Why We Pray This link will take you to one of the most important truths I have learned on prayer. Why do we pray? If you have an extra half hour, please take some time to let these truths sink in. In September of 2008 I spoke a mini-series called This Means War, highlighting some of the battles we face when we engage the enemy of our souls in the war detailed in Ephesians 6. Listen to these to be armed for battle.
A result of the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost was that sons and daughters would prophesy, those in the older generations would continue to dream and the coming generations would see visions. Instead of ending a period of prophecy, dreams and visions, Pentecost was only the beginning. This passage from Joel is what Peter used to tell the thousands of onlookers on the streets of Jerusalem what was happening.
What are you dreaming? How do you know a vision or dream is from God or it’s simply an idea you might have?
Sometimes dreams at night are given so God can warn us in order to turn us from our “actions and suppress (our) pride.” (Job 33:14-17)
A person may also be led by a vision.
God led Joseph in his dreams as a young man. The retelling of his dreams led to his being sold into slavery. (Genesis 37:20) Ananias was led to find and pray for Paul through a vision (Acts 9:10). Cornelius was told to look for Peter in a vision (Acts 10) and Peter was prepped for that meeting through a vision of his own (Acts 10:10). Peter called it a “visionary state.”
At night Paul had a vision of “a Macedonian man…standing and pleading with him, ‘cross over to Macedonia and help us!’” After seeing the vision they immediately made plans to set sail (Acts 16:9-10). In another “night vision” Paul was told not to fear but to keep right on preaching (Acts 18:9)
In Paul’s case, his visions had immediate implications. He was to act promptly.
Habakkuk’s case was a little different. Once he laid out his complaints to the Lord, he went up to his guard post on the lookout tower. He not kept watch over his city, he said, “I will watch to see what He will say to me and what I should reply about my complaint.”
Then the Lord answered, “write down this vision; clearly inscribe it on tablets so one may easily read it.” (Habakkuk 2:2) Sometimes “it delays.” So, “wait for it, since it will certainly come and not be late.” (2:3)
Sometimes it’s hard to know whether “the vision” has immediate results and we are to act on them or we are to wait. Knowing the timing may have something to do with what a vision is for.
God may use a vision for information. I woke from a dream in November 1996 where God told me, “you owe it to your church to pray for them everyday.” The timing on that one was immediate. I needed to pray for our little church in Napa and pray for people by name. Peter’s vision about food was not only informational but also transformational. It led him to believe differently about his non Jewish neighbors and drove him to minister to them.
God may use a vision for transformation. Paul’s vision on the road to Damascus was pretty transformational. It changed his life for good. God used it to get his attention, much like he is doing to get the attention of many people in a variety of cultures where they have been fighting against Him. It’s a case described in Job 33:14-17.
God may use a vision for inspiration. I’m living this one out right now. Sometimes God inspires you to keep on keeping on. Though Pentecostal power filled them in Acts 2, the disciples, after a time of prayer, were re-filled in Acts 4 with the presence of God’s Holy Spirit. They were compelled then back to the streets to “speak God’s message with boldness.” (4:31)
All the Spirit had to do with me lately is tell me one word: intercessor. An intercessor stands in the gap between God and those he/she is praying for and doesn’t let up until an answer is given. I’ll share more about that two Sundays from now. But that one word, the re-defining of who God wants me to be, what He wants me to do, and where He wants me to go (Joshua 1:16), has inspired me to read as much as I can from those who have gone before me: Rees Howells-Intercessor, by Norman Grubb; Jim Cymbala, pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacle and his book Breakthrough Prayer (in our library); and now I’m reading Bill Johnson, pastor of Bethel Church in Redding, CA and his book, The Supernatural Power of a Transformed Mind. That one word has also inspired me to pray as much as I can. This is more of a confession than a brag, but I have been praying for each of you, adults, kids, teens, babies, by name every day since July 1. I should have been doing this since I started with you. I feel as Samuel did: “Far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you.” (1 Samuel 12:23) I’ve been in sin. I have not been praying for you as I have been told.
Dreams and Desires
The catch when it comes to gaining new vision from God for your life is knowing whether that dream is coming from your mind or His. One of the problems Israel faced was that some prophets spoke “visions from their own minds, not from the Lord’s mouth.” (Jeremiah 23:16)
The way we know we’re dreaming God’s dreams has a lot to do with what we focus us.
Bill Johnson says that “most of the misunderstanding comes because we don’t know which of our desires come from God and which are carnal. The very word desire is made up of the prefix de meaning “of,” and sire meaning “the Father.” Desire is, by nature, of the Father. But before we come to Christ our desires are corrupted because desire springs from what we commune with.” Don’t miss that. Desire springs from what we commune with. “If we commune with greed, our desires will be greedy. If we commune with pornography, our desires will be for perversity. If we commune with anger over a past hurt, our desire will be for revenge. But when we commune with the Father, our desires are pure.” (p144-145)
Bill asks, “what do you desire when you are praying?” Remember Jesus said, “Whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” (Mark 11:24) In other words, “what do you desire in that place of communion with the Lord?” You see, “we don’t think or dream independent of God, but because of Him.” (p145)
Sometimes we hear someone’s dream and we think they’re crazy. This one wasn’t my dream, but some people among us were dreaming about taking the Gospel through sports to Spain at the price tag of $20,000 during a down economic year. God has brought more than enough, bringing $22,000+. There are currently 20-30 students already signed up for each sport. EACH sport!!!
When “the God whose thoughts are as high as the heavens” is speaking into your thoughts, you’re going to have some dreams that seem…out there. Out where? As high as the heavens.
“My thoughts are not your thoughts, and My ways are not your ways…. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9) What if we were to commune with the One whose thoughts and ways are higher than ours? What “high as the heavens” dreams would we be dreaming?
What are you dreaming? What good purposes is He giving you? Are you inspired? I’ve been praying that God would, by His power, fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted (inspired) by your faith. (2 Thessalonians 1:11) What inspires you? What/who are you communing with? Where is your attention being drawn? What are you doing to be inspired? What are you doing to inspire others by the actions prompted by your faith?
Filed under: prayer | Tags: intercession, intercessor, intercessors, pray, prayer, prayers
Intercessory Prayer – What is it?
I have been re-learning what it means to be an intercessor. Here are some resources I have found so far.
Intercessory prayer is prayer for others. An intercessor is one who takes the place of another or pleads another’s case. One study Bible defines intercession as “holy, believing, persevering prayer whereby someone pleads with God on behalf of another or others who desperately need God’s intervention.”
Intercessory Prayer – The Biblical Foundation
The Biblical basis for the New Testament believer’s ministry of intercessory prayer is our calling as priests unto God. The Word of God declares that we are a holy priesthood (1 Peter 2:5), a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9), and a kingdom of priests (Revelation 1:5).
The background for understanding this calling to priestly intercession is found in the Old Testament example of the Levitical priesthood. The priest’s responsibility was to stand before and between. He stood before God to minister to Him with sacrifices and offerings. The priests also stood between a righteous God and sinful man bringing them together at the place of the blood sacrifice.
Hebrews 7:11-19 explains the difference between the Old and New Testament ministries of the priest. The Old Testament Levitical priesthood was passed on from generation to generation through the descendants of the tribe of Levi. “The Melchizedek priesthood” spoken of in this passage, is the “new order” of spiritual priests of whom the Lord Jesus is the High Priest. It is passed on to us through His blood and our spiritual birth as new creatures in Christ.
Intercessory Prayer – Our Model Intercessor
Jesus Christ is our model for intercessory prayer. Jesus stands before God and between Him and sinful man, just as the Old Testament priests did: For there is one God, and one mediator (intercessor) between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5). It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us (Romans 8:34). Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them (Hebrews 7:25).
Jesus brings sinful man and a righteous God together at the place of the blood sacrifice for sin. No longer is the blood of animals necessary as it was in the Old Testament. We can now approach God on the basis of the blood of Jesus that was shed on the cross of Calvary for the remission of sins. Because of the blood of Jesus, we can approach God boldly without timidity (Hebrews 4:14-16).
Jesus was an intercessor while He was here on earth. He prayed for those who were sick and possessed by demons. He prayed for His disciples. He even prayed for you and me when He interceded for all those who would believe on Him. Jesus continued His ministry of intercession after His death and resurrection when He returned to Heaven. He now serves as our intercessor in Heaven.
Intercessory Prayer – Effective Intercession
In intercessory prayer, we follow the Old Testament priestly function and the New Testament pattern of Jesus – standing before God and between a righteous God and sinful man. In order to be effective standing “between” we must first stand “before” God to develop the intimacy necessary to fulfill this role. Numbers 14 is one of the greatest accounts of intercessory prayer recorded in the Bible. Moses was able to stand between God and sinful man because he had stood “before” Him and had developed intimacy of communication. Numbers 12:8 records that God spoke with Moses as friend to friend and not through visions and dreams as He did with other prophets.
As New Testament believers, we no longer sacrifice animals as in Old Testament times. We stand before the Lord to offer up spiritual sacrifices of praise (Hebrews 13:15) and the sacrifice of our own lives (Romans 12:1). It is on the basis of this intimate relationship with God that we can then stand “between” Him and others, serving as an advocate and intercessor in their behalf.
Peter uses two words to describe this priestly ministry: “Holy” and “royal.” Holiness is required to stand before the Lord (Hebrews 12:14). We are able to do this only on the basis of the righteousness of Christ, not our own righteousness. Royalty is descriptive of the kingly authority that is delegated to us as members of the “royal family,” so to speak, with legitimate access to the throne room of God.
Keys to Powerful Living: Intercession
By CBN.com — A family member faces a deadly disease. Your neighbor desperately needs Jesus, but turns away every time you try to share Christ. A nation begins to crumble because its people follow their own evil ways. But what can you do?
Often, the problems we face seem too big for us. No matter how much we try, we cannot solve them on our own. It’s times like these when we need to turn to the Lord in intercessory prayer.
WHAT IS INTERCESSION?
Intercession is prayer that pleads with God for your needs and the needs of others. But it is also much more than that. Intercession involves taking hold of God’s will and refusing to let go until His will comes to pass.
Intercession is warfare — the key to God’s battle plan for our lives. But the battleground is not of this earth. The Bible says, “We are not fighting against humans. We are fighting against forces and authorities and against rulers of darkness and spiritual powers in the heavens above” (Eph. 6:12).
Intercessory prayer takes place in this spiritual world where the battles for our own lives, our families, our friends and our nation are won or lost.
A PLAN FOR BATTLE
If you are born again, you are God’s son or daughter (John 1:12). As His child, you have a direct “hotline” to God. At any time, you can boldly come into His presence (Heb. 4:16; see also
This incredible access to God is the basis for intercession. Once you are in God’s presence, you can now discover His battle plan for the situation you are facing. Because prayer alone is not enough — you need a target for your prayers!
To discover God’s plan, all you have to do is ask. The Bible says that “if any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given to you” (James 1:5). When we ask God for wisdom, His desires will become the focus of our prayers. “Let God change the way you think. Then you will know how to do everything that is good and pleasing to Him” (Romans 12:2).
ARMED FOR BATTLE
Intercessory prayer is a serious matter. And just like soldiers who are preparing for battle, we cannot take on the enemy if we leave our weapons behind. That’s why we must go into “battle” armed for spiritual conflict (see 2 Cor. 10:3,4).
First, recognize that Jesus is in control of the situation. Jesus “rules over forces, authorities, powers, and rulers … over all beings in this world and will rule in the future world as well” (Eph. 1:21). He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Then, put on “all the armor God gives” (see Eph. 6) so that you will be ready to fight with God’s weapons. These are the “weapons of our warfare” that can pull down strongholds in the spirit world (see 2 Cor. 10:3,4). They will also protect you from the attacks that are sure to come once you begin the spiritual battle.
Next, bind the work of Satan, knowing that Jesus has given you authority “to defeat the power of your enemy” (Luke 10:19). If God shows you the identity of specific spiritual strongholds that are at work, take authority over these strongholds in the name of Jesus. And always remember that “God’s Spirit is in you and is more powerful that the one that is in the world” (1 John 4:4).
Finally, as you begin the spiritual battle, take comfort knowing that you are not alone: Jesus also is interceding on your behalf! The Bible says that Jesus “is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Heb. 7:25, NASB; see also Romans 8:26,27,34).
PERSISTING IN BATTLE
Intercessory prayer is also prayer that doesn’t give up. It’s the kind of prayer that endures all setbacks and overcomes every obstacle. It’s prayer that “presses on” until we “apprehend” God’s will in whatever situation we are facing (see Phil. 3:12, KJV).
This kind of prayer is the key to seeing breakthroughs in your life and in the lives of those around you. Jesus gave a great model for intercession in the story of the persistent friend. Here we see a friend who knocks on his neighbor’s door at midnight to ask for three loaves of bread. The neighbor does not want to get up, but Jesus said, “because of his friend’s persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs” (Luke 11:8, NASB).
Then Jesus said, “Everyone who asks will receive, everyone who searches will find, and the door will be opened for everyone who knocks” (Luke 11:10). Those words mean keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking. In God’s time, your persistence in intercessory prayer will reap a spiritual harvest in your life and the lives of those around you!
BATTLING FOR YOUR NATION
Throughout the Bible, God searched for those willing to fight the spiritual battle for their land. In Ezekiel, God says, “And I searched for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found no one” (Ezek. 22:30, NASB).
Through intercession, you can take the offensive in the spiritual battle, building up your community, your nation and your world. As you follow God’s call to rise up and take your place in the spiritual battle, God promises to “heal their land” (2 Chron. 7:14, NASB).
JOINING THE BATTLE
God is calling Christians to join His battle plan for this world — to join in intercessory prayer. He is not looking for perfect prayer warriors, just willing hearts who want to see His will come to pass on the earth. All you have to do is turn to the Lord in prayer:
“Father, I come into Your presence and ask You to give me the heart of the intercessor. Help me to be persistent in prayer until the breakthrough comes. Thank You for this powerful weapon of spiritual warfare — and for Your faithfulness in my life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
GOD’S WORD ON INTERCESSION
“We live in this world, but we don’t act like its people or fight our battles with the weapons of this world. Instead, we use God’s power that can destroy fortresses. We destroy arguments and every bit of pride that keeps anyone from knowing God. We capture people’s thoughts and make them obey Christ” (2 Cor. 10:3-5).
SCRIPTURES FOR STUDY
Isaiah 59:16; Galatians 6:2; 1 Timothy 2:1 — Our responsibility to intercede
Genesis 18 — The importance of righteous believers
Isaiah 58:6-7 — The need for intercession
Romans 8:26-34 — Help to intercede
Ephesians 6 — The “armor” for spiritual battle
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture references are from the Contemporary English Version of the Bible.
The Mystery of Intercession
CBN.com — At some point in our lives, we all face situations where we don’t know how to pray. Recently, Gordon Robertson sat down and had a chance to interview Pastor Jack Hayford, founder of The King’s College and Seminary, about the mystery of intercession. And he offers helpful insights that will empower your prayer life.
GORDON ROBERTSON: I want to relate a brief personal story. I was reading the New Testament one day, and the Holy Spirit just sort of whispered to me, `If you were with Jesus, if you were one of his disciples when he was on Earth, what would you ask him?’ And, you know, I started to think, how do you do miracles and how did you walk on water and all those things. And then I was very gently reminded that his disciples, the one question they wanted was, `Teach us to pray. How do we pray?’ I think that needs to be a question that every disciple of Christ asks. From your point of view, what is the best way to pray? What should we do?
JACK HAYFORD: I think there’s two parts to it, Gordon. First, I think the Bible says that he that comes to God, believe that he is and that he’s a rewarder of those that seek him. To believe the Lord wants to answer prayer. There is so much of a mind-set everywhere you go — and amazingly, among hosts of believers — that prayer is kind of like, `Well, God’s going to do it anyway, but I’ll kind of ask him to either hurry it up or maybe, you know, what difference do my prayers make?’ I think a starting place is to recognize that if we don’t pray, it’s not going to happen. And it has nothing to do with God’s heart or desire to act in our world. It’s that he has made the terms. He said, `I’ll act when you ask.’ And it’s not that he couldn’t get along without us, but he’s chosen to say, `You don’t have the power. I’ve got the power, but you have the right to ask, so I’m telling you, ask.’
So the starting place is ask. And then in doing that, to draw on the energy and power of the Holy Spirit to do that asking because we need help to go beyond anything we can pray on our own.
GORDON ROBERTSON: It seems a great mystery to me that God seems to almost hold back until his children come to him and ask. It’s sort of, you know, ask and you shall receive…
JACK HAYFORD: Right.
GORDON ROBERTSON: …seek and you shall find. Knock and it shall be opened. And it’s not until we initiate the relationship that he comes through and responds.
JACK HAYFORD: Well, you know, he has taken the boldest and most grand initiative in sending Jesus, in providing salvation and saying, `Now that’s there for you.’ And once we enter a new life, he says, `I’d like to grow you up now. I want you to learn this is the way this works. You’re the kid, I’m the dad, and you ask and we’ll start to grow into partnership.’ God and sons and daughters is the name of the company — and he’s wanting to grow us up in him.
GORDON ROBERTSON: You’ve gotten a revelation about Romans 8:28. I know that’s been oft quoted and oft repeated. Tell us about that.
JACK HAYFORD: Well, it’s one of the most beautiful verses in the Bible. The Scripture saying, `All things work together for good for them that love the Lord are called according to his purpose.’ (And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28, NIV)
The tragedy with Romans 8:28 is the number of people that take it as a philosophical statement and say, `Well, you know, all things work together for good.’ And it was never meant as a stand-alone verse. I’ve said — and people look at you like you denied the virgin birth or something — that Romans 8:28 isn’t true, unless you link it with the preceding two verses. And it’s true of other portions of the Bible if you isolate it from its context.
Romans 8:26 and 27 says, `We don’t know how to pray in circumstances that transcend us. But the Holy Spirit will help us with prayers, with groanings that transcend our capacity.’ (In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. Romans 8:26, NIV)
He’ll come alongside. He will take hold together with, literally, the Greek verb says that full partnership where he bears the burden and energizes the prayer. (And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for these saints in accordance with God’s will. Romans 8:27, NIV)
Oftentimes He gives direction and discernment as to how we ought to pray. And then, when we let the Holy Spirit help us in prayer, sometimes with the understanding, sometimes praying in the Spirit, that then, the Bible says, all things will work together for good. But they do not automatically just work out. That’s another part of that thing. We want to escape responsibility. Say, `Well, you know, God will take care of it. I’ll do my best and, you know, just cross my heart and hope to live.’
But the Lord says, `I want to you pray, and when it’s beyond you, my Holy Spirit will help you.’
GORDON ROBERTSON: When I preach in front of audiences occasionally on intercessory prayer, I ask, `How many of you are intercessors?’ And generally, I get a smattering of people to raise their hand. And then I say, `Well, Jesus was an intercessor — is an intercessor, is our intercessor, and we’re supposed to be like him.’ So now how many of you want to be an intercessors? And then everybody says, `OK, now that I’m theologically educated, I can now properly respond.’ But I don’t think many people really understand those verses in Romans Chapter 8 from an experiential point of view, the groanings that cannot be uttered. How does one enter into that realm, where the Spirit comes alongside to help our inability to pray?
JACK HAYFORD: Gordon, it’s just really a matter of passion. There is not some magic from heaven that you have to know how to do this and thereby, you become this awesome intercessor. In fact, the Bible using the word `groans that cannot be uttered.’ Many of us believe, and I think it’s true from passages in the Scripture, `I will pray with the Spirit, and I will pray with the understanding.’ The Apostle Paul is inferring prayer in the Spirit there, but I believe it includes also just plain times that you are groaning out, and there’s a cry from the inner person. And even when people just say, `Oh, my God,’ and they’re not just saying, `Oh, my God,’ they’re crying out that the heart of God reaches directly there, and the spirit of man, activated by the spirit of faith, the holy spirit of faith, touches the heart of God.
Now again, God is touched anyway, but he’s confined himself to his own rules. And that’s his right. He’s said, `It’s when you ask there will come answers.’ And it is that responsibility to accept our place and to move in partnership. The Lord says, `Without me, you cannot. But without without you, I will not.’ So he invites us and summons us to partnership in prayer, and then gives us the power to fulfill that by the help of the Spirit.
GORDON ROBERTSON: Is there another part of that “all things working together for good” where you can actually look at the hard times in your life as times where God is calling you into that kind of deep intercessory prayer to teach you the lesson that when the pressure comes and you groan in response to it — that that is part of the working together for good?
JACK HAYFORD: It is. In fact, the ensuing verse, Romans 8:29, says, `It’s by this means that we become conformed to the image of Jesus, that there is a process in the trial.’ (For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. Romans 8:29, NIV)
God didn’t make the problem to say, `I’m going to beat up on you, so you have to pray and then I’ll do a good thing.’
GORDON ROBERTSON: Right.
JACK HAYFORD: The problems come in the world. `Man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward,’ Job says. Jesus said, `In the world, you’ll have tribulation.’ Trouble comes. The Holy Spirit shows us how to pray. God calls us to pray. As we pray, the power of God enters the situation and begins to transform the situation. And in the middle of that, we are being transformed. So there’s no question. That’s why sometimes people say, `Well, God must have made the problem because I grew out of it.’ But God didn’t say, `I’ll make problems to make you grow.’ He says, `I’ll show you the way you grow through learning the passion and the power and pathway of prayer.’
GORDON ROBERTSON: Amen. He’s not the author of temptation, but he does see us through it and there’s nothing that he’s given us that we can’t escape. Well, in addition to being an intercessor, you’re also a tremendous worship leader. You write songs that really get you right into the presence of God. And you’ve come up with a new book, “Worship His Majesty.” And I think in addition to the intercessory prayer movement, we’re now going to see it linked up with a new movement in worship. Tell us about that. What do you see happening in that realm?
JACK HAYFORD: Gordon, the two are so immediately approximate, and as you mentioned at the onset of our talk, they said, `Lord, teach us to pray.’ And he said, `You pray this way.’ And what he says, `First, you worship God, our Father who art in heaven, holy be your name.’ Worship lays the foundation to then, `thy kingdom come, thy will be done.’ There’s the introduction and the welcome of the kingdom power and working of God in our world situation. So worship is intended by Jesus’ own directive to be linked to prayer. And my book “Worship His Majesty” is intended to focus on the tremendous joy of worship — it is so clearly apparent where worship renewal is taking place. I would like people to not just get excited about worship, but to see how pivotally fundamental and foundational it is to the staging of the Lord’s impacting every area of our life — our congregation’s life, our community life — because we see the relationship between invoking the kingdom power through welcoming the presence of the king.
Filed under: prayer
The Power of Praying Scripture
I hear it all the time. “I want to pray, but I don’t know what to pray.” Pray Scripture. I have done it in the past. I have revived the practice recently and my times of prayer with my friends and the women of my home have gone through the roof in terms of fervency.
Think about this.
Whenever Aaron entered the Holy Place, he would bear the names of the sons of Israel over his heart on the breastpiece of decision as a continuing memorial before the LORD. (Exodus 28:29) I have a great friend in Bob Hoey, pastor of Messiah Church in Detroit, who has a former pastor of that church as a mentor in Dick Beiber. Dick had a practice of speaking all the names of Messiah in the presence of God. Sometimes I would simply say their name. Other times he would camp out on their names when he knew they had specific requests. I have started to do that for my people. Take a look at what Samuel thought about prayer:
“As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right.” (1 Samuel 12:23) Samuel considered it a sin to NOT pray for his people. He was committed to it and it blessed their lives.
I use Paul’s prayers a lot as I pray for friends.
He wrote, “For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better…” (Ephesians 1:15-20)
It was his practice to ”kneel before the Father” so that ”he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” He prayed that they would be ”rooted and established in love” and that they would be able to comprehend how wide and long and high and deep God’s love was for them. He prayed knowing that God was ”able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” (Ephesians 3:14-21)
Paul thanked God every time he remembered the people who were in partnership with him in bringing the gospel to others. He was confident of this, “that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Paul’s prayer for his partners was that their ”love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ-to the glory and praise of God.” (Philippians 1:3-9)
Paul would hear reports of how his disciples were doing, and, “for this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.” He prayed this ”in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.” (Colossians 1:3-14)
What a prayer! So instead of simply praying for someone’s health, you could be praying like this:
Jesus, I always thank you as I remember Rob, because I hear about his faith in You and his love for all the saints. I pray that he may be active in sharing his faith, so that he will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in You. Lord, his love and friendship have given me great joy and encouragement, because he has refreshed the hearts of the saints. (Philemon 1:4-7)
Use the following articles as you pray for yourself, your friends and your family. Test this out, and see whether you prayer life increases in effectiveness. When you find other Scriptures to pray, please put them in the comment box or email me at driven313@hotmail.com. If you are beginning to see evidence of the effectiveness of praying Scripture, I would encourage you to do the same: comment here or email me.
Filed under: prayer
God’s Word-My Life
Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Joshua 1:7-8
Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. They are not just idle words for you-they are your life. By them you will live long. Deuteronomy 32:46-47
How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law. Psalm 119:9-11,18
Your statutes are wonderful; therefore I obey them. The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple. I open my mouth and pant, longing for your commands. Turn to me and have mercy on me, as you always do to those who love your name. Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me. Psalm119:130-133
Throughout the time Jehoida the priest instructed him, Joash did what was right in the Lord’s sight. 2 Ki. 12:2
Ezra had determined to study and obey the Law of the LORD and to teach those decrees and regulations to the people of Israel. Ezra 7:10
You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. Acts 20:20
My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power. 1 Corinthians 2:4
When I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! 1 Corinthians 9:16
Devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. 1 Timothy 4:13
My life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus-the work of telling others the Good News about God’s wonderful kindness and love. Acts 20:24
It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation. Romans15:20
First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. God, whom I serve with my whole heart in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you. Romans 1:8-10
“Enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. Acts 4:29-31
Filed under: prayer
Portraits of Who I Want to be. Make me like…
David. O God, you have taught me from my earliest childhood, and I constantly tell others about the wonderful things you do. Now that I am old and gray, do not abandon me, O God. Let me proclaim your power to this new generation, your mighty miracles to all who come after me. Psalm 71:17-18
Elisha: I know that the one who often passes by here is a holy man of God, so let’s make a small room upstairs and put a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp there for him. Whenever he comes, he can stay there. 2 Kings 4:9-10
Joshua. The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent. Exodus 33:11
Moses. Moses was 120 years old when he died; his eyes were not weak, and his vitality had not left him.
Deuteronomy 34:7
Haggai. So the elders of the Jews continued to build and prosper under the preaching of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah. Ezra 6:14
Paul. Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.” Acts 15:36 We cared so much for you that we were pleased to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us. 1 Thessalonians 2:8
Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. 1 Corinthians 9:26-27 Everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I may have Christ and become one with Him. Philippians 3:8-9
Timothy. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. 2 Timothy 2:2
Daniel. He went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. Daniel 6:10
Anna. There was also a prophetess, Anna…. She was very old…she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Luke 1:36-37
Jesus. Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” Luke 1:49
Samuel. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was. 1 Samuel 3:3
Amos. I was not a prophet or the son of a prophet; rather I was a herdsman, and I took care of sycamore figs. But the Lord took me from following the flock and said to me, “Go, prophesy to My people Israel.” Amos 7:14-15
Abraham. He believed in God, who gives life to the dead and calls things into existence that do not exist. Romans 4:17
David. David cared for them with a true heart and led them skillful hands. Psalm 78:72
Jeremiah. Stand up and tell them everything I command you. Do not be intimidated by them or I will cause you to cower before them. Today, I am the One who has made you a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls… Jeremiah 1:17-18
The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.” Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked. ”How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him…. Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. Acts 8:29-35
Filed under: prayer
Character
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:1-2
I will pay attention to the way of integrity. When will You come to me? I will live with integrity of heart in my house. I will not set anything godless before my eyes. I hate the doing of transgression; it will not cling to me. A devious heart will be far from me and I will not be involved with evil. Psalm 101:2-4
My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man’s whole body. Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left. Proverbs 4:20-27
In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace. Romans 6:11-14
The Fruit of the Spirit: Galatians 5:16 So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
Galatians 5:19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Matthew 5:27-28
The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body… Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. 1 Corinthians 6:12-20
I have made a covenant with my eyes that I would not lust after a woman. Job 31:1
Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 2 Tim. 2:22
How to clothe yourself spiritually (what to take off and what to put on) Colossians 3:5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.[b] 7You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
Colossians 3:12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Colossians 3:15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit. 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8
Do not lust in your heart after her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes. Proverbs 6:25
How can I know all the sins in my heart? Cleanse me from hidden faults. Keep me from deliberate sins! Don’t let them control me. Then I will be free from guilt and innocent of great sin. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. Psalm 19:12-14
For the LORD your God moves about in your camp to protect you and to deliver your enemies to you. Your camp must be holy, so that he will not see among you anything indecent and turn away from you. Deuteronomy 23:14
If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it. Genesis 4:7
Filed under: prayer
Making some little woman unspeakably happy
Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. Proverbs 3:3-4
Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve….As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Joshua 24:15
She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Proverbs 31:25-27
Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 1 Corinthians 7:5
He commanded our ancestors to teach (God’s Laws) to their children, so the next generation might know them-even the children not yet born-that they in turn might teach their children, so each generation can set its hope anew on God. Psalm 78:5-7
Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well. Should your springs overflow in the streets, your streams of water in the public squares? Let them be yours alone, never to be shared with strangers. May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth. A loving doe, a graceful deer- may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be captivated by her love. Why be captivated, my son, by an adulteress? Why embrace the bosom of another man’s wife? For a man’s ways are in full view of the LORD, and he examines all his paths. The evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare him; the cords of his sin hold him fast. He will die for lack of discipline, led astray by his own great folly. Proverbs 5:15-23
Husbands, in the same way, live with your wives with understanding of their weaker nature yet showing them honor as co-heirs of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered. 1 Peter 3:7
You have captured my heart, my sister, my bride. You have captured my heart with one glance of your eyes, with one jewel of your necklace. How delightful your love is, my sister, my bride. Your love is much better than wine. Song of Songs 4:9-10
My love thrust his hand through the opening, and my feelings were stirred for him….If you find my love, tell him that I am lovesick. Song of Songs 5:4,8
Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church- for we are members of his body. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery-but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. Ephesians 5:22-33
Filed under: prayer
My Little Women. Let them be like…
Deborah, a prophetess, was leading Israel at that time…. Villages in Israel were deserted until Deborah…arose, a mother in Israel. Judges 4:4, 5:7
Tabitha. There was a disciple named Tabitha who was always doing good and helping the poor. Acts 9:36
Philip the evangelist…had four unmarried daughters who prophesied. Acts 21:9
Ruth. Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.” …Naomi realized that Ruth was determined… Ruth 1:16-18
Mary. “Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!” And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me.” Luke 1:44-49
Filed under: prayer
Standing in the Gap
Whenever Aaron enters the Holy Place, he will bear the names of the sons of Israel over his heart on the breastpiece of decision as a continuing memorial before the LORD. Exodus 28:29
As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right. 1 Samuel 12:23
For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 1:15-20
For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:14-21
I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus… And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ-to the glory and praise of God. Philippians 1:3-9
We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints- the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth. You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, and who also told us of your love in the Spirit. For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:3-14
I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints. I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints. Philemon 1:4-7
