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How to Pray
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PRAYER… James 5:16
The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much...
Ps 42:1
Hunger and thirst after Father God.
Blessed are you, which do hunger and thirst after My love and righteousness.
You will be saturated, inundated, surrounded,
and changed from glory to glory by My Manifest Presence.
They, who cannot get enough of My Love and keep pressing in to dwell in the secret place of the most high under the shadow of the almighty, are a delight to My sight and will shine like the stars forever.
No matter how much inspiration the Holy Spirit gives to them, they thirst and cry out for more Lord, more.
Like the loving Father I AM, My Heart leaps for Joy at the love of My children who hunger and thirst for my presence and seek my face for I am a rewarder of those who diligently seek Me!
Prayer according to Webster's: To address God in word or thought, or to petition. A more Biblical slant is to address God in confession, repentance, petition, submission, forgiveness, intercession, spiritual warfare, declaration, thanksgiving, adoration, praise, worship, and most importantly just dwelling or abiding in the presence of God.
Let us start with Confession, Forgiveness, Repentance, and Submission… Confession... is making sure that your heart is clean before God by giving the Holy Spirit time to convict should there be any unconfessed sin.
Forgiveness...His word commands forgiveness of all offences against you or wrongs done to others.
Repentance...We must repent of sinning against a Holy God with a firm commitment not to repeat the thought, word, or deed ever again. Would Jesus command us to do something we could not do? In Jn.5:14 Jesus told the man with the infirmity 38 years after He healed him to "Sin no more lest a worse thing come upon him." Is he saying to you today to straighten up and fly right?
Submission...We can only succeed in obedience to Him by presenting your body to Him a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. Submission is to render your will to Gods will. You must say in your heart of hearts, not my will Father, but your will be done in my life. You must turn over to the Holy Spirits leading every thought, word, and deed.
Adoration, Praise and Worship are the acknowledgement by faith hope and love of who God is. Those who draw close to Him must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. The greatest Psalmist that ever lived was David. He wrote many singing prayers of Adoration, Praise and Worship in the Book of Psalms. We could pray Ps 8 as a perfect example of acknowledging God for what He has done.
The more we yield to the Holy Spirit, the more He shows us new dimensions of His glorious overcoming keeping power. Like Eph.5:25-27, I have a hunger and thirst to know Him as His bride that is holy and pure and unblaimable in His sight and to spend intimate time with Him. Like Moses at the burning bush, we must behold His glory and now we must take off our sandals because we have left the world, the flesh, and the devil to live on Holy Ground. There is a highway that we are traveling where nothing can touch us because of whose we are and where we are going. Is.35:8-10
John on the Isle of Patmos turned to see the voice. If you want to know the key to reading Revelations you must turn from every concept you've ever heard or been taught, to see the voice that is speaking. We must seek His face and not his helping hand. That is when the word will open up to reveal its truth and mysteries to your soul. Then when you are given the vision, look full into His glorious Face, and you will see Jesus Christ in all His glory and an overcomers company of saints and angels, Heb.12:1, that will rule and reign with Him throughout all the ages. Amen? Glory!
There is the love of the repentant sinner who falls on their face at the foot of the cross and as glorious as that is those that really know Him have favor with the King like Esther who out of concern for her people came boldly into the Kings throne room. The king instantly recognized her and extended to her his loving favor in the form of his golden scepter. Grace is extended to those who have prepared themselves to enter this Holy Place. Esther was cleaned and scrapped and soaked in oil and perfumed before she dared to show herself.
I am now thinking of my own precious children who would crawl up in my lap, put their arms around my neck and give me the biggest hug they had ever given me. It would bring tears to my heart, as I wanted to return that hug and to give them anything their hearts desired that was good for them and within my power to give them. Is not our Father in heaven the same? As we give Him our love, our time, our first fruits (waking moments of the new day). Will He not open the windows of Heaven? Jn.15:7. Will He not tell us of things to come? Jn.16:13. Will He not show us the deep rhema or golden nuggets in His word? He may even call us to go out and lead someone to Him by love, by word, or by testimony. He may even warn us of impending disasters, but above all we must never go to Him in prayer and not give Him a chance to speak to us.
In His presence we are changed from the old man to the new man. I am thinking of when Moses went up the mountain of God to be in His presence. Moses was even hid in the cleft of the rock while Gods manifest presence passed by. Up there 40 days when Moses came down it was said that he fasted all that time or was it that he was so caught up in Gods presence that he forgot to eat. It is said that his face shown like the sun so that the people could not look at him. Moses had been in the presence of God only 40 days and he was being changed into Gods image. 1Jn.3:2. One day we shall behold Him and when we see Him we shall be like Him. That is our ultimate goal. In His presence is fullness of joy. In His presence the mountains or strongholds in our life melt. I am referring to those strongholds in our life that we can take care of through obedience but also those we seem to be unable to over come in our own strength. Yes, He can and will do for us that which we cannot do for ourselves.
A good thumbnail start to guide you into this relationship where you can pray, ask and receive as Jn 14:13 promises we learned many years ago in YWAM. Here goes: 1. Make sure your heart is clean before God and that you have ought against no one. 2. Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you. 3. Die to your own burdens and desires. 4. Hallow His name. 5. Speak that which the Lord gives by faith. 6. Bind the enemy and stand in the gap. 7. Praise God for the need or answer already met. 8. Listen for God to speak to you and write it down no matter how strange it may seem. 9. Always have your Bible with you should God wish to give you a confirmation or direction. 10. Give unto God praise, Thanksgiving, Honor and Glory for what He has done.
The Lords Prayer: Jesus, when asked by his disciples how to pray responded with the Our Father. But at the same time the bible says not to repeat the same prayer over and over as the heathen do, so lets take the model prayer and let the Holy Spirit magnify it for each prayer meeting. Prayer example: Our Father who art in heaven…Lets at this beginning point stop and realize who we are addressing. Our Father is Supreme being. So lets tell him that he is the Creator of the universe. Father you are almighty. Father you are love. Father you are an all consuming fire. Father because you first loved us we come to love, to honor, to worship, to adore you today. Hallowed be thy name. Lord your name is Wonderful, the Alpha and omega, you are the beginning and the end of all thing made by your word. You are Jehovah Nissi, and your banner (covering) over us is love. You are Jehovah Jiriah our provider. You are Jehovah Ropha. You are our healer. Lord your name is above all names and we acknowledge you as our Father with authority over all things. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Lord let thy Kingdom come in my life, in my family’s life, in the lives of our loved ones, in our cities, states, and even in the nations of the whole world and most of all, Lord of all, I want to thank you for all that you have provided. Some of which are your love and mercy and grace and forgiveness of our transgressions against your authority and will for our lives.
Saints we should not always come to God looking for His hand to help. Because of his great love for us we should have a heart overflowing with unquenchable love for Him. There will come a joy at being able to approach His throne through the blood of His Son and supernatural peace in our hearts knowing that He already knows what we are going to ask him to do. After all He is sovereign. Our love for Him comes from Him and is expressed in the fact that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. No greater love has any man than to lay down his life for a friend much less a stranger.
"They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength…" It is a mystery the way that God reveals Himself to man. I heard it put that we cannot reveal the Kingdom of God until we try everything we know and our ways, our thoughts, our desires, and our perception of how we think things work in this world is totally shattered; then God lifts the veil and shows us that things are not always as they appear. To have Gods vision we must have our own world view shattered. In every new move of God in our lives Gods plan is usually the exact opposite of what the world would do.
Jesus said to his followers, "A little while and you will not see me, and in a little while you will behold Me. And in that day you won't ask Me anything anymore". The word for ask in the Greek is to investigate. Jesus is saying that for 31/2 years I've been here with you in the flesh and you've investigated Me and for all of your investigation, you still don't understand a word I'm saying, so I have got to go away for a while (shatter your worldly vision) and of what I'm about, and let you grieve for a little bit, and when I come back in a different form, you will have a new revelation, your thought processes will be transformed, your old worldly views will be shattered and when I come back risen from the dead and appear in your midst, you won't ask me anything anymore, but you will know who I am, and where I am, and there you will be also. But in order for that to happen, you've got to go through tribulation (mans heart breaking learning process).
The closer we get to Jesus, the more our vision of this world and its system must change and grow strangely dim in light of His glorious revealing of His plan, His purpose, and His ways that are so very far above ours. All things really do work together for good for those that truly love Him.
In His presence God pours out His Spirit on His sons and His daughters and they prophesy. Young men see visions. Old men dream dreams. In that light God changes little faith into great faith. He changes us from our measure of faith into the faith He had when He changed the water into wine and healed all that came to Him. In His presence we are changed from glory to glory. Out of the glory of man into the glory of God. "Are we not the Temple of the Holy Spirit?" Only if it is no longer we that live but Christ liveth in us. Then from that perspective where we go God goes. What we say God says. What we see God sees. What we do God does. From this point on we are to walk like Jesus walked when He was on this earth. We should be as in tune with Jesus as Jesus was with the Father, doing nothing that the Father didn't show Him to do. Oh that true believers would catch the vision (revelation) of "Christ in us the hope of Glory." That God has purposed for us to be his body in the earth today. The bible says we are bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh.
One way into His presence can be seen through the pattern of the Tabernacle of Moses. In type and shadow Jesus is the way, the truth is the Holy Spirit, and the Life is the Father. We enter His gates with Thanksgiving in our hearts. We enter His courts with Praise. We can use fasting and soft worship music to increase the mood. In the outer court we come to the brazen alter to give all that we are to Him. We offer up our bodies as a living sacrifice which is our reasonable service. At the laver we should pray Gods word so that we are praying His will. We are now ready to enter the Holy Place by the Holy Spirit of truth. God's not looking for golden vessels, nor silver vessels, but yielded vessels. We enter to find the Candlestick, which provides the only light in this room. (Jesus is the light of this world). The Holy Spirit is the oil burning that shines on the alter of showbread which is symbolic of the word of God. The Holy Spirit light is there to turn the logos word to Rhema word for us in this day and hour of our lives. The light also shines as the Holy Spirit leads us to pray only for His desires not ours. My prayer is "Holy Spirit, pray the will of the Father through me." The light from the candlestick also shines on the alter of incense which is symbolic of our prayers that ascends to God a sweet savor in His nostrils. It is here that our prayer language can be used to edify and pray for those things that we are unaware of. "Come Holy Spirit of God and pray the will of the Father through me for needs and problems that may come about in the future. Then when God speaks write down every word and thank Him for the wonderful experience with Him.
It is now time to worship and adore Him in Love, in Spirit and in Truth. It is now time to enter in to Abba Fathers (Dads) living room even the Holy of Holies. There is only one piece of furniture in Gods living room. It is the Mercy (love) seat. As we draw closer to Him He draws closer to us. It is here that we crawl (in the spirit) up into our loving Fathers lap and love Him. Now is the time to give Him the biggest hug we have ever given Him in our entire life. With His arms around me, I am undone. Nothing else matters. I dare not think or say anything else but I am there to listen and love on Him. I gaze on His Glory. I dare not utter a sound. Nothing can be allowed to spoil this moment. I must wait to hear His still small voice. I must love on Him with all of my heart, with all of my soul, with all of my mind and with all of my strength. We must love our neighbor, and even our enemies. It is here that we are truly changed into His image and likeness.
Prayer availeth much and from that standpoint of personal responsibility, prayer is the major element leading to eternal salvation. 1Tim.2:1-8. Finally prayer is the source of vision, power, creativity, and blessing in every life. It is a ministry of unquestioned priority. Lk.18:1 Neglect prayer and you impede the flow of Gods grace in your life. Embrace prayer and you embrace God Himself and He will give you strength to endure to the end.
Questions or remarks: Jim or Paula:
Goodreport4u@yahoo.com
Jim and Paula are available to come to your meeting or church to impart the Fathers Love and a hunger and thirst to dwell in the secret place of the Most High under the shadow of the Almighty. Ps.91 To be changed by God where mans efforts have failed.
What is soaking prayer?
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| OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN LOVES YOU! His desire is to give you the kingdom. Become a laid down lover and let His love saturate you through and through. Love Him with all your heart? When is the last time you told Him? Soaking Meeting every Monday Night in Mobile Al and every Thursday night in Fairhope Al. Call Jim or Paula for directions @ 251-422-7872 |
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