As a matter of fact, after prayer, He knew where we should go for the day, so He could run into the man that He was supposed to heal. This must mean that prayer is more important than the actual act of miracles. Prayer is what enables Him to do all that He does. Today, most believers have the ratio backwards. They spend a few minutes in prayer, then hours trying to deal with their challenges. If they would spend time in prayer, they would be better equipped for the challenges when they come! Martin Luther once said, When I have a lot to do in a day, I spend more time in prayer, because more work is done by prayer than by work itself. Dr. Myles Munroe said, If I am too busy to pray, then I am too busy. If you are too busy to pray, then you are too busy. Dr. Myles Munroe continued: We can never really be too busy to pray because prayer makes our lives much more focused, efficient, and peaceful. Learning this principle has been essential in my life. When I have many things on my heart and mind, a lot of confusion in my life, or overwhelming circumstances to face, I don t try to tackle these problem myself. I go to God in prayer, and He gives me the wisdom and guidance I need to address them. The Results of Intimacy with the Father In John 5:19 we read that Jesus did a great miracle. He healed a man who had been sick for 38 years. Some people were pleased by the healing, but others were upset because Jesus healed the man on the Sabbath. (John 5:15,17 NIV) So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jews persecuted him. Jesus said to them, My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working. In effect, Jesus was saying, I spent time with My Father this morning. I already had my whole day worked out for Me because I had fellowship with the One who made days. My Father already had a plan to heal this man today and He gave me instructions to be the one through which the healing would come. This healing came as a result of My Father working, and My knowing what He wanted to do. Since He wanted to work today, I am working today. 2

3 What a way to live! That is what I call Living By Faith! Let s look at the next verse: (v.18) For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. Jesus was saying that God Himself was giving Him instructions and the religious leadership of the time did not like that. They were upset that He healed a man on Saturday, because they could not heal him on Sunday Friday. Jesus further explained His intimacy with the Father: (verses 19,20) Jesus gave them this answer: I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these. Most of the time, we spend all day trying to figure out what God wants us to do, instead of going to the Father first, and then seeing what He wants us to do. Prayer is the medium through which man discovers what the Father desires to do in the earthly realm, so that man can participate in the process and agree with the Spiritual realm to bring it to pass. (Mat 18:18, 19 AMP) Truly I tell you, whatever you forbid and declare to be improper and unlawful on earth must be what is already forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit and declare proper and lawful on earth must be what is already permitted in heaven. Again I tell you, if two of you on earth agree (harmonize together, make a symphony together) about whatever [anything and everything] they may ask, it will come to pass and be done for them by My Father in heaven. What else do we learn from this? 1. The Son can do nothing by himself: Prayer is not us telling God what to do, but rather, us finding out what God already wants to do and cooperating with Him to do it. 2. He can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does: If we are able to see what the Father already wants to do, then we can operate in complete confidence and courage that He will do it (through us). 3. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does: Many believers say, God, please speak to me! Will you please show me what You want to do? But God DOES want to speak to us. He loves us and He desires to show things to us, but we MUST spend time with Him in prayer, in order to receive! 4. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these: Jesus was clear that: a. The actions He took came only as a result of the Leading of the Father b. This was only the tip of the iceberg. 3

4 ***All of this came as a result of prayer! When you spend time in the morning (or anytime) in prayer the Father begins to show you what is supposed to be done next. Prayer saves you time. Prayer gets the Father involved. Prayer makes sure that you don t try to address issues alone! Many believers put off praying because they don t think they have the time to spare, but actually if they would take the time to pray, the Father would enable them to maximize the time they do spend. I have tried both doing things with God and without Him and take it from me: WITH GOD is better! Many believers routinely spend hours talking sports, politics, fitness, and etc., and they get very little return on the investment of their time in these areas. But the same people spend just minutes in prayer (if that). Instead of spending hours talking about the economy, crime, health care reform, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, natural disasters, and etc.; why not spend that time talking to God about it, getting direction from Him concerning it, and releasing His hand to get involved? Hearing From God There is nothing more intimate than your thoughts. When you share your deepest thoughts with someone, you build true intimacy with them. You and your thoughts are one (Prov 23:7). Most of the time, the Father communicates with you through your thoughts. Very rarely will He speak audibly! (John 5:19 NIV) Jesus gave them this answer: I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. Where did Jesus see the Father do all these things? In His mind s eye! Visualize your day with God. Spend time going through your schedule BEFORE you go through your schedule. Dr. Myles Munroe said, 99% of the time God will speak to your mind through your spirit. Many people are waiting for a burning bush or an angel. However, they don t hear from God because they are waiting in the wrong way. God doesn t generally speak verbally. For example, you may think: I should call so-and-so today. I haven t spoken to them in a while. And then you call them and before you know it, you are ministering to them for an hour. That s God! 4

5 Don t make important decisions on your own: When you have an important decision to make, pray and fast. If you spend time with God, He will make the decision easy. If you attempt to make it on your own, you will often struggle with the decision. (John 17:20-22 NIV) My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one. I know this verse seems like Jesus was praying for unity in the church. Read it again and you will see that in essence, what He was saying was, Father, make my disciples one, the way that You and I are one with each other. Make them one with You in the same what I am one with You. Jesus wanted us to have with the Father the same thing He had. He wanted us to literally walk and talk with Him. We should have confidence, because of the Holy Spirit: (Gal 5:16 NASB) But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. When we spend ample time in communion (common union) with God, we will be able to more clearly discern the leadership of His Spirit. (1 st Cor 2:9-14 NIV) However, as it is written: No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The Holy Spirit enables us to hear, to understand, to comprehend, and to receive! The man without the Holy Spirit is lost concerning Spiritual things! These Spiritual things are revealed to us in prayer! Closing thoughts: 1. Prayer is the only thing the disciples asked Jesus to teach them. 2. Knowledge of prayer is obviously NOT automatic. 3. Next week we will look at Jesus Model Prayer. 5

6 Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for teaching me how to pray. The more I learn about prayer, the more I realize how important it is to my development IN YOU. I declare, by faith, that I will start each day with prayer and that I will also pray whenever I feel led to do so. That way, You can order my day and lead me throughout the day, by Your Spirit. I refuse to make any more excuses for NOT taking the time to pray. I pray more regularly, more effectively, and with more power starting NOW! I develop my intimacy with You through communing with You in prayer. I know You are always working, and therefore, I ask You to use me in Your daily work. The more sensitive I become to the leading of Your Spirit, the more You can use me for Your glory! Father, I want to be used. Lead me, guide me, direct me, speak to me, and manifest Yourself to me in prayer. I can do nothing by myself. I will learn to hear first, then act, and I know that Your grace will be upon all that I put my hands to do in Your name. I am Your sheep, I hear Your voice, and the voice of a stranger I shall not follow. Thank You Father, for teaching me how to pray and for the excitement I now have about prayer. I develop my prayer life now and I shall never be the same! In Jesus name. Amen! 6