Cultivating Your Prayer Life. Fundamentals of Prayer Lesson I

Transcription

1 1 What is prayer? As we begin this course, it is necessary to define the meaning of prayer. Many Christians believe that prayer is simply talking to God, asking Him to answer their requests. That is only partially correct. Prayer is a two-way conversation with God - the Creator of the universe; thus, becoming a communication between both parties. Prayer is the strongest link between man and God it needs to be the Christian s lifeline. Prayer is communication with God If you are a new believer, or one who has not spent a lot of time in prayer, it is important to know that you have access to come into God s presence at any time because of your faith in Jesus Christ. You have a relationship with Him, but not necessarily a meaningful fellowship with Him. There is a difference between fellowship and relationship Relationship Relationship with God is positional. By believing and confessing to God and others who Christ is, his death and resurrection, brings you into eternal salvation. You have been passed from death unto life. You have positionally become a Christian and your position with God is your relationship with Him. You are going to heaven after you leave this earth, but while here on earth, your Christianity is at best minimal, staying at a positional level. It is important that you to go to God to build that relationship into a meaningful fellowship. 1

2 Fellowship Fellowship, on the other hand, is the fulfillment of a meaningful relationship with God it is experiential. You must experience fellowship with the Lord to have your relationship meaningful and grow in your faith. If you desire, as you should, a successful Christian walk, you must learn to cultivate your prayer life so you can experience fellowship with the Lord. Fellowshipping with the Lord is not taught, but something that is caught. It is something that has been birthed in your heart as meaningful and essential to your Christian life. This course will help you find that place of fellowship with the Lord, but you are going to have to choose for yourself to desire that fellowship. When you choose, God will put a yearning to spend time with the Lord. You are then fast on your way to no longer being taught, but you have caught the heart of what is being taught. Throughout this course, it is recommended that you spend time each day in prayer. That time alone with the Lord will help your relationship become fellowship. The purpose of this course is to help you develop that daily time into a habit that will set the course for a lifetime of intimacy with the Lord. Building relationships It is the heart of the Online Bible School that you will hunger to be in God s presence more and more as this course continues that prayer will become an important part of your day and your life. As your prayer life deepens, that fellowship you have with the Lord will then overflow out to others. So, if you are going to develop a loving relationship with others, you must first develop a solid, loving fellowship with the Lord. Our relationship with God is vertical. Our relationship with others is horizontal Why should we pray? There are many reasons to pray first of all, you were created to commune with your Creator. God desires for His children to pray - to worship and praise Him, cultivating an intimate fellowship. He desires for us to get to know Him, thanking Him for what He has done, bringing Him our problems, and just share ourselves with Him. God created us in such a way that cultivating a solid prayer life fulfills the satisfaction between man and God it is the reason why we were created. 2

3 Why was mankind created? When God created Adam and Eve, He created them to be stewards upon the earth. Each one was designed to use the gifts and talents that God created within. Just as in Adam and Eve, God created within all of His children gifts and talents. As His stewards, each of us has a call on our lives to use those gifts and talents to walk out the plans and purposes God has for us upon the earth. It must be remembered, however, that using our gifts and talents is not the primary reason God created mankind. The number one reason God created us is to have a loving relationship with Him. His desire is for mankind to love and have communion with his Creator. If you, as a believer, don t develop that intimate loving fellowship with the Lord, you are missing out on the core reason why you were created. That intimate fellowship is developed through a life of prayer, and through that prayer life you will discover your call and ultimately your destiny, using the gifts and talents He gave you. Go to God first The most important thing a believer can do is to learn how to pray. If a new believer goes to God first, from the onset of his or her walk with the Lord, that person will learn to become God dependent instead of man dependent. He or she will lean on God instead of other people. The essence of prayer is that God can t do anything unless we ask Him While there is nothing wrong with talking with other Christians regarding problems in life, and how to solve them, our prayer life will be more effective if we learn to go to God first. God designed us to be dependent upon Him, not independent within ourselves. As Christians, we cannot effectively live life on our own, independent from God. We need a life line to God as He guides and instructs us throughout life. It is through a meaningful life in prayer that we cultivate our love life with the Lord and learn to depend upon Him for everything. Being in this place puts God in a rightful place in the lives of His children and in the earth. That is exactly the place where God wants His children to be. Go to God first Go to God first to worship Him for He longs to be worshipped. Go to God first to praise Him to acknowledge Him before others Go to God first to thank Him to develop a thankful heart attitude toward the blessings He has bestowed upon you. Go to God first to commune with Him that is why He created you. Go to God first to put God in His rightful place in your life and in the earth - this acknowledges God as the Creator and center of the universe. Go to God first with your problems - allowing Him to solve your problems instead of relying on other people. 3

4 A balanced Christian life A balance of the knowledge of the Word of God and time in prayer is important in a believer s life. Most Christians, by human nature, tend to lean one way or another toward prayer or the reading of the Word of God. If one concentrates more on what the Scriptures say over having a solid prayer life, he or she runs the risk of becoming judgmental toward others. If, on the other hand, one concentrates more on praying than what the Word of God says, that person runs the risk of becoming flawed in his or her thinking. The risk of hearing from the devil is not only a possibility but a probability if what is heard in prayer is not substantiated by the Word of God. The balance of the Word of God and prayer is vital for a happy, secure, full life in Christ. A believer needs the balance of the Word of God and prayer. Balancing the Word of God and prayer Alone with God You cannot know God deeply with shallow conversation. Intimacy with Him requires development and cultivation. The deepest working of the Holy Spirit comes during the time spent alone in His presence. When you set aside time for fellowship with God, you enter into the richest experience of the Christian life. 2 The Tripartate man In the first course of the Online Bible School (Understanding the Scriptures), it shows that we, as a tripartite man, are a three-part being, having a spirit and soul - living in a physical body. The human spirit is where man communes with God. It is also where the human conscience lies, which gives us the ability to know right from wrong. The area of the soul consists of three parts the mind, will and emotions. Our character is primarily formed in the soul area, based on our experiences in life. Our body, which houses the soul and spirit, is the manifestation of the real person. The way that we were created, mixed with our experiences of life, molds us into the character we become. 4

5 God is also tripartite a three-part being God is also a three-part being. First, He is God the Father who created the universes, as well as all of mankind. Secondly, He is God the Son, who loves His creation so much that He was willing to come down as mankind to become like man, suffer and die on the cross for his sins, so man could live eternally with Him. Thirdly, He is God the Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead. He lives eternally within all true believers, and empowers them to make a difference in this world and in the worlds to come. God wants us to intimately know His whole character. God wants us to know and understand that He is a loving God Who cares for His children, and wants to pour His blessings upon His family. The character of God The character of God was also taught in the first course of the Online Bible School. If a believer has a wrong concept of God, it can affect his or her prayer life. It is vital then that all Christians believe that God loves His children deeply and wants the very best for each one of them. To get to understand God more deeply, we need to know how He works in any given situation. God has a personality and character, having a method to everything He does. He is not so sovereign that a believer has to guess how He is going to operate. God is predictable! In His predictability, God wants each of us to know how He operates in any given situation. He wants us to know His ways - to learn His method of operation. Job 22:21 Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee. Meaning of father In the New Testament, God is primarily referred to as heavenly father. It is God s desire to have many sons and daughters. The Greek word for father is Abba. The word father, however, has different meanings to different people. If you grew up with a loving, caring father, your concept of a heavenly father will probably be loving and caring. If your earthly father, however, was not nurturing, and maybe abusive, you will view your heavenly father in the same way you did your earthly father. For those of you who have had less than a perfect earthly father, the prayer is that you will see God Almighty, your heavenly father, as the father you always wanted and dreamed of. Even if you were fortunate to have had close to the perfect father, I want you to see that God is far better than any earthly father could ever be. God s character is flawless. 5

6 How to pray? When you read the New Testament, it must be remembered that God taught His people to pray under the Old Covenant. He taught not only the heart of prayer, but the positions of prayer. His instructions did not change under the New Covenant. Because of that, there are only a few references regarding positions in prayer in the New Testament. 1 Tim 2:8 I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting. Heb 12:12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down You may have been taught as a child that you need to bow your head, fold your hands, and close your eyes while praying. While nothing is wrong with praying in such a way, it is not scriptural. There is no place in the Word of God that states you should pray by bowing your head, folding your hands, or closing your eyes. Walking through Scripture, God shows us many ways on how to pray. You will see that people kneeled, prostrated themselves, sat, and stood before the Lord. The primary way that God s people prayed in the Scriptures; however, was standing with uplifted hands, eyes wide open, looking up into the heavens. Since Scripture is not specific as to what kind of position to use in prayer, you are free to pray in whatever position you are led to pray at that at particular time. You will discover, however, that God will have you pray in various positions. Your physical position, therefore, is not the important thing in prayer. It is what goes on in your spirit and soul that matters. You may, therefore, pray in the posture that you desire. Recommended prayer time schedule Prayer time for this course is schedule for a minimum of 15 minutes each day. During each teaching, as well as your prayer time, you will be learning new things. You will start out with praying basics at first, and then progress into greater and deeper things in God. Worship versus praise Some people are confused on how to worship versus giving praise. Others may not understand the difference between praise and thanksgiving. Until it becomes very clear, we will separate all three into categories. 6

7 For this week s lesson, you are asked to pray to the Lord in three separate categories - worship, praise, and thanksgiving. Worship means adoring God for Who He is. You are using expressive words to worship Him. Praise is praising God for how great He is. Often praises to Him are spoken out to others. Thanksgiving is thanking Him for what He has done and what He has given you. Worship = Adoring God for Who He is Praise = Praising God for how great He is Thanksgiving = Thanking Him for what He has done and what He has given you The 15 minutes of your recommended prayer time must be done in worship, praise, and thanksgiving. Pray for a minimum of five minutes in each of the following categories, totaling 15 minutes each day for the next seven days. Worship: (Wording examples) Tell God how much you love him Use expressions of love and adoration You are giving to the Lord English words of your deepest love for Him. Limit using other tongues until these worship words are developed. Praise: (Wording examples) You are telling God how great He is. (You are not expressing anything He has done only how great He is) You may also use the various names of God as listed in Scripture, ie: Jehovah Jireh or Raphi. Use expressions of praise only, using English words. If you speak in other tongues, limit using other tongues this week until these praise words are developed. Thanksgiving: (Wording examples) You are thanking God for what He Has done, and what He has given you. Use expressions of thanksgiving (not praise) Start by thanking God for the big things He has done, ie: for the world, your nation, your church, your business, you and your family. Continue to thank God for the important people (relationships) in your life. Continue to thank God for the small things He gives you.do not ask for anything. Wording examples Love Adore Worship Exalt Honor Glory/glorify Esteem Admiration Homage Reverence Passion Cherish Idolize Treasure Lift up (name) Holy Hallow Hail Crown Bow Pour out (my heart) Majesty Extol Divine Awesome Wonderful Bless you Praise Magnify Exalt Majestic Hallelujah Powerful Mighty Rejoice (in You) Alleluia Marvelous Astonishing Celebrate Great Applaud Acclaim Thank you Grateful Acknowledge Appreciate Gratitude Thankful Thank you Father that You love me. You created me before the foundation of the world. Thank you for that love. Thank you God for sending your Son Jesus to die for the sins of the world I am so filled with gratitude that I live in a country filled with freedom and opportunities. Thank you God. Father, I am so appreciative for my job. I have an income that supports me and my family. I am grateful that I belong to a church that preaches the uncompromising Word of God. Thank you Father for my pastor. Thank you that He seeks your face to give your wisdom to us. Lord, I am thankful for my spouse and my children. They are a blessing to me. Etc., Thank you Lord for my college. Thank you Father that I walk in divine healing. Thank you Lord for all of the prosperity that you have given me name. Thank you God for my home. You knew exactly what I need. Thank you Lord for the air to breath, groceries in my cupboard, food in my refrigerator, electricity to run my household etc., 7

8 End Notes 1 Joanndesign.com 2 Burke, Dennis. Knowing God Intimately. Harrison House. Tulsa Oklahoma. 8