Prayer in the Receiving Position (part 1)

PRAYER IN THE RECEIVING POSITION

For the last two Sundays I have preached on Prayer from the Forward Position. Moses at the ripe old age of 125 prepares the children of Israel to enter the Land of Promise, the land of Canaan—a land flowing with milk and honey.

Prayer in the Forward Position = A Positive Mindset, submitted and loyal to our one and only Sovereign God. Forward Position = moving forward into the will and purposes of God for our lives, dressed in the armor of God…

Prayer in the Receiving Position (part 1):

1. Expect / Anticipate / Visualize the Blessings that God Favors Upon Us.

Miracles are our inheritance (Numbers 13; Deuteronomy 28:2; Mark 16:17-18)

a. Expect—Prepare = Wash your Sacred Bowl

i. Depart Dead Zones (Distractions—Turn off your Devices)

· Modern day dilemma = Wilderness dwelling

· Fruit of the land into which they were commanded to enter was good.

· God has a designated place for you to be in to receive His blessings.

ii. Detox (Confession and Consecration—Psalm 51)

2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.

7 Cleanse me with hyssop [a minty herb used for ceremonial cleansing], and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

b. Anticipate the Catch of the Day

i. Cricket analogy—(Luke 6:38)

· Throwing and Receiving—The Relationship of Tithing and Blessings.

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.

For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

· The fielders=in a receiving position, hands ready to make the catch, especially the wicket keeper (his hands are always in the catching position). How many blessings have you missed?

c. Visualize Your Sacred Bowl Full.

i. Canaan was “a land flowing with milk and honey”, foods that made it a Paradise in the eyes of semi-nomads.

· If you disobey God by refusing to establish yourself in the place in which you belong, you will forfeit and lose the blessings which God intends for you to have—the fruit will wither on the vines, or rot upon the ground, or others will eat it instead of you.

ii. The Promised Land is a metaphor for the Kingdom of God and the Abundant Life that Jesus promised His followers.

"I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." John 10:10b

Jesus promises us a life far better than we could ever imagine, a concept reminiscent of 1 Corinthians 2:9: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9)

First, Fellowship with the Father through His Son, Jesus Christ

Secondly, Life in the Power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 14:17 tells us that,

“the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

Prayer in the Receiving Position (part 2):

2. Receive and Incubate with Faith

a. Thank God for what He has provided

b. Thank God for what He has promised

i. Incubate it with Faith (Hebrews 11:1-6)

c. Trust God’s Timing—Fruit in its season.

3. Bless God—We are Blessed to be a Blessing