Motivation For Prayer

A: MOTIVATION FOR PRAYER

As Sons of God we have been given the responsibility of becoming ambassadors for Jesus Christ. We are peacemakers who are ordained to offer their fleshy existence as a living sacrifice so that others may be affected by the power of the gospel.

With knowledge comes responsibility. When we do not know a thing, we cannot be held responsible for it. Once God reveals His intention and we become aware or receive knowledge concerning it, we become directly responsible to fulfill it. God is then justified in holding us accountable for what we know.

Prayer is our platform for communicating with God. It is our platform for ministry and our platform for revealing the disposition of our heart.

I. REVELATION OR REVEALED TRUTH SHOULD BE THE MOTIVATION FOR PRAYER

Let us go to the Book of II Samuel the seventh chapter.

4 And it came to pass that night, that the word of the LORD came unto Nathan, saying,

5 Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith the LORD, Shalt thou build me an house for me to dwell in?

6 Whereas I have not dwelt in any house since the time that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle.

7 In all the places wherein I have walked with all the children of Israel spake I a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying, Why build ye not me an house of cedar?

Prayer is our platform for:

A. Communicating with God.

B. Ministry

C. Revealing the disposition of our heart.

Prayer – Communication with God. Because God is personal, all people can offer prayers. However, sinners who have not trusted Jesus Christ for their salvation remain alienated from God. So while unbelievers may pray, they do not have the basis for a rewarding fellowship with God. They have not met the conditions laid down in the Bible for effectiveness in prayer.

Nelson’s Bible Dictionary

Suggestion: can the type of prayer that God hears from a sinner be included: prayer of salvation, He does not hear sinners prayers, He is not obligated to hear any other prayer or answer to them…?

Prayer – 1.a. A reverent petition made to God or another deity. b. The act of making such a petition. 2. An act of communion with God, as a confession, praise, or thanksgiving.

Webster’s Dictionary

the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying, Why build ye not me an house of cedar?

8 Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel:

9 And I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in the earth.

10 Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime,

11 And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the LORD telleth thee that he will make thee an house.

12 And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.

13 He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.

II Samuel 7:4-13

In the above passage of scripture, David was talking with the Lord. He had brought the ark into the city and had been dancing before the Lord. He was so grateful to the Lord that he wanted to build a temple for the ark of the covenant, a house that the Spirit of God could rest upon and would be God's resting place on earth. It was in David's heart to build a house for the Lord. Let us look at David's reply:

For thou, O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, hast revealed to thy servant, saying, I will build thee an

house: therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto thee.

II Samuel 7:27

When you come into the house of God, the revealed truth should motivate you to pray. There are some people who just want to hear the Word of God but do not want to change. When you are seeking God's heart and want to be changed, you desire to talk to Him. The Word reveals God's heart and mind toward you. It shows you where you stand in God. The Word also reveals God's purpose for your life. The power of Christ will only be manifested through obedience to the Word. Notice, David sat before the Lord after he heard the Word of God. We should note here that God speaks to us through:

→His Word

→His servants and

→Our own heart

If we do not hear from the Father, we will not know what to pray about. When God reveals His purpose for your life, you should be motivated to pray. Discovering that you can look up to the supplicant and receive the riches of His glory should motivate you to pray. Finding out how far you are from God should motivate you to pray. However, if it does not motivate you, then you are only interested in receiving knowledge rather than changing.

II. PRAYER IS A PLATFORM TO REVEAL THE DISPOSITION OF YOUR HEART

Have you ever been on the wrong road and knew it? When you start feeling uneasy and condemned about something you are doing or not doing, the Father is speaking to your heart. As God starts to influence the heart, feelings change. God will speak to your heart through circumstances, situations, relationships, the Word, His servant or your own heart. If you are not motivated to pray, you must ask God why. Sitting before God in prayer reveals your heart. You cannot go before God with an impure heart and He not know it.

Sitting before God in prayer will reveal your true heart.

Regardless, of what our mouth is saying, God sees the thoughts and intent of the heart. He discerns the motives of our heart and because He is a loving Father and has zero tolerance for sin, is faithful to reveal to us the evil contents of our heart.

Prayer sets you boldly before the throne of God. We are now His beloved sons, and we have access to Him. We can come boldly before Him. However, before His throne is a sea of glass, and everything is naked before Him. When you stand before Him you will see your own nakedness. All of your unrighteousness will be revealed.

Remember that in order for God to walk in the earth realm without breaking His own laws, He had to make a covenant with mankind. Inside of His covenant, He has made provision for prayer. Prayer is what motivates God to operate His will on earth.

If my people which are called by my name shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

II Chronicles 7:14

Now, because you are in covenant-relationship with God, He has made provisions for you to come before Him with your requests.

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Philippians 4:6

We are the only creatures in the earth who have this kind of access to God. The sinner only has access when he is repenting. We are the only people who can change God's mind. Prayer also causes us to anticipate what God is going to do.

III. PRAYER MUST ACKNOWLEDGE WHAT GOD SAYS AS TRUTH

3 For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?

Prayer releases God to operate in the earth.

If My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves, pray, seek, crave, and require of necessity My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.

II Chronicles 7:14

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

James 5:16

4God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, that thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.

Romans 3:3-4

When God speaks to you in prayer, fear is confounded (Psalm 118:5-6). In prayer you must recognize that what God has said is reality. If God says that you can overcome a thing, He has provisions made to deliver you. You must focus on what God has said. Truth is designed to change you. When you fall, you are to think about what God has said. We must know that God has given us the power to overcome. His Word declares that you can do all things through Christ, who strengthens you (Philippians 4:13).

GOD MADE PROVISIONS IN THE COVENANT FOR YOUR FAILURES. There is nothing that you can do or become that God cannot forgive or change.

When God speaks to you in prayer, fear is confounded.

B: PRACTICAL PREPARATIONS FOR

PRAYER

We must see prayer as our time with God. Our special, precious and intimate time with Him.

Even though we sometimes pray on the run, for example, while driving in the car, or waiting in line at the grocery store, we should still be mindful of what we are saying to the Father. There is no such thing as an unimportant prayer. God loves His people dearly and is eager to lend an ear to hear what we have to say.

Praying on the run is good, because scripture admonishes us to pray always. However, the children of God must be given over to a daily intimate prayer time with the Father where there are absolutely no distractions. This is vital to us experiencing the depth of God’s love towards us. To follow are some practical things you can do to prepare for prayer and fellowship.

GETTING STARTED

When to pray really depends on personal choice. Personally, I find that morning hours are usually best. The body is rested, the mind is clear and the house is quiet.

1. Turn it off: turn off cell phone, house phone, television, radio, computer, etc..

2. Choose an area: room, closet, bathroom, etc.. Some people like to pray in total darkness, others need a light.

3. Choose a position: kneel, sit, stand, prostrate, whatever is comfortable for you. Then become quiet in your mind so that you may hear the voice of the Father, through the Holy Spirit.

4. Ask for Wisdom & Understanding: ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom and understanding on how to enter into Word based, effectual, fervent prayer. Some may feel that the longer you pray, the more effective your prayer is. However, this is not true. Our Father would rather have a ten minute scripture based prayer from a pure and sincere heart, than an hour long prayer full of religious rhetoric. Remember, God is moved by a pure heart, not longevity.

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

Philippians 4:6

Consider the following passage of scripture from St. Matthew the sixth chapter:

5 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.

6 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.

7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that theyshall be heard for their much speaking.

St. Matthew 6:5-7

It may be a good idea to schedule a particular prayer time each day and then ask the Holy Spirit to help you discipline yourself into keeping that scheduled time. It will not be easy for Satan and his cohorts are going to do everything possible to keep you from effective, fervent prayer time. However, we can overcome him by being persistent and determined.

Remember, this is a time set aside for you and God. Make Him know that He is all that matters, and that you cannot wait to fellowship with Him. The Father takes great delight in this and will most definitely respond favorably to it.

5. Be led by the Holy Spirit: As with anything we do for the Lord, we must be led by the Holy Spirit. Prayer is no different. We must allow the Holy Spirit total access to our entire being (body, soul & spirit) during prayer. He knows how to lead us and He also knows the heart and mind of the Father. He may lead you into praying in the Spirit (in tongues), do so. He may lead you into praying for a particular individual or situation, and you may find that He is leading you to pray in a totally different way than you intended. Allow the Holy Spirit to do so. Remember, He is our guide into all truth. He knows the beginning and the end of all things. A verse of scripture may come to mind that fits what you are seeking or interceding for someone else for. Talk to the Father about His Word. Meditate on His Word. Ask that His will be done regarding who or what you are praying for.

Another important point to remember is that just as you are talking to the Father, He also desires to talk to you, so we must be mindful to listen. Prayer is like talking with your best friend. You talk, and then your friend talks. The same is true with the Father. We must be mindful not to monopolize the conversation! We must allow the Father to respond.

Note: It is important to state here that prayer cannot be replaced by good works or by service to others. Service to others is good and needful. However, at times we must put everything aside and turn to God, who is distinct from all things.

Prayer should not be thought of as a mystical experience in which people lose their identity in the infinite reality. Effective prayer must be a scriptural informed response of persons saved by grace to the living God who can hear and answer on the basis of Christ’s payment of the penalty that sinners deserved. As such prayer involves several important aspects:

→ Faith

→ Worship

→ Confession

→ Adoration

→ Praise

→ Thanksgiving

→ Dedicated Action

→ Request

Taken from: Nelson’s Bible Dictionary

C: OPPOSITIONS TO PRAYER

As with anything the Lord commands us to do, there will be opposition from the enemy and his cohorts, to keep you from an effective prayer life. However, you must not stop. You must press through the opposition and continue in the midst of it. Do not worry or be weary, for when you resist the devil, he will flee. We have our Father’s promise of this.

You resist the devil by being obedient to the Father. If we stopped obeying the Father every time there was opposition, we would never get anywhere. We must fight the good fight of faith! Be courageous and rest in this confidence, that our Lord has already defeated our enemy. He cannot take from you what you do not give to him. So in those times when you have the greatest opposition to prayer – pray anyway!

The enemy may tell you:

♦ You sound stupid

♦ God is not listening to you

♦ Remind you of sin

♦ You are tired and sleepy

♦ You do not have time to pray

♦ You are talking to the air

I. FAITH, PRAYER AND WARFARE

PRAYER IS DONE BY FAITH! Faith in the written Word of God. Believe me friend, if prayer was not effective the enemy would not be trying to get you to stop.

We must keep in mind that Christians are in a spiritual battle against the forces of evil, and prayer is one of our weapons against our enemy, Satan and his demons. PRAYER IS WARFARE! IT IS WRESTLING! Let us take a look at what our Father says to us in Ephesians the sixth chapter:

12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Suggestion: Explanation to warfare and wrestling should be given??

Oppose – 1. To be in conflict or contention with. 2. To be in disagreement with or resistant to.

Webster’s Dictionary

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

James 4:7

So be subject to God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him], and he will flee from you.

James 4:7

Amplified Bible

We must resist the devil by being obedient to the Father.

Resist – 1.a. To oppose actively. b. To oppose with force. 2. To remain firm in opposing the action or effect of: WITHSTAND. 3. To refrain from giving in to or enjoying.

Webster’s Dictionary

13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Why do the Sons of God need armour? Armour is used in battle or warfare of some kind. Prayer is more than simply asking God to supply your needs. Prayer is one of our weapons and we must learn how to effectively use it to defeat the enemy’s efforts against us.

I think it is wise to say here that prayer is not something the Father suggested that we do, but it is a commandment. It is sin not to pray. St. Luke 11:2 says, “When ye pray . . .” Not “if” you pray. Let us consider the following passages:

Pray without ceasing.

I Thessalonians 5:17

And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

St. Luke 18:1

For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere.

Ephesians 6:12

Amplified Bible

Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty. To that end keep alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding on behalf of all the saints (God’s consecrated people).

Ephesians 6:18

Amplified Bible

And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.

St. Luke 6:12

Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

St. Luke 21:36

Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.

St. Luke 6:28

II. FELLOWSHIP WITH THE FATHER

Some Christians never spend quality, intimate time with the Lord. Oh sure, they will pray at meetings or at scheduled prayer times at the sanctuary. However, they lack spending that one-on-one time with the Father. This is not good. This is equivalent to a married couple living in the same house, yet they never speak to one another. This may sound ludicrous I know, nevertheless, this is how we treat God. Just think about this. The Father actually lives in us if we have been born of His Spirit, and we do not talk to Him. We carry Him with us everywhere we go but yet we have no fellowship with Him. This must change. This hurts the Father as He longs for our love and fellowship.

We must plan our day around God. He must be first. It is easy to get so busy until we fit God into our lives every now and then. However, there is a problem with this. Our Father is a jealous Father and will not settle for us putting anything or anyone before Him.

Prayer must come from a heart that places its trust in God. Prayer has no boundaries and has power over everything. Some may very well see prayer as a waste of time, however, the Bible declares that “the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” Begin or continue to respond to the Father’s love for you through authentic and confident prayer and fellowship with Him and witness how the Father will take you to new heights in Him.

Fellowship – 1. The state of being together or of sharing similar interests or experiences: COMPANIONSHIP. 2. Friendship: comradeship.

Webster’s Dictionary

God bless you,

Dr. Mary Banks