Last week we talked about discovering the will of God for our lives.

We realized that in order for us to be successful its essential to understand exactly what God expects from us. We discovered in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 that God makes it perfectly clear what His will for us is.

Quite simply His will for our lives is to:

Rejoice Always,
Pray without ceasing
And
In everything give thanks.

We took a look at the first directive from God which was rejoicing always. As difficult as it may seem, we realized that it is possible to rejoice in spite of the life trials we go through.

We can rejoice because we know

God loves us
We have expectancy for change
God’s power is perfected in our weaknesses
We have the promises of God
And because we trust God.

This week we are going to take a look at the second directive from God concerning the His will for our lives which is praying without ceasing.

I asked each of you what was your prayer life like what would you tell me?

Would you say?

Pastor Chris I pray

Constantly
When something is going on that I need God to handle
Each night at dinner
When im sick or someone close to me is ill
Or not at all

Sadly enough most of us fall somewhere between praying only at meals, or when we are in a tight spot and we need Gods help.


Unfortunately what we fail to realize is that our great our relationship with God is in direct correlation to our prayer life. The reason why we don’t have a stronger more intimate relationship with God is that we give him no time.

Prophetess Juanita Bynum was asked why she was so successful in ministry, she replied, “No prayer, no power, Some prayer, some power, and more prayer more power!”

What is prayer-Prayer is our direct method of communicating with God. It’s that simple you want to communicate with God, you pray.

Who do we pray to-You are praying to God of God, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! You are praying to the omnipotent, omnipresent God. He is all knowing, past present and future. Most importantly you are praying to someone that loves you and would do anything for you.

Why we pray-We pray because we love God. If you love someone you want to spend as much time with them as possible, to do that with God we pray. We pray because we need God to survive, praying shows our dependency on Him. We know that through God our needs are met. We pray for our family, our community and the world. God is the only one that can fix these things. We pray because it strengthens us for the battle. The enemy has laid many mine fields for you, some are; temptations, sickness, financial peril, prayer is the only way you can see these traps before you step on them as well as strengthen you when you are wounded.


What happens when we pray-We change! Prayer does nothing for God but everything for us! Its because of our prayer that God responds! God gives us those things that we ask for, he protects us, strengthens us, communicates with us through prayer. We are delivered when we pray.

But if prayer is the way to strengthen my relationship with God, I have to ask myself can it be done?

Is it possible to pray without ceasing?

OBSTACLES OF PRAYER

The Devil-Satan doesn’t want you to pray because he knows if you pray you will strengthen your relationship with God, get clear direction for your life, and stay further away from him.
Distractions-Work, our kinds, our imagination, all provide avenues of escape when we are praying
Fatigue-Jesus told the disciples that the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.
Faith-We don’t believe that God can or will give us what we pray for so why bother.


So with all these issues coming against me when I pray, how can achieve this directive? In order to can victory over theses issue a you must develop a soldier’s mentality.

WHY PRAYER IS IMPORTANT

The Christian life is a war. You are part of a conflict that has been waging for thousands of years between God and Satan. Whether you want to be in this war or not you are in it. In the time of the Vietnam War, the United States instituted a draft in which meant that at a certain age you were ordered to participate in the war. A lot of people didn’t want to fight. They did not believe in the war or they just didn’t have the stomach for fighting. If you refused to fight you were imprisoned and called a “Draft dodger.” The most public case was Muhammad Ali refusing to fight and being stripped of his Heavyweight Boxing Championship and sentenced to time in prison. Others who did not want to fight called themselves “Conscientious Objectors” and went to live in Canada which was a country that also took a stand against the war. These people stayed in Canada until the war was over. The United States gave them Amnesty (which is a pardon) for not participating in the war and they returned.

But in the war between God and evil there is no opt out for you and there will be no pardon. Whether you want to accept it or not, you are part of this war. If you refuse to take a side you are already working for the enemy and if you died today you would face the same sentence that satan and his minions face, eternity separated from God in the lake of fire.

This war is not a physical war, you are fighting an enemy you physically can not see yet you see evidence of his existence in the destruction he causes in your life, those around you and the world itself.

You have to fight! The good news is this is a war you can win and the strongest weapon you have to win this war, is your prayer life.

2 Cor 10:3-5

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. “

To win this war you have to know how to use this weapon! To be able to pray without ceasing you have to know how to pray and how to get the most out of your prayer life.

Prayer is your weapon, think of it as your rifle. In the army there is a training period called boot camp. A large part of the training is knowing our weapon. The drill sergeants train you how to clean, use, and care for you rifle.

To be able to pray without ceasing you have to know your weapon of prayer and to be able to use it effectively.


GETTING THE MOST OUT OF OUR PRAYER TIME

Make it intimate-If I asked the men what time Monday Night Football comes on you would be able to tell me. If I asked the women what time their favorite show came on they could tell me, and if I asked the children what time Spongebob Squarepants comes on you would know as well. You know the times because its your time to watch these shows and nothing or no one can pull you away from the television when these programs are on. Your prayer time should be this important. Set a time to pray and let nothing or no one take you away from that time. Don’t choose the living room to pray when you know everyone is there, find a quiet spot in the house that’s not being used where you will not be distracted by the noise or people.


Pray from your heart-God doesn’t care how your prayers sound as long as they are from the heart. He doesn’t care how eloquent you sound, He doesn’t care about how many big words you use, God wants to hear you. Jesus gave us a standard for our prayers

Mathew 6:5-13

"And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. 7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. 9 In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. 13 And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

This is your model for prayer;

1. Our Father in Heaven-This is personal, you are going to your father the All Father. You recognize who He is and where He is. (Abba Father) (On His throne)
2. Hallowed be Your name-He name is set apart from any other name. He is Holy, Righteous. There is none like Him.
3. Your Kingdom Come-Simply put the Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. 1 Romans 14:17. Wherever these attributes are, the Kingdom of God is.
4. You will be done as it is in Heaven-You recognize Gods sovereignty. You understand that God is in control of every situation or condition. God rules in heaven and earth.
5. Give us this day our daily bread-You needs are met through Him. You are dependent on God for your physical and spiritual survival.
6. Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors-We are all sinners before God. We sin against Him each day. If God would hold us accountable for our sins we would be sentence to eternal death, yet He forgave us. How can we do no less than forgive those that hurt us? (Jesus on forgiveness) ( Jesus on before you come to the altar)
7. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one-God- doesn’t lead anyone into temptation. You are asking Guard your heart and mind so you will not be tempted by the satan. But if you fall short as the bible says we all have, you are asking God to deliver us from evil. (James 1:13) (1 Cor 10:13)
8. For Your is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever, Amen.-You finished the prayer as you started, recognizing that God can and will do what you asked for.

Using the model that Christ gave us; graft the following when you pray:

Target your prayers-be specific in your prayers- God wants to hear from you. If you want a blue, manual BMW 730I ask for it. What kind of job do you want, what sickness do you want to be cured of.

Check your motives-God will never answer a prayer that is not pure. If you’re asking for your boss to be hit by a bolt of lightening, it wont happen. If you’re praying for deliverance from you boss, God can do that. If you motives are selfish, deceptive, or take you further away from God you will not receive what you ask for. James 4:3

Believe you prayer will be answered-If you don’t believe it you will not achieve it! If you don’t believe that God is who He says He is and that He can do what He says He can do, He will not give you the desires of your heart. Mark 11:25

Write your prayers down-Keep a prayer log so that when God gives you what you asked for, you will see it was from Him and not you. Habakkuk 2:2


Wait patiently-Everything happens in Gods timing. Sometimes God answers prayers immediately, sometimes it takes a while, but He will answer your prayer. Do not get discouraged! Habakkuk 2:3 /Daniel 10:12-13

Receive the answer-There has never been a prayer that God never answered. Our problem is we refuse to admit that God says no sometimes or not yet. God is omniscient; He is past, present and future. He is not going to grant you a prayer when He knows it will destroy you three months from now.



The versatility of prayer; There are so many ways you can pray

1. Meditation-Just reflecting on God, Thinking about Him, His Goodness, Mercy and Love
2. Outward Prayers-Verbally speaking to God.
3. Using your Prayer Language-In World War II the Germans had an advantage in communicating to its submarines by a machine called the Enigma cipher machine. This machine sent a code to the other German subs the allied forces could not understand. They heard the code but could not break it. This is your prayer language or what Paul called, Praying in the spirit.

Romans 8:26-27 “26 At the same time the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we don't know how to pray for what we need. But the Spirit intercedes along with our groans that cannot be expressed in words. 27 The one who searches our hearts knows what the Spirit has in mind. The Spirit intercedes for God's people the way God wants him to.”

If you are saved and you Christ and the Holy Spirit living on the inside of you, you have the ability to use this secret code. When we do not feel like praying or we don’t know what to pray about of for, the Holy Spirit takes over and we express groans or sounds we to pray. This can happen anytime or anyplace.
Ephesians 6:18 –“praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints “

Your enemy the devil does not know this code, its between you and God. This is good because satan can not act on your prayers. He hears them but he has no idea what you’re praying about!

4. The authority of our prayers; In Roman times a letter was sent to someone with the roman seal on the bottom. This let the reader know that the letter had the authority of Caesar on it. When we finish a prayer, we place the seal of Christ on it by saying “In Jesus Name I pray.” Why, because our prayers has no effect on God without this seal. God does not respond to our prayers unless they have this seal on it. John 14:13

1 Timothy 2:5 states, there is only one God and mediator between God and men the man Christ Jesus. When God sees your prayers without this seal, they are discarded, but when He hears them with the seal of Christ on it, He looks at looks at us and then looks at Christ and Jesus proudly says, “Yes, I endorsed him; he has the right to ask you for this because I okayed it.”

This is why the bible says that we can come boldly to the throne of Grace to find rest for our souls. Hebrews 4:16


So can you do it, can you pray without ceasing? Yes![b/]

Physically or spiritually you have the ability to pray constantly. More than the ability you have the motivation because you know how you’re praying to, the confidence that He can give you what you asked for, and the authority in Jesus Name to submit your prayers!

You are now able to pray anytime, anywhere, and any place!


[b]ALTAR CALL

Prayer is an awesome privilege, to be able to go into the presence of God to submit our needs. But to be honest with you, God will not hear the prayers of those that have not accepted Christ as their personal savior.

Unless you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior your prayers are falling on deaf ears in heaven because they have not been authenticated by Christ. Christ is not mediating for you because you have not accepted Him.

But my friend that can all be changed, you can have your prayers heard by God and more than that you can have a personal relationship with him through His son Jesus Christ. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to have God hear you and respond to your needs? Wouldn’t it be great to know that God is speaking directly to you and that you can win the war you’re fighting?

There is a story of a man that died, and when he got to heaven God told him that he would be sentenced to hell and eternal separation from Him. The man said why, I never had the time to get to know you, to have you in my life. And Jesus looked at him and said, when you were working, I was in a corner of your office, waiting for you to speak tome. When you were in your car, I was in the back seat waiting for you to speak to me. When you were in the bar, I was there next to you, waiting for you, and while you were watching TV I was in the room watching it with you, waiting for you to turn it off and speak to me.
Now its too late for us to talk. Its too late for you to spend time with me. Depart from me, I never knew you.

My friend, God doest want you to miss another opportunity to get to know Him and neither do I.



To have a relationship with God is very simple;

Admit that you are a sinner; we all have sinned against God.
Believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for your sins and that He rose and went back to Heaven to intercede for you. Believe that if you call on the name of the Lord you will be saved and will be given eternal life to reign with Him.
Confess your sins to God. Admit you are a sinner. Ask Jesus to come into your heart and live in you and through you.

If you have do these three things you will have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Your prayers will be heard and answered.

Now for those of you that have accepted the Lord and your prayer life is not what it should be; you need to confess that to God and ask him to give you a hunger for him to pray and spend time with Him. Come to the altar and ask him created time and moments for you to pray.

God is available to meet your every need, all you have to do, is simply ask.

The Altar is open.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Pastor Chris,