The Bible gives us guidelines for how to ask God
in prayer …….
1) Ask in the Spirit.... Praying in
the Spirit is directly related to praying according
to His will. When you pray... .before you even begin...
say Holy Spirit... help me pray... when you become accustomed
to His presence ... .wait for Him before you start...
You will notice your prayers are energized and the words
flow with ease after you begin to learn how to cooperate
with the Spirit. Set apart time to seek Him and don't
become discouraged if you don't succeed immediately.
God wants to know you are serious about your relationship
with Him ... The Bible says in Isaiah 45:15... ."Truly
You are a God Who hides Himself..." Why? So we
will come to Him and seek Him with all our heart and
when we do....." He shall be found by you.... "Pray
in the Spirit on all occasions" ... Eph. 6:18
2) Ask according to His Will.... His
will is found as we abide "In Him."... as
we deepen our relationship with Him and become more
aware of His ways... Our weakness in prayer is this:
"We do not know what we ought to pray for, but
the Spirit himself intercedes for us ... in accordance
with God's will. The promises of God in the Bible are
areas where we can pray and know His will... If you
are not sure, don't just pray if it is your will,...
Seek His will first and then pray in the will of God
with strong faith believing God will hear and answer
you. Often when we pray "if" that one word
can cause us not to be sure that God will answer because
of our doubting if it is His will. Keep praying and
seeking God's direction for your prayer. The Holy Spirit
is the Spirit of Prayer.... Trust Him to help you when
you pray. "For this is
the confidence we have in approaching God, that if we
ask anything according to His will he hears us..., I
John 5:14-15
3) Ask in Jesus Name ….. .When
you use Jesus' name, you claim to represent Him. You
are asking by presenting all that He is. His name is
characteristic of His person. You ask in the manner
and likeness of the one whom you speak... you present
to the Father His desires, qualities, gratitude and
outlook. When you are about to make a request in prayer,
think about what Jesus would ask for and want in this
situation. Let His desires become your desires. Praying
in Jesus' name also relates to praying according to
His will and purpose. "You
may ask me for anything in my name and I will do it....
I Cor. 14:15
4) Ask while abiding in Christ……Prayer
is both a means and a result of abiding in Christ. To
abide in Him, you continue in constant fellowship with
Him, you pray without ceasing, and you obediently accept
His will and word for you. As a branch abides in the
vine, a Christian abides in Jesus by His Holy Spirit.
Spend time with the Lord in prayer and in His word.
"If you abide in me and
my Words abide in you.... John 15:7 "Now
the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the
Lord is there is liberty......II Cor. 3:17
5) Ask in Faith.... Asking in faith
means asking without doubting in your heart and then
actually taking a leap of faith mentally or physically
to reveal that your faith is in line with your actions.
Did you notice in the Bible every time Jesus performed
a miracle, healed the sick, turned the water into wine
... it required someone doing something first... making
a positive move toward the results as if they were already
happening. The lame had to stand up....before, they
were healed. The leper had to reach out toward the Lord
and touch Him with His heart.;.. The woman with the
issue of blood said to herself if I can just touch His
garment.... Faith is not faith without action to back
it up. You have to step out of the boat with you faith.,.
knowing that if Jesus doesn't come through... you will
sink. I know Peter didn't walk on the water for very
long....but He was the only one who got out of the boat.
Had he not taken his eyes off Jesus, he would never
have failed. Remember, we go from faith to faith. we
start with a measure of faith and as we exercise it
.. .it becomes great faith. Remember the Canaanite woman
who Jesus spoke of when He said....
"O woman great is your faith. .so shall it be done
unto you as you have believed".. Matthew 15:28.
6) Ask in humility …. Praying
in humility recognizes you need of God. Humility submits
to God. Pride, arrogance, and independence prevent an
attitude of humility. The secret to humility is to understand
who God is in relationship to man. Pride always indicates
you have failed to perceive His greatness. True revelation
will reveal the awe and the magnificence of God in comparison
to who we are in comparison. The beginning of all wisdom
and intimate knowledge of God is .... the fear of the
Lord. For it is this reverence that keeps us from taking
for granted what we have .... And helps us not lose
it in our lack of proper respect for Him. Remember,
what God has said, "No
one shall glory in my presence"..... and "I
will not share my glory with anyone"......
7) Ask in sincerity.... When you pray
in sincerity, your faith leads you to pray genuine,
heartfelt prayers. You are also serious about your prayers
and prayer then becomes earnest and fervent. When prayer
becomes relational, you can then seek the heart of God
by the unction of the Holy Spirit's leading you.....
What you do with sincerity pays the greatest reward.....
And with true sincerity of commitment to Him reveals
this truth contained in God's word ..... "The
prayer of a righteous man (one in right standing with
God) is powerful and effective (avails much).. James
5:16
8) Asking with perseverance.......
Perseverance means persistence, not giving up. The Lord
wants to train you to take your eyes off of discouraging
circumstances and look to Him... .the Author and Finisher
of your Faith.... God wants you to seek Him first in
all circumstances and focus on Him.. .the source of
all that you need. By trusting and relying totally upon
the Lord, you prove and establish your earnestness and
you demonstrate your faith to Him.. Father, Create in
me the passion and the perseverance to intercede in
prayer for those you place on my heart... .draw me closer
to you ...... Amen.......
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