Living By Faith (Lesson 32) The Purpose and Power of Prayer (Part 1) Ricardo Rick Pina Victory Gospel Experience (VGE), Camp Victory, Iraq Monday Night, 7:00pm (September 7 th, 2009) Introduction: Tonight we start a brand-new series that can quite possibly be the most important series I have ever taught. I have been meditating on Prayer the entire time I have been here in Iraq and I knew I would eventually teach on it. With three months to go in my rotation, the Lord has given me release. This series will go at least two months, maybe longer. We will see. So prepare yourself to grow, in the light of the Word, concerning Prayer! A good portion of the material for this series will come from, Understanding the Purpose and Power of Prayer, by Dr. Myles Munroe. Seeking Understanding Almost everyone claims to do it, but most don t understand it. Even those that claim to practice it religiously are often confused about HOW it WORKS. What I am talking about is PRAYER. And most believers don t have a working understanding of it. They know they are supposed to do it, but they don t understand how. So they just do what they have heard, whether it works or not, and because of this lack of understanding, many have become frustrated! You will never maximize what you do not understand! The Weakest Participation of All Ministries We had 310 people in service yesterday (September 6, 2009). 310 people came from all over this Base Camp to fellowship, worship and hear the Word. While we praise God for that, we ought to be saddened that only 15 showed up today for our Prayer Meeting. That s only about 5%. I believe it is because most have not had a good experience with Prayer. The human spirit hates failure and disappointments. It s like putting money into a soda machine that doesn t give you a can of soda. You might stand in front of it and kick it, shake it, and hit it for a while. But before long, you simply leave, frustrated and upset; determined to NEVER use it again. This is how many people feel about prayer. They have put too many prayer coins in, and they have received too few satisfying answers. Laying the Foundation Why doesn t prayer work? To answer this question we must first understand the source, principles, origin and purpose of Prayer. In this series we will look at questions like: 1
What is prayer? Why is prayer necessary? How should we pray? If God is sovereign, and He will do whatever He wishes, then why pray? And many, many more To understand prayer we must understand God Himself and how He setup the system that governs the earth. Key areas we must understand: Prayer is a result of God s established authority structure between heaven and earth, as well as a product of His Faithfulness to His Word! Prayer is as simple as respecting God s authority and operating within His System. Prayer was born out of God s arrangement for man s assignment in the earth. (Gen 1:26 NIV) Then God (Elohim, the Creator 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." The key words here are: Let them! This is where God established the relationship with God and man in the earth. With these words the Creator defined the boundaries that He limited Himself to operate within. This is based upon God s Integrity. While He can do anything, He refuses to go against His Word. Basic Principles: 1. God has exalted His Word. (Psalm 138:2 KJV) I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name. 2. God will never violate of break His Word. (Num 23:19 NIV) God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? 3. God is completely Holy: Meaning that there is NO contradiction between the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, or the Word. God is only limited in the ways that He has chosen to limit Himself. (Mat 5:18 NIV) I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. The Father is completely committed to His Word. What do you think He does all day? 2
(Jer 1:12 AMP) Then said the Lord to me, You have seen well, for I am alert and active, watching over My word to perform it. The Father watches attentively, over His Word, to make sure it comes to pass in our lives. In effect, whenever God speaks He willfully obligates Himself to align with His own Word: Any Law of God, is also a Law to God! He is Faithful to His Word at all Costs! So, getting back to Genesis: (Gen 1:26 NIV) 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." He said, Let us make, but Let them have. This tells us several things: 1. God gave man the legal right and authority to operate in the earth. 2. God did not include Himself so when God wanted to freely operate in the earth, He submitted Himself to His own law and He came as a man. 3. Man became the legal steward of the earth domain. 4. Man is a spirit, with a physical body, therefore, only spirits with physical bodies have legal authority in the earth. 5. God (or even satan) seeks the agreement and cooperation of a human to do anything in the earth. So what is prayer? Prayer is that agreement. Prayer is earthly license for heavenly interference. Prayer is man exercising his legal authority in the earth to invoke heaven s influence on the planet. Prayer is the creation getting the Creator involved in any given situation. (Luke 18:1 NIV) Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. If God did not need man s cooperation, then why require him to pray? And not just that, but to remain in faith, for the prayer to come to pass, no matter how long it takes because that is the message of this parable. (Eph 6:18 NIV) Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Why would God ask believers to pray on all occasions with all kinds of prayers (we will learn different kinds) and to pray for all the saints, if God could just do whatever He wanted in the earth without us? 3
(Psalm 121:4 NIV) Indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. If God never sleeps and He doesn t then why wake you up to pray for someone, if He did not need you to agree/cooperate with Him? (1 st Thes 5:16-18 NIV) Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God s will for you in Christ Jesus. Why is it so important that you pray continually and in all circumstances? (Phil 4:6 GWT) Never worry about anything. But in every situation let God know what you need in prayers and requests while giving thanks. Is it possible that when we worry, don t trust God, and refuse to pray, that we are actually hindering God from moving in our lives? Is this why God wants us to pray so much so that we can RELEASE Him to get involved in our situations? (Mat 16:19 AMP) I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind (declare to be improper and unlawful) on earth must be what is already bound in heaven; and whatever you loose (declare lawful) on earth must be what is already loosed in heaven. Could it be that the way that God gets things done in the earth is through His children? Through the ones that He gave authority to? But as His children, we must operate just like He operates, in accordance with His Word! (Mat 18:18-20 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. For wherever two or three are gathered (drawn together as My followers) in (into) My name, there I AM in the midst of them. Who is doing the binding and loosing? We are. How are we supposed to do it? In accordance with the Word. What happens when multiple believers come together to pray? Agreement between each other and God that is powerful! Every action taken by God, on earth, involved the involvement/cooperation of a human being. When God wanted to start a nation, it was Abraham that When God wanted to rescue the people of Israel from Egypt, it was Moses who When God wanted to bring His people back from captivity, it was Daniel that When God wanted to build His house, His temple, it was Solomon that 4
When God wanted to preserve His people, it was Esther that cooperated with Him. When God wanted to start His New Testament church and reach the Jews (first), it was Peter that When God wanted to reach the Gentiles, it was Paul that John Wesley once said, God does nothing, but in answer to prayer! Without God we cannot, but without man He will not. Not that He can t, but that He won t. He has chosen to limit Himself to operate in the earth through the cooperation of man. When Jesus disciples asked Him to teach them to pray, He said, This, then, is how you should pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Mat 6:9,10 NIV). Prayer brings heaven down to earth. Prayer is the connection between the spirit realm and the earthly realm. His will is done, on earth, as it is in heaven, when we pray! Conclusion: Prayer is God s idea, not some man-made theory. The Father instituted prayer, because it is part of His system. We need Him and He needs us. Next week we will look at the system of Sowing and Reaping that the earth realm runs on. Last Scripture: (Eze 22:30,31) I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none. So I will pour out my wrath on them and consume them with my fiery anger, bringing down on their own heads all they have done, declares the Sovereign Lord. Prayer is therefore not an option for mankind, but a necessity. If we don t pray, we are hindering heaven from interfering with earthly affairs. It is imperative that we take responsibility for the earth and what happens here, through our prayer life. You can make a tremendous difference in your life and in your surroundings if you understand the Purpose and the Power of Prayer. Tonight is just the introduction. Get ready in the Spirit for this series! Closing Confession: Father, I repent for not taking the time, in the past, to learn about prayer. I see now how important prayer is to me, my family, my community, and the world. I have always known that I need You, but tonight I have learned clearly that You need me. I declare, by faith, that I will develop a prayer life that agrees and cooperates with You on a daily basis. You and I Lord, together, we shall make a difference. I have always relied on You, but tonight, I say, by faith, that You can rely on me to pray, intercede, stand in the gap, and release Your power in the earth, like never before! In Jesus name. Amen! 5