Cultivating Your Prayer Life. Spiritual Laws Lesson III

Transcription

1 1 To begin this lesson, it is important to have an understanding of the universal and spiritual laws that God has put in place on the earth. Understanding these laws helps us understand how God works both in the natural and through our prayers. God has set up these laws for the functioning of the world and the protection of mankind. It is important to understand and accept these laws that are universal and spiritual before we can operate effectively within them. Universal Laws There are four laws that govern our earth. They are in the physical realm as well as the spiritual. It is how God created them to be. By understanding these laws, it helps us to not only understand God and how He created the functioning of the earth, but it helps on understanding how the functioning of prayer works. 1. Law of Gravity Physical What goes up must come down. It is a law that God set up in the earth. No matter what, this law is in operation in the earth, whether we like it or not, or even whether we believe it or not. It is a pull that cannot be stopped. What goes up must come down. There is, however, a higher law that supersedes the law of gravity; it is the law of aero-dynamics. Some people know it as the law of lift. Airplanes and rockets run on this law. The law of gravity is still in operation, functioning as it was meant to; however, the higher law of aero-dynamics supersedes this law and takes over the law of gravity. What goes up will continue to go up, as long as the law of aerodynamics is in operation. When it ceases, the law of gravity will immediately take over. Spiritual Man without God is destined to an eternity in hell. Upon death, that person is automatically pulled down to hell. The force of gravity is at work. It is a force that cannot be stopped unless a higher law is in place within that person. 1

2 Jesus gave the promise of the Holy Spirit. He said He would not leave his disciples alone or forsaken. He would send the comforter to live within those who believed. John 14:16-18 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever; the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. When you first became a Christian, a wonderful miracle took place in your life you became one with Christ. God, through the power of the third person of the Trinity the Holy Spirit - came to live on the inside of you. His seed was planted within your human spirit. While the Holy Spirit came to commune, guide, instruct, and change you, He has another function of raising you to heaven to spend eternity with Christ. The Holy Spirit becomes that higher law in your life. The force of gravity that would have normally pulled your spirit down to hell has been superseded by the power of the Holy Spirit to lift you to heaven when you die. The seed of the Holy Spirit 2

3 Just as Jesus was raised from the dead, so will those in Christ be raised on their last day. The Holy Spirit will then become like the force of aero-dynamics that higher law of lift comes into operation. Rom 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. 2. Law of seedtime and harvest Physical The whole kingdom of God, both physical and spiritual, runs on the law of seedtime and harvest. When you plant a seed, and it gets watered and cultivated with the proper amount of sun, that seed will sprout up and be multiplied unto a fruit of harvest. Spiritual The principle of seed time and harvest can work for or against us because we do reap what we sow. God set that law in motion on the earth. Gal 6:7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. The seeds you sow in life are important, meaning you need to sow and cultivate the right kind of seed. If you are kind to others, they, as a general rule, will be kind back to you. If, on the other hand, you are cruel to others, it will eventually come back to where others will be cruel to you. Because you reap what you sow, you need to sow and cultivate the right kind of seed to bring in a harvest that will become a blessing in your life. Bad seed, or weed seeds, will only multiply in your life, bringing a harvest of negative things, or curses in your life. You do reap what you sow! The law of seedtime and harvest, therefore, is both a physical and spiritual law set up by God. 3. Law of night and day - four seasons Forever in the earth, everywhere, there will always be night and day, as well as the four seasons. This is a natural law that that God created to govern our earth. At one point, thousands of years ago, before the flood of Noah, the temperatures of the earth did not vary more than a few degrees, having an average temperature around 70 degrees F. There was still night and day, as well as four seasons, because this law corresponds with the law of seedtime and harvest. Trees, plants, grains, fruits, and vegetables must have time of budding, growth, and harvest. There is then a dormant season of rest before it begins again. The earth did not give rain from the clouds before the time of the Noahic flood. The earth was covered with a water vapor canopy, creating a greenhouse effect on the planet. Such an effect, due to a permanent cloud covering in the lower atmosphere, called the troposphere, produced a more favorable environment for life. Gen 1:6 Let there be an expanse in the midst of the water, and let it separate the waters from the waters. 3

4 Mankind and animal life lived much longer on the earth during that period of time; trees and plants grew to much larger of a size than is seen today. This is how God designed His earth. When God created His laws, He said it was very good. Gen 1:31 Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day. The curse of mankind perverted God s good laws. Due to the fall, most of the earth today experiences variances of temperatures, with some areas experiencing the variances in the extreme. Minnesota in 30 degrees below zero weather is not good; neither is Arizona in 120 degrees above zero weather. The Artic regions, which were once lush and tropical, are now frozen and uninhabitable, and the hot desert regions became part of the curse. Thunderstorms, lightning, hail, tornadoes, and hurricanes as well are a part of the curse, and furthermore not part of God's original design. 4. Law of our bodily functions. Our bodies were originally created to live forever. After Adam and Eve obeyed Satan s cunning suggestion to eat of the tree of good and evil, the curse came after the fall of mankind. Life then started its downward spiral, and today, life exists for mankind only about 70 plus years. Science cannot figure why man dies, because our cells were created to recreate themselves. We are continually shedding flesh like dust particles and a new layer begins underneath. About every seven years or so, our flesh goes through a whole new renewal process. Did you know that about 80% of the dust in your home is the shedding of your flesh? We were made out of dirt, and because of the curse, to dirt we will return. Every part of our body was so uniquely designed to function in a continuous renewal, except we still wither and die. The fall of man brought about sickness and disease, ultimately bringing on death, which was not part of God s beautiful creation. Spiritual laws are meant to keep order. They are God s way for mankind to function properly and to keep within the authority that God gave them. These spiritual laws are in constant motion whether or not we believe or understand them. If we violate any of them, we cannot expect God to intervene and go against the very laws He created. 1. The Law of Free Will God designed man to have a free will. He has never forced Himself upon anyone. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were given one command not to eat of the tree of good and evil. If they did, there would be the consequence of death. 4

5 Gen 2:15-17 Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." NKJV God did not force this command upon mankind, but He gave them the choice to choose. In choosing, however, they were choosing between life or death. Adam and Eve, being drawn to the appealing attraction of sin, however, chose to disobey, ultimately causing their death. It, however, brought about their ultimate death and the death of mankind. It is God s desire that all mankind be saved and come to the knowledge of truth. God does not want anyone to perish. Man, however, has the freedom of choice to choose God or the ways of the world which lead to ultimate spiritual and physical death. 1 Tim 2:4-5. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. Just as God set up the law of free will, we cannot force our will upon others. Each person has been given the gift of choice to choose life or death, blessings or cursings. Our prayers, on their behalf, can help bring them understanding of what life in Christ is all about; however, ultimately, they will, individually, have to make their own choice. 2. The Law of Authority God, as the ultimate authority, gave mankind authority over the earth when He placed Adam in the Garden of Eden. Gen 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. With that authority came responsibility, and with that responsibility came accountability. Man, however, chose to give up his authority through the cunning schemes of the devil. Satan s intent was to take over the earth as its god, having mankind as its pawn. To do so, mankind had to be under him, being subject to his authority. Man fell for Satan s schemes, and relinquished his authority, giving it to Satan. 2 Cor 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not Under the New Covenant, Jesus came to earth to take away Satan s authority and set the captives free, meaning those who would believe in Him. He asserted his Godhead and his equality with the Father by claiming and possessing all the authority in heaven and earth. Matt 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 5

6 While Satan still remains the god of this earth until Christ s second coming, believers in Christ no longer have to be held captive under Satan s realm. Believers can have that same authority as Jesus because they are part of His body. Using the name of Jesus, believers can take back their spiritual authority to defeat the devil and his works. Luke 9:1 Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. Christians need to study the Scriptures to find out what authority they have in Christ. 3. The Law of Sin and Death The law of sin and death is a law or a principle where destruction rules. It cannot be stopped or changed by human will or human flesh. There can be no sin without death, nor can there be death without sin. The two go hand in hand. Every time one sins, a little portion of death enters in. Death, generally as a slow process, works destruction spirit, soul, and body. Rom 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: 4. The Law of the Spirit of Life The law of sin and death has been broken to all who have accepted Christ as their personal Savior and Lord. As believers in Christ, we are free to live by the Spirit of Life. Yes, physical death is an ultimate reality, but life eternal with Christ in heaven, instead of an eternity in hell, is ours because of what Christ has done for us on the cross. Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. The law of the Spirit of Life is a spiritual law that God put in place. Not only can we experience the spirit of life after we leave this earth, we can operate in it while living upon the earth. Just as God called life into being, so can we do the same. God spoke things into existence. This whole universe came about because God spoke it into being. Ten times in the 1 st chapter of Genesis God called this world and its contents into being. Then He created man with His tongue and said it was very good. Gen 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. Gen 1:31 Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. God then created man to utilize this same power He used to call the world into being the power of the tongue. 6

7 Gen 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. Man had total authority to rule as a god (notice small g ) over every living creature (except other mankind) and things on this earth. He was to rule it by speaking things forth with his words. Man, however, gave it to Satan through his cunning deceptions. Through Christ and His shed blood, however, we, as New Testament Christians, can spiritually take back our authority on the earth. While the curse still resides on the earth, believers have been given that same power that Adam once had to positively create for God while living on this earth. That is done by using the words of our mouth. The words we speak day in and day out throughout our life carry power. If we speak words filled with fear, we frame our words accordingly, and we have to live by them. If we speak words of faith, however, we transmit the power of God to work in our life. Words have power, positively or negatively. We can proclaim God s Words or Satan s lies. The choice is up to us. Principles in Prayer There are several different principles that are vital regarding prayer. Learning how to pray effectively is one of the most important things a believer can do in his or her Christian walk. There are many reasons why to pray: If you want to cultivate a close relationship with the Lord, be successful in your Christian walk, and fulfill God s purpose for your life are only a few reasons why we need to cultivate our prayer life. The most important, however, is because God desires to have a close fellowship with His creation. He desires to be worshipped and praised, communing with those He loves. End Notes 1 Joanndesign.com 7