2014 National Training NT 1408

INTRODUCTION

If any man be in Christ, old things including

his inconsistent, feeble, arbitrary, selfish

prayer life has passed away.

He is a brand new person born of the spirit

with a privilege of access to God the father.

The New Man needs to learn from Christ

how to communicate with the Father in the

same way that brought Jesus daily victory

and outstanding results.

INTRODUCTION

Jesus our example lived,

walked, prayed and

ministered in the Spirit.

We therefore join the

disciples of old in asking:

"Lord, teach us to pray,

just as John taught his

disciples." Luke 11:1NIV

Why do we need to pray?

Heb. 5:7 TLB

Yet while Christ was here on earth he pleaded with God, praying with tears and agony of soul to the only one who would save him from [premature] death. And God heard his prayers because of his strong desire to obey God at all times.

Prayer is an acknowledgement of helplessness that qualifies a man to receive divine help.

Prayer enables a deep communion with the Lord.

Jesus set an example of prayer for us to follow and without (apart from, outside of) Him we can do nothing. John15:5

Frequently Asked Petitions (FAPs)

• 2 Chron. 1:11

God said to Solomon, "Since this is your heart's desire and you have not asked for wealth, riches or honor, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life…

• God’s analysis reveals the following as man’s most Frequently Asked Petitions:

• 1. Wealth, Riches, Honour.

• 2. Death of Enemies

• 3. Long Life.

• God commended Solomon for “Praying in the Spirit” - asking for what would help him fulfill divine ministry rather than the usual FAPs.

Praying Amiss

James 4:2-3 NLT

• You want what you don't have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can't get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don't have what you want because you don't ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don't get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.

Our Prayers miss the

mark when they are built

on:

Evil Desires

Scheming

Jealousy

Independence from

God

Wrong Motive

Contradiction of His

will

Grumbling

Unbelief. James 1:6-

8

Praying Amiss

Matt 6:5KJV

And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

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.

Our Prayers miss the mark when they are:

A Public Show seen and applauded by men

Vain Repetitions seeking to impress God with words.

Not springing from a Father Son relationship. Matt 6:9

Not aimed at hastening the establishment of His kingdom and His will. Matt 6:10.

Praying in the Spirit – Our Helper

Eph 6:18 NLT

18 Pray in the Spirit at all times

and on every occasion.

Rom 8:26TLB

26 And in the same way — by our

faith — the Holy Spirit helps us

with our daily problems and in our

praying. For we don't even know

what we should pray for nor how to

pray as we should, but the Holy

Spirit prays for us with such feeling

that it cannot be expressed in

words.

You learn to Pray in the

Spirit by consistently

coming to God without a

shopping list and

seeking the help of the

Holy Spirit the Teacher.

The Spirit helps our

weakness in prayer by:

i) Teaching us what to pray

for.

ii) Enabling us to pray as

we should.

iii) Praying for us.

Prayer made in the Spirit

is accurate and effectual.

1 Cor 2:10-12 NLT

But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God's deep secrets. No one can know a person's thoughts except that person's own spirit, and no one can know God's thoughts except God's own Spirit. 12 And we have received God's Spirit (not the world's spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us..

The Holy Spirit knows the mind of God.

The Holy Spirit reveals Gods deep secrets and His counsel over any matter when we seek His help.

The Holy Spirit shows us the things that God has freely given to us thereby assisting us to ask aright.

Always ask for help from our assigned helper.

Praying in the Spirit – Our Helper

Knowing God’s will

1 John 5:14-15 NIV

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us —whatever we ask —we know that we have what we asked of him.

Praying in the Spirit is praying according to His will, backed with a guarantee of 100% answer.

His will is expressed in His word which is empowered by the Holy Spirit when spoken in prayer.

Praying according to His will is praying according to His Written Word.

Praying according to His specific will is praying according to the instruction of His Living word i.e. “What Jesus Would Do” if He is in a similar situation.

Praying in the Spirit - Tongues

Jude 1:20 (Message).

20 But you, dear friends, carefully build yourselves up in this most holy faith by praying in the Holy Spirit,

1 Cor 14:2 (NIV)

For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God. Indeed, no one understands him; he utters mysteries with his spirit.

1 Cor 14:4 (NIV).

He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself,

Capacity to pray in the Spirit is built as a man abides intimately with Christ.

Praying daily in tongues edifies(charges, builds up) the life of the believer

Praying in tongues enables us to commune with God in the coded unhindered prayer language empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Praying in the Name of Jesus.

• John 14:13-14NIVAnd I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

Prayer made in the name of Jesus is borne out of the privilege of exercising His Power of Attorney as his agents/representatives on the earth. 2Cor5:20;

Matt 18:18.

It is prayer that bears the full authority and power of Jesus. Acts 4:24-31.

• John 16:24KJV

Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.

Repeated usage of the phrase “In Jesus Name” does not necessarily make that prayer to be In the Name of Jesus.

Prayer that is made in the name of Jesus is one that is made In the will of Jesus as expressed in His

i) i) Character,

ii) ii) Nature,

iii) iii) Desire,

iv) iv) Purpose,

v) v) Mission,

vi) vi) Motive,

vii) v) Life.

Praying in the Name of Jesus.

John 14:6NIV

"I am the way and

the truth and the

life. No one comes

to the Father

except through

me”.

The name of Jesus is the only

access point to God the Father and

it always attracts His immediate

attention.

The authority (power of attorney) to

use that name is made available to

those who abide IN HIM. John 1:12;

15:7,16.

The name of Jesus should not be

trivialized as an exclamation nor

abused by putting it on any prayer

that contradicts His life. Such usage

amounts to asking “nothing”.

Jesus wouldn’t seek to destroy

those He came to save, so no

“malice” or “unforgiving” prayers can

ever be in the name of Jesus.

Praying in the Name of Jesus.

Group Activity

Discuss hindrances

to praying in the

Spirit.

Pray In Tongues for 5 Minutes. Help

any member of the group who may

have difficulty in doing this.

Finally

How terrible it is that heaven would weigh your hours of spiritual labour in the place of prayer and conclude that “ Hitherto you have asked nothing….”.,

God is Spirit and those that worship (fellowship, commune) with Him must do so in the Spirit.

May the Lord teach us in His school of Prayer, baptize us with the Spirit of Prayer and ultimately help us to build an effective Prayer Life.