Principles of Prayer
Session 1: Lesson 1
Faith for Prayer:● Prayer is foundational for a Christian → Without realising, most people prayed before they got saved → Because asking God to save you, is speaking to God. You can’t get saved without prayer.● We do not only pray with words, but with faith. (Rom 10:9-10 AMPC)● Pray believing in your heart, that’s when it gets results, creating a connection with God. ● Believe God’s Will in your heart and speak it with your mouth, then you get results. (Heb 11:6 AMPC)
Prayer is Communication:● Prayer is communication, talking, it’s exchanging words and giving of words through human lips. ● God’s words affect our spirit, soul and body. (1 Thess 5:23 AMPC) ● The Holy Spirit lives inside us and is pre-eminently qualified to help us to pray. (John 4:24 AMPC)● God formed us with clay as human beings, we were created from the spirit realm with words. ● (Gen 1:26–27 AMPC) When God made man out of clay and dust, He shaped his form and breathed who He was into him and he instantly became a living,powerful speaking spirit. ● When God began to speak words to them, (talking about prayer), they understood Him and had instant recognition because they were created in His likeness and could speak back to Him. ● The idea of addressing this divine being came from God. God created man so that they could talk.
Creation was done through Communication:● God said: “Let us” – there was communication happening between the Three of the divine beings.● There was a conversation happening, there was an agreement of will – Let us do this.● No wonder Jesus could say, where two or three of you who are gathered together in my name agree as touching anything it shall be done. (Matt 18:20 AMPC) – An authority prayer● Because He created us in His likeness, we are also able to say, we say, let this be.
Religious Barriers to Prayer:● The enemy and religion have so many barriers to prayer; guilt, shame or inadequacy.● Religion gives people a feeling of “I have to do something more or better in order to pray”. ● Religiously, praying is this “holy thing” but somehow speaking words in life is not such a holy thing.● Religion makes prayer a ceremony – Prepare yourself, have a certain posture, have this tone of voice, have this very special place where you go to speak to God.● Religion says “You have to be more, more righteous, holy, or purer in order to pray.”● The reality is that God made us in His image so that man could commune with God.
What God Created Prayer to be:● We were created to want to talk to God and to talk to Him naturally. ● You don’t have to spend 10 minutes repenting to have a free flow between you and God. ● God already requires the faith that He’s hearing you before you’ve even repented.● When does God start hearing you? – He hears you when you have faith that He hears you.● Unfortunately, Satan puts a religious fog over Christians who want to pray.● The enemy wants to lie to us that there is an honour code to live up to, but Jesus took care of the righteousness and sanctification issue.
We can have Boldness in Prayer:● Jesus took care of everything that allows us to approach God freely so that we can come into the throne room of God, come into His presence with boldness. (Heb 10:19-22). ● When Jesus died on the cross that veil was ripped open in the holy of holies that prevented the average person from going into the presence of God and communing with Him.● We have boldness, based on the blood, not based on how good or bad I’ve been. It’s open to us.● ‘Therefore, brethren since we have full freedom’… it’s not half of or partial freedom, it’s full freedom. ● There is no barrier to us having a conversation with God. ● “Having conversations with God” sounds a lot easier than saying we are going to “pray”. ● Prayer is a good word, it is a powerful, wonderful thing but looking at it as communication, a conversation with God, then it seems easier to do. Because we speak by the power of the blood.
Rom 10:9-10 That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation.
Heb 11:6 But without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
1 Thess 5:23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
John 4:24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Gen 1:26 – 27 Then God said,“Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
Gen 2:7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being.
Matt 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”
Heb 10:19-22 Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh.