"And He came out and proceeded as was His custom to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples also followed Him. And when He arrived at the place, He said to them, "Pray that you may not enter temptation." Luke 22:39-40
Principle: Disciplined, consistent repetition of believing prayer strengthens a Christ follower's resistance to the temptation of sin.
Jesus practiced prayer. It was something that He did repeatedly, and He developed a following as a result of it. His disciplined prayer life could be described as , "Practice makes perfect."
After a long day of service, Jesus did not exempt Himself fro intimacy with God. He returned to it. Jesus also had a distinct and established place of prayer. He went there often to get alone with God. It was a familiar place. He was confident God would meet Him there and He would hear His voice.
The practice was so ingrained in His habits that His enemies knew His routine as well as His friends. When Judas led the soldiers to arrest Jesus, and they knew exactly where to find Him.
When a body builder desires to develop muscle mass, the principle of repetition must be carried out with relentless discipline. The sets and reps that are done on a regular basis eventually produce muscle that would never develop if the weight was lifted only once a week. Prayer warriors seeking to develop a powerful prayer life prioritize consistent communication and companionship with their Father.
Intermittent prayer and sporadic prayer can be compared to intermittent and sporadic breathing. It may postpone death, but it is not life giving. Prayer is the breath of Heaven. Christ followers find the air of prayer exhilarating, and refreshing. The rarefied air of prayer is often found on the mountain top experiences with God, but the repetition of believing prayer strengthens the prayer warrior for the challenges they find in the valley.
Crisis reveals character. Prayer builds and strengthens character. Jesus challenged His disciples to prepare for resistance to temptation by getting alone with God. When Jesus faced the greatest test of His life, He prepared Himself by repeatedly getting alone with God, and praying to the One who could empower Him to pass the test.
Temptation is not always a choice between good and evil. Satan is the enemy of the best. If he can lead a Christ follower to lose focus on the best Jesus has to offer, and settle for second best, then he has succeeded in his mission.
Reaching, worshiping, preaching, giving, fasting, serving, teaching, and healing are all aspects of the ministry of Jesus. When He was drained by the outflow of this ministry, He turned to God in prayer. The ministry of His church will not be maintained if the prayers of His followers are not sustained long enough to be restored to life-giving strength.
To fail to pray is to plan to fail. Jesus knew the hope of the world was riding on the strength of His prayer life. Jesus repeatedly turned to God in prayer before the crisis came. When the tide turned against Him, He was prepared with God's power to complete His mission.
Christ followers are empowered by repeatedly turning to God in prayer for the sustaining, life-giving strength that only He can provide. Anything that interferes with steady breathing must be removed from the wind passage of a person's body. When breath is interrupted for prolonged periods of time, it has an adverse impact on the entire body. Lack of air brings loss of life.
Lack of prayer brings loss of life to a Christ follower and the Body of Christ. The greatest preparation for the crises of life is the process of prayer. "Pray without ceasing...for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (I Thessalonians 5:18)
The Practice of Prayer: Make a list of the things you do each day. These are the things that you will not fail to do, and need no reminders to do them. You do them regardless of how you feel, or how crowded your day becomes. Make sure that it includes the priority of prayer.
Thought for the Day: There is no substitute for the priority of personal, private, prolonged, prevailing, persevering, and productive...PRAYER.
"Nothing would turn the nation back to God so surely and so quickly as a church that prayed and prevailed. The world would never believe in a religion in which there is no supernatural power. A rationalized faith, a socialized church, and a moralized gospel may gain applause, bu they awaken no conviction and win no converts." Samuel Chadwick
The Prayer Principle of Destination
"Pray that you enter not into temptation." Luke 22:40
Principle: Prayer warriors avoid detours of sin that delay their arrival at the right destination, by using the compass of prayer to point themselves to the unchanging Presence of God.
For a compass to be effective, it must have an immovable object as its point of reference. Prayer must be focused on the immutable, inerrant word of God in order for the prayer warrior to arrive safely in the Presence of God.
Praying the Word of God will enable the prayer warrior to arrive at the destination God desires for them. Prayer is the intimate communication between the heavenly Father and His child. This conversation is not a means to an end, but it is the end in itself. Prayer, primarily, is the way to come into the Presence of God. Those who use it only as a means to get things from God will miss God every time.
Temptation is alot like a barking dog that can intimidate and distract a person from their walk down a road. It will be impossible to arrive at the right destination if a person stops and throws rock at every barking dog. Their focus needs to be on the destination, not the delays and the detours that they encounter along the way. On life's journey, a Christ follower has either left temptation behind, or will confront it on the road ahead. It can be bypassed or overcome only through the power of prayer.
The detour sign of temptation always points to sin, and this separates a person from the Presence of God. Prayer, like a compass, keeps a saint from being duped by the detours of life, and keeps pointing them to the Presence of God. Temptation can be expected along the way. It is inevitable, but in and of itself, it is not sin. Sin results in separation from God.
Prayer gets people in touch with God. Believing prayer never focuses on the object of temptation, but on the Presence of God. The Tempter has the power to keep putting up detour signs. God has the power to defeat the Tempter. One look from God, and the Tempter will have to flee from His Presence. The prayer warrior is safest when prayer brings them into the Presence of God.
Believing prayer is an admission of need. It is a humbling of oneself to ask directions to the right destination from the One who sent Jesus to be "The Way, The Truth and The Life." Prayer leads to the ultimate destination, the Presence of God.
The Practice of Prayer: What tempts you the most to leave the Presence of God? When are you tempted the most? Spend time in His Presence, listen to His Word, ask for His help, enjoy His company, and His guidance. When you walk His way, you will see things His way. You will be amazed at the weakness of the temptation when the Tempter has to flee from His Presence.
Thought for the Day: Focus on the temptation, and it will look better the longer you look at it. Placing the temptation in the hands of God, changes the way you look at it, and keeps you from walking into it.
"I cannot stop the birds from flying over my head but I can stop them from building their nests in my hair." Martin Luther
The Prayer Principle of Preservation
"I have prayed...your faith fail not." Luke 22:32
Principle: Intercessory prayer calls on the power of God to bring the best out of the worst people, and to make the best out of the worst situations.
Jesus knew temptation would be inflicted on Peter. He was not surprised by the attack or shocked by the results. Peter did not believe he was vulnerable to the enemy and that he could rise above any challenges that came his way. He did not take the warning seriously and he was humiliated by his failure.
Intercessory prayer steps between man and God. It chooses the path of prayer, and avoids the jungle of judgment. Judging appears at first glance to be a quick fix in dealing with people who disappoint us. The problem is that judgment entangles us in the failures and foibles of others. Before long, more time is spent pointing out the faults of others, rather than pointing people to the way, the truth and the life...Jesus.
Praying for another person to be preserved from the consequences of their own sin is a sign of maturity in the child of God. Investing in intercession rather than judgment redeems the time and the person from being a lost cause. People will often fail to meet our expectations. The choice becomes praying for them, or talking about them. Jesus told His disciples that He would pray for them. His followers should do no less. Those who have failed to live up to God's best for their lives may still have a lot to bring to the table, and intercession has a way of creating a hunger in them to return to the banquet.
The intercession of Jesus did not make Peter incapable of failing Satan's test. It did succeed in reestablishing Peter's faith in God. Intercession starts at the point of the first sign of separation between man and God. Its goal is to bring them back together again. This is how God has ordained for people to be preserved from the consequences of their failure. When Christ followers intercede for others and refrain from judging them, their own hearts remain tender to the turn around that Jesus knows can be performed in the heart of a sinner.
When people become a bone in the throat or a rock in the shoe, it is time to pray for them. Jesus knew what Peter was capable of, both negatively and positively. He prayed for Peter, but Peter failed to pray for himself. Peter was filled with pride in himself and his position. The events he would face would pressure him until what was on the inside spilled out. He was ashamed of what he saw in himself, by the time he denied Jesus.
Prayerless people cannot be prevented from sin, but intercession has the power to preserve them from the consequences of their sin. The preservation takes the fruit of the harvest, keeps it from being wasted, and saves it for another day. Sin may place a person on the shelf for a period of time, but preservation through prayer can still produce a taste of the first fruits God had in mind for their lives.
What a shame it would have been if the church had missed out on what Peter had to offer. It is accurate to say that he failed a test under the stress of overwhelming circumstances. Jesus interceded for him, and a change took place in Peter. He was preserved for future ministry, even though he had been intimidated by immediate circumstances. Intercession created a hunger in his heart to return to the One who could restore him to the right relationship he longed to have.
Intercession paved the way for Peter to keep walking with Jesus, and to give centuries of Christ followers the challenge to, "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time. Casting all your cares upon Him, because He cares for you." (I Peter 5:6-7)
The Practice of Prayer: Make a list of the people who have failed to live up to your expectations. Your assessment of them may be accurate, but it may also be judgment. Invest more time in praying for them than you have in talking about them. Ask God to bring out His best in them, and to remove the bone in your throat and the rock in your shoe of judgment.
Thought for the Day: Interceding for someone who has let you down, tenderizes your heart to what God may do in their lives. It is like coughing out the bone in your throat, and shaking out the rock in your shoe. It prepares the way for God to preserve someone or some situation. Don't be surprised if He brings them to you, after you have brought them to Him in prayer. All you have to say is, "Welcome Home!"
"Discernment is never given in order to exercise judgment, but intercession." Oswald Chambers
The Prayer Principle of Preparation
"...during the day. He was teaching in the temple, but at evening He would go out and spend the night on the mount...all the people would get up early in the morning and come to Him in the temple to listen to Him." Luke 21:37-38
Principle: Prayer involves spending time with God and it is the weapon of warfare that best prepares the prayer warrior for speaking a word for God.
The magnetism of Jesus was directly related to His personal practice of prayer. This time that He spent with His Father in prayer, prepared Him to speak a word for God. Before He spoke a word for God to His followers, His Father stamped His words with His authority and His insight. From the beginning of His ministry, this authoritative word drew His listeners to Him.
When Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount, He amazed His listeners with the words. "You have heard it said,... but I say to you." (Matthew 5:21,27,31,38, 43) They had never heard anyone teach like this. They may have heard rabbis teach many times, but they were fond of quoting other great teachers to bolster their teaching.
Jesus spoke with an authority and an attraction that came out of the overflow of His time alone with God. It was not so much a new word that was being heard, as it was a new voice of authority and authenticity. Jesus got a word from God, and gave it to the people. "The result was that when Jesus had finished these words, the multitude were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes." (Matthew 7:28)
Jesus was not just knowledgeable about God, He was intimate with God. The rabbis who taught in the synagogues would often talk about God, but Jesus would often talk with God. This made a huge difference in His preaching, and the people of the land were attracted to Him as a result of it.
Jesus was attracted to His Father, and God attracted people to Him. Luke's account records, more than once, how Jesus would find a mountain when He was looking to spend more time with God.
"And it was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray." (Luke 6:12)
"He took along Peter, and John and James and went up to the mountain to pray." (Luke 9:28)
"And He came out and proceeded as was His custom to the Mount of Olives...and when He arrived at the place, He said to them, 'Pray...' " (Luke 22:40)
In Luke 21, this passage reveals how this prayer pattern of Jesus preceded and prepared Him to speak a word for God with the Presence and Power of God. After teaching all day in the Temple, Jesus would go to the mountain at evening , and He would get with God. Though prayer was not specifically mentioned in this passage, Luke documents on other occasions how much personal, private prayer was an ingrained pattern of Jesus' behavior. The result of this consistent companionship was that His Father used this time with His Son to make Him attractive to others.
Time alone with God is the best preparation for standing in front of other people and sharing a word about Him. The mountain climbing that Jesus did was not to get a better overview of the valley below. It separated Him from the people below who would not exert themselves to climb out of the valley and get with God. People who are in the pit of despair do not need someone to climb in with them. They need someone to lead them out of it. This can be done best by getting with God, and letting Him place His stamp of approval on the words of guidance that they need to hear from God.
Prayer prepares the man or woman of God to speak words of deliverance to people who are intimidated by immediate circumstances. Prayer puts the experiences of the valley into a perspective that can only come from God. Prayer is the means by which the people of God empty themselves, and are filled with His Presence and anointed by His Power. People who are filled with themselves seldom have enough to quench the thirst and satisfy the hunger of those who are starving for a word from God.
When people hear a man or woman of God speak to them, they need to hear from God. When some people preach, the response is, "What a great sermon." When others preach, they say, "What a great preacher." When the message comes from time spent with God, they will say, "What a great Savior." This is what people need the most. God gave the world a Savior, and Jesus kept in touch with the One who sent Him. The preparation Jesus made in prayer gave His message an influence and an attraction that was backed up by the Presence and the Power of God.
The Practice of Prayer: Make a list of the people you influence the most. Begin and end your day by praying for them. Before you speak a good word from God to them, pray a good word to God for them.
Thought for the Day: Preparing to speak for God should be preceded by spending time with God in prayer.
"Prayer affects men by affecting God. Prayer moves men because it moves God to move men. Prayer influences men by influencing God to influence them." E.M. Bounds
The Prayer Principle of Simplification
" 'AND MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER,' but you have made it a ROBBER'S DEN." Luke 19:45
Principle: Prayerless people become powerless people. Simply put, no prayer means no Presence. No Presence means no power.
Jesus portrayed prayerless people as thieves. He knew that prayerlessness robs people of the significance and the supply of The Presence, The Person, and the Power of God. The people He rebuked the most were those who had turned the Temple system into a mockery of what God had intended for it to be. IT had been put into place to bring people to a confrontation with the high cost of sin and lead them to an intimate encounter with God through atoning blood of a substitutionary sacrifice.
The Temple system had long overshadowed the Person and the Purpose of God's redemptive work. It was no longer a lesson in forgiveness, but a lesson in greed and corruption. Jesus would not tolerate anything that did not glorify God. Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever. He still does not look favorably on any system that steals glory from God.
When the system overshadows the Savior, it is time to get back to the simple truth. NO PRAYER...NO PRESENCE...NO PRESENCE...NO POWER. In the mind of Christ, there was no substitute for prayer as the way to God. When any part of the system drowns out the still small voice of the Holy Spirit calling the believer to pray, it no longer serves the purpose of God.
To the eyes of the uninformed, Temple business was booming. The Temple was crowded with people. Some would have said, "Business is good." Jesus knew that the business of God was the business of prayer, and as far as He was concerned the Temple system was bankrupt. When Jesus is the auditor, his numbers can be trusted. He added up what they were doing, and he found more takers than givers.
The Principle of Simplification reminds the prayer warrior not to allow too much bureaucracy to suffocate them with a system that is meant to establish and maintain a relationship with God, through prayer. A skeleton is a sound structure, but it no longer has breath. Prayer is the breath that keeps a prayer warrior alive, and keeps a movement of God from becoming a man made museum or mausoleum.
No person, church, ministry or movement can long be sustained by a prayerless support system.
Personal and corporate prayer breaths in the oxygen of God's Presence. The Person of the Risen Christ is seated at His right hand interceding for those who bring their prayers to Him in the name of Jesus. The Power of the Holy Spirit interprets to God even the groaning of the people who know they need to pray, but don't know how to put what they need into words.
Years ago, a small pamphlet was produced, "My Heart, Christ's Home." It described the life of a believer as a floor plan that included various rooms. It explained that most people would invite Jesus to come into their heart, but never make Him feel at home. He would be left in the foyer, or entry area of the believer's heart, but never invited to enter every room. The absence of Christ's Presence in every area of life will always result in a lack of power for living.
The Practice of Prayer: Find a place in your home or a time in your day that could be set apart as place for the purpose of prayer. Get in touch with the Architect of Heaven and Earth, and allow Him to look at your floor plans, and invite Him to start simplifying your life, and designing it around Him.
Thought for the Day: People's lives are like a house with many rooms. These rooms represent strategic and sometimes essential areas of life, like a Finance Room, Family Room, Work Room, or School Room. At times of crisis there may be a Hospital Room or some other addition made to the floor plan. The simplest design should include a Prayer Room that will establish and maintain the lines of communication between the Heavenly Father and His child.
"Our one great business is prayer, and we will never do it well unless we fasten to it by all binding force." E.M. Bounds
The Prayer Principle of Expectation
"...how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?" Luke 11:13
Principle: Believing prayer is characterized by a childlike expectancy that is based on a complete trust in a loving Father.
Luke's account reveals that Jesus believed that His prayers would be heard. Not only did He expect them to be heard, He had great confidence that His Father would answer them. He fully believed that God was not holding out on His children, but longed to give them "much more" than they could ever comprehend.
Jesus referred to the Person of The Holy Spirit as, The Promise of The Father. He wanted His followers to know that His Father was the ultimate promise keeper. The unbroken relationship that Jesus had with His Father would be offered to His followers and sealed by the Holy Spirit.
Jesus wanted His followers to pray to His Father with a childlike, "much more" expectancy. The Holy Spirit would interpret their prayers to God, and Jesus would intercede for them at the right hand of God. The child of God could expect an answer from the heavenly Father that would have their best interest at heart.
Believing prayer approaches God with the expectation of receiving an abundant response to a personal request. A childlike expectancy accompanies believing prayer. It places trust in a loving Father who longs to give what is best to His children.
Nothing is too small or too great for a child to bring to a parent. Almost everything looks too big to them, so they are accustomed to asking for help. Little children cannot discern what they need, from what they want. They need a loving parent to equip them with the value system and the problem solving skills that enable them to cope with the issues that they face in life.
Believing prayer does not try to determine if a request is valid or not. The childlike prayer warrior leaves that in the hands of The One who will make the decision. Believing prayer rests on the lap of God, and simply asks. The judgment of the request is placed in the hands of God for Him to determine whether the request is a need or merely a want.
Most of the time, life is filled intimidating circumstances and irritating people. It can be overwhelming to the most seasoned prayer warrior. Prayer is not the time to "MAN UP!" It is the time for a child of God to "Climb Up!" into the lap of God, and look to Him for the Promise of His Presence.
The Practice of Prayer: Is there any problem you are trying to solve without asking God to help you? Let go and let God take over. Write it down on paper, to get it off of your shoulders and into God's hands. You never know how "much more" God can do, until you pray.
Thought for the Day: What sounds mature to prayerless people is really childish gibberish to God. Only a fool would say, "I can do it myself!," when God is ready and willing to respond to his cry for help.
"Believing prayer transfers a promise of God into the middle of your problem." Don Miller
The Prayer Principle of Justification
"this man went to his house justified...He who humbles himself will be exalted." Luke 18:10-14
Principle: Justification is the singular act of Sovereign God. He declares a person to be right in His eyes, by an act of His will, but He responds to a humble heart not eloquent speech.
Being justified means to be declared right by God. Prayer is not the means by which prideful and inflated posers convince God of their eloquence, in order to receive the judgment they think they are due. It is the tool God offers to sinful and separated people to humble themselves before Him. to receive the forgiveness they know they do not deserve.
When Jesus related the difference between the prayer of the sinful profiteer and the self-righteous Pharisee, He was focusing on the condition of their hearts, not the eloquence of their words. Seven words were all it took for one man to be forgiven, "God, be merciful to me, the sinner!" (Luke 18:13)
Jesus said, "I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, but he who humbles himself shall be exalted." (Luke 18:14)
For a prayer warrior to move from basic training to proficiency in the use of prayer as the world class weapon in the battle against evil, pride must be put down, and prayer must be picked up. There is no hope for justification, or intercession where pride is preeminent. Prayerless people are prideful people who refuse to humble themselves before a Holy God. For people to be justified, there must be point at which they are willing to admit to God and to themselves, their case is hopeless. They stand before Holy God, and plead their case best, when they throw themselves on the mercy of God.
The bridge burned between a sinner and God is utterly unable to rebuilt, without God sending His Son to restore what was destroyed. In an instant, God can point a humble person to Jesus as The Bridge. Jesus restores the route by which the repentant sinner can return home to his forgiving Father. Sin has cost the sinner something that can only be restored by the price that Jesus paid, by dying the cross for his sin. Prayer is the key, and Jesus is The Door. Prayer unlocks The Door, by which a humble heart can enter and be transformed into a holy heart, set apart for the purpose of God. "I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved." (John 10:9) Jesus is The Bridge, and offers the only way to God. "I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father, but by Me." (John 14:6)
The confession of the repentant man caught the eye of Jesus, because it touched the heart of God. When confessed sin has been forgiven, it need not be repeated in prayer, as if it was never heard. Admitting to God what He already knows and receiving from Him what only He can give is a very liberating experience. It is meant to be carried out as naturally as the process of breathing.
Breathe out = confess you sins. Breathe in = receive forgiveness. If people get hyperventilated about their sin, it is because they forget to breath in and receive the forgiveness that is available to them. They are justified, and now their fellowship with God is restored. The joy of being justified is in discovering a forgiveness that leaves a sense of well-being... "Just if I'd never sinned."
When justified people forget the joy of their forgiveness, they keep coming to God and repeating a confession that has been removed from His sight. What God forgives, He forgets. He no longer holds it against the sinner, like an overdue debt or account that must be collected. When a forgiven sinner brings up the matter again and again, God might very well say, "What are you talking about?"
The Practice of Prayer: Confess any known sin to God today. If you can't think of anything, give God a chance to remind you. You might be surprised. This may take a while, but it will start a new discipline to keep your sins confessed up to date. This declaration makes you right in God's eyes, and all your sin has been removed from His Presence, by the blood of Jesus. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (I John 1:9)
Thought for the Day: Being declared right by God is not initiated by eloquent prayer. It is celebrated by the repentant person who prays to be made right by God.
"For a successful season of prayer, the best beginning is confession." Charles Haddon Spurgeon
The Prayer Principle of Revelation
"I praise You, O Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, because this is well-pleasing in your sight." Luke 10:11
Principle: Extraordinary prayer infuses God's EXTRA into ordinary people whose only claim to fame is their child like faith.
Most people can remember the day that they thought their Daddy could do anything. He was the source for every answer, and the solution to every problem. Whenever they were in doubt or in fear they would run to Daddy. As the years passed by, and the older people get, they begin to lose confidence in their old man, and gain more confidence in themselves. Maturity does require a certain degree of independence, but in spiritual matters, a Christ follower should never grow out of their child like trust in The Father.
In the Oscar winning movie, "Chariots of Fire," the worldly-wise coach gave an ambitious young athlete this expert advice, "I cannot put in what God left out." He placed a disclaimer on his own coaching credentials, and deflated any false expectations on the part of a would-be champion with this one short, yet profound statement.
Jesus was walking with His disciples, while He was praying. This is the way Jesus lived. He prayed without ceasing, and God kept answering His prayers. This prayer of praise lifted up to His Father was a genuine expression of gratitude for what God had revealed about Jesus to Peter.
For Peter to grasp this truth, God had to have been at work in his life. Jesus knew there could be no other source for this insight into the redemptive plan of God. Thankfully, the school of prayer has a very active preschool division. Peter was a big man with a little faith, and that is all God needed to reach into his heart and reveal who Jesus really was.
There are times when people get educated far beyond their capacity to comprehend the truth of God. Chuck Swindoll, President of Dallas Theological Seminary, put it in perspective for his students this way, "You need to get the best education you can, and get over it as soon as possible."
Fortunately, child-like faith is all God needs to build a man or woman of God. Jesus was interceding for the Twelve as they walked and talked with Him. When asked to answer, "Who do you say that I am?" Peter responded with a confident, and outspoken affirmation that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Jesus knew that God, and Jesus knew Peter. He was immediately aware that God had revealed this truth to the big fisherman. No man had been able to take the infant sized faith of Peter, and turn it into this giant sized statement of truth.
God's truth is cultivated in the climate of prayer. Truth spoken is not necessarily truth received. Truth heard is not always truth comprehended. Jesus softened the ground of Peter's heart by praying for Him, and God did the rest.
God's people are capable of EXTRAordinary insight into the word of God. The man or woman of God, praying for their people to receive the message of God, will not be disappointed in the work of God. God alone is able to bring insight to people who need to know the answer to the question when Jesus asks them, "Who do you say that I am?"
Jesus was praying, Peter was walking, and God's Spirit was working. This is a simple and yet profound picture of prayer shows the way God has of stepping into the ordinary, and adding something EXTRA.
Jesus never got over watching His Father work in the lives of the people He loved. Jesus rejoiced in what God taught Peter, and immediately broke out in praise for what He had done. This should encourage prayer warriors to pray for even the most infantile of the faithful, and expect God to do something extraordinary in their lives too.
EXTRA ordinary people achieve extraordinary results based on what God does through them, not what they do for God. They have no delusions about their ability. However, they have great confidence in God. Like little children, they believe their Father can do anything, and they are excited about getting to do it with Him. God loves to amaze the world with what His children can do.
The Practice of Prayer: Answer these two questions. What are you doing that can be done without the power of God? What are you attempting to do for God that does not require a leap of faith?
Thought for the Day: The childish faith prays, "Daddy, look at me!" The child-like faith prays, "Daddy, show me what you can do!"
"God does not want a partnership with us, but ownership of us." Leonard Ravenhill
The Prayer Principle of Exemplification
"Lord, teach us to pray." Luke 11:2-4
Principle: An informed prayer warrior knows how to pray, but an exemplary prayer warrior inspires people to pray.
The examples of the prayer life of Jesus and the prayer life of John the Baptist made a profound impact upon their disciples. When they prayed, others were inspired by a hunger to pray like them.
Those who enter the School of Prayer will discover the major degree offered is inspiration, not information. The disciples did not ask Jesus how to pray. They asked Him to them to pray. They did not know what they were asking. The lessons that would be required of them would be long and hard. The course of study would drain them of their self-confidence, until they came to the place in life where they would hunger to pray. Chuck Swindoll once said, "Those who have endured the stinging experiences are the choicest counselors God will ever use." He could have been talking about prayer warriors too.
Those who graduate from the School of Prayer do not receive a diploma to hang on the wall. They never allow themselves to think they have arrived. They practice what they already know how to do, but every day will challenge them with something new that brings them to God in prayer. It is this kind of consistency and perseverance in prayer that inspires others to do the same thing.
Learning how to pray, and practicing prayer are two different things. One is academics, and the other is dynamics. One instructs the brain, and the other inspires the heart.
WARNING! AVOID ALL SUBSTITUTES FOR PRAYER!
- Writing about prayer
- Reading about prayer
- Thinking about prayer
- Studying about prayer
- Singing about prayer
- Preaching about prayer
None of the honorable activities listed above are actually prayer. They serve a noble purpose, but they lack the intimacy that can only be developed between a Father and His child when they establish prolonged, personal connection through prayer. These other things may inform, but they seldom inspire others to pray.
Prayer is the intimate communication between the Father and His child. Prayer warriors are motivated to pray when they eavesdrop on another person's conversation with God. When they hear someone else pray, they would love to be on the same level of communication with God, but they are forced to admit they don't know Him intimately enough. When they discover what they have been missing, they pray with an intensity to develop an intimacy that they never want to lose.
Very seldom are people inspired to pray until God allows a need to come into their lives. When that need brings a potential prayer warrior to the end of self-sufficency, their prayer life gathers momentum. When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, He had to know they were asking for more than they could have imagined. Prayer would become more than a devotional exercise for them. It would be a tool used for survival in the early days of their ministry, and later a weapon of warfare. Their intimacy with God would become so intense it would lead them to embrace death as the ultimate victory over their enemy.
This week a seasoned prayer warrior sent out this text message, as he prepares himself for the final battle. "Doctor has diagnosed me with a rare form of leukemia. Prognosis is not good for earth, but for heaven in a few months. Thanks 4 ur prayer." Avery Willis
The Practice of Prayer: When does your prayer life develop intensity and intimacy? Is it when things are going well or then things are going wrong? Does your prayer life inspire others to pray?
Thought for the Day: There is a difference between knowing how to pray and praying what we know.
'The greatest prayer found in the Bible is formed by the five words, 'Lord, teach us to pray!" Don Miller
The Prayer Principle of Participation
"And He said to them, 'When you pray...' " Luke 11:2
Principle: Participation in prayer is a matter of "WHEN" not a matter of "IF."
The words of Jesus are held up for all to see at the entrance to The School of Prayer. They bring to mind the sign that stands beside all the great rides at The State Fair of Texas. "You have to be this tall to ride this ride." It is a basic standard that even a child knows must be met before the thrills begin. It is always a bittersweet experience to watch little children be stopped at the entrance, and measured to see if they are ready for the ride of their lives. They pop their little vertebrae to stretch as tall as they can, and hope they meet the standard. Their eyes gleam with anticipation, but all hell breaks loose if they are turned away. There is a great similarity to the standard Jesus holds for all who would enter His Kingdom. Prayer is meant to be an entrance standard that prayer warriors embrace with anticipation, not shrink from in intimidation.
Jesus expected His disciples to have an active not a passive participation in prayer. He did not consider prayer to be an option or a conditional part of the life of the believer. He held prayer to be one of the basic expressions of righteousness. He never withdrew God's blessing from what Jewish culture saw as vital signs of righteousness: praying, giving, and fasting.
Jesus knew His disciples could no more thrive in His Kingdom without praying than they could survive on earth without breathing. By the use of the word "when" not "if," Jesus assumed it would be done. He did not tell His disciples to pray if they felt like it, or if it was convenient, or if they were in the right mood.
Jesus did not rate prayer as the highest achievement of the dedicated few or religious elite. It was presented as a basic requirement in the core curriculum of The School of Prayer. It was not a graduate course. It was expected to be a vital part of the daily schedule of every incoming freshman.
The Practice of Prayer: When will you pray? The answer to this one small question must not go begging. When you pray, your life will be opened to a whole new level of power. You will never know it, until you pray. Fail to pray, and you will plan to fail. When is it going to begin?
The Thought for the Day: Jesus intends for his people to pray. It is a matter of "when" and not "if."
"There is no power like that of prevailing prayer; it turns ordinary mortals into men of power. It brings life. It brings God." Samuel Chadwick