Ingredients for Prayer ebook

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Ingredients For Prayer


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Ingredients

ForPrayer

A practical approachto maximizing your

time with God .

Eric A. Lambert, Jr.


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Ingredients for Prayer Trade Paper Edition

by Bethel Deliverance International Church All rights reserved

Printed in the United States of America

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE:KING JAMES VERSION.

All NIV scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by

International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.


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DEDICATION

I dedicate this book to Him that helps us in all of our trials, the only true God, our Lord Jesus.

To the membership of the Bethel Deliverance International Church.

To all those who will be blessed by this study.

Praise our Lord!


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CONTENTS

Preface

CHAPTER 1 What Is Prayer? 17

CHAPTER 2 Lord, Teach Us How 19To Pray

CHAPTER 3 Give Us This Day Our 27Daily Bread

CHAPTER 4 Forgiveness For Sins 37

CHAPTER 5 Lead Us Not Into 45Temptation

CHAPTER 6 Knowing What To 53Pray For

CHAPTER 7 Dont Be Anxious 65

CHAPTER 8 Praying For And 73Connecting With Others


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CHAPTER 9 Effectual And Fervent 79

CHAPTER 10 Pray Often 85


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PREFACE

O ne of the most important disciplines of the Christian lifeis prayer. We are often challenged by the same struggle of thedisciples of Jesus. Teach us how to pray is often the hearts cry of the believer in the world today. Prayer is often used to solveproblems and have material needs met as well as twist the arm of God into submission. This is the primary mistake that we makein our time of prayer. Our culture makes us think that theFather will submit to our will and do what we have demandedof Him. Yet I believe that prayer is a time for intimacy andconnection with the Father. We are often challenged by the worldly view of prayer and we fall into the trap that makes usthink that we are able to use prayer to bully the Lord into doing what we want.

I am sure that you have been exposed to the variousmyths regarding prayer and we often fall into the trappings of fleshly prayers that are not generated by the will of God. In thisbook, I want to dispel the myth that the Lord has given prayeras the tool for gaining things, instead of a way to connect with


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our heavenly Father. It is my conviction that prayer is the oneaspect of Christian life that brings us closer to the Father andconverts our will into His divine will.

It is a formidable task to write a book about prayer. As aChristian, I am always amazed when I hear mature Christianstalk to God. Down through the years, there was always anagging question in my spirit. I wondered if I was prayingcorrectly. I would often ask if I was talking to God or simply telling Him what I wanted. This question would haunt me forover 30 years.

As a young Bible student, I would hear of great men and women of God who were gifted with prayer mantles that wereout of my reach. I, along with others, would ask if our prayerlives would ever reach such majestic heights as Charles

Spurgeon, D. L. Moody, Mother Dabney, A.A. Allen, and those who were used as Gods ambassadors for the end time revival.

Prayer is not a fun time with God that rewards us withcars and things that will ultimately fade with time. I am surethat the Lord did not create prayer for the absorption of carnalpleasures. Well, then what is prayer and how do we work it out

in our lives?I must confess that I have been tremendously encouraged by my own research of such an important matter in the body of Christ. While my studies and my pursuit of clarity was moreextensive than what is represented in this book, I felt it was moreappropriate to create a compact thesis for your readingchallenge. It was more important to give you enoughinformation to get you to discover prayer truths for yourself.

Jesus knew that the magnitude of His work would require alife of prayer that was extremely disciplined. He would spendsignificant time in prayer with the Father: One of those days


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Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the nightpraying to God (Luke 6:12 NIV). I am sure that Jesus did notspend all night in prayer asking for material things. He uses thefellowship of prayer as a way to get closer to His Father. I amconvinced that we should have the same mindset when we pray.It is my conviction that we must return to the basic principle of Christ centered Christianity. As we take the steps to return, wemust involve our hearts in the discipline of prayer.

As we examine the principles of prayer, I am sure you willdiscover why Jesus spent so much time in prayer andcommunion with God. He knew that prayer was the link to theSpiritual realm and it would forever keep Him in and on thepath of the Father.

Ingredients for Prayer is written in a straightforward way that

you come to expect from me, and I trust that you will grow stronger as you read this book.

Let us echo the heart of the followers of Christ when they asked Him to teach them to pray.

And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place,when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teachus to pray, as John also taught his disciples (Luke 11:1).

May your prayer life and prayer time expand you into Kingdomlife.

Eric A. Lambert, Jr.


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CHAPTER 1

What Is Prayer?

I t has been my observation that many of Gods people donot know how to pray. You would think that prayer, beingsuch an elementary part of Christianity, would be somethingthat we know how to do instinctively. Yet, the reality is that

we often find ourselves struggling with this important aspectof our faith. Part of the challenge for many believers isunderstanding the dynamics and disciplines of prayer. Wehave been taught so many erroneous things about prayer thatmany of us believe that if we pray in a small soft voice thatGod does not hear us.

Prayer by definition is worshipful oratory. By hyper-definition, prayer is an act of intercourse with your souland Gods spirit. It is you connecting with God until your

By hyper-definition, prayer is an act of intercourse with your soul and Gods spirit.


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desires have been replaced by Hisheart. Prayer is going to

God and asking for His will, not things. It is asking Him toreveal himself to you until you begin to develop the attitudethat His will must take priority over your life. Prayer is goingto God and saying strip me, mold me, make me, so that I canbe a vessel and a receptacle of your Spirit and honor.

Prayer by itself is laying before God without opening

your mouth and waiting for His thoughts to become yourthoughts so that your mouth can utter what His heart desires.Contrary to popular belief, it is not asking for a Mercedes orany other type of luxury automobile. Prayer is coming toGod and asking Him to do something in you: to break thepride, to break the arrogance, to break your will, to destroy

the things that you want and replace them with the thingsthat He wants.I cant stress enough that prayer is intercourse of your

soul with the heart of God. It is the two of you connecting inthe spirit realm until you can see it Gods way. Jesus tells usin John 5:19 that he only does what he sees his Father doing.

Where did he see it? He saw it in prayer. Prayer will put youon the same course as the Father. If your prayer life is fruitful,you will begin to see things through the eyes of our Heavenly Father and you will stay on that course until He changesdirection. Key to Jesus victorious lifestyle was that he was inconstant communication with the Father and He was always

somewhere praying. Jesus knew how to pray and He did it with great results. When we master the discipline of prayer, we will find the same level of victory Jesus found throughprayer.


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CHAPTER 2

Lord, Teach Us How To Pray And it came to pass that as He was praying in a certain

place when he ceased one of his disciples said unto him,

Lord teach us to pray as John also taught his disciples (Luke 11:1-4).

T his request made by the disciples was not unusual. Thetheory was that many rabbis wrote prayers for their studentsto recite. Hence, we haveteach us to pray ; in many cases thestudents literally recited the prayer written by the rabbi.Therefore, when one of Jesus disciples said, Lord teach us topray, it was not an unusual request.

Jesus prayer was different from other prayers that thedisciples had heard up to now. Unlike others, Jesus usedFather, a term of intimacy, when communicating withGod. In the Greek, father is pater which speaks of the


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parenting role. No one had ever referred to the Lord of Hostsas Father before. Jesus introduces God in a new role: that of aloving parent. Jesus used this title to show the relationshipthey shared, and not out of religious zeal.

Jesus neither read nor recited a prayer; he prayed from within. Jesus prayers were the result of His daily relationship with the Father. As a result, he never engaged in crisispraying. The disciples saw the distinct difference in Jesusprayers and wanted Him to teach them His recipe for prayersuccess. In essence, they were asking him to show them how to pray with effectiveness.

They recognized that there was something significantabout Jesus prayers. First, he always received answers whenhe prayed. They wanted to learn among other things how toget answers. Jesus response to their request was what many erroneously call the Lords prayer. The Lords Prayer isactually found in John 17; this is the prayer Jesus prays for allbelievers in his priestly position.

Jesus responds to the disciples request by giving them amodel prayer. A model serves as a pattern or indicatesstructural design. In essence, Jesus gave us the ingredients forprayer. We are not to regurgitate Jesus words; we are tomake sure that our prayers contain the basic elements set

Jesus gave us the ingredients for prayer. We are not to regurgitate Jesus words; we are tomake sure that our prayers contain the basic elements set forth by Jesus.


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forth by Jesus with our own flavor. It is like a cook followinga recipe for a cake. The basic ingredients will be the same:flour, butter, egg, leavening agent and sugar. However, thecook will make it their own by adding lemon or orangezest.

So, how are we to pray? Jesus said when you pray, pray along these lines:

Our father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done as it is inheaven so on earth. Give us day by day our daily breadand forgive us our sins for we also forgive everyonethat is indebted to us. Lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

Our Father

When look at this model of prayer, notice how it begins:Our father. Jesus begins with the ultimate relationship,parenting. Our Father is a phrase that brings rapture to the

weary soul. We indeed have a Father who cares for us. I amconvinced that prayer brings out the best in God.

There are times when children call upon their father forservice. During those times, the father is placed in the uniqueposition to perform for his child. The child comes to thefather with a request and the father makes it his priority tocarry out his childs wishes and meet their expectations.

When the crisis is met and the victory is won, the fatherfeels happy that he was able to help his child; so, it is with our

Lord, Teach Us How To Pray


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heavenly Father. He delights in caring for us. He invites usto bring Him our burdens and our cares: Casting all yourcare upon him; for he careth for you (1 Peter 5:7).

The Father wants you, His child, to stay in constantcommunication with Him and to cast your cares upon Himdaily. Prayer is the time to talk to God and tell Him thosethings that concern you. Today, the role of the father has

been distorted in most homes. As a result, we mustconstantly remind ourselves that God is always waiting tohelp us in all of our distresses:I called upon the LORD indistress: the LORD answered me, and set me in a large place(Psalm 118:5).

God wants to solve our problems and give us peace.

When you begin to pray, think about the relationship. Jesusis telling the disciples that before you ask God for anything,before you tell him how you feel, before you intercede for oneindividual, you must recognize who He is relationally. Takethe time to focus on that relationship and rest in your Father.

which art in heaven:

This phrase reminds us of Gods position. In our world, we assume that the higher a persons position, the morepower they have. If someone is CEO of a company, the headof a government, or (smile) the Pastor of Bethel, we believethat their position allows them to grant special requests. Well,to some degree, that is a correct assumption, and we see ithappening every day.


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Jesus simply says when we pray, we ought to know thatthere is no one above our Father. He is in heaven far abovethe foolishness of man. He is the absolute ruler of allprincipalities and powers: Our God is in heaven; he does

whatever pleases him (Psalms 115:3 NIV). Since He does whatever pleases Him, we can rest in the

knowledge that no one can cancel out His power or decisions.

Hallelujah! Once the Lord is on our side, we can withstandanything the evil one brings our way. Our Father is in heavencontrolling the universe as well as our lives, and because of this we have confidence and can rejoice!

hallowed be thy name

These words convey that the Lords name is holy. History tells us that the Hebrew scribes would wash their handsimmediately after writing the name of the Lord. In ourculture, there is so much irreverence of the name of our Lord.

Even Christians can get caught up in the culturalassassination of the name of the Lord. Wherever we are wecan hear the Lords name being blasphemed. If we are notcareful, we can find ourselves caught up in the actions of theunrighteous. When we pray, we are to remember that theLords name is holy and not to be taken lightly.

As we enter into Gods presence, we are to focus on whoHe is and not just what we want. We should always approachHim with reverence, awe and respect. We are to praise thename of the Lord at all times, and especially in times of intimacy known as prayer. There must be worship, and an



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appreciation of Gods holiness during prayer. Understandingthat our heavenly Father is holy is a key ingredient to prayerthat will impact how we approach Him. I hope that you

would not come to your natural father haphazardly ordisrespectfully. With the same mindset, we are to respect ourheavenly Father. We are to come to our heavenly Father withfaith and gratitude. Yet, we also approach Him with awe.

You must understand that God and his name arehallowed(sacred). God is above everything; He is greaterthan all of creation. There truly is none like him. In usinghallowed Jesus tells us that our Father is holy and he is to be

honored, revered and worshipped. We are told by the writersof the Psalms that we should enter his gates with thanksgivingand enter into his courts with praise. We know the psalmist

was speaking of entering the gates of the temple. Now weenter directly into the presence of God. However, thisdirective has not been removed. We are to enter into the

presence of God with praise and adoration.

I love you Lord and I lift my voice To worship You , oh my soul, rejoice!

...relationship with the Father is far more important than anything else in our Christian walk. Prayer will build this

personal relationship more than anything else...


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Take joy, my King in what you hear May it be a sweet, sweet sound in Your ear.

-Laurie Klein

These are the key components for the Lords modelprayer. You can see that they focus on relationship. Therelationship with the Father is far more important than

anything else in our Christian walk. Prayer will build thispersonal relationship more than anything else that we aspireto do for the Lord. I want to stress to you that nothing ismore important than the work of prayer. You must take timeto develop the relational aspect of prayer and everything elsein your life will be fine.



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FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION:

I ask that you consider the following information:

Jesus spent an enormous amount of time in prayer. Jesus would continue in prayer all night long. Jesus stresses prayer as the high point of our

relationship with the Father.

1. How much time do you spend in prayer?2. Have you learned to see God as Father and not simply

as Savior?3. What do you need to do to develop a stronger

relationship with your heavenly Father?

4. Are you mindful to enter his gates with thanksgiving do you incorporate praise and worship into yourtime of prayer?


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CHAPTER 3

Give Us This Day Our DailyBread ~ Supplication

Prayer is not supplication, but supplication is part of prayer. You can pray without making supplication.Supplication is to ask, or the simple act of bringing yourrequest before God; it is when you break out your list and tellGod what you want. This is where we need to develop amore Eastern mindset. The Eastern mindset is characterizedby service to others. It does not seek its own pleasures, anddesires. I believe that the Western mindset leans more towardsgaining things through capitalism. If we turned off our

Western mindset then we would realize that we do not needto ask God for ninety percent of the things we ask him forbecause those things are covered in this portion of the modelprayer.

The Western mindset is one that seeks comfort and fun.It focuses on pleasure and not spiritual things. In contrast,


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the Eastern mindset focuses on spiritual things. Its centralfocus is the fulfillment of individual destiny rather thanmaterial gain. We often pray with a western focus whichcauses us to seek things and comfort. As a result, we findourselves asking for things that God does not want us tohave.

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not inhim. For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of

what he has and does-comes not from the Father butfrom the world. The world and its desires pass away,but the man who does the will of God lives forever (1

John 2:15-17 NIV).

As we consider effective prayer, there must be a shifting inour thought process. Our culture certainly traps us intothinking that the things we crave are the things the Lord

wants us to have.If you believe that God knows what you need then you

can grow to a point where you dont have to keep asking Himto meet your needs. God is our heavenly Father, and Heknows what we need. Children dont pay rent; yet, as parentsyou will feed them. When you make a meal, you make ameal for everyone and then you invite them to the table by announcing that dinner is ready. Parents dont stand at thedoor and make children ask for food. Then why do we think that we have to ask God for the things we need when He haspromised to provide them in advance. At the end, we know


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we have need of something because we will have it. If wedont have it then we dont need it in that moment.

We spend an enormous amount of spiritual energy askingfor things that God knows that we are not ready for. WhenGod chooses in His sovereignty not to give us things becauseHe knows the outcome of us having them, our response isnot usually Well, thats okay. God knows what is best forme. Instead, we gather a group of Christians together andask them to intercede believing that bombarding heaven willforce God to give us what we want. We usually believe that if

we increase the number of people praying, we will cause theLord to submit to our will. Ultimately, we wear down thesaints resolve and keep pressing in an area that God has closedoff to us.

We forget that God knows the end from the beginning;He knows the outcome of every situation that we will face.He even knows what will happen if. Yet, we continue toask God to do what he obviously does not want to do. Oursupplication then becomes extortion. We simply need toremember that our God is all knowing and wise. When Hesays no, it is for a reason and we must accept that reason.

We will usually pray that God will have others see the

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

You can become liberated in the area of supplication when you understand that if I have it, then I need it; if I dont have it thenI dont need it or Im not ready for it...


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situation our way rather than pray that both of us see it Gods way. This is a result of our concept of prayer being self-centered.

You can become liberated in the area of supplication when you understand that if I have it, then I need it; if Idont have it, then I dont need it or Im not ready for it andGod loves me so much He wont give me what Im not ready for. Can you imagine God giving you what you are not ready for and it becoming an emotional, psychological and spiritualnightmare? You would be unhappy. God knows how aperson will be in thirty years. He cares so much about youthat he will begin to open trap doors so that you may seesome things about them. He will let you see their truecharacter and attitude; they will begin breaking your heartregularly. Yet, you remain connected to them. God is lettingthem hurt you, but you stay connected because you believethat is the person God has giving to you. Understand, God issaying I have told you no. I cant grant this request becauseI love you and I know that the situation is only going to get

worse. Nevertheless, you continue to pray that God willchange his mind. Unfortunately, many Christians aredetermined to have what they want and not what God wantsfor them.

When we look at Give us this day our daily bread oursupplication should be give us what we need. What do youneed? The bible says if you have clothes and shelter, becontent. Have you ever walked past a car dealership and saidLook at that Jaguar, Father in Jesus name I claim that car.Have you ever noticed how we claim the car, but we do notclaim the payments, the insurance, or any of the things that


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go along with it. Then we complain when it costs $250.32 tofill it up with gas. God knew how much the gas would, bebut you claimed the car.

The western mind thinks that prayer exists to fatten ourcoffers and to make our lives materially richer. This doctrinepermeates our culture. We actually try to make deals withGod: God if you give me this car, Ill go out withevangelism, Ill visit the sick. God is saying, Excuse me,you are not doing it now and you think I have stupid writtenacross my forehead? If I give you this car you wont come tochurch at all. On Sunday, youll be washing it, on Saturday you will park in front of the door so that nobody will get infront of you. Im not going to give you things because they

will come between you and I.God has given you the ability to think and make

decisions. Prayer will help you make the right decisions. As we stay before our Father, we form Gods mindset and wecan watch the Lord work on our behalf.

It is simple, you buy what you can honestly afford. Ask God for wisdom and then buy what you like within yourbudget. You dont need a spiritual revelation about a car orhouse. Do your homework, read reviews, gather performancehistory, and then make an educated decision. As believers, wefind ourselves in financial predicaments because we missGods response to our supplication. God may not give us adirect answer but he will always respondYes, No, Wait. As

Christians, our desires will cause us to either ignore or missGods answer.

For example, we will tell a person that God told us to buy a house. Did God really tell you to buy that house? Your



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answer is yes. Can you afford the house the upkeep, thetaxes, replacing the roof if it leaks? If your honest answer isno and that you are buying it by faith then God didnt tellyou to buy it. At this point, the right thing to do is to buy ahouse you can afford by faith, because the one you cantafford is presumption. God is not obligated to supportpresumption.

Now, I know that many of your views are formed by thecultural reality that God wants His children to have the best.However, I must ask you to define the best. Do you think that God wants you to have what is best for you or what isbest for the Kingdom of God? I also realize that you arebeing exposed to many theories about prosperity and having

abundance. Many of the theories we hear today simply reinforce our reasons for writing this book on proper prayer.

We should spend more time in Gods presence than in Godspocket. What does the Lord really desire for us and from us?Have you considered prayer is designed to be more than atime for shopping? Did you ever think that our Father

wanted prayer to be a time of spiritual connection?I only ask these questions because Christians must begin

to move beyond a relationship with our Father based onreceiving goodies. I cannot imagine Jesus asking the Fatherfor stuff. I believe that He simply waited for directions andHe knew the Father would provide. Prayer must bededicated to getting closer to the Father and receiving His

will instead of accumulating more stuff. I urge you to movebeyond the cultural expression of prayer and begin to think more about the will of the Lord.


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Prayer is not about you. It is about the will of the Lordbeing done through you. To make supplication means thatyou should bring your request to the Lord; however, youmust be sure that your request does not go against the Lords

will.Look at the following scripture as an example: Delight

thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart (Psalm 37:4). I am sure that many of youassume that David is encouraging the readers to go and ask the Lord for anything and He will give it to you. The versedoes tell us that the Lord will give us the desires of our heart.

Yet, I cannot believe that the Lord is suggesting that we canhave anything we want. Can you imagine the can of wormsthat would open? Is the Lord truly telling us that we can haveanything we ask, regardless of the motive and consequences?

Well, my theology is a bit more conservative. I believethat the emphasis is more on us receiving the Lords heart andmind as opposed to God giving us our desires. Could Davidbe suggesting to us that if we delight ourselves in the Lord ,He would give our hearts what we should desire? I amconvinced that prayer done properly will reduce our will andexpose us to the will of God.

The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) has fascinatedme since childhood. As a boy, I wanted to be an FBI agent. I

would watch the television show and desire to be just likeInspector Erskine. I had a well devised plan that includedgoing to college, earning my law degree and becoming an FBIagent. Then I would retire after 20 years and go to work forthe Department of Justice. I wanted to put bad guys away.Believe me when I tell you that I did not want to be a Pastor,



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NOT AT ALL! While I was praying, the Lord changed my will and put His in its place. So, here I am -no FBI, no Justice Department - I am a Pastor. Now, do not get me wrong, I am happy doing the will of God, but the pastorate was not in my will. Do you see the principle at work here?My will was not Gods will and His will became superior inmy life.

We have every right as children of God to makesupplication. We must be careful that our focus is notmaterial gain. The Lord delights in giving us the riches of His kingdom; however, we must be mindful that our focusshould be obtaining and doing the will of the Lord.


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Jesus ultimate goal was the fulfillment of the will of the Father. He did those things that he saw the Fatherdoing. (John 5:19, 8:29)

God delights in giving us the desire of our hearts. God will not withhold anything that is good for us

back (Psalms 84:11).1. Do you regularly incorporate supplication into your

time of prayer?

2. During your time of asking do you allow God to tellyou no?

3. Are you more concerned about getting what you wantor pleasing God?



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CHAPTER 4

Forgiveness For Sins

And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but

deliver us from evil (Luke 11:4).Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do(Luke 23:34).

I t is during prayer that our sins are exposed and forgiven. We can come boldly before the throne of God and confessour sins before Him. We are told by the Apostle John that if

we confess our sins, that our heavenly Father is both just andfaithful to forgive us and cleanse us. However, it all begins

with confession. Prayer allows us to come into the presenceof our Father and honestly share our hearts.


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None of us can claim that we do not sin daily in word,deed and thought. There will always be someone who willsay that they dont sin because they arent committingadultery or fornication or murder, but are they backbiting,lying, criticizing, faultfinding, stealing, complaining, orovereating. It is not only humbling to know that we arealways in need of forgiveness, but also comforting to know

that our heavenly Father is waiting to grant forgiveness.The Bible tells us that If we claim to be without sin, we

deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us (1 John 1:8NIV). Still, there is someone saying I dont sin. Letsconsider the truth for a moment. If you are employed, thenthere is a strong possibility that you will sin. How is thatpossible Pastor Lambert? Well, lets examine a few facts.

Even as a Christian, you have the potential to steal on anongoing basis. I know you are saying I dont steal, not me-never! Do you have a job where the expectation is that you

work eight hours a day? How much time do you spend on the

phone dealing with personal matters? How long is yourofficial lunch break? How many company pens and pads doyou have at home? I thank God that He knows that I am notperfect and has made a way for me to be forgiven.Understand, none of us are perfect; we will sin in some way or another. However, God is indeed faithful and just toforgive us if we simply confess our sins.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and willforgive us our sins and purify us from all


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unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, wemake him out to be a liar and his word has no place inour lives (1 John 1:8-10 NIV).

After we have confessed our sins, we must developcompassionate hearts and be willing to offer forgiveness toothers. If we expect the Lord to forgive us, we must forgiveothers. Prayer that is truly Sprit directed will always result in

forgiveness: first for yourself, then for others. Forgivenessmust be granted to all, especially for those who have wrongedor hurt you.

Jesus ties the forgiveness of our sins to our forgiveness of others, Forgive us our sins for we also forgive everyonethat is indebted to us.

For if you forgive men when they sin against you, yourheavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you donot forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgiveyour sins (Matthew 6:14-15 NIV).

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling andslander, along with every form of malice. Be kind andcompassionate to one another, forgiving each other,

just as in Christ God forgave you (Ephesians 4:31-32NIV).


Prayer that is truly spirit directed will always result in forgiveness: first for yourself, then for others.


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We see a clear example of this with Moses. If Moses hadrealized that those were Gods people and it was up to God todeal with them, then he would have made it into thePromised Land (see Numbers 20). When the people startingcomplaining Moses should have gone to Disney World (my choice of course), but he became angry with them. And hisanger towards the people then turned into anger with God.Moses couldnt understand why God wasnt dealing with thechildren of Israel. This is ironic because earlier Mosespleaded with God not to destroy the children of Israel (seeExodus 32).

We have to be mindful that we are not perfect and Godhas not judged us yet. So, we are to forgive everyone. Spritdriven prayer will always result in forgiveness and a sense of the love of God at work in your heart.

Prayer is hindered and rendered ineffective when the sinof unforgiveness is at work in our hearts. If we are toexperience the total joy of the Lords presence, then we must

walk in forgiveness. Do not give the enemy an opportunity to take the closeness of your relationship with your Fatherfrom you by infecting you with the seed of unforgiveness.

When we experience unforgiveness, we begin to form judgmental thoughts and actions. We look for the womancaught in the very act of adultery and we seek to bring her toour legal system. However, we must keep this passage of Scripture in mind:

But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. At dawn heappeared again in the temple courts, where all thepeople gathered around him, and he sat down to teach



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them. The teachers of the law and the Phariseesbrought in a woman caught in adultery. They madeher stand before the group and said to Jesus, "Teacher,this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In theLaw Moses commanded us to stone such women.Now what do you say?" They were using this questionas a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But

Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him,he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stoneat her." Again he stooped down and wrote on theground (John 8:1-8 NIV).

Notice Jesus does not, I repeat DOES NOT condone the womans sin. He does forbid the judging of her actions. Hespeaks to the mob and places a restriction on their judgment anyone of you without sin can judge her. Of course,no one dared to speak against her.

The Apostle Paul teaches us another valuable lesson in adifferent passage of scripture:

You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgmenton someone else, for at whatever point you judge theother, you are condemning yourself, because you whopass judgment do the same things (Romans 2:1 NIV).

Unforgiveness does not mix with a fruitful prayer life. Wemust work to release all from the sin of unforgiveness in ourhearts.


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Remember, prayer is connection with the Father and theFather is always ready to forgive. We must have the samemindset. As a result, choose to forgive everyone today. You

will not only find a better life as you walk in forgiveness butyou will also experience a more fruitful prayer life.

Remember, the words of the Apostle Paul: Be kind andcompassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as inChrist God forgave you (Ephesians 4:32 NIV).



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We all have sinned and have experienced Gods gracein the form of forgiveness (1 John 1:10)

We have been promised forgiveness if we confess ourfaults (John 1:9).

God expects us to forgive others as He has forgiven us forgiveness is an act of obedience (Ephesians 4:31-32)

1. Is there anyone who you have not forgiven? If so, why?

2. Has your unforgiveness of that individual(s) had a

negative affect on you or your relationship with God?3. Understanding that forgiveness is an act of obedience,

forgive those who you are holding in the bondage of unforgiveness and pray that God grant youemotional healing.


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CHAPTER 5

Lead Us Not Into Temptation

W hen we pray and lead us not into temptation weare asking the Father to help us in our daily walk. If youknow that God is faithful and His Word is true then youknow that He will not put more on you than you are able tobear.

When we succumb to sin, we wonder how it happens.The fact is that God didnt put it on us because the prayerrequest was lead us not into temptation. The Scriptures areclear the Lord will not tempt us to sin.

When tempted, no one should say, "God is temptingme." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does hetempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by hisown evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed (James1:13-14 NIV).


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Temptation usually comes to us because of a desire wehave in our heart and/or mind. The Bible says that we sin

when we are drawn away of our own lust and enticed. Weprovide the lust. Satans job is to present us with atemptation based on our own lust. When the temptation ispresented, we give in to our lustful desire. Our enemy hasbeen studying humanity for a long time. As a result, he doesnot tempt us with something that is not a lust for us. Theenemy will provide many temptations that will result inopportunities to bring us down into sin and shame. We mustremain vigilant and resist the devil at every turn.

If Satan knows that you are a man who likes a certaintype of woman then he will bring that woman to you. God

will keep you from the temptation by giving you the properChristian thing to say such as Im not interested, This isnot appropriate, We should not do this. However, whenyou think that you are stronger than Satan, you will entertainthe person and fall into sin. You will then go to God and ask

why it happened. Gods response is simple, I kept you fromthe temptation but you pushed beyond the limits that Iestablished. Contrary to popular Christian belief, the devildidnt make you do it; he simply put a plate of food in frontof you and you ate.

We have to learn to ask God to help us see the boundariesHe has established for our individual lives so that we dontsuccumbed to temptation. Jesus tells his disciples inMatthew 26:41 that they are to both watch and pray so thatthey dont enter into temptation.

There is a certain ambience that goes with particular timesof the day where interaction with someone you are not legally


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married to should be avoided. No matter how much Holy Spirit is in you, there are certain things you cannot dobecause of the ambience that has been created. If you pushinto these danger zones, you will fall. I want to be clear, Godcant help you when you push into that danger zone. I know some of you are asking what do you mean God cant helpme. God is all-powerful and since Hes all-powerful, there isabsolutely nothing He cannot do.

Let me remind you of our verse of reference: let no man when tempted say Im tempted of God, for God cannot betempted with evil, neither tempted he any man (James 1:13).

We see from this verse that God never tempts us. God doesnot tempt you with cigarettes, blunts, cigars, marijuana,

crack, or heroin. Brothers, God doesnt send a woman toswitch in front of you so that you lose your salvation. Sisters,God wont send a square shouldered man with brown eyes totempt you so that you lose your affection for your spouse.God does not tempt us with evil. The bottom line is that wecant blame God when we fall. The word of God tells us that

not only will God not allow us to be tempted with more than we can bear, but he will also provide a means of escape fromthe temptation.

There hath no temptation taken you but such as iscommon to man: but God [is] faithful, who will notsuffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but

will with the temptation also make a way to escape,that ye may be able to bear [it] (1 Corinthians10:13).



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I know someone is asking why doesnt God just keep thetemptation away from me. He did keep it off you by providing a way of escape; however, you sought it out, you

wanted it, you found it, you engaged in it, you liked it, andnow you are sorry for it. This is why it is important that wepray that God show us our boundaries. When we canrecognize the boundaries then we can also see the way of escape when we are tempted.

Everyone is tempted when he is drawn away of his ownlust. Understand that not even the devil can be blamed. PoorLucifer, he did not tempt you. Stop saying the devil mademe cuss, or your kids made you cuss, or your supervisor madeyou cuss. When you become a child of God, you are to

exhibit temperance or self-control. Because the Holy Spiritindwells us, we are more than able to control desires that donot honor God. Therefore, nobody made you swear. You didit because you wanted to, because you lacked the vocabulary to express yourself in a fashion where the words would not bemisunderstood or ignored. So you reverted to colloquialism

and you had to pepper them with words that are not godly inorder to get your point across.The verses in James continues on to say that when lust

has conceived. In order for something to conceive, it needstwo parties. Lust conceives with your imagination; for sin tocome forth, it needs lust and imagination.

The first sin was a result of the womans lust for the fruit.Satan knew of her lust for the fruit because she was standingin front of the tree admiring it. He capitalizes on her lust forthe fruit by causing her to entertain the restriction, hath God


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be as God. You know God doesnt want you to be like Him.That is what won her. In that moment, she was drawn away of her own lust.

The situation with Eve reveals several things: The enemy of our soul does not stop in his effort to

deceive us. We must submit to authority and seek the Lords

counsel at all times. If the Lord says that we should avoid certain things,

then we must avoid them. After all God (our Father)knows what is best for us.

Yes, you can live above temptation. You can do it if yourprayer life is strong and fruitful. I have never known a

Christian with a strong prayer life that easily succumbed totemptation. I am convinced that our strength to stand is aresult of effective prayer lives. It is my prayer that you increaseyour prayer time so that you can escape the temptations thatare sure to come. Powerful prayers often result in the believergaining a new insight into the spiritual realm. I believe that

new spiritual levels will aid you in avoiding many of thetemptations that come your way.


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When we are tempted we are drawn away by our owndesires. With every temptation we are provided a way of

escape We must pray in order to avoid giving into

temptation

1. What areas do you find yourself tempted in?

2. Do you know what the boundaries are for thatparticular temptation?

3. Do you pray regularly for God to reveal to you Hisboundaries in your area(s) of temptation? Do you ask God to make clear His ways of escape and to give youthe strength to take them?



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CHAPTER 6

Knowing What To Pray For

W e will now approach the topic of what we shouldpray for. I know that there are many of you who have justtaken a deep breath as you contemplate this topic. How many times have you wondered about the mind of God concerninga matter before you prayed? I know this is a concern formany, if not most, Christians as they enter prayer.

Americans love to win and we love to be right. We usually approach prayer with these Western concepts firmly entrenched in our minds. No one wants to pray and havetheir prayer denied. So, how do we insure our prayers will beanswered in the affirmative when we are taught that ourthoughts are opposite of Gods thought?

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither areyour ways my ways," declares the Lord. As the heavens


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are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher thanyour ways and my thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah55:8-9).

The answer is we must move towards His thoughts ratherthan think He will move towards ours.

Since we want to pray, we need to pray, and we areencouraged to pray, it is vital that we know what we should

pray for. The Word of God gives us some insight into thisimportant topic.

Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for weknow not what we should pray for as we ought: butthe Spirit itself maketh intercession for us withgroanings which cannot be uttered. And he thatsearcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of theSpirit, because he maketh intercession for the saintsaccording to the will of God. And we know that allthings work together for good to them that love God,to them who are the called according to his purpose(Romans 8:26-28).

In this great passage, we are told that the Holy Spirit helpsour infirmities because we dont know what to pray for. The

word infirmities mean weaknesses. This scripture does not say we do not know how to pray; it says we dont know what weshould ask for. Let me give you an example. A person islying in a hospital bed and their health is deteriorating and wedont know what we should pray for. Do we go in and say Lord heal them or do we go in and say Lord I release theminto your arms.?


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We dont know what we should say, so we will go in andsay, Father according to your will. Do we really meanaccording to your will or is it a cute little saying that we throw up to God in order to substantiate the possibility that He may not do what we want Him to do. Romans 8:26 clearly tells usthat we dont know what we should pray for. Then in verse27 we are told that because we dont know what to pray forthe Spirit that knows what is the mind of God makesintercessions for us according to the will of God. The willof God is italicized which means it was added by thetranslators. In the original text, we simply had he makesintercession for the saints according to God.

For example, you have two people in a relationship and

one of the individuals decides that they have had enough of the relationship and wants out. The other individual still

wants to be in the relationship. How do you pray if you arethe latter person? Do you pray God cause them to stay? Doyou pray Lord bend their will and make them stay? Or doyou pray Lord open the door and let them go. We really

dont know how to pray about the situation. We dont know what the will of God is in the situation. As a result, Paul saysbecause of this weakness, the Holy Spirit makes intercessionthrough us with groanings that cannot be uttered.

This is where we become a little bit confused inPentecostal expressionism. We think that this passage speaksof us praying until we speak in tongues and that is not thecase. Tongues are not the issue here. If you notice, the phrasesays groanings which cannot be uttered. We were oncetaught that praying through meant praying until you spoke in



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tongues. That is not true. Praying through the situation hasnothing to do with praying until you speak in tongues.

Praying through means you stay in prayer until you developGods mind about the situation. Once you have Gods mind,you will also have peace.

Let me give you an example of this. The Bible says in thebook of Luke that when Jesus came to the Garden of Gesthemane, he told his disciples to stay put and watch while

he went off to pray. When Jesus moved a certain distanceaway from where the disciples were gathered, He knelt downto pray. The Bible says that the pressure from the satanicdomain was so great on him that it caused sweat to comedown as great drops of blood. We now know what happenedmedically was Jesus was under such intense spiritual pressure

that it caused certain blood vessels to break and there wasliterally blood mixed with sweat. Jesus said, if it is possible,lets do this another way, but nevertheless, not my will butyour will be done. Heres what hes saying:

I dont mind dying for the people. I dont mind giving

my life for the souls of the people to come to you. Iknow who they are because Im God, and I already know that these are people who are coming to thekingdom. But if there is another way besides me

Praying through means you stay in prayer until you develop Gods mind about the situation.


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becoming sin, if there is another way besides youturning your back on me, can we do it that way.Nevertheless, not my will, let your will be done.

Now that is prayer. Think about the words not my will but your will be done . Do you pray in that fashion? Do you pray for the will of the Father to be carried out in your life or doyou simply do whatever you want to do for your ownpleasure?

Jesus is praying in the spirit through his personal battleuntil the mind of God is so solidified in him that he utters the

words thy will be done . This is the phrase that God is lookingfor. God is not looking to hear you speak in tongues, God islooking to hear you say, Father, your will be done. I have a

will, I have desires, but Im going to pray until my will isbroken and I say your will be done. The will of God may require that you love someone who does not love you. The

will of God may require that you bless someone who doesnt want to bless you. God may require that you give tosomeone who is actively trying to destroy you. God may require that you stay in a marriage that looks bad. Again, it isnot your will, but thy will be done. When we finally givein to the Holy Spirit and say your will be done then wehave prayed through the situation.

The phrase, we dont know what we should pray for,suggests that when we are confronted by needs we dont know how to specifically pray regarding those needs. What do wesay? How do we pray? These are legitimate questions that areon the mind of every believer at some time or another. A specific situation unfolds before us but we dont know what



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we should pray for concerning it. Most of the time we willpray comfort rather than acceptance.

For example, if you have a precious family member that isteetering between life and death what do you pray? Most of us will pray for healing, but how do we know that its nottheir time to die? Many of us try to pray beyond a personsdesignated time. We want to hold on to them because of ourselfishness. We would rather have them lying in a bedcompletely incoherent, completely unconscious to theirsurroundings and the people who come to visit, just so we cantouch a warm body. However, the Spirit of God may besaying release that person to me. How many of you can walk into that room and say Father I release them into your will;if you want to take them you can take them and do whateveryou need to do. Father, I remove myself from the equation.This is praying according to the will of God. Because wedont know what the will of God is in every situation, the bestthing to do when you have questionable situations is toremove yourself. It would be wise to pray something likeGod I dont know what to do in this thing you can have itnow. You order it and guide it and show me what to do.This is called dependency on God.

Trying to ascertain the will of God is not an easy task; yet,it is not impossible. Trying to determine the heart of God islike trying to understand the majesty of the universe. Of course, we can use scientific means to develop a theory. Yet,there are some things that defy human answers. There aretimes when the will of the Lord appears just as mysterious.So what are we to do when confronted with knowing the willof God?


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TRUST THE HEART OF GOD! Jeremiah 29:11 tellsus that God has good plans for us, at all times. As a result, He

wants us to trust Him. God has a plan for you and He has aplan for me. If we use our time of prayer to get closer to theFather then we can become comfortable with the unfolding of the will of God. Remember the goal is to be able to say thesefive words to our Father with conviction and faith -Father,

Your will be done !Romans 8:28 tells us that all things will work together for

the good of those who love the Lord. This verse is directly related to the Spirit praying for us. When the Holy Spiritprays, he brings us into the will of God. Once this takesplace, all things that come as a result of the believer walkingin the revealed will of God will work for the good of thebeliever.

Once we are sure of the will of God, we can pray withassurance and faith. We can tell our enemy, Satan, that wecan rest now because we know what the Lords will isconcerning a particular matter. Then we can walk in thepeace of God.

Peace of God

As stated earlier, praying through means praying until youknow the will of God. However, the added benefit is thatpeace comes with obtaining Gods mind about a particularsituation.



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Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything,by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, presentyour requests to God. And the peace of God, whichtranscends all understanding, will guard your heartsand your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7NIV).

In this passage, the Apostle Paul tells the believer that wemust avoid anxiety by praying and spending time with theFather. Through prayer, we find a place that guaranteespeace. In the King James Version the word that wastranslated peace comes from the wordeirene;it carries thefollowing definition: peace, quietness, rest. The Apostle gives

us the impression that a good strong prayer life will result in astate of mental quietness and spiritual tranquility.Therefore, you should pray until you sense that you have

the peace of God. You will walk away saying that thesituation is okay even though nothing has changed. At thispoint, there is nothing that the devil can do to you. If you

received a negative report from the doctor last week and haveto go back for a follow-up visit, you will do it with peace.

You will walk in the doctors office with the peace of God, which surpasses your understanding and that will keep yourmind. Whatever the outcome, you will have peace becausethe peace you have is not yours, but it is the result of theLords presence. His presence will cause you to remain calmin the midst of adverse situations. People around you willnot understand why you are calm after your doctor has toldyou that you only have six months to live.


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You may have been told to pack your belongings by yoursupervisor because you are being laid off. Your co-workersare dumbfounded that you do it with a smile on your face.The peace of God will keep you when nothing around youseems to be going your way.

Your prayer time is essential. It is what connects you withGods abilities, and when you know what your God can do

then you will have peace. I am sure that Jesus walked aroundin a constant state of peace. He never worried aboutanything because he was aware that his Father was in control.I can only imagine the state of total peace and contentment

Jesus lived in daily. Can you imagine walking througheveryday life without a care? Can you imagine walking

around as if you were being held in your parents arms andcould feel their love surround you? This is what theSovereign Lord wants for us every day.

Contrary to popular belief, God is in control and He isaware of what you need and of your situation. Jesusencourages us with this story:

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap orstore away in barns, and yet your heavenly Fatherfeeds them. Are you not much more valuable thanthey? Who of you by worrying can add a single hourto his life? (Matthew 6:2-27 NIV)

Through prayer we discover the will of God and we reapthe extra benefit of mental and spiritual peace. I urge you topray until your will becomes lost in the will of our Father.



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Prayer is literally the stripping away of your own will; it isyour will being absorbed by the will of Christ until your willno longer exists.

There are some people that you have already marked asenemies and you refuse to reconcile with them. Pray! Pray until God turns bitterness into love for them. It is then thatyou begin to pray opposite of your own will, and begin toreceive the mind of God and accept His divine will. Thereare things that we want that will never come to pass. Yet, Godis looking for you to embrace His will even though it may not be what you want. You embrace Gods will with thismindset,

Lord I dont like this situation. This isnt what I particularly care for, or what I had in mind. However,Im going to do what you say, because this is your will for my life.

Please believe me when I tell you the more time youspend in prayer, the more you will begin to respond to

situations in the same fashion as Jesus. I can only imaginehow he would handle the economic problems of our day orhow he would address the issues we face on a daily basis. If

Jesus could sleep on a boat during the height of a storm, thenhe most certainly can provide the peace we need to adjust tothe stormy seasons in our lives.


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We dont know what to pray for and in light of this,the Holy Spirit will pray for us according to the will of God.

We must continue to pray about a matter until wedevelop Gods mind concerning the situation. This ispraying through.

Peace comes once we have obtained and acceptedGods will for a situation.

1. Is there a situation that you dont know how to pray for ? If so, begin with honesty. Simply tell the Father

that you dont know how to pray for this matter andask the Holy Spirit to guide your time in prayer.

2. Do you struggle with peace in or about a situation?Pray that God helps you to accept His will in or aboutthe situation and that, His peace encompass yourmind and heart.



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CHAPTER 7

Dont Be AnxiousThe LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. Come, behold the works of the LORD, what desolations he hath made in the earth. He maketh wars tocease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the

fire. Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.

Selah(Psalm 46:7-11).

O nce again, the Psalmist calls us into the reality of relationship. We are told that the Lord is with us, andbecause of our relationship, we are protected from danger anddistress. We are admonished to be still and know that theLord is God! We spend an enormous amount of time rushing


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around our life. This constant activity can affect our prayertime. Believe me, while I am engaged in the work of ministry,I can easily become distressed and frustrated. When I amconfronting the multitude of problems involved in ministry, Isometimes feel like hitting the rock a second time. This isthe result of anxiety and I must do the same things that Iteach others to do. I need a moment to reflect on thegreatness of God and rest. The life of an adult can be very stressful and there are times when we need to revert to thepeaceful, trusting mindset of a child.

Remember as a child how you would open the refrigeratorand stare into it for fifteen minutes. You would hold thedoor open so long that the ice would begin to melt. Yet, youdidnt worry about it. You would go to school and not worry about lunch money. You would go to your parents and ask them for lunch money. You heard them say last night on thephone that they were broke, but that did not stop you fromasking. Why? You knew that they would find a way to takecare of you and your needs. Parents were our first magicians;they could make a money rabbit appear out of thin air.

You never worried about a thing.I watch children playing at our camp during the summer

and they arent worried about a thing. They are runningaround the playground, laughing and playing. They arentthinking about war and economic calamity; they dont have afear of terrorism. In contrast, as a parent, you are workingyour fingers to the bone planning for a college education foryour three year old and he is outside wondering if hes goingto get more cookies. Children do not worry, and it is this


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mindset that Jesus calls us to have. He completely understands this quality about children and tells us to have achildlike attitude. However, we seem to like worrying.

Paul understood through the Holy Spirit that prayer isnot effective when it is mixed with anxiety. He writes inPhilippians chapter four that we are not to have anxiety when

we pray. Anxiety will keep you from clearly hearing the

Spirit. The Spirit of God cannot communicate in a tempest. When you are anxious, a thousand things are being tossedback and forth in your mind: things you want to see, thingsyou are afraid of, things you want to accomplish. You cantbelieve God when fear is dominating your thoughts.

There he went into a cave and spent the night. Andthe word of the Lord came to him: "What are youdoing here, Elijah?" He replied, "I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israeliteshave rejected your covenant, broken down your altars,and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am

the only one left, and now they are trying to kill metoo." The Lord said, "Go out and stand on themountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord isabout to pass by." Then a great and powerful windtore the mountains apart and shattered the rocksbefore the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind.

After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake camea fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after thefire came a gentle whisper (1 Kings 19:9-14 NIV).

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After the victorious showdown with the prophets of Baal,Elijah ran from Jezebel. He went from faith to anxiety in amatter of hours. Elijah strains to hear the Lord in the cave.He thought God would speak with the same intensity thatElijah demonstrated. Wind and earthquakes came. Elijahthought the Lord would certainly speak out of these louddemonstrations. Yet, the Lords voice was absent amidst thenoise.

After the great noise came a whisper of a sound. You hadto be still in order to hear it. The Lord spoke in a calmfashion and Elijah could have missed it if he was not still.How often do we miss the small, gentle whisper of the Lordsvoice as we struggle with anxiety? We enter our caves of doubt and strain to hear from the Lord while wrestling withemotions and fears.

Does this mean that if I am anxious that I cant talk toGod? The opposite is true. Before you seek Gods face fordirection or an answer you must first deal with anxiety. Jesustells us that God cares about what we care about. As a result,

we are instructed to cast our cares on him. That means wehave to talk to our Father about whatever it is. Do youknow God wants to hear your anxiety; He wants to hear whatyou are afraid of. He wants to comfort your heart. AsChristians, we have been led to believe that we must bestronger than we actually are. Paul said in his writing when I

As Christians, we have been led to believe that we must be stronger than we actually are.


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am weak - he acknowledged that he was weak. Dont sitaround and try to be tough or to show God you can take it.Tell God your concerns. In everything, take it to God. TellGod where your heart is broken. Tell God when you arefrustrated. Tell God where you are fearful. Many of youreading this do not need a counseling session. You do notneed to talk to the Pastor, deacon, elders, or minister. Youneed to simply tell God about it.

Understand that God enjoys your company. God createsor allows situations to arise in your life that will require youto turn to Him. When you understand that you cant figureit out because youre not suppose to figure it out on yourown, the better off you will be. You will find the frustrationdissipating. Tell God about it but in everything by prayer.

It is not advisable to force a prayer while under the attack of anxiety. I strongly recommend that you sing for a few minutes or read the Word of God until you find yourself relaxing. This response will put you in a better position toclearly hear the Lords voice.

This concept is not deep. When you come to God sit inHis presence and begin to share with Him what is on yourheart. Tell it to Him the way you would. Do not use flowery

words; do not use ten syllable words when two syllables willdo. This is the time for you to be open and honest and talk to your Father. What does this look like? It begins with

Lord, I dont know what theyre doing every day but youknow. I put my child in your hands; Im not going toworry about my baby anymore. Im going to put my

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baby in your hands.

God, here is my child. Watch over my child, protect my child, keep my child, anoint my child, bless my child,save my child.

He then says, by prayer and supplication. Then, you tellGod what you want in this situation with the understanding

that ultimately it will be His will that will be done.So, I say to you relax in the fellowship and relationship

with the Father. You must rid yourself of anxiety and riseabove doubt and fear. Give everything to the Lord in prayerand watch the Lord move on your behalf.


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What a friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry Everything to God in prayer! O what peace we often forfeit,O what needless pain we bear,

All because we do not carry Everything to God in prayer.

-Joseph M. Scriven

God shows you how much He cares for you throughHis care for things around you (Luke 12:22-32)

God will meet every one of your needs (Philippians4:19)

God cares about the things you care about, includingyour anxiety.

1. Are you anxious about a particular situation?

2. Have you given God your anxiety? Have you had anhonest conversation with your heavenly Father about what you are feeling and what you are concernedabout?If not spend time with God and give Him yourconcerns. Ask Him to help you to lean on Him during

your time of uncertainty and to give you peace.3. Can you look back over your life and see how God

has met your needs or handled a situation that you were anxious about?

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There are some people in my church Father whose hearts are broken, and they dont have any friends.Father help me to go over and befriend them. I heard that they were wicked, Ive heard that they were contrary and angry, help me go over and befriend them. Lord, dont let me isolate myself and become so spiritually important that I cant love.

We think that God does not want this type of requestsbrought before Him. However, everything the Christianneeds can be found in the body of Christ. It simply takessomeone to momentarily take their eyes off of their ownsituation, stay before God long enough to have Him bring theneeds before you, and to pray as the Holy Spirit directs you.

As a young Christian, I heard about people praying allnight. I thought how can someone stay up and pray all night?I would think that you would physically be too tired. I

watched how people around me prayed and they wereexerting a great deal of energy. It wasnt until I went to aPastors roundtable in Raleigh, North Carolina that I gained afull understanding of how you could pray for hours. Aboutthirty pastors had gathered together in a rented banquet hallroom at eight in the morning. I had only been pastoring fiveor six years and I was among great men and women in God

who have now risen to a place of prominence that we could

never have imagined at the time.The facilitator of the group said were going to press into

prayer. I was accustomed to our way of prayer. I said, My God this wont be long because with all these people in the


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room theres going to be a lot of emotions. He said were just going to sit in a circle and we will press into prayer. Westarted praying at 9:00 am and the first session did not endfor five hours. To my surprise, I never left my chair. Wetook a short break and prayed for another five and a half hours.

I was talking to God, it wasnt emotional; it was realconversation with God. It was not structured and it wasntscripted. Out of that was built a level of connection withmen and women of God that still exists to this day.Understand that when you pray in the spirit with someoneelse you are both connected to God and heaven. Inevitably,

the two of you will also be connected.Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Isanyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any oneof you sick? He should call the elders of the church topray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make thesick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he hassinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess yoursins to each other and pray for each other so that youmay be healed. The prayer of a righteous man ispowerful and effective (James 5:13-16 NIV).

...when you pray in the spirit with someone else you are both connected to God and heaven. Inevitably, the two of you will alsobe connected.

Praying For And Connecting With Others


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This passage in the Book of James teach us the attitude weshould have regarding a shared prayer life. First, the Apostleteaches us that we should reach out to others when we are sick and in need of prayer. I am often amazed that we wait untilsomeone calls us instead of calling the Elders. If we had theproper attitude regarding one anothering, we would reachout when we are hurting and in need.

James goes on to tell us that we are to be so connectedthat we should trust each other, confess our faults to oneanother, and seek help and strength from the Body of Christ.I am sure that the Lord is pleased when we reach out to eachother and help our brothers and sisters in times of need. Oneof the more delightful prayer agendas we had at the church I

pastor was when we would gather together and prayer foreach others needs. That time of connection brought suchunity to the local body. We could feel the church becomingmore connected. The Lord wants us to be connected in ourprayer efforts. If we pray together then the enemy will not beable to destroy the unity of the local body.

I know that it is difficult to share and to establish aconnection with someone you may not be comfortable. Yet,the family connection is vital for prayer. If the enemy issuccessful in keeping the family of God disconnected, then hecan destroy our unity.

If we learn the principle of praying together andencouraging one another, we will discover the richness of fellowship and the strength of spiritual unity. Throughprayer, we will be able to assume new roles andresponsibilities in our church. I can fondly recall the


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Pray for one another!

Father, I pray for my brothers and sisters in Christ. I ask that you strengthen them and keep them strong. I ask that the power of God, assist your people to move tonewer heights in your kingdom. We pray that your will is done in their lives. In Jesus name, Amen

There is too much separation in the Church today and itmust come to an end. Many powerful verses call us to a levelof accountability and cooperation that we cannot deny.

For example: Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with

them that weep (Romans 12:15). A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love

one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love oneanother (John 13:34).

Therefore encourage one another and build each otherup, just as in fact you are doing (1 Thessalonians 5:11NIV).

There are many other passages that reflect what I amsaying. However, I think you get the picture. We cannotavoid the richness of relationship and the connection thatcomes from our adoption into the family of God. Prayer willserve to strengthen both of these areas of our lives. Let us

work on connecting with our brothers and sisters, so that theKingdom of God moves forward in power and unity.


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CHAPTER 9

Effectual and FerventConfess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent

prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elias was a mansubject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought

forth her fruit.(James 5:16-18)

T he word effectual is the Greek wordenergeo whichmeans work. It is where we get the word energy andergonomics from. James tells us that prayer requires energy and is therefore a form of work. Prayer is not simply anutterance or a rehearsed statement; prayer is battling throughspiritual layers to get to the will of God. Let me emphatically


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say , PRAYER IS WORK! That is right, prayer is work. Wemust move beyond the little prayers of our youth and moveinto more advanced prayer that gets results. When we masterthis level of prayer, we no longer need to feel anything; we

will be able to operate by faith and faith alone.There are times when you sit before God and pray and

you dont feel His presence. The powers of darkness encircle

you and sit on your shoulder telling you that God is notlistening and that your prayer is not working. You areencouraged to get up and go watch TV. At this point, youhave to stay there and pray through all of the doubt anddiscouragement until the mind of God becomes solidified inyou.

Paul taught in Ephesians 6:13, Wherefore take unto you

the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand inthe evil day, and having done all, to stand. He reminds usthat we are engaged in a battle at all times. The level of theattack is determined by the level of our intimacy with theFather.

Prayer is the one component of Christianity that is

dependent upon the character of the person performing it.Everything else dealing with salvation is passive. God savesyou, God delivers you, God fills you, God sanctifies you, butprayer is dependent upon your character. The effectual,

Prayer is the one component of Christianity that is dependent upon the Character of the

person performing it.


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fervent prayer of the righteous availeth much.Righteous means that you must have character, steadfastness and theability to touch God.

Elijah was a man subject to passions as we are. What doesthat mean? He hurt like us; he had similar emotions andfeelings. He prayed earnestly that it might not rain and itdidnt rain on the earth for 3 years. Then he prayed again

and the rain began to fall. What does this tell you aboutElijah? He was righteous and he exerted energy in prayer.Elijah prayed and then he received a vision. However, theprayer had not been fully manifested. He now prays thevision. He continues to pray seven more times until hereceives results.

Depending upon the significance of the vision God hasgiven you, the enemy will not roll over and let what you seecome to pass after your first prayer. I know that the church isconfused about this. Do I pray for it once, count it done, goon, and praise God? Do I pray repeatedly until I have a clearanswer? Is it doubt if I bring the same request before Jesus

again?Let me help you understand what happens with prayer.

Lets say the human resource person at a company you havealways dreamed of working for calls you and says they have a

job for you. They tell you to report to room 330 on June20th at 12:30 pm to sign papers to solidify your position. On

June 20th, you show up, but the security guard will not letyou upstairs. He tells you that your name is not on thevisitors list. How would you address the guards response?Do you think you would turn around and go back home?

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Now, you know what you were told and you know what is waiting for you. Will you give up and go back home?

Hopefully, you will not go home because someoneupstairs called you. You are not going to let the security guard keep you away. So, why do we let the enemy keep usfrom what we know is ours or what we want? We want tohear clearly from God about our request. You would have theguard call the human resource department. If the line is busy,you will tell them to try again until they get the person youspoke with. Finally, the person you are there to meet withpicks up the phone and apologies for your name not being onthe list.

PRAYER IS WORK! Daniel said he prayed for an answerfrom God for 21 days. The angel sent with the answer finally arrived. He had been held up by the prince of Persia andhe had to wait for reinforcements to be sent. Why did Godsend reinforcements? The text tells us it was a result of Daniel continuing in prayer. I want to encourage you not togive up when you know it is Gods will that you get ananswer. Keep asking God until you have results, until youhave an answer. Please understand that you may not get theanswer you want but you will get an answer if you keepasking.

Sometimes prayer can result in a physical confrontation with the adversary that will test your resolve. Jesus prayeduntil the pressure of darkness rose up, And being in agony heprayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were greatdrops of blood falling down to the ground (Luke 22:4). Thevery life was being squeezed out of him. Have you everprayed until you stirred up the enemy? I do not think that


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many of us have ventured into that arena. If we are to see themiraculous and hear from the Lord, we must move into a new level of prayer. We must learn to press through the devilspitfalls and devices. We have to continue in prayer even if theresponse from the Father has been delayed.

At the beginning of this bookt we talked about developinga positive relationship with the Father, and all that went withit. Well, there are seasons when we must rest solely on therelationship. We must pray with the understanding that theLord knows what He is doing and we are His children.

We are encouraged to always trust the Lord: Trust in theLORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine ownunderstanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shalldirect thy paths (Proverbs 3:5-6). Trust comes as a result of our paternal relationship with the Father as His child. My daughter trusts me with her life. Why? We have spentconsiderable time together and I grew with her. We wouldspend time together in various places having fun. She becamefamiliar with me and I with her. Ultimately, a mutual trustfor each other developed. It took great effort to reach theplace of total trust and it was not easy. It will require thesame effort to trust our Father completely. It will take the

work of prayer. It may require sweat, tears and blood in orderto develop the proper prayer life that will bring the Lord glory and help you to grow.

Do not be afraid of the energy and work prayer requires.There will be great benefits and you will appreciate therewards. You may not see the rewards right away. However,if you continue in the Lord and prayer you will experience thebreakthrough you desire.

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CHAPTER 10

Pray OftenNow when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime (Daniel 6:10).

D aniel prayed three times a day. He held a governmentposition with many responsibilities and was able to engage inprayer several times a day. For many of us, life is extremely busy and we struggle with finding time to pray. We struggle

with praying once a day. As a result, we look at Daniel and

wonder how he found time to pray three times.I know that prayer is work, but it is a good investment of

your time and your energy. Prayer is also a joy; you get tospend time with your heavenly Father. Think of it, our


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Daddy wants us to come into His presence and spendquality time with Him. God is running and entire universe,yet He is waiting, even anticipating, spending time with us.

We are that special to the Lord.Some reading this book may be saying that Daniel is

unique in his prayer endeavors. However, David tells us inPsalms 55:16-17, As for me, I will call upon God; and theLORD shall save me. Evening, and morning, and at noon,

will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice (Psalms55:16-17). David was King and had responsibility for theoversight of an entire kingdom, yet he found time for prayerthree times a day.

Do you see the development of a pattern? These are just

two men who had risen to great places in the will of God, andthere are more. It would appear that their prominence andpositions were a result of a healthy and consistent prayer life.Each one was constantly busy with affairs of state; yet, they set an example of taking time out of their busy lives for theLord.

Although what you do for the Lord and the church isimportant, it should never prevent you from spending time inprayer if you are determined to be fruitful in and out of prayer. If the Prophet can pray three times a day and the Kingcan pray three times a day, I think we can certainly pray morethan we do now. As Christians, we cant afford to not pray

and not to pray often. Remember, prayer is where we obtainthe heart and mind of God. Prayer is where our will is bentinto submission to our Fathers will. Prayer is where we getanswers when we have questions; it is where we find peace


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when we are in the midst of a storm; it is where we clearly see

Gods direction when we are lost; it is where we find strength when we are weak.The Apostles asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, and

he did just that. He gave them a framework for prayer that isstill effective today. Now, I encourage and challenge you totake the lessons you have learned and apply them to your

daily walk so that you may reap t

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