HOW TO (AND NOT TO) PRAY Matthew 20 Prayer is a wonderful privilege; we can pray anytime and anywhere we desire. God does not care about how eloquent or long our prayers are; He just wants to talk to us. Prayer should be viewed as a child speaking to his father. Prayer keeps you in touch with God and keeps your will aligned with His. There are some things we can note from the two blind men who cried out to Jesus in Matthew 20. PRACTICAL PRINCIPLES 1. They prayed. It has been said, “If your knees are knocking, kneel on them.” When conflicts come your way, all you have to do is call out to your Heavenly Father. 2. They prayed with passion. Sometimes we will pray about something and the answer does not come; then we tell ourselves that God is saying no. Instead, maybe He wants us to keep praying, to pray with persistence. 3. Their prayer was heard by Jesus. We must be reminded that when we passionately cry out to God by faith, He will hear us. If you seek Him with your whole heart, you will find Him. 4. Their prayer was answered in the affirmative. God answers prayer three ways: yes, no, or wait. Sometimes He wants you to grow through your challenge. If you want your prayers answered in the affirmative, you have to align your will with the will of God. RELEVANT REMINDERS • We have a Father in heaven that loves to bless us. He always has our best interest in mind, so seek His provision. • God will tell us what we need to know, when we need to know it. God’s timing is always perfect. • There are things that can hinder us from receiving answers to our prayers. We could be praying out of a selfish motive or could have unconfessed sins in our lives. We could have idols in our hearts, a sense of unforgiveness towards another individual, or even an unbelieving spirit. If you have any of these in your prayer life right now, get rid of them. It will have an impact on the answers you receive from God. • Sometimes God says grow, sometimes God says slow, and sometimes God says go. Grow, with a more fervent passion of prayer. Slow, and wait on God’s perfect timing. Go, when God answers your prayers with an affirmative. APPLICABLE ACTIONS Do not let anything hinder you from the blessings God wants to give you. Faith is not just intellectual assent, it is action. Faith sees what could be. It is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Start praying, and when you do, use your faith.
Posted on: Sun, 09 Jun 2013 18:16:34 +0000
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