God’s Prayer Pattern - Lesson 7 (Give us this day our daily bread)

Lesson 7 (Give us this day our daily bread)

In Philippians 4:6, the apostle Paul writes, “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”  In the model prayer the Lord says, “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father ……… Give us this day our daily bread,” In short, he was saying petition God what you desire from him. The apostle James addresses the same topic when he says, “You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask” James 4:2. Jesus again said, “Ask, and it shall be given you” (Mt7:7) and the apostle James in verse 5 of his first chapter writes, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”

Our lesson here is that we must entreaty the Lord for that which we want. Tell God what exactly you want. In the model prayer the request is, “Give us this day our daily bread.” If you desire a house you must pray, “Lord give me a house.” In Mat. 20:30-34 Jesus was confronted by 2 blind men. Jesus could see that they were blind but he asked them what they wanted him to do for them. By this act he was availing them an opportunity to make their request to him. Had they said they wanted bread he would have availed them the bread. The good news is they knew what they wanted so they said, “Lord, that our eyes may be opened” and the Lord gave them sight.

This takes us to the next aspect which is, know what you want before you pray. Many people pray amiss because they do not know what they want. James write in Jas 5:14-15, “Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he has committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.” In Matthew 20:20-23 we see the mother of Zebedee's children making a request to Jesus. As was the case with the blind men, Jesus asked her what she wanted him to do for her. Her response was, “Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom.” Jesus’ amazing answer was, “You do not know what you ask.”

Can you see the danger of not knowing your need? What this woman payed for was not what she really needed. In a bid to let her and her sons realise that they knew not what they were praying for he asked, “Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” a clever person would have sought to know what that cup and baptism were but because they were blinded with pride and greedy they said, “We are able.” Because of lust as pointed out in James 4:2 they gave this answer because they were obsessed with the to be the most powerful people in the kingdom of Christ. Because of this obsession which led them to wrong motives the Lord answered their request by saying, “Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.” So the sons of Zebedee must not complain about the persecution they went through because they prayed for it.

In yet another Luke case the Lord gives us examples of persons who really knew what they wanted and as a result made the correct petition. First to come to my mind is a certain widow in a certain city who petitioned a certain judge who did not fear God and had no regard for man. She petitioned this uncaring judge until he said within himself, “Though I fear not God, nor regard man; Yet because this widow troubles me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.” (Luke 18:4-5) The other example that comes to my mind is case of the Publican and the Pharisee who went up into the temple to pray. The Pharisee did not know he needed forgiveness and as a result boasted about all his self-righteousness and even reminded God that the Publican was a sinner. On the other hand, the Publican was aware of his inadequacy and made a very simple prayer which was, “God be merciful to me a sinner.” The Lord said, “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” Luke 18:14

The good news is that when we ask, the Father will always answer us. The Lord said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but I will tell you plainly about the Father. In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God.” Jhn 16:23-28. In Luke’s gospel he said, “And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” Luk 11:9-14

We therefore have the assurance that when we ask any thing in Jesus’ name, the Father will give us. However, we must always remember what we learnt in lesson 5 that everything must be according to his own will. Elijah the great prophet tried it and got a shock of his life when God gave him a new assignment rather than grant him his request. In 1^st Kings chapter 19 we are told that as Elijah sat under a juniper tree he requested for himself that he might die. His prayer was, “It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.” Rather than take his life, God gave him a fresh assignment because (1) it was not God’s will for Elijah to die before accomplishing his calling and (2) Elijah did not know what he was asking as he was blinded by emotion. Had he died jezebel would have been the winner and Elijah himself the looser.

A chapter before chapter 19 Elijah had been an example of a person who knew exactly what he wanted. He prayed, “LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.” God did just that by answering with fire all the people were convicted that YHW is God. 1^st Kings 18:39 says, “And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God.” Soon after that he prayed for rain and the Lord gave them the rain. He did not ask for Ahab and Jezebel to die because that would not benefit him and was against God’s will since he does not delight in the death of a sinner. He prayed for the nation’s greatest need and God granted it.

Therefore, the lesson here is, know what you want and let your request be specific. Don’t beat about the bush.

God’s Prayer Pattern - Lesson 6 (Praise and Worship)

Lesson 6 (Praise and Worship)

The greatest teacher ever to walk on this earth teaches us to pray after this manner, “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.  Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” These words apart from telling us about God’s greatness, they all so tell us about how to start or enter in to prayer. The psalmist once said, “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise.” Psalm 100:4. The greatest lesson we get here is that we must always enter in to God’s presence with praise and worship.

Praising and worshiping God is an expression of our love and admiration of him for who he is and what he has done or is capable of doing.  In Isaiah 66:1 God says, “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.”  He is the Creator of the universe and everything in it, which includes you and me.  In Psalms 100 the worshipper says, “Know that the LORD Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name.  For the LORD is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations. For the LORD is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations.” How wonderful and amazing is that!

Praising and worshiping God is not a ritual, or recital of an ancient prayer.  True worship calls for total commitment of our body, mind and spirit.  It has nothing to do with religion, but has all to do with having a profound and intimate relationship with God. It’s about exalting, adoring and acknowledging the God of the Bible. 

Gotquestions.org has the following to say about praise and worship.

“Understanding the difference between praise and worship can bring a new depth to the way we honour the Lord. Throughout the Bible, the commands to "praise the Lord" are too numerous to mention. Angels and the heavenly hosts are commanded to praise the Lord (Psalm 89:5; 103:20; 148:2). All inhabitants of the earth are instructed to praise the Lord (Psalm 138:4; Romans 15:11). We can praise Him with singing (Isaiah 12:5; Psalm 9:11), with shouting (Psalm 33:1; 98:4), with the dance (Psalm 150:4), and with musical instruments (1 Chronicles 13:8; Psalm 108:2; 150:3-5).

 Praise is the joyful recounting of all God has done for us. It is closely intertwined with thanksgiving as we offer back to God appreciation for His mighty works on our behalf. Praise is universal and can be applied to other relationships as well. We can praise our family, friends, boss, or paperboy. Praise does not require anything of us. It is merely the truthful acknowledgment of the righteous acts of another. Since God has done many wonderful deeds, He is worthy of praise (Psalm 18:3).

 Worship, however, comes from a different place within our spirits. Worship should be reserved for God alone (Luke 4:8). Worship is the art of losing self in the adoration of another. Praise can be a part of worship, but worship goes beyond praise. Praise is easy; worship is not. Worship gets to the heart of who we are. To truly worship God, we must let go of our self-worship. We must be willing to humble ourselves before God, surrender every part of our lives to His control, and adore Him for who He is, not just what He has done. Worship is a lifestyle, not just an occasional activity. Jesus said the Father is seeking those who will worship Him "in spirit and in truth" (John 4:23).

In Scripture, praise is usually presented as boisterous, joyful, and uninhibited. God invites praise of all kinds from His creation. Jesus said that if people don't praise God, even the "stones will cry out" (Luke 19:40). When the Bible mentions worship, however, the tone changes. We read verses like, "Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness" (Psalm 96:9). And, "Come let us worship and bow down" (Psalm 95:6). Often, worship is coupled with the act of bowing or kneeling, which shows humility and contrition (2 Chronicles 29:28; Hebrews 11:21; Revelation 19:10). It is through true worship that we invite the Holy Spirit to speak to us, convict us, and comfort us. Through worship, we realign our priorities with God's and acknowledge Him once more as the rightful Lord of our lives.

 Just as praise is intertwined with thanksgiving, worship is intertwined with surrender. It is impossible to worship God and anything else at the same time (Luke 4:8). The physical acts often associated with worship—bowing, kneeling, lifting hands—help to create the necessary attitude of humility required for real worship. Wise worship leaders know how to structure a worship service to allow participants to both praise and worship the Lord. Often, services begin with joyous praise songs and transition to a quieter, more introspective opportunity for worship.

Worship is an attitude of the heart. A person can go through the outward motions and not be worshiping (Psalm 51:16-17; Matthew 6:5-6). God sees the heart, and He desires and deserves sincere, heartfelt praise and worship.” 

When we praise and worship the Lord a very profound thing occurs. Psalms 22:3 says that that God inhabits the praises of his people. In 2 Chronicles 6 we see Solomon at the dedication of the temple giving an elaborate praise and worship to God. He praised God for all the good God had done for Israel from the day he delivered Israel from the days of the captivity in Egypt up to the date of the temple dedication. The acclaim was so ornate such that in the next chapter, 2 Chronicles 7, we are told that, “As soon as Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and burned up the offerings. The Lord’s dazzling glory then filled the temple, and the priests could not go in. When the crowd of people saw the fire and the Lord’s glory, they knelt down and worshiped the Lord. They prayed: “The Lord is good, and his love never ends.”

That is what praise and worship does. It invites the presence of God in to the midst of his people. When we praise God his presence will come down and when his presence is in our midst our trouble will flee away. This explains why the sick get healed even before they have been prayed for.

Here Jesus is teaching us to do one of the things that bring about electiveness in to our prayer life. When God is in our presence no demon can dare stand such an atmosphere charged with the presence of God. Through praise and worship we break al chains and fetters of the evil one. Through praise we open flood gates for answers to prayer. Did you know that God know our needs even before we mention them? Many a time most of the needs are met without praying about them. When we praise the Lord everything falls in to shape.

The lesson we therefore get is that before we make our petition known, we must first acknowledge the greatness of God and then genuinely and from the depth of our hearts adore God and give him all the praises that belong to him. Are you aware that Jesus once said that when people do not worship God, rocks and boulders will praise him

God’s Prayer Pattern - Lesson 5

God’s Prayer Pattern

Lesson 5 (Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven)

In the Lord’s prayer the greatest teacher teaches us to pray for the coming of the kingdom of God. To the modern man it may be very difficult to understand the concept of a kingdom since we are used to the idea of democratic republics or democratic constitutional monarchs. In order for us to understand what the kingdom of God entails, it is necessary that we comprehend the magnitude of the need for God’s kingdom to come. I also am of the opinion that it may be necessary to distinguish the differences between a kingdom as alluded to in the bible and a republic or a democratic constitutional monarch as is practiced today. A kingdom as denoted in the bible refers to a dominion with a single figurehead, known as a king, wielding supreme executive power whereas a republic or democratic constitutional monarch has delegates and representatives with collective or delegated authority.

Kingdom rule was a form of government which prevailed during biblical and pre-biblical times. Utmost or supreme authority resided in an individual commonly known as the king. The king, in this kind of domination, exercised absolute power over the governance of the kingdom and often held the title for life or until abdication to an heir who always was from the same family. The king was wholly set apart from all other members of the state and he made all the laws and legislative or judicial decisions. He owned all land in his territory and could even banish offenders from his land.

Modern day kingdoms, however, do not have unlimited political power since this type of governance has evolved to a more citizen-friendly government. They have evolved in to constitutional monarchies whose powers are limited by constitutions. Most of the kings or queens are mere figure heads as real political power now resides in the constitution which delates real political

Democracy is the rule of the people by the people and is claimed to be based on the principle of equality and freedom. The equality being defined in terms where all citizens are all equal before the law which law is made by the people through their representatives. This follows that the representatives are also governed by the same laws that govern the ordinary people hence both the governed and the governors are subject to the same sanctions under the law.

In contrast, in a kingdom the king makes and gives the law hence he is the law whilst in democracy, all people are equal before the law including the governors. In a kingdom, supreme power resides in the king and no one can question his decisions. This is the type of kingdom Christ was making reference to where God is the supreme ruler. Unlike a republic or a constitutional monarch were the laws and the leadership is voted in to power by the governed, the laws in the kingdom alluded to in Matthew 6 is led by a king who is the supreme leader and exercises absolute and supreme power. He is the law giver and exercises both executive and judiciary powers. He is not and cannot be controlled by his own laws.

Because of the supreme authority alluded to above God says. “I will not yield my glory to another.” When God’s kingdom comes His own will as king will prevail. He is not elected in to office hence does not have to seek the will of the electorate. As king he is called king of kings because he appoints junior kings to execute his rule according to his own will and that is why scriptures say we shall reign with Christ. Concerning the kingdom of God Isiah write, “Now it will come about that in the last days The mountain of the house of the LORD will be established as the chief of the mountains, and will be raised above the hills; And all the nations will stream to it and many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; That He may teach us concerning His ways and that we may walk in His paths." For the law will go forth from Zion and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.” The prophet Daniel in verse 44 of his 2^nd chapter describes the kingdom of God in the following fashion. “"In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.” In chapter 7 verses 13,14 and 27 he writes, “And behold, one like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed. Then the kingdom and dominion, And the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him.” John in Revelation 11: 15 reaffirms this by saying, “The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.”

You see whenever you pray, “Thy kingdom come,” that is the type of kingdom you will be praying for. You will be praying for a kingdom where the Lord God omnipotent reigns. Rev 19:6. This kingdom must start within you and not outside. Jesus said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20-21). In other words, before the great and dreadful day comes, God must establish his kingdom within us. We must subject ourselves to his reign. His desires must reign in us and must dilute our own desires. That is the reason why the bible says we must cease to live and allow Christ to live in us.

From this background you can now understand why soon after praying for the coming of the kingdom we then pray, “Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” This is an acknowledgement that God deserves all honour and majesty. It expresses appreciation that God continuously has the right direction to follow, no matter the circumstances in which we as human beings find ourselves. In Proverbs 3:5-6 the wise man wrote, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” What an excellent guideline for us to follow.

Since God is all-powerful and “does whatever He pleases” as is depicted in Psalm 115:3, is there any need to pray for His will to be done when His will is going to occur anyway? You see this teaches to align our thinking and actions with God’s purpose and plan for us. We must learn his desires so that thy will be our own desires. Remember that in the book of Luke it is reported that Jesus knelt down and prayed, “Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me. Yet not My will, but Yours be done.”

James 4:3 says, “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” That is the result of prayers that are said outside the will of God. When we fail to align our desires to the will of God we will pray amiss. Paul corroborate this when he says, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know how we ought to pray, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans too deep for words.  And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. Knowing the will of God is therefore key to answered prayers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pF9ES1btPjo

God’s Prayer Pattern. Lesson 4 (the Greatness of God)

Lesson 4 (the Greatness of God)

So far the past 3 lessons have taught us that:

1. it is necessary to learn how to pray
2. God has a pattern of prayer
3. we must not be like the hypocrites
4. the type of relationship with God matters when we pray

In this session we will look at the greatness of the might and ever lasting living all knowing, all powerful and omnipresent God. We will get a tiny glimpsy of the greatness of this awesom and dependable God who created the universe and all the fills it. That is the greatness of him who created the limits of time yet he cannot be bound by time because he is eternal.

Jesus said “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.  Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” These words tell us something unique about God which we must be conscious of when we engage in prayer. We must be conscious of God’s greatness.

God is an awesome being and in the book of Isiah he says, “I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols.” In that regard, he alone is worth to be worshipped hence he has given commandment to that effect. He is a great God such that in Isiah 66:1 he says, “…... heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.” He cannot be confined to a temple or a particular place because he is everywhere present, all powerful and all knowing. He existed before time, created time and set the boundaries of time yet he is from everlasting even unto everlasting. He created the beginning of time as well as the end of time but no one understands his existence since he is not time bound.

Examples of his greatness can be seen in the creation story. Did it ever occur to you that whilst the counting or numbering of days and nights is determined by the sun and moon, the first 3 days never relied on the sun and moon. Genesis gives the following description from verse 3 to 5. ‘God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.  God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.’ It is interesting to note that on this day and night there was no sun and moon to divide the day from the night yet this was very possible. Two more days and nights came and passed with full light during the day and darkness at night yet there was no sun to give light and also with no moon to obstruct the sun’s light upon the earth. Truly how great is this God, can anyone explain, I truly wonder. The sun and moon only came on the fourth day to give light and to divide day from night.

Vegetation which relies heavily on light for growth was created before the sun had been created. Genesis 1:11-13 reads, “Then God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them"; and it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good.  There was evening and there was morning, a third day.…” Did this ever occur to you that vegetation grew and produced fruit with no sun in sight at all. The sun only came in to being four days after the first act of creation. The sun, moon and stars only came on the fourth day and their purpose was to separate the day from the night, and …... be for signs and for seasons and for days and years; and …... be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth; yet light existed four days before they came in to existence. Can you just imagine a God who can do such awesome things? My friend this is just one bit of how overwhelming and marvellous God is.

Hebrews 11:6 tells us that that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. In other words, God made the universe out of absolutely nothing. Imagine how great this God is in that furthermore, invisible atoms and ions were put together by God to put in place visible things which we see daily. Do you really understand this God? As for me I am completely tongue tied.

The psalmist, in Psalms 145, wrote, “Yahweh is great and is highly praised; His greatness is unsearchable. The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and great in faithful love. The Lord is good to everyone; His compassion rests on all He has made.”

Let me say that God is greater than greatness because words cannot describe his greatness, in fact it is him who created greatness hence in Genesis 12:1-3 he could say to Abraham, “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; And you shall be a blessing... And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." The hymn writer sang, “then sings my soul my saviour God to thee, how great thou art, how great thou art.”

When we pray we must be conscious of this greatness and when we do so faith will be built in us. Faith and confidence is always put in what is greater than us so when we realise the greatness of God faith and assurance in Him will naturally grow within us.

Because of his greatness, his great name must be held in high esteem. The disciples were told to say, “Hallowed be thy name.” God’s name is sacred and must not be taken in vain. The Hebrews were very particular about the aspect. They took seriously the Leviticus 19:12 commandment which said, “And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.” Even whilst reading the scripture they would mumble when they came to where the name of YHW was written because they feared to profane it. The Israelites revered the name of God so much that they only used it in a serious and considerate way so as to avoid using His name in a useless and disrespectful way.

When they said, “thus says the Lord”, God would have in deed spoken. They were not like most of us modern men who are not ashamed to say, “YHW said to me,” when God would not have spoken a word. Not only does the modern men take his name in vain. They actually misuse and abuse it. Many in the modern church have lost reverence for God and his great and awesome name. Many people have been fleeced of their hard earned wealth by certain deceivers who have said, “God has commanded that you give me this and that” when God would have said nothing at all. No wonder why most prayers go unanswered because we failed to stay within the prayer pattern wherein we consecrate the Lord’s name. In my book Saints Made Merchandise I emphasise the seriousness of not abusing the Lord’s name for selfish gain. In Exodus 20 God said, "Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain."

In my next post I will look at the phrase, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”

Copyright © 2016 Abraham Soka

God’s Prayer Pattern

Lesson 3 (Relationship)

In my last post I wrote about what not to do when praying. The Lord’s instruction is When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites. In this post I write about how to pray. The disciples’ request was a lesson on how to pray.

                The Lord said, “in this manner, therefore, pray.” The words in this manner depict a way or a means or a method or a style and custom of doing things. It does not point to the exact word to use but merely a technique of prayer. The words point to a pattern of prayer and not a recitation of a prayer. The Lord was saying after this style craft your prayer. In other words, he was saying this the fashion you are to follow when praying or structuring your prayer.

                “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven……” The words “our Father,” point to a very fundamental and vital or necessary aspect of prayer without which prayer will be ineffective. These words point to a relationship that must exist between a worshiper and God. It is the type of relationship between a worshiper and his God which determines the level of effectiveness of any prayer.

                Relationships differ and have different outcomes on how different people associate with each other. There is a relationship which exist between God and satan. That relationship is called enmity. Enmity is an association of active opposition or hostility. Enemies always seek the downfall of their foes. This relationship was created by satan and not God hence it is satan and his devils who are always on the receiving end. God has therefore created their final destination in eternal fire. See Matthew 25:41 and Revelation 12:9. In the book of Job we see satan praying for an opportunity to test Job but God’s answer was designed to ensure that Job triumphed over satan. In the end it was Job who emerged a hero whilst satan emerged the villain despite having prayed fervently for the downfall of Job. This is the reason why the devil will never triumph over saints. Satan cannot tempt anyone without the permission of God hence the devil will pray for that permission but because he is God’s foe answers to those prayers will always be designed to ensure the saint will emerge hero whilst satan becomes the scoundrel. In 1 Corinthians 10:13 Paul writes, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” Enmity therefore must never exist between you and God.

The other relationship that exists between God and men is the master servant relationship. This is the relationship that existed between the great Bible heroes we read about in most scriptures. This relationship demands that the servant respects the master. In Malachi 1:6 the Lord says, “A son naturally honours his father and a slave respects his master. If I am your father, where is my honour? If I am your master, where is my respect?” Whilst God’s servants esteem Him, God on the other hand protects them. In 2 Kings 19:34 and Isiah 37:35 when the enemy had besieged God’s servant God said, “for my own honour and for the sake of my servant David, I will defend this city and protect it.” This is one reason why God answers favourably prayers of his servants.

The other relationship that can exist between God and man is that of friendship. This is the relationship which existed between God and Abraham. This type of relationship has an effect on future generations. This relationship has a bearing on how your descendants will relate with God. In Isiah 41:8-11 God says to his friend’s dependents, “But as for you, Israel my servant, Jacob my chosen one, descended from Abraham my friend, I have called you back from the ends of the earth, saying, ‘You are my servant.’ For I have chosen you and will not throw you away. Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. “See, all your angry enemies lie there, confused and humiliated. Anyone who opposes you will die and come to nothing.” This type of relationships caused Abraham’s offspring to enter into their own relationship with God and is still responsible for the protection of those progenies even today.

Of all the relationships that exist between God and man, the greatest of them all is the father son relationship. This is the relationship alluded to in Matthew 6:9 when Christ says, “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father ……...” There is no greater relationship than this and it is very pivotal to the success of any prayer. This is the highest and most esteemed relationship with God every believer must strive to be in. The beloved disciple wrote that as many as received Jesus Christ, he gave them the power to become sons of God.

 The relationship of a son to his father outshines that of the father and his friend or servant. In John 8:35 Jesus said, “the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth for ever.” With regards to the difference between master servant relationship and the friendship relationship, the Lord said, “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” John 15:15. However, when we compare the friendship relationship against the father son relationship we see that the latter is a far greater relationship than mere friendship. A son is an heir to the father whereas a friend cannot inherit his associate’s estate ahead of the acquaintance’s children. In other words, a son enjoys his father’s rights just like his father and for that reason the farther delegates all his to the son. (see John 5)

The Jews knew this very well and that is one reason why in John 5:18 they sought to kill Jesus because he had “…... said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.” Because of the depth of this relationship the father delegates all his authority to the son. In the Gospel according to John the Lord said, “the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son.” (5:22).

It is in view of the strength of this relationship why Jesus gave those who believe on him the authority to be the sons of God. This is also the reason why the write of the book of Hebrew wrote, “For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me. Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.”

We must therefore tap in to this relationship so that our prayer become effective. Jesus said in John 15:3-7, “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine; you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.”

This points to a clear need to have a close knit relationship with Christ in order to enjoy his unbroken relationship with the Father. The relationship of a branch and the vine is key in that the branch does not have a life of its own outside the vine. In fact, the branch has no identity of its own outside the vine. It has the identity and life of the vine and anyone making reference to it talks about the vine rather than the branch. The branch is a part of the branch and not the other way. The roots that sustain the branch belong to the vine hence the life the flows in the branch is the life of the vine. Due to that fact, the fruit that hangs on the branch belongs to the vine because it is the vine’s life which creates, nourishes and sustains the fruit.

This then means we must cease to live and Christ must become our life and identity. Paul in 1^st Corinthians 8:6 writes, “yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.” In Galatians 2:20 he again writes, “it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” When this happens, when we lose our identity and life so that Christ lives his life in and through us, we will certainly become one with God and how will he deny himself his own desires. In John 17:23, Jesus once prayed, “I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one.” Just tell me how our payers will fail when are made perfect with the Father and the Son. Because of this, Christ “died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.” 2^nd Corinthians 5:15

It thus is imperative that Christ lives in and through us so that when we pray we will approach God as his sons and as heirs of his inheritance. This is the most effective way of having answered prayers. Jesus said, “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father ……...” Our Father indicates that God is a father of many sons. The other many sons have equal rights to God’s blessings in as much the same way as we have. In view of that we must therefore not be selfish and greedy. This thus follows that when we pray we must also consider the needs and desires of others. When God answers others we must rejoice with them because they are our brothers and God is their sons also. When we identify or come to know our fellow brothers’ needs we must not hesitate to pray for them also. In writing to Timothy, Paul wrote, “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle—I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying—a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting;”

In my next post on effective prayer or God’s prayer pattern, I will discuss the greatness of God.

God’s Prayer Pattern (2)

Lesson 2

In my last post I looked at the need to learn how to pray. The disciples asked for lessons on how to pray and they were given the lessons. In this session I will begin by looking the Lord’s answer.

In response to the request the Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 6:5-13 said, “…... when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward.  But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.  But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.  Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.  Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

The first lesson that the Lord Jesus Christ gave is “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly ……. where everyone can see them.” The fundamental lesson every prayer warrior must grasp is not to be like a hypocrite. A hypocrite is a person who fakes some desirable or publicly approved attitude, particularly one whose private life, opinions, or statements contradict such public declarations. A hyposrite can also be defined as a person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs and principles which he does not actually possess, explicitly a person whose actions contradict the stated beliefs.

When a hypocrite prays, the motive is nor to get God’s attention but to impress people listening to the hypocrite’s prayer. The hypocrite’s aim is to captivate the accompanying crowds with the pretender’s poetry. The pretender impresses people with his long and winding prayers which are designed to make him appear very pious. In most cases the long prayers are a tool of conning people whilst appearing very spiritual. In Matthew 23:14, Mark 12:40 and Luke 20:47 the Lord Jesus Christ says that hypocrites, “……. shamelessly cheat widows out of their property and then pretend to be fervent by making long prayers in public.” Peter also describes a similar portrayal of a hypocrites in 2 Peter 2:3 where he points out that through covetousness they exploit unsuspecting believers with deceptive words that are designed to abuse teachings of the Bible for personal and obscene gain. Read my book Saints Made Merchandise which is currently available at
http://www.amazon.com/Saints-Made-Merchandise-Analysis-Offerings/dp/0797469141 or at Pearl Press Media.

During the first century, Pharisees, Seduces and Scribes were a very good example of hypocrites. The Lord was always at logger heads with this group of obsessive religious pretenders because of their insensitivity and distortion of religious teachings. At one time he said, “…. woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You lock up the kingdom of heaven from people. For you don’t go in, and you don’t allow those entering to go in.” This is a clear message that a hypocrite is outside the kingdom of Christ. Even when they preached or taught the truth, they never lived what they taught. The other identifying mark of a hypocrite is his unappeasable desire to be respected, honoured, praised or even worshipped. In Matthew 23: 6,7 the Lord said the hypocrites, “… love the place of honour at banquets, the front seats in the synagogues, greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by people.”

What exactly then the Lord say we must avoid being like hypocrites? In short the Lord was saying we must;

• practice what we teach and believe,
• be sincere about our beliefs,
• seek the approval of God and not of men
• be honest and not exploitative
• not unnecessarily over burden others with demands which we are unable to fulfil
• always be guided by the principles of Christ

in my next post I will look at the worshipper’s relationship with Christ. Be blessed and meditate on the following scripture. Matthew 23:  1Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, 2 saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.  3 Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, [a] that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do.  4 For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.  5 But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.  6 They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, 7 greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’  8 But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, [b] and you are all brethren.  9 Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.  10 And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ.  11 But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.  12 And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

Be blessed

God’s Prayer Pattern - Lesson 1

God’s Prayer Pattern

The greatest question or debate of all time, is “Does God answer prayer? History is littered with claims that God answers prayer or God does not answer prayer. Both claimants of either theory submit empirical evidence in their favour. Those who claim that God, if He at all exist, does not answer prayer put across convincing arguments of their own life experiences. They point out instances when certain people cried out to God and got no answer, not even an acknowledgement that God had heard the prayer.

On the other hand, those who argue that God does answer prayer also put across convincing arguments of their own life experiences. They also point out instances when certain people cried out to God got irrefutable answers to their prayers were provided for all to see. Examples of people such as Daniel, Shadreck, Misheck and Abednego are often highlighted. Moses’ great prayer at the Red sea is often cited as one example when a very desperate nation cried to God and were granted incontrovertible deliverance.

Interestingly the Bible in fact says that God does answer prayer and also that He may not answer prayer. In the book of James, the Bible reads, “You crave what you do not have. You kill and covet, but are unable to obtain it. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask. And when you do ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may squander it on your pleasures.” James 4:2-3. In this instance the Bible does admit that it is possible to pray and have no answer to that prayer. Contrariwise, in the book of John the same Bible reads, “Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever believes in Me will also do the works that I am doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.” John 14:12-14. This then raises the question, what really is the secrete to answered prayer?

In Luke 11:1 and Matthew 6:9-13 the Bible reads, “And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”

The first thing we learn here is that it is very necessary to learn how to pray. Here we have the pioneers of the Christian church yearning to learn how to pray. These were great man of most powerful church who admitted that it was necessary to learn how to pray. The secret to answered prayer may lie in how one prays. Paul tells us in Romans 8:26-27 that, “…... the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know how we ought to pray, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans too deep for words.  And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.” James also says in chapter 4:3, “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss.” This alone is clear evidence that there is an unbroken link between answered prayer and knowing how to pray.

Jesus gives an example of two people who went to the same temple at the same time and prayed to the same God but only the one who knew how to pray retuned home with an answer yet the other returned with no answer at all. Learning how to pray is of great importance if we are to have answered prayers. The apostles were taught how to pray and we also must be taught the proper manner of praying so that we will not pray amiss. In my next post I will look at the question of how to pray correctly.