Posts from October 2019

 The Bible clearly commands us to pray for others. ! Tim. 2:1 “I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men.” We are told to be praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints” (Eph. 6:18). This kind of faithful, Spirit led, persevering praying for others is a mark of the prayer life of Jesus.…

Luke 11:2 “And He said to them, When you pray, say: Our Father Who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come. Your will be done (held holy and revered) on earth as it is in heaven.” In Jesus’ day a person’s name carried much greater significance than in our day. The name was thought to be bound up with the person as a reflection of their personality. The name and the activity of the person were tied together. Therefore, “Hallowed be Your…

 We have seen how Jesus had a habit of strategically going alone to a solitary place to pray and to get daily instruction. But in Gethsemane, we see that He took His closest companions to pray with Him. When God’s people pray through times of sorrow, it is important that we bring others along to help carry the load of following our Lord. Of the 12 men the Father had given Jesus as apostles, three were trusted with going deeper…

We have seen how Jesus, in the days of His flesh, prayed to His Father “with vehement cries and tears” (Hebrews 5:7). Reading this verse, I am in awe and wonder. Just imagine the Son of God praying this way to the Father! This was intense, excruciating prayer, and we see it especially in Gethsemane. On that night in the garden, Jesus was assured of the Father’s love for Him; He knew the Father would strengthen Him for the assignment…

   A regular place for times of prayer is also important. We read that when Jesus was in Jerusalem, the garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives was His “accustomed place of prayer” according to Luke  22:39. John tells us in John 18:2 that “Jesus often met there with His disciples” presumably to pray with them and to privately teach them. Judas knew that this location was where Jesus went a lot and he led the soldiers there to…

Luke 22:39 “And He came out and went, as was His habit, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples also followed Him. “ We have been looking at the characteristics of Jesus’ prayer life and especially His determination to seek the Father’s heart and will. Some of the other characteristics of His prayer life make us want to understand and apply these same things in our prayer life. We have already talked about how Jesus was in the habit of…

 We are convinced that revival in our nation is waiting in on God’s people coming to Him, personally and collectively, in prayer that is marked by this kind of reverent submission and fear of God. Our society and our culture is at a point where we believe that Christians need to let the prayer life of Jesus penetrate us until we are in on God’s agenda when we pray. Then what happened when Jesus prayed will happen for us. Heaven…

“In the reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, and His children shall always have a place of refuge. Reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may avoid the snares of death. Anyone that spends much time in prayer with God will come to know the heart of God like Jesus did. Knowing the heart of God is to know the will of God, and to know the will of God, is to…

Luke 9: 23 “And He said to all, If any person wills to come after Me, let him deny himself (disown himself, forget, lose sight of himself and his own interests, refuse and give up himself) and take up his cross daily and follow Me (cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying also).”    What is God talking to you about when you pray? Not what are you talking to Him about, but…

The father continues to have specific purposes for each of our lives that He wants to accomplish as part of His eternal purposes for all of creation. There are many scriptures that highlight this truth for us. Jeremiah 29:11 says “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” These thoughts God has for us represents His agenda for us, His…

When you are praying alone or with others and God is speaking to you, do not bring up your own agenda. Let your heart receive His agenda. The importance of this is seen by the response of the disciples at a critical moment in His earthly ministry. In Matthew 17:1-2 we read that Jesus took Peter, James and John with Him “and He led them on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them.” While the physical…

Jesus taught us to seek God’s will in this way in the prayer that He gave His disciples. He told us to pray, “Your kingdom come” (Luke 11:2). Jesus’ greatest desire was for God’s sovereign rule to be done in all things in and through His life. We must also have this same desire, and express it in our prayers. God must have the same unhindered access to our lives for His kingdom purposes. Jesus also told us to pray…