Doubt and Fear are the Twin Enemies of Faith in Prayer

Tip! The Holy Bible says in (John 5:13) this statement about prayer: "And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him."

Many people, of this day, obtain a good report because of their money-giving, their great mental gifts and talents, but are very few who obtain a "good report" because of their great faith in God or because of the wonderful things that are being formed through their great praying.

Today, as much as at any time in history, we need people of great faith and people who are great in prayer. These are the two basic qualities that make people great in the eyes of God, the two things that create conditions of real spiritual success in the life and work of the Church. It must be our main concern to see that we maintain a faith of such quality and texture, that our prayers are acceptable before God; prayers that are grasped and held onto in faith; without doubt and without fear.

Doubt and fear are the twin enemies of faith. Sometimes, they actually take the place of faith, and although we pray, it is a restless, disquieted prayer that we offer, uneasy and often we are complaining. Peter failed in his walk on the water because he permitted the waves to break over him and swamp the power of his faith. By taking his eyes off the Lord and looking at the water all about him, he began to sink and had to cry out for help "Lord, save me, or I die!"

Tip! THE possibilities of prayer are gauged by faith in God's ability to do. Faith is the one prime condition by which God works.

Doubts should never be valued, nor fears protected. Let no one treasure the delusion that we are martyrs to fear and doubt. It is no credit to any person's mental capacity to take pleasure in doubt about God, and no comfort can possibly derive from such a thought. Our eyes should be taken off ourselves, removed from our own weakness and allowed to rest totally on God's strength. "Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward." A simple, trusting faith, living day by day, even hour by hour and casting your burden on the Lord, will drive away fear, misgivings and deliver us from doubt:

"Be careful for nothing, but in everything, by supplication and prayer, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God."

Faith Gives Birth to Prayer

Tip! A person's character is always demonstrated in their behavior. The Savior again said,"A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good ..." -- Luke 6:45

Faith deals with God, and is conscious of God. It deals with the Lord Jesus Christ and sees in Him a Savior; it deals with God's Word, and lays hold of the truth. Faith deals with the Spirit of God, and is energized and inspired by its holy fire. God is the great objective of faith; for faith rests its whole weight on His Word the Holy Bible.

Faith is not an aimless act of our soul, but a looking to God and a resting on His promises. Just as love and hope have always an objective so, also, has faith. Faith does not believe just anything; it believes in God, resting in Him, trusting His Word.

Faith gives birth to prayer, and our faith grows stronger, strikes deeper, rises higher, in the struggles and wrestling of mighty petitioning. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the assurance and realization of the inheritance of the saints. Faith, too, is humble and persevering. It can wait and pray; it can stay on its knees, or lie in the dust. Faith is the one great condition of prayer; this is why our lack of faith is where lies the root of all poor praying, feeble and little praying and unanswered praying.

The nature and meaning of faith is easily demonstrated in what it does, than it is by reason of any definition given it. Thus, if we turn to the record of faith given us in that great honor roll, which constitutes the eleventh chapter of Hebrews, we will see something of the wonderful results of faith.

What a glorious list it is - this list of these men and women of faith! What marvelous achievements are recorded here, and set to the credit of faith! The inspired writer, exhausting his resources in organizing the Old Testament saints, who were such notable examples of wonderful faith, finally exclaims:

"And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets:"

And then the writer of Hebrews goes on again, in a wonderful strain, telling of the unrecorded exploits produced through the faith of the men and women of old, "of whom the world was not worthy." "All these," he says, "obtained a good report through faith."

Tip! The Master will not expect more from anyone than a person is capable of doing for Him. Jesus wants us to understand that each person will be rewarded according to their faithfulness in doing their given task.

What an era of glorious achievements would dawn for the Church and the world, if only there could be reproduced a race of saints of like mighty faith, of like wonderful praying!

It is not the intellectually great that the Church needs; nor is it people of wealth that the times demand. It is not people of great social influence that this day requires. Above everybody and everything else, it is people of faith, people of mighty prayer, men and women after the fashion of the saints and heroes that are indicated in Hebrews, who "obtained a good report through faith," this is what we and the Church needs today.

Our Principal Concern in Prayer is with Our Faith

Tip! Praise and thanksgiving - This is the earnest, heartfelt prayer where we come before the Lord thanking and praising him for his mighty power and love. We may praise him in both our earthly and spiritual language.

GENUINE, authentic faith must be specific and free of doubt. Not simply general in character; not a mere belief in the being, goodness and power of God, but a faith that believes that the things which "whatsoever he asks, shall come to pass." As the faith is precise, so the answer likewise will be specific: "He shall have whatsoever he asks." Faith and prayer select the things, and God commits Himself to do the very things that faith and persevering prayer proposes, and petitions Him to accomplish.

The New King James Version renders the twenty-fourth verse of the eleventh chapter of Mark, this way: "Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them". Perfect faith has always in its keeping what perfect prayer asks for. How large and unqualified is the area of operation -- the "whatever things!" How definite and specific the promise -- "You will have them!"

Our principal concern is with our faith, -- the problems of its growth, and the activities of its vigorous maturity. A faith which grasps and holds in its keeping the very things it asks for, without wavering, doubt or fear -- that is the faith we need -- faith, such as is a pearl of great price, in the process and practice of prayer.

The statement of our Lord about faith and prayer quoted above is of supreme importance. Faith must be definite, specific; an unqualified, unmistakable request for the things asked for. It is not to be a vague, indefinite, shadowy thing; it must be something more than an abstract belief in God's willingness and ability to do for us. It is to be a definite, specific, asking for, and expecting the things for which we ask. Note the reading of Mark 11:23:

Tip! The person who prays, has a belief that they will receive an answer. The prayer is intended to inculcate certain attitudes in the one who prays, rather than to influence the recipient.

"...and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says."

Just so far as the faith and the asking are specific, so also will the answer be. The giving is not to be something other than the things prayed for, but the actual things sought and named. "He will have whatever he says." It is all imperative, "He will have." The granting is to be unlimited, both in quality and in quantity.

Faith and prayer select the subjects for petition, thereby determining what God is to do. "He will have whatever he says." Christ holds Himself ready to supply exactly, and fully, all the demands of faith and prayer. If the order on God be made clear, specific and definite, God will fill it, exactly in accordance with the presented terms.

Tip! In order to accomplish His high purpose, Jesus showed us His purpose in answering our prayers when He said, "...That the Father may be glorified in the Son."

Faith is not an abstract belief in the Word of God (Holy Bible), neither a mere mental acceptance nor a simple consent of our understanding and will; nor is it a passive acceptance of facts, however sacred or thorough. Faith is an operation of God, a Divine enlightenment, a holy energy implanted by the Word of God and the Spirit in our human soul -- a spiritual, Divine principle that takes of the Supernatural and makes it a thing of significance by the reasons of time and sense.

Amazing Lesson - of Wondrous Simplicity - is this Praying

Tip! One warning you should bear in mind in the matter of prayer is the negligence of this great resource. We often neglect prayer until we get into some major trouble; and then suffocating with fear, we rush into some shallow appeal to God only to realize that our prayers are not accepted which is due to the fact that we do not even believe that those very prayers would be accepted in the first place.

Delay in answered prayer is often a test and the strength of our faith. Oh so much patience is required when these times of testing come! Yet faith gathers strength by waiting and praying. Patience has its perfect work in the school of delay.

In some instances, delay is of the very essence of the prayer. God has to do many things before He is able to give you the final answer -- things which are essential to the lasting good of the one who is requesting favor at His hands.

Jacob prayed, with point and passion, to be delivered from Esau. But before that prayer could be answered, there was much to be done with, and for Jacob. He must be changed, as well as Esau. Jacob had to be made into a new man, before Esau could be. Jacob had to be converted to God, before Esau could be converted to Jacob.

Among the great and brilliant statements of Jesus concerning prayer, none is more striking than this:

Tip! The person who prays, has a belief that they will receive an answer. The prayer is intended to inculcate certain attitudes in the one who prays, rather than to influence the recipient.

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto My Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in My Name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in My Name, I will do it."

So very wonderful are these statements of what God will do in answer to prayer! Of how great importance these ringing words, prefaced, as they are, with the most solemn verity! Faith in Christ is the basis of all working, and of all praying. All wonderful works depend on wonderful praying, and all praying is done in the Name of Jesus Christ.

Amazing lesson, of wondrous simplicity, is this praying in the name of the Lord Jesus! All other conditions are depreciated; everything else is renounced, save Jesus only. The name of Christ -- the Person of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ -- must be supremely sovereign, in the hour and article of prayer.

A Praying Faith is Well Pleasing in God's Sight.

Tip! God's people do not have authorization to demand the Savior's promise of, "...Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do," in order to gain something very special for themselves.

A praying faith keeps the commandments of God and does those things which are well pleasing in His sight. It asks, "Lord, what will You have me to do?" and answers quickly, "Speak, Lord, Your servant hears."

Obedience helps faith, and faith, in turn, helps obedience. To do God's will is essential to true faith, and faith is necessary to total obedience.

Yet our faith is called on, and many times only to wait in patience before God and our faith is prepared for God's seeming delays in answering prayer. Faith does not grow disheartened because prayer is not immediately honored; we must take God at His Word, and let Him take what time He chooses in fulfilling His purposes, and in carrying on His work.

There is bound to be many delays and long days of waiting for true faith. But our faith must accept the conditions -- knowing there will be delays in answering prayer, and regards these delays as times of testing, in which, it is privileged to show its courage, and the stern stuff of which it is made.

Look at the case of Lazarus; this was an example of where there was a delay, where the faith of two good women was sorely tried: Lazarus was critically ill, and his sisters sent for Jesus. But, without any known reason, our Lord delayed His going to the relief of His sick friend. The plea was urgent and touching -- "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick," -- but the Master is not moved by it, and the women's earnest request seemed to fall on deaf ears. What a trial to faith! Furthermore: our Lord's tardiness appeared to bring about hopeless disaster. While Jesus waited, Lazarus died.

Tip! 'Asking of God' and 'receiving' from the Lord - direct request to God, immediate connection with God - that is true prayer.

But the delay of Jesus was exercised in the interests of a greater good. Finally, He makes His way to the home in Bethany.

"Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sakes, that I was not there, to the intent you may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him."

Fear not, O tempted and tried believer, Jesus will come, if patience be exercised, and your faith hold fast. His delay will serve to make His coming all the more richly blessed for you. Pray on. Wait on. You can not fail. If Christ delays, wait for Him. In His own good time, He will come, and will not linger.

A Praying Faith Keeps the Commandments of God

Tip! The Holy Bible says in (John 5:13) this statement about prayer: "And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him."

In his Second Epistle, Peter has this idea in mind when speaking of growth in grace as a measure of safety in our Christian life, and this leads to fruitfulness.

"And besides this," he declares, "giving diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness."

In this process of adding all the other graces of the Spirit together, notice that our faith is the starting point. Faith is the foundation on which other things are to be built. Peter does not instruct his readers to add to works or gifts or virtues but to faith. Everything depends on starting right in this business of growing in grace.

There is a Divine order, of which Peter was aware; and so he goes on to declare that we are to give diligence to making our calling and election sure. This election is granted certain adding to faith which, in turn, is done by constant, earnest praying. Consequently faith is kept alive by prayer, and so is every step taken by us, in this adding of grace to grace, is accompanied only by prayer.

The faith that creates powerful praying is the faith that centers itself on a powerful Person. Faith in Christ's ability to do and to do greatly is the faith that prays greatly.

Thus the leper laid hold on the power of Christ. "Lord, if You will," he cried, "You can make me clean." In this instance, we are shown how faith centered in Christ's ability to do, and how it secured the healing power.

It was concerning this very point, that Jesus questioned the blind men who came to Him for healing:

"Believe you that I am able to do this?" He asks. "They said unto Him, Yea, Lord. Then touched He their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you."

Tip! Jesus said they were to do even greater works than He had achieved during His ministry in the world. Wow! Then our Master went on to show them that by praying in His Name, Jesus, this is the channel through which the authorized power is acquired to carry out the works that glorify our Father in the Son.

It was to inspire faith in His ability to do that Jesus left behind Him, that last, great statement, which, in the final analysis, is a ringing challenge to faith. "All power," He declared, "is given unto Me in heaven and in earth."

Again: faith is obedient; it goes when commanded, as did the nobleman, who came to Jesus, when He was here on earth, and whose son was grievously sick.

Moreover: such faith acts. Like the man who was born blind, it goes to wash in the pool of Siloam when told to wash. Like Peter while fishing on the lake, it casts the net where Jesus commands, instantly, without question or doubt. Such faith takes away the stone from the grave of Lazarus promptly.

A praying faith keeps the commandments of God and does those things which are well pleasing in His sight. It asks, "Lord, what will You have me to do?" and answers quickly, "Speak, Lord, Your servant hears."

Obedience helps faith, and faith, in turn, helps obedience. To do God's will is essential to true faith, and faith is necessary to total obedience.

The Roll of Faith in Prayer

“And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.” (Hebrews 11:32-34)

FAITH IS the link between our souls and God. It is the capacity of entering into fellowship with the Eternal Love and Power, so that we are able to do all things with the sense that it is not we who do them, but God in us and with us. Faith is the open door and window towards God. In faith our heart goes out towards God in clinging dependence, and God comes in to strengthen us with His Divine fullness.

In human life, when we trust a person, we draw from them all that they are able to supply; in the Divine life, faith draws upon the resources of God, so that they flow freely into our nature, and the results of our life-work is immensely increased. Faith is possible amid a great deal of ignorance. It is clear that Gideon, Barak, Samson, and Jephthah were ignorant of the truth that the Gospel has revealed, and yet we learn that their work was largely due to their faith. Time comes and goes; the revelation of God grows from less to more; but the attitude of faith is always the same--in the simple woman that touched the hem of Christ's garment, as in St. John the beloved disciple, who had years of training in Christ's School.

Faith achieves very different results. In some, it produces the heroic strength that turns the battle from the gate, and in some, the passive suffering that endures the long ordeal of pain. Here, it turns the edge of the sword; there, shuts the mouths of lions. We know how electric force may be applied to all the various machinery of human life. In one place it is used for the beaming light, in another to drive the street car or train, or it is to flash the message of music and speech from one continent to another. So Faith is able in prayer to appropriate God's might for any purpose that lies within the compass of our life-tasks, whether active or passive. (See Hebrews 11:32-39.)

God bears a witness to all who trust Him. He never fails us in the hour of need. His response is the echo of our appeal. As soon as the uplifted arm of the tramcar touches the overhead wire, there is the spark, and the immediate entrance of electric power. So God answers faith.

PRAYER
O God, we are full of need, but we have learned that You give power to the faint and to those that have no right. Change our weakness into Your strength; our ignorance into Your wisdom; our changefulness into Your everlasting constancy. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.

God's Generosity and Reward through Prayer

Tip! One warning you should bear in mind in the matter of prayer is the negligence of this great resource. We often neglect prayer until we get into some major trouble; and then suffocating with fear, we rush into some shallow appeal to God only to realize that our prayers are not accepted which is due to the fact that we do not even believe that those very prayers would be accepted in the first place.

Psalms 78:19-20, 29 "Yes, they spoke against God: They said, 'Can God prepare a table in the wilderness? Behold, He struck the rock, So that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed. Can He give bread also? Can He provide meat for His people?'...So they ate and were well filled, for He gave them their own desire."

IS this not always the cry of unbelief, Can God? While the triumphant statement of faith is: God can! What a difference is formed by the collocation of words! Can God prepare a table in the wilderness? God can spread a table, even in the wilderness, and in the presence of our enemies our cup can overflow. Can He give bread also? He can satisfy the desire of every living thing, by the opening of His hand. Can You do anything for us, our child is grievously possessed by the devil? If you can believe, all things are possible to them that believe.

The wanderings of the Israelites for forty years were due to the fact that they looked at their difficulties and questioned if God could overcome them. Amongst the people, only Caleb and Joshua looked away from the Canaanites and their fortified cities to Him who had brought them where they were, and had guaranteed to remove them.

Some people speak of Giants with a capital G, and forget to magnify the power of God. No wonder that they account themselves as grass-hoppers, and lost heart! Let us not forget that we are sons and daughters of God, "heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ." (Compare these two verses Numbers 13:33 "There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight." Romans 8:17 "and if children, then heirs - heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.")

Tip! Talking to God - This is the one on one type prayer - where we converse with God to develop our relationship with him. We may ask him to help us in areas that we need spiritual, physical or emotional support.

Look back on the past; see what God has done for you; remember He is pledged to finish what He has begun. If He gave water, He can certainly give bread.

Tip! What really determines the effectiveness of our labor for Christ is the measure of our faith and the fervency of our prayers. If our faith is poor and our praying is indifferent; how can we expect to achieve much for Him?

"They did eat, and were well filled." When we are poor and needy, we are likely to be humble in our prayers. But if suddenly our lot is changed, and there is abundance instead of poverty, how often there is a change in our behavior. We are apt to become self-indulgent, and forgetful of the needs of the world. Instead of remembering that we are still God's pensioners, we magnify ourselves as though we were exclusive owners. Probably this is why God keeps some of us in poverty, for no greater temptation could befall us than to find ourselves with riches. In this way He answers our daily prayer, "Lead us not into temptation!"

God is more concerned about our growth in faith (God can!) then He is about our success in this life.

PRAYER

We thank You our heavenly Father, for the new mercies of each returning day, for all that You have given to us, and not less for that which You do withhold. May we be receptive of all things that pertain to life and godliness. In Jesus' name AMEN.

Faith and Prayer Must Go Together

Tip! 'Asking of God' and 'receiving' from the Lord - direct request to God, immediate connection with God - that is true prayer.

Psalms 31:1-8

In You, O LORD, I put my trust;

Let me never be ashamed;

Deliver me in Your righteousness.

Bow down Your ear to me, Deliver me speedily;

Be my rock of refuge, A fortress of defense to save me.

For You are my rock and my fortress;

Therefore, for Your name's sake, Lead me and guide me.

Pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me,

For You are my strength.

Into Your hand I commit my spirit;

You have redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.

I have hated those who regard useless idols;

But I trust in the LORD.

I will be glad and rejoice in Your mercy,

For You have considered my trouble;

You have known my soul in adversities,

And have not shut me up into the hand of the enemy;

You have set my feet in a wide place.

-

Faith and prayer must go together, for the prayer of faith is the prevailing prayer. David gave up his soul in a special manner to God. And with the words, Psalms 31:5, our Lord Jesus yielded up His last breath on the cross, and made His soul a free-will offering for sin, laying down His life as a ransom.

But David is here as a man in distress and trouble. And his great care is about his soul, his spirit, his better part. Many think that while confused about their lives here on earth and all the messed up affairs, and their worries are multiplying, they may be exempt if they don't pray for their own souls. But we should be more concerned to look and pray for our own souls, that, though the outward person may perish, the inward person will suffer no damage.

The redemption of the soul is so precious, that it would have come to an end for ever, if Christ had not undertaken it. Having relied on God's mercy, we will be glad and rejoice in it. God looks at our souls, when we are in trouble, to see whether they are humbled because of sin, and made better by the affliction. Every believer will meet with such dangers and deliverances, until they are delivered from death, their last enemy.

This Prayer Encourages Us to get Close to God

Tip! In order to accomplish His high purpose, Jesus showed us His purpose in answering our prayers when He said, "...That the Father may be glorified in the Son."

Hebrews 13:20-21 "Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen."

God's acceptance of Christ's atoning sacrifice was demonstrated by His raising Christ from the dead and setting Him at the right hand of the Majesty on high. The old covenant that God had set up through Moses characterized Judaism as sin, death, and distance from God - the continuous shedding of animal blood was required and the people were shut out from the Divine presence of God. But the new covenant which marks Christianity is a risen and enthroned Savior, who has put away the sins of His people from before the face of God and has secured for them the right of access to Him through prayer.

Hebrews 10:19-22a "Therefore, brethren, having boldness [liberty] to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith..." [Brackets are mine]

Consequently we are encouraged to draw near to God with the full confidence of His children and in the infinite merits of Christ's blood and righteousness, depending entirely on this point.

In his prayer, the apostle Paul makes the request that the total of what he had set before them in the doctrinal part of the letter [the book of Hebrews] might be successfully applied to their hearts. In a brief but comprehensive sentence, Paul prays that there might be worked out in the lives of the redeemed Hebrews every grace and virtue to which he had told them about in the previous chapters.

This Prayer Contains a Remarkable Summary of Hebrews

Tip! A person's character is always demonstrated in their behavior. The Savior again said, "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good ..." -- Luke 6:45

Hebrews 13:20-21 "Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen."

Think on this prayer for a moment. Read it over a few times, maybe even read it out loud and see all there is to see and hear all there is to hear in these two short verses. What more could we ask for? Are you thankful for all that our Father has done for us through His Son, Jesus Christ?

This prayer contains a remarkable summary of the entire epistle of Hebrews - an epistle to which every truly born again Christian of the Gospel should devote special attention to. Nothing else is needed so much today as detailed studies on the letters to the Romans and to the Hebrews.

The Book of Hebrews supplies everything that is best suited to ward off the legalism and antinomianism (the belief that Christians are not bound by established moral laws, the Ten Commandments) that are now so prevalent in the Church today.

Tip! What really determines the effectiveness of our labor for Christ is the measure of our faith and the fervency of our prayers. If our faith is poor and our praying is indifferent; how can we expect to achieve much for Him?

The Book of Romans shows the serious errors and the religious devotion and adherence to rituals in the modern religions as well as exposes the distinctive pretentiousness of their priests and ministers. It also provides the Divine antidote to this poisonous spirit of ritualism that is now making such fatal inroads into so many sections of a decadent Protestant Church. This problem that occupies the central portion in this vitally important and most blessed letter, is the priesthood of Christ, it represents the substance of what was revealed both in Melchizedek and Aaron.

In Hebrews it shows that His Son (Jesus Christ) made the one perfect sacrifice that has forever displaced the Levitical institutions and made an end of the whole Judaic system. That this "once and for ALL" was the all-sufficient sacrifice of our Lord Jesus and made a complete atonement for the sins of His people that fully satisfying every legal claim that God's Law had on us. Jesus' sacrifice then rendered any and every effort of our own sinful ways to pacify Him as needless and ineffective as dirty rags.

Hebrews 10:14 says "For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified." That is to say, Christ has infallibly, irrevocably set apart to the service of God those who have believed, and only by the excellence of His finished work on the cross.

God the Father however did not stop at the cross, because the resurrection shouts His acceptance of His (Jesus Christ) work.

From the Prayers of the Apostles

Tip! Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Much has been written on what is usually called "the Lord's Prayer" (which I prefer to term "the Family Prayer") and much on the high priestly prayer of Christ in John 17, but very little about the prayers of the apostles. Personally I know of no book devoted to the apostolic prayers, and except for a booklet on the two prayers of Ephesians 1 and 3 have been scarcely any separate exposition of them.

It is not easy to explain this oversight. One would think that the apostolic prayers are so filled with important doctrine and practical value for believers that they should have attracted the attention of those who write on devotional subjects. While many of us very much deprecate the efforts of those who would have us believe that the prayers of the Old Testament are obsolete and inappropriate for the saints of this Gospel age, it seems to me that even Dispensational teachers should recognize and appreciate.

The peculiar suitability to Christians is the prayers recorded in the Epistles and the Book of Revelation. With the exception of the prayers of our Redeemer, only in the Apostolic prayers are praises and petitions specifically addressed to "the Father." Of all the prayers of Scripture, only these are offered in the name of the Mediator. Furthermore, in these prayers alone we will find the full breathings of the Spirit of adoption.

Tip! -Approach God in prayer and ask Him to show you His will for you. - Live how the Holy Bible teaches you to live and your body will be healed if you believe.

How blessed it is to hear some elderly saint, who has long walked with God and enjoyed intimate communion with Him, pouring out his heart before the Lord in adoration and supplication. But how much more blessed would we have esteemed ourselves had we had the privilege of listening to the God-ward praises and appeals of those who had walked with Christ during the days of His teaching among men!

If one of the apostles were still here on earth, what a high privilege we would deem it to hear him engage in prayer! Such a high one, I think, that most of us would be quite willing to go to considerable inconvenience and to travel a long distance in order to be so favored. And if our desire were granted, how closely would we listen to his words, how diligently would we seek to treasure them up in our memories.

Tip! It opens the door for salvations. (Act 2:42) "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers".

Well, no such inconvenience, no such journey, is required. It has pleased the Holy Spirit to record a number of the apostolic prayers for our instruction and satisfaction. Do we support our appreciation of such a benefit? Have we ever made a list of them and meditated on their significance? I don't think so!

We will start a series on the prayers of the apostles. I hope you will follow along and join in with your own comments and share with all of us what the Holy Spirit has shown you from the prayers of the apostles.

Think on this Prayer for a Moment

Tip! Seeking God's will for our life - This type of prayer requires us to really open up our spirit and seek to hear what God is saying to us. We need to come humbly before him, asking him to use us as a tool for his work - and praying for guidance and wisdom as we seek to follow where his is leading us.

Hebrews 13:20-21 "Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen."

Think on this prayer for a moment. Read it over a few times, maybe even read it out loud and see all there is to see and hear all there is to hear in these two short verses. What more could we ask for? Are you thankful for all that our Father has done for us through His Son, Jesus Christ?

This prayer contains a remarkable summary of the entire epistle of Hebrews - an epistle to which every truly born again Christian of the Gospel should devote special attention to. Nothing else is needed so much today as detailed studies on the letters to the Romans and to the Hebrews.

The Book of Hebrews supplies everything that is best suited to ward off the legalism and antinomianism (the belief that Christians are not bound by established moral laws, the Ten Commandments) that are now so prevalent in the Church today.

The Book of Romans shows the serious errors and the religious devotion and adherence to rituals in the modern religions as well as exposes the distinctive pretentiousness of their priests and ministers. It also provides the Divine antidote to this poisonous spirit of ritualism that is now making such fatal inroads into so many sections of a decadent Protestant Church. This problem that occupies the central portion in this vitally important and most blessed letter, is the priesthood of Christ, it represents the substance of what was revealed both in Melchizedek and Aaron.

In Hebrews it shows that His Son (Jesus Christ) made the one perfect sacrifice that has forever displaced the Levitical institutions and made an end of the whole Judaic system. That this "once and for ALL" was the all-sufficient sacrifice of our Lord Jesus and made a complete atonement for the sins of His people that fully satisfying every legal claim that God's Law had on us. Jesus' sacrifice then rendered any and every effort of our own sinful ways to pacify Him as needless and ineffective as dirty rags.

Tip! If we, God's people expect to carry out the works of Christ that will glorify our Father, then we must believe in Him for the very work's sake, and pray fervently in His Name.

Hebrews 10:14 says "For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified." That is to say, Christ has infallibly, irrevocably set apart to the service of God those who have believed, and only by the excellence of His finished work on the cross.

God the Father however did not stop at the cross, because the resurrection shouts His acceptance of His (Jesus Christ) work.

What is a Prayer-less Christian?

Tip! If we, God's people expect to carry out the works of Christ that will glorify our Father, then we must believe in Him for the very work's sake, and pray fervently in His Name.

Surely there is nothing as absolutely astonishing as a practically prayer-less Christian? These are eventful and threatening days. In fact, there are many evidences that these are "the last days" in which God promised to pour out His Spirit - the Spirit of prayer - upon all flesh (Joel 2:28). Yet the vast majority of professing Christians scarcely know what "supplication" means; and very many of our churches not only have no prayer-meeting, and sometimes without embarrassment condemn such meetings, and even ridicule them.

There are a few Churches that still recognizing the importance of worship and prayer. Some expect her clergy to read prayers in Church every morning and evening. But when this is done, is it not often to an empty church? And are not the prayers frequently raced through at a pace which precludes real worship? "Common prayer," too, often must necessarily be rather vague and indefinite.

And what of those churches where the old-fashioned weekly prayer-meeting is retained? Would not "weakly" be the more appropriate word? C. H. Spurgeon had the joy of being able to say that he conducted a prayer-meeting every Monday night "which scarcely ever numbers less than from a thousand to twelve hundred attendants."

My brothers and sisters, have we ceased to believe in prayer? If you still hold your weekly gathering for prayer, is it not a fact that the very great majority of your church members never come near it? Yes, and never even think of coming near it. Why is this? Whose fault is it? "It's only a prayer-meeting" - how often we have heard that said! How many of those reading these words really enjoy a prayer-meeting? Is it a joy or just a duty?

Tip! 'Asking of God/ and /receiving' from the Lord - direct request to God, immediate connection with God - that is true prayer.

Please forgive me for asking so many questions and for pointing out what appears to be a perilous weakness and a lamentable shortcoming in our churches. I am not out to criticize - far less to condemn. Anybody can do that. My desire is to stir up Christians "to take hold of" God, as never before. I wish to encourage you, to enlighten and to uplift you.

We are never as high as when we are down on our knees before Christ.

God's Great Need for Prayer

Tip! Jesus said they were to do even greater works than He had achieved during His ministry in the world. Wow! Then our Master went on to show them that by praying in His Name, Jesus, this is the channel through which the authorized power is acquired to carry out the works that glorify our Father in the Son.

"GOD Wondered." This is a very striking thought! The very boldness of the idea ought surely to capture the attention of every earnest Christian man, woman and child. A wondering God! Why, how staggered we might well be if we knew the cause of God's "wonder"! Yet we find it to be, apparently, a very little thing. But if we are willing to consider the matter carefully, we will discover it to be one of the greatest possible importances to every believer on the Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing else is so momentous "so vital" to our spiritual welfare.

Isaiah 59:16 "He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor; Therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; and His own righteousness, it sustained Him."

But this was in the days of long ago, before the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ "full of grace and truth" "before the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, full of grace and power, "helping our infirmity," "Himself making intercession for us" and in us (Romans 8:26). Yes, and even before the truly amazing promises of our Savior regarding prayer; before people knew very much about prayer; in the days when sacrifices for their sins loomed larger in their eyes than supplication for other sinners.

Oh, how great must be God's wonder today! For how few there are among us who know what prevailing prayer really is! Every one of us would confess that we believe in prayer, yet how many of us truly believe in the power of, prayer?

Now, before we go a step farther, I most earnestly plead with you not to read these words hurriedly. Much "very much" depends on the way in which every reader receives what is recorded here.

For everything depends on prayer.

Why are many Christians so often defeated? Because they pray so little and everything depends on prayer.

Why so many church-workers are often discouraged and disheartened? Could it be because they pray so little?

Why do most Christians see so few brought "out of darkness to light" by their ministry? It must be because they pray so little.

Tip! A person's character is always demonstrated in their behavior. The Savior again said,"A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good ..." -- Luke 6:45

Why are not our churches simply on fire for God? Because prayer is not first in churches today and they pray so little.

The Lord Jesus is as powerful today as ever before. The Lord Jesus is as anxious for people to be saved as ever before. His arm is not shortened that it cannot save: but He cannot stretch out His arm unless we pray more - and more real prayer.

When does Prayer become a Real and Deep Joy?

Tip! If we, God's people expect to carry out the works of Christ that will glorify our Father, then we must believe in Him for the very work's sake, and pray fervently in His Name.

We will always profit from the Holy Scriptures when prayer becomes a real and deep joy. Merely just to "say our prayers" each morning and evening is an irksome task, a duty to be performed which brings us a sigh of relief when it is finished. But in order to really come into the conscious presence of God, to behold the glorious light of His countenance, to commune with Him at the mercy seat, is a small sample of the eternal bliss awaiting us in heaven.

The person who is blessed with this experience can say with the Psalmist, "But it is good for me to draw near to God..." (Psalms 73:28) Yes, good for the heart, for it is become quiet; good for faith, for it is strengthened; good for the soul, for it is blessed. It is the lack of this soul communion with God that is the root cause of our unanswered prayers: "Delight yourself also in the LORD; And He shall give you the desires of your heart." (Psalms 37:4)

While under this blessing of the Holy Spirit, What is it that produces and promotes this joy in prayer?

First, it is the heart's delight in God as the Object of prayer, and particularly the recognition and realization of God as our Father. Thus, when the disciples asked the Lord Jesus to teach them to pray, He said, "After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven." And again, "God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba [the Hebrew word for "Daddy"], Father" (Gal. 4:6), which includes a family relationship, holy delight in God, such as children have in their parents in their most affectionate addresses to them. So again, in Ephesians 2:18, we are told, for the strengthening of faith and the comfort of our hearts, "For through Him [Christ] we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father." What peace, what assurance, what freedom this gives to our soul: to know we are approaching our Father!

Tip! The Holy Bible says in (John 5:13) this statement about prayer: "And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him."

Second, joy in prayer is added by our heart's apprehension and the soul's sight of God as He sets on the throne of grace - a sight or prospect, not by physical imagination, but by spiritual illumination, for it is by faith that we "see Him who is invisible" (Heb. 11:27); faith being the "evidence of things not seen" (Heb. 11:1), making its proper object evident and present to us that believe. Such a sight of God on such a "throne" cannot but thrill our soul. This why we are encouraged to, "...come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:16)

Thirdly, and drawn from the last quoted scripture above, freedom and delight in prayer are stimulated by the consciousness that God is, through Jesus Christ, willing and ready to dispense grace and mercy to prayerful sinners. There is no reluctance in Him that we have to overcome. He is ever so much more ready to give than we are to receive. So He is represented in Isaiah 30:18, "And therefore will the Lord wait, that He may be gracious unto you." Yes, He waits to be sought by you; He waits for your faith to lay hold of His readiness to bless. His ear is ever open to the cries of the righteous.

Then "let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith" (Hebrews 10:22); So we can "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

Prayer is being Brought into Complete Submission unto God

Tip! 'Asking of God' and 'receiving' from the Lord - direct request to God, immediate connection with God - that is true prayer.

We can only profit from the Holy Scriptures when we are brought into complete submission unto God. As I have stated before, one of the Divine designs in enlisting prayer as a command is that we must be humbled. This is outwardly symbolized when we bow our knees before the Lord when we pray.

Prayer is an acknowledgment of our helplessness, and a looking to Him from whom all our help comes. It is an owning of His sufficiency to supply our every need. As Philippians 4:6 says "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;" but requests are very different from demands.

"The throne of grace is not set up that we may come and there vent our passions before God" (Wm. Gurnall). Yes, we are to spread our case before God, but we must leave it to His superior wisdom to prescribe how it will be dealt with. There must be no dictating, nor can we "claim" anything from God, for we are beggars depending on His mere mercy. In all our praying we must add, "Nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will Lord."

I can hear your question - But can't faith plead God's promises and expect an answer? Certainly; but you must let God's answer be the only answer. Remember Paul prayed to the Lord three times to remove his thorn in the flesh; instead of doing so, the Lord gave him grace to endure it (read 2 Corinthians 12).

Tip! In order to accomplish His high purpose, Jesus showed us His purpose in answering our prayers when He said, "...That the Father may be glorified in the Son."

Many of God's promises are random rather than personal. Let me explain; He has promised His Church pastors, teachers and evangelists, yet many a local company of His saints has languished long time without them. Some of God's promises are indefinite and general rather than absolute and universal. As, for example look at Ephesians 6:2-3 "HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER," which is the first commandment with a promise: "THAT IT MAY BE WELL WITH YOU AND YOU MAY LIVE LONG ON THE EARTH."

God has not bound Himself to give in kind or the form specified, or to grant the particular thing we ask for, even though we ask in faith. Moreover, He reserves for Himself the right to determine the right time and season for granting His mercies. Zephaniah 2:3 "Seek the LORD, all you meek of the earth, who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden in the day of the LORD's anger." Just because it "may be" God's will to grant a certain temporal mercy to me, it is my duty to cast myself on Him and plead for it, yet with entire submission to His good pleasure for the performance of it.

Tip! God's people do not have authorization to demand the Savior's promise of, "...Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do," in order to gain something very special for themselves.

Jesus pleaded to our Father to find another way to redeem us other then having to go to the cross; and Jesus added "Not My will but Your will be done." Jesus submitted completely to our Father and obediently went to the cross and died for us. In three days Jesus was raised form the grave by our Father. The promise of our Salvation was completed for all who believe this. Aren't you thankful that Jesus Christ chose to obey our Father so we can enjoy life everlasting with Him? I sure am!

For more information on receiving this FREE gift of Salvation CLICK HERE now!!!

What does it Mean to Plead God's Promises in Prayer

Tip! The Holy Bible says in (John 5:13) this statement about prayer: 'And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.'

How can we profit from the Holy Scriptures if we are not taught how to plead God's promises. Prayer must be in faith (Romans 10:14 "How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?"), or God will not hear it.

Now faith has respect to God's promises (Hebrews 4:1 "Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it."..."and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform." Romans 4:21); so if, consequently, we do not understand what God stands guaranteed to give, we cannot pray at all.

In the promises of God we find the substance of prayer as well as a description and the amount of the promise. What God has promised, all that He has promised, and nothing else, this is what we are to pray for. Deuteronomy 29:29 says "The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law." Can you see now how the declaration of His will and the revelation of His grace really do belong to us, and is our rule for this life?

There is nothing that we really stand in need of but that God our Father has not already promised to supply it for us, but yet He promised them in such a way and under such limitations that the promises are for our good and helpful to us. And also there is nothing that God has promised but we find ourselves in need of it, or are in some way or other concerned in it as members of the spiritual body of Christ. For this reason, the better we are acquainted with the Divine promises, and the more we are enabled to understand the goodness, grace and mercy prepared and proposed in them, the better equipped are we for acceptable prayer.

Some of God"s promises are general rather than specific; some are conditional, others unconditional; some are fulfilled in this life, others in the world to come. We are not able in ourselves to discern which promise is most suited to our particular case and present emergency and need, or to appropriate by faith and rightly plead it before God. Wherefore we are expressly told in, 1 Corinthians 2:11-12 "For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God."

Tip! If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and want to know for sure that you are a child of God, then I would like to invite you to earnestly pray and ask Jesus to come into your heart.

If you are asking me now, "If so much is required to have our prayers acceptable to God our Father, and if we cannot pray to God correctly without much less trouble than you indicate, only a few of us will continue long in this duty." Then I will answer that such a complainer does not know what it is to pray or how, nor do they seem willing to learn.

There are NO shortcuts in learning to pray the prayers that are acceptable to God. Only the Holy Spirit can lead the way and teach you in the way we should go. Which way will you go? As for me and my house we will choose to serve the Lord!

The Holy Spirit Teaches us the Right Goal in Praying

Tip! The Master will not expect more from anyone than a person is capable of doing for Him. Jesus wants us to understand that each person will be rewarded according to their faithfulness in doing their given task.

We are aided by the Holy Scriptures when the Holy Spirit teaches us the right end in praying. God has fixed the guidelines of prayer that consist of at least three guiding principles.

First, that the great Three in One, God might be honored, for prayer is an act of worship, a paying of respect; to our Father as the Giver, in the Son's name (Jesus Christ), by whom alone we may approach Him and by the moving and directing power of the Holy Spirit.

Second, we must humble our hearts, for prayer is designed to bring us to the place of complete dependency on our Father. Prayer is to develop within us a sense of our helplessness, by admitting that without the Lord we can do nothing. We are beggars and depend on His charity for everything we are and have. But we only realize this halfheartedly (if at all) until the Spirit takes us in hand, removes pride from us and gives God His true place in our hearts and thoughts.

Tip! Praise and thanksgiving This is the earnest, heartfelt prayer where we come before the Lord thanking and praising him for his mighty power and love. We may praise him in both our earthly and spiritual language.

Third, prayer is a means or way of obtaining for ourselves the good things for which we ask.

I am greatly afraid that one of the main reasons why so many of our prayers remain unanswered is because we have a wrong and an unworthy end of our prayers in view. Our Saviour said, "Ask, and it shall be given you" (Matthew 7:7): but James confirms that, "You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures." (James 4:3).

To pray for anything, and not specifically for the end that God has designed, is to "ask amiss," and so therefore our prayers are of no purpose. Whatever confidence we may have in our own wisdom and integrity, if we are left to ourselves our aims will never be suited to the will of God. Unless the Holy Spirit restrains the selfish desires that are within us, our own natural and distempered affections intermix themselves in our prayers, and as a result are submitted in vain.

(1 Corinthians 10:31) "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." yet no one but the Holy Spirit can enable us to lower all our desires to God's glory.

Are You Aware of Our need of the Spirit's Help with Prayer?

Tip! Prayer opens the door for salvation. (Act 2:42) "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers".

We are benefiting from the Holy Scriptures when we are made conscious of our need of the Spirit's help in prayer. First, that the Holy Spirit may make known to us our real wants. Take, for example, our temporal needs. How often we are in some external difficulties, trouble or problems, things that are not our fault are pressing hard on us, and we long to be delivered from these trials and struggles. Surely here we "know" ourselves what to pray for, right? No, indeed; far from it!

The truth is that, despite our natural desire for relief, we are so ignorant and so dull is our discernment, that (even where there is an exercised conscience) we do not know what submission to His good pleasure that God our Father may be requiring from us as His children. Or He has approved these afflictions and difficulties for our inward good and spiritual growth.

So for this reason, God calls the prayers of most who are looking for relief from these external trials "howlings," and not a crying unto Him with the heart (see this for yourself in Hosea 7:14). Then in Ecclesiastes 6:12 we read, "For who knows what is good for man in life, all the days of his vain life which he passes like a shadow? Who can tell a man what will happen after him under the sun?" Ah, heavenly wisdom is needed to teach us our temporal "needs" so as to make them a matter of prayer according to the mind of God.

Then secondly perhaps a few words are needed here to add to what has just been said. Temporal things may be scripturally prayed for according to what Jesus prayed in Matthew 6:11 "Give us this day our daily bread" and in other places in the Holy Bible, but with this comes a threefold limitation.

Tip! A person's character is always demonstrated in their behavior. The Savior again said,"A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good ..." -- Luke 6:45

1. First, incidentally and not primarily, for they are not the things which Christians are mainly concerned in Matthew 6:33 we read "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." It is heavenly and eternal things (Colossians 3:1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.) which are to be sought first and foremost, as being of far greater importance and value than temporal things.

2. Second, subordinately, as a means to an end. In seeking material things from God it should not be in order that we may be gratified, but as an aid to our pleasing Him better. I am learning that everything I need to do God's will has been given to me when I have been lead by the Holy Spirit to pray for it. I have prayed for things that I did not understand why I needed them, but all in God's good time they were needed for His good pleasure.

Tip! Praise and thanksgiving - This is the earnest, heartfelt prayer where we come before the Lord thanking and praising him for his mighty power and love. We may praise him in both our earthly and spiritual language.

3. Third, submissively, not dictatorially, for that would be the sin of presumption. Moreover, we do not know whether any temporal gift would really contribute to our highest good (Psalms 106:15 "And He gave them their request, But sent leanness into their soul."), and therefore we must leave it with God to decide.

We all have inward wants as well as outward needs. Some of these may be discerned in the light of conscience, such as the guilt and defilement of sin, of sins against light and nature and the plain letter of the law. Nevertheless, the knowledge which we have of ourselves by means of the conscience is so dark and confused that, apart from the Holy Spirit, we are in no way able to discover the true fountain of cleansing.

The things that believers do and ought to consider first and foremost with God in their prayers are the inward frames and the spiritual character of their souls. Accordingly, David was not satisfied with the confessing of all his known transgressions and original sins (Psalms 51:1-5), nor was he satisfied with the acknowledgment that none could understand his errors, as a result he desired to be cleansed from his "secret faults" (Psalms 19:12). King David also begged God to carry out an inward searching of his heart to find out what was wrong in him (Psalms 139:23, 24), knowing that God principally requires "truth in the inward parts" (Psalms 51:6). Consequently, in view of I Corinthians 2: 10-12, we should definitely seek the Holy Spirit's aid that we may pray acceptably to God.