Springs Article 2021-05 (3)
Luke 11:1-4
Luke 11:5-8
Like 11:9-13
What is prayer?
- Prayer is communication with God!
- Prayer includes praising, repenting, rededicating, committing, asking, interceding, thanking, Luke 11:1-4, Philippians 4:6-7
Why do I need to ask God for anything since He already knows my needs?
- God’s love necessitates that you have free will!
- Your free will includes your ability to ‘invite and permit’ God to intervene in your situations
- Asking is an expression of your humility and faith, Hebrews 11:6
- Asking is an expression of your dependence on God, Isaiah 40:31
- God already does so many things for you automatically as an expression of His love (goodness and mercy); Matthew 5:45, James 1:17
- If God did everything for you without your ‘asking, seeking and knocking’, you would take God for granted and thereby live a life that dishonours Him, Luke 11:9-13, Matthew 7:7-10
What is the purpose of prayer?
- Prayer is the mechanism by which we invite God into our situations and permit Him to intervene on our behalf
- The pursuit of self to the exclusion of God is the origin of evil
- Evil is packaged within selfishness; every time you exclude God (Word and Spirit) from the center of your desires and choices, evil is brewing in the cup.
- Prayer helps us to keep God at the center of our desires!
- Prayer helps us to ‘agree with and submit to’ God’s will
- Note that God’s will is good, acceptable and perfect, Romans 12:2, James 1:17
- God’s Word (Logos and Rhema) is God’s will.
- Why didn’t Eve ask Adam before chatting and drifting off with the Serpent?, Genesis 3:1-5
- Why didn’t Eve ask Adam before eating the fruit of knowing good and evil?, Genesis 3:6
- The fall of Eve was due to arrogance and and not putting God at the center!
- Why didn’t Adam intervene when Eve was drifting away from the truth?, Genesis 3:1-5
- Why didn’t Adam pray after Eve had drifted from the truth?, Genesis 3:6
- Why did Adam try to resolve things in his own wisdom, thereby creating a bigger mess?
- The Bible says that Eve was deceived but Adam was not deceived!, 1 Timothy 2:14
- The only reason why Adam sinned was that he preferred to please his wife rather than doing the will of God. He chose his selfish interests (Eve) above God!
- The fall of Adam was due to selfishness and not putting God at the center!
2021: A Year of Sanctification