Praying

Praying is how we talk to God. It is our eternal, wireless telephone line. No matter where we are or what we are doing, we always have reception, there arent any ‘dropped calls’, and He is always there for us. Its our essential, unlimited, free access to our Father, in Heaven.

Prayer is our strongest means of having a relationship with Christ. He loves us unconditionally and that is what he wants from us – to love Him unconditionally, and to have a true relationship with us. He wants us to be blessed. He wants us to be healthy and of good cheer. And yes, He does want us to prosper – as we read in Jeremiah 29:11, Jesus says “…for I know the plans I have for you, to promote you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” He wants to be our un-failing life line… our source of support, comfort, peace, rest, strength, and joy. He does not want us to have to suffer, but knowing that we will, He strongly urges us to rely on Him for all things.

Jesus tells us, many times, through scripture about prayer. He tells us how to pray (Matthew 6: 9-13, Psalms 66:17, 1Corinthians 4:15, and James 1:6). He tells us when to pray (Ephesians 6:18 and 1 Thessalonians 5:17). Then we are told who to pray for (1 Timothy 2:1, James 5:13-14, and Romans 15:30). And He even tells us what to pray for, in multiple passages in the book of Psalms (50:14-15, 118:25, and 122:6). To put it bluntly, if the instructions have been read, theres just no way to ‘not know how’ to do it. Otherwise, no fancy words are needed. No formal training is required. All we have to do is (Psalms 34:7) cry out to Jesus, from our hearts, for each other and our selves. We are told to do it without ceasing, boldly, in faith, with thanks given. Even when we are really in need, we also are told how to pray then; as by our combined efforts strengthening our quest before the Lord, Matthew 18:19 says when two or more gather together, in agreement, that which is asked for will be given, for the glory of God.

The most important thing we can do for each other is to pray. It builds our faith, and the faith of those we are praying for. It gives encouragement and blessing, and its a way to manifest our love for each other, as brothers and sisters in Christ. And by doing this, we are following one of Gods’ highest laws… To love one another, as Christ loves us.

In closing… I leave you with this:

Every week, requests are being accepted, replied to, and prayed for at:
soulblindministry

I would like to encourage each and every person reading this to go to the link above. Bookmark it, and visit it often. And please take a minute to add your own prayer requests there, as well as to join in our mission of praying for each prayer request that gets posted there. Also, please feel welcome to share the link with anyone else you may know. ~ Thank you!

May God bless each of you, and give you the peace, comfort, and rest that only He can give.

Pt. 7 ~ Faith

SPEAK IT!… BELIEVE IT!… RECEIVE IT!… & GIVE THANKS, ALWAYS!

HOW DO YOU GET YOUR PRAYERS ANSWERED? There are literal steps that we are instructed to do, in order to have our needs super-naturally provided for, by God (to have our prayers answered).

First, 1John 5:14-15 tells us. “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask [SPEAK] anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have [get] what we asked of Him.” This tells us that what ever we are asking for, we have to ask for it with the correct motives and in a certain way – which is to be in agreement with Gods’ Word.

Second, Matt 21:22 tells us what to do. “IF you BELIEVE [trust], you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” Notice, that is *conditional*; IF you do something, you will get something. This is even more so explained in Mark 11:24. “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” In order to get answers, not only do we have to ask for what we need, we have to – what? – use our faith – by believing that we have already received what we have asked for, at the time we ask for it – before we have the physical proof of seeing what it is that we are in need of.

Third, the following scriptures tells us that we RECEIVE what we ask of God, through demonstrating by our faith in Him, proving that we have no doubt that He will provide what we have asked of Him. How do we know we already have it? Lets check out Matt 9:29. There it tells us “… According to your faith let it be to you.” Romans 5:1-2 says, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” And, as the third confirmation of such, lets go back and dig just a tiny bit deeper to James 1. In verses 6-8 we read, “But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person [who doubts] should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.” That’s pretty self-explanatory!

Finally, we need to always GIVE THANKS for every thing that God gives us. He does not owe us a single thing, but because of His never-ending love for us, He desires for us to have a life full of blessings, without curse. (Deuteronomy 11:26-28). These things are instructed to us through 1Thessalonians 5:18 “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”

So – lets sum this up: whatever you ask for, find a scripture to back up your request. This assures you that you are asking according to His will. Once you have found what backs up your rights to having what you are requesting, pray that scripture in reference to your request. During the time that you are speaking the Word (making your request), you will be able to ask for it, in faith, knowing without doubt that, as a child of God, you are entitled to have such things. Then, by using your faith, also believe without doubt that you have already received what you are asking for. And, since you have already received it, as a demonstration of that faith, thank the Lord for having given it to you.

(note: if you cant back up your request by scripture, then chances are pretty high that you’re not going to get it. For example, you shouldnt ask for a person to be cursed. Doing so goes against Gods’ will – which is His Word, and He will not grant such a request.)