P R A Y E R Pray TO WHOM : The FATHER (Colossians 1:3) THROUGH WHOM : JESUS the CHRIST (Colossians 3:17, Romans 1:8) HOW OFTEN : Be ON-LINE w/ JESUS all the time (1st Thessalonians 5:17) Matthew 6:5 = WHEN, not if you pray!!! PURPOSE : That we may receive mercy and may find grace for help (the specifics are not to be ASKED outright as our reason or objective for our praying -- HE knows our needs, HE IS even without our ASKING OUT TO LEAD US TO THEM!) in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16) Pre-REQUISITE to OUR PRAYING: Obey the command “FORGIVE” (Mark 11:25-26) --- refusal to obey such command is to commit sin and we know that God does not hear sinners (Psalms 66:18); but if we are God-fearing and does His will, He hears us (John 9:31); for the eyes of The Lord are upon the righteous and His ears attend to their prayers for mercy & grace (1st Peter 3:12). It is required of us all to fulfill all righteousness (Matthew 3:14-15) ---- have you in the matter of the one baptism for the remission of your sinnings? “EVERYTHING IS PERMISSIBLE BUT NOT EVERYTHING IS BENEFICIAL.” -------------------- 1st Corinthians 10:23 Any prayer is permissible --- but not every prayer is beneficial! IF hypocrites LOVE TO PRAY (Matthew 6:5), there is no reason why we should not love to pray! Our PROBLEM is: there is much of wrong praying and too little of the right praying --- only sometimes! Yes, the world is full of prayers .... but of the wrongly-purposed prayings and of THE not-to-be-heard prayers! TO PLEASE GOD IN OUR PRAYERS ----- (1st Kings 3:10), THE SECRET IS in WHAT WE PRAY FOR to [1] confidently receive MERCY and [2] be lead to find GRACE for help in our own-perceived needs! (1st Kings 3:1-5) 1. Solomon did not ask for THE USUAL THINGS (like health, wealth, security, long life, protection from enemies --- verse 11) WE HAVE LOTS OF TIME AND REPEATEDLY PRAYED FOR and “overprayed!” 2. Solomon prayed for mercy & grace in his INADEQUACY to govern with his realization Who The Father is to be totally depended upon by him! (verses 6-10). 3. Solomon instead of teaching God what He should give him as many of us do in our prayers --- not wanting to order or pretend to know what was best for him in his inadequacy, ASKED FOR WISDOM (verse 9). 4. And because of all of the above, he got all those that otherwise he could never have attained (verses 13-14) had he asked for them instead of wisdom. HE GOT LOST FROM THE WAY OF GOD THOUGH .... WHEN HE GOT MORE CONCERNED WITH THE FEMALE SPECTATORS WATCHING HIM IN ALL THAT GLORY HE HAD FROM THE WISDOM AND HONOR HE ENJOYED, instead of HIS CONTINUED INADEQUACY WITHOUT HIM! The truth is: “A little foolishness can ruin much wisdom and honor.” --- Ecclesiastes 10:1 PRAYER EFFECTIVENESS depends on: 1. our regular intake of THE WORD or INSTRUCTIONS of GOD ----------------- John 15:7 2. our believing and obeying/applying the implied commands in THE WORD OF GOD ------------- James 1:5-8, 2:17-18 3. THE WILL OF GOD instead of our own ---- 1st John 5:14 4. OUR FELLOWSHIP with GOD ----------------- Psalm 66:18 CONDITIONS WITHIN US WHICH HAMPERS OUR PRAYERS: 1. OUR LACK OF FAITH, either lack of understanding of the situation &/or want-need question; &/or lack of firmness to doing that which faith, particularly the implied commands therein ..... requires -------------------------------------- Matthew 21:22 2. OUR WRONG MOTIVES ---------------- James 4:3 3. OUR LACK OF COMPASSION --------- Proverbs 21:13 4. OUR BOTHERSOME DOMESTIC TRANQUILITY SITUATION ----------------------------------- 1st Peter 3:7-12 5. OUR PRIDE &/or SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS ------------------------- Job 35:12-13 6. OUR FAILURE TO COMPLY with GODs WILL ------------------ 1st John 5:14 7. OUR LACK OF OBEDIENCE -------------- 1st John 3:22 8. OUR LACK OF PERSEVERANCE in PRAYING -------------------------------- Ephesians 6:18 9. OUR LACK OF REGULAR INTAKE of THE WORD OF GOD -------- John 5:17 What Most of US Have To Correct OURSELVES In the Matter of PRAYING: 1st, in our attitudes toward God: • GOD is kind but GOD’s kindness alone cannot be depended upon for our prayers to be heard and granted by HIM because HE too can be harsh and intolerant. “Here we see how kind and how severe GOD is; HE is severe toward them who fall, but kind to you .... if you continue in HIS kindness. But if you do not, you too will be broken off.” ---- Romans 11:22 • Not all who call on HIM are heard by GOD. We know that GOD does not listen to sinners; but if anyone is GOD-fearing, and does HIS will, HE hears him.” --- John 9:31 “Not everyone who says to Me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter The Kingdom of heaven; but he/she who does The Will of My Father Who is in heaven.” – Matthew 7:21 “And why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord’ and do not do what I say? ---------- Luke 6:46 What entitles us to get our prayers heard comes from our doing/obeying the instructions of God. • God can be deliberate in not wanting to hear any one. “Thou hast covered Thyself with a cloud so that no prayer can pass through.” ------- Lamentations 3:44 2nd, in our attitudes toward ourself: • We should be out to know what God does not want us to be like! “Our God is in heaven; He does whatever He wishes. The idols in this world are of silver and gold, formed by human hands. They have mouths, but they cannot speak; they have eyes but cannot see; they have ears but cannot hear; they have noses but cannot smell; they have feet but cannot walk; they cannot make a sound with their throat. They who make them will become like them, everyone who trusts in them will also become like them.” ---- Psalm 115:3-8 • Not only delicado kaayong maparehas ta nila, maparehas pa gyod ta nila nga walay kahimo-an! “Of what benefit is an idol? It is only something that a man has made, and it tells you nothing but lies. What good does it do for its maker to trust --- a god that can’t even talk! You are doomed! You say to a piece of wood, ‘Wake up!’ or to a block of stone, ‘Get up!’ Can an idol reveal anything to you? It may be covered with gold and silver, but there is no life in it.” ---------------------------------------- Habakkuk 2:18-19 • Ania pa gyoy dugang kakuyaw nga dili gyud unta nato mahi-aguman! “You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, The Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, and on the 3rd & 4th generations of them who hate Me.” –---- Deuteronomy 5:7-9 • Apostle Paul gyod mismo, sa iyang pagtamod sa ka-jealous sa Ginoo, nibalibad sa pagsimba niadtong mga tawo nga ilang napaMILAGROHAN nga gani gikan gyod sa Ginoo mismo kadtong mga miraculoha! “At Lystra, there was sitting a certain man, without strength in his feet, lame from his mother’s womb, who had never walked. This man was listening to Paul as he spoke, who, when he had fixed his gaze upon him, and had seen that he had faith to be made well, said in a loud voice, ‘Stand upright on your feet.’ And he leaped up and began to walk. And when the multitudes saw what Paul had done, they raised their voices, saying in the Lyconian language, ‘The gods have become like men and have come down to us.’ And they began calling Barnabas, Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds. But when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of it, they tore their robes and rushed out into the crowd, crying out and saying, ‘Men, why are you doing these things? We are also men of the same nature as you, and preach the gospel to you in order that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them.” ------------ Acts 14:11-15 • Si apostle Peter usab sa iyang bahin, sa iyang pagka-gipaabot sa banay ni Cornelius, wala ma-spoiled tungod sa iyang pagtamod sa ka-jealous sa Ginoo. “And on the following day, he entered Caesarea. Now, Cornelius was waiting for them, and had called together his relatives and close friends. And when it came about that Peter entered, Cornelius met him, and fell at his feet and worshipped him. But Peter raised him up, saying, ‘Stand up; I too am just a man.” ---- Acts 10:24-26 • Si apostle John usab, sa iyang ka blessed nga gipakita siya niadtong mga visions pinaagi sa anghel: “And I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things. And he said to me, ‘Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who heed The Words of This Book; worship God.” ----- Revelation 22:8-9 The RIGHT WAY TO PRAY: Pray then, “in this way: (Matthew 6:9). NOT PRAY THIS!!!! as many are repeating and repeating The Our Father as sample prayer and not as a model prayer “UNTA” that it should be! 1. Address our prayers to The Father (Matthew 6:9). 2. Ask for the forgiveness of our specific sinnings we commit AFTER we have been amnestied (Philippians 4:6). 3. Express our thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6). 4. Make known our requests for grace & mercy from Him (Philippians 4:6). 5. As we pray, express our belief we shall receive them as soon as we have put ourselves in the position to receive them (Mark 11:24) with the kind of faith that involves our understanding & our will that we are to fully benefit from and not waste any of them (James 1:6-7), 6. END your prayer expressing CONFIDENCE you said it IN THE NAME or (BY THE AUTHORITY) of Jesus The Christ our Lord (John 16:23), IN ALL CERTAINTY & WITHOUT DOUBT! FURTHER CONCERNS for OUR PRAYERS to be HEARD by GOD: 1. INDIVIDUALLY, to keep us away from just being religious, we are not to pray as to be seen by men around us; we are to pray in the privacy of our inner rooms (Matthew 6:6). 2. WHEN in a gathering, we are to worship Him with bowed heads and knees (Psalm 95:6), dili magbarog og dako pa gyod og yahat ngadto sa itaas! • Paul knelt down together with the brethren (Acts 20:36) • Jesus Himself knelt down praying in the presence of His disciples (Luke 22:41). • There could be time when we have to pray standing (Mark 11:25) • We are not to love to stand when we pray in our gatherings (Matthew 6:5), or we are like the hypocrites! 3. We are to be on-line always with God! (1st Thessalonians 5:17). • Dili sa paagi nga vigil nga kunohay continuous for some hours pero mohunong lang gihapon at a certain time --- klaro kaayong dili gyod without ceasing. • God does not ask for the impossible; if we read through Luke 18:1-7, it is very clear there, that the continuous and without ceasing praying is to be ON-LINE whether night or day connected ta with The Lord --- every night and every day; dili NAG-PRAY sukad sa adlawan pa ngadto sa gabii padayon sunod adlaw sigue pa gyud hangtud sa sunod gabii og wala gyoy katapusan. 4. When we pray, we are not to put The Lord our God to the test! (Matthew 4:7) • Kung makamatikod tang dili Iyang kabubut-on ang atong gipangayo --- dili nato dapat ipadayon .... pa ang pagpangayo kay wala ta niana tinuod gyod magtuo sa Iya .... og gi-testingan lang nato niana Siya! Duda gani ta nga dili subay sa Iyang kabubut-on ang atong paagi sa pag-ampo .... putlon na lang dayon unta nato ang atong pag-ampo kay nag-testing ra diay ta sa Iyang gahum pagpatuman nianang atong giampo! 5. We are to pray with understanding (1st Corinthians 14:15) gyod diay kay sugo gyod ni sa Ginoo natong tanan --- all commands man gyud ang ipa-obey gyod natong tanan diha sa Matthew 28:20; dili lang kay dili ta nianang yamyamyamyam ug wala nato hisabti, balik-balik nianang mao lang gihapon as if gahi og ulo ang Ginoo nga balik-balikon gyod aron masabtan ra gyud Niya diha sa atong pagbalik-balik niining sayopa unya tawgon dayon nato ang sayop nga pagbalik-balik og perseverance! GODs ANSWERS to our PRAYERS: 1) YES to the petition but NO to the desire ~ Numbers 11:1-35 ~ (petition for meat granted but desire for pleasant eating experience rejected). ~ 1st Samuel 8:4-7 ~ (petition for a king granted with Saul but their desire to be like other nations united under one king rejected). 2) NO to the petition but YES to the desire ~ Genesis 17:18-19 ~ (NO to his petition for Ysmael as his heir but YES to his desire for an heir in the person of Isaac). ~ Genesis 18:26-32 ~ (NO to his petition for Sodom preserved from destruction but YES to his desire for the preservation of Lot and the rest of the righteous). ~ Luke 16:19-31 ~ (NO to the petition to be sent back to earth but YES to the desire that his brothers receive the information so that they will be saved). ~ 2nd Corinthians 12:7-10 ~ (NO to his petition for removal of the thorn in his flesh but YES to Paul’s desire to have inner happiness, peace, and stability). 3) YES to the petition and YES to the desire ~ 1st Kings 18:21-39 ~ (YES to his petition that God send fire and YES also to his desire that God be glorified). ~ Judges 16:25-30 ~ (YES to Samson’s petition for strength and YES just as well for his desire that he might avenge the Philistines for his blindness). ~ Luke 23:42-43 ~ (YES to his petition “Remember me!” and YES to his desire to be in His kingdom). 4) NO to the petition and NO to the desire ~ Please furnish your own experiences ~ With everything cited above to reckon with, we are to : PRAY WITH OUR SPIRIT and also with OUR UNDERSTANDING ............ please refer to Treatise #s 031 and 032 (1st Corinthians 14:15) …...... And the truth we do not know WHAT to pray for…......... (Romans 8:26) ought to caution us not to rush at leading our brethren in our prayer meetings, just because we are asked to!!! (kay leader lagi ta sa grupo --- ELDERS ra .... ang anaa Sa Church ni Jesus!) Reflect on the outcome of what happened because of Abraham’s wrong presumption on the number of the GODly in Sodom & Gomorrah SPECIFICALLY THEN at that time he prayed to GOD & because of such wrong presumption he stopped his prayer !!!
Posted on: Sun, 01 Dec 2013 15:20:12 +0000
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