20/07/2022
*TEENS WEEK*
Day 4: Thursday, 21st July, 2022
Activity: TALK
*Topic: Learning Prayer Basics*
*Introduction*
How we see and understand what prayer is all about determines how we attend to it- whether we'll attend to it profitably or just as a mere ritual. We might even talk about the power of prayer; for talk is cheap, as they say. But
if we lack proper understanding of what it is, we may not even pray, let alone pray aright and profitably. So, in this seminar, we shall attempt to briefly
discuss a few basic things about prayer, which would help us to understand what prayer is and how to we can engage in it profitably.
*Prayer is notjust for prayer warriors but for everybody*
According to God's own design, prayer is not an infrastructure meant just for a select people. Prayer is a relationship. It is not an optional extra but a necessary aspect of our relationship with God, a SYSTEM OF ADVANTAGE, which all of us must STRIVE to NECESSARILY excel in. Hence the Lord gave a parable to the intent that men (every human being) ought always to pray and not faint (Luke 18:1-8). Prayer therefore is as important and non-optional as the art of communication is non-optional in human relationship.
Even when the Bible talks about God looking for someone that will stand in the gap (Ezek 22:29-31), it's not a ground to institutionalize a special breed called "prayer warriors" as have been ERRONEOUSLY done in several quarters. Rather, God is BEMOANING a FAILED SYSTEM. He is crying out
for a remedy for a system that have so misplaced its CORE PRIORITIES,.BASICE VÁLUES, and PRIMARY PRINCIPLES OF ENGAGEMENTS; and, as a consequence, has lost touch with the realities of its purpose of being and is in danger of extinction.
My take is that the idea of prayer warriors is a ploy of the enemy to DEPARTMENTALIZE an ESSENTIAL aspect of our relationship with God
When we fall for that ploy, we will neither grow in prayer corporately as we ought, nor wield its awesome power. Yet, as Christians, our prayer is meant to centre on God; it is one of the fundamental and necessary ingredients
with which we build intimacy with God and get conformed into the likeness of His Son.
Thus, it is totally and completely erroneous to see (or even think of) God as a General that commands an army of prayer warriors, whose task is to defend the territorial integrity of the Church and heaven. Unfortunately, that's
actually the picture the idea of prayer warriors portrays. The truth is that
God is looking for a PRAYING CHURCH. Remember, the Lord refers to His house as a house of prayer (lsa 56:7; Matt 21:13). So, He is not looking for just a few of us in His house to pray, but for every one of us. This is because most of us are actually missing in action when it comes to prayer; and it's affecting His original programme for us as a people and as a Church.
Even as we study the gifts of the Spirit (1 Cor 12) and the gifts of grace (Eph 4), it's obvious that there is nothing like "gift of prayer warrior." So, again, prayer is not a special task meant for a select few; we all are involved. God is looking for all of us. This is because there is a system failure. If that failure is not taken care of, it will bring upon us a terrible judgement that will ruin us. Let's wake up, separate ourselves from those sins that easily beset us, do
righteous work, and strengthen our fellowship and intimacy with our God via prayer.
*Have the right purpose for prayer*
Having the right purpose for prayer is key to living a resourceful consistent
prayer life. It's easy to get weak, slack, or completely abandon prayer when prayer is viewed or just used as a means to an end- or a tool employed to achieve a particular end. When used that way, you'll discover that once that
end is achieved or proves very difficult to achieve, the prayer life slacks or gets completely shelved, waiting for when next there's need for it.
The quest to walk with God intimately and fellowship with Him deeply and consistently should be the main motivation to pray. Thus the time of prayer becomes basically a time to fellowship/interact with God. In the course of such intimate fellowship, many things beyond human imagination are captured. And being ever conscious of the fact that we can do nothing
without Him makes prayer an every moment necessity. So, the prayer time should be basically used for the following:
● To inquire at His feet and get instructions and directions from Him concerning our lives and His interests both in our lives and in the affairs
of men.
● To receive necessary spiritual energy required to stand for Him on
earth.
● To access divine interventions.
● To just be with God, bask in the glory of His presence, and just worship Him.
In other words, the time of prayer should not just be a time of presenting
before God a list of our needs and wrestling with our challenges or wrestling against powers of darkness. Rather, it should also be a time of getting more closely acquainted with God, enjoying intimacy with Him. It is as we keep
getting more closely acquainted with Him, we get to understand more of His ways and align our lives accordingly. It helps us to see and approach life from His perspective even the perspective of limitleśs possibilities; for
those things we grapple with cannot survive the glory of His presence. That is why as we advance in the prayer journey, we'll then have, among other things, the ability to squarely discipline anything or any power that tends to constitute any form of obstacle (2 Cor 10:6).
*Grow in your knowledge of your God*
The path that leads to exploits in prayer necessarily demands that we grow in our knowledge of God - not in a theoretical nor general sense, but in a
FUNCTIONAL and PERSONAL way; knowing Him for ourselves,
EXPERIENTIALLY. This is because prayer is not just an art or skill we deploy to get God to meet our needs. Instead, prayer is a RELATIONSHIP. As such, we definitely CANNOT go far in prayer if we lack the knowledge of the One we're dealing with in a personal and functional way.
Your spirit only responds to God according to the light of the knowledge of God accessible to it in a functional way (Psalm 119:130; Prov 6:23; 2 Peter 1:19). Thus, one of the surest ways to get to know God in a functional is to deliberately feed on His Word (Josh 1:8). You must make intentional effort to grow in your knowledge of the will of God. This will help you, among other things, to be able to differentiate between God's sovereignty and your own responsibility, so that you do not ascribe to God's sovereignty that which is your responsibility, nor ascribe to yourself that which is God's sovereign entitlement. Spend time in the Word of God, and grow in the knowledge of
His will.
Another surest way to know God in a functional way is to BRING YOURSELF UNDER GOD'S GOVERNMENT. This is actually the dimension the prophets Elijah and Elisha were referring to when they talked about God and said "before whom I stand" (1 Kings 17:1; 2 Kings 3:14). Put
diferently, they were individually telling us that they perpetually lived under the God's governance. They didn't live for themselves but for God - they Iived only to do those things that brought God pleasure. As such, none of them was a source of reproach to God; none of them had time for sin. Rather, each of them was a strong reason and reliable evidence for which people honoured and glorified God. Little wonder, their prayers
accomplished so much, irrespective of the fact that they lived in the Old
Testament.
So, make an intentional and consistent effort to meditate on the Word of God day and night-let His Word fill your thought every single moment, be it day or night. In other words, let the knowledge of the Word of God be the only medium through which you see the world and interpret life; for life,
generally, is interpreted through knowledge.
Do not allow the Word of God depart from your mouth. Regardless of what you may face in life, let yourthoughts, words, and actions be consistent with what the Word of God says. Refuse to think, say, or act according to the
natural projections of circumstance. Instead, at all times, think, speak, and behave what the Word says; and do not allow any circumstance to overwhelm your language.
As the Bible says, God is not a respecter of persons (Deut 10:17; Job 34:19; Acts 10:34; Romans 2:11). When we relate with Him the same way those prophets did, it then becomes natural for us to be strong enough to do exploits - even in the place of prayer.
*Prayer must be consistent*
Prayer is not designed to be something we do once-in-a-while but an all-
season activity; for the Bible says that "men ought ALWAYS to pray, and not to faint" (Luke 18:1, KJV, emphasis added). That means we're to pray when we have a problem and when we don't. This is because the purpose of prayer is not just to have our needs met. In fact, meeting our needs is the
least thing prayer is meant for.
God refers to us as a royal priesthood a people who had been made priests and kings unto God (Exodus 19:4-6; 1 Peter 2:5,9; Rev 1:6; 5:10;
20:6). The demands of that priesthood is not something we attend to once-in-a-while or just because we're facing some needs. Rather it is something we've been called to consistently live by; it is our life. This understanding makes it necessary that our prayer life be DISCIPLINED and
CONSISTENT. This is because prayer is a necessary medium through which we express our priesthood. As such, prayer isn't something we do once-in-a-while. Rather, it should be and is our life for real.
This understanding about prayer demands we live in an ever habitual consciousness of God's presence. We must not allow the activities or situations around us to make us ever forget we're standing in His presence every moment of life. The implication then is that we don't only encounter and interact with Him during the traditional prayer time we set for ourselves. Rather, we stand before Him 24/7, and we remain attuned to Him in every moment of time.
*There is the discipline*
You must be willing and ready to make the necessary sacrifice to inventively manage your spiritual energy to grow in the place of prayer, and cultivate staying power that can help you not to let go until the answer comes. You must strive to gain mastery in the place of prayer in order to enjoy all that God has made available to you in Christ. And all this comes through PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE.
*Be discerning*
Discernment will help you not to accept a task from the devil unknowingly. For if he fails to discourage you from praying, he will try to ensure you dont pray aright, by giving you the wrong burden-all in the bid to waste your time
and life. You must therefore cultivate intimacy with the Holy Spirit, and learn how to be led and be indeed led by Him. Thus, the more attuned you are too the Spirit of God, the better.
*Consecration*
The life you live and how you live matters. If you're not a consecrated Christian, your prayer is a sham - a waste of time.
*Persevere*
It takes perseverance to make a strong statement in the place of prayer. It's
only people who persevere that can tell story of how God really works. Prayer is a seed. Keep sowing it. At the due season, the harvest is bound to come. People that quit easily will neither know the blessings nor the power of God in the place of prayer.
*Keep your courage*
When courage is broken, faith becomes blind and paralyzed. But when Courage is intact and strong, faith sees the invisible and scales the
impossible.
It is courage in God that makes the heart to believe what the Word says. It equally drives the human will to act in response to the demands of faith- both through words of confession and practical actions. It makes one to seen beyond the visible and to behold God's invincibility- even trust His creative
ability to make to be that which is not. It ensures that one doesn't stagger
(i.e., one is not moved or agitated nervous, restless, disturbed
disconcerted, frantic, tense, stressed, distressed, etc.) in the face of any circumstance, regardless of how odd. Instead, one is calm, firm, and sits, as
it were, atop the circumstance as master and lord. Such attitude
demonstrates that God is worthy of implicit confidence and trust, even when it seems that all else has gotten out of control. (Rom 4:20-21; Joshua 1:1-7)
*Grace2u*
*THIS PUBLICATION IS A PRODUCT OF GENERAL COUNCIL TEENS SOLUTION DEPARTMENT ASSEMBLIES OF GOD NIGERIA*
