HOW TO KNOW IF YOU HAVE A BIBLICALLY BALANCED PRAYER LIFE: By: Dr. Gregory R. Frizzell (BOOK: The Biblical Path to Holiness and Relationship with God) A powerful prayer life must be a biblically balanced prayer life. In general, there are five basic types of prayer. It is essential that you practice each prayer type on a regular basis. If you only pray one or two type of prayers, and regularly neglect the other three, you cannot have a powerful growing relationship with Christ. Your spiritual growth and usefulness will be stunted. Just as an unbalanced diet will cause physical weakness, an unbalanced prayer life will cause spiritual weakness. Here are five prayer types: (1) Praise, thanksgiving and worship (2) Confession and repentance (3) Petition and supplication (4) Intercession (5) Meditation (listening prayer and reflection) If you consistently neglect any of the five types of prayer, your relationship with God will be limited. -------------------- FIRST: Praise and Thanksgiving. [The primary way of giving adoration and worship to God] An essential part of relationship with God is the daily time of worship and praise. After all, our primary purpose is to praise and worship the Father. “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ (Matthew 22:37). Clearly, this passage calls for a consistent practice of daily praise and Thanksgiving. More than anything, God wants your heartfelt praise and worship. And friend, when we get our praise right, God is even quicker to answer prayer. A balanced biblical prayer life absolutely requires consistent time in deep praise and thanksgiving to God. We must make time for this daily. References: Psalms 100:1-5, Psalms 50:23, Psalms 22:3, 1 Thessalonians 5;16-18, and Hebrews 13:15 SECOND: Confession [Receiving Gods forgiveness and maintaining a spirit-filled life] It is impossible to maintain a spirit empowered life without a consistent pattern of daily confession and repentance. In fact, according to Psalms 66:18, failure to practice regular confession completely blocks the flow of answered prayer. If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. Thorough confession must be a consistent part of every balanced prayer life. Far too many believers ask God to search their heart and then give Him about ten seconds to do it. We often race through confession time so we can quickly get to our list of wants and needs. A balanced, biblical prayer life requires significant time in regular confession to God. References: 2 Chronicles 7:14, Proverbs 28:13, Psalms 51:6-10, Psalms 24:3-5, Psalms 66:18, 1 John 1:9, Matthew 5:23, Matthew 6:14 THIRD: Petition [Presenting our individual needs and desires to God] Beyond question, God wants us to come to Him with every need and concern. There is certainly nothing selfish about presenting our needs to God. However, it is critical that we learn to focus our personal petitions on Gods greatest priorities for our lives. The more time you spend with the Father, the more you will learn to ask petitions that bring the most eternal good. As you learn to let God guide your petitions, you will see more and more miraculous answers. References: Philippians 4:6-7, Hebrews 4:15-16, John 15:7 FOURTH: Intercession [Prayer that focuses on the needs of others] To intercede for someone is to spiritually stand in the gap as mentioned in Ezekiel 22:30, I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one. The Ezekiel passage describes intercession or a whole nation in rebellion against God. Intercession is also the type used for backslidden Christians or the salvation of a lost person. However, intercession is not just for people who are backslidden or lost. It is also vital to intercede for those in significant service to God. (Such as evangelists, missionaries, pastors, and teachers.) Praying for those with physical needs presents yet another type of intercession. Intercession is a broad category of prayer that covers anything from praying for the lost, to praying for Gods blessing on a great evangelist or pastor. God has ordained intercession as the primary way He works to save the lost and empower the church. It is important to know that God has called ALL believers to intercession. Though some are called to far greater levels, no believer can say, Intercession is not for me. All believers are to practice at least basic levels of intercession on a regular basis (1 Timothy 2:1-2). References: 1 Samuel 12:23, Ezekiel 22:30, 2 timothy 2:1 FIFTH: Meditation [The act of reflecting on Gods word and quietly listening for His still small voice] To some, it may seem odd to include meditation as a type of prayer. I have included it because of my primary definition of prayer. Prayer is a relationship far more than a mere ritual or discipline. Since prayer is a relationship with God, how can we have a balanced relationship if we do all the talking? In the prayer time, mediation is the period in which you quietly reflect on your scripture reading and the impressions God has given. Meditation enables us to experience a personal relationship with God as opposed to merely reciting a list of needs and wants. When we pray, we talk to God, when we meditate He talks to us. A Biblically balanced prayer life includes time to pause and listen for Gods still small voice. he speaks most to those who consistently still their hearts to listen. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:13) Listening to God is the fundamental key to an effective prayer life. Prayer is our discovering what God wants to do and joining Him as co-laborers through our prayers. References: Psalms 1:2, 63:6, 77:12, 143:5, 119:15, 119:148, Jeremiah 29:13, 1 John 5:14-15 ------------------------- SUMMARY: The consistent practice of each prayer type is absolutely essential to a powerful well-rounded relationship with God. No believer can afford to be weak or inconsistent in any of the major types of prayer. Unfortunately, the typical pattern is to quickly race through thanksgiving and confession so we can get right to our wants list. And in the love of far too many, prayer consists of few personal petitions with little or no intercession for larger Kingdom concerns. Brethren, if we follow such a pattern we are seriously stunted in spiritual growth and usefulness to God. If you neglect regular time in adoration, praise and thanksgiving, you neglect personal worship which is the first and primary thing God desires. If you neglect regular confession and cleansing, God will not hear you prayers. (Psalms 66:18) When you neglect intercession, you are neglecting a primary command God has given to all believers. You are neglecting Gods primary method for drawing the lost and empowering the church. If the only time you praise and thank God is when you happen to feel like it, then your praise life will be weak and inconsistent, if the only time you practice thorough confession is when you feel like it, then you will seldom walk in the fullness of Gods spirit. A balanced biblical prayer life requires making the daily choices and commitment to allow God to lead you in a full rich relationship with Himself. But believer, do not be discouraged. Your loving father is more than ready to help you develop this. About now, some readers may be feeling a bit overwhelmed. Please do not be discouraged. Gods grace is more than sufficient and you can develop a powerful prayer life. Our God is so wonderfully patient and gracious. He will take you right where you are and lovingly guide you to ever deeper levels of prayer. Prayer must not become some legalistic formula that is used in a mechanical manner. Remember, your prayer life is a personal relationship with the living God. As in any relationship, there will be variations in the type of communication needed for each day. Some days you will be led to spend more time in praise and worship, while other days, God will impress you to spend more time in intercession and petition. Your prayer life must be dynamic and living, not some rigid program that never varies. No child of God should feel that miraculous answers are beyond reach. If you are saved, you are not only able but responsible to develop a powerful prayer relationship with Christ. It requires a daily choice. The longer we do it, the easier it becomes. PRAYER FOR GROWTH: Lord Jesus, help me make our relationship the greatest priority of my life. Help me not put my activities or ministries ahead of a love relationship with You. May I never get so busy for You that I neglect time with You (Luke 10:38). Father, teach me that I can do nothing apart from You. Fill me with the desire to tarry long in Your presence. Help me pray and abide close, that Christ may live His life through me (John 15:1-8). God, grant me such hunger for You that I would not neglect any of the essential types of prayer and relationship with You.
Posted on: Wed, 12 Nov 2014 02:24:22 +0000
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