Importance of prayer WHAT – WHY – HOW
What – prayer
Why – God commanded, love compels us
How – give various PRINCIPLES OF PRAYER important considerations prayer
PRINCIPLES THAT ARE
Sustainable – they will last
Reproducible – they can be multiplied
Oral – learned and communicated by word of mouth without materials / resources
Simple – simpler and getting simpler (though not easy – takes discipline)
DEFINITION – PRINCIPLES
1. Accepted or professed rule of action or conduct:
2. Fundamental, primary, or general laws or truths from which other laws derived
PRINCIPLE – INTERCESSION IS FOR EVERYONE
Being a pray-er or prayer warrior or intercessor is not a spiritual gift
It is decision
Matter of obedience – ANYONE CAN DO – access same Holy Spirit
2 Peter 1:3 – we have everything we need for life and godliness through Him
PRINCIPLE OF HOW ONE LEARNS TO PRAY
Prayer is primarily a learned behavior
Disciples said, “Lord, teach us to pray”- Luke 11:1
Prayer is learned best the way children (young Jesus followers) learn most things
Parenting spiritually – learn by observation and then implementation (With oversight = discipleship or spiritual parenting)
LEARNING SEQUENCE
1) I do it
2) I do it, you watch
3) You do it – I watch
4) You do it
We learn how to pray by observing others praying and then praying ourselves
Clues –
Watch and listen as wise people pray
Then pray with them
“He who walks with the wise grows wise” – proverbs 13:20
Recommendation –
1) Find best pray-ers you can find –
2) Sit at their feet –
3) Practice praying with them (pray together)
PRINCIPLE OF BEING PURE AND BLAMELESS IN PRAYER
THE BAD NEWS –
Sin blocks prayer
That’s why Confession and repentance vital and continuous (humility)
THEGOOD NEWS –
Jesus came to forgive sin and wipe it out (I John 1:9 and Acts 3:19)
Target – Hate sin AND love to forgive
Learn to Love to forgive your enemies
If you don’t forgive, you won’t be forgiven – Matthew 6:15
PRINCIPLE OF BIBLE PROMINENCE IN ENERGIZING PRAYER (keep visible!)
Deuteronomy 6: – Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
Billy graham always kept open bibles around house. He called that “taking a sip”
Consider Bible on tape, CD however in ears continuous as background noise
PRINCIPLE OF “Q / Q” (quantity of force applied over quantity of time)
If wish to Impact/move the invisible world (which moves the visible world)
Force or time alone insufficient – must combined to get movement invisible world
Luke 18:1-8 – (persistent widow)
Matthew 11:12 – from the days of john the Baptist the kingdom of god has been forcefully advancing and forceful men and woman lay hold of it
PRINCIPLE OF SIMPLICITY OF PRAYER AS A SIGN OF MATURITY
Two biggest prayers can make
1) Ask for “Help!!!” – (when my 5 year old cries, “help”, I MOVE)
2) Declare “God’s will be done” at end every prayer” (insurance policy to selfishness)
* This is NOT PASSIVE RESIGNATION. It is AGGRESSIVE PARTNERSHIP.
PRINCIPLE OF PRAYER AND ACTION PARTNERING
Prayer and action – Abraham faith and deeds – James chapter 2
Don’t simply pray or simply act – must be combined to have impact
Pray pray pray pray and act
We tend to act act act and then pray
Or talk talk talk and then pray
PRINCIPLE OF TRUSTING OUTCOMES TO GOD
Leave the result to god
You do your job – pray
He’ll do His job – coordinate the timing and results of answers (yes/no/wait)
* If you tie your prayers to the observable results of your prayers, you will stop praying (when things don’t “look” to the visible eye that things are changing/moving – your motivation will waver or end)
Our Job
Speak the promises of god
Speak blessings of god
It does not matter if i don’t think the prayer requested will come to pass
It does not matter if i feel the prayer requested won’t come to pass
ALL THAT MATTERS IS WHAT GOD SAYS
Romans 4 – Abraham called things that are not as though they were and thus he was declared righteous
PRINCIPLE OF PERSEVERENCE IN PRAYER
Concordance – how many times do you find a verse that says something like, “if you continue” (in prayer) Continue / endure / persevere
Matthew 7:7 – Ask and keep on asking – seek and keep on seeking……. – knock and keep on knocking
Parable of the persistent widow – Luke 18:1-8
Pound the Rock! – You never know which swing of the hammer will break it. Each blow of the hammer is impact
Impact moves from invisible to invisible over time (possibly over a looooong time)
Jeremiah 23:29 – “Is not my word like fire,” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?
Daniel 10:12-13 – Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. 13 But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia
Bottom Line – Keep at it, ya never know when god will break in and break through
PRINCIPLE OF “MORE AND DIFFERENT (my terminology)
1) Praying has impact – Fasting as pray “More and different” impact
2) Praying has impact – Laying on hands as pray “More and different” impact
3) Praying has impact – Anointing with oil as pray “More and different impact
3) Praying has impact – crying out to god as pray has “More and different” impact
PRINCIPLE THAT WHEN WE PRAY STUFF HAPPENS –
When you pray, sometimes God
1) Does something he wasn’t going do w/out prayer: Hezekiah 2 Kings chap 19
2) Stops something he wasn’t going stop w/out prayer: Hezekiah 2Kings chap 20
3) Does what he was going to do anyways, regardless of prayer: 2Samuel 12
ENERGIZES ME TO PRAY DUE TO POTENTIAL IMPACT OF MY PRAYERS – (thus motivated to pray about all things, all of the time)
PRINCIPLE OF PRAYER AND MISSIONS
Everyone called to missions; to GO into the ends of the earth
GO with feet (in person – short or long term) or GO with your mouth (PRAY for the nations of the world
PRINCIPLE OF PRAYING TOGETHER AND PRAYING ALONE
Much more valuable pray and rally prayer than pray alone
I used to pray – then realized much more power if
a) Pray with others
b) Rally others to pray with others
c) Rally others to spark own prayer groups and encourage others to repeat
Begin now to reproduce and multiply intercessors by your modeling intercession and making praying disciples
PRINCIPLE OF UNITY IMPACTING PRAYER (doing life “together”)
Components of Revival from the Book of Acts
Based on a review of the Book of Acts, the following were forerunners
of the power and revival coming to the Early Church and Nation of
Israel (what were the people doing as a precursor to the revival that
they experienced in Acts chapters 2-4)
1) Devoted themselves to:
a) The apostles teaching
b) Fellowship
c) Breaking of bread
d) Prayer
2) Openly taught and proclaimed God’s Word in Jesus name
3) Openly confessed sin and repented of it
4) Publicly burned their idols
5) Gave their attention to prayer and the ministry of the Word
6) Constantly gathered together in one place to pray
7) All believers were together and had everything in common
8) No one claimed any of their possessions was their own, but they
shared everything they had
9) Sold their possessions and goods and gave to anyone in need
10) Those people who owned land or houses sold them and the money was
distributed to anyone who had need
11) The believers met together daily in the temple courts
12) Broke bread in homes an ate together with glad and sincere hearts
13) Raised their voices together and prayed earnestly
14) Apostles continued to testify with great power
15) People couldn’t help speaking what they had seen and heard
16) They were praising god
17) All the believers were of one heart and mind
* Interesting how may times the word “together” appears in the
scriptures in light of the power within the church in the book of Acts
__________
As a result of these actions above, what did God “do” in response?
1) The word of God continued to spread and increase
2) The number of disciples increased rapidly
3) The church grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord
4) The church was strengthened in faith
5) Much grace was upon them all
6) Great wonders and miraculous signs were done among the people
through the name of Jesus
7) All were filled with the Holy Spirit
8) The place that they were meeting was shaken
9) People accepted the message and many were added to their number daily
10) Many heard and believed
11) The believers were given great courage
12) God enabled them to speak the word with great boldness
13) Everyone was filled with awe
14) They enjoyed the favor of all the people
15) The lord added to their number daily those who were saved
16) Many were baptized
17) There were no needy persons among them=
PRINCIPLE OF INDIVIDUAL PERSON BEING ABLE TO CHANGE THE WORLD
In January 1857 James McQuilkin, moved by George Muller’s book (Re: “Praying in faith”), started a prayer group of his own. Within two years, a spirit of revival broke out in a nearby church as McQuilkin preached. Excited Christians carried the fire to other places, and a revival blazed throughout Ireland. It’s estimated that as many as a thousand people a day gave themselves to Christ. Business came to a standstill as people could do nothing else until they got right with God. Men were unable to sleep at night; they were under such conviction that they wept and prayed through the night in their homes. Churches were packed at all hours. Divisions and conflicts evaporated. The jails were emptied. The churches were filled. The people became concerned for the poor, and the nation became almost like new land. It’s known today as the Irish Revival of 1859.
Points
1) It only takes one person to spark a move of God
2) However, takes many persons to sustain it and multiply it to ends of the earth
PRINCIPLE OF PRAYING FOR ENEMIES PRODUCE SUPERNATURAL POWER
* Note that this is impossible without Jesus doing it “through” you
1) Recognize sin
2) eradicate sin by confession/repentance (break ties with sin)
3) bless your enemies…..those who have injured you (drive influence away)
________________________________________
* The following scriptures are some of the strongest and most aggressive “tools” in spiritual warfare (forgiveness, blessing your enemies etc)
ATTITUDE TO THOSE WHO HAVE INJURED US (Philippians 2:111)
love your enemies, and do good to them (Luke 6:35)
do good to those who hate you (Luke 6:27)
pray for those who persecute you (Matthew 5:44)
bless those who curse you (Luke 6:28)
bless those who persecute you. bless and do not curse (Romans 12:14)
pray for those who mistreat you (Luke 6:28)
be kind to the ungrateful and the wicked (Luke 6:35)
if you do not forgive men, you will not be forgiven (Matthew 6:14)
when we are cursed, we bless (I Corinthians 4:12)
when we are persecuted, we endure it (I Corinthians 4:12)
when we are slandered, we answer kindly (I Corinthians 4:13)
when we are insulted, we do not retaliate (I Peter 2:23)
when we are suffering, we make no threats (I Peter 2:23)
do not repay anyone evil for evil (Romans 12:17)
do not take revenge, but leave room for god’s wrath (Romans 12:19)
if your enemy is hungry, feed him (Romans 12:20)
if your enemy is thirsty, give him something to drink (Romans 12:20)
overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21)
do not repay evil for evil/insult with insult, but w/blessing (I Peter 3:9)
do not pay back wrong for wrong (I Thessalonians 5:15)
give to everyone who asks you (Luke 6:3)
lend to your enemies without expecting to get anything back (Luke 6:35)
PRINCIPLE OF USING RESOURCES TO ENERGIZE PRAYING (besides bible)
Read biographies of old time saints who prayed and spoke of prayer:
EM Bounds – best communicator on prayer principles I have ever found –
Rees Howells – crazy story of being filled w / Holy Spirit and interceding for others –
George Mueller – man of God, may of faith, prayer was his deal –
Mary Geegh – hearing god’s voice – “Listening Prayer” – tremendous example
Her story one of LISTENING PRAYER
1) Be still
2) Be definite about your sins (regarding confessing and repenting of them)
3) Listen to God
4) Write down what you hear
5) Do it!
PRINCIPLE OF LEADERS HAVING PRAYER COVERING
Metaphor – fist and fingers (Leader covers the flock: flock prays for the leader)
1) Everyone needs covering
2) Spiritual leaders especially need it!
Book – “Prayer shield” (C. Peter Wagner) –
Scotty Kessler Resource Library 