Prayer is the Key

We submit to you today, that prayer is one of the most powerful keys on your key ring.  It is so powerful that Jesus says you must always do it, and not faint.  There is something about getting into a personal conversation with God and using that which he has provided to each us, the means of communicating.   Even the chirping birds of the air, the fluttering flower petal, the hooing owl, the roaring lions know the power of communicationwith God.  He made them, and he provided a way for all living creatures to communicate with Him.   All creation glorify God.  Man, with the highest of intelligence, is allowed speak, even in internal unspoken words.  Something in the inside of us allows to talk with God.

Paul knew the power of pray so much that he said be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.    Sure God knows, but the scriptures say let your request be made known.  Some guidance of prayer:

1.    When you become filled with the Spirit, praying will not only come natural, it will become a necessity.

2.    The aim of prayer is not to make God do what you want him to do, but to find out what God is saying and then yielding to what He wants you to do.  Let your requests be known to God.

3.    Follow the ask, seek, and knock plan of prayer.

4.    An encounter with God calls for us to lay aside the self, and come into truth about ourselves and our surroundings.

5.    Confession will always take precedence over justification.

Even though Jesus encourages individual prayer, he also encourages group prayer as described in Matthew 18:19-20 where he says this:  “Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done of them of my Father which is in heaven.  For where two or three agree gathered together in may name, there I am in the midst of them.”  There is power in prayer.  One can chase a thousand, but two can put ten thousand to flight.  When there is unity there is power.    The devil will use whomever that will yield to bring about dis-unity and di-vision, because he too has heard the promise given to the believer. And where there is disunity, trouble is soon to follow.  A house divided, a people divided, a family divided, a nation divided will ultimately fall victim. 

Prayer is necessary if you are going to walk in the  Kingdom. We need guidance.   Any who avoids counsel is setting themselves up for trouble.  Even the secular man knows not to go to court without a lawyer.  Many have thought  they were astute, until they got in the courtroom and found out that  some cases only work on television.    Luke 6:12 tells who Jesus went into the mountain and prayed all night, and in the morning he chose his 12 apostles.   In this act of humility, Jesus is illustrating “before I make this move, I need to communicate with the Father”.  All night long, in prayer.   Many times we get into stuff because we have not prayed about the situation or have not waited for God to give an answer.  Jesus knew that He needed guidance from the Father.

The aim of prayer is not to make God do what you want him to do, but to find out what God is saying about it and then yielding to what He wants you to do.  Let your requests be known to God.

It is good when we go to God and make requests of Him, and He answers our prayer.  But prayer must go beyond this.  Prayer also brings us to the point where we accept things of God that may not be of our choice, but of God's will.  Jesus illustrates this in the Garden when he said “not my will, but Thine be done.”   First he asks, if you be willing, remove this cup; then yielded to God’s will.

Jesus reminds us that the Father knows what things we have need of, before we ask him.   So before you fall out, cry out, shout out, press out, worry yourself to death, toss and turn, you need to know that God already knew what was on your mind. Before you told him, he already knew.

Follow the ask, seek, and knock plan of prayer

The Lord said that whatsoever we ask in prayer, believing, we shall receive.  In other words, we must believe first in order to receive.

7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

When you  asked (1), it was given.  Then the ball in your court to seek and find it (2), Now what will you do when you find it? You  must (3)possess what God has provided.  You want love, give it. You peace, be a peacemaker.  Most great accomplishments have happened because men and women have become active and viable participants in what they have asked for.

An encounter with God calls for us to lay aside the self, and come in truth

We come before God laying off the clutter and weight that will keep our focus off God and on to our own self.  We must come to God in a spirit of humbleness in prayer.  For who are we to stand before a holy God and even attempt to boast or contend with God of our righteousness?  Isaiah, Jacob, Job, and many other Patriarch of the bible have come to this realization.  And if you have ever truly had a real encounter with God, you will know. Isaiah said

4 For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.

5 Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou art wroth; for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we shall be saved.

6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Clear up the mind, and see yourself in the light God sees you.  Then come boldly to the throne.  Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Confession will always take precedence over justification.

Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

          And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: For every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. It takes many pains to justify, and a few to confess.

          Prayer is the key that will unloose the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.   For Jesus has already given unto us the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever we shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever we shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.  For Jesus is the door. And if we enter by the door we can go in and out to pasture.  

Communicate with God in Prayer.  To do so, you unlock the door to peace, joy, and happiness.