The Anguish of Prayer

-"And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground." (Luke 22:44).

When was the last time your heart grieved so much for those you were interceding in prayer that it affected your mind,  your physical body and your heart?

Hebrews 5:7-8 reads - "During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered."

Praying is simple and it is not difficult to understand.  Unfortunately, most people see praying as a difficult thing to do.  There are no shortcuts to prayer.  You cannot just go to a seminar, class, read a book, or anything like that to transform you into intercessors.  This comes only by you committing to pray and then doing so.  God wants to take us into a deeper level in your prayers. It involves experiencing brokenness with the Father over those who continually disobey and revolt against Him.

How many of us will experience the kind of fervent prayer like those Jesus prayed?  

Don't allow yourself to become satisfied with superficial self-centered praying.  Stay with God in prayer and He will lead you to pray at the level He wants.

"In my anguish I cried to the LORD, and he answered by setting me free." -Psalm 118:5   

Worry and Worship Are Mutually Exclusive

Basic Principles of a Prayer and its nature that the Word of God teaches us in Bible.

Philippians 4

I once worked as a Sales Manager in a retail store. One particular day, a lady walks into my department and announces -"I don't want this item."  I responded, "Fine, if you just give it to me, I'll be happy to help you find something else you do like."  "No," answers the lady, "I don't want to give this up." 

Perhaps you're as confused as I was by now.  But did you know that's how many Christians pray?
"Lord, I have a problem that I'm worried about."  "Fine," responds the Lord.  "Exchange those worries for my matchless peace."  "Oh no, I'd rather keep worrying."

When we refuse to turn our worries over to God, we forfeit his peace.  That's a good reason for you to make a "worry list" of the anxieties you're nursing right now and turn it into a prayer list.  Then you, too can enjoy "God's peace" (Philippians 4:7), which is the only possible by knowing the "God of peace." (Philippians 4:9).

What do you yearn the most?

What do you yearn the most?

“Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them.” Psalm 84:5(KJV) –

Introduction:

What do you yearn the most in your life? 

It is said that we begin the great quest for the things we desire at the time of birth.
Perhaps, several years went by, before recognizing that you were in search of something you did not possess. You are not alone in this quest; everyone travels with you. Well, is that all humanity is engaged in this same search. All humanity is trying to find an answer to your confusion. Everyone goes through life longing for something.

Therefore, what do you long the most in your life?
Are you looking anxiously those things that belong to an eternal life or earthly life?
Many of the Psalms were written by the Psalmist who was deeper moved in his desire to find God. Desiring to feel God’s power and strength in his life. From the text we collect two deep longings in Psalm 84:5 - “Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them”.

1. Having his strength in God.
2. Having a way for God in his heart.
Meditate on these two deep longings of the Psalmist.

I. Blessed is the man whose strength is in God

A. What prevent us from having this strength?

1. The first factor is our past.

- We incline to continue carrying the weight or baggage in our past. We must step out of our comfort zone. Find strength in the Lord to continue forward to the unknown future.
Let’s relate to the incident in Exodus 14:7-15. Here the people of Israel found themselves trapped between the Red Sea and the Egyptian army, no place to hide. God commanded them to march forward to the Red Sea that He will make a way for them.

• Here in the Israelites allowed their past in slavery and imprisoned for so many years, to prevent to put their confidence and strength in God to free them from the persecution of the Egyptians in pursuit.
• It reminds me of a church who mourn the loss of their old pastor, but now did nothing to continue its growth. Not having their strengths in God to continue the mission of the church. Does it happen in your church? A new Pastor then the church not finding strength in the Lord to continue its mission and growth.

2. Our short vision of the future also prevents us to find strength in God.

• Lack of a perspective.
• The contrast when we look at a valley from a mountain top.

A Christian man lamented his luck he was currently experiencing. At a very near height was a radiant Angel with a heavenly light, revealing the glory of God, signifying the hope of a better future. However, the man couldn't see this heavenly vision because he was not looking up. His sight was at a human level. Never walk or stand looking down or you may miss what the glory of God wants to reveal to you.

• We are inclined to contemplate more the garbage of this world than the glory of God.
• The large spiritual and moral values of this world. We have to have perspective and the vision of an Eagle.

3. Other factors that prevent us to have strength in God are what we call today's tragedy – EXCUSES!


Let us reflect on the parable of the great banquet (Luke 14:16-24) - Here a vision of future is presented. The idea that the Kingdom of God to be established. Jesus tells of a master who prepared a great banquet and invited many guests, saying, "Come, for everything is now ready”. After so many excuses for not attending by his invited guests, the master became angry and ordered his servants; "Go quickly into the streets and alley to bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame”. The result of the master's invitation was to feast and fellowship at a banquet given by God.  What is your excuse?

This is today’s tragedy. Everyone is too busy with other things and not having fellowship with God.

4. Another reason that prevents us from realizing that deep longing for God's strength is that we are arrogant and conceited.

• We think we are our own god.
• We think we have sufficient power to care for ourselves.
• We take few steps in the uncertainty sea of life without sink at first.
• We think we are in control and don’t need anyone else.

B. When we posses our strength in God.


1. It comes when we long for to the living God.

“My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.  When can I go and meet with God?” Psalm 42:2

Christ gives us the strength we need in our lives (Matthew 11:28)
- Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Apostle Paul confirmed that Christ is our strength in Philippians 4:13 – “I can do everything through him who gives me strength”. I feel that the day Paul wrote this verse in his letter to the Philippians, he felt that strength from Christ.

Lord, come in my life and makes me strong like Paul!

God has given us His strength. It is in Christ when He governs our lives from the throne of our heart. He gives us the strength to:

• Become free from the weight we carry from the past.
• He will give us the vision to see the Glory of God, the values, morals, and the spiritual of this world.
• Impulse us from the excuses that prevent us from serving Him.

2. We must not forget that the basis of the strength in God is prayer.

• Prayer in the Christian life is the tonic that strengthens your spiritual life.
• Jesus the Son of God was always seeking strength from His Father, through prayer.
• May one of the desires of your life is to seek strength from Christ through prayer.

II. “Blessed is the man; in whose heart are the ways of God”

What does “way” means? Definition is
1. Manner or a method.
2. Path, road, or route.

Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6

• The way for God in our heart is therefore personal.
• “The Way” can be defined as Christ. He is the person that embodies the Kingdom of God, the Order.
• The Way comes to be thus the way for the totality of the life – individual, collective. For God, for men, for the things.
• God speaks through Jeremiah 21:8- “I am setting before you the way of life and the way of death”.

Contact comes from the divine side - God takes the initiative (John 4:19) to love us first.
The stages through which we pass to go from our way (of death) to the way of life (Christ) -

• An Incarnation.
• An expiatory Death.
• A Resurrection (empty Tomb) AND
• An arrival to our hearts by the Holy Spirit. (Pentecost).

Entering contact with us was not easy, because our sins blocked the road of the communion.
Therefore, He had to come to us bearing our sins in His own heart with redeeming love.
The cross is the price He paid to come near to us despite our sins - but He established contact - the Cross – Christ.

As we enter a New Year, we have an opportunity to start over again, we desire the best for our lives and those of others.  We make commitments to acomplish certain things in our personal life, professional life, but what about our Christian life?  We can learned from our past, knowing that poor choices can result in lifelong regrets, but they don't have to dictate our future.  Jesus said to seek the Kingdom of God first. Chasing after desires and dreams outside God's purpose will only lead to discontent.

Only in Christ can we find true desire and fullfillment.
Then I ask you again –

Is Christ what you yearn the most?

God Bless You in 2010
Your Brother in Christ
Moises Miranda

Follow me in twitter @prayerlighthous

“The Mandate For The New Year”

 “The Mandate For The New Year”

“And the LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me?
Tell the children of Israel to go forward.” - Exodus 14:15 (KJV)

As we enter a new year, many people make commitments called "New Year resolutions" which more likely fail to uphold. Many love to look back at the past year for different reasons. Maybe is to recall struggles or accomplishments. Maybe is to look back to celebrate successes or gripe about failures. Many raise the hope on what the New Year may bring to their lives. They asked themselves whether in the New Year, their lives would be better or worst.

Today message, “The Mandate For The New Year” reflects on what is God’s mandate for His children and His Church. 

Let’s begin by taking a moment to look and reflect at the critical point in which the people of Israel found themselves in Exodus 14:5-15 (KJV).  

• It is in that instant that God orders the march forward into the waters of the Red Sea.
• In front of them the fear of the unknown and
• There was an opportunity to conquer it by means of the faith and action.

A message we can use for the New Year.

~ Let's see what we can get out of all this ~

 I. Tell the people “not to look back”.

1. Sometimes is good to look back at our past:

• To prevent committing the same mistakes.
• To continue with our successes.
• To expand our capacities

2. Cases in which we should not look back to our past:

• "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." –Luke 9:62 - The ones that continue the work of God with a distracted mind and with a divided heart can not reach the salvation.
• The expression "to look back", truly doesn't’t meant to return to the life we were living, but there is reluctance to disengage from it.  
• This manifest with reference to Lot’s wife – Sodom was about to be destroy by God. Angels came to get Lot, his wife and daughters out of the city. As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, "Flee for your lives! Don't look back, and don't stop anywhere in the plain! Genesis 19:14-17,29 

3. In Israel situation –

• What advantage was there to look back at the Egyptians?
• What advantage was there to look at the desert surroundings?
• Get away quickly of everything that they could remember from slavery in Egypt.

4. In our situation –

• What are the advantages to look back to our past chained lives?
• To look back at our grudges, resentments, and weaknesses?
• What advantage there is to look at the desert of our lives? Past difficulties?

II.  “Why are you crying out to Me?”

1. Is it bad to claim our petitions to God?

• No, only when the attitude is correct we can claim on Him.
• Actually He wants us to ask Him - “I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name”. – John 16:23
• If He is our Father, then to whom we should claim our petitions.

2. What was God’s reason –

•  Three principles:  

1. The cry of Israel – was not a prayer, it was a mere critic of Him and Moses – Exodus 14:11
2. They only remember God in times of desperate need and here they were facing the danger of falling into Egyptians hands.
3. Even if their cry may be justified, is a mere contemplative attitude of waiting for a miracle, which does not help anyone. There was one thing more urgent for this moment. (Often, our prayers are lamentations and our lives is all a bitter criticism).

The Psalmist asked himself in Psalm 42:9 – “Why must I go about mourning”.  Precisely, that was what the people of Israel were doing on that crucial moment – mourning! complaining! criticizing! 

Can we answer to these questions?

• Can you find any reason on why you regret often instead of rejoicing? 
• Who told you that the night never ends at daytime?

Apostle Paul advice us in Philippians 4:6 - "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God".

The author of Hebrews said – “let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us”. Hebrews 12:1

There are weights that are not sins in themselves, but they become stumbling blocks and obstacles in the progress of our Christian life. One of the worst is discouragement.

Let us not ever doubt God with His love and faithfulness for all of us and forever. It is very easy to fall into the habit of doubt, anguish, and ask whether God has forsaken us and if after all, our hopes will end in failure.

We must refuse to be unhappy – “Let’s us count all our joy” when we can not feel the emotion of happiness. All things work for good to those who love the Lord, who have been called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).

Each one of you have been call to His purpose, The Church – the Body of Christ to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ – The Good News.  We delight through the faith of the spirit and we consider the joy as a reality, and we will speak with certainty that God will make our consideration real.

The devil has mastered two traps for us.
Be aware! Don’t let yourselves be fool by one of these traps.

1. One is to discourage us - Then for a time, at least we are useless to others, and are defeated.
2. The other is to make us doubt – In order to break the faith which united us to our Heavenly Father.

Psalm 46:10 – "Be Still and know that I am God"

III. Tell the children of Israel to go forward.

1. People of Israel faced an urgent extreme moment – of life or death.  Behind them the Egyptians army was tailing them. On both sides, were the open desert plains – no place to hide.  They only can expect to die if they get caught by the Egyptians. Every passing moment, the threat increased No escape! Only in front of them was the deep Red Sea and behind them the ferocious Egyptian Army. (What would you do? How would you react?).  In front of them the Red Sea “Let’s conquer it” – Faith.
2. There is always a place to exercise the faith.  In front of us a New Year “Let’s conquer it”.  It is about trusting God’s Word and His power.  It is a mandate to march forward, to move, to do our part in the divine plan of the Lord.

What is Faith? - The Author of Hebrews said - "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" - Hebrews 11:1

Today, many Christians live an intermediate Christian life, because they have come to be occupied with exterior things, and to depend on their circumstances instead of depending on God.  They are capricious people!

God wants us to see Him in all things, and not to call anything small, if it is a carrier medium of his message. (Remember what He did with five loaves and three fish, to feed a crowd).

The Israelites did not believe in the Lord until they saw Him doing His works. Exodus 14:31 
How many of you doubt? Do you want to see the results of God’s works in your life, family, work, and including in the church before believing in His power?

The Israel's people lived a life of "back and forth", because of their kind of faith, was a faith that had depended on the circumstances. This is not the kind of faith that God wants us to have.
God’s mandate for Israel at that crucial moment was to move forward and don’t look back until they reach the other side of the Red Sea.  Just as the mandate He gave through His Angels to Lot and family to escape Sodom and don't look back until they reach safe ground. 

Make a mental effort to visualize what their eyes were witnessing when they saw the Red Sea being divided to make a clear a dry passage for them to escape the wrath of the Egyptians. Afterward, seeing the sea closed and drowning the Egyptian army.  (Probably, you have seem the movie "The Ten Commandments")

The Exodus and the Red Sea Crossing  (A video of proof researchers found of the crossing of the Red Sea)

God’s mandate for us is “to go forward” as we enter the New Year – 

Move forward to the unknown things to come in the New Year.  Leaving behind all the troubles, failures, doubts, the enemy who is chasing you to keep you trap no where to go but to move forward – Don’t look back saying – “If I only could have done …” “If I only could have ..."  NOT "Ifs" - Just move forward and put your trust in God! 
 
In Matthew 11:28 – "Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest”. 
 
Finally, God’s New Year mandate for His church is also to move forward –
 
In Mat 28:19 –“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of age.”
 
- As Christians, this is our "Mandate for the New Year" - Go and make disciples of all nations!

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

Wishing you a Happy and Prosperous New Year

May God Bless You

Your Brother in Christ

Moises Miranda

Follow my tweets at twitter.com/prayerlighthous

The Importance of Prayer

"The Importance of Prayer"  
Reference Scriptures: Ephesians 6:18

In Ephesians chapter 6, verse 18, are words that express a surprising and overwhelming force to the pressing importance of prayer:
- “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints”.
When we stop to consider the meaning of these words and notice the context, we are driven to exclaim; “I should pray, pray, and pray! I should pray with all my energy and all my heart, be of more, I should pray!"

 Let’s notice every “all”
1. “all our prayer”
2. “all the time”
3. “all supplication in the Spirit”
4. “all perseverance”
5. “all saints” (In essence, the bible refers to saints (Holy ones) those who belong to the universal body of Christ as His Saints).

 Also note the strong agglomeration of words:
1. “prayer”
2. “supplication”
3. “perseverance”
In addition lets note the significance expression; “being watchful” or "be vigilant" (alert).

Apostle Paul understood the natural laziness of man, and especially for prayer – Alert in prayer. How seldom we pray for things until obtaining them! How often the church and the individual approach the point where they can receive a blessing in prayer, and then suddenly loose, fall asleep, stop praying!
It is my wish that these words, “being watchful in all prayer” – Could penetrate to the most intimate part of our hearts.

A constant, persistence, vigilant, and victorious prayer is necessary. Why?

1. Because there is a cunning adversary, powerful and tireless, always scheming to make the fall of the son of God, and if this cease in prayer, will fall into the trap of the adversary. “Like a roaring lion.”

2. The second reason for a constant, persistent, vigilant, and victorious prayer, is the prayer, is a divinely way appointed to us to obtain our needs, and the great cause of experiencing deficiency in our lives and our labor is the neglect in prayer . In James 4:2 – “You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God.”

Why do I grow slowly in the Christian life? Many asked!

Negligence in prayer - God answer – “because you have not asked”

I often pray or pray everyday – Some of you may say – but still don’t get what you ask?

“When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures”. –James 4:3

3. There is a more powerful reason in favor of this victorious, vigilant, persistent, and constant prayer: The prayer occupied a very prominent place and was very important in the life of our Lord Jesus Christ while He was in this world.   One example – see Mark 1:35 “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”

No other system, philosophy, or religious doctrine, raise man to this supreme idea of filial relationship with God and as a Father who loves, guides, and protects His creation until the revelation of Jesus Christ Throughout the Old Testament we are taught that God is the Creator, Sustainer, and Governor of the universe, the Almighty - Omniscient and Omnipresent. From here and there we see signs of His love and mercy.

However, is Jesus Christ the ultimate and the last revelation of God who teaches us to pray not only addressing Him as the Creator - Sovereign - but lifts us into a filial relationship with Him, teaching us that He is our father. Here is a new idea and transcendent the fatherhood of God related to man. This goes beyond the conception of the relationship between creature and creator. We read in John 1:12 (NIV) – “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God”.

Jesus teaches us in Matthew 6:9 "This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name’,” Able to invoke God as the Father gives another meaning to life and considerably enhances the label of Christian. Being a Christian means more than bestowing that name. More than a certain cult profess or practice any particular religion.

Being a Christian means, to pray, with certainty to tell the truth: “Our Father who art in heaven.” It means even more: To feel and live in this intimate filial relationship. In Romans 8:16 we read – “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children”. It actually allows dismissing all doubt and uncertainty about the future. Produce the ineffable joy that our soul feels a softer contact with the Father.

Now that we are clear to whom our prayers are directed, Apostle Paul indicates us that for our prayer to be effective we must put the full Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-17). Here, Paul tells us to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might (v10).

Basically, putting on the armor of God, consists of turning our thoughts to God (Our Heavenly Father) and the truths of our position before Him: He has given us His truth and we are the righteousness of Christ. If we jump into prayer without first turning our thoughts to these truths, we become vulnerable to Satan’s attacks Whenever we turn to God in prayer, Satan becomes alerted to do anything possible to keep us from praying.
Therefore, we must be watchful as Apostle Paul states.

When our thoughts wander off from the purpose of our prayer, Satan begins to attack us by poisoning our minds with doubts, making us feel whether our prayers will be heard and answer, thus making us hurry through the prayer to finish or get distracted by others things. In Matthew 26:41- Jesus said to His sleepy,  distracted disciples– “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak”. 
For a prayer to be effective, it must be done in the Spirit – verse 18- “And pray in the Spirit”.  Jesus told that Samaritan woman in John 4:24 – “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth”.  Just as Ephesians 6:18 – Here Jesus is saying that worship is done in spirit and truth. 

An effective prayer is the result of being watchful and alert while praying. Have any of you fallen asleep in prayer? Some of you have done so. Note that we are to stay on the alert "for all the saints”. We are to be guarding others. We have a joint responsibility as the body of Christ to guard each other; Paul made it very clear in his letter to the Ephesians.

A prayer also requires perseverance. Paul says, -"Be on the alert with all perseverance”. In Hebrews 12:1 – Apostle Paul said – “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us”.  In Romans 12:12 he said – “rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer”.

Many asked, how does God work through prayer?  We may never understand or know the answer. However, it is fundamentally no different from the way God works through any of our actions. God works through prayer in the same exact way. Our Father in Heaven waits the prayers / petitions of His children. All effective prayers must include the Trinity of God - (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) We pray with the Holy Spirit, and we need to abide in Jesus (our mediator) and in the Word for our prayer to be effective. 

In John 15:7- Jesus said – “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you”.

KEY WORDS “IF YOU” Are you abiding in Jesus and in God's Words? “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit”-

Jesus encourage us to pray- See Mathew 7:7-8 - "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be openned to you.  For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened".

Would you pray now?

May God Bless You!

Praying with Thanksgiving - Is a Power Prayer

 Praying with Thanksgiving

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” –Philippians 4:6 (NIV)
In the lesson on prayer that the Apostle Paul gives us in Philippians 4:6, there are two words that we often neglected in our prayers; these two words are: “with thanksgiving”

As we approach God to ask for new blessings, we must never forget to give thanks for blessings already received. We must be as defined in thanksgiving as we are in prayer. We approach God with specific requests. However, when we thank Him, we must do it in a general and indefinitely way.

Undoubtedly, one of the reasons why many of our prayers have no power because we have not given thanks for blessings already received.

When Jesus healed the ten lepers (Luke 17:14) and only one returned to express his gratitude (Luke 17:15-16), shocked and saddened, Jesus asked him (Luke 17:17) - "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?”

The thanksgiving for the blessings received already, enlarges our faith, and gives us the capacity to get closer to God with new courage and new hope. Men of the Bible, mighty in prayer and the history of the church have been men enshrined in thanksgiving and praise.

David was a godly man mighty in prayer, abounded with his psalms of thanksgiving and praise! The following verse by Apostle Paul in Romans 12:12 remind us to – “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer”.

The apostles were powerful men in the prayer, and of them we read, “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”- (Acts 2:46-47)

Apostle Paul was a mighty man of prayer and often in his letters he exclaims definitively the importance of always giving thanks in prayers. In Colossians 1:3 – “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you”, in Colossians 4:2 – “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful”. Jesus at the last supper – Mat 26:27 – “Then He took the cup and gave thanks…”

Question for you: Are you devoted to prayer? Are you being and THANKFUL every time?
Given thanks for what you have is not reserve only for Thanksgiving Day.
In 1 Th. 5:18- says, “Give thanks in all circumstances”

Psalm 95:2 – "Let us come before Him with thanksgiving". 

THY KINGDOM COME

Praying to God with Power

Theme: Basic Principles of a Prayer and its nature as Lord teaches us in the Bible.

Today blog topic:  Praying to God with power:

Bible verse: Acts 12:5 - "Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant[a] prayer was offered to God for him by the church".
Footnotes: [a]. Acts 12:5 NU-Text reads constantly (or earnestly)

One of the most relentless questions that we asked in our Christian life is:

How to pray with power?

At times, we believe that to pray with power is to pray with a powerful voice in which we emphasize with vibrant voice our petitions.  Perhaps making feel inferior the brother who perhaps is of less powerful and perhaps short voice in expressing himself.  In other words, prayer has no power base if it is pronounced in a strong or softer voice.  It has its foundation deeper than any vocal chords.

In the book of Acts chapter 12 of the Apostles, we have the story of a prayer that prevailed with God and produced large results. To see what led to this prayer, we must go back in chapter 11 of Acts; here we read that many believers were being persecuted and were scattered to many different places (Acts 11:1). Now in verse 26 of Acts 11- “… for a whole year they assembled themselves as a church in Antioch, and taught much to people. And the disciples were called Christians".  (They were a church - The body of Christ).
 
Now entering Acts chapter 12 – King Herod decided to hurt few of the church leaders. He arrested Peter and James the brother of John.  In front of the Jews, King Herod  used his sword and killed James. As this pleased the Jews who were present, he then placed Peter in prison with intensions to be executed after the days of unleavened bread (Acts 12:1-4).  Now in verse 5 of chapter 12 of  Acts, we found the answer of how to pray with power, let’s read the second part of this verse:

 -  “…but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.”

 
I. The first thing we notice in this verse is the consistence expression “to God”
It does not matter how you express yourself one way or the other. Strong vibrant voice or in a softer tone. It doesn't matter how the body feels, what is important is the state of your soul.  Still, some of you may argue: Aren’t all prayers directed to God?  No necessary, I'll explain.

Much of what is call prayer; private or public is not to God.  For a prayer to be truthful directed to God, there must be a conscious and definite approach to God upon praying.  In many prayers, God is not in the thoughts of those intending to pray. That is to say, many times upon praying, we are thinking more in our own needs than in our Almighty and loving Heavenly Father, to whom we must direct our prayers. (Remember? -"Our Father in Heaven").

Often, we don’t even think on our needs or to whom we are praying to. There is no power in that type of prayer. When in reality we see him face to face in the place of prayer. When in truth we seek the things we desire of Him, then there is power in the prayer.  (Remember? "Thy Kingdom come")

Therefore, if we want to pray effectively, the first thing that we need to assure ourselves would be in the following three things:
1. Believe that God is attentive to our prayers and that we are in His presence. In Hebrew 4:16 said – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need”.

2. Before offering our petitions, we should feel defined and strongly that we are speaking with God.

3. Not only believe firmly that our petitions are heard by God and He is going to grant us what we ask Him according to His will.


II. The Second Secret in Praying Effectively: 
     We find it in verse 5 “…constant prayer…” (Constant or earnestly = without ceasing).

This is, not as extensively as if intensely. This represent to the soul with ardent and intense desire that continues constant in its prayer. In Luke 22:44 (NKJV) describes Jesus praying – “And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” This type of prayer prevails with God, is the one that expresses the sincere yearning of the soul being extended towards God intensely from the deeper of our soul.

-“Out of the depths, I cry to You my soul” Psalm 130:1

Many modern prayers are powerless because they are not coming from the heart. 

• This is because we rushed to the presence of God.
• Here is a list of requests.
• We got up hurriedly and ran out.

If someone asked us an hour later about what things we prayed, frequently we would not be able to recall. If our petitions are presented with so much lightness is not strange that God does not take much effort to answer them.
 
How to obtain is intensity in the prayer?
If we like to pray effectively with intensity we have to let the Spirit of God to guide us and teach us to pray.
Here is a TIP:  PAUSE BEFORE PRAYING - FOCUS ON GOD (“Let His Kingdom Come”) - THEN PRAY

III.  The Third Secret in Praying Effectively: Is also found in the same verse 5 –
                                          

  “…constant prayer was offered by the church”

There is power in the unified prayer – the Church – Us – Body of Christ

- God delights in the unity of His people –

He increases it anyway, so His promises are a special blessing to the ones that pray in unity. Corporate Prayer has more power then an individual prayer.
In Matthew 18:19-20 we read; - “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there in the midst of them.”

- This is Praying to God with Power –

Acts 12:6-10 - God answered the church prayer by sending His Angel to rescue Peter from prison.

- There is power in a unified prayer by the church –

God Bless

Your brother in Christ

Moises Miranda

Follow my tweets at twitter.com/prayerlightous

What God Expects from Our Prayers? -Part 2

Basic principles of a prayer and its nature - Jesus teaches in the Lord Prayer found in Matthew 6:6-13

This is the the second part of "What God expects from our prayers?" Based on Jesus Christ teachings through the prayer model known as the "Lord Prayer".
 Let us see the last three petitions in the Lord’s Prayer are directed to our personal needs. (Mat. 6:11-13)

1. “Give us our daily bread”- Material blessings are as necessary to our lives as spiritual blessings. Therefore, Jesus says that we should ask the bread of today. Not for tomorrow! Also, note that this request is not an egotist, but altruistic: “Give us this day our daily bread.” -Mat.6:11 (KJV). Nobody can do this prayer while practicing injustice toward others or refusing to help in time of need.

Jesus in John 6:35 declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry.”

Proverbs 30:8 – “Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.”

What Jesus teaches us in this request?

a. Our dependence on God - "Give"
b. The modesty to ask for: "Bread" (A Physical and Spiritual need)
c. Faith: "Today" - The brotherhood: we - "Our" (Not “me”)

Matthew 7:7-8 Jesus said –“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”

2. “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” Mat. 6:12 (God wants to hear your confessions). In 1 John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

Our confession to God. Here we make a confession because we recognize that we have debts (sins, offense). Romans 3:23 – “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”

Through the study of this sentence, we have seen that it is assumed that you could not ask for us what we deny to others and to clarify this point, Jesus adds these words, “as we”.

“As we also forgiven our debtors.” (i.e. people who sinned against you, offended you, mistreated you, and made unlawful acts against you). Prior to beg the forgiveness of the Father, we must forgive those who have wronged us. A forgiving heart is required for prayer. God does not grant forgiveness to a soul who cannot forgive.

In Mark 11:25 Jesus said – “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgives him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive your sins."

Key word is "if you hold" anything, even a little tiny thing against anyone. This is another difficult task for us to accept. To admit our faults, sins, and forgive those who have done wrong to us not matter the circumstances.

James 4:8 –“Come near God and He will come near you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double mind.”

James 5:16 – “Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”

3. The third personal petition is: “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” (Mat. 6:13)

The temptation that is to say, the test, required for the exercise of Christian freedom, and for the effective realization of the sanctity of individual improvement. Otherwise, even if we beat the evil, without virtue in us, active Holiness won in vigorous fight against evil.

Remember that the Lord Jesus was tempted many times. If not, we would then have a passive innocence in us, if we have the essence of evil, nor indeed hold on to good. We read in James 1:13-14 -“When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone, but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.”

Nevertheless, we should add, God as divine educator of free creatures, He permits the temptation with the purpose to exercise our fidelity and to enlarge our capacity of resistance.

For that reason, the Apostle Paul admonishes us in 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 – “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”

“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil.”

Our Lord, Jesus Christ teaches us to pray acknowledging our own weakness and strength of God, which is accessible to us through Him. Let us find in Him the strength to overcome evil and live the life triumphant and radiant in the midst of the temptations that surround us in this life.

Concluding, let us see the reflections again of the model prayer known as “The Lord Prayer” that Jesus taught his disciples. Notice that Jesus placed;

1. First, the interests of God.

2. Secondly, the spiritual needs of man.

3. In third and finally, the material needs.

Most of us when we pray we reverse the order established by Jesus in this model prayer.

1. First, we ask for material things,

2. Then for spiritual blessings.

3. And finally, for things of God.

After all, prayer is something so simple like a child talking with his father. However, while difficult, the fact that it does not always act spontaneously and with pure motives.

We must therefore ask the Lord as His disciples did; “Teach us how to pray.” So that we do not pray using several repetitions, believing that by our verbiage, we will be heard.

Let us pray with simplicity and sincerity.

Let us talk to the Father in Heaven as a child speaks to his father, is the nature of a prayer that Jesus teaches us in the "Lord’s Prayer".

May God Bless you

Your brother in Christ

Moises Miranda

Christian Blogger

Follow me at http://twitter.com/prayerlighthous

What God Expects from Our Prayers?

Basic Principles of a Prayer and its nature - Jesus teaches in the Lord Prayer found in Matthew 6:6-13

Continuing on the “The Nature of a Prayer” that Jesus teaches in the “Lord’s Prayer”.


Also covered in my first blog were the five basic principles we must follow for prayer in (Matthew 6:6), Jesus then warned His disciples to avoid certain attitude and behavior while praying, like speaking repetitious words incoherently (babbling) spitting words without meaning repetitiously (Mat. 6:7). Given then assurance that God knows what they need before they ask (Mat. 6:8). These rules were given to show the simplicity of the "Lord's prayer" model he is about to give them. 

We can say that the Lord’s Prayer is the frame or outline to maintain or sustain the temple of our thoughts and meditations, which lifted to God through prayer. What Jesus said about the nature of prayer in Matthew 6:7-8?

To pray is to open our hearts to God.

God speaks to man through His Word. The man speaks to God through prayer and the link between them is meditation. (Thomas Manton, a Puritan preacher-writer, in one of his sermons said that God's Word feeds meditation and meditation feeds prayer referring on Isaac's meditation in the field, in Genesis 24:63).

The prayer itself is deeper than words. This occurs in the soul before being expressed in words, and dwell in it even after we stopped talking.

What God expects from us when we pray?

Let us go back into the Lord Prayer and see these initial expectations as we notice that He expect us to pray as Jesus said at the beginning of verse 9 -"When you pray," then the first three petitions of the Lord’s Prayer are about His name, His kingdom and His will.

His name: “Our Father in Heaven” - He is our Heavenly Father, is our duty and privilege to sanctify his name. A privilege given to those who received and believe in His Son name, Jesus Christ (John 1:12). Able to invoke God as our Father gives another meaning to life and considerably enhances the qualification of a Christian. Sanctify the name of God in all we do. This means to not only get up and go to church worship on Sundays. But we must sanctify and honor His name in our homes, our workplaces, and in the sincerity of our own consciousness.

His Kingdom: "Thy kingdom come" - What does this expression means to you? To about two-thirds of the world's humanity means absolutely nothing. Why? That is because two-third of the world are whether not Christians, not of the same religion, and millions of people to say they don’t believe in God and have no religion. When the kingdom of God comes, it will have an effect on all members of humanity.

His will: Regarding God, this petition perhaps is the most difficult one for us: “Thy will be done on earth as it is done in Heaven.”

That third petition is what most Christians have difficulties in their prayers - That is, to pray that God's will be done in our own lives. We must pray like the prayer of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. – “Yet not as I will, but as you will." (Mat. 26:39)

Jesus said in Mat. 7:21 - "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven".

To sum up, let us notice, that the first three petitions of the Lord's Prayer occupies a descending order of importance:

Same God in His essence and attributes: Holy Father.

Then; the demonstration of God in its kingdom and,

Finally, the subjugation of all to His will, within that realm. Heaven and Earth.

Again, that third point is to surrender of all to His will is what most Christians struggle in accepting.

We should commit in prayer like King David said in Psalm 40:8 –“ I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart."

The petition “I desire to do your will” is to let us do His will through our life, but in such way that not simply “WE DO IT”, but we do it happily and consciously and in a way that makes His will come to be ours.

Also in Psalm 143:10 - "Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground."

In John 7:17 Jesus said – “If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own."

Apostle Paul said in Acts 20:27 – “For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.”

Please come back to this blog as I will post the second part. Until then may God put His Blessings upon you as you seek His will. Let His word speaks to you.

Your Brother in Christ,

Moses Miranda
Christian Blogger

Follow me in twitter at twitter.com/prayerlighthous