REVIEW
 
So, today, we will be closing out 2020 by concluding our look at the “The Power and Protocol of Prayer” where we have been learning not just about prayer, but specifically how to unlock the power and potential in it. So, what we have learned in this series is that the power & potential in prayer is found in the protocol of prayer—that is, in the official procedure or principles that govern it.
 
So, in this series of teachings, we have learned what prayer is and what prayer is not. We have looked at what Jesus warned to do and not do when we pray. Then we looked at how Jesus taught us to pray. We have also learned the importance of praying the will of God and the spirit by which our prayers need to be prayed. And over the holidays, we have learned that incorporating things like thanksgiving & rejoicing are the appropriate seasoning for our prayers. Those things encompass the first 5 parts of this series.  
 
Then we shifted over into another important virtue that we need to possess in our prayer lives—perseverance. We found that these things like patience, persistence, and perseverance are critical to our prayer lives because as it is with everything in our Christian lives, it’s not how we start; it’s how we finish. 
 
Then over the last two parts in this series, we have looked at the different kinds of prayer & supplication by camping on Ephesians 6:18. We saw that in this verse, the apostle Paul gave us another weapon of our warfare by teaching us that we are to pray in every season in the Holy Spirit. We learned that this means that the Holy Spirit is there to help us in our prayer lives when we don’t know what to pray for as we ought. He will intercede through us in every season so that we pray the appropriate prayer for that situation. And we saw that the reason this is important is because there are different kinds of prayer and different kinds of supplication for every single circumstance.
 
For example, the specific kind of prayer the Bible calls “the prayer of faith” would not be appropriate when praying for the salvation of someone. Why? Because we cannot pray once and believe we receive their salvation when their will is involved. What would be called the prayer of intercession is what would be most appropriate when praying for the lost because when free will is involved continuous, repetitive prayers are necessary. The prayer of faith would be more appropriate when praying for things that God has already both promised you and I and accomplished through Jesus like healing, financial provision, and protection.
 
So, what we did was we looked at both the different kinds of prayers and the different kinds of supplication in that Paul distinguished between them both—and we saw that while prayer is more of the relationship side of conversation with God, supplications more revolve around our petitioning Him for things.
 
Therefore, we saw that the different kinds of prayer were things like the prayer of thanksgiving, the prayer of praise, and the prayer of worship. It includes the prayer of meditation and the prayer language given to us by the Holy Spirit. The different kinds of supplication were things like the prayer of faith, the prayer of agreement, the prayer of intercession, etc. None of these different kinds of prayer and petition are more important than the other. Each just has its own time & place to where it would be considered more appropriate.
 
So, if you’ve missed any of these teachings over the past few months, I would encourage you to go back on our website and get up to speed in order to unlock the power & potential in your own prayer life. And as always, be sure not to just be a hearer of the Word, but be doers of these truths—because as James taught us, it is the doers of the Word that will be blessed. Amen?  
 
So, as I considered what else the Lord might have for us before we move in a different direction for next year, I had on my heart to share with you some very practical nuggets of truth that I have accumulated through my walk with the Lord. So, I would like to end this series on prayer with giving you some of the most important prayers I have personally found that we could pray either for either ourselves or others.
 
I would consider these specific prayers something like those smooth stones that David gathered on his way to face Goliath out of the brook. These are things that through my time walking with Him and the Holy Spirit pouring the waters of truth over my heart, that I consider to be the best prayers one can pray. 
 
Now some of these will be absolute Scriptural prayers in that they were essentially taken from the Bible as Spirit-inspired prayers that were prayed by men of God. Others will be simply what I have discovered over my Christian walk as wisdom & revelation.  
 
So, let’s begin with more of the Scriptural prayers:
 
As we have learned throughout this series, praying the will of God is one of the most important aspects of prayer—for we are promised that if we pray according to His will, we know that He hears us, and when we know He hears us, we know we have the petitions we have presented to Him (See First John 5:14-15). So, for you and I to know His will and then to pray according to it, is one of the greatest keys to answered prayers.
 
And we learned that the will of God is contained in the Word of God. So, one of the best ways to pray according to His will is to pray the Word where His will is made manifest. For example, if the Scriptures teach us that God is not willing that any should perish but that all come to repentance (and they do), then I might pray like so for the lost or a backslidden believer— “Father, I know that you are not willing that any person would perish. You will for everyone to come to repentance. So, I am asking you to open their eyes to see their need for repentance. Show them the error of their ways, that they might turn to You and not perish …” What you just saw right there was prayer that was according to the will of God.
 
So, it is for that reason that I believe arguably the best way to pray the will of God is to actually pray the prayers that are found in the Bible—prayers like the one’s David or Solomon prayed in the Old Testament or like the one’s Paul prayed throughout his epistles. These prayers are totally Scriptural and contain the will of God for all people for all time.
 
But let me begin with a portion of the prayer that we have covered in this series, but one that is worth reiterating, commonly known as the Lord’s prayer: We saw that Jesus gave us His model prayer in the Sermon on the Mount, He gave us a great prayer template of what to pray. But at the very beginning of this prayer, He told us to pray— “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10). Now, church, this one of the most important prayers we can pray—a prayer that seeks first the kingdom of God and His will before all else. Amen!
 
Do you remember when we studied this model prayer of Jesus that we noted that this was the first request Jesus included in His model prayer—for God’s kingdom to come? And I made the point that this is essentially what Solomon asked the Lord for when He told him to ask for anything he wanted. Of course, we know that Solomon’s request was for a wise and understanding heart that he may rule over God’s people. This was Solomon seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (See Matthew 6:33).
 
And we know the result of his whole-hearted request—God said that because he asked for this and not wealth, the life of his enemies, etc. that He would give Solomon the wisdom that he asked for and all of these other things as well. Then, as we study Solomon’s proverbs after that event, he reveals that with wisdom comes prosperity, honor, health, etc.—showing us that the real reason he obtained the riches & honor that he did was because he got wisdom and understanding.
 
So, while the majority of Christians are praying for these physical things like healing, financial provision, and freedom from other natural issues of life, wouldn’t it be more prudent for us to pray for a wise & understanding heart instead of for all of these physical things?
 
So, let me tell you how I like to pray for people who are maybe struggling in their finances—"Father, grant them the wisdom they need. Give them a wise & understanding heart so that they can truly prosper on the outside. Create in them the capacity to get and keep wealth by giving them your way of thinking concerning these things.”
 
You see, when we study the prayers of the apostle Paul—which contain New Covenant perspectives in prayer—do you know what we never see. In all them (where there are at least 7 that are multiple verses), Paul does not one time pray for anything physical or carnal. No, not once does he pray for these church’s finances, physical health, or their growth. He only deals with things like their fruitfulness, wisdom, revelation, strength, light, etc. I believe what we ought to take away from that is the most important things we can pray for others is not their natural, physical needs; It is for their spiritual needs and issues of the heart.
 
And again, it was not because Paul was unconcerned about their physical needs. I just believe he understood something that most don’t, and that is—if we deal with the root of the problem, we change the fruit that appears to be the problem.     
 
So, the first & best prayer (and appropriately so) that we can pray is this— Lord, fill my heart and mind with wisdom, understanding, revelation and knowledge. Give me a wise & understanding heart that we might more effectively seek first Your kingdom.  
 
I’ll tell you—things like wisdom, understanding, revelation, and knowledge are laced throughout Paul’s prayers. Let’s look at a couple of them:
 
The first one is contained in Ephesians 1:17. After Paul gave this church so many tremendous truths from verses 3-14—things which we can chew on for years and years—he then prays for them to have a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of the Lord and that their eyes would be enlightened. Why? It is because you can have information without revelation. Our eyes need to be opened to perceive spiritual truth.
 
That is why Paul began his letter to the Colossians praying that they would be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding (See Colossians 1:9). It was because in order for them to move into the truths about who Christ was in them and who they were in Him, they needed to be filled with the knowledge of His will in all of His wisdom and spiritual understanding.
 
Church, this is why Solomon taught us to get wisdom and in all our getting to get understanding (See Proverbs 4:7). It is because wisdom is the principal thing (i.e. the first thing and of the most importance). If we seek first after this wisdom for the purpose of seeking first His kingdom, everything else will be added to us. Yes, all of these physical needs will be met as a result. Therefore, this is one of the top prayers you and I can pray for ourselves and others.   
 
And this prayer for a spirit of wisdom & revelation leads us to the next prayer Paul prayed for the Ephesian church found in Ephesians 3:14-20 …
 
Now when one studies this prayer, you find that it builds from Paul praying that the Holy Spirit would strengthen them with power in their inner man to God doing exceedingly, abundantly, above all we could ever ask or think according to that power that works in us.
 
So, since it’s apparently all about the power of the Holy Spirit being worked in us that releases all of the ability of God in and through our lives, then I believe one of the greatest prayers we can pray is this – Lord, strengthen me in my inner man. Empower me from the inside to the outside—for I know that when my soul prospers, it will affect my outward man.
 
Church, the Lord strengthening us with ability in our inner man is what releases the ability of God in our lives. It is what produces the fruit of the Spirit in our lives and causes that fruit to abound. It is what causes our souls to prosper which will reflect in every area of our natural lives. So, that is why I believe prayers for the ability of God to be released in our inward man is one of the best prayers we can pray.
 
You see, so many Christians want power on the outside. They either want God to deliver them from all of their physical, natural problems or they want Him to give them power to rule over demons, heal diseases, etc. There is nothing wrong with any of that, but I have found that first praying for God to work inside of us is far more important—because if my inward man, soul, heart, etc. are prospering and yielding to the power of God, it will absolutely transform my life.
 
As Joyce Meyer was once quoted as saying, “People want authority over demons when they don’t even have authority over a sink full of dirty dishes or a screaming baby.” Friends, we are fooling ourselves if we are wanting to move forward in changing things around us when we have allowed Him to change things within us. That is where the power is—first in us, and then in the world around us. Amen?
 
For example, allowing God’s power to work in us, strengthening our inward man, we will most certainly love those around us. Yes, we will be more patient, longsuffering, kind, humble, etc.
 
We see this in Colossians 1:11 when Paul prayed for this church to be strengthened with all might according to His glorious power for all longsuffering and patience with joy. So, what was the purpose for all of this power according to the apostle Paul? It was “for all longsuffering and patience with joy.”
 
Church, one thing I do is when I see my patience and longsuffering with others failing, I go back to this. I look for a strengthening from the Holy Spirit in myself because I know that He is the power source for the fruit in my life. Verily, verily, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, self-control, etc. So, the power for everything from love to self-control come from a Spirit-controlled life. Amen.  
 
Which leads me to the next part of Paul’s prayer in Ephesians chapter 3—for our roots to go deep into the love of God and that we might know this love of Christ which passes knowledge.
 
Church, I consider seeing and knowing the great love that God has for us as the single greatest revelation we could ever receive from the Lord.
 
The reason I can say this is because, through understanding that God is love, we will be drawn into a more intimate communion with Him—thus fulfilling God’s primary purpose for our lives. On top of that, knowing how much God loves us will produce, not only more of a love for Him, but it will also produce more of a love for others (1 John 4:19). What could be greater than that—because to love God and love others fulfills the two greatest commandments given to us by God?
 
Therefore, I believe another one of the best prayers we can pray is— Lord, reveal to me your unfailing love. I want your love for me to live in our heart so that I am experiencing your dimensionless love. Amen.
 
Church, receiving His love like that this will produce many awesome things. Let me give you a few benefits. I should want to know, see, and experience His love for me …

1. … so that I will in turn love the Lord more which results in serving Him more on accident than I ever could have on purpose.
2. … so that I would be less apt to be a people pleaser and fear man—thus, living free and serving only one.
3. … so that I would live free from guilt and condemnation, and my faith increases as a result.

 
As Paul’s prayer goes on to say, all of this leads us to being filled with the fullness of God Himself—because to be filled with love is to be filled with God.
 
Now let’s move into some other prayers that I see as being some of the best we can pray …
 
I love this one right here – Lord, help me to see things through your eyes. Oh, how much this would benefit us—for if we can see things from His perspective, I guarantee you it would change everything from our love for others to our faith in Him.
 
I would sum up the “things” into four categories:
 
1.     Myself- What a difference it would make if we could see ourselves through God’s eyes!?! To know how loved we are, how He thinks good thoughts towards us, and how precious we are in His sight, this would increase in us boldness, confidence and a security that nothing else could offer. Church, we need to see ourselves through God’s eyes!
2.     Other People- But not only is it good to see ourselves through His eyes; it is also good to see others that way too. Some of the benefits of this are so that we may love them like the Lord does, that we may see beyond their current issues and see them through the eyes of faith, and that we might have more of the heart to be a soul winner for the kingdom of God.
3.     Circumstances- It would also be great to be able to see our circumstances the way He sees them too. Far too often when we go through things in this life, our faith is shaken, we become discouraged, and lose our joy & peace. But I am convinced that when we see things from our Heavenly Father’s perspective, everything looks a whole lot different. I would compare this to how much different things look to parents than to young children: when they are pitching a fit about the littlest of things, the parents are calm, cool and collective because they know “it’s just not that big of a deal.” So, seeing our situation and circumstances through His eyes will cause me to have faith, joy, peace, etc. no matter what I am going through.
4.     Time- Finally, time. This is one I added down the road to my prayer life. Lord, may I see time through your eyes. I know that this will help me to make the most of this life here on the earth and lay up more treasures in heaven because if I see my time on this earth, in this body, through His eyes, then I will not live like this is the only life I have. Amen.
 
Let me briefly give you a few more:
 
Ø  Lord, create in me a clean, pure, and sensitive heart – We know here that the heart is what needs to be guarded above all things—for it is where the issues of life flow from. So, while the heart is our responsibility to condition and cultivate, there is still biblical precedence for the Lord creating in us a clean and pure heart. So, for that reason, I believe praying for the Lord to help us keeping our heart in a good, healthy condition is paramount. It would make us more sensitive to things pertaining to His kingdom and also make us to feel what He feels. How wonderful would that be!?!
 
Ø  Lord, grant me a heightened awareness of the communion that is available with the Holy Spirit (See Second Corinthians 13:14) – Oh, that we would all have our awareness of the presence, power and person of the Holy Spirit heightened!?! The Holy Spirit is to play a far greater role in our lives than most have allowed Him to. We have reduced Him to a power that we are to get ahold of and use rather than a Person who is to get ahold of and use us. Church, we would do well to fully capitalize on the Helper that lives on the inside me—benefiting from His guidance, leading, and His teaching in our lives—since He is to us today what Jesus was to His disciples yesterday.
 
So, I’ll end today with how Paul ended his writings to the Corinthians— “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with us all. Amen.”

To Shannon and me, Christmas is one of the most special times of year. It is a memorial of one of the two of the most significant days in the history of mankind—the birth of Jesus Christ. (The other is what we traditionally call “Easter” [I like to call it Resurrection Day]—the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ). These two days—the time Jesus descended to the earth to become a man and the time Jesus was raised from the earth on that great Third Day—are the most important days on our Christian calendar because of the awesome grace that was displayed through these two historical events.  
But regarding Christmas, there are many ways in which the spirit of this world has attempted to pervert it. Christmas has, of course, become so commercialized and turned into a holiday that does not exalt and magnify the real reason for the season.
So, in an attempt to negate this, many Christians like to say, “Jesus is the reason for the season,” but did you know that’s not completely true? The truth is that YOU are the reason for the season and Jesus is the gift given. In other words, while Jesus is certainly to be our focus during the holidays, you and I were the focus when God gave us His only begotten Son 2,000 years ago. Hallelujah! 
You see, one of the things that contributes to this commercialization of Christmas is the focus being on gifts. And while the giving of gifts is certainly a good part of Christmas, if it becomes too much about shopping, what we are going to buy, and where are we going to buy it, then what ought to be a joyous holiday can turn into a “black Friday.”
No, what makes Christmas so special is not just when we give gifts, but when we are thinking about others—meaning, our hearts are geared towards blessing others and our aim is to get them the perfect gift that will honor and bless them. In other words, when the focus is not on the gift itself, but on the recipient of the gift, that is when we are doing Christmas right. This is what creates the blessedness of Christmas—love.
And that is exactly what motivated our Heavenly Father to do what He did. It was love that motivated Him to give us the greatest gift this world has ever known—His great love for us. Yes, He honored us in the gift of Jesus. He blessed us through His only begotten Son. Jesus was the manifestation of God’s great love for us. Amen!
So, as we enter into celebrating Christmas this week, I desire for us to head into it with the right focus and with the correct perspective—that you and I are why we even have Christmas and why Jesus was sent in the first place. Jesus is the gift, and we are the recipients of the gift.
Let’s first look at the gift by turning to a familiar verse during Christmastime that refers to Jesus, the gift of God that was given—Isaiah 9:6.
A SON IS GIVEN
The Prophet Isaiah in prophesying of the Christ child who was to come said, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given.” This is a significant verse because in the first statement, we have a reference to His humanity, and in the second statement, we have a reference to His deity. On one hand, He was born as a child in His humanity, and on the other, He was God’s only begotten Son given by His Father.
So, while many Christians very admirably make Christmas out to be Jesus’ birthday, that is not entirely correct. Sure, it is His birthday in regard to His humanity, but His entrance into the world on that evening was not the beginning of His life. He is, was, and always will be the beginning! We need to predominantly understand that when He was born that night, He was more than “Baby Jesus.” He was the everlasting Word made flesh! Yes, a Son was given on that night!
So, Christmas should be viewed not so much as the birthday of little baby Jesus, but the glorious entrance of God’s greatest gift to the world—His only begotten Son!
Another familiar passage of Scripture, John 3:16, says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes on Him should not perish but have eternal life.” This reveals to us a couple of awesome truths about this gift:

1. The first thing is God’s motivation for giving us the gift of Jesus—it was because He so loved the world. God did not send us Jesus because He felt obligated to or even because we needed Him to. No, He gave us Jesus because He wanted to—because He sooo loved us. What makes this even more beautiful is that He did not so love us and give us Jesus when we were all that and bag of chips. No, John said that He so loved the world! That’s a world that was sinful, ungodly, and apart from Him. Now that’s love!
2. The other thing it shows us is what the gift entailed. You see, it wasn’t just that God gave us His only begotten Son; it was what Jesus’ life provided for us. And this verse says that whoever believes on Him (i.e. those that receive the gift), would not perish but have eternal life. So, the gift of Jesus entailed salvation from death and salvation unto eternal life. I’ll tell you—this was a gift that we might not have known that we needed, but the Father did—and it was exceedingly abundantly above all we could have thought to have asked for. Amen. 

But this good news gets even “gooder” as we understand that the giving of His only begotten Son on the day that we traditionally celebrate as Christmas, God also freely gave us all things. Romans 8:32 says that if God did not withhold His Son from us, but freely gave Him to us, how shall He not with Him freely give us all things? In other words, with Jesus comes every other good and perfect gift of God! I would say it this way, Jesus is God’s gift wrapped under the tree. He is the gift. But when you unwrap Him, you find everything else that pertains to life and godliness! In Him, lies all the good and perfect gifts of the Father that we need and desire.
As I considered these things this week, I was reminded of that oh so powerful Scripture in James 1:17 that says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”
You see, Jesus was certainly that good and perfect gift given to us by our good, good Heavenly Father, but every other good and perfect gift in our lives has also come down from Him. He, in His unchanging nature of light, love, and life, consistently gives things that benefit and bless us. This is just who He is.
So, Jesus is that good and perfect gift given to us by the Father, but again, He was given for us! Therefore, we are the reason for the season and the objects of God’s love.
THE HIDDEN TREASURE & THE PEARL OF GREAT PRICE
Jesus taught us a couple of parables that illustrate to us the value we have in the eyes of God—the Parables of the Hidden Treasure and of the Pearl of Great Price. These are found in Matthew 13:44-46.
Now these two parables are yet another attempt by our Lord and Savior to illustrate to us how His kingdom operates. But this time, Jesus attempts to reveal to us another aspect of His kingdom.  
Now there are two ways that you hear of these two similarly themed parables being interpreted.
One is that the treasure and pearl illustrated in these two parables are the kingdom of God itself and we are the man and the merchant who discover it. Then, having found this precious commodity, we sell all we have for the joy set before us by laying down our lives for the cause of the kingdom. Therefore, most believers see these parables as how the disciple of Christ will react once discovering the kingdom—we will forsake all to experience the life of the kingdom. This is probably the most common interpretation of these analogies.
Secondly, these two parables have also been interpreted that the treasure and the pearl is us, and the man or merchant that sought out and found the church was Jesus. The Lord then forsook all He had to purchase us by first leaving His glory in heaven, becoming a man, and then ultimately by giving up His life for us on the Cross. So, this interpretation could be summed up by saying that Jesus sold all He had in order to redeem us as His own.
So, as I have considered both of these possible interpretations, I asked the Lord which one was correct. Is it that the treasure/pearl is your kingdom and the salvation one experiences when entering your kingdom or is the treasure/pearl the church that You died for? Is the man/merchant us discovering the kingdom or is this person Jesus who was seeking after us?
As I asked the Holy Spirit these questions, He responded to me saying that the answer is both. Yes, He told me that both interpretations are correct because, as He put it to me, you cannot have one without the other. Let me explain…
You see, the Lord never encourages us to do anything that He Himself has not already first done. Always remember that. He, as any good leader, will first practice what He preaches. And these two parables perfectly illustrate this principle of God’s kingdom.
The Lord was first this man/merchant in these parables: He discovered this kingdom in first seeking out and saving we who were lost and paying His all to purchase us out of the world. Thus, He began His kingdom by seeing a valuable treasure and pearl of great price that was hidden to the naked eye. He came to seek and save that which was lost and paid the greatest price to redeem us—that pearl of great price and that treasure hidden in the field.
Now there was a slight difference in both of these parables regarding this interpretation …
In the Parable of the Hidden Treasure, after stumbling upon the treasure in the field, he did not simply attempt to attain the treasure. No, he paid the price to purchase the entire field—knowing that in purchasing the field, He was purchasing the treasure hidden in the field. What a wise God we serve!
What we see here is that the Father saw such great value in the treasure that was hidden in this field that He decided to purchase the whole field itself. This paints a beautiful picture of the lengths that love will go to redeem the object of its love. And in this illustration, we can see how God paid the price for the whole world and not just for those who would receive His call for salvation. In other words, He paid for all man’s sin, not just the redeemed people’s sin. He went to such great lengths to offer this free gift of salvation to the whole world to where all one needs to do is receive the price paid—the blood of Jesus. Then, if they receive the price that was paid to redeem them, all other sin issues are taken care of. But if they reject the Lamb who was slain for their sins, then they reject the gift of salvation.
But Jesus did not just pay the price to redeem all of mankind; He also paid the price to redeem all of the world itself. Yes, this planet, which was thrown into a sin-cursed state when Adam sinned, was also purchased, ready to be redeemed when Jesus returns, bringing with Him the new heavens and the new earth. Come Lord Jesus, Come! Amen. 
Now the point I want us to understand about these two parables is how Jesus chose to describe us—as a treasure and a pearl of great price. Oftentimes, we get so wrapped up in the greatness of the price that was paid that we totally miss the value of the object that was being paid for. Now, please understand me: This is in no way an attempt to diminish the focus on Jesus’ precious blood. Oh, how we should always pay great honor and reverence to His redeeming sacrifice! But at the same time, we need to realize that if God were willing to pay such a great price for us, then we must have had some value as well.
Do you believe God is a wise investor? Well, He did choose the Jewish people, did He not? Yes, saints, the Lord knows how to make a sound investment.
Well, do you think He would have paid that high of a price if there was not some comparable value in the item he was purchasing? Of course not! No, He paid such a great price for us because of the great value He saw in us. Thank You, Jesus! He saw a treasure in each one of us and He saw a pearl of great price in this church that He saw in His heart to create!  
Now the gospel is that once we see this great love that God has for His church and for each of us individually, we can truly sell out ourselves. Amen. We can sell all that we have to gain entrance into this grand and glorious kingdom that is so precious and powerful. Amen!
But church, we need to understand that it all began with us being esteemed, valuable and precious in the sight of our Savior. As Paul taught us— “we have this treasure in earthen vessels…” (Second Corinthians 4:7) and the “riches of the glory of His inheritance is in the saints…” (Ephesians 1:18). Therefore, God’s treasure—Christ’s very inheritance—has been placed on the inside of every born-again believer because of the worth God saw in us! Glory!  
Yes, Jesus is the One who left the 99 to go find the one lost sheep! He is the One who sweeps the house, searching for that one silver coin which was lost! Yes, He is that Father who was looking to restore His lost son who wasted his inheritance on prodigal living. (See Luke chapter 15).  
And now that He has found us, He has washed, renewed, and recreated us! Now we are His workmanship—His work of art and His masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10).
WHAT CHRIST GIVES AND HOW HE GIVES IT
So, the message He gives us this Christmas is evident: 
Today, He says to us— I give you Myself, I give you everything, and I give you the choice. Now that ought to be all we need to be raptured up into the clouds today!
No greater love has anyone than this, that a man should lay down His life for His friends. Unless, of course, someone lays down His life for His enemies. And Jesus certainly laid down His life on many levels: Philippians 2:5-11 teaches us how. First of all, He laid aside all of His Godhead privileges when He willingly took on flesh & blood. Number two, He laid His life down throughout His time on the earth, being a servant to all, coming not to be served but to serve all. Finally, He laid down His life on the Cross and chose to drink from that cup. There is no greater love than this! And this ought to let everybody here today know that God so loves you. Amen.  
But not only did He give us Himself; He gave us everything. All of those good and perfect gifts were given as a result of the one gift of Jesus. Yes, all that salvation entails—healing, prosperity, deliverance, freedom, joy, peace, etc.—these all come through Jesus.
So now, He gives us a choice! Will we partake of all that He has freely given us? To me, this is one of the greatest attributes God possesses—His willingness and desire to give us a free-will. He doesn’t force on us good nor does He force on us evil. He allows us to choose whom we will serve—to choose life or death, and blessing or cursing. But He does give us the answers for everyone who might be confused on which option is better—He said, “I set before you life and death, blessing and cursing” (Deuteronomy 30:19). And then He gives us the correct answer to this multiple choice saying, “Choose life.”
Now the choice is not made by simply agreeing with something. Nor is it made by us verbally choosing what we would like. The choice is made through our actions. Like it is with love, we don’t convince someone that we love them by just telling them; people know we love them when we consistently show them we love them. Likewise, God likes to be shown. We see this in the story of Abraham and Isaac—when God told Abraham to go offer up Isaac as a sacrifice to Him. Now we know that was simply a test for Abraham—to show God that Abraham indeed “feared” Him.  
Which is a great way to conclude today—how we do we receive all that is entailed in the gift of God? The gift of salvation, the gift of the Holy Spirit, the gift of healing, etc. are not forced on us. They are received. They are opened. They are applied. And they are enjoyed.  
So, I encourage you all this Christmas; give like God gave! How does God give?
He gives absolutely freely! He expects nothing out of the person He gives to either before they have received nor after they have received. He expects no good merits before salvation, nor after salvation. He expects no thank you’s after as well! Number two, He gives extravagantly! He does not just give enough; He gives more than enough! He gives exceedingly, abundantly, above all we could ever ask or think!
Freely you have received; freely give! 

​THE POWER AND PROTOCOL OF PRAYER
Parts Seven & Eight –
The Different Kinds of Prayer & Supplication  
 
REVIEW
 
Now we are continuing our look at the “The Power and Protocol of Prayer” where we are learning not just about prayer itself, but specifically how to unlock the power and potential that is in it. You see, we all believe that there is power in prayer, but not everyone sees that potential in their own lives. So, why is that?  Well, what we have been learning is that the power of prayer is found in the protocol of prayer—that is, in the official procedure or principles that govern prayer, given to us by God.
 
So, we have learned what prayer is, what prayer is not, and how to pray. We have also learned the importance of praying the will of God and the spirit by which our prayers need to be prayed. We have also learned that incorporating things like thanksgiving & rejoicing are the appropriate seasoning for our prayers.
 
And, most recently, we learned that another virtue that we need to bring into our prayer lives is perseverance. We found that things like patience, persistence, and perseverance are critical to our prayer lives because as it is with everything in our Christian lives, it’s not how we start; it’s how we finish. 
 
Church, perseverance is just so vital to the Christian life and something we see emphasized time and time again throughout the New Testament. I mentioned how things like patience and endurance are what the early church craved for—because they knew that if they could stand through the persecution, they would always be victorious. Likewise, we have need of endurance so that after we’ve prayed the will of God, we can receive the promise of answered prayer (See Hebrews 10:36). Yes, I am convinced that if we can have the virtue of patience working in our prayer life then we will see the answers to our prayers every single time. The reason why we sometimes fail to see the manifestation of those answered prayers is because we either grow weary or we simply let the emotions wear off. When this happens, we tend to let go of our faith and stop seeking the answers like we did in the beginning. So, like many see “patience” as one of their greatest weaknesses, I see patience as one of the biggest weaknesses in our prayer lives too.
 
I understand that we live in a microwave society where we want everything, and we want it now, but I also know that God is not in the business of “drive-thru breakthroughs!” He is called the “God of Patience.” Therefore, He is obviously not in a hurry! So likewise, we need to develop the fruit of patience and not be in such a hurry to see the answers to our prayers!
 
In fact, we saw that just as it takes the seed of a man and the egg of a woman to conceive a child, it takes both faith and patience to inherit the promises (See Hebrews 6:12). And we learned from James chapter one, how patience works in us to make that conception have its perfect work so that the baby will be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. So, while we there is the excitement of faith when we find out that we are “expecting,” the patience is there to carry us all the way to full term. Amen?
 
So, this is why these virtues like patience & perseverance are so needful in our prayer lives: It is because, more often than not, there will be a process of time from the time we pray and the time we receive the answers, and we will need these power p-words to bring the answers to our prayers to pass.
 
Jesus taught us the power of persistence in our prayer lives, and He called this “knocking and keep on knocking” kind of prayer, faith. But He made sure to illustrate to us that it’s not because God is unwilling to give us what we desire, but that there are reasons in both the spiritual and physical world that require perseverance on our part to press through for the answers.
 
Yes, God is willing to answer our prayers! He wants to meet our needs! So, seeing Him as that good and gracious Heavenly Father is one of the keys to removing the hindrances that keep us from receiving from Him.
 
So, we do need to understand that the reason we are persistent is not because God is unwilling to give us what we are asking for and that we have annoy Him into doing it. The reason we need to be persistent is because it is a form of faith in God. It is a confidence and reliance upon God’s ability and willingness. And when we operate in faith, we will see results! There is also something that happens in us when we wait on the answer. We develop character. We develop patience. We develop faith. These are all things that need to take place in us, and God wants to make sure we trust Him.
 
THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF PRAYERS AND SUPPLICATIONS
 
So, let’s pick back up where we left off in Ephesians 6:18, which I made the point, is a verse that generally does not get the attention that it deserves.
 
You see, this verse is a continuation of the apostle Paul’s brilliant exposition of spiritual warfare and the whole armor of God. So, after specifically describing our spiritual armor in verses 14-17, he moves right into this verse. This teaches us that prayer is evidently a spiritual weapon! Yes, it is one of the weapons of our warfare that is mighty through God for the pulling down of strongholds, etc.! Amen!
 
Now let’s continue looking at this verse that is chock-full of some awesome prayer principles: In it, Paul says, “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.”
 
Now we covered the part of this verse that refers to the watchful and persevering part of our prayer life last time. So, now that we have seen the attitude in which our prayers are to be prayed, let’s now look at how Paul described these prayers. Again, Paul said, “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit …” I feel that the wording of this particular translation can leave us a little confused. Let’s look at this phrase in more detail …
 
First of all, when Paul said, “with all prayer and supplication” he was actually saying “through every kind of prayer and supplication.” What this shows us that there are both various kinds of prayer and various kinds of supplications.
 
Now as we have seen already in this series, there is a difference between “prayer” and “supplication.” Supplications are petitions & requests, and prayer is more on the relationship side of our conversations with God. So, the different kinds of prayer might be the prayer of thanksgiving, praise, & worship, the prayer of meditation & the prayer of tongues. The different kinds of supplications might be (I will just call them “the prayer of …” for the sake of changing terminology) the prayer of faith, the prayer of petition, the prayer of agreement, the prayer of consecration, & the prayer of intercession.
 
A PRAYER FOR EVERY SEASON
 
Now before we begin looking at these specific kinds of prayer, let’s look back at the words “praying always” at the beginning of this verse: The word “always” is a translation of three Greek words— en kairos pas. The word en means “in or in the sphere of” and the word pas means “every or all.” Now the word kairos is the interesting part of this phrase: This word describes “an opportune, seasonable, or appointed time.” So, the literal translation of “always” could be “in all seasons” or “in every appropriate time.” This shows us that these different kinds of prayers and supplications are to be used “in specific instances”—meaning, there are specific and appropriate times for every different kind of prayer and every different kind of supplication.
 
Let me give you some examples— The specific kind of prayer the Bible calls “the prayer of faith” would not be appropriate when praying for the salvation of someone. Why? Because we cannot pray once and believe we receive their salvation when their will is involved. What would be called the prayer of intercession is what would be most appropriate when praying for the lost because when free will is involved continuous, repetitive prayers are necessary. The prayer of faith would be more appropriate when praying for things that God has already both promised you and I and accomplished through Jesus like healing, financial provision, and protection.
 
Another example might be using the prayer of other tongues when praying for someone else’s financial need. That wouldn’t be the right kind of prayer because the Word teaches us that the prayer of other tongues is for our own self-edification. So, what would be the most appropriate form of prayer or supplication for asking the Lord to meet someone’s financial need. Well, there are a couple—one being “the prayer of petition” because you are asking the Lord to meet that need in their life. You might use “the prayer of agreement” as the two of you talk about the need, you ask the Lord together, and then agree concerning the thing you’ve asked.   
 
So, as you can see, it is important for us to understand the many different kinds of prayers & supplication so that we can use the right prayer in the right situation.
 
Now this beginning of the verse is not translated according to the proper sentence structure of the original Greek. It actually says, “through all manners of prayer and supplication, praying in every appropriate time in the Spirit …” The Amplified Bible translates this verse— “Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty …” This is important because it will help us to understand what Paul was saying better.
 
PRAYING IN THE SPIRIT
 
Notice that in the original Greek language, the three words “in the Spirit” follow “praying always.” So, this shows us how we can effectively pray with the specific kind of prayer in the specific and appropriate times. We don’t have to know what kind of prayer to use every time. All we need to do is pray “in the Spirit.”
 
Now this is not just praying in other tongues, although it can include that. Praying in the Spirit is simply prayer that is prompted, inspired, and empowered by the Spirit of God on the inside of us. This is the Holy Spirit helping us in our prayers as Paul described in Romans 8:26 when he said, “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”
 
Church, when we pray under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, He will lead us to pray the way we need to pray in every situation. For example, say we have an hour allotted for prayer each day: Sometimes He might lead us to pray in other tongues for the entire hour, and sometimes He might lead us into 15 minutes of intercession and another 45 minutes of worship. Then another time, we might lead us back and forth between thanksgiving & praise and intercession for various needs. My point is, when we pray “in the Spirit,” it can vary and is not going to necessarily be consistent.
 
I believe the New Living Translation brings out the true meaning of the words “in the Spirit.” It translates this verse— “Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit …”
 
Saints, it is so important that we learn how to tap into the power of the Holy Spirit in our prayer lives! If we pray in ourselves, then we are limited to what we know but when we pray in Him then we will find a much more enjoyable flow. I would liken praying in the Spirit (as opposed to praying in our own abilities) to like going down a river in a boat as opposed to swimming down a river. It is like riding an escalator rather than climbing up and down stairs. It is so much easier and certainly more effective. Amen?
 
So, the question that should come up then is— “How do we pray in the Spirit?” There are a couple of ways that I believe we can tap into that flow of the Holy Ghost …
 
First of all, as we have been learning, we need to obey the law of prayer’s proper protocol and enter into His gates with thanksgiving and walking through His courts with praise. It is then from there that we will be in the Holy of holies where the presence of the Holy Ghost resides! This is when we will be in better position to be led by the Spirit because thanksgiving, praise, and worship (if it is done right) will always put us on the frequency of the Spirit. This is what the apostle Paul taught us in Ephesians 5:18-19 when he said that being continuously filled with the Spirit comes through speaking to one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.
 
So, thanksgiving, praise, and worship put us on His frequency, but I’ve also learned that another practical way to get into the Spirit in my prayer times is to pray in other tongues. As we have learned, praying in other tongues builds us up! It charges our battery! And when we get charged and built up, we begin to operate more out of the inner man (the place where the Holy Spirit resides) than the outer man (where our intellect and our own strength resides). Sometimes it might take just 5 minutes and sometimes it might take an hour, but praying in other tongues will eventually transfer us from the flesh realm to the spirit realm. Amen.   
 
THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF PRAYER
 
So, now that we’ve learned that there is an appropriate time for different types of prayer and that the Holy Spirit is here to inspire and empower us to pray the right prayer in those times, let’s begin looking at these different kinds of prayer and supplication Paul referred to …
 
Let’s begin with the various kinds of prayer:
 

1. The Prayer of Thanksgiving, Praise, and Worship – One that we have covered already, but is certainly worth reiterating, is the prayers of thanksgiving, praise, and worship. (I am going to put all of these together for discussion sake even though you can make a case that they all three are different types of prayer) You see, since we have defined prayer as simply “the vehicle which drives our relationship with God” and not just our requests and petitions, then we ought to begin with the kinds of prayer that should lead the pack! Church, I believe these three kinds of prayer are the most important parts of our prayer life and are, therefore, what need to be prayed the most. Yes, I believe that thanksgiving, praise, and worship are not seasonal, but are just about always appropriate forms of prayer to be prayed. Of course, there are the times where we need to be interceding, speaking to the mountain, listening to His voice, etc. and not necessarily praising & worshipping the Lord, but more often than not, it’s always a good time to give Him thanks, declare His praises, and worship His beauty. Now I am not talking about us walking around saying, “Praise the Lord” anymore than we would go to someone else and say, “I thank the Lord.” To “praise” God means to proclaim His goodness and greatness. So many times, we think we are praising God because we say, “Praise God!” but technically just saying that is not praising God. Praising God as a form of prayer towards Him would be like saying, “God, You are so good!”, “Lord, You are awesome!”, or “There is no one like You! I think You’re amazing!” You see, we praise our kids, our spouse, or famous people all the time, and we don’t even know it. We don’t do it by saying, “Praise, Pastor Robert!” We praise him by talking about how much of a blessing he is to our church. Likewise, we need to regularly tell our Lord and God how wonderful, good, and awesome He is. We need to repeatedly thank Him specifically for the people, things, and other gifts He has given us in this life. We also need to constantly worship Him by telling Him how much we love Him and expressing our devotion to Him. So, worship involved other aspects of prayer such as vows or consecrating ourselves to Him. Can you see how these three types of prayer should be the predominant theme of our prayer life? Yes, they are just about always in season.   

 

1. The Prayer of Tongues – Our personal prayer language is certainly another kind of prayer and is one of the most edifying types of prayer for us personally.  First Corinthians chapter 14 gives us the most detailed description of what praying in other tongues accomplishes: In verse 2 the apostle Paul said, “For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries.” First of all, notice that Paul said that when we pray in the Spirit that we are speaking “to God.” We are not just aimlessly babbling a bunch of weird syllables together. We are speaking directly to the God of the universe! Then in verse 2, Paul goes on to tell us what we are speaking to Him— “mysteries.” Are these “mysteries” for God’s benefit? Of course not! So, then they must be for ours! But I want you to notice how this verse does not indicate that we are petitioning or requesting God for anything. We are simply “speaking” these “mysteries.” This is why this kind of tongues is another kind of prayer—because we are communing with God through the Holy Spirit about these truths. So what are these “mysteries” that we are praying? This word “mysteries” is the same word that Paul used in his epistles when describing the “mystery” of the New Covenant. These mysteries that we are praying in the spirit are the mysteries hidden in God before the foundation of the world. They describe the wonderful works of the Cross– that is, all that Christ is in us, and all that we are in Christ. In Colossians 1:26-27 Paul explains the mystery perfectly! He says, “…the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” The mystery is how Christ has come to make His abode in our hearts and how this results in us having a glorious expectation of the future. So when we pray in other tongues we are praying the revelation of the New Covenant so that we can become enlightened to its truths. Not only that, but Paul goes on to say in First Corinthians 14:4 that “He who speaks in an unknown tongue edifies himself …” The word “edifies” literally means “to build up.” So “praying in the Spirit” is also what Jude had in mind as a major factor to “building ourselves up on our most holy faith.” Jude is saying that when we pray in the Spirit, we build ourselves up upon the foundation of the apostles and the prophets—that is, the truths contained in the mystery of the New Covenant.

 

1. The Prayer of Meditation – This form of prayer is also one of the most important kinds of prayer that we can operate in because it is us doing the listening! I made the statement earlier in this series in describing what prayer is that it is a dialogue and not just a monologue. In other words, prayer is not to be one-sided by us doing all the talking; it is also us doing some of the listening. If all we ever do in our prayer times is run our mouth, then we are missing one of the most special parts of prayer—which is, hearing from God! You would think that in a conversation between the Creator and the creation that the creation would be smart enough to be quiet sometimes and listen to what the Creator had to say, seeing that He knows infinitely more than we do, right? But as is the case with so many Christians, we are doing all the talking and never take the time to be still and listen for that still small voice in our hearts. So, how do we listen? How do we hear His voice? It’s through meditation upon the Word of God! You see, the Word of God is God speaking to us, so when we take the time to be still, get quiet, and begin to meditate on His Word, we are, in essence, communing with God! Meditating the Word of God is one of the greatest ways we can spend our prayer time with God.  

 

1. The Prayer of Consecration – The prayer of consecration is when we set ourselves apart from the things that we enjoy or are a part of our daily routine and commit that time to the Lord in prayer. This is also where fasting comes into prayer. Fasting is the abstaining of our favorite things to do in order to seek the Lord more diligently. So many think they are being effective because they simply are not eating but that is not the end to its purpose. The purpose of fasting is to seek the Lord more in prayer! That is why throughout the Scriptures fasting is tied into prayer. It is usually referred to as “fasting and prayer.” But the fasting of food is not the only way we can consecrate ourselves. In 1 Corinthians 7:5 Paul says, “Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you give yourselves to fasting and prayer…” He was advocating that it is good to have times where you fast the physical intimacy that you have with your spouse in order to seek the Lord more heartily. You see, there are many different elements to fasting. It is basically laying aside something that is a great desire of yours or is time consuming so that you can spend that time in prayer and supplication. And it is not easy! Look at Jesus in the garden. He, in consecrating Himself to the Lord, began to sweat great drops of blood.   

 

1. The Prayer of Confession – The prayer of confession can range to anything from us confessing what we’ve done (See First John 1:9) to us confessing what He’s done. What I mean by this is there is that time in all of our lives where we knew we missed it in some area, and we had to go before the Lord to confess our sins before Him. This is a specific kind of prayer that is necessary from time to time where we are “saying the same thing” as God. But this type of prayer can also be used when it is time to declare what God has said He will do. This too is a very important type of prayer because the Lord loves it when we remind Him of His Word. He loves it when His children say what He has said. So, our confession of God’s Word is also a very valid and relevant type of prayer.  

 
THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF SUPPLICATION
 
But as we’ve made the point of throughout this series, there is a difference between prayers and supplications. Yes, we’ve learned that the term “supplication” describes more of the request side of our communication with God and, therefore, prayer is not just our petitions.
 
In fact, when you look up the Greek word that Paul used for “supplications” (Greek deesis), you will see that it always referred to asking God for things and presenting petitions to Him. It is defined as “to ask for humbly or earnestly; a humble petition; an earnest request; an entreaty.” 
 
Let me give you an example where this word for “supplication” was used, but not translated that way--James 5:16. 
 
At the end of verse 16, James gives us a tremendous promise concerning prayer. He says, “The effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” The words “effective fervent” are the translation of the one Greek word energeo. This describes a prayer that is continuously active and energetic (This word is where we get our English word “energy” from). In other words, it is a prayer that does not lose its passion and zeal. But rather, it is a prayer that remains full of energy and power after time.
                               
Now the word that is translated “prayer” in this verse is that word for “supplication”—the Greek word deesis. So, this is a poor translation, and since the word deesis describes the requests and petitions in our prayer times, James is talking about fervent, continual supplications being lifted up to God.  And just by the context of this verse, we can see that is exactly what James is referring to because he goes right into talking about Elijah and how he prayed earnestly for the rain to both stop and start. This is our biblical example of the power in supplication!
 
So, what we see in Ephesians 6:18 is that there are not just different kinds of prayers, there are also different kinds of supplications. This means that there are also different kinds of ways in which we petition the Lord. Yes, there is not just one way to present our requests to Him; there are several ways. And that’s what I want us to look at this week—the different kinds of supplications …   
 

1. The Prayer of Petition- I will begin with this specific kind of supplication—the prayer of petition—because it is what would be considered the general way in which we make a request from the Lord. This kind of “supplication” encompasses everything that God has not already promised us specifically but that we desire or have need of. But like we’ve made the point of already, while our general requests of God like this have their place, they are not how we are to “supplicate” the Lord for everything. So, let’s get into some of the other kinds of supplication that we might be less familiar with.  

 

1. The Prayer of Agreement- The prayer of agreement is one of the lesser understood ways in which we can present a request to God. You could say that it is the way in which two or more of us present a petition to God. We see Jesus describe this in Matthew 18:18-20 when He talked about the authority we have when we come into unity. Jesus said in verse 19, “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth, concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven …” You see, if we are just going around agreeing with what others are asking for, then we are not actually doing this verse. According to this verse, we must ask together in order for us to be in agreement. Of course, that doesn’t mean that you and I cannot be in agreement if we do not pray together, but in order for us to pray the prayer of agreement, there must be some corporate prayer first. But the key to understanding the prayer of agreement is in understanding what the word “agree” means in Matthew 18:19. This word literally means “to sound together” or “to be in one accord or harmonious.” The Greek word used is sumphoneo and is where we get our English word “symphony” from. This means that to pray the prayer of agreement is to pray in one accord. So, you could say that the church was praying the prayer of agreement in Acts chapter 4 when they came together in one accord and prayed for boldness. You see, the prayer of agreement is not asking someone to agree with you and then never asking the Lord together for what you need. The prayer of agreement is corporate prayer—where two or more believers get together in one accord and make their requests to God as one. This is why it is so important that when we come together in prayer—whether it be two or twenty of us—that we are praying in the Spirit (Again, praying inspired and empowered by the Spirit of God). This is also why we need to really consider what we are praying about before we present our requests to Him because we need to be in agreement as to what our focus is to be on.

 

1. The Prayer of Intercession- Now the prayer of intercession is different than the prayer of petition and the prayer of agreement because it requires repetition and continuance. Yes, when we are “standing in the gap” for someone or something, it will require some endurance and patience until the manifestation of the thing we are praying for occurs or we feel the release of the Spirit that we’ve accomplished what we set out to do. And what we need to understand about intercession is that this is something we are all capable of doing and should be doing because there is a difference between the prayer of intercession and one who feels called as an intercessor, just as there is a difference between prophecy and one who is labeled as a prophet. So, my point is that just because we do not see ourselves as an intercessor does not mean that we cannot be used to intercede for someone. We are all called to occasionally intercede for the lost or for backsliders. So, what does it mean to “intercede” for someone or something? Well, it has two possible references: First of all, to “intercede” means “to act between parties with a view of reconciling differences.” Therefore, intercession literally describes “mediation.”  So, from this definition we can see one of the primary times when the prayer of intercession is appropriate. It is used when reconciliation between God and a person is needed. This would obviously include salvation, but it would also involve an individual who has strayed from God. The other situation when intercession is needed is when someone needs us to stand in the gap between a person and the devil. Jesus did this for Peter in Luke 22:31-32 when He said that Satan desired to sift him as wheat. Jesus said in verse 32— “But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail …” Abraham and Moses also knew the power of their covenant with God. We too can stand in the gap for other believers so that the enemy cannot overcome them! In Luke 13:1-9 we are given a situation where Jesus was asked why tragic things happen to some people. There have been books written that attempt to explain why bad things happen to good people. And in many of these attempts well-meaning ministers have said that God is just trying to teach us something or to humble us in some way. But this is not true! Jesus actually gives us the reason in a parable in these passages of Scripture. Luke 13 begins with some people telling Jesus about how Pilate had put to death some Galileans who had come to Jerusalem to offer their sacrifices. So, Jesus answered them in verse 2 by saying, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things?” Apparently, someone had asked Him that question for Jesus to “answer” them. His explanation was just a simple “no” in verse three. Then Jesus brought up another situation where eighteen people were killed when the Tower of Siloam fell on them (verse 4). And again, His explanation was just a resounding “no.” But then Jesus goes on to explain why these tragic accidents occurred in parable form in verses 6-9. Verse 6 starts off by saying, “He also spoke a parable …” The word “also” shows us that this parable is tied into his previous conversation. Many have separated verses 1-5 from 6-9 but this should not be the case because Jesus was going on to explain why these things happen. In this parable Jesus describes a certain man who had a fig tree planted in his vineyard. He had come for 3 years seeking fruit on it and found none. So, he told the keeper of his vineyard to cut it down because it was a waste of space. But the keeper of his vineyard “stood in the gap” for the fig tree and asked the man to give him another year to dig around it and fertilize it. The owner of the vineyard is God, the keeper of the vineyard is a believer, and the fig tree is a group or individual that God is looking for fruit from. The purpose of this parable is to show us the power that we have as intercessors! We have the ability to delay God’s judgment on a group or on an individual. This is the authority that we have being in covenant with God! So, one of the main reasons that some people that are the pillars of the community and do many good deeds have tragic things happen to them while a horrible scoundrel crawls out of a totaled car completely unscathed is because of those keepers of the vineyards that are willing to stand in the gap! It is usually those that have the most problems that walk away from tragedy! That’s because those people usually have an old grandmother that has been standing in the gap for them for years. But the upstanding person that seems to have it all together does not usually have an intercessor because they do not have as many glaring problems. So, I say all of this to say that intercession is needed in the Body of Christ as we have the authority to stand in the gap between people & things from being destroyed, stolen, and killed. God has given us the authority to intercede.     

 

1. The Prayer of Faith – But as I have heard stated before- “There is a time to pray and there is a time to say!” There are times when we need to make requests and petitions from the Lord, but there are other times that we need to declare and command—using our authority that way. We see the prayer of faith specifically mentioned in James 5:15 when James said that those who are sick in the church can call for the elders and they will come and anoint the person with oil in the name of the Lord. But it was not the oil that raised the person up. It was not the elders who healed him. This verse says that it is the prayer of faith that will save (i.e. heal) the sick. So, that reinforces what we’ve been learning in this series—that we can have people praying, but if we don’t pray the right way, we can fail to receive the Lord’s best. And in this case, the prayer of faith was the appropriate kind of prayer. So, what is the prayer of faith? I believe the perfect example of the prayer of faith is found in Mark 11:22-24: The day before this situation Jesus had found a fig tree that did not have any figs. So, the Bible says, “In response Jesus said to it, ‘Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.’ (vs.14)” The next day Jesus and His disciples came back by the fig tree and Peter noticed that the tree Jesus cursed had withered away. When Peter brought this to Jesus’ attention He responded— “Have faith in God!” The Greek language literally says— “Have the faith of God!” Jesus commands us to have the God kind of faith! In other words, we need to let the creative force that abides in the Word of God abide in our words as well! Then Jesus goes on to explain how this faith works in verses 23&24 … Verse 23 says, “For assuredly, I say to you (This is something that is reliable and that we can be assured of—It is absolutely true!), whoever (not just preachers) says to this mountain (i.e. seemingly immovable obstacle), ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.” Notice that Jesus made three references to what we say and only one reference to believing in this verse. You see, too many times we will talk to God about our problem when we should be talking to our problem about our God! God has given us the authority to wipe out the works of Satan on this earth. He has told us to “Go, therefore and lay hands on the sick, cast out demons, etc.” We need to “say’ to those mountains in our lives “Be removed and be cast into the sea!” For example, when we talked about praying for the lost what did we say was one of the most important parts of our prayer? It is to rebuke the blindness and deception and to loose the light of the glorious gospel! This is us exercising our authority! Now look at verse 24 because then Jesus turns from our “saying” to our “praying.” He says, “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” Now of course the “whatever” here is not referring to whatever carnal selfish desire we have. It is referring to whatever is according to the will of God. Notice Jesus said that whatever we ask in our prayer time that we are to believe that we receive them. In other words, believe that they are ours the moment we asked for them. If we are praying the prayer of faith then we only pray once because once we lifted up the desire to the Lord we believe that we receive it. You must believe that it is yours! Now this does not mean that you are to live in make-believe pretending that it is in your hands. This just means that you know it’s on the way … You have it in the spirit, and you are expecting it to show up in the natural. I like to think of it as placing an order for something over the telephone. Say, for instance, that you order a brand-new bedroom suit from a Department store… You already gave them your credit card number and they charged it. At that moment you own that bedroom suit, but it is not in your possession yet, but you are expecting the arrival. That is what faith is … You know it’s yours, but you are just looking out the window expecting that UPS truck to pull up any day now. Another good example is of pregnancy. You know the baby has been conceived and is in there, but you are just waiting for the manifestation of that baby in the natural realm. Don’t misunderstand me—all our prayers should be prayed in faith but there is a difference between the other kinds of prayer and “the prayer of faith.” The prayer of faith is appropriate when your prayer involves something that you know God has already given you! In other words, a promise He has already said is yours. This is extremely important because many use the prayer of faith when God has not promised them the answer. For example, someone applies for a job and then they ask the Lord for the job and believe they receive it. The problem is God has not promised them that job. He has just promised to meet their needs. In order to believe they receive that job they must have a foundation for their faith to stand on. And if God has not said it is theirs, then they have nothing to believe in. In that situation the believer would need to use the prayer of petition because it might not be God’s will for them to have that job. But then they could thank God that He has promised to never forsake them and that He would meet their financial needs. So when is the prayer of faith appropriate? Well, think about something that God has promised you. Take for instance, “healing.” How are you to pray if your baby gets sick? Are you to continually ask God to touch your child’s body? No! You are to find where it is written that God has promised to take sickness and disease away from the midst of you and how Jesus is the God who heals you and then say something like— “God, I thank you that you are the Lord our healer and that this family is blessed by you. Lord, this sickness is trying to invade my baby’s body, so we are laying hold of your promise of divine health right now and we deny its right to stay in her body! So, God I thank you for taking this sickness away from her body and we call her ‘whole’ in the name of Jesus! Amen!” “But what if they are still sick after you pray that?” you might ask. That is where the faith comes into play! You just continue to thank God for the healing and continue to rebuke the infirmity. This is why it is so important to know what kind of prayer is appropriate because if I pray the prayer of intercession when I should be praying the prayer of faith, I can be shooting blanks, and vice versa. I remember an instance where I got a word of wisdom in a church gathering: We were talking about the prayer of faith and believing we receive when we pray, and a young lady asked, “How do I know when to pray once and believe I receive and when to pray continually?” That’s a good question, isn’t it? Well, I was just simply attending the class and not teaching it, but the Holy Spirit got all over me and gave me the answer. He said, “When it involves God’s will and your will alone, you pray once and believe you receive, but when it involves the will of another person, you pray continuously.” And the reason why is because when it involves someone else’s will—like say you were praying for them to be saved—you can’t receive that by faith because their free will is involved in that. Therefore, I must continuously pray for them so that the Lord can repeatedly work in their heart until they choose to receive Him in their lives. But when it is my own personal healing which I know is God’s will for me, those are not the things I am to continuously pray for. No, I can pray once and believe I receive because it only involves my will and God’s will. Amen?

 
Church, there are obviously different kinds of prayers and different kinds of supplications, and we need to understand what these are. But as I said, what is of the utmost importance is that we pray in the presence and power of the Holy Spirit because He will lead us into the right kind of praying for every occasion if we just let Him guide us.
 
So, lets study to show ourselves approved by searching the Scriptures to learn more about the various kinds of prayers and supplications and combine that with us walking in the communion of the Holy Spirit. If we do this, I can assure you that our prayers will be prayed in the right protocol and we will see great fruit as a result.