THE RULES OF PRAYER You may ask, are there rules for prayer? Some have asked is there a correct posture for prayer, the answer is that there is no correct or incorrect posture for prayer. In the Bible people prayed on their knees, bowing down, on their faces before God, laying and standing; you may pray with your eyes opened or closed, quietly or out loud—however you are most comfortable and least distracted. Although there are no rules for posture, within scripture God has set us with some clear guidelines for positioning our prayers for answers. The following set out some of the rules for positioning your Prayer for answers:- 1. The Lord asks that we be pure in heart and have clean hands (a clear conscience and clean life). Before you commence praying, you must confess your sins (known and unknown) to God, sincerely forgive those who have hurt you or those you have a grudge against and ask for God’s forgiveness and then repent; the answer to every other prayer is dependent upon this. 2. Pray with faith…to manifest faith, you must believe you will receive what you cannot see but what you hope for. 3. Do not be double-minded or doubtful, if you doubt you will receive nothing from God. 4. Ensure you make time to study the Word of God, so that you will be led by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will empower your prayers. Without the Holy Spirit we can do nothing but He is there to show us what is of God, to teach us, to lead us to all truth so that the fullness of Him can rest on us and empower us even in our prayers. 5. Ensure that what you are praying for lines up with the Will of God and not your own selfish pleasures. You need to know God’s will to pray with faith for He will only give you the desire of your heart if that desire is conformed with His will. 6. Always remember ask ‘In Jesus Name’ when you pray. 7. Pray for others, God has asked us to love our neighbours as ourselves; this includes praying for them. PRACTICAL 1. Pray with Gratitude - When asking the Lord for something, always take time to thank him for what he has done for you before. Before we were even alive Christ died for us on the cross, we all owe him more than we could ever repay. 2. Pray for anyone who asks - It is very hard for anyone to ask for help. In our increasingly secular world it is even harder to ask others to pray for us. When someone asks you to pray for them, do so. Intercessory prayer is a ministry which is both suitable for, and within the ability of every believer. When Christ brings you the opportunity, take it. 3. Pray for others more than yourself - The Christian walk is about service! There can be no such thing as a selfish Christian. No matter how bad the challenges facing us seem, others are facing worse. Pray for others in your immediate environment (at work, at church, neighbours, friends, family members) who do not yet know Christ or are hurting (whether they know you are praying for them or not). 4. Give God praise throughout the day - It can be helpful to set aside a certain time of day for prayer preferably early in the morning or alternatively midnight is an excellent time to pray (we shall highlight the benefits of midnight praying in a later post). However, prayer should not be just a part of your life. It should be a part of your entire daily routine. Take a minute now and then throughout the day to give the Lord praise and let him know how you are doing. SCRIPTURE MEDITATIONS Psalm 15:1-5; Matthew 5:8; Mark 11:23-24; Luke 4:14-18; John 14:14; 15:16; Romans 10:17; 1 Cor. 6:9-11; Hebrews 11:1; 11:6; James 4:2-3; 1 John 5:14
Posted on: Sun, 16 Mar 2014 08:52:18 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015