The necessity of prayer

Isaiah 56:6–7 NKJV

6 “Also the sons of the foreigner Who join themselves to the Lord, to serve Him, And to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants— Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, And holds fast My covenant— 7 Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, And make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices Will be accepted on My altar; For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.”

The House of God which Solomon built was primarily built for the purpose of prayer.

The law was read in the house

sacrifice were given on the altar

But the house was not called the house of sacrifice, but the house of prayer.

This building that we are in is the house of prayer.

When Jesus visited the house of prayer, it was no longer a house of prayer.

Matt 21:13 “13 And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ””

John 2:16 “16 And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!””

it was no longer a house of prayer, It was made a house of theives, A house of merchandise

It was used for everything else but prayer. It had become house of merchandise

Our bodies is the house of the living God.

The question is is our house a house of prayer?

Do we use our bodies for the purpose of prayer

Do we use it for everythings else but prayer.

is prayer part of our life/

The two fold purpose of this message

If your house (body) is not a house of prayer. If you use it for everything else but prayer. I wan’t to encourage you to day to commmit your house to be a house of prayer. Make prayer the primary use of your house. Let prayer become part of your everyday life.

If your house is a house of prayer. if you have consistent prayer life. This message will encourage you to keep it that way and even to go further and deeper in your prayers.

Biblical admonition to prayer

Romans 12:12 “12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;”

Ephesians 6:18 “18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—”

Colos 4:2 “2 Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving;”

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

Acts 2:42 “42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.”

The lord’s prayer

Luke 11:1–4 NKJV

1 Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” 2 So He said to them, “When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. 3 Give us day by day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.”

The model of prayer (the Lord prayer) that Jesus taught reveals the different things that is accomplished through prayer.

Verse 2

God’s will that is already settled, set in stone, is brought to pass and settled here on the earth through prayer.

It is through prayer that God’s will for your life that has been revealed and settled in heaven will be manifested here in the earth.

If you want to what God has envision for you to

Verse 3

Our needs are met through prayer.

If there is anything that you need, through prayer God can meet that need.

Verse 4

we receive forgiveness and are empowered to forgive others

We overcome temptations and have victory from all the schemes of the devil.

(1) Bringing God’s will down to the earth Through prayer

Luke 9:28–36 (NKJV)

28 Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray.

29 As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening.

30 And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah,

31 who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.

32 But Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep; and when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him.

33 Then it happened, as they were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said.

34 While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud.

35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!”

36 When the voice had ceased, Jesus was found alone. But they kept quiet, and told no one in those days any of the things they had seen.

Jesus did not take his desciples to be his support group in prayer, because he knew that they wwere going to sleep.

What was his purpose?

While in prayer, There was a connection between aheaven and earth. The things of heaven, the realities that are in hevean were manifesting themsleves in the earth.

What Jesus is really like in hevean was being revealed in the earth.

The purpose was to show them that if they wanted the things of heaven, to be manifested in the earth. The will of God in hevean to be done in the earth, it can only be through prayer.

They themsleves will change to glory in prayer.

When we give ourselves to prayer, the heveanly realities will manifest itself through us. Peaople will get a test of the heavenly things when they see us. They will see the glories of hevean in our life. The desciples saw Jesus in a defferent light during prayer.

Moses transformation

2 Corinthians 3:13–18 (NKJV)

13 unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away.

14 But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ.

15 But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart.

16 Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

We are told that we are transformed from glory to glory into the image of Christ

This however, happens in the context of prayer .

When Moses was on the Mountain of prayer, 40 days in the presence of God. He did not return back the same. He came down with a heveanly glory.

We too, when we give ourselves to prayer, there is change occuring within us, we are being changed into the image of Christ. God’s will for our lives will begin to be manifested in the earth.

2 God will meet our needs to prayer

Our God is able to meet our needs.

Elijah as an example.

“ the effective, fervent prayer of a figtheous man avails much”

The man Elijah was a man given to prayer.

How did God meet his needs

1 Kings 17:1–5 NKJV

1 And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.” 2 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 3 “Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. 4 And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” 5 So he went and did according to the word of the Lord, for he went and stayed by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan.

Notice how scripture does not state that he prayed for his need and God responded. But the sequence is that the need came and God was there with the supply.

Elijah’s need is not what kept him in prayer but rather his sworn loyalty to God.

A lot of people only pray when they are in need. So God does not immediately respond to their needs because he want to spend some time with them. Since it is through their needs that he get their attention.

However, if you spent time with God in prayer irregardless of your needs, when you need comes God won’t hesistate to immediately meet your need because he know that you will still be there the next day.

When you give yourself to prayer, when the need comes God will be there with the supply in his hand.

Isaiah 65:24 NKJV

24 “It shall come to pass That before they call, I will answer; And while they are still speaking, I will hear.

Matthew 6:32–33 NKJV

32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

3 We overcome the temptations and the schemes of the enemy through prayer

Hebrews 4:15–16 NKJV

15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Matthew 26:40-41 “40 Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? 41 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.””

It is through prayer that we recieve the grace to help us overcome temptations and trials.

There is something about prayer that makes things that is difficult for the ordinary man to overcome, easy for us.

A lot of time we can be overwhelmed with different problems and issues, but through prayer that grace that was in Christ will help and shield our minds from the power of that temptation.

“the spirit is indeed willing but the flesh is weak”

The reason why we struggle to have a prayer life, is because of the flesh.

Prayer is work, it requires descipline to make prayer part of your everyday life. To dedicate an hour of prayer.

The Life of Daniel

Daniel 6:1–10 (NKJV)

1 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom one hundred and twenty satraps, to be over the whole kingdom;

2 and over these, three governors, of whom Daniel was one, that the satraps might give account to them, so that the king would suffer no loss.

3 Then this Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm.

4 So the governors and satraps sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no charge or fault, because he was faithful; nor was there any error or fault found in him.

5 Then these men said, “We shall not find any charge against this Daniel unless we find it against him concerning the law of his God.”

6 So these governors and satraps thronged before the king, and said thus to him: “King Darius, live forever!

7 All the governors of the kingdom, the administrators and satraps, the counselors and advisors, have consulted together to establish a royal statute and to make a firm decree, that whoever petitions any god or man for thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions.

8 Now, O king, establish the decree and sign the writing, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which does not alter.”

9 Therefore King Darius signed the written decree.

10 Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.

It was a custom for him to pray. It was part of his life and it was the most important thing in his life.

How many of us can say that prayer is part of our everyday life. We have a set time wherein we commune with God.

One thing about prayer is that, It shows your loyality and faithfulness to God. Daniel was faithful to the king because he was faithfull the the heveanly King in prayer.

The enemy wanted to stop the connection betwenn God and Daniel, he wanted to make Daniel unfaithful to God by ceasing from praying. 1 Thess 5:17 “17 pray without ceasing,”

The source of his success in the kingdom of the King Darius was his prayer life.

Daniel 6:11–28 NKJV

11 Then these men assembled and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God. 12 And they went before the king, and spoke concerning the king’s decree: “Have you not signed a decree that every man who petitions any god or man within thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?” The king answered and said, “The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which does not alter.” 13 So they answered and said before the king, “That Daniel, who is one of the captives from Judah, does not show due regard for you, O king, or for the decree that you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.” 14 And the king, when he heard these words, was greatly displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him; and he labored till the going down of the sun to deliver him. 15 Then these men approached the king, and said to the king, “Know, O king, that it is the law of the Medes and Persians that no decree or statute which the king establishes may be changed.” 16 So the king gave the command, and they brought Daniel and cast him into the den of lions. But the king spoke, saying to Daniel, “Your God, whom you serve continually, He will deliver you.” 17 Then a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signets of his lords, that the purpose concerning Daniel might not be changed. 18 Now the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; and no musicians were brought before him. Also his sleep went from him. 19 Then the king arose very early in the morning and went in haste to the den of lions. 20 And when he came to the den, he cried out with a lamenting voice to Daniel. The king spoke, saying to Daniel, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” 21 Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! 22 My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him; and also, O king, I have done no wrong before you.” 23 Now the king was exceedingly glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no injury whatever was found on him, because he believed in his God. 24 And the king gave the command, and they brought those men who had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions—them, their children, and their wives; and the lions overpowered them, and broke all their bones in pieces before they ever came to the bottom of the den. 25 Then King Darius wrote: To all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you. 26 I make a decree that in every dominion of my kingdom men must tremble and fear before the God of Daniel. For He is the living God, And steadfast forever; His kingdom is the one which shall not be destroyed, And His dominion shall endure to the end. 27 He delivers and rescues, And He works signs and wonders In heaven and on earth, Who has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions. 28 So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.