Pray At All Times

Introduction:

How often do you pray? How meaningful are your prayers?

Ephesians 6:17–20 NASB95

17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, 19 and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

What is prayer?

Prayer is a war-time walkie-talkie… calling upon diety to help in our distress… we pray for victory in battle… we pray that we may be prepared for death

Pray at all times.

Urgency… In every season, in every opportunity

Jesus urged his disciples to pray at all times in Luke 18:1 “1 He told them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart,”

Don’t lose heart… don’t lose your courage / motivation / purpose

But Pray

Phil 4:6 “6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

Devotion to prayer:

Acts 1:14 “14 These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer”

Colossians 4:2 “2 Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving;”

Acts 2:42 “42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”

Acts 6:4 “4 “But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.””

Message: Pray At All Times

Pray At All Times… In The Spirit

Jude 1:20 “20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,”

To illustrate this, let’s use an OT example:

In Exodus 10 we get an explanation of the tabernacle… there would be a golden alter that was placed before the veil… and that’s where the priests would burn incense to the Lord

The incense is a picture of prayer! We offer PRAYER unto the lord… And it is the SPIRIT… that TAKES our incense and ignites them in the will of God.

In other words… Christians pray BY and IN the POWER of the Spirit!

When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness by Satan… what was His response? “It is written… It is written… it has been said”

But when you take a closer look… the story there in Luke 4 doesn’t just say “Jesus went to the wilderness for 40 days to be tempted by the Devil.” It says:

Luke 4:1 “1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness”

He was led by the SPIRIT! …

Eph 2:17-18 “17 And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near; 18 for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.”

When we are weak: Romans 8:26-27 “26 In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; 27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”

Romans 15:30 “30 Now I urge you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me”

Pray At All Times… In View Of The Evil Day

Our Hope in the Evil Day: Jude 17-21 “17 But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, 18 that they were saying to you, “In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts.” 19 These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit. 20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.”

Pray At All Times… In Alertness

Be on the Alert: “Be aware… stake awake… look out for what’s coming (baseball thrown at you)”

Jesus’ Words: Luke 21:34-36 “34 “Be on guard, so that your hearts will not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day will not come on you suddenly like a trap; 35 for it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of all the earth. 36 “But keep on the alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.””

Mark 13:33 “33 “Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come.”

Colossians 4:2 “2 Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving”

1 Peter 5:8 “8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

Be alert:

Devil

False Teaching

Temptation

Watchful for opportunities… always ready to make a defense for the hope that is in you

Pray At All Times… In Perseverance

Perseverance: persistent determination… you determine to be committed to God.

Parable on Prayer: Luke 18:1-8

Luke 18:1–8 NASB95

1 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, 2 saying, “In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. 3 “There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me legal protection from my opponent.’ 4 “For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.’ ” 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge said; 7 now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? 8 “I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”

In Genesis 32 Jacob wrestled with God. They wrestled until daybreak. Jacob dislocated his thigh. And God tells Jacob… “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” But Jacob replied… “I will not go unless you bless me”

Moses, when he saw that the people had sinned making for themselves a molten calf… Deut 9:18 “18 “I fell down before the Lord, as at the first, forty days and nights; I neither ate bread nor drank water, because of all your sin which you had committed in doing what was evil in the sight of the Lord to provoke Him to anger.”

Do you remember how David lost his child in 2 Samuel 12? It was the child he bore with Uriah’s wife, the one he killed. The child became sick… and scripture says “David inquired of God for the child; and he fasted and went to lay all night on the ground!” … Did God hear David? It’s written down in our God-breathed text is it not? He absolutely did. … But was David’s child spared? … No. No. … But the next verse tells us that David would have ANOTHER son. A son that would become, king. “He named him Solomon, and the Lord loved him” — 2 Sam 12:24.

Pray At All Times… In Love For God’s People

We need supernatural help… but we also need each other.

How is Ms. Doris an example for us today?

Romans 12:9-13 “9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; 11 not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, 13 contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.”

Acts 12:5 “5 So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God.”

We must value others

Phil 2:3-4 “3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”

Nobody is so perfect that they aren’t in need of intercession.

Conclusion:

Pray at all times. Because the result of a life of prayer is an eternal life of communion with God.

Pray at all times. The Devil seeks every advantage to entangle you in His glittery web of sin.

Pray at all times. For a brother or sister is in need.

Pray at all times. God is good and He ever yearns for your heart each passing moment.

Pray at all times. For the day is coming where that privilege has ceased.

What a blessing it is to relay our hearts to God, and that He hears us.

Hebrews 12:1-3 “1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

The great apostle, finally, says pray for me.

official representer of the king

Definitions:

Petition: an earnest or urgent request to God… a special prayer of request to obtain blessings to avert the evil that we fear

Notes:

Pray at all times… this is difficult for some.

Scriptures:

Colossians 4:2-4 “2 Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; 3 praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned; 4 that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak.”

1 Thessalonians 5:17 “17 pray without ceasing;”

Philippians 4:6-7 “6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

1 Tim 2:1 “1 First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men,”

Galatians 4:6-7 “6 Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.”

How do you pray in the Spirit?

Does the Spirit pray FOR me?

Do we pray literally IN the Spirit, or accompanied BY the Spirit?

Spirit led prayers?

Should we recognize the Spirit in prayer?

Does praying in the Spirit correlate to praying the Word of God?

Is the Spirit always available?

Can we pray WITHOUT the Spirit?

What is the evil day?

Why should it be on our mind as we pray?

Are we evil too?

Is it just as important to remember our armor/protection?

Is evangelism a motive?

Should we pray that the evil day be over?

Does prayer play a role in our perseverance?

What does persevere mean in the Bible?

What are some examples of perseverance in the Bible?

Is it me who perseveres or God who perseveres for me?

Are there benefits to praying with alertness?

Do we HAVE to pray with alertness?

What does alertness even mean?

How can I become more alert?

What should I be alert OF?

Does alertness correlate to how we fight in our spiritual battle?

What happens when I let my alertness waver?

What are some examples of alertness in the Bible?

Where did Christ pray for others in the Bible?

What benefit comes from praying for someone, honestly?

Will God heal someone because I prayed for it?

Does prayer for someone work?

Does praying for others motivate me to help and serve them more?

What if they didn’t ask for me to pray for them?