Before I start I would like to remind you that we have been setting a challenge this year.
This year we will have 12 hours of prayer each month of the year, that is, we will have 12 hours of prayer for 12 months of the year.
We already had the first 12 hours of the year in January and we will have the second on February 13th. We want to encourage and challenge you to join us in this journey.
As we know these days are full of distractions and entertainment but as a church we cannot lose the focus and essence of prayer, and that is what I want to talk about today.
Today’s message: The need for prayer.
Based on your own understanding, what is the greatest need of the Church today?
I believe that prayer has always been and will always be one of the greatest needs of the church of Jesus.
Not praying is the worst possible evil in the church!
Because of the lack of prayer, all other sins come into our lives, such as: lying, murmuring, prostitution, addictions, pornography, dissatisfaction, disobedience, rebellion, and many others
Leonard Ravenhill said: The believer who prays ceases to sin, the believer who sins ceases to pray. He also said that the person who does not pray is led astray!
“In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.” Psalms 5:3 NIV
Who is the first person you communicate with in the morning? Your wife? Your husband? Your children? Your mobile phone? WhatsApp, etc.
Prayer must be one of the main goal of the Church!
We see this in the early church, prayer was one of the main practices of the church in Acts, as they prayed constantly!
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Acts 2:42
Not only did the church members pray, but we also see it in the personal lives of the Apostles and leaders of the early church.
The apostles said : “and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.” Acts 6:4
Some translations instead of using consecrate say: Dedicate or persevere in prayer.
A church that prays is a church that consecrates itself, a person that prays is a person that consecrates themselves, a family that prays is a family that consecrates itself to the Lord.
Today I want to answer some questions through the word of God.
- 1 – What is prayer?
- 2 – Why should we pray?
- 3 – Who should we pray to?
- 4 – How should we pray?
- 5 – Is there anyone we should pray for?
Books tell us that John Wesley used to preach 700 sermons a year, planting churches while riding a horse, but still he found time to pray, he got up at 4 am to pray every day!
Jesus had a prayer life.
“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Mark 1:35
Jesus started his ministry by praying, he was taken by the Spirit to the desert, it was 40 days of prayer and fasting!
Not praying is a sin! It is the sin of self-sufficiency!
When you wake up in the morning and don’t say a word to your creator, you are telling Him that you can do everything by yourself, that you don’t need God and that you don’t depend on God. You are saying: I can, I can!
Job said in prayer: I know that my Redeemer lives and that he will finally rise up in my favour!
The disciples felt such a need to pray that they asked the Lord to teach them how to pray!
“One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”” Luke 11:1
“Teach us to pray” was the only thing the disciples asked Jesus, they did not say: teach us to preach, to heal the sick, to cast out demons, to care for the needy or how to earn money! No, but they asked, teach us to pray!
Let’s go to the first question
WHAT IS PRAYER?
Prayer is talking, talking to God, listening to God, it is you talking to God and listening to God!!
In prayer we also glorify and exalt His name.
““This, then, is how you should pray: “ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,” Matthew 6:9
When we pray, we exalt him, glorify him, express his Holiness, Sovereignty, Power, Authority, Dominion, Wisdom, Strength and Existence.
We express his whole being: Omnipotent, Omnipresent and Omniscient.
We also express our feelings for Him: our gratitude, love, desire, passion.
We show transparency and who we really are, confession of our sins, weaknesses, disabilities, recognising that He is powerful to help and forgive us.
What will prayer produce in our lives?
Prayer produces: holiness, salvation, fruitfulness, faith, transparency, weeping, brokenness, humility, and a character according to the image of Jesus! Finally, prayer produces protection!
Without prayer you lose all of this !!
Not to mention that prayer produces physical, mental and emotional benefits. Researchers have found that praying once every day and having it as a daily habit, can help us prevent illnesses such as memory loss, dementia and Alzheimer’s. Doctors were able to see 47 scientifically proven benefits.
The most prominent are that prayer can decrease pain, decrease the risk of death from heart attack, stroke, anxiety and depression. Results also showed that praying improves the immune system.
Scientific research studied the relationship between the brain and the “spiritual phenomena”. They came to the conclusion that: when we pray, we calm ourselves down and that is good for our body, soul and spirit.
2 – WHY SHOULD WE PRAY?
A- Because of our fallen human nature: “we are bad”
“As the crowds increased, Jesus said, “This is a wicked generation….” Luke 11:29
“He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” Matthew 12:39
“If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” Matthew 7:11
“The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.” Genesis 6:5
Jesus said that human nature is bad, we are evil, wicked, adulterous, lazy and negligent.
Jesus said that humans are not good.
Paul says in Romans: I know that in my flesh I do not live well!
Brothers and sisters, we are evil, our earthly nature is evil, that is why apostle Paul said: “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature
Make all of your earthly nature die.
How are you going to make your earthly nature die?
It is in prayer and through prayer, it is in the presence of God that you will be transformed!
It is in the presence of God that you see who you really are, a and that you have nothing good, that you are not humble and that you need to be transformed.
David said, “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.”Psalms 139:23 NIV
There is no point in making excuses for God: I am like this, this is my temperament, I cannot do it, I have no patience, I was born like that.
God does not listen to this kind of prayer because Jesus said that with God everything is possible.
How can we do this ??
Going to the cross every morning, crucifying our old man every day.
Fasting and prayer are the main ways to transform our old nature.
Brothers and sisters, I am not good and humble. I know what I have to face every day to crucify my old nature. I have to get up early to pray, to humble myself and cry before God.
I cannot achieve this transformation alone, I have to go to the Lord’s feet every day and say: Lord help me this day, support me, transform me. (2 Chronicles: 7: 14)
B- WE MUST PRAY TO NOT FALL IN TEMPTATION
““Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.””Matthew 26:41
The flesh will never be ready, the spirit will, because your “Spirit” was born again, not your flesh!
“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. ’” Matthew 6:13
“pray continually,” 1 Thessalonians 5:17
We are tempted every day, evil will chase us and harass us. Your flesh that is your old creature will tempt you and the devil’s traps will come against you every day.
“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
1 Peter 5:8
We will be tempted to return to the desires of the flesh, tempted to return to the vices of drinking, smoking, drugs, immorality, etc.
I converted to Jesus back in 2009 and three weeks after my conversion my birthday came up.
I got a glass of whiskey as a gift and I was very tempted to drink it, but I didn’t, I never got drunk again, I never used drugs again. Sometimes I had even smell and taste the drugs in my mouth trying to return to my addiction.
Do you know how I overcame these temptations?
I bent my knees every morning and prayed for the Lord to help me. I said Lord: I don’t want this in my life anymore, help me and give me strength!
We are all tempted to practice immorality, to look at pornographic sites, to lie, to swear, tempted to murmur, to blaspheme against God, to speak ill of the brother of the church, to respond poorly to his wife, to the husband, not to be humble, in our job we will be tempted to disobey the boss’s authority.
People will treat us badly and you will be tempted to fight back, to fight. We are tempted to disobey governmental authority (the laws). We are tempted even to doubt God and his existence and power.
The Bible says that as you are tempted, Jesus was also tempted in the same way.
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.” Hebrews 4:15
We all have weaknesses, but the word of God says that He, Jesus empathise with our weaknesses, he is the high priest and lives to intercede for us !!
You are not alone in this battle. Jesus said to Peter:
““Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail.”” Luke 22:31-32
What is your biggest weakness?
“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.” Romans 8:26
This is our weakness, we do not know how to pray properly, we do not pray, and if we pray it is very little, sometimes 5 or 10 minutes at most.
John Wesley came to pray 14 hours !!
Why didn’t Jesus sin?
“During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.” Hebrews 5:7 NIV
3- TO WHOM SHOULD WE PRAY FOR?
Paul’s letters teach us. “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” 1 Timothy 2:1-2
A- Intercessory Prayer
We must pray for all men and those who exercise authority. Thus began the great revival in England with John Wesley and three other young men.
John Wesley emphasises the importance of intercession by saying that those for whom we intercede will receive greater blessings from God.
He further says: How many times prayers made by others are answered for our good, and our prayers answered for the good of others! ”
For our city to be converted, it needs our intercession, prayer and supplication by the government, city hall, civil defence, police, judges, lawyers, doctors, principals and teachers in schools, businessmen, city banks, stores, supermarkets, etc. .
This is a principle by which we value the word of God and obey his command.
So we have prayer meetings 5 times a week and our desire is to have 24 hours of prayer a day, 7 days a week.
A church that does not pray is a defeated church and a Christian that does not have a prayer life is a Christian without relevance in the spiritual world.
This word today is God challenging you to come to church prayer meetings and also for you to grow in your prayer life.
We tend to make excuses for God, we say: I’m tired, I didn’t have time, I didn’t remember of the prayer meeting , but when there is a birthday party , a barbecue, a party , we are not tired, we go for a walk or stay at home on television or on internet!
That is why Jesus called this generation negligent, lazy, and adulterous! (Because we traded God for other things)
B- Pray For Our Brothers
“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for each other to be healed.” James 5:16
We cannot neglect this principle of praying for one another.
The prophet Samuel said: “As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right.”
1 Samuel 12:23 NIV
C – Pray For The Unity Of The Church
“I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” John 17:22-23
We see Jesus praying that we can live in full unity, without division. The biggest reference is the church of Acts The creators were united and had everything in common.
“All the believers were together and had everything in common.” Acts 2:44
The multitude of those who believed, heart and soul were one.
“All the believers were one in heart and mind.” Acts 4:32 NIV
D – Pray For Workers
“He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”Luke 10:2 NIV
We need to pray for new leaders, pastors, deacons, teachers in children’s ministry, youth ministry and all church ministries.
4 – HOW SHOULD WE PRAY
A – According to the will of God, Jesus taught us to pray that way, and He prayed that way !!
“your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10 NIV
“Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”” Matthew 26:39 NIV
What is God’s will, or desire?
“who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:4 NIV
5 – WHO SHOULD WE PRAY TO?
We pray to the father in the name of Jesus “In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.” John 16:23 NIV
Pray with faith, boldness, confidence, pray and wait with expectation.
We need to repent of this sin, the sin of not having time for prayer!
May that word challenge you to grow in your prayer life and improve in areas where you are still weak or need to overcome.
If we want revival, the presence of God, miracles, the salvation of many lives, we need to invest prayer time in the church and in our homes!
What is the answer you will give the Lord to this word?
Can he count on you to bring his Kingdom to this land?
May the Lord bless us and make each of us intercessors who will be used by Him to bring his Kingdom and his will on this earth.
May the Lord bless you.