PRINCIPLES OF PRAYER PRACTICAL LIVING MINISTRY
REVIEW POINTS Total Victory is achieved by more than just avoiding what is wrong, but also choosing and doing what is right Prayer is more than just Asking, but Aligning Western Philosophy measures success by being stress, financially, and error free. To be in perfect health and prosperous in relationship. God measures success by Endurance and Faithfulness If God has called you to do something or to fulfill a ministry or purpose, then he has given you the authority to exercise and accomplish it Matthew 5:9 If you are a peacemaker, then you have the authority to make peace and to speak peace in many situations If you feel that God has a retirement plan for ministry, then get over it that s why Self Care is important Let s face it, most Christians do not desire ministry, most of all supernatural ministry.
PRAYER PRINCIPLES Pray Often 1 Thessalonians 5:17 - Pray without ceasing. Pray Often Pray Fervently Which Includes Consistency Pray Fervently Pray Purposely No haphazard or overtly traditional prayer Pray Purposely
PRAYER PRINCIPLES Pray Truthfully According to the Word and a truthful estimate of self Pray Truthfully Pray For Others True and Selfless Intercession Pray For Others Pray With Thanksgiving Not self praise or experiential, but sincere praise to the Father Pray With Thanksgiving
PRINCIPLES OF PRAYER Pray With Confidence and Faith Our faith must be centered in our trust and confidence in our Almighty God Pray With Confidence and Faith Most Importantly Pray According to the Word of God God s Will is identified in His Word Praying the Word of God brings freedom, discernment, and protection as you know what to pray for as you ought
QUESTIONS REGARDING PRAYER Why Does it Seem Like I am not connecting to God with my prayers? Why can t I stay consistent with my prayers? Why are my prayers hindered or remain unanswered? Why do my prayers seem so dry, lacking zeal and fervency? Are there right words, gestures, and certain postures required?
QUESTION How many successive days have you prayed for at least one particular need? How Do We Make Our Prayers Consistent? Make a S.T.A.R.T. S- Schedule T Track A Adjust R Review T - Testify
PRAY OFTEN WHY DON T WE PRAY? James 4:1-3: From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? 2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. 3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
JAMES 4 DILEMMA Quarreling and Relational Strife led to many issues/strongholds You Have Not Because You Ask Not Prayers hindered by Carnality and Self Gratification Lusts that war in your members Their Corrupt Passions Hindered Them to the Point that turned Inwardly on themselves, rather than Outwardly to God in Prayer
JAMES 4 DILEMMA There seems to be a major Stronghold problem here Strongholds: Selfishness, Bitterness, Anger, Covetousness, Murder, Envy & Jealousy Murder such a covetous desire of the possessions of others as to produce a murderous and bloody temper. Those corrupt passions which have their seat in the flesh, the apostle says are the causes of war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask: The reason these destructive desires exist among Christians is because they are not seeking God for their needs (you do not ask). Or, when they do ask, they ask God with purely selfish motivation (you ask amiss).
JAMES 4 DILEMMA Why is there so much quarreling and relational strife? The Answer: Unmet needs and uncontrollable passions Passion Self Gratification Even though we are saved, we are still struggling with uncontrollable passions and struggling against the desire to gratify self This leads to uncontrollable negative actions. So many times when we cannot obtain what we want, we fight and quarrel Every sin and every stronghold is a result of an unmet/unanswered need The purpose of prayer is to align our will with His and to get us to a place where I am seeking the will of God and getting on his agenda
POINT OF EMPHASIS We Cannot Expect God to Operate or for us to Cooperate with God in the midst of your Disobedience, Selfish Desires, Separation, Chaos, Confusion, and Carnality Finish these scriptures that it may be well with thee..that thy prayers be not hindered..stand praying, forgive.. God does not sinners that He will not hear
SCRIPTURES 1 Peter 3:7 - Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered. Jeremiah 42:6 - Whether it be good, or whether it be evil, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God, to whom we send thee; that it may be well with us, when we obey the voice of the LORD our God. Ephesians 6:1-3: Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. 2 Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) 3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. Mark 11:25: And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. Eph. 4:31-32: Get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger, brawling, and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. John 9:31 - Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth. Isaiah 59:2 - But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
SCRIPTURE DRILL Matthew 21:22 Luke 11:9 John 14:13 John 15:7 Let s A.S.K. Align your desires to His will Seek the Face and Not the Hand Know that He is willing & able John 16:23 If the Scriptures are saying to ASK then why are we not effectively Asking?
GOD GIVES US GOOD GIFTS NO NEED TO STRESS Matthew 21:22 - And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. Luke 11:9 - And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. John 14:13 - And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. John 15:7 - If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. John 16:23 - And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. If the Scriptures are saying to ASK then why are we not effectively Asking?
ONE REASON FOR THE LACK OF PRAYER If there is no understanding of the Kingdom of God, then Man only knows the Kingdom of Self We are being taught that our lives are in our hands and not God s
POINTS OF EMPHASIS Mankind wants to do things his way so that he doesn t have to do things God s way Why I don t like the word, Destiny Destiny is defined what's meant to be, what's written in the stars, your inescapable fate. God has predetermined plans for us to discover and follow. BUT, God s plans for His people requires cooperation Destiny is all about you / or the individual, but God s purpose for us it s all about God and what He wants to do through an individual. God s Purpose in our lives is CONDITIONAL
DESTINY IS MAN S DRIVE NOT GOD S Isaiah 41:4 - Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he. Amplified: Isaiah 41:4 - Who has prepared and done this, calling forth and guiding the destinies of the generations [of the nations] from the beginning? I, the Lord--the first [existing before history began] and with the last [an ever-present, unchanging God]--I am He.
SITUATION Recently someone sent me a Confession Prayer and asked me what did I think of it As I read to the prayer, it was full of positive statements and declarations; It was full of I am, I will, and I have with very little reference to who God is, what God has provided, and what God will do.
SITUATION I remembered one year that I was challenged by a minister to recite the Our Father Prayer and the 23d Psalms daily at least 2-3 times in the morning. Initially I thought that this would be vain repetitions, but I was wrong. As I reflected on the words, I gained a greater revelation of not only who God is, but also who I was because of who He is.
THE 23D PSALMS As I read the scriptures, the Spirit of God began to illuminate my spirit of who God is and who I am as I aligned myself according to His Word If God is my Shepherd, then I am His sheep I must be able to hear and know His voice It is inherent within to follow I must trust in the shepherd for protection and meeting my daily needs If God is my Father, then I am His child I have intimate relationship with Him I m forgiven and accepted I must revere and honor Him in all I do Trust in His leading away from temptation and that He will deliver me from evil
THE 23D PSALMS The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
23D PSALM Vs. 2: He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. Following the Leading of the Shepherd The Shepherd Leads To lie down in green pastures: The shepherd also knew the good places to make his sheep rest. He faithfully guides the sheep to green pastures. The Hebrew word rendered pastures means usually dwellings, or habitations. It is applied here properly to pastures, as places where flocks and herds lie down for repose.
THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD He leadeth me beside the still waters - waters of quietness. Not stagnant waters or places where I won t find rest or be refreshed I trust today that God will not lead me in turbulent areas. His peace will keep my mind and heart in Christ Jesus (Phil 4:7) Heart & mind heart reflects your emotions, thoughts, passions while mind in this case reflects you total person
LIE DOWN IN GREEN PASTURES Philip Keller (in A Shepherd Looks at Psalms 23:1-6) writes that sheep do not lie down easily, and will not unless four conditions are met. Because they are timid they will not lie down if they are afraid. (Fear) Because they are social animals they will not lie down if there is friction among the sheep. (Division & Dissension) If flies or parasites trouble them they will not lie down. (Stress & Trials) Finally, if sheep are anxious about food or hungry they will not lie down. (Anxiety) Rest comes because the shepherd has dealt with fear, friction, flies, and famine.
THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD Verse 1: The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. The Lord as my Shepherd sustains me The Lord as my Shepherd will feed, guide, and shield me, therefore, I shall not lack anything I shall not want means, All my needs are supplied by the Lord, my shepherd. Philippians 4:19 says, But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
As His shepherd I must trust in Him as my provider He is Jehovah Jireh, My provider, whose grace is sufficient for me. Therefore I have sufficiency in all things (2 Corinthians 9:8; Genesis 22:14) Romans 12:12: Rejoicing in (confident) hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;
23D PSALMS He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake Does not mean that He refreshes the soul, bringing it to rest This has more to do with thinking He restoreth my soul. He restores it to its original purity Righteousness also reflects Right Thinking They are thenceforth led in the path of righteousness ; in the way of holy obedience. Obstructions are removed; they are strengthened, to walk and run in the paths of God s commandments. (Horne)
HE RESTORED MY SOUL He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness - In right paths, or right ways. He conducts me in the straight path that leads to Himself; He does not permit me to wander in ways that would lead to ruin. If I will follow the directions of His word, the teachings of His Spirit, and the guidance of His providence. I will ever go astray!
23D PSALMS Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. God s presence is always with me - the presence of the shepherd eliminates the fear of evil for His sheep- no matter one s present environment For thou art with me - Thou wilt be with me. Though invisible, thou wilt attend me. I shall not go alone; I shall not be alone Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort me. We can find comfort in the rod (Correction) and submitting to the leading (the staff) of the Lord
THY ROD AND THY STAFF I trust in the leading, protection, and correcting of the Shepherd Proverbs 3:11 - My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: Submit yourself to the Shepherd; Resist the enemy and He will flee from you (James 4:7)
MY CUP RUNNETH OVER Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. God has good thoughts towards me (Jeremiah 29:11) desiring that I experience the abundance of His grace, mercy, and possessions Why is this picture so important? Because when God is in charge, enemies are held at bay.
VICTORY This also means victory as to eat in front of your enemies means that you have triumphed over them Colossians 2:15 - And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Because of Jesus victory, we also have victory over a defeated foe. Thou anointest my head with oil Hebrew: makest fat. That is, thou dost pour oil on my head so abundantly that it seems to be made fat with it. The expression indicates abundance.
ANOINTING SHEEP Certainly, the picture of oil in Scripture is a picture of the ministry of the Holy Spirit and what He does in our lives to purify and refine and fill and enable us. Through the spirit anointing us, teaching us (1 st John 2:20), covering us, we find peace, healing, protection as he reveals to us the hand of the shepherd and we are able to Lie Down in confident trust that the shepherd is present At the same time, the anointing process protected the sheep from the Nasal Fly as the Spirit of God protects us from error and strongholds
POINTS OF EMPHASIS Sheep are considered dumb animals because they are so dependent on the Shepherd That is why many have trouble walking in faith, but it doesn t seem right to depend upon God The flies represent thoughts that buzz around and if allowed to land or if you accept them, will lay their eggs, and the larvae that swarm upward and become embedded into our mind and heart are the strongholds that must be removed before they agitate, trouble, and even destroy you.
GOODNESS AND MERCY Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever. Psalms 84:4 - How blessed are those who dwell in Your house! They are ever praising You. Selah. all the days of my life - the mercies of God are new every morning, they continue all the day long; temporal goodness abides as long as life lasts, and ends with it; and spiritual blessings are for ever, they are the gifts of God, which are without repentance;
LAMENTATIONS CHAPTER 3 This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. 22 It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. 24 The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. 25 The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. 26 It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD
ALIGN YOURSELF As sheep, align yourself with the Shepherd The 23d Psalms is a powerful prayer of reliance, confidence, and trust We must come to the place where we are totally dependent upon the Shepherd and trust His leading We should be provoked to prayer with such assurance and our prayers will not fail because we under the care of the Good Shepherd