One of the most picturesque descriptions ever read is from Andrew Murray in his classic, With Christ in the School of Prayer.
Murray compared prayer to water pipes carrying water from a large mountain stream to the town below. The water, Murray said, is like God’s blessings, ever flowing down to His people. The pipes are like our prayers--directing where the blessings will descend. [With Christ in the School of Prayer, Pyramid Publications, July, 1976, p. 167.]
We’re taught to ask for what we need [Matthew 6:9; Philippians 4:6; Ephesians 6:20], even though we learn in Ephesians that in Christ we have already been given every spiritual blessing [Ephesians 1:3].
We’re taught that if we don’t ask, we won’t have [James 4:2] and that not to pray for each other is a sin [1 Samuel 12:23]. The Lord chooses to use our prayers to release His blessings.
If we think in terms of a personal pipeline of prayer, it’s established for us through Christ. The strength of our pipeline is our personal love relationship with the Lord.
Our obedience keeps it in good repair, and our confession keeps it clean and clear of obstruction.
Water pipes come in sections, which connect, representing the prayer promises of Scriptures--each to be considered in light of the others, and in the context of both the passage in which it appears and the whole body of truth found in the Word. For reasons beyond us, God chooses to allow our prayers to direct His blessings--when we take the time to ask.
Today, may you pray something like this:
Father, may we and those we love never go without Your blessings because we’ve failed to pray. In Jesus’ name, amen.
PrayerPower is a fully authorized nonprofit organization under section 501(C)(3) of the IRS Code. We welcome your support through prayer, as well as donations. All contributions are fully tax deductible. To make a gift in support of our mission click here.
Showing posts with label How to Pray. Show all posts
Showing posts with label How to Pray. Show all posts
Monday, July 28, 2014
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Learning from the Master, Part 2c
Do you think it is in God’s will for your life that you learn to pray? That you learn to pray as Jesus prayed? Ask Him. God promised that if we ask for anything within His will, and in the name of Jesus, we will have it.
James says we have not because we ask not. And Jesus said "Ask and you shall receive, that your joy may be full."
What we can have, if we ask in that way, is the ability to perceive God’s will. That is because we are praying in union with the Son, and in His Name. It is God’s pleasure to show us His will, and then to enable us to do it in the everyday working of our lives.
PrayerPower is a fully authorized nonprofit organization under section 501(C)(3) of the IRS Code. We welcome your support through prayer, as well as donations. All contributions are fully tax deductible. To make a gift in support of our mission click here.
James says we have not because we ask not. And Jesus said "Ask and you shall receive, that your joy may be full."
What we can have, if we ask in that way, is the ability to perceive God’s will. That is because we are praying in union with the Son, and in His Name. It is God’s pleasure to show us His will, and then to enable us to do it in the everyday working of our lives.
PrayerPower is a fully authorized nonprofit organization under section 501(C)(3) of the IRS Code. We welcome your support through prayer, as well as donations. All contributions are fully tax deductible. To make a gift in support of our mission click here.
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Learning from the Master, Part 2b
What should an understanding of His prayer life say to us as His present-day disciples? Are there some fundamental truths for those of us who really desire to follow our Lord and begin to live the life of prayer that links us to the heavenly Father in the same way?
Truth #1: It was in prayer that Jesus learned the Father’s will We know this from the many references to His prayer life, not merely from the prayer in the Garden where he yielded to the Father’s will when it was evidently contrary to what His humanity desired. One illustration that I like to ponder is the one we find in Luke 11:1.
He had been praying, about what we don’t know, but as soon as He was finished, his disciples came to Him
and asked, "Lord, teach us to pray."
What was behind that?
I really believe that the request came out of a realization that He had something they didn’t have. They saw that it was after seasons of prayer that He exhibited power, that He made decisions affecting their lives as well as His, and that He found wisdom for dealing with the difficult parts of His life.
PrayerPower is a fully authorized nonprofit organization under section 501(C)(3) of the IRS Code. We welcome your support through prayer, as well as donations. All contributions are fully tax deductible. To make a gift in support of our mission click here.
Truth #1: It was in prayer that Jesus learned the Father’s will We know this from the many references to His prayer life, not merely from the prayer in the Garden where he yielded to the Father’s will when it was evidently contrary to what His humanity desired. One illustration that I like to ponder is the one we find in Luke 11:1.
He had been praying, about what we don’t know, but as soon as He was finished, his disciples came to Him
and asked, "Lord, teach us to pray."
What was behind that?
I really believe that the request came out of a realization that He had something they didn’t have. They saw that it was after seasons of prayer that He exhibited power, that He made decisions affecting their lives as well as His, and that He found wisdom for dealing with the difficult parts of His life.
PrayerPower is a fully authorized nonprofit organization under section 501(C)(3) of the IRS Code. We welcome your support through prayer, as well as donations. All contributions are fully tax deductible. To make a gift in support of our mission click here.
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Learning from the Master, Part 2a
This article is the second in a series on the Prayer Life of Jesus. In the first article, we examined the elements of His earthly prayer life as described in Hebrews 5:7-10. Here we turn to the first of two significant Scriptural examples that graphically illustrate the important place that prayer occupied in the carrying out of His earthly assignment.
Why did Jesus pray? Was He not divine? Did He not know the Father’s will for Him from the very beginning of His life?
Those are questions that naturally arise as we examine the prayer life of Jesus. The truth is that there are no easy answers. Because we are finite creatures, we can never fully understand those things we encounter as infinite. We cannot understand the Trinity (how can three be one, and one three?) We do not grasp what Paul means as he writes in Philippians 2 that Christ "made himself nothing" (or "emptied himself," as the King James Version says) in order to leave heaven for earth and take on Himself the form of a human servant.
How much emptying did He do?
In the same way, we cannot know how much Jesus, in His earthly journey, knew of His own nature. He seemed to know, from his childhood, that He was on mission for God ("I must be about my Father’s business" [Luke 2:49], age 12). More than once, He predicted His own impending death (Mark 8:31, 10:33; Luke 18:31-33) with clear description of the what, the how and the why. What did He not know?
While these are perplexing, if significant, theological questions, we must rely on the evidence of Scripture to guide us through those deep waters where there is much we cannot know for certain. And what we can discover in Scripture is that Jesus prayed. If there is a single dominant characteristic of His life, it is that He prayed. Prayer was the indispensable fact of His relationship with His heavenly Father.
PrayerPower is a fully authorized nonprofit organization under section 501(C)(3) of the IRS Code. We welcome your support through prayer, as well as donations. All contributions are fully tax deductible. To make a gift in support of our mission click here.
Why did Jesus pray? Was He not divine? Did He not know the Father’s will for Him from the very beginning of His life?
Those are questions that naturally arise as we examine the prayer life of Jesus. The truth is that there are no easy answers. Because we are finite creatures, we can never fully understand those things we encounter as infinite. We cannot understand the Trinity (how can three be one, and one three?) We do not grasp what Paul means as he writes in Philippians 2 that Christ "made himself nothing" (or "emptied himself," as the King James Version says) in order to leave heaven for earth and take on Himself the form of a human servant.
How much emptying did He do?
In the same way, we cannot know how much Jesus, in His earthly journey, knew of His own nature. He seemed to know, from his childhood, that He was on mission for God ("I must be about my Father’s business" [Luke 2:49], age 12). More than once, He predicted His own impending death (Mark 8:31, 10:33; Luke 18:31-33) with clear description of the what, the how and the why. What did He not know?
While these are perplexing, if significant, theological questions, we must rely on the evidence of Scripture to guide us through those deep waters where there is much we cannot know for certain. And what we can discover in Scripture is that Jesus prayed. If there is a single dominant characteristic of His life, it is that He prayed. Prayer was the indispensable fact of His relationship with His heavenly Father.
PrayerPower is a fully authorized nonprofit organization under section 501(C)(3) of the IRS Code. We welcome your support through prayer, as well as donations. All contributions are fully tax deductible. To make a gift in support of our mission click here.
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Powerlines
Many times we hear from our friends and loved ones that their prayer life is in a rut. It's those times when we recommend praying a Powerline.
PowerLines from Kaye Johns on Vimeo.
Powerlines are Scripture-based prayer guides to strengthen your relationship with God—and help you focus Scripture prayers on specific needs.
Expand your prayer life as you learn to pray for yourself and for others, using biblical truth paraphrased and powerful! Every PowerLine is full of God's Word, ready to work in your life and the lives of others!
Watch the video below and then click here to see our Powerlines products in the Prayer Power online store--available for just $1 each!
Watch the video below and then click here to see our Powerlines products in the Prayer Power online store--available for just $1 each!
PowerLines from Kaye Johns on Vimeo.
Monday, March 24, 2014
Three More Keys to Your Prayer
Come with clean hands and a pure heart.
The Bible promises that we can draw close to God if we have clean hands and a pure heart, and He will come close to us (James 4:8). That simply means we must confess our sins. When we do, God forgives us and makes us clean (1 John 1:9), and we may come to Him .
Have a listening ear.
God usually speaks to us (John 10:4-5) as we read the Bible. You don’t have to spend a long time in the Word, but for you to hear His voice clearly, it is important to spend at least a few minutes in the Bible every day. Pray as you read. Ask God to speak to your heart: What do you want me to know today? What do I need to learn?
Know God Personally
Jesus said that eternal life is knowing God (John 17:3). We have that life the moment we trust Jesus for salvation. We can then live every day in a real, vital, personal relationship with God. What a privilege, available to all of God’s children!
PrayerPower is a fully authorized nonprofit organization under section 501(C)(3) of the IRS Code. We welcome your support through prayer, as well as donations. All contributions are fully tax deductible. To make a gift in support of our mission click here.
The Bible promises that we can draw close to God if we have clean hands and a pure heart, and He will come close to us (James 4:8). That simply means we must confess our sins. When we do, God forgives us and makes us clean (1 John 1:9), and we may come to Him .
Have a listening ear.
God usually speaks to us (John 10:4-5) as we read the Bible. You don’t have to spend a long time in the Word, but for you to hear His voice clearly, it is important to spend at least a few minutes in the Bible every day. Pray as you read. Ask God to speak to your heart: What do you want me to know today? What do I need to learn?
Know God Personally
Jesus said that eternal life is knowing God (John 17:3). We have that life the moment we trust Jesus for salvation. We can then live every day in a real, vital, personal relationship with God. What a privilege, available to all of God’s children!
PrayerPower is a fully authorized nonprofit organization under section 501(C)(3) of the IRS Code. We welcome your support through prayer, as well as donations. All contributions are fully tax deductible. To make a gift in support of our mission click here.
Monday, March 17, 2014
Three Keys to Your Prayer
You Are Praying in Agreement with God’s Heart
Think what it will mean as God hears and answers these prayers. You’re praying His heart’s desire over the lives of the lost (1 Timothy 2:4)! If you’ve prayed one prayer a day, you’ve realized it takes only a minute or two. Keep praying through these prayers, each time adding your own prayers to make them even more personal.
Consider that Prayer Is More than Asking
The main purpose of prayer is to help us know God. To do this, we have to spend time with Him, just as we must with any person if we want to know that person well. (John 17:3; 1 John 1:3)
Begin Each Day with God
Jesus taught us that it is important to have some quiet time with our Father every day. Early morning is usually the best time, before we’re caught up in busyness. If this isn’t a part of your daily life now, ask God to help you begin with just a few minutes, and He will. (Matthew 6:6; 9-13)
PrayerPower is a fully authorized nonprofit organization under section 501(C)(3) of the IRS Code. We welcome your support through prayer, as well as donations. All contributions are fully tax deductible. To make a gift in support of our mission click here.
Think what it will mean as God hears and answers these prayers. You’re praying His heart’s desire over the lives of the lost (1 Timothy 2:4)! If you’ve prayed one prayer a day, you’ve realized it takes only a minute or two. Keep praying through these prayers, each time adding your own prayers to make them even more personal.
Consider that Prayer Is More than Asking
The main purpose of prayer is to help us know God. To do this, we have to spend time with Him, just as we must with any person if we want to know that person well. (John 17:3; 1 John 1:3)
Begin Each Day with God
Jesus taught us that it is important to have some quiet time with our Father every day. Early morning is usually the best time, before we’re caught up in busyness. If this isn’t a part of your daily life now, ask God to help you begin with just a few minutes, and He will. (Matthew 6:6; 9-13)
PrayerPower is a fully authorized nonprofit organization under section 501(C)(3) of the IRS Code. We welcome your support through prayer, as well as donations. All contributions are fully tax deductible. To make a gift in support of our mission click here.
Monday, March 3, 2014
New Life in Christ: Acknowledge Christ
The following is a prayer in our New Life in Christ series. To read more, or order your own copy of one of our prayer guides, visit us here.
Father, I pray for (name one or more) …
As You are drawing them to Christ, as You are enabling them to come, give them the courage to step forward to make their decision known. Help them to acknowledge Christ before men, so that He will acknowledge them before You in heaven. (John 6:44, 65; Matthew 10:32)
May the day come when they will declare Jesus to be Lord, when they will openly agree that Jesus is the name above all names, the name at which one day every knee will bow in heaven, on the earth and beneath the earth—and every tongue confess, “Jesus Christ is Lord!” (Romans 10:9; Philippians 2:10)
Lavish Your love on them, that they may be called Your children. You have already demonstrated Your amazing love for them, for You sent Your one and only Son into the world that they might live through Him. Help them to receive His life. Give them a love for the truth, that they may be saved. (1 John 3:1; 4:9; 5:11-12; 2 Thessalonians 2:10)
Save them as only You can, through Your mercy and grace. In Jesus’ name, amen.
PrayerPower is a fully authorized nonprofit organization under section 501(C)(3) of the IRS Code. We welcome your support through prayer, as well as donations. All contributions are fully tax deductible. To make a gift in support of our mission click here.
Father, I pray for (name one or more) …
As You are drawing them to Christ, as You are enabling them to come, give them the courage to step forward to make their decision known. Help them to acknowledge Christ before men, so that He will acknowledge them before You in heaven. (John 6:44, 65; Matthew 10:32)
May the day come when they will declare Jesus to be Lord, when they will openly agree that Jesus is the name above all names, the name at which one day every knee will bow in heaven, on the earth and beneath the earth—and every tongue confess, “Jesus Christ is Lord!” (Romans 10:9; Philippians 2:10)
Lavish Your love on them, that they may be called Your children. You have already demonstrated Your amazing love for them, for You sent Your one and only Son into the world that they might live through Him. Help them to receive His life. Give them a love for the truth, that they may be saved. (1 John 3:1; 4:9; 5:11-12; 2 Thessalonians 2:10)
Save them as only You can, through Your mercy and grace. In Jesus’ name, amen.
PrayerPower is a fully authorized nonprofit organization under section 501(C)(3) of the IRS Code. We welcome your support through prayer, as well as donations. All contributions are fully tax deductible. To make a gift in support of our mission click here.
Monday, February 3, 2014
New Life in Christ: Know the Price Is Paid
The following is a prayer in our New Life in Christ series. To read more, or order your own copy of one of our prayer guides, visit us here.
Father, I pray for (name one or more) …
I come on behalf of these who are not yet saved to thank You that the price has been paid for their salvation. Jesus has made the sacrifice, He has bought them with His blood—they just don’t know it, they have not been enabled to see the truth. (1 John 4:10; Revelation 5:9; John 6:65)
Help them to understand that Jesus gave Himself for them, to redeem them—He gave Himself as a sacrifice, once for all. Christ died as a ransom to set them free from their sins. He is able to save them completely, if they will only believe! (Titus 2:13-14; Hebrews 9:26, 15; 7:25; John 8:24)
They can’t accept who Christ is. He is like a stumbling block to them, until You call them, but if You do, they’ll see Christ as He is. Speak to them, Father, for everyone who listens to You and learns from You will come to Christ. Help them believe, for everyone who believes has everlasting life. (1 Corinthians 1:23-24; John 6:45, 47)
May they understand that the price has been paid, at so great a cost. In Jesus’ name, amen.
PrayerPower is a fully authorized nonprofit organization under section 501(C)(3) of the IRS Code. We welcome your support through prayer, as well as donations. All contributions are fully tax deductible. To make a gift in support of our mission click here.
Father, I pray for (name one or more) …
I come on behalf of these who are not yet saved to thank You that the price has been paid for their salvation. Jesus has made the sacrifice, He has bought them with His blood—they just don’t know it, they have not been enabled to see the truth. (1 John 4:10; Revelation 5:9; John 6:65)
Help them to understand that Jesus gave Himself for them, to redeem them—He gave Himself as a sacrifice, once for all. Christ died as a ransom to set them free from their sins. He is able to save them completely, if they will only believe! (Titus 2:13-14; Hebrews 9:26, 15; 7:25; John 8:24)
They can’t accept who Christ is. He is like a stumbling block to them, until You call them, but if You do, they’ll see Christ as He is. Speak to them, Father, for everyone who listens to You and learns from You will come to Christ. Help them believe, for everyone who believes has everlasting life. (1 Corinthians 1:23-24; John 6:45, 47)
May they understand that the price has been paid, at so great a cost. In Jesus’ name, amen.
PrayerPower is a fully authorized nonprofit organization under section 501(C)(3) of the IRS Code. We welcome your support through prayer, as well as donations. All contributions are fully tax deductible. To make a gift in support of our mission click here.
Monday, January 27, 2014
New Life in Christ: Be Willing to Repent
The following is a prayer in our New Life in Christ series. To read more, or order your own copy of one of our prayer guides, visit us here.
Father, I pray for (name one or more) …
May the Spirit convict these who are lost of their sin and their need for righteousness. In Your kindness, I ask You to lead them to repentance, to a new direction in mind, heart and belief. (John 16:8; Romans 2:4)
Grant them the repentance that will lead them to a knowledge of the truth, so that they may repent and believe the good news of the gospel—for unless they repent, they will perish. (2 Timothy 2:25; Mark 1:15; Luke 13:3, 5)
Send the Holy Spirit to help them understand that the wages of sin is death—and that they will die in their sins if they choose not to repent and believe. Even in the last hours of their lives, lead them to call out to Christ, like the thief on the cross, that they may be saved. (Romans 6:23; John 8:21; Luke 13:3, 5; 23:42-43)
May they understand that Christ died in their place, that He paid the price for all their sins, that He died once for everyone, that they have no other hope. In their understanding, may they believe. (Hebrews 2:9; 1 Peter 3:18; 1 John 2:2; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14; John 3:16)
May they turn to You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
PrayerPower is a fully authorized nonprofit organization under section 501(C)(3) of the IRS Code. We welcome your support through prayer, as well as donations. All contributions are fully tax deductible. To make a gift in support of our mission click here.
Father, I pray for (name one or more) …
May the Spirit convict these who are lost of their sin and their need for righteousness. In Your kindness, I ask You to lead them to repentance, to a new direction in mind, heart and belief. (John 16:8; Romans 2:4)
Grant them the repentance that will lead them to a knowledge of the truth, so that they may repent and believe the good news of the gospel—for unless they repent, they will perish. (2 Timothy 2:25; Mark 1:15; Luke 13:3, 5)
Send the Holy Spirit to help them understand that the wages of sin is death—and that they will die in their sins if they choose not to repent and believe. Even in the last hours of their lives, lead them to call out to Christ, like the thief on the cross, that they may be saved. (Romans 6:23; John 8:21; Luke 13:3, 5; 23:42-43)
May they understand that Christ died in their place, that He paid the price for all their sins, that He died once for everyone, that they have no other hope. In their understanding, may they believe. (Hebrews 2:9; 1 Peter 3:18; 1 John 2:2; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14; John 3:16)
May they turn to You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
PrayerPower is a fully authorized nonprofit organization under section 501(C)(3) of the IRS Code. We welcome your support through prayer, as well as donations. All contributions are fully tax deductible. To make a gift in support of our mission click here.
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