Fighting your Battles with Prayer

 Philippians 4:6 Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

How do you fight your battles?

Does your life feel like it is spinning out of control?

 Are you finding lasting solutions to the problems you face in life?

 As you look over the past year of your life….is the way that you have been fighting your battles working?

 How did Jesus fight his battles?

            -he used the Word of God when He was tempted by the Devil.

            -he went to a quiet place to pray and commune with God.

 Luke 6:12 ¶ And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.

 Why did the very Son of God, who was God in the flesh, find it necessary to spend all night in prayer? 

Did Jesus not have what He needed to face the challenges of His day?

 What is prayer?

            -prayer is one form of worship.

            -prayer is communication and communion with God.

            -prayer is expressing our petitions to God.

            -prayer is an expression of the heart.

 Why should we pray?

1.   Prayer is essential to our spiritual life. 

Prayer is the Christian’s vital breath. 

Because God desires relationship and relationship requires communication, thus prayer becomes of utmost importance to anyone who professes to be a Christian.

 No one can remain a follower of Christ without communion and fellowship with Him any more than a fish can live long out of the water.

2.   God commands it.

1Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing.

18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Psalm 107:1 ¶ O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Matthew 6:6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

3.   Prayer touches the heart of God.

Luke 11:9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?

12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?

13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

 

James 5:13 Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.

14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:

15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. 

4.   Prayer draws our hearts closer to God.

 When we pray, we are talking and fellowshipping with God. The more we commune with God, the more we get to know Him. The more we get to know Him, the closer we follow Him.

5.   Prayer is a vital tool to overcome temptation.

 Jesus told His disciples…

 Matthew 26:41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

 

Quote: Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees.

 

6.   Prayer is our access to the Power of God.

 The disciples were trying to cast out a devil and were not able to and this is what Jesus told them: 

Mark 9:28 And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out?

29 And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.

 Peter and John through the power of God had healed a man and where told by the chief priest and elders to no longer preach Jesus.

Their response was:

Acts 4:19 But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.

20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.

They were released and went to their own company and told them all that had taken place.

Acts 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.

 How should we pray?

 Luke 11:1 ¶ And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.

3 Give us day by day our daily bread.

4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

 Lord, teach us to pray!

 Maybe this should be our Prayer…..Lord, teach us to pray!

 If God seems far away, than this should be our prayer….teach us how to pray.

 We need to pray according to His Will.

 1John 5:14 ¶ And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:

 How better can I know the will of God but through communing in prayer and through His Word.

 Do we ask amiss?

James 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

We need to ask in Faith.

 James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.

 When we pray, are we willing and ready to accept God’s answer?

Let’s take a look at how Jesus prayed in the garden before His crucifixion.

 Matthew 26:36 ¶ Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.

37 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.

38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.

39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

40 And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?

41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

42 He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.

43 And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy.

44 And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.

 Can we pray with this same heart?

            -God, not according to my will, but answer my prayer according to your perfect will!

 

I believe that as we surrender our will to God’s will, there will be a remarkable change in our walk with God.

No longer do I need to fight my battles alone but through prayer and communing with God, I will see the hand of God at work in my life and in the lives of those around me.  

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