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Prayer
Compiled by Carl Possehl
The Bridge Illustration Includes Prayer
See the balanced Christian Life section.
Christ must be the center of the Christian’s
prayer life. Prayer must be based on the Word so learn to pray Scripture.
Christians will never do very well in the above "horizontal"
relationships without both "vertical" relationships being exercised
in love.
How To Spend
Seven Minutes With God.
"The quiet time is vital to spiritual
health, whether you are newly converted or a mature Christian." (Olford,
n.d., p.2)
Getting out of bed in time to spend seven
minutes with God will be as difficult as it is vital to your discipline and
spiritual life. (Foster, n.c., p.1)
Some call the time they meet with God each
day "Manna In The Morning," others call it "Devotions,"
and still other call it a "Quiet Time." When it comes to prayer and
you are a new Christian, don’t pay any attention right now about all the rest
of the things said about prayer -- first master your quiet time. "Every
man who ever became somebody for God has this at the core of his priorities
-- time alone with God." (Foster, n.c., p.3) Make a commitment to God to
meet with Him at an appointed time. Psalm 5:3 "In the morning, O LORD,
you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in
expectation."
Take 30 seconds to prepare your heart to
meet God. Thank Him for the safe night. Since the Bible is only understood by
revelation by the Holy Spirit, ask Him to help you understand the Scriptures
and to teach you how to pray as His Disciples did. Ask permission to come
into His presence. You are approaching God in Jesus Name and on His merit so
approach boldly but humbly.
Take 4 minutes to read your Bible. God will
speak to you through the Word -- listen for His voice as you read. Over a
period of time you will move from knowing about God to really knowing Him
through Christ. Don’t rush this. Read consecutively through the Bible. Read
the New Testament first and then read one book in the New Testament and Two
in the Old Testament. You should finish the whole Bible using this sequence.
If there is something you don’t understand, write it down and ask your Bible
Study leader, Sunday School teacher or Pastor. You will probably be able to
complete one chapter a day. If you are a new Christian, start with the Gospel
of John. This part of the quiet time is vital to your spiritual strength and
spiritual counsel. We are washed by the Word and we must be guided by His
Word. This is where we will find our new ethics, new philosophy and develop
our new theology. If you are having trouble still "getting"
something out of the Word try asking:
-- What is the main point of this portion?
-- What does God reveal about Himself, Jesus
or the Holy Spirit?
-- What am I shown is the nature and need of
mankind before God?
-- What insight am I given to life’s
situation?
-- What warning is there to heed?
-- What sin is there to avoid?
-- What promise is there to claim? (and what
conditions to that promise before it is valid)
-- What does God require of me?
(___, 1979, p.1)
Two and one half Minutes: Prayer. Some of
the above discoveries can be used as a basis for your prayer or they may be
incorporated into the acrostic (ACTS) below:
This is adoring God and His Son. Adoration
is praise. Praise God for what you have learned about Him and His very Nature
from your reading from the Bible. (God is Love, full of mercy, all powerful,
all knowing, and always present to name just a few. Adoration is vital to
your spiritual armor and faith.
If you have messed up since the last time
you talked to God, "fess up" now and ask for His patience toward
you and His forgiveness. Agree with God in what He wants and be determined
not to "mess up" again. For instance, you might have exaggerated
and find that God called it a lie -- so confess it as such. Remember Psalm
66:18 "If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord
would not have listened;" This part of your quiet time is
vital to your spiritual cleansing.
Give thanks to God for things He has done
and then for things he has given you -- like family, friends, business etc.
One day you may even be able to thank Him for your hardships -- though it may
come later when you mature more.
1 Thes 5:18 "give thanks in all
circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
Thanksgiving is vital to your spiritual thinking. There is a direct
connection between "thinkfulness" and thankfulness.
Supplication is asking earnestly and humbly.
Pray for the physical and spiritual needs of others and yourself. Pray for
the missionaries, people at school or work, government officials etc. Stephen
F. Olford uses this acrostic method to pray for others:
Monday -- missionaries.
Tuesday -- thanksgiving for answers
to prayer.
Wednesday -- workers.
Thursday -- tasks: jobs at church or
ministries.
Friday -- families.
Saturday -- saints and especially
young Christians.
Sunday -- sinners and the Sunday
services.
(Olford, n.d., pp.6-7)
To sum up ACTS it looks like this:
Minutes
½ Prayer for Guidance. Psa 143:8
4 Reading the Bible. Psa 119:18
2½ Prayer
Adoration. 1Chron. 29:11
Confession. 1 John 1:9
Thanksgiving
Eph 5:20
Supplication Mat 7:7
_____
7 Minutes (Foster, n.c., p.5)
Seven Minutes With God is a
guide. We want to help you become a good Christian not a Pharisee. It is a
tool to help you not a method to control you.
"Hurry is the death of prayer."
-- Samuel Chadwick
(Oldford, n.d., p. 7)
"You can get more from the Lord in five
minutes spent unhurriedly than in thirty-five minutes spent with your eye on
the clock." (Oldford, n.d., p. 7)
Soon you will find the seven minutes running
into ten, then twenty, and eventually thirty minutes with God may not be
enough. Good! That means you are growing and getting ready for the next step
-- How To Spend An Hour In Prayer. The intent is to help you become devoted
to Christ and not to some technique. Eventually you may graduate to other
tools and eventually find your own life-style living and praying before God
-- but for now, stick with the seven minutes.
How
To Spend An Hour In Prayer
"How can anyone possibly pray an entire
hour?" Here's how to structure an hour in prayer with twelve
scripturally based aspects. Conveniently, each hour can be divided into
twelve five-minute "points of focus," allowing specific time for
each of these vital areas. Of course, some of these aspects may require only
a minute, whereas others--such as intercessory prayer for the world--will
require far more than a mere five minutes.
Figure 1 Prayer Wheel. (Eastman,
1978, p.10)
Psalm 63:3; Hebrews 12:15; Matthew 6:9b
All prayer should begin with a recognition
of God's nature. The Lord's Prayer-our model for all praying--begins with
"Our Father which art in
heaven, hallowed be thy name." Praise
is that aspect of prayer which vocally esteems God for his virtues and
accomplishments.
Psalm 37:7; Isaiah 40:31; Lamentations 3:25
Not only should we begin with praise, but
time also should be given to being "quiet" in God's presence. This
is not meditation or just a time for listening; it is simply taking time to
let God love you.
Psalm 139:23-24; Psalm 51:10; John 1:9
The psalmist asked God to search his heart
for unconfessed sin. He knew sin was one of the greatest roadblocks to
answered prayer. Early in prayer we need to make time for confession. This
clears the way for powerful praying.
II Timothy 3:16; Psalm 19:7-8
"The commandment of the Lord (His Word)
is pure, enlightening the eyes," wrote young King David. When we bring
God's Word into our prayer, we are opening our eyes to new possibilities in
God. At this point in prayer, read God's Word.
I Timothy 2:1-2; Psalm 2:8; Matthew 9:37-38
Our prayer now centers on intercession for a
lost and dying world. This concerns praying for others who have desperate
needs.
Matthew 7:7; Matthew 6:11; James 4:2
This aspect of prayer concerns our personal
needs. Petition is included in the Lord's Prayer in the expression,
"Give us this day our daily bread." To petition God is to open our
need to God through prayer.
Jeremiah 23:29; II Samuel 22:31; Numbers
23:19
Earlier we suggested you read God's Word.
Now, pray God's Word. Here we bring actual Scripture into our prayer. We can
never pray out of God's will when we pray God's Word.
Philippians 4:6; Psalm 100:4
When Paul wrote to the Philippians, he
instructed them to offer prayer and supplication "with
thanksgiving." Thanksgiving differs from praise in that praise
recognizes God for who he is, and thanksgiving recognizes God for specific
things he has done.
Psalm 100:2; Ephesians 5:19; Psalm 114:9
Melody in its truest sense is a gift of God for
the purpose of singing unto him. Many Christians, unfortunately, have never
learned the beauty of singing a "new"; song unto God during prayer.
These songs may come straight from the heart with the Holy Spirit creating
the melody. Paul spoke of singing "spiritual songs." To sing unto
the Lord is to worship God in melody.
Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:1-2; Psalm 77:12
To wait in God's presence is simply to be
there to love him. Meditation differs in that our mind is very active. To
meditate is to ponder spiritual themes in reference to God.
Ecclesiastes 5:2; I Kings 19:11-12
Whether through his written Word or by an
inner "still small voice" of his Holy Spirit, God speaks to praying
Christians. But we must take time to listen.
Matthew 6:13; Psalm 100:4; Psalm 150
We begin our prayer by recognizing God's
nature, and we end in similar fashion. Jesus taught this when he ended his
prayer with the statement, "For thine is the kingdom and the power and
the glory forever. Amen."
These are just suggestions -- everyone has a
different prayer life. Developing such a prayer habit will lead you into a
ministry that changes you and the world around you as well.
If you know that you need to spend more time
with God, and your quiet time has become more of an "invocation" or
nice thing to do each morning, but it is not producing the craved for level
of spirituality your soul needs, then go on to the next step and have a day
alone with God. (Drury, 1994, p.10)
How To Have A Day Alone With God
A daily time alone with God may always come
hard. It is part of spiritual warfare. Another aspect of spiritual warfare is
wandering thoughts. "... Wandering thoughts are not necessarily thoughts
of evil or evil thoughts." (Lown, 1982, p.11) If your mind is a target,
then thoughts can be arrows the devil shoots into it to draw our focus and
conversation away from God. Be aware that not every thought comes from you or
God. Jack T. Chick drew this concept out:
After
you have mastered spending one hour with God for awhile, you may find that
your quiet time is not enough, especially if you have the spiritual gift of
intercession.
The idea of spending an extended time in
prayer- a half day or more- can seem so difficult that we never do it. But
the guidelines listed here can help you approach such a time with the right
preparation and the right attitude, and to gain richly from the experience.
(___, 1979, p.14) Real prayer in our culture is considered more a luxury than
a necessity. (Sanny, 1979, p.5)
Why Have A Day Alone With God?
l. Extended Fellowship With God
Extend your fellowship with God beyond your
morning devotions means being with and thinking about God. "God has
called us into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ (ICorinthians 1:19).
Like many personal relationships, this fellowship is nurtured by spending
time together... God takes special note of times when His people reverence
Him and think upon His Name." (Sanny, 1979, p.8) (___, 1979, p.14)
Like flying over the battlefield in a
reconnaissance plane, a day of prayer gives opportunity to think of the world
from God's point of view. Especially when we are going through some
difficulty, we need this perspective to sharpen our vision of the unseen. Our
spiritual defenses are strengthened while we fix our eyes not on what is
seen, but on what is unseen and let the immediate, tangible things drop into
proper place. (Sanny, 1979, p.8-9) (___, 1979, p.14) "For ... what is
unseen is eternal." (2 Cor 4:18 NIV).
3. Catch Up On Intercession
"There are
non-Christian friends and relatives to bring before the Lord, missionaries on
various fields, our pastors, our neighbors, our government leaders- to name a
few. Influencing people and changing events through prayer is well-known
among Christians but too little practiced. And as the times become more
serious around us, we need to reconsider the value of personal prayer, both
to accomplish and deter." (Sanny, 1979, p.9) (___, 1979, p.14)
4. Consideration Of Lives
Use a day of prayer for prayerful
consideration of your life before the Lord as a personal inventory and
evaluation. "You will especially want to take a day of prayer when
facing important decisions, as well as on a periodic basis. On such a day you
can evaluate where you are in relation to your goals, and get direction from
the Lord through His Word. Promises are there for you and me, just as they
have been for Hudson Taylor, George Mueller [and] Dawson Trotman. And it is
in our times alone with God that He gives inner assurance of His promises to
us." (Sanny, 1979, p.9-10) (___, 1979, p.14)
"If God has given us plans and
purposes in these times alone, we will be ready when opportunity comes to
move right into it. We won't have to say, 'I’m not prepared.' The reason many
Christians are dead to opportunities is not because they are not mentally
alert, but they are simply unprepared in heart. Preparation is made when we
get alone with God." (Sanny, 1979, p.10) (___, 1979, p.14)
a. Nehemiah prayed "certain days"
after hearing of the plight of Jerusalem. (Neh 2:4-5, 12) Lorne Sanny
believes God put the "plan" in Nehemiah’s head when he fasted and
prayed. (Sanny, 1979, p.10)
b. Moses prayed 40 days and 40 nights.
c. Jesus prayed whole nights before great
decisions and spiritual battles.
"These special prayer times can become
anchor points in your life, times when you `drive a stake’ as a landmark and
go on from there." (Sanny, 1979, p.7)
It may take some people a half hour to just
quiet down enough to really get serious with God. (Drury, 1994, p.10)
One way is to take a black marker and
blacken out an entire day on the calendar. That makes it nearly impossible to
schedule anything else on that day. Dedicate these days to developing your
relationship with God. (Drury, 1994, p.10)
The first day may not go very well, so be
ready to try it again. Jesus often made His decisions after a day or night in
prayer with God. When you discover the power of spending a whole day with
God, then eventually you may want to try scheduling them on a Quarterly or
monthly basis. Below are a few things that Keith Drury has learned in
establishing the discipline of a periodic DAWG (Day Alone With God). (Drury,
1994, p.10)
Before You Have Your Day With God
How to stay awake and alert
1. Get adequate rest the two nights before.
2. Change positions-sit a while, walk
around, sit, walk, and so on.
3. Have variety in what you do. Read the
Scriptures, then pray, then write, and so on.
4. Pray aloud-in a whisper or soft voice.
Sometimes thinking aloud also helps. (___, 1979, p.14)
Before your extended time of prayer, you may
find it helpful to follow the steps below in making a "worry list".
This will help you pray more effectively for yourself. (___, 1979, p.14)
1. Current Conflicts.
Give some thought to current conflicts,
problems, concerns, or/ frustrations, and write them down and number them.
List anything that is
"bugging" you. No matter how small
an item is, if it is of concern to you, list it. (___, 1979, p.14)
2. List Every Worry.
Every worry you have in the world should be
on that piece of paper- it is all there! When you are satisfied that this is
so, go on to step three. (It is not uncommon for a person to have 20 or more
items.) (___, 1979, p.14)
3. Go Through The List.
Go through the list item by item. On each
item determine whether you can do nothing about it because it is beyond your
control, or whether you
can do something to resolve it. (___, 1979,
p.14)
Whatever your conclusion, pray about each
issue. But if you feel you can take action about it, write down what you plan
to do. (You will probably find many other things to add to this "do
list" throughout your time of prayer.) (___, 1979, p.14)
When the weather is good, go outside to a
state park for your day alone with God. Being outdoors gives the opportunity
to "walk and pray" instead of sitting all the time. (Drury, 1994,
p.10)
In the winter you may find a retreat center
near your home that is open and free for such uses. Some may be able to use a
room at church or find a summer cottage. Some have gone so far as to
construct a "prophet's chamber" in the woods behind their house
where they could spend their day with God. Drury has an attic hideaway in his
house -- what he calls his "upper room". He even spent some entire
days in his car. There can be a seclusion, privacy and intimacy in a car that
may be hard to find elsewhere. A reliable place makes having a day alone with
God discipline easier. (Drury, 1994, p.10)
Don’t take your office work with you. It is
almost certain that you will choose work or your "DO" list over
devotion or a relationship with God.
(Drury, 1994, p.10)
Drury suggest NOT taking a watch or clock
especially if you’re so time-conscious that you keep checking up to see
"how you’re doing" throughout the day. It may be better to give the
whole day to the Lord until the sun goes down. (Drury, 1994, p.10-11)
1. Note Pad.
Take a note pad and when you think of
something that needs to be done, write it down so you can get it off your
mind. (Drury, 1994, p.10)
If you’re a church leader and your day alone
with God is in conjunction with developing a vision for your ministry or
planning a year’s activity, then write these things down. Unless time is
taken to see yourself and the work of God from His perspective, it is
questionable if there is a vision at all. Let visions and plans grow out of a
time of devotion in your day alone with God. (Drury, 1994, p.10)
2. A Pen or Pencil.
3. A Bible.
Other helpful items to Take
A clock or watch.
Prayer letters from missionaries and other
Christian workers.
A favorite devotional book.
Your current prayer list.
Your quiet time journal.
A hymnal.
Scripture memory cards.
Notes from your last extended time in
prayer.
A bag lunch and beverage.
A calendar. (___, 1979, p.14)
This is the perfect time to read great
blocks of Scripture. Most Bible reading is in short spurts. We don't read
anything else that way--just the Bible. A Day Alone With God "gives us
the chance to read entire books of the Bible, which is how they were meant to
be read. Usually you can
read a Bible book through several times in
one day,
allowing its message and truth to saturate
you in such a way as `snippet reading’ never will." (Drury, 1994, p.11)
"Sometimes fasting for the day will
focus
your spiritual energies more intensely.
However, if ‘visions of sandwiches dance in your head,’ fasting could
actually divert your interest away from relationship development with the
Lord. Do what is best for you." (Drury, 1994, p.11)
"The whole day is set aside to develop
your relationship with the Lord. That means reading His Word, talking to Him
and listening to Him. Intersperse Scripture reading with prayer. This is a
time to be honest, frank and simple in communication with God, a time for
open confession, worshipful adoration, grateful thanksgiving, bold requests
and committed surrender. It is a perfect time to develop an extensive prayer
list and pray through it." (Drury, 1994, p.11)
Divide the time into three parts: (___,
1979, p.14)
Wait on the Lord to realize His presence, to
be cleansed, and to worship Him. (___, 1979, p.14)
Ask specific things for them. Use Paul's
prayers in the New Testament to pray for them, and pray for them what you are
praying for yourself. (___, 1979, p.14)
Be totally honest with God, and yet not too
introspective. (In many cases a per-
son will do better to pray for himself
before praying for others.) (___, 1979, p.14)
Write something down that God has shown you
or the day may seem incomplete and hard to remember a few days later. (Drury,
1994, p.11)
1.) Catch up on your spiritual life journal,
or if you don't keep one, start one just for your days alone with God.
(Drury, 1994, p.11)
2.) Write down what's happening in your
spiritual life, your reflections on trials you are going through, the
temptations you are facing and how you plan to overcome them. (Drury, 1994,
p.11)
3.) Write down people who have had major
influence in your life. (Drury, 1994, p.11)
4.) Make a list of the people whom you are
probably influencing in their spiritual lives. (Drury, 1994, p.11)
5.) Write out your personal commitments to
the Lord between this day and your next DAWG. (Drury, 1994, p.11)
6.) Write a letter to your spouse or someone
else, sharing important matters with them. (Drury, 1994, p.11)
7.) Write an evangelistic letter to some
unsaved person. (Drury, 1994, p.11)
8.) Write down scriptural truths which
jumped out at you today. The chances are you'll remember most of what you
have written down. (Drury, 1994, p.11)
9.) Taking notes during your extended time
in prayer will give you a record of the things the Lord is speaking to you
about and also help you keep your time organized. (___, 1979, p.14)
10.) In addition, when we pray, we often
have something come to mind that we feel we should take action on, or that we
have forgotten to do -- perhaps totally unrelated to what we are praying
about. By keeping paper ready to list these things, we can act on them later
and we can avoid
prolonged distraction. (___, 1979, p.14)
11.) Toward the end of your time in prayer,
you will want to spend fifteen minutes or so writing down some conclusions.
Summarize the major
impressions of your time. (___, 1979, p.14)
12.) Keep these notes in a notebook and
review them weekly for a while. This will ensure that you follow through on
the things God has impressed on you. (___, 1979, p.14)
Most of us fail miserably at this spiritual
discipline. Part of the reason is we try to cram it in along with everything
else we're doing. Setting a day aside allows you to add new scripture to your
inventory. It is completely feasible to memorize ten verses on one of these
days and remember it the rest of your life." (Drury, 1994, p.11)
1.) Meditate on scripture, turning it over
and over in your mind like a cow chews its cud. . (Drury, 1994, p.11)
2.) Meditate in the sense of just plain
relaxing/ resting/ thinking about nothing. If you are really exhausted, you
might even doze off for a while. Don't worry about this. Just fall asleep
with God's thoughts on your mind and wake up the same way. (Drury, 1994,
p.11)
"A DAWG can be a spiritual dynamo in
your life. In the hectic rushed schedule of "doing God's work" it
is so easy to allow our spiritual energy to drain away. An entire day blocked
out to develop that close relationship with God, recharging your spiritual
batteries is a great secret to keeping your spiritual edge. My only regret is
that I did not discover this secret much sooner in my Christian walk."
(Drury, 1994, p.11)
"Would you like to try this? Where
could you go? When could you have your first day, or even a half-day? If you
don't start now, at about what age would you like to try this
discipline?" (Drury, 1994, p.11)
Again we quote Lorne Sanny: "The result
of your day of prayer should be answers to the two questions Paul asked the
Lord on the Damascus road." (Acts 22:6-10) "Paul's first question
was, 'Who are you, Lord?' The Lord replied, 'I am Jesus.' You
will be seeking to know Him, to find out who He is." (___, 1979, p.14)
"The second question Paul asked
was, 'What shall I do, Lord?' The Lord answered him specifically.
This should be answered or reconfirmed for you in that part of the day when
you unhurriedly seek His will for you." (___, 1979, p.14)
"Don't think you must end the day with
some new discovery or extraordinary experience. Wait on God and expose
yourself to His Word. Looking for a new experience or insight you can share
with someone when you get back will get you Off the track. True, you may gain
some new insight, but often this can just take your attention from the real
business." (___, 1979, p.14)
"The test of such a day is not how
exhilarated we are when the day is over but how it works into life tomorrow.
If we have really exposed ourselves to the Word and come into contact with
God, it will affect our daily life." (___, 1979, p.14)
"God bless you as you do this-- and do
it soon!" (___, 1979, p.14)
There is a great need for some wholesome
teaching on fasting and prayer. This section will answer many misunderstood
questions about fasting. Matt.6:16-18 "When you fast, do not
look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men
they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in
full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it
will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who
is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward
you."
1. In just a few words, fasting is choosing
prayer as a choice over food. Fasting is a spiritual discipline.
2. Fasting is a Voluntary Missing of a life
need such as food, drink, rest, sleep, fellowship, sex or etc.
3.
Fasting is Choosing to pray rather than eat or one of the above.
4. Fasting is a physical sacrifice for a
spiritual
benefit.
5. Fasting profits the physical body. a. The
physical system rests. b. The physical system is cleaned. In long fasts we're
told that body poisons stored by wrong health habits are "burned
away". As wastes are removed from the temple, the breathe and body may
smell more than usual. c. The mind becomes sharper with its feelings. d. The
spirit seems to be more receptive to God. e. It builds devotion, faith,
self-discipline and body over spirit when coupled with prayer and Bible
reading.
5. Fasting may be practiced DAILY by
restricting food intake, or by a complete sacrifice of meals for a certain
period of time. Little harm (barring health problems) and much good can come
from skipping a meal or two.
1. Fasting is not starvation.
A. Appetite is a habitual
craving for food, not true hunger. The stomach pains felt after 2 days are
the demands of appetite for satisfaction, not hunger.
B. Hunger doesn't begin
until all waste tissue is used up by the body. This takes WEEKS, not a few
hours! (Pratney, 1970, p.sz-10)
2. Fasting is not some form of penitence.
There is no spiritual merit afforded us by
fasting itself, or if it's used to show or display our "spiritualness."
There are physical and spiritual laws that must not be broken or they will
break the law breaker. They will be spoken of later.
3. Fasting is not impossible though
difficult.
Most of the discomfort of even a long fast
is over in a few days. (Pratney, 1970, p.sz-10) The problem is that few make
it through the pain stage. For the same reason many never become long
distance runners. They refuse to discipline themselves to run through the
pain.
III. The Stages Of A Fast.
"Study the four-stage graph (Fig. 2) before
you decide to take a long fast. You'll see two curves, one beginning later
than the first. The height of the graph is the amount of effort needed to
stay on the fast; the length of days varies between individuals, but it will
serve as a rough guide for your own experiences. A long fast begins when you
pass the first two hard curves:" . (Pratney, 1970, p.sz-11)
A. Stage One.
Intense appetite pains grow for a few days
and will stay until at least stage two. (Pratney, 1970, p.sz-11)
The body weakness is felt. Burning of waste
material in the body makes your breath stink
because of the oxidizing of wastes in the system. "Grease" on the
face and hair, not unlike the "death sweat," begins to build up. .
(Pratney, 1970, p.sz-10) You'll be tempted to give up. You're not dying. You
may get headaches and a slight fever at this stage. It's essential to drink
as many as six glasses of water a day during a fast. This helps soften the
waste and helps the body eliminate it through natural channels. In a long
fast, the bowels and kidneys, skin, and breath all release more waste than
usual. This is the toughest part of the fast. You'll need more sleep for
longer periods of time here, and might even have to go to bed in the middle
of the day.
Remember the Bible says, "Fast and
pray." It doesn't say work and fast, though missing one meal
seldom hinders work.
Washing the face removes the poisons from
the skin (Matt.6:17). You'll have to take more baths. The lungs are throwing
off poisons too and you'll have VERY BAD BREATH. Use a menthol crystal of
some kind for the tongue to help this. In about two weeks the breath is
supposed to clear.
. (Pratney, 1970, p.sz-11)
Stage three is a period of weakness,
requiring a lot of rest.
A state of well-being now comes and a sense
of physical fitness. The devil will really fight during this stage. This a
period of time when you need to really seek the Lord. The Bible will become a
new book from now until you stop or stage five. . (Pratney, 1970, p.sz-11)
Hunger now sets in. It's now time for the
fast to be broken. Starvation will soon begin. To continue beyond this point
could be destructive to body and health or even death. IT TAKES AS MUCH
WILLPOWER TO BREAK A LONG FAST slowly as it did to begin it. . (Pratney,
1970, p.sz-11)
IV. Rules For The Long Fast.
If you must work, make it a partial fast and
don't work hard. Jesus said, fast and pray.
2. Don’t Inconvenience Others.
Don't fast when or where you'll inconvenience
others. Matt.16:18 (Pratney, 1970, p.sz-12)
3. Begin with small fasts.
Miss a meal or two, then try longer periods.
The battle not to eat is both physical and mental. Because of the lack of
power of the spirit over the body, you may fail at the first few attempts.
Always spend as much time breaking a fast as you did going into it. Don't
break a fast with milk. Use fruit juices and non milky soups. Stuffing
yourself after a long fast can cause violent stomach cramps. If you do stuff
yourself, it is recommended that you go back on your fast and then start over
again. (Pratney, 1970, p.sz-12)
4. Drink plenty of water.
The importance of this can't be
overestimated. If you don't drink water you tend to poison yourself with your
own body wastes. You may only survive a few days without any water. (Pratney,
1970, p.sz-12)
V. The Benefits Of Fasting.
1. Reduce Physical Desires.
Fasting can be an effective tool for helping
reduce our strong physical desires. A fast reduces all natural desires to a
low level, thus helping to bring them under control, though they may battle
you before you get there. (Pratney, 1970, p.sz-12)
Fasting can be used in times of special
temptation. It's a time when the soul casts itself on God for deliverance or
for carrying our some difficult but important task. Acts 1:3 Acts 14:23
(Pratney, 1970, p.sz-12)
Fasting is good when you have to make a
decisive, critical choice or need to find the will of God. When we find it
hard to find the mind of God, a fast can put us in a place of spiritual
sensitivity. Fasting and prayer coupled with reading the Word will boost
faith sky high. We have a great mental clarity and perception. Be sure to
take notes during this time because, like it dream, the insights can get
clouded soon after coming off the fast. (Pratney, 1970, p.sz-12)
Matt.17:20-21
Fasting is good in times of sickness.
Usually your body knows what to do - it goes into a fast. It automatically
shuts down on appetite, thus helping us to rest. At times like that, eating
is a hindrance. Fasting and praying during this time can cause healing to the
body and a real restoration of the soul. (Pratney, 1970, p.sz-12)
A food and water fast is a desperate fast
and very short term like 2 or three days at the most. Water will help to take
away some of the hunger pains but not all of them. Some recommend for long
fasts to drink warm distilled water. This writer recommends when the hunger
pains come to sleep on your pillow under your stomach.
God Can Answer Your Prayers!
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The God who stopped the sun on high
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Josh 10:12,13
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And sent the manna from the sky,
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Ex 16:4-15
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Laid flat the walls of Jericho
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Josh 6:20
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And put to flight old Israel’s foe;
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Josh 10:9,10
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Can He not answer prayer today
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Luk 1:37
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And drive each stormy cloud away?
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Jn 14:14
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He turned the water into wine,
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Jn 2:3-11
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And healed a helpless cripple’s spine
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Lu, 3:11-16
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Said to the tempest, "Peace, be
still"
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Mk 4:39
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And hungry multitudes did fill.
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Jn 6:9-13
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His power is just the same today
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Heb 13:8
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So why not labor, watch, and pray?
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Mat 26:41
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He conquered in the lion’s den,
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Dan 6:16-22
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Brought Lazarus back to life again;
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Jn 11:38-44
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He heard Elijah’s cry for rain
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1Kgs 18:42-45
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And freed the sufferers from pain.
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Mat 8:16,17
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If He could do these wonders, then
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Ex 14:21-31
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Let’s prove our mighty God again.
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Mal 3:10
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Why can’t the God who raised the dead,
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1Kgs 17:17-22
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Gave David great Goliath’s head,
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1Sam 17:32-51
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Cast out the demons with a word,
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Mat 8:28-32
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Yet sees the fall of one wee bird,
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Mat 10:29
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Do signs and miracles today
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Jn 14:12
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In that same good, majestic way?
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Act 5:12-16
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He can -- He’s just the same today
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Eph 3:20
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If we believe it when we pray;
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Mk 11:23, 24
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He’s no respecter now of men
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Jam 2:1-9
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He’ll do the same as He did then.
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Jn 14:12
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-- Author Unknown (___, 1981, p.7)
The Bible has a lot to say about prayer.
"No sinner is saved without prayer, and no believer is sanctified
without prayer. One’s prayer may be like Solomon’s prayer (one of the longest
in the Bible, 31 verses -- 1 Kings 8:23-53), or like Peter’s prayer (one of
the shortest in the Bible, 1 verse, 3 words -- Matt. 14:30), but prayer must
be exercised." (Willmington, 1983, p.8)
1. The Definition of prayer.
Prayer is talking to God. (Willmington,
1983, p.8) Prayer is the way we express our love to
God. Prayer is our response to God in what He says to
us through the Word, others and life. Prayer is a type of fellowshipwith
God and interaction with His purpose. Prayer is
a spiritual exercise -- often done in obedience to
Him, sometimes for show, but it should be our wanting to speak to Him (ABBA
Father or Oh Daddy!) because we want to be in His loving presence. Prayer is
a dialogue. (Bete, 1974, p.2)
Meet the conditions for effective prayer. (Bete,
1979, p.8-9)
(1) Prepare your heart and mind by reading
the Word.
(2) Realize the presence of Christ. (Mat
28:20)
(3) Pray with confidence, faith and
expectation.
(Mat 21:22; 1Jn 5:24)
(4) Be receptive to what God is saying to
you.
(5) Be devote. Surrender yourself to Him
totally.
(6) Be modest when you pray. You are
speaking to the Creator, all powerful God. God is not deaf so yelling is
unnecessary. Don’t be presumptuous!
(7) Prayer may start out to be a discipline
in order to build a habit; however, it must not stay that way.
(8) Pray unselfishly.
Do you pray? (Bete, 1979, p.7)
(1) Go to a place where your can think. God
gave us a brain so we could understand His truth. Concentrate and ask God
questions.
(2) Let yourself feel and express your
emotions. God speaks to both the heart and mind.
(3) Exercise your will when you pray. Just
be you. Talk to God like you do others. It isn’t necessary to use Thee’s and
Thou’s when you pray.
2. The Elements of prayer.
According to Jesus’ model prayer, given at
the request of the disciples (Luke 11:1; Matt. 6:8-13), prayer includes at
least six things:
A. Intimacy --
"Our Father, which art in heaven," (Bete, 1979, p.4)
B. Worship "Hallowed
be thy name."
C. Submission --
"Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven."
D. Petition --
"Give us this day our daily bread." It is a time to tell God about
our spiritual, emotional, mental, social and physical needs. (Bete, 1974,
p.3)
E. Confession --
"And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors."
F. Dependence --
"And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."
G. Faith --
"For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.
Amen."
(Willmington, 1983, p.8)
Why should we pray?
A. Because of the repeated command of
God. (Eph. 6:12; 1Thes 5:17, 25; 1Tim. 2:8; Rom 12:12; Col 4:2; 1Sam 12:23)
B. Because of the example of Christ.
(Heb 5:7; 1 Pet.2:21)
C. Because of the example of the early
church. (Act 1:14; 2:42; 6:4; 12:5)
D. Because prayer is God’s chosen method
for:
(1) Defeating the devil. (Lk 22:32; 1 Pet
4:7)
(2) Saving the sinner. (Lk 18:3)
(3) Restoring the backslider. (Jam
5:16,19,20)
(4) Strengthening the saint. (Jude 1:20; Mat
26:41)
(5) Sending forth laborers. (Mat 9:38; Act
13:2,3)
(6) Curing the sick. (Jam 5:13-15)
(7) Glorifying God’s Name. (Rev 5:8; 8:1-4;
Isa 43:21-22; 64:6-7)
(8) Accomplishing the impossible. (Mk 9:29;
Act 12:5-16; Jam 5:16-17)
(9) Giving good things. (Mat 7:7-11; 21:22;
Psa 102:17)
(10) Imparting wisdom. (Jam 1:5)
(11) Bestowing peace. (Phil 4:5-7)
(12) Keeping one from sin. (Mat 26:41)
(13) Revealing the will of God. (Luk
11:9-10)
(14) Taking care of the World situation.
E. Because of the example of the
greatest Christian of all time -- Paul. (Act 9:11; 16:25; 20:36;
21:5; 1Thes 1:2; Philem 1:4; Eph 1:16; Rom 10:1; Phil 1:4; Col 1:3; 1Tim 2:8;
2Tim 1:3; 2Thes 1:11; Rom 1:9)
(Willmington, 1983, p.8,9)
4. The purpose of prayer.
(1) To Glorify God. (Jn 14:13)
(2) To feel or know God’s presence. (Psa
145:18)
(3) For comfort in time of need.
(4) To experience God’s forgiveness. (2Chron
7:14)
(5) To stay out of temptation. (Mat 26:41) (Bete,
1979, p.5)
"To whom should we pray? To the Father?
Son? Spirit? The basic New Testament rule is that prayer should be made to
the Father, through the Spirit, in the name of Jesus. (Rom 8:15-16,26-27)
(Willmington, 1983, p.8)
6. The Objects of prayer.
"For whom should we pray?
A. For ourselves. (Luk 23:42; Mat 14:30; Gen
24:12)
B. For one another. (James 5:16; Rom 1:9)
C. For pastors. (Eph 6:19-20; Col 4:3)
D. For sick believers. (Jam 5:14-15)
E. For rulers. (1Tim.2:1-3)
F. For our enemies. (Mat 5:44; Luk 6:28)
G. For Israel. (Psa 122:6; Isa 62:6,7)
H. For all men. (1Tim 2:1) (Willmington,
1983, p.9)
There is no specific position, it is the
heart that counts.
(1) Standing in prayer. (Mark 11:25)
(2) Sitting in prayer. (1Chron. 17:16-17)
(3) Bowing in prayer. (Ex 34:8)
(4) Lying in prayer. (Psa 6:6)
(5) Prostrated in prayer. (Psa 28:2)
(6) On one’s face in prayer. (Mat 26:39)
(Willmington, 1983, p.9) "Hudson Taylor `walked and talked’ while
praying, as Elisha did..." (Lown, 1982, p.11)
(7) On one’s knees in prayer. (1 Kgs 8:54;
Dan 6:10; Lk 22:41; Act 20:36)
(8) With the face between the knees in
prayer. (1Kgs 18:42) (Willmington, 1983, p.9)
Anytime.
(1) Prayer early in the morning. (Mk 1:35)
(2) Prayer at noon. (Psa 55:17)
(3) Prayer late in the afternoon. (Act 3:1)
(4) Prayer at evening. (Psa 141:2)
(5) Prayer at midnight. (Act 16:25)
(Willmington, 1983, p.10)
9. Hindrances or Obstacles to prayer.
(1) Known sin. (Psa 66:18)
(2) Insincerity. (Mat 6:5)
(3) Carnal motives. (Jam 4:3) The carnal
nature or "Old Man" is a friend of the devil and the flesh.
(4) Unbelief or lack of faith.. (Jam 1:6)
(5) Satanic activity. (Dan 10:13)
(6) Domestic problems. (1Pet 3:7)
(7) Pride. (Lk 18:10-14)
(8) Robbing God. (Mal 3:8-10)
(9) Refusing to help the needy. (Prov 21:13;
1Jn 3:16-17)
(10) Refusing to submit to biblical
teaching. (Prov 1:24-31; 28:9; Zech 7:11-14)
(11) Refusing to forgive or to be forgiven.
(Mat 5:23-24; 6:12-14) (Willmington, 1983, p.10) An unforgiving spirit is an
obstacle to prayer.
(12) Asking selfishly.
(13) Impatience. Ask for God’s time not
yours, God is NEVER late.
(14) Dishonesty. Don’t cover up or pretend
to be what you are not.
(15) Ignorance or presumption. God is not
obligated to our ignorant statements or proclamations. God is not obligated
to what we obligate Him to, only what He obligates Himself to. Sometimes
God’s answer is NO! or LATER.
(Bete, 1974, p.9)
10. Qualification of prayer.
(1) Prayer should be humble. (Lk 18:13-14;
Psa 10:17)
(2) Prayer should be bold. (1Jn 5:13-15)
(3) Prayer should be in faith. (Heb 11:6)
(4) Prayer should be sincere. (Psa 145:18)
(5) Prayer should be simple. (Mat 6:7)
(6) Prayer should be persistent. (Col 4:2;
Lk 18:7)
(7) Prayer should be definite. (Psa 27:4;
Act 12:5)
(8) Prayer should be in accord with
Scripture. (1Jn 5:14,15) (Willmington, 1983, p.10)
Possible Prayer Ministries
A prayer hotline is for emergency prayer
requests to be made to one member of the group, and each individual calls
several others. This group is on call 24 hours a day. Though this group may
be miles apart, they are agreeing together before God and lifting the person,
ministry or situation up before God.
Intercessory Prayer Group.
The intercessory prayer group meets before
church on Sunday to lift up the pastor, teachers, and people who will be
worshipping and learning that day.
Prayer partners can be recruited to pray for
teens or any other group for one year. There needs to be a coordinator or
liaison between the groups. Provide the praying person with name, address,
age, birthday, hobbies, interest, church involvement and possibly a picture.
The liaison transfers prayer requests and answers to the prayer partner. On New
Year’s Day hold a reception where the partners meet. (Ashworth, 1984, p.105)
The 7:14 prayer meetings were instituted by
Jack Hayford (based on 2 Chron 7:14 -- "If my people who are called by
my name will humble themselves and pray..."). The people of this prayer
group gather at 7:00, but at 7:14 each week they interceded for America.
(Anderson, Hayford, & Patterson, 1993, p.31) Revival comes when people
begin to seek God and begin to carry His burden for society which is
reflected in prayer and action.
Children’s Worker Prayer Journal.
Use a prayer journal for each of the
children under your shepherding ministry. Set the notebook up as shown below.
Below the child’s picture write his/her name, address, phone, age, birthday
and the day entered. Below this add your observations about his/her hobbies
etc.
Figure 7 Child Evangelism Prayer
Journal (___, 1977, p.?)
Some Great Men and Women of Prayer
Figure 8 David Brainerd praying for the
Indians. (Chick, 1972, p.10)
It was after David Brainerd that the
Wesleyan Indian School for the LaCota Sue Indians is named. David spent hours
in the snow praying for the Indians. David was an in-law to Jonathan Edwards.
David died early because of pneumonia.
Martin Luther is reported to have prayed at
least two hours every day. (Fletcher, 1983, p.2) Luther started the
Protestant Reformation.
George Mueller asked God for millions of
dollars for "his" orphans. It was said that George Mueller walked
so close to God that God gave him whatever he asked for.
John Wesley is reported to have prayed at
least two hours a day. (Fletcher, 1983, p.2) God started the English Revival
through him and a denomination called the Methodists.
The more prayer
is talked about the less praying we tend to do. The best way to learn how to
pray is to pray. Praying with some one who knows how to pray may help but
nothing takes the place of individual and corporate prayer. Most people do
not recognize the "hard work" of prayer as part of spiritual
warfare.
_________________________
_____. "Teacher’s Prayer
Journal." Evangelizing Today’s Child.
(Vol.4, No.5) 1977. Page unknown.
_____. God Can Answer Your Prayers! God’s
Revivalist. Nov 19, 1981 p.7. (Author Unknown)
_____. "How To Spend Extended Time
In Prayer." (Adapted from The 2:7 Series -
Navigator Discipleship Training for Church Laymen) Navlog, Oct
1979 pp. 14-15.
_____. "Your Guide For Daily Worship." Discovery.
Jan / Feb, 1981. (Scripture Union 1979)
Anderson, Leith; Hayford, Jack and
Patterson, Ben. Who’s In Charge? Sisters OR:
Multnomah Books, 1993 (Christianity Today, Inc.). p. 31.
Ashworth, David A. "Prayer Partners."
Group Youth Ministry Magazine. Oct 1984. p.105.
Bete, Channing L. What Every Christian
Should Know About Prayer. South Deerfield, MA: (A Scriptographic
Booklet) Channing L. Bete Co., Inc., 1974.
Chick, Jack T. The Secret of
Prayer. (Christian Growth Series) Chino, CA: Chick Publications (Jack
T. Chick), 1972.
Drury, Keith. "How To Have A
Day Alone With God." The Wesleyan Advocate March 1994.
pp. 10-11. Keith Drury is general director of the Department of Local
Church Education for The Wesleyan Church.
Eastman, Dick. "How
To Spend An Hour In Prayer." World Literature Crusade. Leadership,
Winter 1982 (A Publication of Christianity Today) p.90.
Eastman, Dick. The Hour That
changes The World. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1978.
Fletcher, Carles L. "How God Is
Teaching Me to Pray." Vista, Dec 4, 1998 (Vol. 77,
No.49). pp.2-3.
Foster, Robert D. Seven Minutes With God.
Colorado Springs: NavPress, n.c.
Lown, Albert J. The Quiet Time. The
Herald of Holiness. Jul 1982. pp. 10-11.
Olford, Stephen F. Manna in the
Morning. Chicago: Moody Press, n.c.
Pratney, Winkie. Youth Aflame! A Manual
For Discipleship. Hong Kong: Asian Outreach, Publishers, 1970
(W.A. Pratney). pp.SZ10-12.
Sanny, Lorne C. How to Spend a
Day in Prayer. Colorado Springs: Navpress, 1979.
Willmington, Harold L. Prayer. God’s
Revivalist. Jan 20, 1983 P. 8-9.
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