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In this blog, I provide encouragement and biblical teaching on the subject of prayer.

As the Scripture says:

"Pray, then, in this way..." (Mt 6:9)

"But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you." (Mat 6:6)

Some of the topics covered include the Lord's Prayer, the intercession of the saints, the intercession of Christ, thanksgiving, proclamations, promises of God concerning prayer, and the importance of the attitude of the heart and mind in prayer, as well as the importance of the attitude of the body in prayer.  I hope this will be an edifying and encouraging experience for you that will help you to grow in your walk with the Lord.

The Disciples’ Prayer	Standing in the Gap	Covenant Prayer
Who intercedes for us?	Personal Proclamations of Faith	Crying Out to God Loudly
When God Does Not Seem to Answer	Taking Heaven by Force	Prayer that Pleases the Father's Heart
Giving Thanks in Everything	Prayer Promises	Lifting Hands in Prayer
Lifting Your Face in Prayer	Keeping a Prayer Journal	Blessing Others
Keys to Prayer	The Power of Two or Three	Scriptural Make Believe
The Blessing of Abraham	Being Blessable	The Authority of the Believer

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. "Prayer Warrior" painting © 2012 Danny Hahlbohm, all rights reserved by the artist.

Author's Note:  I also invite you to visit my collection of blogs at "Writing for the Master."  Now let me ask you a very important question.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

When God Does Not Seem to Answer

Dear Prayer Warriors,

We have all experienced times when God does not seem to answer us when we call. This is not unique to you alone, but has happened to us all at one time or another. In fact, it has probably happened to all true saints down through the centuries. Let's look at some passages of Scripture about this.

Habakkuk said, "How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, 'Violence!' but you do not save?" (Hab 1:2, NIV). God responded to the prophet by telling him that He had raised up the Babylonians to execute judgment and to punish His people Israel.

In his second complaint, Habakkuk prayed to God and asked, "Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves?" (Hab 1:13b, NIV). Then the Lord replied:

“Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay." (Hab 2:2-3, NIV).

The Lord was teaching the prophet that the vision He was giving to him of the ultimate destruction of the wicked was to take place at the end of the age. He was teaching him that even though it took a long time to happen, it would certainly come at the appointed time and not prove false. It would not delay forever, but would one day come to pass. The Lord assured him that one day the earth would be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. (Hab 2:14). We must be patient and wait for the Lord.

As the Lord told David, "A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity." (Ps 37:10-11, NIV).

Yet there were times when David felt like the Lord was just watching what people were doing to him and not doing anything to stop it. He prayed things like, "How long, Lord, will you look on?" (Ps 35:17a, NIV). And "Lord, you have seen this; do not be silent. Do not be far from me, Lord. Awake, and rise to my defense!" (Ps 35:22-23a, NIV). And "My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest." (Ps 22:2, NIV).

Yet David had faith that "The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles." (Ps 34:17, NIV). There are times in life when we may feel totally overwhelmed by troubles, and our prayers seem to go unanswered. But David said, "The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all; He protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken." (Ps 34:19-20, NIV).

Like David and Habakkuk, Job also experienced his prayers seemingly going unanswered. He said, “Though I cry, ‘Violence!’ I get no response; though I call for help, there is no justice." (Job 19:7, NIV). He prayed, “I cry out to you, God, but you do not answer; I stand up, but you merely look at me." (Job 30:20 , NIV). Yet look at what God really thought of Job. He said that Job was blameless and upright, a man who feared God and shunned evil, and that there was no one else on earth like him (Job 1:8). In the end, after the Lord had tried Job, he blessed him even more than he did before his trials.

The Persistent Widow
Jesus taught us to pray and not give up. "Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, saying, 'In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, "Give me legal protection from my opponent." For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, "Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out."'"

"And the Lord said, 'Hear what the unrighteous judge said; now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?'" (Luk 18:1-8)

Hindrances to Prayer
If your prayers are not being answered, it's best to ask the Lord to show you if something is hindering them. There are several possible ways your prayers can be hindered.

Sin
The first and most obvious one is sin. The blind man who received his sight said, "We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will." (Jn 9:31, NIV). The psalmist said, "If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened." (Ps 66:18, NIV). Another version says, "If I regard wickedness in my heart, the Lord will not hear" me (NASB). Therefore, before you can expect God to hear your prayers, you must repent of all sin and turn away from iniquity. Ask the Lord to forgive you and cleanse you from all sin, and the Bible promises us that He will. The apostle John wrote, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 Jn 1:9, NIV).

Doubting
The second hindrance to getting your prayers answered is doubting. James wrote, "But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." (Jas 1:6-8). Although you only need a mustard seed of faith to move mountains, you must be sure and remove all doubt, because if you have any doubts that God will answer you, then you should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Therefore, get rid of all doubt.

Idolatry
A third hindrance to prayer is idolatry. The nation of Israel fell into this sin, even sacrificing their own children to idols, and here is what God said to them. "When you cry out for help, let your collection of idols save you! The wind will carry all of them off, a mere breath will blow them away." (Is 57:13, NIV). Don't expect God to answer your prayers, if you are engaged in idolatry of any kind. He will not listen to you. For more on this, please see my article, Modern Day Idols.

Rebellion
A fourth hindrance to prayer is rebellion. The Lord told the sinful nation of Israel as they continued in rebellion that their offerings had become worthless, and he had had enough of them (Is 1:4-5,11). He said their incense had become an abomination to Him (Is 1:13). He promised not to listen to their prayers until they washed themselves and made themselves clean, removed their evil deeds from His sight and ceased to do evil (Is 1:16). He said, “So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; Yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood." (Is 1:15, NIV).

Likewise in the first proverb, God sets us straight by saying that He won't tolerate rebellion. He says,“Because I called and you refused, I stretched out my hand and no one paid attention; And you neglected all my counsel and did not want my reproof...Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently but they will not find me." (Pr 1:24-25,28, NIV). There are plenty of warnings against rebellion that assure us He will not listen to us in that state until we repent. Scripture tells us, "He who turns away his ear from listening to the law, Even his prayer is an abomination." (Pr 28:9).

Unforgiveness
One sin that I would like to point out specifically is unforgiveness, because it is so common. You must be careful, because the Lord taught that if you do not forgive others when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will not forgive you of your sins (Mt 6:15).

A man named Daniel Ekechukwu, whom I wrote about in Nigerian Pastor Raised from the Dead, had an automobile accident in November 2001 and died. There had been a misunderstanding between him and his wife that led to a disagreement, and the matter was not resolved before Daniel died. After arriving at the hospital by ambulance, he was repenting of his sins, but after he died an angel told him that the Lord did not listen to his prayers of repentance, since he was still holding unforgiveness in his heart toward his wife, even though she had tried to reconcile with him the morning of his fatal accident.

As Jesus said, God will not forgive us our sins unless we forgive others. Then the angel took him to hell and showed him that terrible place. He said that if his record was for him to be called to that place, then he would surely be thrown into hell. But the Lord chose to give him a second chance on life, and almost two full days after he had died, he was raised from the dead publicly in a large church. Don't let unforgiveness hinder your prayers and keep you from heaven.

Marriage Relationship
Another sin that I will call attention to, which will hinder you prayers, is treating your wife in an inconsiderate and disrespectful way. The apostle Peter warned us, "Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers." (1 Pe 3:7, NIV). Be sure to keep that relationship in good condition, if you want your prayers to be answered.

Asking with Wrong Motives
Another hindrance to prayer is asking with wrong motives. James wrote, "When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." (Js 4:3, NIV). Be sure you are asking with pure motives when you pray, if you want your prayers to be answered.

Not Asking in the Will of God
Another hindrance to prayer that I will mention, which is related to the previous one I have just covered, is asking outside the will of God. You cannot have any confidence that God will answer your prayers, if you pray for something that is not His will. On the other hand, if you ask according to God's will, you can be sure He will answer you. The apostle John said, "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us." (1 Jn 5:14, NIV).

Spiritual Warfare
Sometimes a delay in getting prayer answered can be due to spiritual warfare. This is probably more common than we realize. Remember the time that the prophet Daniel prayed and fasted for twenty-one days before his prayers were answered. An angel then appeared to him and told him that the Lord had heard his prayers from the first day he began praying, and the Lord had dispatched him to go to Daniel in response, but there was an evil principality resisting the angel that delayed his arrival. He said, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia." (Dan 10:12-13, NIV).

Putting it All Together
Therefore, if God does not seem to answer your prayers, then check to be sure there is nothing hindering them. Ask the Lord to reveal to you anything that is hidden that must go. If there are any hindrances, then deal with those accordingly. However, as long as you know there is nothing within your control that is hindering your prayers, then take heart and learn a lesson from the persistent widow and the saints of old. Your situation and mine are not unique to us. If you feel like God is not answering your prayers, remember His promises. Remember His faithfulness. Don't forget what He told Habakkuk and David, and what He ultimately did for them and for Job. Keep on praying and do not lose heart. Though the answer lingers, wait for it. Have faith in God.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture taken from the holy Bible NIV. Other Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. "Prayer Warrior" painting © 2012 Danny Hahlbohm, all rights reserved by the artist.

Author's Note: If you enjoyed this article, you may also like Wait for the Lord (poem), Never Forsaken, Going Through the Valley (poem), Nothing Will Separate (poem), When All Means Fail - Part I,  Who Intercedes for Us?, Personal Proclamations of Faith, A.S.K. (poem), Open Line to God (poem), Modern Day Idols, Even if it Doesn't Happen Like We Expect, Crying Out to God Loudly, Lifting Hands in Prayer, Great is His Faithfulness (poem), Speak to the Storm, and Lifting Your Face in Prayer. I also invite you to visit my collection of blogs at Writing for the Master.  Now let me ask you a very important question.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

The Disciples’ Prayer

Prayer is the disciple’s life connection to God.  It’s vital to our relationship with Him.  And yet it is widely overlooked, and its importance is underestimated.  If we understood how vital it is, we would pray more often and more earnestly, and not allow ourselves to be distracted by other things. 

When the disciples asked the Lord to teach them to pray, He taught them a model prayer to show them the kind of content their prayers should have, as well as how to approach God.

"And it happened as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, one of His disciples said to Him, 'Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught His disciples.' And He said to them, 'When you pray, say: Our Father, who is in Heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, as in Heaven, so also on the earth. Give us day by day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.'" (Luk 11:1-4, MKJV; cf., Mt 6:9-13)

Teach us to pray
The request of the disciples was, "Lord, teach us to pray."  We can learn to pray from a verbal teaching on prayer, as well as life lessons, which are trials and temptations we go through.  In this instance, He taught them verbally.  But He gave them plenty of other opportunities to learn to pray through trials and circumstances, such as the storm at sea.

Pray like this
Jesus taught them what to pray about and how to approach God in prayer.  He said, "When you pray, say:" In other words, “Pray like this.”

Our Father in heaven
“Our Father in heaven.” (v. 2). Address the heavenly Father reverently and lovingly, as “Our Father in heaven.” He also did not say to pray to Mary, the saints, or anyone else, but to our heavenly Father.

Since God is Spirit, and since He is unseen and He is in heaven, you should not pray in front of an image of any kind (Ex 20:4). Jesus said, "But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." (Mt 6:6, NIV).

Hallowed be Your name
“Hallowed be Your name.” (v. 2). As you approach God, praise, magnify, and exalt His holy name.  We enter His gates with thanksgiving in our hearts, and come into His courts with praise (Ps 100:4).  Begin prayer by praising His name. Put God first. Prayer is not a business meeting. Love God with all of your heart. Just give Him all of the love in your heart. One thing you can do as you praise Him is think about all His names. God's name identifies Him. People’s names identify who they are.  Praise His holy and awesome name.

Your kingdom come
“Your kingdom come.” Seek first His kingdom (see Lk 12:31; Mt 6:33).  His kingdom is the royal realm where He has absolute and universal dominion.  It’s where He rules and reigns. It’s God’s Divine Government over which He has supreme administration.

When you pray for God’s kingdom to come, you are praying for Him as the sovereign King to come and live and rule in your heart.  The government of God’s kingdom is on Jesus’ shoulders (Is 9:6). He is the King of kings (Re 19:16; cf., Re 17:14; 1 Ti 6:15). There can only be one king on the throne inside your heart.  Ask Him to come and take His place on the throne.

Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven
“May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (v. 2). In heaven God’s will goes unchallenged and is always done. There’s nobody there challenging God’s will. On earth there are many enemies of God and hindrances to block his will. Yet His will is best.  “Father knows best.”  The Father is looking out for your best interest. Trust God. Go with what He says.

In heaven, God’s will goes unchallenged and is always done. There’s nobody there resisting God’s will. On earth there are many enemies of God and hindrances to block his will. Yet His will is best. “Father knows best.”  The Father is looking our for your best interest. Trust God. Go with what He says.

When you pray for His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven, then it will guide you to pray in His will.  And even if you make a mistake and pray outside His will, He will know that you asked for His will to be done, so He will answer it according to His will, rather than how you wanted it.

When you do God's will, that is one way this prayer of yours will be answered.  He said, "For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother." (Mar 3:35).  He also said, “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it." (Luk 11:27-28).

Jesus prayed for the Father’s will, when it was contrary to His own (Mt 26:39-42).  This is what we must do also, following our Lord's example. His will is what we live for, not our own. This is critical, because of the power of the will. Your will has the ability to make you miss heaven. God will not force you to obey Him. He will not force Himself on you. If you allow your will to take priority, it can take you to hell. If you aren’t willing, then you can block God’s will from being done, so live your life for the will of God. Surrender to His will, and live according to it. (1 Pe 4:1-6).  The one who does the will of God lives forever. (1 Jn 2:17). His will is holy, righteous, perfect, and true.

Give us each day our daily bread
“Give us each day our daily bread.” (v.3). “Daily bread” represents the necessities of everyday life, including food. Once you have first sought God's kingdom, His will, and His righteousness, then you can bring your petitions before His throne.  Ask for what you need today.

Don’t worry about your needs for tomorrow and next week and next month. It’s all right to pray about those, but don’t worry about them, because God is able to handle all your needs each day, if you ask Him to.  If you worry about things in the future, it will be more than you can handle.

Notice that he used the expression “daily bread.”  I want to draw your attention to the word "daily." He did not expect you to have enough bread stockpiled for months to come. I also want to draw your attention to the word "bread." He also did not expect you to live luxuriously on food fit for a king.  Sometimes we are blessed with plenty, but let us not forget share it with others.  And if all we have is bread to eat, then we know the Lord has answered our prayer and He provided it.

The meals our Lord ate and fed to others were simple meals like a piece of fruit, or a fish, and some bread.  On a feast day like Passover, then there was more to eat and drink like lamb and wine.  Our daily bread also represents our basic necessities that we need for each day, such as clothing and shelter.

Some people wait until the end of their day to pray.  Sometimes it will happen this way, because of your schedule, but it is not wise to make it your routine.  How can you ask for what you need today at the end of your day?

When you pray, “Give us each day our daily bread,” and you are thinking about future days ahead, the fact is you still must ask.  The Lord instructed us to ask the Father for everything we need. Of course, “Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” (Mt 6:8b)  Yet you still need to ask Him.

Forgive us our sins
“Forgive us our sins.” (v. 4). We have all sinned, and we all stumble in many ways.  We need to repent daily, because we commit so many sins, often without knowing it.  We need to ask God for forgiveness, believing that Jesus died on the cross for our sin, and rose from the dead, victorious over sin and death.

In order to be forgiven, you must repent sincerely from your sin, and confess it.  "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1Jn 1:9)  Cry out for mercy. “Lord, have mercy on me!” and pray for the Lord to have mercy on others, too.  We need the God's mercy much more than we realize!

We also forgive everyone who sins against us
“We also forgive everyone who sins against us.” (v. 4)  This is another condition in order for us to be forgiven. We must forgive, because if we do not forgive, God will not forgive us.  "For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.” (Mat 6:14-15)  The spirit of unforgiveness will lead you down to hell. Release those who are indebted to you.

Lead us not into temptation
“Lead us not into temptation.” (v. 4).  He taught us to pray and ask the Father not to lead us into temptation. He told us to “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Mt 26:40-41).  You become weak when you sleep away your prayer time.

We sometimes feel confident that we can withstand the temptations that lie ahead of us in life without praying much, or without praying at all.  Yet even Jesus had to pray, and often spent the whole night in prayer.  He was tempted by the devil (Mt 4). He was “tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.” (Heb 4:15). Temptation is common and every temptation is a common one. Through prayer you can resist temptation. Resist the devil. 

"Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall. No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it." (1Co 10:12-13, NASB)

Don’t become complacent, thinking you stand. That's just the pride that comes before a fall.  Rather take heed lest you fall!

God does not tempt us. James said, "Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am being tempted by God'; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death." (Jas 1:13-15)

Deliver us from evil
“Deliver us from evil” and some versions say “deliver us from the evil one.” (v. 4) The word “deliver” is from the Greek word rhuomai, meaning to rescue or deliver.  This is the same as crying to God, “Rescue us! Deliver us!”  And when you personalize it, then you should cry out, “Deliver me! Save me! Lord, save my soul!”  Or if you are sick, you should cry out, “Lord, heal me!”

Only God can deliver you, save your soul, set you free, and heal you by the power that is in Jesus’ name.  All power is in that name. “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Ac 4:12)

The entire prayer is for “us” not me. That doesn’t mean you cannot pray for yourself.  You should pray for yourself, and when you come to Christ, you must pray for yourself.  But we must pray for others, too, and not just ourselves.

The devil is so evil and does so much more than we realize with the purpose to harm us.  He comes to kill, steal, and destroy people.  Jesus knew the devil would continue to do that, so He instructed us to pray for deliverance.

Disciples’ Prayer
This is usually called “The Lord’s Prayer,” but it may also be considered the “Disciples’ Prayer.” (Lk 11:1). If you want to become a disciple of Jesus Christ, this is how you should pray. And if you want to grow as a disciple, this is how to pray. This was also the Lord’s Prayer personally, except that He never needed to ask forgiveness for any sin of His own as we do, since He was without sin (Heb 4:15).  But I am sure He needed to forgive others.

Notice how concise this prayer is.  There is so much meaning packed into so few words.

Sinner's Prayer
If you are a sinner, and you want to give your life to Jesus, then repent of every sin you ever committed. Continue to pray and ask the Lord to show you every sin you ever committed from the time you were a young child until now.  It could take you some hours, but repent for each thing you can remember specifically. Then ask Him to cleanse you by His blood.  Afterward, I suggest reading Psalm 51 and receive His forgiveness.  Surrender your whole life to Jesus Christ, commit to live for righteousness, and invite Him to come and live inside your heart.

After you give your life to Jesus, you should immediately pray and ask to be Baptized with the Holy Spirit.

Putting it All Together
Learn to pray the way Jesus taught His disciples to pray.  He will also give you life experiences to learn how to pray, so be sure you don’t miss those practical opportunities.

Pray to God, the Father in heaven in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Approach Him with reverence, awe, and love Him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.  Begin with praise and thanksgiving, just pouring out your love on Him and adoring Him.

Always put God’s concerns ahead of your own, and ahead of any petitions you may bring to Him.  There may be times where you have an emergency and you cry out to God for help without spending time in praise and thanksgiving, but normally you should take the time to do this first.

Begin with blessing Him, and His name, and seeking His kingdom, His righteousness, His will in your life to be done just as it is in heaven.  Ask the Lord to reign in your heart as King.  Lay your life on the alter as a living sacrifice to Him. That pleases the Father.  If that is your heart’s greatest desire, then all the requests you make of Him after that will be in accordance with His will.  If not, then He will know that you want His will above all else, so He will answer it according to His will.

After you have put the Lord and His concerns first, then bring your concerns to Him for yourself and others.  Bring all those petitions and requests before His throne, knowing that you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.

Remember to repent daily and ask forgiveness, as well as forgive others.  Pray away those temptations the devil has planned for you and others.  Pray for salvation and deliverance and healing. And remember, everyone who asks receives, the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks the door shall be opened.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.  "Prayer Warrior" painting © 2012 Danny Hahlbohm, all rights reserved by the artist.

Author's Note:  If you enjoyed this message,  you may also like "Who Intercedes for Us?" and my daughter's poem, "Our Intercessor."  I also invite you to visit my collection of blogs at "Writing for the Master."  Now let me ask you a very important question.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Prayer Promises

I'd like to share from God's Word what He says about prayer. There are so many wonderful promises in His Word about this. We need to be reminded, because we often have great needs in our lives or in the lives of our loved ones, and where else can we turn but to the Lord. He alone is the answer. Take a look with me and let it encourage you today.

1. Jesus said to ask Him and He would do it

• "Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it." (John 14:13-14)
• In the Old Testament, God's people angered Him by praying to others besides than the One True God. They prayed to Baal (Num 25:3-5), Asheroth (Judges 3:7), the Queen of Heaven (Jer 7:9,18; Jer 44:17-25), and the heavenly host (2 King 17:16 and 23:5). They participated in sacrifices to dead people (Ps 106:28). In fact, their gods were as many as their cities (Jer 11:13).
• Since Jesus has come and established the New Covenant, God's people who call themselves after Jesus name still do the same things to anger the Lord. They pray to others besides the Lord. They make images for themselves to help them pray to these entities, including the so-called Queen of Heaven. They even offer up sacrifices to her and the other dead who are in heaven. They have a saint to call upon for any kind of problem in life. This is spiritual adultery. It's evidence that they do not trust the Lord enough to take Him at His Word. It grieves the Lord deeply when His people do not trust Him like this.
• This is what led to the confrontation between Elijah and the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18). They did not believe the Lord would hear them, if they called upon Him. So they called upon the name of Baal. Elijah challenged them all to call upon Baal and see if he would answer by fire. He said, "Whoever answers by fire, He is God." In the end, Baal did not answer, though they called upon Him all day and sacrificed to him. But when Elijah called upon the Lord God, He answered by fire, consuming the offering, even though it was soaked with water.
• If we really believe what Jesus said, we will pray to God alone and no one else. We will trust that He will do it, just as He promised. His promise is clear: Ask Me anything in My Name, and I will do it.

2. Ask whatever you wish, believe and receive it

• "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you."(John 15:7).
• He said you must abide in Him. That means you need to live in Jesus. You must have a personal relationship with Him. You've got to know Him personally in your heart, not just know about Him. You may know about some historical figure like Abraham Lincoln or Martin Luther, but you don't know them personally. But most of us know our parents personally. I know my wife personally. You need to know Jesus personally. Jesus also said His words must abide in you. That means we will take to heart what the Jesus has said, as it is written in the Bible - His Word. But the promise is clear to you if you have a living relationship with Jesus and His Word is alive in you: Ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you.
• "And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive." (Mat 21:22). This is another powerful promise. Jesus refers here to all things you ask in prayer. But He was talking about believing prayer, not just uttering empty words. If you believe Him when you pray, then you will receive.
• "Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you." (Mar 11:24). First, Jesus said this about all things for which we pray, not some things. Second, he said we must believe we have received, which means we believe we have already received. But we have to believe this before we have seen the answer in the natural realm. We should speak, feel, act and think as if we have already received our answer. If we do this, He promised that it would be granted.
• "And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight." (1Jo 3:22). John said that receiving whatever we ask of the Lord is directly connected with our obedience to Him and doing what's pleasing to Him. Maybe the reason Christians pray to others beside the Lord is that they do not live lives of obedience or do the things that are pleasing in His sight. They don't feel they can go directly to the Lord with their prayers, because they don't feel worthy.
• "This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him." (1Jo 5:14-15) We cannot simply ask for silly things to feed our carnal appetites. John clarified that if we want our prayers answered, we must pray according to the Lord's will. We know His will by what is written in His Word and by His Spirit - the two are in agreement. If we pray this way, we have the requests we have asked of Him.

3. Ask the Father in Jesus name and He will give it

• "You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you." (John 15:16). Jesus taught two important truths here. First we must ask the Father, and not pray to any other! We never see Him teaching us to pray to any other, always the Father. Secondly, He said to ask the Father in His name, the name of Jesus. To ask in His name is to ask the Father according to the authority given to His son Jesus. When we do this, Jesus promised the Father would give it to us. It's that simple.
• "In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full." (John 16:23-24). Again, Jesus taught us to ask the Father in Jesus name. If we do, He will give it to us. Do you believe this? It's God's will that we ask Him and receive, because He wants our joy to be full.
• "In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father." (John 16:26-27). Jesus wants us to know that we do not need to ask Him to go to the Father on our behalf. He says the Father Himself loves us who love Jesus, so we should go directly to Him. Those who pray to others say that these help carry their prayers to the throne of God. The fact that Jesus taught us that we do not even need Him to request the Father on our behalf should be enough to settle the matter -- we do not need anyone to carry our prayers to the throne of God. The apostle Paul wrote: "For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." (1Ti 2:5). If we love Jesus and believe that He comes from the Father, we have direct access to the throne. That's direct access without the need for other mediators!
• "Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. (Mat 6:9). When the disciples asked Jesus how to pray, this is how He taught them. He taught them to pray the same way He prayed, which was directly to the Father in heaven. Jesus did not say, "Pray, then, in this way, 'Our mother in heaven.' " If that were necessary, He surely would have told us so. He also did not say, "When you pray, say, 'Saint Joseph, pray for us.'" We simply need to pray to our heavenly Father in Jesus' name.
• "But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you." (Mat 6:6). Jesus taught us to pray to our Father who sees what is done in secret. And He promised our Father would reward us, so we don't need any other. Do you believe this?
• "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. (Mat 7:7-8; Luke 11:9). There is a cause and effect relationship between your asking the Father and it being given to you. There is no extra step inserted between asking and receiving here. He did not say, "Make your petitions to others in heaven, asking them to pray for you, so they may carry your prayers to the throne of God, and then it will be given to you." Jesus simply said, "Ask and it will be given to you." He also promised that everyone who asks receives. It's not just for the supposed "elite," "higher-ranking" saints, but for everyone. That includes you, if you have a personal relationship with Jesus.
• "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!" (Mat 7:11). Jesus spoke to earthly fathers who were mere sinful humans. Yet even earthly, human fathers who are evil know how to give good gifts to their children. If a son asks his father for some bread, the father does not give him a stone. Likewise, our heavenly Father knows how to give good gifts to His children who ask Him directly.

4. Father knows what you need before you ask

• "So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him." (Mat 6:8). We don't need to repeat the same words over and over to God, thinking we will be heard because of our many words. When we approach the Father, we need to realize He already knows what we need before we even ask Him. But He still wants us to ask Him, and then trust Him with the results, because asking this way is an expression of our trust in Him. After all, that's what faith is!

5. When two of you agree about anything, it will be done for them

• "Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven." (Mat 18:19). It's important to pray together at times with a partner. As the two of you agree together on the matter you are praying about right here on earth, the Father in heaven shall do it. You don't need to find a prayer partner in heaven to agree with you. Jesus said the Father in heaven would do what the two of you are praying in agreement for right here on earth. That's one aspect of this teaching. But there is another aspect of agreement that many fail to understand. Praying in agreement is not just finding someone who will agree with you, who will pray with you about a matter. That is only one side of it. Many times I've been in prayer with others, praying about a variety of matters. And just as the Holy Spirit put it in my heart to pray about a certain matter or to pray in a certain manner about something, another person has begun to pray exactly that way. As they did, I was in complete agreement, because I knew it was the Holy Spirit who led them to pray that way, and now we were in agreement with Him, as well as each other.

6. Draw near to God's throne with confidence, so that you may receive

• "Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Heb 4:14-16). A high priest is one who represents the people before God. Jesus is our High Priest, who is not serving in an earthly temple, but right in heaven. He has experienced all the same temptations we have; yet He never sinned. So we can be confident that our High Priest represents us perfectly before God. He knows all our weaknesses, yet He Himself has always been perfectly obedient to the Father. Therefore, we should confidently, even boldly draw near to the throne of God. We come not by our own merits, but by the merits of His shed blood. And when we are near the throne, we can be sure we will receive mercy. We can know for certain that we will find grace to help us, no matter what we need. This should give us peace to know that God's throne is a throne of grace.

7. Call upon the Lord, pray to Him and seek His face

• "Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart." (Jer 29:12-13). God spoke through the prophet Jeremiah, telling us to call upon Him. He said to come to Him and pray to Him. The prophet spoke these words hundreds of years before Christ, even while God's people were in exile, being punished for their spiritual adultery. God told His people to come to Him and pray to Him. And He promised that if they would do so, He would listen to them. The same is true today. God wants us to call upon Him, to come and pray to Him and He will listen. But He doesn't throw Himself on us like a cheap prostitute would. He wants us to search for Him. But we don't search for God with the remote control in our hand, reclining on the sofa. We need to search for Him with all our heart. He promises that when we search for Him with all our heart, we will find Him.
• For "whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Rom 10:13). It can't get much clearer than this. The promise is for whoever will call on the Lord's name. It's not for those who call on any other name. The apostle Paul taught us from the prophet Joel's words to call on the Lord's name, not the name of Peter or Joseph or Mary, no matter how godly their lives were. And if you will call upon the name of the Lord Jesus, you will be saved.
• "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved." (Act 4:12). There is no other name but the name of Jesus that we must call on to be saved -- no matter what our situation, and no matter what our need.
• "Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face continually." (1Ch 16:11). It's the Lord whom we must seek, no other. It doesn't say here to seek Baal or Asheroth, or to seek the Queen of Heaven. The Lord wants us to seek His face in an ongoing, continuous manner throughout our lives.
• "And My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land." (2Ch 7:14). So why don't people who are called by His name seek His face? Why don't they call upon the Lord? Maybe it's because they would rather not humble themselves and turn from their wicked ways. Maybe they know in their conscience that they are not living right and they feel that someone else is more worthy to take their requests before the throne. That's the way I was before I knew the Lord. I was living a wicked life, and when I was in need, I would pray, "If anyone in heaven can hear this prayer, get this message to God." Yet that's not necessary for those who know the Lord. He made a promise to all His people who are called by His name. There were a few preconditions though. He said we need to humble ourselves, pray and seek His face. He said we need to turn from our wicked ways. If we will do this, He promised to hear from heaven. He promised to forgive our sin and heal our land. Do you believe this? If so, then make it a way of life.
• "The young lions do lack and suffer hunger; But they who seek the LORD shall not be in want of any good thing." (Psa 34:10). We do need to seek the Lord while He may be found. We seek after so many other worthless things, but there are so few who seek the Lord. Those who seek the Lord will not have unmet needs in their lives for any good thing.

I have a personal relationship with my wife, for which I am very grateful to God. And when I need to ask her for something, I don't go through a mediator. I ask her directly. On the other hand, when marital relationships are broken, husbands and wives speak to each other through mediators - they are called attorneys. When we have a personal relationship with someone in good standing, we don't need to go through mediators to communicate with them.

Jesus, our one and only mediator, has taught us that we don't need Him to ask the Father on our behalf. It's clear that we are to pray to the Father in Jesus' name, seek His face, and call upon His name. We are not to pray to any other. And as we pray, we need to believe that we have received what we have asked for. Then whatever we have prayed for will be granted. The Lord's throne is a throne of grace. And everyone who calls upon the Lord's name will be saved.

Maybe you have been like I once was, calling upon another name in your time of need. If you will acknowledge according to God's Word that this is sin and turn from your wicked ways, then go before the Lord humbly and pray and seek His face. He will hear from heaven and forgive your sins. There is still time to do this while you have breath in your lungs.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

I hope this has helped you, whether you are a mature believer or a new one, to grow in your faith in God's promises regarding prayer. If you enjoyed this post, you might want to look at my other one in this blog that tackles the question, "Who is interceding for us?". You may also access a collection of my most popular blogs at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
Maybe you have never come to know Jesus personally. You might be like I once was, having gone to church all my life and knowing about Jesus, but not knowing Him personally. He loves you and wants a personal relationship with you. If you want to know Jesus personally, you can.


Please find out how in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.