Winning Through Prayers Part 2
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the Lord gave my son a song: “we are victorious”
Why are we here?
Because God called this meeting, he said “my son, prayer is a tool, I want you to teach your children how to use that tool.”
For anyone of us to benefit from this teaching, we will need the childlike humility to receive.
we will also need the childlike desirability, strong eagerness and earnest desire for more of God.
Why should we learn about Prayer?
Because your life as a disciple of Christ depends on it
So that we can learn to pray effective prayers
Why should I pray?
God w
Though effective prayers, the outcomes of your life will no longer be subject to time and chance, your life will produce fruits after the ordination of God for your life.
Through Effective prayers, you will be able to discover the will of God for your life; become empowered to engage a fruitful pursuit of your purpose; and through prayer you will become en-graced to sustain your a life of fruitfulness.
Prayers bring you into alignment with God and keep you in alignment…invariably, your life as a christian depends on prayer...
Today: winning through prayer part 2
Today: winning through prayer part 2
I love the Lord, because he hath heard My voice and my supplications. Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, Therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.
I love the Lord because he hears my prayers and answers them. Because he bends down and listens, I will pray as long as I breathe!
psa 116:1-
What Can you see in this scripture?
by the grace of God, today I will discuss prayer with us under this sub-headings: The God who hears and answers prayers; the man whose prayer was answered and his response (we will use this heading to illustrate why God is willing to answer our prayers); and the the transaction of prayer.
1. The God who hears and answers prayers;
3. And the transaction of prayer.
1. The God Who hears and answers prayers:
1. The God Who hears and answers prayers:
Recall some definitions of prayer:
Who is this God?
Who is this God?
So he complained to the Lord about it: “Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people.
But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry. And he prayed unto the Lord, and said, I pray thee, O Lord, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.
Jonah
Prophet Jonah gave us a vivid description of the God who hears and answeres prayers:
Thou art gracious God -
And merciful - compassionate (NIV)
Slow to anger -
slow to anger
And of great kindness - abounding in love (NIV)
And relenting of disaster - God who relents from sending calamity
in this one verse the prophet highlighted in the clearest posible way the nature of God - His nature is defined by love towards his creation. The bible says: God is Love”
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness,
So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
Exodus 34:6
We have come to KNOW and BELIEVE the LOVE that God HAS FOR US: his defining nature towards his creation is love.
Who is this God?
49 For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; And holy is his name. 50 And his mercy is on them that fear him From generation to generation. 51 He hath shewed strength with his arm; He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. 52 He hath put down the mighty from their seats, And exalted them of low degree.
luk 1:49-
Isam 2:6-
46 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, 47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. 48 For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: For, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. 49 For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; And holy is his name. 50 And his mercy is on them that fear him From generation to generation. 51 He hath shewed strength with his arm; He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. 52 He hath put down the mighty from their seats, And exalted them of low degree. 53 He hath filled the hungry with good things; And the rich he hath sent empty away. 54 He hath holpen his servant Israel, In remembrance of his mercy; 55 As he spake to our fathers, To Abraham, and to his seed for ever. 56 And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house.
6 The Lord kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up. 7 The Lord makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and he exalts. 8 He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and on them he has set the world.
He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes, with the princes of his people. He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children. Praise the Lord!
6 The Lord kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up. 7 The Lord makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and he exalts. 8 He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and on them he has set the world. 9 “He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness, for not by might shall a man prevail. 10 The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; against them he will thunder in heaven. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.” 11 Then Elkanah went home to Ramah. And the boy was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli the priest.
1 And Hannah prayed and said, “My heart exults in the Lord; my horn is exalted in the Lord. My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation. 2 “There is none holy like the Lord: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God. 3 Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth; for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. 4 The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble bind on strength. 5 Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger. The barren has borne seven, but she who has many children is forlorn. 6 The Lord kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up. 7 The Lord makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and he exalts. 8 He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and on them he has set the world. 9 “He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness, for not by might shall a man prevail. 10 The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; against them he will thunder in heaven. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.” 11 Then Elkanah went home to Ramah. And the boy was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli the priest.
1 sam
i sam 2:6-11
The unique content common to these verses is that, they both speak of the SOVEREGN NATURE OF GOD - God is Omnipotent, he is unquestionable, that is: “he does what he want, when he wants, how he wants and wihtout seeking the permission of anyone” - He is the ALMIGHTY GOD.
Mary said: The one who his mighty hath done to me great things...
51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; 52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate;
luke 1:51
Hannah said: There is no rock like our God - rock describes strength and stability
6 The Lord killeth, and maketh alive: He bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. 7 The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich: He bringeth low, and lifteth up. 8 He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, And lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, To set them among princes, And to make them inherit the throne of glory: For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, And he hath set the world upon them.
Isam 2
Who is this God who hears and aswers prayers?
4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: For all his ways are judgment: A God of truth and without iniquity, Just and right is he.
deut 32:
3 And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”
8 And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”
rev
2 “There is none holy like the Lord: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God.
4 Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.”
isam 2
rev 15:4
Another undeniable nature of God is found in these verses: GOD IS HOLY.
Another unique nature of God found throughout the scripture is that God is our father.
8 But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.
9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
13 As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.
9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
4
After Jesus rose from the dead, he said to Mary:
17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.
17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.
Jesus said: God is my father and he is also your father; Jesus said we are brothers..
Who is this God who hears and answers prayers?
God who is defined by love
God who is by nature and power: “soveregn”
God who alone is the Holy God
The God, who above all else, “is my father”
How does this knowledge become important to our prayer life?
1. when we pray to a loving God, his love compels him to answer our prayers
2. Because he is soveregn, there is nothing you will ask him that he is not capable of accomplishing, with, or without human instrument.
3. Now a holy God can not lie regarding his promises that have been written in the scripture.
4. Knowing that God is your father opens the door to a cordial relationship with him.
Merciful
gracious
longsuffering
abundant in goodness and truth.
2. The Response of the man whose prayer was heard and answered:
2. The Response of the man whose prayer was heard and answered:
1 I love the Lord because he hears my prayers and answers them. 2 Because he bends down and listens, I will pray as long as I breathe!
8 For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling;
The response of the man whose prayer was answered was captured in at least two distinct ways:
8 For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling; 9 I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.
The openin:
psa 116:
1 I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy.
Loving God becomes the first nature of a man whose prayer is aswered by God
Three things:
Because he inclined his hear to me, I will call on him as long as I live
The Response of love - i love the Lord...
when your prayer is answered by God, your resolution about prayer will become a lifetime pursuit...
The response of trust - a resolution to a lifetime commitment to God
The response of Uprightness - i will walk before the Lord
Clearly, we can see from this scripture that, the immediate response of the man whose prayer was answered, was a sincere love for God (I love the Lord because he hears my prayers), and his resolute response was a lifetime comittment to a life of prayer (I will call on him as long as I live
TAKE NOTE of this evolving pattern as I read these words from Jesus:
24 Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
26 In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf;
Answered prayers have the tendency of opening the door of our hearts to a deeper relationship with God (and this is what God desired)
- after a succesful prayer exploit, we naturally respond to God in love, and we willingly becomes submissive to his demands for our lives.
This quickly quickly give you the reason why God will always answer your prayers - He is looking for a deeper relationship with you, he is looking for a closer walk with you, and he knows that if your prayers are answered your natural response would be that of LOVE, Submission and Trust.
Lets go deeper:
The RESPONSE OF LOVE:
15 If you [really] love Me, you will keep (obey) My commands.
21 The person who has My commands and keeps them is the one who [really] loves Me; and whoever [really] loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I [too] will love him and will show (reveal, manifest) Myself to him. [I will let Myself be clearly seen by him and make Myself real to him.]
john
23 Jesus answered, If a person [really] loves Me, he will keep My word [obey My teaching]; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home (abode, special dwelling place) with him.
genuine love is what leads to willing obedience
genuine love makes submission posible
Through love relationship is desired
sacrifice becomes posible through love.
Highest love, leads to
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
the love of God came before his sacrifice
2. The Response of COMMITMENT: “therefore will i call upon him as long as i live” - this is reflection of TRUST for God:
fellowship happens as a result of trust
hope happens as a result of trust
we no longer withhold anything from God because we have come to trust him
Trust is what helps faith to grow.
rom 4:19-21
19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. 20 No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.
lets go deeper: the response of the psalmist was unque in two ways -
I love the Lord: this statement is simple but deep
To love the Lord according to the scripture, is to keep the commandments of the Lord
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
Therefore will i call on him as long as i live
This is reflect an implicit thrust in God
19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb: 20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; 21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
19 And because his faith was strong, he didn’t worry about the fact that he was too old to be a father at the age of one hundred, and that Sarah his wife, at ninety, was also much too old to have a baby. 20 But Abraham never doubted. He believed God, for his faith and trust grew ever stronger, and he praised God for this blessing even before it happened. 21 He was completely sure that God was well able to do anything he promised.
rom 4:19-
3. The response of uprightness: to walk before the Lord means, to be committed to a lifetime of holiness:
1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless,
4 And as for you, if you will walk before me, as David your father walked, with integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you, and keeping my statutes and my rules, 5 then I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’
1king 9:
4 And as for you, if you will walk before me, as David your father walked, with integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you, and keeping my statutes and my rules,
1 king 9:
5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord.
the only way to walk before the Lord, is to devote your life to his
What does this knowledge means for your prayer life?
What does this knowledge means for your prayer life?
Answered prayers have the power to open the door of our hearts to God; God is looking for a deeper relationship with us, and he knows that if your prayers are answered your natural response to Him, would be of LOVE, Submission and Trust. This means that:
This quickly quickly give you the reason why God will always answer your prayers - He is looking for a deeper relationship with you, he is looking for a closer walk with you, and he knows that if your prayers are answered your natural response would be that of LOVE, Submission and Trust.
Before you pray, God is already willing to answer your prayers. Listen to what he says:
24 Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear.
23 They shall not labor in vain or bear children for calamity, for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the Lord, and their descendants with them. 24 Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear.
isa 65:
7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
23 Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.
mat 18:18
24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
24 Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
23 Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.
What is the response of the man whose prayer was heard and answered?
he responded with love
he responded with love and
he responded with a lifetime commitment to God through prayers
he responded with a lifetime committment to God in prayers
and he responded with a lifetime devotion to holiness and righteous living.
why is this important: these are the responses that God desires from us(love, fellowship, holiness), - God is looking for a willing lover, someone who obeys and submit to him willingly, and one of the ways to get this is by answering our prayers.
Point no 3: The transaction of prayer: This is the object for which you intends to pray...
Point no 3: The transaction of prayer: This is the object for which you intends to pray...
1 I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. 2 Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
in this passage the psalmist ask for Gods mercy:
22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
mat
24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
there is always the necessity of the object for which we intends to pray: what do you want God to do for you? do you know what you want to ask God?
17 Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! 18 Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.
the prayer made sense and attracted response from God because, there was something specific in his path, for which it was directed “let there be no rain, and again he asked let there be rain”
God want to help us to direct our prayer thoughts, he wants us to write at least 3 clear prayer requests today, and place it at the altar of the Lord - for the rest of this prayer seminars, we will pray on them and they will be answered… I will give you papers to write yours and drop it in the box below “nobody is going to read your prayer points except God” make another copy for yourself.
Conclusion: what are you going home with today:
Conclusion: what are you going home with today:
prayer involves 3 major elements: the God who hears and answers prayers, you -the man whose prayer would be heard and answered; and the object of your prayers.
The God who hears and answers prayers, you are sure he will answer your prayer because:
he loves you
he is sovereign
he can not lie concerning his promises and
he is your father
YOU - the man whose prayer the Lord will hear and answer, because he is looking for you, answered prayers sometimes served the purpose of God’s bait to draw you to himself.
the object of your prayer - your limitless request “what things soever that ye desire” dont be afraid you can not ask too much
20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, 21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
20 Now glory be to God, who by his mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of—infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes. 21 May he be given glory forever and ever through endless ages because of his master plan of salvation for the Church through Jesus Christ.
ephe
let us pray.
The transaction of prayer (the object of our prayers)
The lifetime pursuit of prayer