GOING DEEPER WITH GOD

THE IMPORTANCE OF PRAYER

The past three weeks we have focused on spending time in our prayer closet, that place of intimacy with our Father. These times are most needed, yet they are not the only time we pray. Often we get a call, a text or see on Social Media a friend or a friend's friend or family member who needs a right now prayer. Least I forget I normally stop and pray right then. There are many times I have called out Jesus help me, even in the smallest of things, Jesus is always there willing to help. We all have those prayer lists of the sick, the lost, the wayward sons and daughters, our needs that we lift up to our Father in prayer. Many of these we take into our prayer closet, yet many are prayed in the car, over the phone, through a text, just stopping in the middle of the day and awake in the middle of the night because the Holy Spirit placed someone on our heart. And there are many times that I come before God saying "examine my heart, show me sin I have hidden away", or "Lord guide my direction", or "forgive me Lord, for I have sinned against You"! And much more, these times are important and precious. To know we have a Father God so ready to hear our prayers and to answer us and comfort us, and to bring us a conviction that will bring us to repentance.

We are to never be a people who are prayerless, even the unbelievers pray to the god they worship, should we the child of God not be more faithful in our prayers than those who worship a false deity! Lets look at a view scriptures that remind us to PRAY!

Acts 2:42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in prayers

1 Peter 4:7 But the end of all things is at hand; therefore, be serious and watchful in your prayers

Matthew 26:41 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak.

1Thessalonians 5:17 pray without ceasing.

Oh I could go on and on with scripture, but I will let each of you search more out. Prayer is one the essentials of the early church, yet in 2020 prayer in some churches seems to not be so popular, remembering that one of the lowest attended church meetings is a night of prayer. There are times at my church that the pastors will be lead just to pray, and those can be some of the most blessed and rewarding moments for most of us; yet, some would become uncomfortable in their church by service not going the way they think it should. But here is the truth, Jesus said "My house is to be a house of prayer". Then why isn't it?

In a culture where we have the means to make most things happen, prayer is saved for only the big things. Yet our heavenly Father is interested in every tiny aspect of our lives; whether it is finding a parking place, healing a headache, looking for that important something we put in a safe place but can't remember where it is, or healing from a life threatening disease, or financial provision. So many times I have prayed "Jesus you know where I have placed this, help my mind to remember and my eyes to see", and yes He helps me every time, why because we have a relationship not a religion and He is involved with every part of my life, not just the big stuff but ALL of me.

My good friend will say "if you don't believe God will heal a headache then how can you believe He will heal cancer?" And let me add this "if we can't believe God will guide us to find that item we misplaced how can we believe He will guide through tomorrow when we don't know what tomorrow holds?"

So many scriptures reiterate this thought "watch and pray".

Why is it important for the bride of Christ to watch & pray? It is so important that Jesus repeated this twice in a row Matthew 24:42 and again in Matthew 25:13

 "Watch therefore, for you neither know the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."

In the first reference Jesus is responding to "as in the days of Noah, mankind was just living life and suddenly the rain came," the second was concerning the 10 virgins five had oil in their lamps and were ready to meet their Bridegroom and five were foolish and had no oil and were not ready.

(I have heard multiple teachings on the 10 Virgins and I understood, but the other Sunday my pastor stood in front and pointed as if to divide the congregation in half and said "Half were not ready". The truth is many who go to God's house and say they are Christians, are not! They believe He is, because they were raised to believe, yet they only know OF HIM. To know Him is to have a heart relationship with Him, and many have only a head knowledge of Him.)

Here is who we are watching for, the return of our Savior to catch away His bride. We should be watching the prophetic signs being fulfilled around us, they say He is coming, be ready for that moment when we hear the trumpet sound. Yet, many have fallen asleep and then temptation came, that the world has echoed into their ears, the Master has delayed, enjoy the moments of this day. The result is the bride falls asleep, and prayer becomes less important, reading the word becomes not as necessary and the words "I'm too tired on Sunday to go to church," becomes a habit of one's life

 We must stay alert, watchful, praying, seeking, trusting, obeying. God never told us to sit and soak, He told us to be ambassadors, to go and tell, to make disciples, to pray, to fight the good fight.......Each born again believer has been gifted to fulfill their kingdom assignment, not to be about our Father's business is to be disobedient.

So we watch and we pray and we obey. Jesus said in Luke "Will the Son of Man find faith on the earth when He returns?" Will He find His bride faithful or out chasing the gods of this world, which are the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life.

Are there prayers that God our Father will not hear? And what hinders our prayers?

Proverbs 15:29 The LORD is far from the wicked, But He hears the prayer of the righteous.

 (In other words, the only prayer from the unbeliever that our Lord hears, is the one surrendering to His call in faith and repentance)

Isaiah 59:1-2 Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.

James 1:6-7 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord.

1Peter 3:7 Husbands likewise dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.

Marriage is a relationship, much like Jesus Christ and His church. God desires that husband and wife have a mutual love and respect for one another. Now Peter addresses husbands in this verse, most likely women were treated more like property than a helpmate, because of the culture of their time. But I also am sure that if our husband's prayers can be hindered by how he does not honor his wife, the same holds true for the wife who is unsubmissive, which shows no respect for his position in the home.

FOOTNOTE: WIVES ARE NEVER TO BE TREATED LIKE A DOORMAT, TO BE TRAMPLED ON AND ABUSED BOTH PHYSICALLY AND VERBALLY!

1John 5:14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

Let that soak in, everything we pray perhaps is not His will for us.

And we have scriptures of promises that God hears our prayers

Jeremiah 33:3 Call to Me, and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things which you do not know.

Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Revelation 5:8 Now when He (Jesus) had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, the golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

Every blood bought born again Christian is a saint, not just special people, but we are saints. Our prayers whenever we pray with the right heart motive comes before the Throne Room of God as a sweet smelling aroma.

Exodus 30:34 And the LORD said to Moses "Take sweet spices, stacte and onycha and galbanum, and pure frankincense with these sweet spices; there shall be equal amounts of each..."

These were the ingredients that the perfumer would make as incense to be burnt before the Testimony in the tabernacle of meeting where God said He would meet with the priests. 

This incense represented our prayers, our prayers of praise, our prayers of thanksgiving, our prayers of repentance, prayers of petitions and more as the smoke of the aroma rises it becomes a sweet smelling fragrance before God's throne.

In closing this session, I ask "How important is praying to you?"

Next week we will look at the ingredients of our prayers and what does Intercessors and prayer warriors mean? Do you have a prayer partner to support you and you support them in your prayers?