First Principles of Answered Prayer

Transcription

1 First Principles of Answered Prayer Truth: Not praying when assigned to do so by the Spirit is a sin against the Lord. 1 Sam. 12:23-- As for me, I will certainly not sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you. A God-given prayer assignment Each of us has different assignments Our prayers are utterly significant because effective prayer brings God s will to earth--advances His kingdom; prayer releases the resources of God So: not carrying out our prayer assignments is a sin against the Lord A First Principle of Answered Prayer: Pray in Jesus name to remove the entrenched will of the enemy before praying to release the will of the Lord. We pray in the context of pre-existing, entrenched evil gripping the whole world minus the places where God s kingdom has come, so we must pray to remove the enemy s will before praying for God s will to come. 1 John 5:19 (note: in context of having confidence in prayer)`- We know that the whole world lies in the evil one. (the power--control--of) -- alternative translations: all the world is under the influence of the evil one under the sway of the evil one Example: Old structure at a construction site: destroy it first before something new can be built 1. Assume the existence of a blocking demonic influence that must be removed through prayer before the answer can come. --see Dan the blocking power of the demonic 2. Our real enemies are not human beings but the demonic beings that are influencing them Eph. 6:12-- We wrestle not --we are not fighting-- against flesh and blood, but against demonic powers in many places. 3. Effective praying binds (forbids) before it looses (permits to be done) -- Matt. 18: forbidding and permitting in the context of prayer.

2 Remove the negative then receive the positive! 2. Ask God for a clear understanding of His specific will in the situation, and, once known, openly declare that will with confidence. Scripture: 1 John 5:14-- Now this is the confidence that we have in approaching God, that if we ask (desire/ declare) anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know He hears us--whatever we ask--we know that we have what we asked of Him. Example: Praying specifically and with a gratitude based prayer--one that thanks God that His will will be done before it is done-- Increase in the church s monthly income to fund kingdom enterprises through The Barn. Pray-- now may it be 1. Because we co-create with Him (made in His image), as He spoke His will into existence, so we do as well. 2. General benchmark for knowing His will--what is happening in heaven. 3. Until we discern His will in clarity, our prayer is faithfilled petition to know His will. General knowledge of His will from Scripture; specifics from His Spirit. 4. Ask insistently for God s will to be done! (The place of hunger, of willful desire, in effective prayer.) Now that you know God s will in the matter you pray about,

3 you must deliberately commit your whole self, including your will, into prayer insistence. Dare to pray militantly in regard to the situation, Your will be done! -- commanding, authoritative prayer. He waits for our ministry of willing according to His will to free Him to work that will. And while we know that everything in prayer depends on God, He would have us realize that everything also depends on us. 3. Ask with perseverance, through repeated applications of prayer in faith. Perseverance -- continued effort in doing something despite difficulty, opposition, or delay in achieving success. Grk: proskartereo -- to attend to constantly, to give continual attention to -- often translated devotion -- relating to effective praying! Scripture: Eph. 6:18-- With all (kinds of) prayer, pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this goal: be on the alert with all perseverance and asking for all the saints. : Col. 4:2-- Devote yourselves (persevere in) prayer, staying alert with an attitude of thanksgiving. Example: Elijah praying for rain-- 1 Kings 18: seven times of prayer after Elijah declared God s will: I hear a mighty rainstorm coming. He knew by the Spirit that God s will was to end the drought with a rainstorm, and he declared in openly in this way. 1. Praying once for a desired result is certainly appropriate in some contexts (particularly when a gift of faith is present, or when God gives a settled confidence that the prayer work is done), but persistent praying until the result is achieved is also certainly

4 biblical. Luke 11: Story-explanation-prayer principle -- intercessor; not friendship but persistence (perseverance); ask, seek, and knock (and keep on asking, seeking, knocking) and the answer will come. 2. We tend to give up praying too soon, and so we abort the answer God is bringing to us -- image: digging up a seed before it has produced the beginning of the plant 3. How long should we persevere in strategic prayer? Guidelines: a. Persevere for as long as the Holy Spirit gives you desire to pray for that objective. Finney: whenever you have a desire for the good of another person, there is a strong presumption that the Spirit of God is exciting this very desire, and stirring you up to pray for that object. A holy concern, desire, or hunger in your heart for the welfare of another person, particularly for their salvation, is always an evidence that the Holy Spirit is conveying to you the heartbeat of God. b. Persevere as long as Satan keeps resisting and hindering. The more strategic a prayer answer is to the kingdom of God, the more Satan will fight to keep that answer from you. Examples-- distraction (sidetracking), intrusions (interruptions) c. Persevere until the answer comes! Great prayer warriors--luther, Wesley, Finney, Edwards, Hyde, Evan Roberts, James Seymour, Heidi Baker-- refused to give up until the answer came. Biblical example: Disciples prayed in Jerusalem as long as it took until the Spirit came in power. Joshua held out his javelin in prayer until Jericho was destroyed. (Josh 8:26). Moses kept his hands raised to God in prayer until the Amalekites were totally defearted. (Exodus 17:13)

5 d. Example--my dad s salvation-- prayed for years, received Christ less than one year before his death. Example: estrangement between Josh and me-- Lynn was told by the Lord that she was to pray for seven years in order for the reconciliation to dome. Example: South Korea, praying for years; Berlin Wall--came down through prayer; history of revivals--clear to me that intercessions for revival by the greats--wesley, Finney, great American prayer revival of led to the decade of revival during the first 10 years of the 20 th century, and beyond: indeed, over the past 20 or so years a worldwide prayer movement has been occurring--which will result in possibly the greatest revival--a billion-person harvest for Jesus coming soon! Example: the century plant--thought to bloom only once every 100 years--not true, but blooms only once in its lifetime, sometimes takes 10, 20, or more years. `````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````