Pastor’s Blog 11.14.18
Last week I mentioned taking the Lord’s prayer and making it personal. I like to pray this way, “Father Your Kingdom come, Your will be done in my life, my family’s lives, our church staff, our local, state and federal governments and so on.
1 John 5:13-15 TPT
“I’ve written this letter to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you will be assured and know without a doubt that you have eternal life.
Since we have this confidence, we can also have great boldness before him, for if we present any request agreeable to his will, he will hear us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we also know that we have obtained the requests we ask of him.”
This passage has had a major effect on me over the years. What an incredible insight to understanding the way of our Father in prayer. If we ask anything agreeable to His will He hears us! The condition for prayer to be received is that it passes the test of the will of God! We learn His will by His word.
Praying for God’s will is the most effective way we can pray. I listen to a lot of prayers that are really people telling God to do their will. It is pretty presumptuous to assume your will is His will unless your mind has been renewed and your spirit is hearing from His.
We can declare the word of God and presume it is His will when it is specific to the context in which it was given, but sometimes people pull promises out of context and try to force the hand of God to move, and He doesn’t. I always like to remind others, and myself, that many times we think He didn’t answer, when in fact, He did, and the answer was no.
2 Corinthians 12:7-10
“And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.
8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.
9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” NKJV
After seeing the effects on a person from “getting what they want” and what it often does to them, I understand the grace of God is sometimes at work in protecting us from the pride of life, lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eye.
I pray with the Psalmist:
Proverbs 30:7-9
“Two things I request of You (Deprive me not before I die):
8 Remove falsehood and lies far from me; Give me neither poverty nor riches — Feed me with the food allotted to me;
9 Lest I be full and deny You, And say, “Who is the LORD?” Or lest I be poor and steal, And profane the name of my God.” NKJV
AMEN!
Be blessed!
- Date - November 14, 2018
- Author - David Chisholm
