Prayer

One of the strongest weapons, we, as followers of Christ have is prayer. Through prayer, mountains can be moved and cast into the sea. Jesus tells us this in Mark, "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, Go, throw yourself into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore, I tell you whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins." 11:23-25 We see from these verses that there are conditions to prayer. The first one is to believe that you already have what you have asked for without doubting. Doubt is to be uncertain or skeptical-it is not trusting. Jesus has made us a promise, and He cannot lie. He promises that the mountain, whether it be financial difficulty, problems in a relationship, addiction,(you fill in the blank), will be thrown into the sea.He promises this will happen.The second condition is to forgive anyone who has wronged you, so that God will forgive you of your sins. Sin creates a barrier between us and God. He is our Holy God. Sin will keep Him from hearing our prayers "If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened" Psalm 66:18 and in order to restore our relationship with our Father, we must confess the sin and turn from the sin." He promises that as soon as we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9. When we ask for something in prayer, we must ask ourselves, is this something Jesus would pray for? "And I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask Me for anything in My name, and I will do it." John 14:13 Is this request in line with His word? For example, God is not going to give you someone else's car or spouse or anything that would cause harm to another person. God looks at the motive of our heart behind the prayer. Are we praying for something for our selfish gain or is it to benefit others and the kingdom of God? James tells us that "You do no have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasure." 4:2-3 So, again, we need to ask ourselves what is the motive behind my prayer. God is the giver of every good and perfect gift and He loves giving gifts to His children,. God blesses us so that we may be a blessing to others not to fulfill our selfish desires. Yes, He is full of mercy and grace and so many times gives us so much more than we deserve. He proves that in His Son Jesus, who paid the ultimate sacrifice for you and me when He died on the cross for our sins, so that we can have a relationship with our Father and be restored to Him. Prayer is mighty in pulling down strongholds and restoring relationships. "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." James 5:16.Prayer breaks down walls brick by brick. Jesus told us the parable of the persistent widow. Before He told the parable, He told His disciples they "should always pray and never give up." Luke 18:1 The widow kept on going before the judge wanting him to grant her plea against her adversary. This judge did not fear God nor care about men, yet she continued to plead with him. He eventually gave in to her request. Jesus then goes on to say, "Will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones who cry out to Him day and night? Will He keep putting them off? I tell you, He will see that they get justice and quickly." 18: 7-8  This parable tells you and me to not give up. Remember though, it is in God's time, not ours. Don't give up until God gives you the answer!!!Prayer is intimate conversation between you and your Father on a daily basis, not just when circumstances are bad. Prayer draws you closer to your Father. Prayer is not only talking to God, but listening to His voice and what He has to say. I am praying that we will seek His face today and turn from any sin, God tells us then, "will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place." 2 Chronicles 7:14-15 Be blessed!