The Power of Prayer!

 

The devil saw me with my head down and got excited, then I said "AMEN".

What is Prayer? Prayer is communication between you and God. Prayer is a way that we get to know God and grow spiritually. What Prayer Is and Isn't. Prayer is not just something we do to get things. We should not only pray when we see that we need a breakthrough, we need bills paid, we need a helpmate, or materialistic things. It should be a part of our daily walk and we need to pray on a daily basis concerning all things. Our main focus for prayer should be for souls (lost souls) to be saved and get an opportunity to spend eternal life in heaven.True prayer is what happens when our will is aligned with the will of God, and we pray according to the word of God. Prayer is our connection to heaven and heaven's connection to us. That is why it is important to keep the lines of communication open, as well as our hearts! Types of Prayer we should Pray? A: Adoration (worship)                 C: Confession ( of specific sins)            T: Thanksgiving ( gratitude)                          S: Supplication: ( specific requests) AdorationJesus taught us in the Lord's prayer, which starts off with, "Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name" (Matthew 6:9 KJV). This identifies who we are talking to and the reverence that we have for him.  A good example of this type of adoration is found in Psalm 95:1–7 (KJV). When we take time to praise and worship God in our prayers, we are placing God where He rightfully belongs.ConfessionThe closer we draw to God, the more we sense our own sinfulness. In Isaiah 6:5, Isaiah says  "Woe is me, for I am undone! When we confess our sins it gives God room to move on our behalf. If we do not become humble, swallow our pride and confess our sins, we put up a barrier which causes God to not hear our prayer. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us" (1 John 1:9). A lot of people complain about their prayers not being answered or their prayers being delayed. Well, you may want to reflect and see if you've confessed your sins unto God.Thanksgiving After confession, should be thanksgiving. We should be thankful that God had cleansed and forgiven us. In Psalm 32:1 David said, "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven" . We should not only give thanks because everything is going perfectly in our lives or because we are in a good mood. We should give thanks because God deserves our praise. By giving thanks we show gratitude for what we have. We prevent our focus from shifting to what we do not have.SupplicationToo often in prayer we start with requests instead of spending time in devotion, confession, and thanksgiving first. At the end of the day, God does want to hear our needs and requests. Philippians 4:6–7 (KJV) says;"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God" . How to Pray Effectively Keep Your Motives Pure:Motive is everything in prayer. In Matthew 6:5, it is a sin to pray insincerely. We can still be guilty of hypocrisy and self-centeredness in our prayers. It is sad but true. Sin knows no boundaries. It can follow us to the very throne of heaven. As we come to God in prayer, we should make sure that we "cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2 Corinthians 7:1 KJV). Otherwise, our prayers will not be effective. David wrote "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear" (Psalm 66:18).Recognize the Objective of Prayer:Jesus gives us a valuable insight into prayer when He says, "Your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him" (Matthew 6:8). Prayer is not instructing or bending His arm. Prayer is not to bend the will of God to mine, but to get my will in line with His. True praying is not overcoming God's unwillingness, but laying hold of His willingness. Why Should We Pray? Jesus told us to pray:Luke 18:1 (KJV) :And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;" Jesus commanded us to pray. It gets no better than that. That is a perfect reason that we are to pray. #obedience.Prayer is God's appointed way of obtaining things:James 4:2 (AMP) says: You are jealous and covet [what others have] and your lust goes unfulfilled; so you murder. You are envious and cannot obtain [the object of your envy]; so you fight and battle. You do not have because you do not ask [it of God].The reason why a lot of us have questions about things pertaining to our walk with God and what he has called us to do, is mainly because we do no ask. God wants us to experience the blessings of seeing our prayers answered, such as the salvation of a loved one, a divine healing, or a wonderful provision. But we first have to ask.Prayer is the way God helps us to overcome our anxiety and worry:Philippians 4:6-7 (AMP) Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God. And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, [that peace which] stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [is yours].When we put our trust and faith into God, and knowing that whatever we ask will come to pass, we do not have time to worry about things not coming to fruition because of our Faith in God. As we pray we should pray with thanksgiving. It is important to know who God is and what He is capable of doing. When you know what kind of God you serve, you'll know that there is nothing too hard for God. He can do things that we in the natural sense could never imagine happening. Prayer is one of the ways we make ourselves ready for the return of Jesus Christ. Luke 21: 34-36 (AMP):  “But be on guard, so that your hearts are not weighed down and depressed with the giddiness of debauchery and the nausea of self-indulgence and the worldly worries of life, and then that day [when the Messiah returns] will not come on you suddenly like a trap;  for it will come upon all those who live on the face of all the earth.  But keep alert at all times [be attentive and ready], praying that you may have the strength and ability [to be found worthy and] to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand in the presence of the Son of Man [at His coming].” The more we pray,stay faithful and seek God he will give us revelation. We all know that he is coming soon. We may not know when he is coming ( He (Jesus)  doesn't even know when He's coming back), but the fact that we know that he is returning will motivate us to continue to pray and grow in him.  You do not want to be left behind during the rapture, so being obedient and praying as God has commanded us to will prepare us for what is to come. Draw closer to God. Last Words:  In order to have a successful prayer life and to become a power house for God, we must stay away from selfishness, having idols, unforgiveness, unconfessed sin, and a  lack of faith. With those specific sins we hinder and ruin our prayer life. So continue to pray and believe that everything you've been praying for will come to pass.