Is God Listening

 An Answered Prayer

Book of 1 Samuel Chapter 1

As we begin this study into the first Book of Samuel, we should understand that we do not know by whose hands the Holy Spirit used to author the books of Samuel. We can believe that Samuel probably wrote some of the books that bear his name, but no one knows for sure who the writer was.

If we rightly divide the Bible, we know that the Books of Samuel were written to the Israelites, but we also know that all the Bible is written to the Church.

The Books of Samuel gives us a historical record of the transition of the nation of Israel from the era of Judges to the era of Kings. 

This book gives us a record of the birth and the establishment of the monarchy.

We also know that these things were done in rebellion to Jehovah God!

The era of Judges became a corrupt era, and the era of the kings would not be much better, in fact we could say it was worse in many ways.

We do know that each king was to rule and serve under the authority of Jehovah God, just as the Judges were to rule according to the Word of God.

We will see how the sovereign power of God moves events to bring about His purposes and to work out all things for the good, the good of all those who follow Him.

God can make some good come from any dire situation!

This study of the first Book of Samuel begins with prayer just as throughout our lives we need to begin each day with prayer.

Prayer is the source for receiving all things of God!

Jas 4:2  Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, "yet ye have not, because ye ask not". 

Jas 4:3  Ye ask, "and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts". 

We can see that all things are available through prayer, but our own actions are the greatest deterrent to the answering of our prayers.

In this first lesson we meet Hannah, the barren wife of Elkanah and we need to pay attention to how she prays.

*****1Sa 1:1  Now there was a certain man of Ramathaimzophim, of mount Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite: 

1Sa 1:2  And he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. 

We first met Elkanah who was the father of Samuel. He lived in Ephratah, an old name of Bethlehem. (Bethlehem Ephratah)

This is the same place where Jesse and his son David was born, but more important it is the same place where Joseph, a descendant of David, took the Virgin Mary for the Lord Jesus to be born in a stable, because there was no room for him in the Inn.

This was the very first sign that the world did not want to make room for our Savior.

The world still does not to make room for the Lord Jesus Christ, but this will not stop the return of Christ.

Even today the world still rejects the Lord Jesus Christ and still refuses to make room for the Lord Jesus and His Church.

Elkanah was a Levite in the same line as Heman the singer, but it does not seem that he performed any usual Levitical duties.

We immediately see that he had two wives which was his rebellion against the Word of God.

God still says a marriage is between one man and one woman in the way He created them!

God does not change even if the world changes.

The world is always wrong when it goes against the Word of God.

This is not my opinion; it is simply Biblical Truth.

All children are important to this world!

We have no idea how all those aborted babies could have changed our world for the better!

Children were important to the way of life of the Hebrews and Hannah his first wife was barren.

No doubt that Elkanah felt it was more important to have many children than to obey the Word of God.

We always seem to forget that God will provide our needs if we stay true to Him.

This was just as important to the Jews as it is to the Christian today.

Obedience is the greatest quality we can show to our Heavenly Father!

Obedience to God may be considered:

(1) as virtual, which consists in a belief of the Gospel, of the holiness and equity of its precepts, of the truth of its promises, and a true repentance of all our sins.

(2) actual obedience, which is the practice and the exercise of the several graces and duties of Christianity.

(3) perfect obedience, which is the exact conformity of our hearts and lives to the law of God, without the least imperfection. 

This last one is peculiar to a glorified state, though it should be our aim to always be obedient to the Lord.

As all true Israelites did, Elkanah went to the Tabernacle to worship three times a year as directed by the Word of God.

The Tabernacle was located in Shiloh at this time, where it had been since Joshua led the children of Israel into the Promised Land.

*****1Sa 1:3  And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the LORD, were there. 

Elkanah came from a priestly family that were to become the ancestors of skilled musicians who would serve in the Tabernacle and later the Temple.

Elkanah was a bigamist! 

Elkanah had conformed to the culture where he lived instead of remaining in the culture that God had decided for him!

It is bad enough when the world turns carnal as it has today, but for the priests to do the same things again as we see today, it shows us just how wicked our societies have become as they had in the time of Samuel.

Elkanah had lost his faith in the Lord!

Bigamy and polygamy are transgressions against the Lord just as much as any other sin.

We seem to forget that all sin has only one punishment. 

It separates us from our Holy God!

Marriage is to be between one man and one woman, their sex determined at their birth, and together these two become one flesh.

Two people of the same sex cannot become one flesh!

This union is the way God has chosen for the human race to continue and the values of human life to be learned!

All the great values of life are to be found in the union of the husband and wife and established in the family they establish.

Every family is to be a "type" of the Church family!

Gen 2:23  And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. 

Gen 2:24  Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. 

Because of what Elkanah had done, Hannah was in deep sorrow and broken hearted and there was strife in the home that was unnecessary.

Though the family remained devout, it is obvious that Elkanah the family priest had lost his faith in the ability of God to take care of his family.

Elkanah had joined in the immoral society that was around him just like many who call themselves Christians have done today.

Jdg 21:25  In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes. 

God expects us to separate ourselves from the ways of the unbeliever!

2Co_6:17  Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

It seems today that the family has just about disappeared in America because marriage is no longer the foundation of the family.

A marriage must remain the union of one man and one woman the sex they were assigned at birth by God Himself!

People are so confused they do not know if they are male or female and people would rather to just live together without being married because they do not want the responsibilities of family.

People are afraid of making a commitment!

Men in America have grown pathetic!

We should understand that a broken heart is the cause behind many of the problems we see in America today.

Just as Hannah suffered in deep sorrow and a broken heart, we see many more today suffering because we do not see ourselves in step with the world.

Thank goodness I have no desire to be in step with this world!

I would rather seek to be in step with the Word of God that I can trust!

Like Hannah, I place my faith and my trust in the Lord of all the Heavenly Host.

God is the Lord of all the Heavenly Hosts, the angelic armies.

God is also the Lord of the human hosts, those who now live in glorified bodies in Heaven.

It is the Lord Jesus who will very soon subject all those who oppose Him!

It is the Lord God of Heaven who is the Supreme Ruler of all His Creation!

We should notice that Eli, the High Priest of that day, had two wicked sons and we see their names mentioned in this passage, Hophni and Phinehas who were themselves priests, but they used the priesthood to do evil, wicked, and immoral things.

It was now time for Elkanah to make his offerings to the Lord.

Out of the sacrifice of these peace offerings, we should know that the greatest portions went back to the one who offered them, and was eaten by him and his friends or guests, before the Lord.

Out of these portions, he shared with his family as the master of the feast.

He gave a double portion of this meat that had been sacrificed, to Hannah.

*****1Sa 1:9  So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the LORD. 

1Sa 1:10  And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore. 

We see that Hannah actually lived a life of misery, and her misery peaked at the time of this festival.

All Hannah knew to do was to take her misery and her burdens and give them to the Lord.

This is a fitting example for us all!

I love to pray at the altar of God at the end of each service. 

It just seems that I am a little closer to God surrounded by so many others who love of the Lord.

Hannah went to pray in the Tabernacle.

Her soul was full of bitterness and her eyes were full of tears. This was a broken woman!

Hannah was so desperate to be a mother that she made a vow unto the Lord.

Every child needs a mother and a father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

To be without a mother or a father is terrible enough but every child need Jesus!

These things cannot happen in a home where there are two men trying to be a family, because Christ is not in that home.

These things cannot happen in a home where there are two women are trying to be a family, because Christ is not in that home.

Hannah made a vow to the Lord.

*****1Sa 1:11  And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head. 

We might understand why Hannah prayed this prayer but should also notice that this vow was the vow of the Nazarite, which is a complete separation of our lives from the world and to give our life to the Lord.

No doubt this is a vow of repentance, but Hannah had a condition that the Lord would give her a son and she would also give this son to the Lord all the days of his life.

Hannah had rededicated her life to the Lord and then she made a baby dedication for her first baby.

If we put this in perspective, we can know that this is exactly what Father God has done for each and every believer.

He has given His Son Jesus to every believer all the days of His life which is eternal, forever.

The key to Hannah's prayer was faith and obedience, and then the vow to give her firstborn son.

The key to our relationship with God the Father is faith and obedience, and we receive the vow of His only begotten Son Jesus the Messiah.

Hannah says she is God's servant, His handmaiden.

God does not ever forget His servants and being a servant of God is not like being a slave, but we should keep in mind that the Lord Jesus Christ when He died, He paid for each one of us with His blood and should He ask us to be His slaves then we should be His slaves.

But Jesus says I will make you my brother or my sister and you will be part of my family and my friend.

Like Hannah we all desperately need the Lord!

We desperately need the Lord to meet our needs!

We desperately need the Lord to remove our burdens!

Hannah spoke from her heart, and we must also do the same.

Hannah's prayer was short, so a prayer of need does not have to contain many words, but only the words that are necessary because God listens to our heart.

One thing was sure, Hannah expected an answer to her prayer, and this is the faith we need in all our prayers.

Many of our prayers are an utterance of our agony and the Holy Spirit will even help us to pray these prayers.

Hannah's lips were moving but her prayer was silent and Eli the High Priest and Judge of Israel was watching her.

*****1Sa 1:12  And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli marked her mouth. 

1Sa 1:13  Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken. 

1Sa 1:14  And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee. 

Instead of being an understanding priest, Eli immediately became a judge.

It is so sad when many Christians act this way in the Church.

We are not called to judge; we are called to witness.

Eli's main calling was the priesthood, but he failed in this just he failed to be a father to his sons.

Why did Eli think this?

Because of the motions of her face and body.

Because of her passion.

Because of the fervency of her prayer.

A true priest would have seen the truth.

A judge would think evil of her.

When we pray, we do not have to be heard by those around us! 

God said to get alone with Him, and we can do this even with a crowd of people around us.

Rom 8:26  Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 

Rom 8:27  And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. 

No doubt Eli had heard many a prayer and a great many would consist of many words and many boastful words.

The difference being the prayer of Hannah was answered!

The Temple of Hannah was her heart.

The ruler of the heart must be our High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ.

1Co_6:19  What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

Hannah informed Eli that she was not drunk. 

In fact she had not been drinking wine nor any other strong drink, all these things available in Bible times.

Not every word for wine means alcohol when used in the Bible!

In fact, most of the time when we see the word "wine", it means grape juice, fresh or not so fresh.

The Lord Jesus made the freshest of grape juice in His first miracle of the New Testament. Check me out.

*****1Sa 1:15  And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD. 

1Sa 1:16  Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto.

Are we wrong to judge Eli? We are wrong to judge anyone.

It is the Word of God that will be the Judge of all people.

Hannah believed it was the will of God for her to be a mother and she was right!

We must always pray according to the will of God, and then we will know that He hears us!

Isa 55:6  Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: 

Isa 55:7  Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 

Hannah told Eli she was simply pouring her heart out to her God.

We must never judge according to the appearance of things.

Joh 7:24  Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment. 

One thing is certainly true, when we act like the Lord Jesus Christ, then we will certainly be misunderstood in this world!

Tit_2:14  Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

If we are not seen as being peculiar to this world then, maybe we need to renew our relationship with the Lord!

Hearing these truths, Eli gave assurance that God would hear her prayer.

Every prayer that God hears, will also receive an answer even though it may not be the answer we are seeking.

God will never go outside His will for us to answer our prayers!

Hannah boldly said to Eli that she was a handmaiden to God.

Handmaiden meaning a servant to the will of God for her life not some worthless, wicked woman.

What was Hannah to do? 

When we leave a prayer of this type, then we should walk away at peace with ourselves and at peace with God, because we know He heard our prayer and we know if He heard our prayer, He would surely answer that prayer.

*****1Sa 1:17  Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him. 

1Sa 1:18  And she said, Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad. 

We must understand that to make a prayer of any value there must be definite objects for which we plead.

Many times we spend our prayer time talking about many subjects, but our soul is not concentrating on our main subject, and God will not see us as being serious.

Our prayers should concern the plan God has for us!

We are wrong to go to God telling Him what blessing we are designed to have.

God has a dump truck full of blessings ready to give to us, but we must be serious about the will of God for our lives, until we go home to be with the Lord.

We must be searching for the "Grace" of God for our lives.

Grace being God's Riches At Christ Expense!

Hannah walked away after finishing her prayer no longer sad, content that she had poured her heart out to God who had His ears open to hearing her.

*****1Sa 1:19  And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the LORD, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the LORD remembered her. 

1Sa 1:20  Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the LORD. 

There were some reliable results from Hannah's prayer. God heard her prayer and that prayer stayed with Him as all prayers do.

The prayer of Hannah stayed on God's mind, and we know every child of God are of equal in importance to Him.

Whatever part of Hannah that kept her from conceiving a child was now healed!

We should have no doubt that God has been answering prayer from the beginning of human history!

The very reason God saves us is to answer our prayers!

Luk 18:7  And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? 

Luk 18:8  I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? 

Our duty as Christians is to continue to pray all the days God will give to us!

Mat 6:5  And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 

Mat 6:6  But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. 

Mat 6:7  But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. 

Mat 6:8  Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

We should be specific in our prayers!

Php 4:6  Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 

Php 4:7  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 

Our prayer life is the most important gift from God we have, after our salvation and is part of God’s Grace.

God empowered the body of Hannah to have children.

Samuel was her first child, but he was not her only child.

The name Samuel means "God heard".

Hannah may have had some doubts about Jehovah, but those doubts no longer existed!

Samuel was God's gift to Hannah, just like every child is a precious gift to that mother who conceive that child. A gift from God.

So many of these precious gifts have been destroyed before they were ever born, and God has every one of them with Him in Heaven today.

God knows our needs, but God will always listen to us when we are gripped by sorrow or a broken heart.

Now God still hears all our prayers, but it is good to know that we can touch the heart of God.

We look at Heaven as being above the stars, but it is also good to know that the Lord is close enough to hear our prayers even when we pray like Hannah, our lips moving but the words are silent to those around us.

We rob ourselves of this great privilege of prayer if we keep back anything that we could have asked for!

Jas_4:2  Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.

Now we may not get everything we ask for, but it will because God knew it would not be right for us, but we will surely never get what we think we want if we do not ask for them.

When we pour out our hearts with "thanksgiving" we will receive the things that are in the will of God for our lives!

We need to thank the Lord God for what He has done, for what He is doing, and for what He will do!

Rom 15:13  Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. 

1Pe 1:8  Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: 

1Pe 1:9  Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. 

Amen.

The Prayer of Faith

Confidence in Prayer

Book of 1 John Chapter 5 Verses 13-21

What is confidence? Confidence is the assurance planted in our minds of the truth.

Confidence is a firm belief you have the truth.

Confidence is trusting in the integrity of someone or something you have placed your faith!

What must we understand?

Pro 3:26 For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.

Pro 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

Pro 3:6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

If we just did this one thing, "trust in the Lord", we cannot imagine how much better our lives would be and that we have such a future ahead of us that it goes far beyond our imaginations!

Where did we end last week?

1Jn 5:12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

The biggest problem in the Church is that our faith, "our trust" in the truth of Jehovah God is speculative and experimental and therefore there is no change or very little change in our lives!

Our faith must become certain!

We must know that it is the spiritual world that is the real world and not this physical!

We must know for sure, "we have a Heavenly Father" who wants to be involved in every part of our lives!

We must also understand that though we may not take every commandment God gives us to be serious, God does!

Every commandment we have from God, "rightly divided" has its own intended purpose for our lives!

We must understand that this world we live in lies in wickedness, and God teaches us how to survive with some peace of mind in this evil world, until He calls us home.

God has a purpose for us after He has saved us from ourselves!

There are many that ask, why would a sovereign God care about each individual in His creation.

God answers that question along with any other question that can be asked!

Let's begin at Chapter 5 and verse 13.

*****1Jn 5:13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

You have to get the feeling that Jehovah cares for all His children. Not just as a group but each and every individual.

God wants to get up close and personal with each of His children!

According to the Apostle John, his epistle is written to believers.

It should also be obvious that the Bible is written to the Church, each and every Believer!

We should also understand that even today, there are those who believe but still are not assured of their salvation.

The Church has become opinionated, and there are many things we voice our opinions on, when we should just shut up and let God talk.

God says if you believe upon the works of His Son Jesus, then you have eternal life and not eternal death.

We don’t have to take a vote to see who is right.

We don't have to gather the elders of the Church to get their opinion.

All we must do is trust the Word of God and believe on Jesus Christ!

There is a great blessing that comes from assurance.

There is great peace that comes with assurance.

There is great joy that comes with assurance.

We can be perfectly sure we have eternal life.

We can experience eternal life right now while we live in these bodies of flesh.

We can live as if we will never die as long as we live by the Word of God and in faith in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ!

We can know beyond a shadow of doubt that we will live with our Savior for ever when He takes us home!

The one thing that must take place is, that we believe on the name of God's Son and believe, and believe, and believe, and believe, and keep on believing!

Joh 20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

Joh 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

Since we will take on the subject of prayer let's listen as Jesus prays:

Joh 17:1 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:

Joh 17:2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.

Joh 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

Notice how Jesus addresses His Father 

Since we know how our Savior prays, then we should have more confidence in our own prayers.

Another of the great gifts of God is the fact that His ears are always open to hearing our prayers!

*****1Jn 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing "according to his will", he heareth us:

1Jn 5:15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, "we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him".

We immediately see the key to answered prayer is praying for things that are in the will of God for your life!

We next see that this prayer must be a prayer of faith!

When we have that confidence in life eternal in God's Heaven, then we can also have that same confidence in answered prayer!

God hears the prayers of His children!

God does not hear the prayers of anyone else!

The only prayer of the lost that is heard is that prayer of salvation!

No one, not anyone, can approach Jehovah God without the Lord Jesus Christ!

You can pray five times a day or twenty five times a day, but without Jesus Christ that prayer is meaning less!

Every prayer that goes unheard is a plea for an action that will never take place.

As Christians, we should never fear the prayers of false religion, because they pray to a false god who is powerless to cause any harm to Christians.

When a Christian believer prays, God hears and if that prayer is in the will of God for your life, then that prayer will then be answered!

But don't be praying for the destruction of someone. We must never pray for God to destroy our enemies because God has already condemned them.

Don't be praying to win the lottery God has already said He would provide for us and we are to try to be good stewards of the things God lets us use.

Use prayer for the reasons God gave, and first prayer is intended for us to have a conversation with our Creator!

God hears our prayers if we ask according to His will, and this passage gives us God's will for answered prayer!

God has promised to answer our prayers if these conditions are met, but He did not say He would always make His answer obvious to us or in the time frame we have placed in our own mind!

Remember God is still the all-knowing God, and there are things we pray for that we do not need in our lives at any time!

For answered prayer we must have that total trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.

For answered prayer we must possess the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

We can pray for many things, but we need to spend more time talking to our Heavenly Father than asking for any need!

Mat 6:31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

Mat 6:32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

Mat 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Mat 6:34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Our Father in Heaven is not a deadbeat dad!

It is the will of God that we be delivered from the trials of this life!

1Co 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

1Co 10:14 Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.

If God is first in your life because of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, then we should actually have no worries at all!

Isa 41:10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

Isa 41:11 Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish.

Isa 41:12 Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contended with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought.

We must pray to God by the Lord by Jesus Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit and He will answer our prayers!

We let our own selves down when we do not follow God's rules and I hate to use the word "rules".

You see by being obedient children, then we will be delivered from all evil!

2Ti 4:18 And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

The God of all comfort will hear His children when we pray according to His will, but it is foolish to ask God for anything, if we do not have enough faith to believe He can provide us that answer.

Mat 21:22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

Jesus would not have said this if it were not true!

We should not forget John is writing to believers and we believers are all in this thing together and therefore we need to help one another.

*****1Jn 5:16 If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.

1Jn 5:17 All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.

What are the facts? First, we are to pray for all our brothers and sister in Christ. If we see that they are in sin, then we are to pray even more for them!

We must always be concerned about sin and especially sin in the Church. Many lessons can be learned from a study of the Church in Corinth.

I will present a few things for us to consider.

It is clear that if we live in sin, then we do not love our Savior. To live acceptable to God, we must live holy and righteous lives!

By praying for our brothers and sisters who are in sin that can be seen, shows the Lord that we are aware of sin!

There is but one time that we should not pray for our brothers and sisters in sin and this is when they have committed a sin unto death!

There is also sin not unto death!

The Word of God says all sin is unto Spiritual death!

Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Then the only sin that is not unto Spiritual death, is that sin that is under the blood of Jesus.

This is sin that is pardoned by our Heavenly Father by His free gift of "Grace"!

Rev_1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

We must also mention the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit which is a great lesson in itself.

Mat 12:31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.

Mat 12:32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

What was the truth of the Messiah from the Old Testament?

Mat 12:17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,

Mat 12:18 Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: "I will put my spirit upon him", and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.

What is the sin unto death?

Joh 3:34 For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God "giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him".

Joh 3:35 The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.

Joh 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: "and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him".

What we know is that the day when Jesus healed a man who was demon possessed the Pharisees and other religious leaders said these things.

Mat 12:22 Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw.

Mat 12:23 And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?

Mat 12:24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, "This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils".

This is the "blaspheming" the work of God the Holy Spirit who God the Father had placed on God the Son.

In reality since Jesus has returned to Heaven so blaspheming the Holy Spirit cannot take place as it did this when Jesus was upon the earth.

Now the instance of "Spiritual Death" still comes on all those who have rejected the "work" that Jesus Christ has done for our salvation, and are not a home for the Holy Spirit, but these are two separate things.

Getting back to our lesson there two more things that we can consider.

We do not judge our brothers and sisters, but we do see them get caught up in sin and we need to pray from them just as the Scripture says.

There are somethings in our world of sin that can bring capitol, punishment from the local governments, which would be a sin unto physical death and when those charges are in fact true, then maybe we should not pray that God deliver them from this death because God endorses capitol, punishment for certain crimes.

It does stop us for praying for their soul which remains in the hands of God and no man can take away.

We are also reminded of those who leave the Church:

1Jn 2:19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest "that they were not all of us".

1Jn 2:20 But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.

These who have left the Church and go out of the Church, blaspheming all the truth of the Church, were probably never saved to begin with!

They were just spies, for the Devil and people trying to cause confusion in the church!

They had heard the truth and decided against that truth!

We still need to pray for their souls, even if we have a tendency not to do so.

They will suffer eternal death just as all those who reject our Lord Jesus Christ!

Now if this does not answer that question of "sin unto death", then as individuals we need to pray for God's wisdom in these matters and just make sure we remain in prayer for all our brothers and sisters.

We are all sinners saved only by the "Grace" of God!

The one other thing we should point out is the Lord's Supper!

1Co 11:23 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:

1Co 11:24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.

1Co 11:25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.

1Co 11:26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.

1Co 11:27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

1Co 11:28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.

1Co 11:29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.

1Co 11:30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.

1Co 11:31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.

By the Holy Spirit, written by the Apostle Paul, those that take of the Lord's Supper unworthily, could also see sickness and even death and we may not even notice when these things have happened.

The Lord's Supper is a simple ceremony of reverence to the Body of Christ and should be observed in that fashion!

Maybe those who are not the children of God, should not partake of the Lord's Supper since they know these things!

Trying to impersonate a Christian for evil reasons can bring death to your body and your soul which could couse your death when you are completely healthy.

This is dying when there is no physical reason for your death!

If we are true "Born Again" children of God, doing the best we can to live holy and righteous lives, praying daily for the forgiveness of our sins, we will never get caught up in any of these things!

*****1Jn 5:18 We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, "and that wicked one toucheth him not".

If we have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit, then all our sin is under the "Blood of Jesus" and our sin cannot ever be counted against us!

It is a fact, that we must live righteous lives as best we can, while still in these bodies of flesh and righteous means according to the Word of God.

When God says it is wrong, then it is sin!

We must not give in to temptation and remember that "He that is within us" is much stronger than "he that is in the world"!

1Jn_4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

All unrighteousness is sin! The only sin unto death is rejecting the Lord Jesus Christ!

There are no little sins and no big sins, they are all sin.

We must repent and forsake all sin, while we are still living!

And remember these are those who have been born of God!

Those who do not know the Lord as their Savior, must first invite Jesus into their hearts and be washed in His Blood!

Because we have accepted the fact that Jesus took all our sin upon Himself, we are freed from sin and are now acceptable to God, but we will never have a free license to sin!

Because of Jesus, that "Wicked one" (Satan, the Devil, the Deceiver) cannot touch us!

Though we may feel like it at times, "the Devil cannot ever get on our back", because we belong to Jehovah God!

*****1Jn 5:19 And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.

When we know, that we know, that we belong to Jehovah, then we also know that we live in a wicked world.

Think about Noah when he was building the ark. He knew He was right with God and He believed when God said it was going rain and the earth would be flooded.

Heb 11:7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

At the same time, Noah knew the world would be flooded because of sin and therefore he knew he lived in a wicked world.

Noah was not bothered because he provided good jobs, and everyone thought he was a fool.

Things have not changed so much today, the Christian is still looked upon as a fool, but now this wicked world wants all Christians to be eradicated from this world and God will come get His people one day soon.

The world we live in is not the same world God, created back in the Book of Genesis.

The world we live in is not the same world that was left after the flood in Noah's day.

Everything in this world has been corrupted by the Devil and those who follow him!

Everything in this world is aging, deteriorating, and passing away, and this is easily seen if we just open our eyes.

We must do our best to separate ourselves from this world.

We must do our best to pray for all our brothers and sisters to do the same, and we must give ourselves to the Lord for safe keeping.

Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

2Th 3:5 And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.

2Th 3:6 Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.

While this wicked world looks to the coming of the Messiah, we know He has already come.

*****1Jn 5:20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

1Jn 5:21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

The Old Testament told us of the coming of the Messiah.

The New Testament tells us that He has come and who He is.

If you are a child of God, then you are aware of the Spirit world, while we live in the physical world.

We know the truth!

Jer 9:24 But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.

Jesus the Messiah came to us to teach us the truth!

Jesus the Messiah came to restore our fellowship with Jehovah.

It is this restored fellowship that protects us from the wrath of God upon this sinful world.

We know these things because our fellowship with Jehovah is restored and this fellowship extends to every brother and sister in Christ throughout this world.

Joh 7:16 Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.

Joh 7:17 If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.

If we reject the proof of the Messiah and the person of the Messiah, then we have placed this world above our Holy Father, and we are idolaters.

As the little children of God this is the first thing we must get right!

Joh 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Joh 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

Joh 3:20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

Anything that takes first place in our lives becomes our little god or if it is our Savior then we have made the right choice!

There is only one answer to all our problems:

Jud 1:20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,

Jud 1:21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

We have only one God and His name is Jehovah!

Isa 42:8 I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.

Isa 42:9 Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.

The Lord has taken the time to make sure we know all these things surely we can take the time to praise Him for the truth.

Any other thing we lack, God will certainly explain them to us, if we go to Him in prayer.

God wants us to know that He is not hiding anything from us!

When we know all these things are true, we can also believe our prayers will never go unanswered!

Amen

Let’s Pray!

Teach Me To Pray

The Certainty Of Christ's Prayer

Book of Luke 11


Some people just do not understand that prayer is our means of having a conversation with God!

It was by the cross and the veil was rent into that we have direct access to the throne of God!

We waste our breath in prayer if we do not first believe, in faith, that God is who He says He is and can do what we read about in the Word of God.

If we do not believe that God will answer prayer, then why pray at all?

Our prayers must be sincere!

Heb 10:22  Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

The disciples of Jesus asked Him to teach them how to pray because prayer was a daily thing for our Lord and it can be said that Jesus truly prayed without ceasing.

It is an absolute fact, the more we pray the closer we will get to God.

Jesus said if we pray in His name, God will answer every prayer that reaches into His throne room.

Joh 15:16  Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

So let's let Jesus teach us how to pray.

*****Luk 11:1  And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

The Lord Jesus Christ spent much time in prayer. Prayer was not unknown to these disciples.

They had witnessed prayers at the Temple and in their own synagogues.

They had heard the long winded prayers of the Scribes and the Pharisees.

They had known the prayers of John the Baptist, who had taught his own disciples how to pray.

There was something about the way that Jesus prayed that got their attention!

**Christ Jesus prayed often and He emphasized that prayer was one of the greatest needs of each believer. Jesus insisted that His prayers were the source of His strength.

**Jesus prayed as a Son to His Father in a close and very personal relationship with Him. Jesus taught that we that believe are to have the same close and personal relationship with our Father who is in Heaven.

To be saved is to be adopted into the family of God.

**John the Baptist had taught his own disciples to pray and all these that followed the Lord Jesus knew that He was the Master teacher and could teach them also, it was a reasonable request.

Even in prayer the Lord Jesus is our example!

*****Luk 11:2  And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.

The Lord Jesus Christ will teach anyone to pray, anyone who is sincere and anyone who wants to begin a successful prayer life.

**Jesus begins with "When we pray".

We must accept that Jesus is teaching us a "model prayer" and not a prayer that should be repeated over and over again, even though nothing is wrong with praying this prayer as it is written.

As we all have different needs and are going through different trials, so then every prayer will be different.

This model prayer is also meant for use of all the children of God no matter their age group.

This prayer is a guide for all of us who need to have a personal relationship with our Creator and our God!

**Thank God for being "Our Father"

We are to have a close personal relationship with our God!

This relationship is to be a family relationship, the relationship of of a child to his parent.

This is the relationship we have after we have been "Born Again" into the family of God!

Joh 1:12  But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Joh 1:13  Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

We must always thank God for being our Father!

We must always thank God that we are part of His family!

This is our assurance that we will spend eternity with not only all other believers but even our own earthly family if they will also trust in the Lord Jesus.

It is this model prayer that will open our eyes to the right way of looking at things.

Remember just a few lessons back, God was teaching us to have the right attitude.

Thank God we have a Father who cares about each and everyone of us!

Once God is our Father, that can never change!

Joh 10:27  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
Joh 10:28  And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
Joh 10:29  My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
Joh 10:30  I and my Father are one.

**Thank God for "In Heaven"

Heaven is a real place!

Heaven is the eternal real world, while this place we live now is only a temporary place.

Heaven is incorruptible and undefiled and it will never fade away!

Heaven is where God our Father resides and we will one day be with Him there in that place called Heaven.

Jesus said:

Joh 14:1  Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
Joh 14:2  In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

And God's truth is:

1Co 2:9  But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

We truly do not have a clue just how wonderful Heaven is going to be!

**We need to praise God for "His name is Hallowed".

God's name is to set apart from all other names.

Our God is holy, and righteous, and pure, and loving, and kind, and merciful, and gracious.

God is to be praised for who He is!

We do not hallow God, if we speak of Him in an irreverent fashion.

We do not hallow God when we take His name in vain.

In fact we do not hallow God unless we worship Him in spirit and in truth!

Joh 4:23  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Joh 4:24  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

We do not hallow God unless we honor God in our own households!

If we do not have sense of God's majesty and God's holiness we will never hallow God's name!

AND, We do not hallow the Almighty God if we do not have a devout response of "faith" in Him!

Heb 11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

God's attributes are "His Name"

God has made Himself known to us by His Word but also by His Created Works!

We do not hallow the name of God if we do not trust in His power to direct and overrule all things, good and evil!

Holy is the name of God!

Isa 57:15  For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

Only after we have praised God in our prayer are we to make request of Him!

**We need to pray for God's Kingdom to come.

In this sense we are praying for the spreading of the "Gospel" of Jesus Christ throughout this world.

We are praying for God's spiritual kingdom to come into all our lives and the "Gospel" has been spread throughout this world.

This is a prayer to personally receive the "Gospel"!

This is a prayer to personally promote the spread of the "Gospel"!

This is a prayer to persevere in prayer for the success of the "Gospel"!

God says to pray for Him to come but we must remember, when Christ returns to this earth, He will set upon His throne. He will rule and reign upon this earth for 1000 years.

This is the Kingdom that will ultimately be established in fulfillment of the covenant with the Jews.

Before that happens. His will needs to be done in all our lives just as it will be in Heaven.

There is the Spiritual Kingdom, which is God's authority over all the souls of believers.

There is the Visible Kingdom, the Church, which is visible to all mankind.

There is the Heavenly Kingdom which comes after the rapture of the Church!

**Thy will be done as in Heaven

It should be very obvious to us all that God's will is not done on earth as it is in Heaven.

We are all unworthy to receive the "Grace of God"!

God's will for us all is faith and holiness.

We cannot please God without faith.

We are to live holy because our God is a Holy God.

The Lord's Prayer indicates the right way of looking at things!

The Lord's Prayer is a prayer that this world we now live in would be filled with the knowledge of God!

The Lord's Prayer is a prayer that the "Grace" of God will rule in every heart!

The Lord's Prayer is a prayer that God, by His Grace, will remove all spiritual blindness and cause us all to know His will for each of us!

It is God's will that all the world be saved.

2Pe 3:9  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

*****Luk 11:3  Give us day by day our daily bread.

We are certainly to pray for the necessities of life and we are to do that on a daily basis.

This is food for within and without. We need to fed spiritually and physically.

The Lord's Prayer is a prayer to be filled as much spiritually as physically!

We must learn that we are dependant on the Lord for both these things.

The needs of the body while on this earth are great, but the truth is, the needs of the soul are far more important!

God will supply our daily needs.

God will supply those needs that are necessary for us to spread the "Gospel".

God may even sometime supply some our wants, but our needs will always supersede our wants.

There are some rewards for those who serve the Lord but the greater rewards are in Heaven.

*****Luk 11:4  And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

We need to spend some time discussing the forgiveness of our sins with our Father!

Our sins are a debt that we owe!

Rom 6:23  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Our sins are the very reason God had to send His Son to pay that great debt!

Notice we are to pray specifically for the forgiveness of our own sins.

We have a debt to God that we had no means to repay.

But we are also to pray for the forgiveness of the sins of our family, our neighbors, our community, our state, our nation, and our world!

Sin is the most serious matter and the most tragic matter to ever occur in our world!

We need to pray this daily because we are still in the flesh and without a doubt, we sin daily!

Our old sins are already under the blood and it is unnecessary to continue to ask for the forgiveness of those sins!

God does not remember those sins anymore!

Jer 31:34  And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

God does not want us to remember those old sins anymore!

Heb 10:17  And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
Heb 10:18  Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.

Jesus said that part was finished when He was on the cross!

Until we meet Jesus, we will still come up short of His glory and Jesus is teaching us to pray for this reason!

As God has forgiven our sins then we are to be forgiving of all others.

This is a condition of our own forgiveness!

Mat 6:14  For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
Mat 6:15  But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Eph 4:32  And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

We should realize that every confession of sin is always fulfilled with a pardon!

**Lead us not into temptation.

First, God will never tempt us!

Jas 1:13  Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
Jas 1:14  But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

We are to have a sincere belief in the providence of God!

It is when we trust in ourselves when temptation can overcome us!

We must have the faith that God is able to deliver us from all evil.

**"Deliver us from evil"

Satan the Devil is real!

We are to avoid all occasions of evil.

We are to give no place to the devil.

We should understand that "evil" is anything and everything that goes against the Word of God!

The Devil is above all, the evil one and the great opposition to the goodness of God!

Worldly afflictions come and go and are indeed grievous so long as they last and they require our prayers.

Sin is evil in it's nature and high treason against Heaven!

Sin will enslave us!

Sin is a painful thing. Sin is its own punishment to our bodies and sin will destroy the soul!

Sin is worse than death, though death might kill us, but it could not curse us!

The sin of God's people are even greater than the sins of the world because we sin against the "Mercy" and the "Grace" of God that He has already shown to us!

We should pray for God's deliverance from evil because God has more "Grace" than He does "wrath"!

Rom 5:20  Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
Rom 5:21  That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

And Jesus says we must be sincere and persistent in our prayers, we may have to make many request to fulfill the will of God.

*****Luk 11:5  And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;
Luk 11:6  For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?
Luk 11:7  And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.
Luk 11:8  I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.

What the truth of our prayers?

When we get into the throne room of God through our prayer, then we must refuse to leave until we get an answer.

How is this possible?

We must be sincere in our need, fervent in our request, constant, persistent, persevering and enduring when we are in contact with our Lord!

Micky Mouse prayers will not move the hand of God!

We need to ask until we get what we need, or that God says no.

Sometimes the greatest blessing we can get is when God says no to something we think we need!

And, Sometimes we have to be somewhat like a pest to move the hand of God!

Jesus gives us the answer to our problems in prayer.

*****Luk 11:9  And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
Luk 11:10  For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

"Ask and it shall be given" We should continue to ask until we receive, but if asking is not enough, Then

"Seek, and ye shall find", But in seeking and we do not find what we need, Then

"Knock, and it shall be open unto us"

The words "ask, seek, and knock" are verbs which means these are things we must do in a continuous action.

We are to keep on with these things until we know for sure we have God's answer.

God must know we are sincere!

God knows: Jas 1:8  A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

The one thing we must consider is, "That God is always willing to give us the things that will fulfill the will and the purpose He has for us!

No matter the circumstances of our life, God will meet our needs!

No matter what we think sometimes, if our prayer can reach the throne room of God, we will get an answer even when it may be a "no" answer.

Deu 4:29  But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

**There are other reasons that God does not answer our prayer immediately.

1) Prayer teaches us to have a close personal relationship with the Lord our God!

God loves to hear from us and He may hold back to keep us talking and sharing our needs with Him.

1Co 1:9  God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

2) Prayer teaches to have patience and hope in God and His promises.

1Jn 5:14  And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
1Jn 5:15  And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

3) Prayer demonstrates how deeply we trust God and how much we depend upon Him.

Joh 15:5  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

4) Prayer teaches us to love God as our Father.

*****Luk 11:11  If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?
Luk 11:12  Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
Luk 11:13  If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

Prayer teaches us that God is not evil, God is like a loving Father.

Not one man upon this earth is a righteous man.

Rom 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

But most men who are also fathers will give to their children when asked.

If all men are evil and God is "Good", it is impossible for God not to give as our Heavenly Father.

Mar 10:18  And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.

The greatest gift that our Father in Heaven gives us is the "Gift" of the Holy Spirit!

We have the presence of God living within our hearts and bodies.

When God dwells within those that have called on Him for salvation, then everything that is good is assured!

God is always with us and never far away and He knows us by our fruit!

Gal 5:22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Gal 5:23  Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Gal 5:24  And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
Gal 5:25  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

And we can be sure that God will answer our prayers!

Jer 33:2  Thus saith the LORD the maker thereof, the LORD that formed it, to establish it; the LORD is his name;
Jer 33:3  Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

Prayer is the greatest tool in the arsenal of the Christian, yet in most cases we all lack in a proper prayer life!

The truth is our Father in Heaven is not a dead beat dad who cares very little for his children, God is a true Father who cares for His children.

1Pe 5:6  Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
1Pe 5:7  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Questions?

Let's Pray!