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Ingredients For Prayer

Ingredients
For
Prayer

A practical approach
to maximizing your
time with God.

Eric A. Lambert, Jr.


Ingredients for Prayer
Trade Paper Edition

© by Bethel Deliverance International Church

All rights reserved


Printed in the United States of America

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE:


KING JAMES VERSION.

All NIV scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW


INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by
International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan.
All rights reserved.
DEDICATION
I dedicate this book to Him that helps us in all of
our trials, the only true God, our Lord Jesus.

To the membership of the


Bethel Deliverance International Church.

To all those who will be blessed by this study.

Praise our Lord!


CONTENTS
Preface

CHAPTER 1 What Is Prayer? 17

CHAPTER 2 Lord, Teach Us How 19


To Pray

CHAPTER 3 Give Us This Day Our 27


Daily Bread

CHAPTER 4 Forgiveness For Sins 37

CHAPTER 5 Lead Us Not Into 45


Temptation

CHAPTER 6 Knowing What To 53


Pray For

CHAPTER 7 Don’t Be Anxious 65

CHAPTER 8 Praying For And 73


Connecting With Others
CHAPTER 9 Effectual And Fervent 79

CHAPTER 10 Pray Often 85


PREFACE

O ne of the most important disciplines of the Christian life


is prayer. We are often challenged by the same struggle of the
disciples of Jesus. Teach us how to pray is often the hearts cry of
the believer in the world today. Prayer is often used to solve
problems and have material needs met as well as twist the arm of
God into submission. This is the primary mistake that we make
in our time of prayer. Our culture makes us think that the
Father will submit to our will and do what we have demanded
of Him. Yet I believe that prayer is a time for intimacy and
connection with the Father. We are often challenged by the
worldly view of prayer and we fall into the trap that makes us
think that we are able to use prayer to bully the Lord into doing
what we want.
I am sure that you have been exposed to the various
myths regarding prayer and we often fall into the trappings of
fleshly prayers that are not generated by the will of God. In this
book, I want to dispel the myth that the Lord has given prayer
as the tool for gaining things, instead of a way to connect with
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our heavenly Father. It is my conviction that prayer is the one
aspect of Christian life that brings us closer to the Father and
converts our will into His divine will.
It is a formidable task to write a book about prayer. As a
Christian, I am always amazed when I hear mature Christians
“talk to God.” Down through the years, there was always a
nagging question in my spirit. I wondered if I was praying
correctly. I would often ask if I was talking to God or simply
telling Him what I wanted. This question would haunt me for
over 30 years.
As a young Bible student, I would hear of great men and
women of God who were gifted with prayer mantles that were
out of my reach. I, along with others, would ask if our prayer
lives would ever reach such majestic heights as Charles
Spurgeon, D. L. Moody, Mother Dabney, A.A. Allen, and those
who were used as God’s ambassadors for the end time revival.
Prayer is not a “fun time” with God that rewards us with
cars and things that will ultimately fade with time. I am sure
that the Lord did not create prayer for the absorption of carnal
pleasures. Well, then what is prayer and how do we work it out
in our lives?
I must confess that I have been tremendously encouraged by
my own research of such an important matter in the body of
Christ. While my studies and my pursuit of clarity was more
extensive than what is represented in this book, I felt it was more
appropriate to create a compact thesis for your reading
challenge. It was more important to give you enough
information to get you to discover prayer truths for yourself.
Jesus knew that the magnitude of His work would require a
life of prayer that was extremely disciplined. He would spend
significant time in prayer with the Father: “One of those days
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Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night
praying to God” (Luke 6:12 NIV). I am sure that Jesus did not
spend all night in prayer asking for material things. He uses the
fellowship of prayer as a way to get closer to His Father. I am
convinced that we should have the same mindset when we pray.
It is my conviction that we must return to the basic principle of
Christ centered Christianity. As we take the steps to return, we
must involve our hearts in the discipline of prayer.
As we examine the principles of prayer, I am sure you will
discover why Jesus spent so much time in prayer and
communion with God. He knew that prayer was the link to the
Spiritual realm and it would forever keep Him in and on the
path of the Father.
Ingredients for Prayer is written in a straightforward way that
you come to expect from me, and I trust that you will grow
stronger as you read this book.

Let us echo the heart of the followers of Christ when they


asked Him to teach them to pray.

And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place,


when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach
us to pray, as John also taught his disciples (Luke 11:1).

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

Eric A. Lambert, Jr.

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CHAPTER 1

What Is Prayer?

I t has been my observation that many of God’s people do


not know how to pray. You would think that prayer, being
such an elementary part of Christianity, would be something
that we know how to do instinctively. Yet, the reality is that
we often find ourselves struggling with this important aspect
of our faith. Part of the challenge for many believers is
understanding the dynamics and disciplines of prayer. We
have been taught so many erroneous things about prayer that
many of us believe that if we pray in a small soft voice that
God does not hear us.

By hyper-definition, prayer is an act of


intercourse with your soul and God’s spirit.

Prayer by definition is worshipful oratory. By


hyper-definition, prayer is an act of intercourse with your soul
and God’s spirit. It is you connecting with God until your
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desires have been replaced by His heart. Prayer is going to


God and asking for His will, not things. It is asking Him to
reveal himself to you until you begin to develop the attitude
that His will must take priority over your life. Prayer is going
to God and saying strip me, mold me, make me, so that I can
be a vessel and a receptacle of your Spirit and honor.
Prayer by itself is laying before God without opening
your mouth and waiting for His thoughts to become your
thoughts so that your mouth can utter what His heart desires.
Contrary to popular belief, it is not asking for a Mercedes or
any other type of luxury automobile. Prayer is coming to
God and asking Him to do something in you: to break the
pride, to break the arrogance, to break your will, to destroy
the things that you want and replace them with the things
that He wants.
I can’t stress enough that prayer is intercourse of your
soul with the heart of God. It is the two of you connecting in
the spirit realm until you can see it God’s way. Jesus tells us
in John 5:19 that he only does what he sees his Father doing.
Where did he see it? He saw it in prayer. Prayer will put you
on the same course as the Father. If your prayer life is fruitful,
you will begin to see things through the eyes of our Heavenly
Father and you will stay on that course until He changes
direction. Key to Jesus’ victorious lifestyle was that he was in
constant communication with the Father and He was always
somewhere praying. Jesus knew how to pray and He did it
with great results. When we master the discipline of prayer,
we will find the same level of victory Jesus found through
prayer.
CHAPTER 2

Lord, Teach Us How To Pray


“And it came to pass that as He was praying in a certain
place when he ceased one of his disciples said unto him,
Lord teach us to pray as John also taught his
disciples” (Luke 11:1-4).

T his request made by the disciples was not unusual. The


theory was that many rabbis wrote prayers for their students
to recite. Hence, we have teach us to pray; in many cases the
students literally recited the prayer written by the rabbi.
Therefore, when one of Jesus disciples said, “Lord teach us to
pray”, it was not an unusual request.
Jesus’ prayer was different from other prayers that the
disciples had heard up to now. Unlike others, Jesus used
“Father”, a term of intimacy, when communicating with
God. In the Greek, “father” is pater which speaks of the
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parenting role. No one had ever referred to the Lord of Hosts


as Father before. Jesus introduces God in a new role: that of a
loving parent. Jesus used this title to show the relationship
they shared, and not out of religious zeal.
Jesus neither read nor recited a prayer; he prayed from
within. Jesus’ prayers were the result of His daily relationship
with the Father. As a result, he never engaged in “crisis
praying”. The disciples saw the distinct difference in Jesus’
prayers and wanted Him to teach them His recipe for prayer
success. In essence, they were asking him to show them how
to pray with effectiveness.

Jesus gave us the ingredients for prayer. We


are not to regurgitate Jesus’ words; we are to
make sure that our prayers contain the basic
elements set forth by Jesus.

They recognized that there was something significant


about Jesus’ prayers. First, he always received answers when
he prayed. They wanted to learn among other things how to
get answers. Jesus response to their request was what many
erroneously call the “Lord’s prayer”. The Lord’s Prayer is
actually found in John 17; this is the prayer Jesus prays for all
believers in his priestly position.
Jesus responds to the disciples request by giving them a
model prayer. A model serves as a pattern or indicates
structural design. In essence, Jesus gave us the ingredients for
prayer. We are not to regurgitate Jesus’ words; we are to
make sure that our prayers contain the basic elements set
Lord, Teach Us How To Pray 21

forth by Jesus with our own flavor. It is like a cook following


a recipe for a cake. The basic ingredients will be the same:
flour, butter, egg, leavening agent and sugar. However, the
cook will make it “their own” by adding lemon or orange
zest.
So, how are we to pray? Jesus said when you pray, pray
along these lines:

Our father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy


name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done as it is in
heaven so on earth. Give us day by day our daily bread
and forgive us our sins for we also forgive everyone
that is indebted to us. Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

“Our Father…”

When look at this model of prayer, notice how it begins:


Our father. Jesus begins with the ultimate relationship,
parenting. Our Father is a phrase that brings rapture to the
weary soul. We indeed have a Father who cares for us. I am
convinced that prayer brings out the best in God.
There are times when children call upon their father for
service. During those times, the father is placed in the unique
position to perform for his child. The child comes to the
father with a request and the father makes it his priority to
carry out his child’s wishes and meet their expectations.
When the crisis is met and the “victory” is won, the father
feels happy that he was able to help his child; so, it is with our
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heavenly Father. He delights in caring for us. He invites us


to bring Him our burdens and our cares: “Casting all your
care upon him; for he careth for you (1 Peter 5:7).”
The Father wants you, His child, to stay in constant
communication with Him and to cast your cares upon Him
daily. Prayer is the time to talk to God and tell Him those
things that concern you. Today, the role of the father has
been distorted in most homes. As a result, we must
constantly remind ourselves that God is always waiting to
help us in all of our distresses: “I called upon the LORD in
distress: the LORD answered me, and set me in a large place
(Psalm 118:5).”
God wants to solve our problems and give us peace.
When you begin to pray, think about the relationship. Jesus
is telling the disciples that before you ask God for anything,
before you tell him how you feel, before you intercede for one
individual, you must recognize who He is relationally. Take
the time to focus on that relationship and rest in your Father.

“… which art in heaven:”

This phrase reminds us of God’s position. In our world,


we assume that the higher a person’s position, the more
power they have. If someone is CEO of a company, the head
of a government, or (smile) the Pastor of Bethel, we believe
that their position allows them to grant special requests. Well,
to some degree, that is a correct assumption, and we see it
happening every day.
Lord, Teach Us How To Pray 23

Jesus simply says when we pray, we ought to know that


there is no one above our Father. He is in heaven far above
the foolishness of man. He is the absolute ruler of all
principalities and powers: “Our God is in heaven; he does
whatever pleases him (Psalms 115:3 NIV). “
Since He does whatever pleases Him, we can rest in the
knowledge that no one can cancel out His power or decisions.
Hallelujah! Once the Lord is on our side, we can withstand
anything the evil one brings our way. Our Father is in heaven
controlling the universe as well as our lives, and because of
this we have confidence and can rejoice!

“ …hallowed be thy name”

These words convey that the Lord’s name is holy. History


tells us that the Hebrew scribes would wash their hands
immediately after writing the name of the Lord. In our
culture, there is so much irreverence of the name of our Lord.
Even Christians can get caught up in the cultural
assassination of the name of the Lord. Wherever we are we
can hear the Lord’s name being blasphemed. If we are not
careful, we can find ourselves caught up in the actions of the
unrighteous. When we pray, we are to remember that the
Lord’s name is holy and not to be taken lightly.
As we enter into God’s presence, we are to focus on who
He is and not just what we want. We should always approach
Him with reverence, awe and respect. We are to praise the
name of the Lord at all times, and especially in times of
intimacy known as prayer. There must be worship, and an
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appreciation of God’s holiness during prayer. Understanding


that our heavenly Father is holy is a key ingredient to prayer
that will impact how we approach Him. I hope that you
would not come to your natural father haphazardly or
disrespectfully. With the same mindset, we are to respect our
heavenly Father. We are to come to our heavenly Father with
faith and gratitude. Yet, we also approach Him with awe.

...relationship with the Father is far more


important than anything else in our
Christian walk. Prayer will build this
personal relationship more than anything
else...

You must understand that God and his name are


“hallowed”(sacred). God is above everything; He is greater
than all of creation. There truly is none like him. In using
hallowed Jesus tells us that our Father is holy and he is to be
honored, revered and worshipped. We are told by the writers
of the Psalms that we should enter his gates with thanksgiving
and enter into his courts with praise. We know the psalmist
was speaking of entering the gates of the temple. Now we
enter directly into the presence of God. However, this
directive has not been removed. We are to enter into the
presence of God with praise and adoration.

I love you Lord and I lift my voice


To worship You , oh my soul, rejoice!
Lord, Teach Us How To Pray 25

Take joy, my King in what you hear


May it be a sweet, sweet sound in Your ear.
-Laurie Klein

These are the key components for the Lord’s model


prayer. You can see that they focus on relationship. The
relationship with the Father is far more important than
anything else in our Christian walk. Prayer will build this
personal relationship more than anything else that we aspire
to do for the Lord. I want to stress to you that nothing is
more important than the work of prayer. You must take time
to develop the relational aspect of prayer and everything else
in your life will be fine.
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FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION:

I ask that you consider the following information:

• Jesus spent an enormous amount of time in prayer.


• Jesus would continue in prayer all night long.
• Jesus stresses prayer as the high point of our
relationship with the Father.

1. How much time do you spend in prayer?


2. Have you learned to see God as Father and not simply
as Savior?
3. What do you need to do to develop a stronger
relationship with your heavenly Father?
4. Are you mindful to “enter his gates with thanksgiving”
– do you incorporate praise and worship into your
time of prayer?
CHAPTER 3

Give Us This Day Our Daily


Bread ~ Supplication

Prayer is not supplication, but supplication is part of


prayer. You can pray without making supplication.
Supplication is to ask, or the simple act of bringing your
request before God; it is when you break out your list and tell
God what you want. This is where we need to develop a
more Eastern mindset. The Eastern mindset is characterized
by service to others. It does not seek its own pleasures, and
desires. I believe that the Western mindset leans more towards
gaining things through capitalism. If we turned off our
Western mindset then we would realize that we do not need
to ask God for ninety percent of the things we ask him for
because those things are covered in this portion of the model
prayer.
The Western mindset is one that seeks comfort and fun.
It focuses on pleasure and not spiritual things. In contrast,
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the Eastern mindset focuses on spiritual things. Its central


focus is the fulfillment of individual destiny rather than
material gain. We often pray with a western focus which
causes us to seek things and comfort. As a result, we find
ourselves asking for things that God does not want us to
have.

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If


anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in
him. For everything in the world--the cravings of
sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of
what he has and does-comes not from the Father but
from the world. The world and its desires pass away,
but the man who does the will of God lives forever (1
John 2:15-17 NIV).

As we consider effective prayer, there must be a shifting in


our thought process. Our culture certainly traps us into
thinking that the things we crave are the things the Lord
wants us to have.
If you believe that God knows what you need then you
can grow to a point where you don’t have to keep asking Him
to meet your needs. God is our heavenly Father, and He
knows what we need. Children don’t pay rent; yet, as parents
you will feed them. When you make a meal, you make a
meal for everyone and then you invite them to the table by
announcing that dinner is ready. Parents don’t stand at the
door and make children ask for food. Then why do we think
that we have to ask God for the things we need when He has
promised to provide them in advance. At the end, we know
Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread 29

we have need of something because we will have it. If we


don’t have it then we don’t need it in that moment.
We spend an enormous amount of spiritual energy asking
for things that God knows that we are not ready for. When
God chooses in His sovereignty not to give us things because
He knows the outcome of us having them, our response is
not usually “Well, that’s okay. God knows what is best for
me.” Instead, we gather a group of Christians together and
ask them to intercede believing that bombarding heaven will
force God to give us what we want. We usually believe that if
we increase the number of people praying, we will cause the
Lord to submit to our will. Ultimately, we wear down the
saints resolve and keep pressing in an area that God has closed
off to us.

You can become liberated in the area of


supplication when you understand that if I
have it, then I need it; if I don’t have it then
I don’t need it or I’m not ready for it...

We forget that God knows the end from the beginning;


He knows the outcome of every situation that we will face.
He even knows what will happen “if”. Yet, we continue to
ask God to do what he obviously does not want to do. Our
supplication then becomes extortion. We simply need to
remember that our God is all knowing and wise. When He
says “no”, it is for a reason and we must accept that reason.
We will usually pray that God will have others see the
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situation our way rather than pray that both of us see it God’s
way. This is a result of our concept of prayer being self-
centered.
You can become liberated in the area of supplication
when you understand that if I have it, then I need it; if I
don’t have it, then I don’t need it or I’m not ready for it and
God loves me so much He won’t give me what I’m not ready
for. Can you imagine God giving you what you are not ready
for and it becoming an emotional, psychological and spiritual
nightmare? You would be unhappy. God knows how a
person will be in thirty years. He cares so much about you
that he will begin to open trap doors so that you may see
some things about them. He will let you see their true
character and attitude; they will begin breaking your heart
regularly. Yet, you remain connected to them. God is letting
them hurt you, but you stay connected because you believe
that is the person God has giving to you. Understand, God is
saying “I have told you no. I can’t grant this request because
I love you and I know that the situation is only going to get
worse.” Nevertheless, you continue to pray that God will
change his mind. Unfortunately, many Christians are
determined to have what they want and not what God wants
for them.
When we look at “Give us this day our daily bread” our
supplication should be “give us what we need”. What do you
need? The bible says if you have clothes and shelter, be
content. Have you ever walked past a car dealership and said
“Look at that Jaguar, Father in Jesus name I claim that car.”
Have you ever noticed how we claim the car, but we do not
claim the payments, the insurance, or any of the things that
Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread 31

go along with it. Then we complain when it costs $250.32 to


fill it up with gas. God knew how much the gas would, be
but you claimed the car.
The western mind thinks that prayer exists to fatten our
coffers and to make our lives materially richer. This doctrine
permeates our culture. We actually try to make deals with
God: “God if you give me this car, I’ll go out with
evangelism, I’ll visit the sick.” God is saying, “Excuse me,
you are not doing it now and you think I have stupid written
across my forehead? If I give you this car you won’t come to
church at all. On Sunday, you’ll be washing it, on Saturday
you will park in front of the door so that nobody will get in
front of you. I’m not going to give you things because they
will come between you and I.”
God has given you the ability to think and make
decisions. Prayer will help you make the right decisions. As
we stay before our “Father”, we form God’s mindset and we
can watch the Lord work on our behalf.
It is simple, you buy what you can honestly afford. Ask
God for wisdom and then buy what you like within your
budget. You don’t need a spiritual revelation about a car or
house. Do your homework, read reviews, gather performance
history, and then make an educated decision. As believers, we
find ourselves in financial predicaments because we miss
God’s response to our supplication. God may not give us a
direct answer but he will always respond…Yes, No, Wait. As
Christians, our desires will cause us to either ignore or miss
God’s answer.
For example, we will tell a person that God told us to buy
a house. “Did God really tell you to buy that house?” Your
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answer is yes. “Can you afford the house – the upkeep, the
taxes, replacing the roof if it leaks?” If your honest answer is
no and that you are buying it by faith then God didn’t tell
you to buy it. At this point, the right thing to do is to buy a
house you can afford by faith, because the one you can’t
afford is presumption. God is not obligated to support
presumption.
Now, I know that many of your views are formed by the
cultural reality that God wants His children to have the best.
However, I must ask you to define the best. Do you think
that God wants you to have what is best for you or what is
best for the Kingdom of God? I also realize that you are
being exposed to many theories about prosperity and having
abundance. Many of the theories we hear today simply
reinforce our reasons for writing this book on proper prayer.
We should spend more time in God’s presence than in God’s
pocket. What does the Lord really desire for us and from us?
Have you considered prayer is designed to be more than a
time for shopping? Did you ever think that our Father
wanted prayer to be a time of spiritual connection?
I only ask these questions because Christians must begin
to move beyond a relationship with our Father based on
receiving “goodies”. I cannot imagine Jesus asking the Father
for stuff. I believe that He simply waited for directions and
He knew the Father would provide. Prayer must be
dedicated to getting closer to the Father and receiving His
will instead of accumulating more stuff. I urge you to move
beyond the cultural expression of prayer and begin to think
more about the will of the Lord.
Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread 33

Prayer is not about you. It is about the will of the Lord


being done through you. To make supplication means that
you should bring your request to the Lord; however, you
must be sure that your request does not go against the Lord’s
will.
Look at the following scripture as an example: “Delight
thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of
thine heart (Psalm 37:4). “ I am sure that many of you
assume that David is encouraging the readers to go and ask
the Lord for anything and He will give it to you. The verse
does tell us that the Lord will give us the desires of our heart.
Yet, I cannot believe that the Lord is suggesting that we can
have anything we want. Can you imagine the can of worms
that would open? Is the Lord truly telling us that we can have
anything we ask, regardless of the motive and consequences?
Well, my theology is a bit more conservative. I believe
that the emphasis is more on us receiving the Lord’s heart and
mind as opposed to God giving us our desires. Could David
be suggesting to us that if we delight ourselves in the Lord ,
He would give our hearts what we should desire? I am
convinced that prayer done properly will reduce our will and
expose us to the will of God.
The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) has fascinated
me since childhood. As a boy, I wanted to be an FBI agent. I
would watch the television show and desire to be just like
“Inspector Erskine.” I had a well devised plan that included
going to college, earning my law degree and becoming an FBI
agent. Then I would retire after 20 years and go to work for
the Department of Justice. I wanted to put bad guys away.
Believe me when I tell you that I did not want to be a Pastor,
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NOT AT ALL! While I was praying, the Lord changed my


will and put His in its place. So, here I am -no FBI, no
Justice Department - I am a Pastor. Now, do not get me
wrong, I am happy doing the will of God, but the pastorate
was not in my will. Do you see the principle at work here?
My will was not God’s will and His will became superior in
my life.
We have every right as children of God to make
supplication. We must be careful that our focus is not
material gain. The Lord delights in giving us the riches of
His kingdom; however, we must be mindful that our focus
should be obtaining and doing the will of the Lord.
Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread 35

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION:

• Jesus’ ultimate goal was the fulfillment of the will of


the Father. He did those things that he saw the Father
doing. (John 5:19, 8:29)
• God delights in giving us the desire of our hearts.
• God will not withhold anything that is good for us
back (Psalms 84:11).
1. Do you regularly incorporate supplication into your
time of prayer?
2. During your time of “asking” do you allow God to tell
you “no”?
3. Are you more concerned about getting what you want
or pleasing God?
CHAPTER 4

Forgiveness For Sins


And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that
is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but
deliver us from evil (Luke 11:4).
Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not
what they do (Luke 23:34).

I t is during prayer that our sins are exposed and forgiven.


We can come boldly before the throne of God and confess
our sins before Him. We are told by the Apostle John that if
we confess our sins, that our heavenly Father is both just and
faithful to forgive us and cleanse us. However, it all begins
with confession. Prayer allows us to come into the presence
of our Father and honestly share our hearts.

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None of us can claim that we do not sin daily – in word,


deed and thought. There will always be someone who will
say that they don’t sin because they aren’t committing
adultery or fornication or murder, but are they backbiting,
lying, criticizing, faultfinding, stealing, complaining, or
overeating. It is not only humbling to know that we are
always in need of forgiveness, but also comforting to know
that our heavenly Father is waiting to grant forgiveness.
The Bible tells us that “ If we claim to be without sin, we
deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us (1 John 1:8
NIV).” Still, there is someone saying “I don’t sin”. Let’s
consider the truth for a moment. If you are employed, then
there is a strong possibility that you will sin. How is that
possible Pastor Lambert? Well, let’s examine a few facts.
Even as a Christian, you have the potential to steal on an
ongoing basis. I know you are saying “I don’t steal, not me-
never!” Do you have a job where the expectation is that you
work eight hours a day? How much time do you spend on the
phone dealing with personal matters? How long is your
“official” lunch break? How many company pens and pads do
you have at home? I thank God that He knows that I am not
perfect and has made a way for me to be forgiven.
Understand, none of us are perfect; we will sin in some way
or another. However, God is indeed faithful and just to
forgive us if we simply confess our sins.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will


forgive us our sins and purify us from all
Forgiveness For Sins 39

unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we


make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in
our lives (1 John 1:8-10 NIV).

Prayer that is truly spirit directed will always


result in forgiveness: first for yourself, then for
others.

After we have confessed our sins, we must develop


compassionate hearts and be willing to offer forgiveness to
others. If we expect the Lord to forgive us, we must forgive
others. Prayer that is truly Sprit directed will always result in
forgiveness: first for yourself, then for others. Forgiveness
must be granted to all, especially for those who have wronged
or hurt you.
Jesus ties the forgiveness of our sins to our forgiveness of
others, “Forgive us our sins… for we also forgive everyone
that is indebted to us.”

For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your
heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do
not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive
your sins (Matthew 6:14-15 NIV).
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and
slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and
compassionate to one another, forgiving each other,
just as in Christ God forgave you (Ephesians 4:31-32
NIV).
40

Do you have bitterness in your heart that you need to


release? Are you avoiding your spouse because of something
they did two days ago? If so, then release the bitterness
through forgiveness and move on. If you need to have a
candid conversation then have it. Do whatever is necessary
for you to exercise forgiveness. If you walk in unforgiveness,
it can have tremendous consequences beyond the spiritual.
There is no room for unforgiveness in your life. It raises
your blood pressure, it makes you angry, and it gives you a
headache by tightening the muscles and the vertebrae in your
neck. In fact walking in unforgiveness results in stress that
pinches nerves and can cause physical pain. You may even
develop heart palpitations that can lead to even more stress.
You then begin to develop resistance against the stress, which
may produce acid in your stomach. Next, you have
developed an ulcer. You have aches in your body that
medication won’t take away; your eye sight begins to blur and
now your suffering from hypertension. Do you get the
picture? It is easier to release others from your prison of
unforgiveness.
All this is a result of your anger towards someone who
doesn’t know you are angry with them. They are dancing at
the altar and not paying you any attention. This doesn’t
mean that they are right. It just means that they have moved
beyond the current situation and they have moved forward in
the things of the Lord. You have to move beyond the anger
and unforgiveness and resolve to let God deal with them. If
you are not careful, the anger and bitterness you have towards
that person will turn into anger and bitterness towards God.
Forgiveness For Sins 41

We see a clear example of this with Moses. If Moses had


realized that those were God’s people and it was up to God to
deal with them, then he would have made it into the
Promised Land (see Numbers 20). When the people starting
complaining Moses should have gone to Disney World (my
choice of course), but he became angry with them. And his
anger towards the people then turned into anger with God.
Moses couldn’t understand why God wasn’t dealing with the
children of Israel. This is ironic because earlier Moses
pleaded with God not to destroy the children of Israel (see
Exodus 32).
We have to be mindful that we are not perfect and God
has not judged us yet. So, we are to forgive everyone. Sprit
driven prayer will always result in forgiveness and a sense of
the love of God at work in your heart.
Prayer is hindered and rendered ineffective when the “sin
of unforgiveness” is at work in our hearts. If we are to
experience the total joy of the Lord’s presence, then we must
walk in forgiveness. Do not give the enemy an opportunity
to take the closeness of your relationship with your Father
from you by infecting you with the seed of unforgiveness.
When we experience unforgiveness, we begin to form
judgmental thoughts and actions. We look for the woman
caught in the very act of adultery and we seek to bring her to
our legal system. However, we must keep this passage of
Scripture in mind:

But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. At dawn he


appeared again in the temple courts, where all the
people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach
42

them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees


brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made
her stand before the group and said to Jesus, "Teacher,
this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the
Law Moses commanded us to stone such women.
Now what do you say?" They were using this question
as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But
Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground
with his finger. When they kept on questioning him,
he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of
you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone
at her." Again he stooped down and wrote on the
ground (John 8:1-8 NIV).

Notice Jesus does not, I repeat DOES NOT condone the


woman’s sin. He does forbid the judging of her actions. He
speaks to the mob and places a restriction on their judgment
– “…anyone of you …without sin” can judge her. Of course,
no one dared to speak against her.
The Apostle Paul teaches us another valuable lesson in a
different passage of scripture:

You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment


on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the
other, you are condemning yourself, because you who
pass judgment do the same things (Romans 2:1 NIV).

Unforgiveness does not mix with a fruitful prayer life. We


must work to release all from the sin of unforgiveness in our
hearts.
Forgiveness For Sins 43

Remember, prayer is connection with the Father and the


Father is always ready to forgive. We must have the same
mindset. As a result, choose to forgive everyone today. You
will not only find a better life as you walk in forgiveness but
you will also experience a more fruitful prayer life.
Remember, the words of the Apostle Paul: “Be kind and
compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in
Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32 NIV).
44

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION:

• We all have sinned and have experienced God’s grace


in the form of forgiveness (1 John 1:10)
• We have been promised forgiveness if we confess our
faults (John 1:9).
• God expects us to forgive others as He has forgiven us
– forgiveness is an act of obedience (Ephesians 4:31-
32)

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


why?
2. Has your unforgiveness of that individual(s) had a
negative affect on you or your relationship with God?
3. Understanding that forgiveness is an act of obedience,
forgive those who you are holding in the bondage of
“unforgiveness” and pray that God grant you
emotional healing.
CHAPTER 5

Lead Us Not Into Temptation

W hen we pray “and lead us not into temptation” we


are asking the Father to help us in our daily walk. If you
know that God is faithful and His Word is true then you
know that He will not put more on you than you are able to
bear.
When we succumb to sin, we wonder how it happens.
The fact is that God didn’t put it on us because the prayer
request was “lead us not into temptation”. The Scriptures are
clear — the Lord will not tempt us to sin.

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 (James
1:13-14 NIV).
45
46

Temptation usually comes to us because of a desire we


have in our heart and/or mind. The Bible says that we sin
when we are drawn away of our own lust and enticed. We
provide the lust. Satan’s job is to present us with a
temptation based on our own lust. When the temptation is
presented, we give in to our lustful desire. Our enemy has
been studying humanity for a long time. As a result, he does
not tempt us with something that is not a “lust” for us. The
enemy will provide many temptations that will result in
opportunities to bring us down into sin and shame. We must
remain vigilant and resist the devil at every turn.
If Satan knows that you are a man who likes a certain
type of woman then he will bring that woman to you. God
will keep you from the temptation by giving you the proper
Christian thing to say such as “I’m not interested”, “This is
not appropriate”, “We should not do this”. However, when
you think that you are stronger than Satan, you will entertain
the person and fall into sin. You will then go to God and ask
why it happened. God’s response is simple, “I kept you from
the temptation but you pushed beyond the limits that I
established.” Contrary to popular Christian belief, the devil
didn’t make you do it; he simply put a plate of food in front
of you and you ate.
We have to learn to ask God to help us see the boundaries
He has established for our individual lives so that we don’t
succumbed to temptation. Jesus tells his disciples in
Matthew 26:41 that they are to both watch and pray so that
they don’t enter into temptation.
There is a certain ambience that goes with particular times
of the day where interaction with someone you are not legally
Lead Us Not Into Temptation 47

married to should be avoided. No matter how much Holy


Spirit is in you, there are certain things you cannot do
because of the ambience that has been created. If you push
into these danger zones, you will fall. I want to be clear, God
can’t help you when you push into that danger zone. I know
some of you are asking “what do you mean God can’t help
me”. God is all-powerful and since He’s all-powerful, there is
absolutely nothing He cannot do.
Let me remind you of our verse of reference: “let no man
when tempted say I’m tempted of God, for God cannot be
tempted with evil, neither tempted he any man” (James 1:13).
We see from this verse that God never tempts us. God does
not tempt you with cigarettes, blunts, cigars, marijuana,
crack, or heroin. Brothers, God doesn’t send a woman to
switch in front of you so that you lose your salvation. Sisters,
God won’t send a square shouldered man with brown eyes to
tempt you so that you lose your affection for your spouse.
God does not tempt us with evil. The bottom line is that we
can’t blame God when we fall. The word of God tells us that
not only will God not allow us to be tempted with more than
we can bear, but he will also provide a means of escape from
the temptation.

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is


common to man: but God [is] faithful, who will not
suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but
will with the temptation also make a way to escape,
that ye may be able to bear [it] (1 Corinthians
10:13).
48

I know someone is asking why doesn’t God just keep the


temptation away from me. He did keep it off you by
providing a way of escape; however, you sought it out, you
wanted it, you found it, you engaged in it, you liked it, and
now you are sorry for it. This is why it is important that we
pray that God show us our boundaries. When we can
recognize the boundaries then we can also see the way of
escape when we are tempted.
Everyone is tempted when he is drawn away of his own
lust. Understand that not even the devil can be blamed. Poor
Lucifer, he did not tempt you. Stop saying the devil made
me cuss, or your kids made you cuss, or your supervisor made
you cuss. When you become a child of God, you are to
exhibit temperance or self-control. Because the Holy Spirit
indwells us, we are more than able to control desires that do
not honor God. Therefore, nobody made you swear. You did
it because you wanted to, because you lacked the vocabulary
to express yourself in a fashion where the words would not be
misunderstood or ignored. So you reverted to colloquialism
and you had to pepper them with words that are not godly in
order to get your point across.
The verses in James continues on to say that “…when lust
has conceived.” In order for something to conceive, it needs
two parties. Lust conceives with your imagination; for sin to
come forth, it needs lust and imagination.
The first sin was a result of the woman’s lust for the fruit.
Satan knew of her lust for the fruit because she was standing
in front of the tree admiring it. He capitalizes on her lust for
the fruit by causing her to entertain the restriction, “hath God
Lead Us Not Into Temptation 49

said?” Have you ever wondered why Satan approached her in


that fashion? Perhaps the woman was speaking with her
husband and said these words:

“Honey, why can’t we eat that fruit?”


“Well dear, God said not to eat of the fruit of that
tree.”
“But why can’t we eat of that tree?”
“Well honey, as far as I can understand, God said not
eat of the fruit of that tree.”
“But why can’t we eat of the fruit of that tree?”
“Dear you have all of the other trees, from which you
may eat. I do not know why God said not to eat the
fruit of this tree.”
“But, Adam, why can’t I eat of this tree’s fruit.”
“Honey, I don’t know why.”

Eve is left with an unanswered question. You never leave a


person with an unanswered question. Now she’s admiring the
fruit and “why can’t I eat from this particular tree” is running
through her mind over and over again. The serpent comes
with these words: “Did God say you couldn’t eat of it?” I
believe that his intent was to create division. Did God say it
or did your husband say it? Instead of her saying, “what’s the
difference”, she says, “yeah God said we shouldn’t eat of this
tree, nor should we touch it thus we die”. God never said not
to touch the tree.
Something is conjuring up in her mind. The serpent
replies, “you’re not going to die if you eat that because you
know what will really happen if you eat that? You’re going to
50

be as God. You know God doesn’t want you to be like Him.”


That is what won her. In that moment, she was drawn away
of her own lust.
The situation with Eve reveals several things:
• The enemy of our soul does not stop in his effort to
deceive us.
• We must submit to authority and seek the Lord’s
counsel at all times.
• If the Lord says that we should avoid certain things,
then we must avoid them. After all God (our Father)
knows what is best for us.
Yes, you can live above temptation. You can do it if your
prayer life is strong and fruitful. I have never known a
Christian with a strong prayer life that easily succumbed to
temptation. I am convinced that our strength to stand is a
result of effective prayer lives. It is my prayer that you increase
your prayer time so that you can escape the temptations that
are sure to come. Powerful prayers often result in the believer
gaining a new insight into the spiritual realm. I believe that
new spiritual levels will aid you in avoiding many of the
temptations that come your way.
Lead Us Not Into Temptation 51

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION:


• When we are tempted we are drawn away by our own
desires.
• With every temptation we are provided a way of
escape
• We must pray in order to avoid giving into
temptation

1. What areas do you find yourself tempted in?


2. Do you know what the boundaries are for that
particular temptation?
3. Do you pray regularly for God to reveal to you His
boundaries in your area(s) of temptation? Do you ask
God to make clear His ways of escape and to give you
the strength to take them?
CHAPTER 6

Knowing What To Pray For

W e will now approach the topic of what we should


pray for. I know that there are many of you who have just
taken a deep breath as you contemplate this topic. How many
times have you wondered about the mind of God concerning
a matter before you prayed? I know this is a concern for
many, if not most, Christians as they enter prayer.
Americans love to win and we love to be right. We usually
approach prayer with these Western concepts firmly
entrenched in our minds. No one wants to pray and have
their prayer denied. So, how do we insure our prayers will be
answered in the affirmative when we are taught that our
thoughts are opposite of God’s thought?

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are


your ways my ways," declares the Lord. As the heavens

53
54

are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than


your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah
55:8-9).
The answer is we must move towards His thoughts rather
than think He will move towards ours.
Since we want to pray, we need to pray, and we are
encouraged to pray, it is vital that we know what we should
pray for. The Word of God gives us some insight into this
important topic.

Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we


know not what we should pray for as we ought: but
the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with
groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that
searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the
Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints
according to the will of God. And we know that all
things work together for good to them that love God,
to them who are the called according to his purpose
(Romans 8:26-28).

In this great passage, we are told that the Holy Spirit helps
our infirmities because we don’t know what to pray for. The
word infirmities mean weaknesses. This scripture does not say
we do not know how to pray; it says we don’t know what we
should ask for. Let me give you an example. A person is
lying in a hospital bed and their health is deteriorating and we
don’t know what we should pray for. Do we go in and say
“Lord heal them” or do we go in and say “Lord I release them
into your arms.”?
Knowing What To Pray For 55

We don’t know what we should say, so we will go in and


say, “Father according to your will”. Do we really mean
according to your will or is it a cute little saying that we throw
up to God in order to substantiate the possibility that He may
not do what we want Him to do. Romans 8:26 clearly tells us
that we don’t know what we should pray for. Then in verse
27 we are told that because we don’t know what to pray for
the Spirit that “knows what is the mind” of God “makes
intercessions” for us “according to the will of God.” “The will
of God” is italicized which means it was added by the
translators. In the original text, we simply had “he makes
intercession for the saints according to God”.
For example, you have two people in a relationship and
one of the individuals decides that they have had enough of
the relationship and wants out. The other individual still
wants to be in the relationship. How do you pray if you are
the latter person? Do you pray God cause them to stay? Do
you pray Lord bend their will and make them stay? Or do
you pray Lord open the door and let them go. We really
don’t know how to pray about the situation. We don’t know
what the will of God is in the situation. As a result, Paul says
because of this weakness, the Holy Spirit makes intercession
through us with groanings that cannot be uttered.
This is where we become a little bit confused in
Pentecostal expressionism. We think that this passage speaks
of us praying until we speak in tongues and that is not the
case. Tongues are not the issue here. If you notice, the phrase
says “groanings which cannot be uttered”. We were once
taught that praying through meant praying until you spoke in
56

Praying through means you stay in prayer


until you develop God’s mind about the
situation.

tongues. That is not true. Praying through the situation has


nothing to do with praying until you speak in tongues.
Praying through means you stay in prayer until you develop
God’s mind about the situation. Once you have God’s mind,
you will also have peace.
Let me give you an example of this. The Bible says in the
book of Luke that when Jesus came to the Garden of
Gesthemane, he told his disciples to stay put and watch while
he went off to pray. When Jesus moved a certain distance
away from where the disciples were gathered, He knelt down
to pray. The Bible says that the pressure from the satanic
domain was so great on him that it caused sweat to come
down as great drops of blood. We now know what happened
medically was Jesus was under such intense spiritual pressure
that it caused certain blood vessels to break and there was
literally blood mixed with sweat. Jesus said, if it is possible,
let’s do this another way, but nevertheless, not my will but
your will be done. Here’s what he’s saying:

I don’t mind dying for the people. I don’t mind giving


my life for the souls of the people to come to you. I
know who they are because I’m God, and I already
know that these are people who are coming to the
kingdom. But if there is another way besides me
Knowing What To Pray For 57

becoming sin, if there is another way besides you


turning your back on me, can we do it that way.
Nevertheless, not my will, let your will be done.

Now that is prayer. Think about the words not my will but
your will be done. Do you pray in that fashion? Do you pray
for the will of the Father to be carried out in your life or do
you simply do whatever you want to do for your own
pleasure?
Jesus is praying in the spirit through his personal battle
until the mind of God is so solidified in him that he utters the
words thy will be done. This is the phrase that God is looking
for. God is not looking to hear you speak in tongues, God is
looking to hear you say, “Father, your will be done. I have a
will, I have desires, but I’m going to pray until my will is
broken and I say ‘your will be done’.” The will of God may
require that you love someone who does not love you. The
will of God may require that you bless someone who doesn’t
want to bless you. God may require that you give to
someone who is actively trying to destroy you. God may
require that you stay in a marriage that looks bad. Again, it is
not “your” will, but “thy will be done.” When we finally give
in to the Holy Spirit and say “your will be done” then we
have prayed through the situation.
The phrase, “we don’t know what we should pray for,”
suggests that when we are confronted by needs we don’t know
how to specifically pray regarding those needs. What do we
say? How do we pray? These are legitimate questions that are
on the mind of every believer at some time or another. A
specific situation unfolds before us but we don’t know what
58

we should pray for concerning it. Most of the time we will


pray comfort rather than acceptance.
For example, if you have a precious family member that is
teetering between life and death what do you pray? Most of
us will pray for healing, but how do we know that it’s not
their time to die? Many of us try to pray beyond a person’s
designated time. We want to hold on to them because of our
selfishness. We would rather have them lying in a bed
completely incoherent, completely unconscious to their
surroundings and the people who come to visit, just so we can
touch a warm body. However, the Spirit of God may be
saying release that person to me. How many of you can walk
into that room and say “Father I release them into your will;
if you want to take them you can take them and do whatever
you need to do. Father, I remove myself from the equation.”
This is praying according to the will of God. Because we
don’t know what the will of God is in every situation, the best
thing to do when you have questionable situations is to
remove yourself. It would be wise to pray something like
“God I don’t know what to do in this thing you can have it
now. You order it and guide it and show me what to do.”
This is called dependency on God.
Trying to ascertain the will of God is not an easy task; yet,
it is not impossible. Trying to determine the heart of God is
like trying to understand the majesty of the universe. Of
course, we can use scientific means to develop a theory. Yet,
there are some things that defy human answers. There are
times when the will of the Lord appears just as mysterious.
So what are we to do when confronted with knowing the will
of God?
Knowing What To Pray For 59

TRUST THE HEART OF GOD! Jeremiah 29:11 tells


us that God has good plans for us, at all times. As a result, He
wants us to trust Him. God has a plan for you and He has a
plan for me. If we use our time of prayer to get closer to the
Father then we can become comfortable with the unfolding of
the will of God. Remember the goal is to be able to say these
five words to our Father with conviction and faith - Father,
Your will be done!
Romans 8:28 tells us that all things will work together for
the good of those who love the Lord. This verse is directly
related to the Spirit praying for us. When the Holy Spirit
prays, he brings us into the will of God. Once this takes
place, all things that come as a result of the believer walking
in the revealed will of God will work for the good of the
believer.
Once we are sure of the will of God, we can pray with
assurance and faith. We can tell our enemy, Satan, that we
can rest now because we know what the Lord’s will is
concerning a particular matter. Then we can walk in the
peace of God.

Peace of God

As stated earlier, praying through means praying until you


know the will of God. However, the added benefit is that
peace comes with obtaining God’s mind about a particular
situation.
60

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything,


by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present
your requests to God. And the peace of God, which
transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts
and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7
NIV).

In this passage, the Apostle Paul tells the believer that we


must avoid anxiety by praying and spending time with the
Father. Through prayer, we find a place that guarantees
peace. In the King James Version the word that was
translated “peace” comes from the word eirene; it carries the
following definition: peace, quietness, rest. The Apostle gives
us the impression that a good strong prayer life will result in a
state of mental quietness and spiritual tranquility.
Therefore, you should pray until you sense that you have
the peace of God. You will walk away saying that the
situation is okay even though nothing has changed. At this
point, there is nothing that the devil can do to you. If you
received a negative report from the doctor last week and have
to go back for a follow-up visit, you will do it with peace.
You will walk in the doctor’s office with the peace of God,
which surpasses your understanding and that will keep your
mind. Whatever the outcome, you will have peace because
the peace you have is not yours, but it is the result of the
Lord’s presence. His presence will cause you to remain calm
in the midst of adverse situations. People around you will
not understand why you are calm after your doctor has told
you that you only have six months to live.
Knowing What To Pray For 61

You may have been told to pack your belongings by your


supervisor because you are being laid off. Your co-workers
are dumbfounded that you do it with a smile on your face.
The peace of God will keep you when nothing around you
seems to be going your way.
Your prayer time is essential. It is what connects you with
God’s abilities, and when you know what your God can do
then you will have peace. I am sure that Jesus walked around
in a constant state of peace. He never worried about
anything because he was aware that his Father was in control.
I can only imagine the state of total peace and contentment
Jesus lived in daily. Can you imagine walking through
everyday life without a care? Can you imagine walking
around as if you were being held in your parent’s arms and
could feel their love surround you? This is what the
Sovereign Lord wants for us every day.
Contrary to popular belief, God is in control and He is
aware of what you need and of your situation. Jesus
encourages us with this story:

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or


store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father
feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than
they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour
to his life? (Matthew 6:2-27 NIV)

Through prayer we discover the will of God and we reap


the extra benefit of mental and spiritual peace. I urge you to
pray until your will becomes lost in the will of our Father.
62

Prayer is literally the stripping away of your own will; it is


your will being absorbed by the will of Christ until your will
no longer exists.
There are some people that you have already marked as
enemies and you refuse to reconcile with them. Pray! Pray
until God turns bitterness into love for them. It is then that
you begin to pray opposite of your own will, and begin to
receive the mind of God and accept His divine will. There
are things that we want that will never come to pass. Yet, God
is looking for you to embrace His will even though it may
not be what you want. You embrace God’s will with this
mindset,

Lord I don’t like this situation. This isn’t what I


particularly care for, or what I had in mind. However,
I’m going to do what you say, because this is your will for
my life.

Please believe me when I tell you the more time you


spend in prayer, the more you will begin to respond to
situations in the same fashion as Jesus. I can only imagine
how he would handle the economic problems of our day or
how he would address the issues we face on a daily basis. If
Jesus could sleep on a boat during the height of a storm, then
he most certainly can provide the peace we need to adjust to
the stormy seasons in our lives.
Knowing What To Pray For 63

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION:

• We don’t know what to pray for and in light of this,


the Holy Spirit will pray for us according to the will of
God.
• We must continue to pray about a matter until we
develop God’s mind concerning the situation. This is
praying through.
• Peace comes once we have obtained and accepted
God’s will for a situation.

1. Is there a situation that you don’t know how to pray


for ? If so, begin with honesty. Simply tell the Father
that you don’t know how to pray for this matter and
ask the Holy Spirit to guide your time in prayer.
2. Do you struggle with peace in or about a situation?
Pray that God helps you to accept His will in or about
the situation and that, His peace encompass your
mind and heart.
CHAPTER 7

Don’t Be Anxious
The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our
refuge. Selah. Come, behold the works of the LORD, what
desolations he hath made in the earth. He maketh wars to
cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and
cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the
fire. Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted
among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. The
LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.
Selah (Psalm 46:7-11).

O nce again, the Psalmist calls us into the reality of


relationship. We are told that the Lord is with us, and
because of our relationship, we are protected from danger and
distress. We are admonished to be still and know that the
Lord is God! We spend an enormous amount of time rushing

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around our life. This constant activity can affect our prayer
time. Believe me, while I am engaged in the work of ministry,
I can easily become distressed and frustrated. When I am
confronting the multitude of problems involved in ministry, I
sometimes feel like “hitting the rock a second time.” This is
the result of anxiety and I must do the same things that I
teach others to do. I need a moment to reflect on the
greatness of God and rest. The life of an adult can be very
stressful and there are times when we need to revert to the
peaceful, trusting mindset of a child.
Remember as a child how you would open the refrigerator
and stare into it for fifteen minutes. You would hold the
door open so long that the ice would begin to melt. Yet, you
didn’t worry about it. You would go to school and not worry
about lunch money. You would go to your parents and ask
them for lunch money. You heard them say last night on the
phone that they were broke, but that did not stop you from
asking. Why? You knew that they would find a way to take
care of you and your needs. Parents were our first magicians;
they could make a “money” rabbit appear out of thin air.
You never worried about a thing.
I watch children playing at our camp during the summer
and they aren’t worried about a thing. They are running
around the playground, laughing and playing. They aren’t
thinking about war and economic calamity; they don’t have a
fear of terrorism. In contrast, as a parent, you are working
your fingers to the bone planning for a college education for
your three year old and he is outside wondering if he’s going
to get more cookies. Children do not worry, and it is this
Don’t Be Anxious 67

mindset that Jesus calls us to have. He completely


understands this quality about children and tells us to have a
childlike attitude. However, we seem to like worrying.
Paul understood through the Holy Spirit that prayer is
not effective when it is mixed with anxiety. He writes in
Philippians chapter four that we are not to have anxiety when
we pray. Anxiety will keep you from clearly hearing the
Spirit. The Spirit of God cannot communicate in a tempest.
When you are anxious, a thousand things are being tossed
back and forth in your mind: things you want to see, things
you are afraid of, things you want to accomplish. You can’t
believe God when fear is dominating your thoughts.

There he went into a cave and spent the night. And


the word of the Lord came to him: "What are you
doing here, Elijah?" He replied, "I have been very
zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites
have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars,
and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am
the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me
too." The Lord said, "Go out and stand on the
mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is
about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind
tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks
before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind.
After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord
was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came
a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the
fire came a gentle whisper (1 Kings 19:9-14 NIV).
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After the victorious showdown with the prophets of Baal,


Elijah ran from Jezebel. He went from faith to anxiety in a
matter of hours. Elijah strains to hear the Lord in the cave.
He thought God would speak with the same intensity that
Elijah demonstrated. Wind and earthquakes came. Elijah
thought the Lord would certainly speak out of these loud
demonstrations. Yet, the Lord’s voice was absent amidst the
noise.

As Christians, we have been led to believe that


we must be stronger than we actually are.

After the great noise came a whisper of a sound. You had


to “be still” in order to hear it. The Lord spoke in a calm
fashion and Elijah could have missed it if he was not still.
How often do we miss the small, gentle whisper of the Lord’s
voice as we struggle with anxiety? We enter our caves of
doubt and strain to hear from the Lord while wrestling with
emotions and fears.
Does this mean that if I am anxious that I can’t talk to
God? The opposite is true. Before you seek God’s face for
direction or an answer you must first deal with anxiety. Jesus
tells us that God cares about what we care about. As a result,
we are instructed to cast our cares on him. That means we
have to talk to our Father about whatever “it” is. Do you
know God wants to hear your anxiety; He wants to hear what
you are afraid of. He wants to comfort your heart. As
Christians, we have been led to believe that we must be
stronger than we actually are. Paul said in his writing “when I
Don’t Be Anxious 69

am weak…” - he acknowledged that he was weak. Don’t sit


around and try to be tough or to show God you can take it.
Tell God your concerns. In everything, take it to God. Tell
God where your heart is broken. Tell God when you are
frustrated. Tell God where you are fearful. Many of you
reading this do not need a counseling session. You do not
need to talk to the Pastor, deacon, elders, or minister. You
need to simply tell God about it.
Understand that God enjoys your company. God creates
or allows situations to arise in your life that will require you
to turn to Him. When you understand that you can’t figure
it out because you’re not suppose to figure it out on your
own, the better off you will be. You will find the frustration
dissipating. Tell God about it… “but in everything by
prayer”.
It is not advisable to force a prayer while under the attack
of anxiety. I strongly recommend that you sing for a few
minutes or read the Word of God until you find yourself
relaxing. This response will put you in a better position to
clearly hear the Lord‘s voice.
This concept is not deep. When you come to God sit in
His presence and begin to share with Him what is on your
heart. Tell it to Him the way you would. Do not use flowery
words; do not use ten syllable words when two syllables will
do. This is the time for you to be open and honest and talk
to your Father. What does this look like? It begins with…

Lord, I don’t know what they’re doing every day but you
know. I put my child in your hands; I’m not going to
worry about my baby anymore. I’m going to put my
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baby in your hands.


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

He then says, by prayer and supplication. Then, you tell


God what you want in this situation with the understanding
that ultimately it will be His will that will be done.
So, I say to you relax in the fellowship and relationship
with the Father. You must rid yourself of anxiety and rise
above doubt and fear. Give everything to the Lord in prayer
and watch the Lord move on your behalf.
Don’t Be Anxious 71

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION:


What a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer.
-Joseph M. Scriven

• God shows you how much He cares for you through


His care for things around you (Luke 12:22-32)
• God will meet every one of your needs (Philippians
4:19)
• God cares about the things you care about, including
your anxiety.

1. Are you anxious about a particular situation?


2. Have you given God your anxiety? Have you had an
honest conversation with your heavenly Father about
what you are feeling and what you are concerned
about?
If not spend time with God and give Him your
concerns. Ask Him to help you to lean on Him during
your time of uncertainty and to give you peace.
3. Can you look back over your life and see how God
has met your needs or handled a situation that you
were anxious about?
CHAPTER 8

Praying For and Connecting


With Others

G od created the body of Christ to be intimately


connected to one another and to care for each other. Jesus
tells the disciples to love one another as he has loved them. It
is important that we manifest the love Jesus spoke about
through praying for each other. We are not only to pray for
one another, but we are also to pray for the world and
situations in the world.
Have you ever thought to ask God to use you as an
instrument to bring peace to a warring situation or to be a
source of comfort to the broken hearted? Well, God may not
have you intervene in the natural, but He will have you lift
them up in prayer. The prayer may contain these simple
words:

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There are some people in my church Father whose


hearts are broken, and they don’t have any friends.
Father help me to go over and befriend them. I
heard that they were wicked, I’ve heard that they
were contrary and angry, help me go over and
befriend them. Lord, don’t let me isolate myself
and become so spiritually important that I can’t
love.

We think that God does not want this type of requests


brought before Him. However, everything the Christian
needs can be found in the body of Christ. It simply takes
someone to momentarily take their eyes off of their own
situation, stay before God long enough to have Him bring the
needs before you, and to pray as the Holy Spirit directs you.
As a young Christian, I heard about people praying all
night. I thought how can someone stay up and pray all night?
I would think that you would physically be too tired. I
watched how people around me prayed and they were
exerting a great deal of energy. It wasn’t until I went to a
Pastor’s roundtable in Raleigh, North Carolina that I gained a
full understanding of how you could pray for hours. About
thirty pastors had gathered together in a rented banquet hall
room at eight in the morning. I had only been pastoring five
or six years and I was among great men and women in God
who have now risen to a place of prominence that we could
never have imagined at the time.
The facilitator of the group said “we’re going to press into
prayer”. I was accustomed to our way of prayer. I said, “My
God this won’t be long because with all these people in the
Praying For And Connecting With Others 75

room there’s going to be a lot of emotions.” He said we’re


just going to sit in a circle and we will press into prayer. We
started praying at 9:00 am and the first session did not end
for five hours. To my surprise, I never left my chair. We
took a short break and prayed for another five and a half
hours.

...when you pray in the spirit with someone


else you are both connected to God and
heaven. Inevitably, the two of you will also
be connected.

I was talking to God, it wasn’t emotional; it was real


conversation with God. It was not structured and it wasn’t
scripted. Out of that was built a level of connection with
men and women of God that still exists to this day.
Understand that when you pray in the spirit with someone
else you are both connected to God and heaven. Inevitably,
the two of you will also be connected.
Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is
anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one
of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to
pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of
the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the
sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has
sinned, he will be forgiven. 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 (James 5:13-16 NIV).
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This passage in the Book of James teach us the attitude we


should have regarding a shared prayer life. First, the Apostle
teaches us that we should reach out to others when we are sick
and in need of prayer. I am often amazed that we wait until
someone calls us instead of calling the Elders. If we had the
proper attitude regarding “one anothering”, we would reach
out when we are hurting and in need.
James goes on to tell us that we are to be so connected
that we should trust each other, confess our faults to one
another, and seek help and strength from the Body of Christ.
I am sure that the Lord is pleased when we reach out to each
other and help our brothers and sisters in times of need. One
of the more delightful prayer agendas we had at the church I
pastor was when we would gather together and prayer for
each others’ needs. That time of connection brought such
unity to the local body. We could feel the church becoming
more connected. The Lord wants us to be connected in our
prayer efforts. If we pray together then the enemy will not be
able to destroy the unity of the local body.
I know that it is difficult to share and to establish a
connection with someone you may not be comfortable. Yet,
the family connection is vital for prayer. If the enemy is
successful in keeping the family of God disconnected, then he
can destroy our unity.
If we learn the principle of praying together and
encouraging one another, we will discover the richness of
fellowship and the strength of spiritual unity. Through
prayer, we will be able to assume new roles and
responsibilities in our church. I can fondly recall the
Praying For And Connecting With Others 77

Prayer is to be an act of “cementing”


relationships: first with our Father and then
with the family of believers.

closeness of the church when I came to Christ in in 1971.


You would often find saints of God huddled in corners
praying for each other. There was such a spirit of connection
that the power of God would be present in our midst even
before the Pastor came out to pray. One would often hear the
phrase “pray for me” spoken throughout the congregation. I
can imagine this is what the Lord had in mind as he taught
the disciples to pray. Prayer is to be an act of “cementing”
relationships: first with our Father and then with the family
of believers.

Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are


spiritual should restore him gently. But watch
yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each
other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law
of Christ (Galatians 6:1-2 NIV).

It is my conviction that prayer will enable us to “carry”


one another’s burdens as we work to fulfill the words of the
Apostle Paul. We often feel alone as we travel through life and
it is vital that we connect with our Heavenly Father and then
with the family of God. If we pray together and then for each
other we establish a strong spiritual connection , which will
serve as the instrument the Lord will use to demonstrate His
power.
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Pray for one another!

Father, I pray for my brothers and sisters in Christ. I ask


that you strengthen them and keep them strong. I ask
that the power of God, assist your people to move to
newer heights in your kingdom. We pray that your will
is done in their lives. In Jesus’ name, Amen”

There is too much separation in the Church today and it


must come to an end. Many powerful verses call us to a level
of accountability and cooperation that we cannot deny.
For example:
• Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with
them that weep (Romans 12:15).
• A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love
one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one
another (John 13:34).
• Therefore encourage one another and build each other
up, just as in fact you are doing (1 Thessalonians 5:11
NIV).

There are many other passages that reflect what I am


saying. However, I think you get the picture. We cannot
avoid the richness of relationship and the connection that
comes from our adoption into the family of God. Prayer will
serve to strengthen both of these areas of our lives. Let us
work on connecting with our brothers and sisters, so that the
Kingdom of God moves forward in power and unity.
CHAPTER 9

Effectual and Fervent


Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for
another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent
prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elias was a man
subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly
that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by
the space of three years and six months. And he prayed
again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought
forth her fruit. (James 5:16-18)

T he word effectual is the Greek word energeo which


means work. It is where we get the word energy and
ergonomics from. James tells us that prayer requires energy
and is therefore a form of work. Prayer is not simply an
utterance or a rehearsed statement; prayer is battling through
spiritual layers to get to the will of God. Let me emphatically
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say, PRAYER IS WORK! That is right, prayer is work. We


must move beyond the little prayers of our youth and move
into more advanced prayer that gets results. When we master
this level of prayer, we no longer need to feel anything; we
will be able to operate by faith and faith alone.
There are times when you sit before God and pray and
you don’t feel His presence. The powers of darkness encircle
you and sit on your shoulder telling you that God is not
listening and that your prayer is not working. You are
encouraged to get up and go watch TV. At this point, you
have to stay there and pray through all of the doubt and
discouragement until the mind of God becomes solidified in
you.

Prayer is the one component of Christianity


that is dependent upon the Character of the
person performing it.

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


the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in
the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” He reminds us
that we are engaged in a battle at all times. The level of the
attack is determined by the level of our intimacy with the
Father.
Prayer is the one component of Christianity that is
dependent upon the character of the person performing it.
Everything else dealing with salvation is passive. God saves
you, God delivers you, God fills you, God sanctifies you, but
prayer is dependent upon your character. The effectual,
Effectual and Fervent 81

fervent prayer of the “righteous” availeth much. Righteous


means that you must have character, steadfastness and the
ability to touch God.
Elijah was a man subject to passions as we are. What does
that mean? He hurt like us; he had similar emotions and
feelings. He prayed earnestly that it might not rain and it
didn’t rain on the earth for 3 ½ years. Then he prayed again
and the rain began to fall. What does this tell you about
Elijah? He was righteous and he exerted energy in prayer.
Elijah prayed and then he received a vision. However, the
prayer had not been fully manifested. He now prays the
vision. He continues to pray seven more times until he
receives results.
Depending upon the significance of the vision God has
given you, the enemy will not roll over and let what you see
come to pass after your first prayer. I know that the church is
confused about this. Do I pray for it once, count it done, go
on, and praise God? Do I pray repeatedly until I have a clear
answer? Is it doubt if I bring the same request before Jesus
again?
Let me help you understand what happens with prayer.
Let’s say the human resource person at a company you have
always dreamed of working for calls you and says they have a
job for you. They tell you to report to room 330 on June
20th at 12:30 pm to sign papers to solidify your position. On
June 20th, you show up, but the security guard will not let
you upstairs. He tells you that your name is not on the
visitors’ list. How would you address the guard’s response?
Do you think you would turn around and go back home?
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Now, you know what you were told and you know what is
waiting for you. Will you give up and go back home?
Hopefully, you will not go home because someone
upstairs called you. You are not going to let the security
guard keep you away. So, why do we let the enemy keep us
from what we know is ours or what we want? We want to
hear clearly from God about our request. You would have the
guard call the human resource department. If the line is busy,
you will tell them to try again until they get the person you
spoke with. Finally, the person you are there to meet with
picks up the phone and apologies for your name not being on
the list.
PRAYER IS WORK! Daniel said he prayed for an answer
from God for 21 days. The angel sent with the answer finally
arrived. He had been held up by the ”prince of Persia” and
he had to wait for reinforcements to be sent. Why did God
send reinforcements? The text tells us it was a result of
Daniel continuing in prayer. I want to encourage you not to
give up when you know it is God’s will that you get an
answer. Keep asking God until you have results, until you
have an answer. Please understand that you may not get the
answer you want but you will get an answer if you keep
asking.
Sometimes prayer can result in a physical confrontation
with the adversary that will test your resolve. Jesus prayed
until the pressure of darkness rose up, “And being in agony he
prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great
drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Luke 22:4). The
very life was being squeezed out of him. Have you ever
prayed until you stirred up the enemy? I do not think that
Effectual and Fervent 83

many of us have ventured into that arena. If we are to see the


miraculous and hear from the Lord, we must move into a new
level of prayer. We must learn to press through the devils
pitfalls and devices. We have to continue in prayer even if the
response from the Father has been delayed.
At the beginning of this bookt we talked about developing
a positive relationship with the Father, and all that went with
it. Well, there are seasons when we must rest solely on the
relationship. We must pray with the understanding that the
Lord knows what He is doing and we are His children.
We are encouraged to always trust the Lord: “Trust in the
LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own
understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall
direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6). Trust comes as a result of
our paternal relationship with the Father as His child. My
daughter trusts me with her life. Why? We have spent
considerable time together and I grew with her. We would
spend time together in various places having fun. She became
familiar with me and I with her. Ultimately, a mutual trust
for each other developed. It took great effort to reach the
place of total trust and it was not easy. It will require the
same effort to trust our Father completely. It will take the
work of prayer. It may require sweat, tears and blood in order
to develop the proper prayer life that will bring the Lord glory
and help you to grow.
Do not be afraid of the energy and work prayer requires.
There will be great benefits and you will appreciate the
rewards. You may not see the rewards right away. However,
if you continue in the Lord and prayer you will experience the
breakthrough you desire.
CHAPTER 10

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

D aniel prayed three times a day. He held a government


position with many responsibilities and was able to engage in
prayer several times a day. For many of us, life is extremely
busy and we struggle with finding time to pray. We struggle
with praying once a day. As a result, we look at Daniel and
wonder how he found time to pray three times.
I know that prayer is work, but it is a good investment of
your time and your energy. Prayer is also a joy; you get to
spend time with your heavenly Father. Think of it, our

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“Daddy” wants us to come into His presence and spend


quality time with Him. God is running and entire universe,
yet He is waiting, even anticipating, spending time with us.
We are that special to the Lord.
Some reading this book may be saying that Daniel is
unique in his prayer endeavors. However, David tells us in
Psalms 55:16-17, “As for me, I will call upon God; and the
LORD shall save me. Evening, and morning, and at noon,
will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice” (Psalms
55:16-17). David was King and had responsibility for the
oversight of an entire kingdom, yet he found time for prayer
three times a day.
Do you see the development of a pattern? These are just
two men who had risen to great places in the will of God, and
there are more. It would appear that their prominence and
positions were a result of a healthy and consistent prayer life.
Each one was constantly busy with affairs of state; yet, they
set an example of taking time out of their busy lives for the
Lord.
Although what you do for the Lord and the church is
important, it should never prevent you from spending time in
prayer if you are determined to be fruitful in and out of
prayer. If the Prophet can pray three times a day and the King
can pray three times a day, I think we can certainly pray more
than we do now. As Christians, we can’t afford to not pray
and not to pray often. Remember, prayer is where we obtain
the heart and mind of God. Prayer is where our will is bent
into submission to our Father’s will. Prayer is where we get
answers when we have questions; it is where we find peace
Prayer Often 87

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


God’s direction when we are lost; it is where we find strength
when we are weak.
The Apostles asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, and
he did just that. He gave them a framework for prayer that is
still effective today. Now, I encourage and challenge you to
take the lessons you have learned and apply them to your
daily walk so that you may reap the benefit of a fruitful and
God directed life. Never lose sight that it is the “the effectual
fervent prayer of a righteous man that gets results.”

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