Thursday, December 29, 2011

The "ABC"s of Prayer. "K" is for Kneeling

Although we don't often give much thought to our body position when we pray,scripture teaches us that kneeling is the preferred posture for prayer. The act of kneeling is a physical display of homage. An outward sign of humilty and honor to God. King David;the "man after God's own heart",encouraged us in Psalm 95:6 to "worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker." It is also recorded in the book of First Kings that David's son Solomon carried on this tradition as well. "And it was so, that when Solomon had made an end of praying all this prayer and supplication unto the LORD, he arose from before the altar of the LORD, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread up to heaven." (1 Kings 8:54)What better examples could we have than the prophets(Daniel 6:10),apostles(Acts 9:40&21:5)and even Christ Himself(Luke 22:41) that kneeling is an appropriate posture for prayer. In fact; tradition tells us that, the Apostle James earned the nickname "old camel knees" because of the effect his dedication to prayer had on him physically. If the man after God's own heart, the wisest man who ever lived, the man whose life the foundation of the church was based upon and so many others knelt to pray, should not that be our posture as well?

Friday, December 23, 2011

The "ABC"s of Prayer. "J" is for Jesus!

"...one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray." (Luke 11:1)Where would we be without the Lord? Not only would we not have a pattern for prayer, but take Jesus Christ out of the equation and everything associated with prayer becomes meaningless. There is no access because our mediator is unavailable. There is no boldness because the source of our zeal is uninterested. There is no confidence because the author of our salvation is nonexistent. Prayer therefore becomes fruitless because there is no purpose for it. Is Jesus Christ then the most essential component of prayer? Absolutely!

Friday, December 16, 2011

The "ABC"s of Prayer - "I" is for INTERCESSION

Did you realize that Intercession is actually somewhat different by definition than prayer ? In fact the book of First Timothy specifies that there are four types of communication that exist between God and His children: "I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men" 1 Timothy 2:1. Intercession means to intervene between two parties with a view to reconciling of  differences. To mediate. The role of intercession for the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:26) and Christ Himself (Romans 8:34)  is somewhat different than that of the believer. The main purpose for intercessory prayer for the Christian is for the salvation of the lost, the "reconciling of differences" if you will. The Bible tells us that our sins had seperated us from God, (Isaiah 59:2) and "that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself."2 Corinthians 5:19 If Christ has fulfilled His role in reconciliation of God to man, then shouldn't we be fulfilling our role as mediators to a Holy God on behalf of those we know who are in need of salvation ? Do you have someone on your prayer list that is unsaved that you pray for on a continual basis ? If not, let today be that day. Someone is counting on you!

Thursday, December 8, 2011

The "ABC"s of Prayer. "H" is for the Holy Spirit.

The letter "H" represents the Holy Spirit. It can be said that nothing is more vital than the the work of the Spirit of God in the act of prayer. It is He who not only prompts us to pray and gives us the words to speak (John 14:26),but translates our utterances into a desernable heavenly language (Romans 8:26-27)that will reach the throneroom of the Heavenly Father. In light of the active role the Holy Spirit plays in facilitating prayer, is there anything more essential to effective prayer than providing a clean vessel for which He can dwell? Let us strive to live our lives so that we will not hinder the leading, learning and listening provided by the ministry of the Holy Spirit!

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