The Basics of Prayer & Seeking God
Many people have never learned how to pray before the
Lord. James 5:16 tells us:
James 5:16-17 The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous
man avails much. NKJV
What is effective and fervent prayer? And doesn’t this imply that if you are not
righteous your prayers may not avail as much?
Yes it does. The scripture warns
us that we are to be doers of the word not just hearers of the word.
James 1:22-23 But be doers of the word, and not hearers
only, deceiving yourselves. NKJV
The Word of God commands us to do many things in our
walk. Give to the poor, feed and help
the poor and widows, witness to people (preach the gospel), lay hands on people
and heal the sick, cast out devils (Mark 16:16-18) and SEEK God through prayer,
supplication and praise (Phil 4:4-7).
Prayer and praise are the most neglected and yet the most important of
all the things we must do to serve God. God WANTS our time and dedication and
He needs us to seek Him. This is
critical in our obedient walk.
The Power God Affords His Prayerful Saints
Before the kids wake up in the morning, before you start
your busy day, set aside at least an hour of your time to get on your knees
before God.
Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint on his knees
- William Cowper
Many people do not know how to pray and what to pray
about. They ask me “What can I say to
the Lord for an hour? What can I pray
for that would take that long? The Lord hungers for our time. He created us for His pleasure. He hungers for our time before Him. He created all things for His pleasure and
purposes (Rev 4:11). The Lord affords
great privilege and protection to his righteous saints that fear him.
Ps 31:19
Oh, how great is Your goodness, Which You have laid up for
those who fear You, Which You have prepared for those who trust in You In the
presence of the sons of men! NKJV
Ps 11:5 5
The Lord tests the righteous, But the wicked and the one who
loves violence His soul hates.
NKJV
Ps 33:18-19
Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, On
those who hope in His mercy, 19 To deliver their soul from death, And to keep
them alive in famine.
NKJV
Ps 34:15
The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are
open to their cry.
NKJV
Ps 34:9
Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those
who fear Him.
NKJV
Ps 34:17-18 17
The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, And delivers them
out of all their troubles. 18 The Lord is near to those who have a broken
heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit.
NKJV
There is a reason why Jesus told those He sent out among the
towns and villages …
Matt 10:14-15
And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when
you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet. 15
Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and
Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!
NKJV
And there’s a reason why Jesus said:
John 14:12-13 12
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the
works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do,
because I go to My Father.
NKJV
And there’s a reason why Jesus also said:
Mark 11:22-23
“Have faith in God. 23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever
says to this mountain, ‘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.
NKJV
The point I am hoping to help you understand here is that
YOU are given the POWER OF JESUS and even more so YOU are expected to use that
POWER to serve the King and the Kingdom as a “doer” of the Word. God does not give these things to us without
an expectation of our obedience to Him.
We have an obligation to make Jesus our LORD and not just our
savior. This requires ACTION.
Prayer (and praise) is the single MOST POWERFUL thing we can
do to serve the Lord on behalf of the Kingdom. Practice makes perfect. We all have to walk before we can run. Here are some prayer examples you can use to
spend time serving the Kingdom on your knees before our mighty Father of
Lights, Ya va El, the great and awesome Holy Father God and our King Yeshua
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Types of Prayer and Instructions
In Phil 4:4-7 we see a number of things that warrant our
attention.
Phil 4:4-7 4
Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let
your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. 6 Be anxious for
nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let
your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all
understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
NKJV
Let’s quickly look at this instruction. First in verse 4 we are instructed to rejoice
in the Lord always. So no matter what,
you always sing praises and praise our Father.
No matter WHAT you always PRAISE His name. Praise is absolutely NOT OPTIONAL. Please understand that 100% of all your
prayers must be gushing with praise and worship. Thank God in advance for fulfilling your
prayers KNOWING that He will provide as His will see’s fit. Trust him (Prov 3:5) for His wisdom and love
in your life and the lives in those for whom you pray. Never let your earthy tendency to complain
and grow tired get in the way of receiving what God has for those you seek to
help. TRUST.
Ps 78:41
Yes, again and again they tempted God, And limited the Holy
One of Israel.
NKJV
Do not limit God.
If you have unbelief or problems
with faith then “Dam the Torpedoes” and JUST DO IT anyway. Eventually you will develop the necessary
faith as your seeking God causes supernatural changes in your walk. You will see. Learn by DOING. Believe. Notice in Phil 4:6 it says … But in
EVERYTHING …
PRAYER
SUPPLICATION
THANKSGIVING
Supplications (Petitions) to God
So in everything that affects your life and those around
you, we are instructed to pray, supplicate and give thanksgiving (which is
praise). Supplication is a “petition”
before God. It differs from standard
prayer in that it is something formal you raise up to the throne of God and ask
for repeatedly.
Matt 7:7 7-12
Keep on asking for something to be given and it shall be
given you. Keep on seeking, and you shall find. Keep on reverently knocking,
and it shall be opened to you. For everyone who keeps on asking for something
to be given, keeps on receiving. And he who keeps on seeking, keeps on finding.
And to him who keeps on reverently knocking, it shall be opened.
- The New Testament: An Expanded Translation by Kenneth S.
Wuest
An example of supplication before God is asking Him to help
you hear his voice better. Make a list
of things you need in your life to improve your walk with Him. Ask Him to give you a humble and contrite
heart. Ask Him to “create in you a clean
heart” (Psalm 51:10). Ask Him to fill
your heart with joy so you can lead others to the Kingdom. Make a list.
Make it formal. And supplicate
before God’s throne each morning. Here is an example of supplications before
God.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Holy Lord God, I raise before you Supplication Number
1. Father God, whoart in Heaven,
hallowed be thy name. Glory to you
Father God, for you alone are worthy. Father, as you know I am raising this
petition before you to help me hear your still small voice better so I may be
more obedient to you.
Please Father God, help me hear you speak to me so I know it
is your voice. Help me to trust it so I
may follow your will with sureness.
Thank you Father God.
And now I raise before you Lord, petition number 2.
(and so on)
Pray for the Lost
The Father depends on us to pray for the “Lost”. This is
not just for our loved ones and people we know but it includes people we
do not know. A recent prophecy from the
Lord through Wings of Prophecy was a delight for me to hear and a wonderful
promise from our Father God. An excerpt
reads:
Pray diligently and petition consistently for the salvation
of the lost and of your loved ones, for I shall answer your prayers to save
them! Great shall be your joy and you shall enjoy the fruits of your labor!
(read more here)
Here the Father is conditionally offering to save our loved
ones as long as we pray over and over again (consistently) for the lost of the
world. Here is an example of how you can
pray for the lost.
Dear Heavenly Father,
In the Name of Jesus Lord God, that you may be glorified
through your Son, I lift up before you the lost of Africa. Father God, I come against the forces of
darkness and clear the air with the power of Christ, Jesus in me.
Principalities, Powers and Strongholds in High Places, I
come against you in the name of Jesus. by the Blood of the Lamb of God, I sever
your heads with the sword of the spirit and command you to fall NOW, into the
abyss in Jesus Name! Get OUT!
Unclean spirits, deaf and dumb spirits, in Jesus name I
loose you from your captives in Africa and I command you to leave now. Come out of them in Jesus Name! Get OUT NOW! Father God, in Jesus Name I ask
you Lord to surround these people with a supernatural hedge of protection. Father God send your angels to take charge
over them and protect them from the evil one.
Fill them with your Holy Spirit and prevent the demons from re-entering
them Father.
Lord God, in the name of Jesus, hear the cry of your
servant. Father God PLEASE save the
souls of the lost people of Africa Father God.
Send your ministering angels upon them Lord. Reveal yourself to them in a dream, in a
mighty vision of the night.
I CLAIM those souls for the Kingdom of Heaven in the Name of
Jesus. For the Kingdom of God is at
hand!
Praise you Holy Father God for you alone are worthy. Glory and honor and power and dominion to You
Lord God both now and forever – Amen.
You can take this prayer and apply it over and over again
and walk across the entire world targeting different parts of the globe
beseeching God to save those souls.
The Pray for Your Loved Ones
Father God, please save the soul of (insert relatives / loved ones name
here). Thank you Lord God. I know you will save them for me. I praise you for this glorious promise and
seek to serve you in any way you will use me.
Summary in Jesus Name:
Keep a list of people who need prayer. Write their name on a line and state beside
each name what it is they need. Pray for
each person one by one. For example:
Sally Neidermeyer – (depression)
Dear Heavenly Father,
I lift up sister Sally before you and ask you Lord to give
her the peace which passes all understanding in her life. Renew a spirit of gladness in her heart Lord
God and help her to stay focused on your Glory and the promises of the Kingdom.
The move to the next person on the list: (and repeat)
By the time you cover your supplications (daily petitions),
prayers for the Lost of the world, and prayers for specific people on your
prayer list one by one, over time you will wonder how you didn’t spend at least
one hour in prayer with God. Over time you
will YEARN to spend more time with the Lord.
Over time, it will become one of the most peaceful enriching
periods of your entire day.
SEEK YE FIRST THE KINGDOM
AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS
And then all these other things will be given unto you.
Matt 6:33-34
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and
all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about
tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day
is its own trouble. NKJV
