Prayer

There is no better way for a Christian to invest their time, than on their knees in prayer. There is no greater power in this present world. Nuclear power pales in comparison. Prayer can change the course of a nation, can change the present conditions in which you are living, and make a difference in eternity. Most of all prayer can change you.

This awesome power is not available to just a few selected people who have reached a certain spiritual level. But it is available to every born-again child of God regardless of age, race or sex. The smallest child or the most illiterate man or woman who has truly been converted can start praying immediately and make a difference in this world.

Prayer, the right to talk with God, is not only the greatest privilege ever given man, but it is also the command of God (1 THES 5:17). To refuse to enter into and develop a prayer life is to forfeit the greatest benefit we have and clearly disobey the Word of God.

The ultimate goal of this study is not just to help you gain knowledge about prayer, but rather to get you on your knees praying. Remember that PRAYER WAS NEVER MEANT JUST TO BE STUDIED, BUT RATHER TO BE EXPERIENCED.

*Portions of this study are from the ministry of Dr. Charles Stanley.

THE POWER OF PRAYER

Moses prayed; his prayer did save

A nation from death and from the grave.

Joshua prayed; the sun stood still.

His enemies fell in vale and hill.

Hannah prayed; God gave her a son.

A nation back to the Lord he won.

Solomon for wisdom prayed;

The wisest of mortal men he was made.

Elijah prayed with great desire;

God gave him rain and sent him fire.

Elisha prayed with strong emotion;

He got the mantle and double portion.

Three Hebrews prayed; through flames they trod.

They had as a comrade the Son of God.

Daniel prayed; the lions’ claws

Were held by the angel who locked their jaws.

Ten lepers prayed; to the priest were sent.

Glory to God! They were healed as they went.

The thief who prayed, for mercy cried.

He went with Christ to paradise.

The church, she prayed, then got a shock

When Peter answered her prayer with a knock!

Peter prayed, and Dorcas arose

To life again from death’s repose.

Abram quit praying; cities fell

With all their sins, into hell.

The disciples kept praying; the Spirit came

With cloven tongues and revival flame!

Conviction filled the hearts of men;

Three thousand souls were born again!

When Christians pray as they prayed of yore,

With living faith for souls implore,

In one accord united stand,

Revival fires shall sweep the land!

And sinners shall converted be

And all the world God’s glory see!

PRAYER

JER. 33: 1-3

UNIT 1

I. WHAT IS PRAYER

• Prayer is communication with God.

• Communication is a two-way process.

• True prayer is not talking to God, but talking with God.

• Prayer is speaking to and listening to God.

• Isa. 1:18 Come let us reason together saith the Lord. The image of God and man sitting down together for a good talk is our best image of prayer.

II. WHAT ARE THE ELEMENTS OF PRAYER?

A -- doration

C -- onfess

T -- hanksgiving

S -- upplication

Petition

Intercession

A-Recognizing the worth of God (PSA. 113)

C-Confess sin (LU. 18: 13-14, PSA. 51: 1-4)

T-Recognizing our indebtedness (PSA. 100)

S-Requesting something from God.

Asking God for our needs (I SAM. 1 9-11; MATT. 6:11)

Asking God for the needs of others

(EX. 32: 11-14 & 30-32; ACTS 12:5)

III. DOES GOD ALWAYS ANSWER PRAYER? IF SO HOW?

YES – 1 Kings 18: 36-38; 1 Sam 1: 27; Jud. 6: 39-40

• Yes is usually the only answer we recognize or accept. When God says yes, we are prone to shout and tell everyone what a great thing God has done for us.

NO – Num. 22: 8-12; II Sam 12: 16-23; II Cor. 12: 7-9

• When God says no we find it hard to praise him. We usually look for the sin in our life that has kept God from giving us what we ask for. There is not one bit of scriptural evidence that says God will answer all our prayers yes, just because we are living right. (Rom 8:29) God says no when it is for our own good.

WAIT-- EX. 3:7

• Sometimes God wants to answer our prayers but the timing is not right. We don’t like to hear God say no or wait. Many times we try to find a scripture verse and claim it, hoping some how to change God’s mind.

IV. WHAT DOES OUR RESPONSE INDICATE?

Rebellious Spirit - Num. 22: 15-19

• We express a rebellious spirit when we refuse God’s first answer and try to get our way by manipulation.

• If we don’t accept God’s answers when they don’t fit in with our plans, then we are trying to use God for our own purposes.

Submissive Spirit Matt. 26: 36-42

By accepting God’s answer despite the fact that we may not understand, we express a submissive spirit. If we graciously accept His answers no matter what they are, He will use us for his glory.

ANSWERED PRAYER

UNIT 2

I. HOW CAN WE HAVE OUR PRAYERS ANSWERED?

Matt. 7: 7-11 Ask and you shall receive.

• This passage makes prayer appear very simple. Ask and Receive-as if there is nothing else to it. Has getting prayer answered been this easy for you? We need to understand how to get in a position to allow God to answer our prayers. The problem is not God’s ability. He can do more than we think or ask (EP. 3:20). There are six conditions we must meet to get our prayers answered consistently.

(A) Psa. 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me.

• A RIGHT RELATIONSHIP. We must have a right relationship with him. This does not mean every time we make a mistake God shuts up the windows of heaven on us. But if we aim at evil and willfully choose to do evil, the windows of heaven will be shut and fellowship broken. God allows no compromise concerning known sin in our lives. We must set our sights on God.

(B) Mark 11: 24 NASB Therefore I say unto you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they shall be granted you.

• THE RIGHT METHOD. The key is to be specific; we are not to window shop when we pray. "Lord help all the missionaries, save all the lost, bless my brothers and sisters." The problem with vague prayers is that God could answer them and we would never know about it. Not only that, but God would get no glory and we would receive no blessing from seeing a prayer answered. II Kings 6: 15-18; 1 Kings 18: 37-38; Jud. 6: 39-40

• THE RIGHT REQUEST. We must ask according to His will. How do we know if our request is in His will? Tell God what you want, be honest about why you want it. Then we must be willing for Him to bring us into complete neutrality—to the point where it doesn’t matter one way or another. Neutrality means that we want what God wants more than what we want. This may take some time and prayer. (Matt 26: 36-42).

(D) John 14:14 If ye shall ask anything in My name, I will do it.

• THE RIGHT FORMULA. When most of us pray we add "in Jesus’ Name" to the end of our prayers. For some it is a habit, for others a magic phrase that assures an answer. We mistakenly think this is the only qualification to have our prayers answered. There is another qualification, we must abide (John 15:7). To pray in Jesus’ name means that we are asking something because it is in character with what Jesus would ask if He were in our circumstances.

(E) James 1:6-8 But let him ask in faith nothing wavering.

• THE RIGHT ATTITUDE. Doubt and prayer do not mix. Doubt comes from relying on feelings and others opinions. What is the right attitude? Jesus says (Mark 11:24) "What things soever ye desire when ye pray, believe that you receive them, and ye shall have them." The right attitude is one of faith (Heb. 11:6). Our faith must not be based on how we feel but on what God says in his word. Feeling and circumstances change, but God never changes. (Mal 3:6).

(F) Matt. 5:16 Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

• THE RIGHT MOTIVE. Our motive for everything we do must be to glorify the Father. When we set our sights in prayer on giving God glory rather than just getting what we’re asking for, God will delight in answering our prayers. (James 4:1-3)

UNANSWERED PRAYER

UNIT 3

I. Why are many of our prayers unanswered, when to the best of our knowledge we have no known sin in our life and the will of God seems to be clear? Here are four possible reasons:

(A) Jer. 29:13 AMP Then you will seek me, enquire for, and require me (as a vital necessity) and find me when you search for me with all your heart.

• Sometimes our hearts are so full of what we want that we leave God out. Our minds become consumed with the gift rather than the giver. It is God’s desire that we seek Him and Him alone. Even when all our sins are confessed and nothing is standing in the way of our relationship with the Father, He will withhold answers to prayer if He sees we need to refocus our attention on Him.

(B) Heb. 11:6 NLT So you see it is impossible to please God without faith.

• God also withholds answers to teach us to trust Him. Receiving something the moment we ask for it requires little faith. God wants to know if we still believe Him when we have no tangible evidence to hold onto. We are usually tossed to and fro between what God’s word says and what we see and hear

• (James 1:2-3). By withholding his answers He teaches us to persist in prayer, to keep our eyes focused on Him and to ignore our feelings.

(C) EP. 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.

• Much of what we pray for is in the will of God, but our timing is off. Many times God has to wait for us to grow spiritually in certain areas of our life before He can allow us to experience all the spiritual and material blessing He has in store.

(D) Matt. 7:7-11 How much more shall your heavenly Father give good things to them that ask Him?

• A fourth reason God withhold answers to our prayers is because He wants to give us something better than we asked for.

II. We have looked at 4 (four) reasons why God withholds a blessing or answer to prayer when the condition of the heart is not the deciding factor. These next 6 (six) reasons involve areas we must deal with before God will answer our prayers.

(A) 1 Pet 3:1-7 FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS

• Prayers are hindered when our home relationships are not right. The word hindered in Verse 7 means to put an obstacle in the way of something. Our conflicts at home may be insurmountable obstacles to our prayers. As long as things aren’t right between us and our families, things won’t be right between us and God.

• If God answers our prayers when we are out of fellowship with other people He would be

In a sense condoning our sin. God will never condone or overlook our sin. (Mat. 6:14:15).

(B) James 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

• WRONG MOTIVES. "Another reason God does not answer our prayers is because of wrong motives. We are often more interested in our desires than we are in glorifying the Father (John 17:4). One way to check our motives is to stop after a few minutes of prayer and ask yourself, how did I start this prayer? Did I jump in and start asking, or did I start off praising the Lord and showing my gratitude for what He has already done for me?

(C) James 1:6-7 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering for he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed for let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord.

• LACK OF FAITH. Many times God does not answer our prayers because of our lack of faith. We may have some initial doubts about certain requests. But as we recognize and understand God’s will through His word the wavering should cease. Wavering faith is not the faith God responds to.

(D) Prov. 21:13 Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard.

• SELFISHNESS. Another reason God doesn’t answer our prayers is because we are selfish. If we refuse to listen to somebody who has needs can we expect God to listen to our prayers and meet our needs. When we turn a deaf ear to known needs, which we have the ability and opportunity to meet, our prayers will not be answered.

(E) Prov. 28:9 He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law even his prayer shall be an abomination.

• INDIFFERENCE TO HIS WORD. God will not answer our prayers if we are indifferent to His word. We should be constantly seeking the deeper truths of scripture. We weren’t left here to be spoon fed all our lives. When we live with a closed BIBLE we live with a closed heaven.

(F) Isa. 59:1-2 Behold the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it can not save; neither His ear heavy, that it can not hear; but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear.

• UNCONFESSED SIN. Causes God to turn His back on our prayers and refuse to listen. It is not that God can not hear; but He will not hear.

HOW TO KNOW THE WILL OF GOD

UNIT 4

1 John 5:14-15 And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us, and if we know that He hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.

• How can I know that my prayer request is in keeping with the will of God? Can I be sure that what I am asking is right? These are among the most frequently asked questions about prayer. The Bible is very clear about some of our requests. Salvation (Lu 19:10; 2 Pet 3:9), forgiving someone (Ep 4:32; Matt 6:14-15). Whenever the bible is specific and clear we can pray with confidence. We don’t have to pray "Lord if it be thy will." Many times we feel that our prayers are like shooting in the dark. We feel as though a particular request is right at the moment, but when we don’t see an immediate answer we wonder if it was ever God’s will to begin with. So we shoot in the dark and hope that God will be in agreement and respond favorable.

I. GOD GIVES US A 3-FOLD PROMISE (1 JO 5:14-15)

(A) To listen if we pray in His will.

(B) To give us what we ask for.

• The word confidence means boldness or assurance.

II. HOW NOT TO PRAY

(A) Matt. 26:39 Not as I will, but as thou wilt.

• If we end all our prayers with "If it be Your will" we have uncertainty. This phrase sounds very religious and appears to be a sign of humility but in fact you are just expressing your doubt to God about what His will is. Jesus was not in doubt about his Fathers will He knew He had to die (John 12:27). He was struggling with the coming separation from His Father. The issue was whether there was any other way to atone for man’s sins besides His separation from the Father.

• IS THIS YOUR METHOD OF PRAYER?

(B) Jud 6:36-40 I will put a fleece of wool in the floor.

• Sometimes when we aren’t sure about God’s will we put out a fleece. In a sense, we make a deal with God. We say, "If this happens then I will do ‘A.’ But if that happens, then I will do ‘B’. Seeking God’s will this way is a sign of immaturity. This kind of reasoning leaves no room for any real faith and was never intended to be the "normal way" to discover God’s will.

HAVE YOU EVER THROWN OUT A FLEECE?

III. PROMISE OF GOD’S HELP

(A) James 1:5 "If any man lack wisdom let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."

• Wisdom is seeing things from God’s perspective. When we do not know what God thinks about our request, (what God’s will is) we have a right to ask Him. (Psa 25:5; 1 Ki 3:5-15)

(B) Rom 8:26 Likewise the spirit also helpeth our infirmities; for we know not what we should pray for as we ought; but the spirit Himself maketh intercession for us with groanings which can not be uttered.

• The word infirmities doesn’t mean illness; it refers to spiritual weakness—our inability to pray from God’s perspective. In other words the Spirit will pray through us when we don’t understand what to pray. (Rom 8:27) The Spirit searches our hearts and knows what we want and He also know perfectly the will of God. Therefore he presents our petition to God when we don’t have the proper words to express what we want. But He can only do this if we are praying. It is essential that we have a desire to pay in accordance with His will.

IV. HOW DO WE BEGIN?

• Assuming there is no sin in our lives and we really want to know God’s will in our praying, how should we start?

(A) We must decide if we are asking God to give us something we want, something we need, or direction in a matter.

(B) Ask God to give you a particular promise from the scriptures dealing with your request. Make this the anchor of your faith in this area. Hold on to this verse regardless of what happens or how you feel. Live by it, pray by it, and refuse to give in until you have whatever it is God has promised. We often overlook the place of scripture in prayer. But the more we saturate our minds with scripture, the more we will become familiar with God’s way. (Psa 1:1-6).

(C) Once we know the will of God and are praying according to His will, we should begin to thank Him and wait patiently for the answer. (John 11:41-42).

(D) Phil 4:6-7 Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. Let your request be made known unto God. And the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

• As we find God’s will in our prayers, He confirms it by filling our hearts with the peace of the HOLY SPIRIT, once we have found His promise to use, we must dig in and wait patiently (Heb 10:35-36) while thanking Him for what is already ours.

If we are going to pray, why worry?

If we are going to worry, why pray?

PRAYING AND FASTING

UNIT 5

I. FASTING DEFINED

Matt 6: 1, 5, 16-18 Moreover when you fast be not as the hypocrites.

FASTING—Abstinence from anything that hinders our communication with God.

FASTING is an act of worship and should be done privately.

FASTING can take several forms. It involves self-denial or abstinence.

(a) LU 4:2 Food Fast. Abstaining from all food.

(b) Ezra 10:6 Absolute Fast. Abstaining from both water and food.

(d) DAN 6:18 Pleasure Fast. Denying yourself the right to certain pleasures.

II. FASTING THROUGHOUT SCRIPTURE

• EX 34:28 Moses before he received the Ten Commandments.

• 2 CH 20:3 Israel when it was being attacked.

• PSA 69:10 David fasted to strengthen his relationship with the Father.

• EZRA 8: 21-23 To find God’s direction.

• NEH 1:4-7 Before rebuilding the wall.

• DAN 9:3 Daniel seeking understanding.

• LU 4:1—2 Jesus spent first 40 days after Baptism Fasting.

• ACTS 13:2-3 Before Paul and Silas were sent out.

Throughout the Bible God directed His people to fast and pray. And every time they did, God released His supernatural power on their behalf. There are 4 principles we must understand if we are going to effectively combine the tool of fasting with our prayers.

III. TRUTHS ABOUT FASTING

(A) Fasting does not relieve us of the responsibility to be obedient to God. Fasting does not impress God to the point that He ignores our sin. If God exposes some sin in our lives while we are fasting we must deal with it in whatever manner He requires.

(B) Fasting brings our physical appetities under the Holy Spirits control. We all have appetities or drives, hunger, sex, emotional, approval, etc. There are times when we must set aside the fulfilling of these drives so that we may seek him with our whole heart. When our appetities get out of control we become their slave.

(C) Fasting helps bring our minds, wills and emotions under the Holy Spirits control. Fasting allows us to think clearer and quicker. As a result there is a new awareness of God’s presence during times of fasting.

(D) Fasting is a tremendous aid in worship. When people begin to fast and pray and seek God, and he becomes the priority of their thinking, feeling and action something begins to happen. What if an entire congregation were to fast on Saturday before worship service on Sunday?

A PRAYER BURDEN

UNIT 6

Praying with a burden is probably the most neglected aspect of prayer. As a result we often pray burdenless prayers. We repeat the same old request over and over, but with no heart or sense of urgency. God is looking for obedient godly people He can trust to carry through and pray once He gives them a burden.

• NEH 1:1-11 Nehemiah was a slave in Babylon. Every thing was going fine until he learned of the awful conditions the people of Jerusalem were living in. He then became burdened and wept and mourned.

I. THE SOURCE OF A BURDEN

(A) UNCONFESSED SIN

• PSA 51:1-13 The way to handle this burden is simply to confess the sin and move on.

(B) NEGATIVE ATTITUDES

• These attitudes can either be ours or attitudes some one else has toward us. Either way "wrong thinking" can become an unnecessary burden, one that will eventually lead to ruin.

II. THE PURPOSE OF A BURDEN

(A) Luke 22:39-44 The main purpose of a burden is to get us on our knees before the Lord, praying in accordance with His will.

(B) NEH 1:3 When God gives us a burden it is evidence that He is about to do something concerning that burden.

III. HOW DOES GOD GIVE US THIS BURDEN?

(A) NEH 1:3 NLT They said to me, "Things are not going well for those who returned to the province of Judah. They are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem has been torn down, and the gates have been burned."

• Many times God uses someone else to tell us something that causes us to have a burden. Ha-na-ni delivered a message to Nehemiah that caused him to (V4) weep and mourn.

(B) ACTS 2:37 Now when they heard this they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, men and brethern what shall we do?

• Often God communicates a burden to us through His word. It may be either through the preached word or the written word (II Kings 22:8-11).

(C) 1 Kings 19:12-7 And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

• God may also speak to us thru our spirit. This is why a quiet time with God is so important. (John 14:26)

WARFARE PRAYER

UNIT 7

• That this world is a playground instead of a battleground has now been accepted in practice by the vast majority of fundamental Christians.

I. THE ENEMY OF PRAYER

(A) EP 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

• Satan and the spiritual forces of darkness are the enemies of prayer. The Body of Christ is in constant conflict against these spiritual forces. When the church of Jesus Christ was born, it was born in the midst of the heathen empire of Rome. Two thousand years later, in America, the Church is again in the midst of a heathen empire.

• Dan 10: 10-13 Satan is the only one who does not want to see your prayers answered.

• Humanism declares that man is sufficient within himself to meet his own needs. This is an enemy of prayer. (Luke 18:10-12)

II. THE PURPOSE OF WARFARE PRAYER

MATT 16:19 And I will give unto these the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

• Spiritual warfare is binding and loosing according to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

• To rescue people from the bondage and control of satan and free them to become the men and women God wants them to be. We have concluded that our only job is to lead people to Christ, but that is not true. (MK 5:1-20)

III. EQUIPPED FOR WARFARE PRAYER

LU 10:19 Behold I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

If God has given us the same responsibility as He did the early church and expects us to battle the powers of darkness, it only makes sense that He has equipped us with the same powers as He did the early church. And He has. He has given us the same amount of authority and power as He did the early church.

EP 6:10-11 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Let us look briefly at the armor God has given us. This is the equipment God gives us so that we will be prepared for spiritual warfare. (EP 6:14-17).

(A) LOINS GIRDED WITH TRUTH

• This means more than just reading the words. It means knowing the truth (JOHN 8:32) and applying the truth to our life. We must understand that the battleground is in the heavenlies.

(B) BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

• This means we accept our position in Christ. We think of ourselves from God’s perspective (2 COR 5:21). A wrong view of who we are allows the devil to make us feel unworthy to pray (HEB 4:16).

(C) PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE

• We must be prepared to lead others to Christ. One way we do this is by allowing Christ to live thru us, letting them see the peace that is offered thru Christ (PHIL 4:7). People seek wealth because they see the lifestyle of the wealthy, and people seek Christ when they see the true scriptural lifestyle of Christians.

(D) SHIELD OF FATIH

• Every evil that comes against us comes from one source-SATAN. We must never lose sight of this; otherwise we will see the instruments of Satan as our enemies. Satan attacks with lies, and we defend ourselves by believing what God says. Faith is our protection against Satan’s lies.

(E) HELMET OF SALVATION

• The helmet covers and protects the mind. We must live in the power and under the direction of the Holy Spirit. Fleshly power and reasoning are worthless in a spiritual conflict (2COR 10:3-5). Therefore we must submit our minds, wills, and emotions to the authority of God’s Spirit (GAL 5:16, 25)

(F) SWORD OF THE SPIRIT

• The word is a weapon to be used against our adversary Satan. But this weapon won’t do us any good unless we know how to use it. There are specific scriptures which deal with specific attacks of satan and we must know when and where to use them. (2TIM 2:15)

IV. STRONG HOLDS

2 COR 10:3-5 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh; (for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty thru God to the pulling down of strongholds). Casting down imaginations (reasonings) and every thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

• A stronghold is an area of sin that has become part of our lifestyle. It may be a harmful habit (drugs, fornication, smoking, overeating) or it may be an attitude (rejection, loneliness, worry, doubt, fear, condemnation). Our responsibility as Christians is to tear down these strongholds thru Spirit filled prayers.