Praying the Scriptures, Part I

I shared with my church in July a message that prayer was the single most important discipline in a believer’s life and that it is also the single most difficult discipline in our lives.  (Hear that message here)

In light of that and our beginning our annual 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting, we need encouragement to pray.  

If I was to make you the following promises, would you be interested?  

1. You will get to know God personally and intimately - without the filter of any man or religion. (Phil. 3:10)
2. You will never grow tired of praying. (Matthew 26:40)  Instead of boring, your prayer life will be enjoyable, rewarding, deepening.  Praying that goes beyond “God bless the food”  “God heal the sick”  “God bless the missionaries”  “God help me”  “God kill them”
3. Your mind will be renewed (Romans 12:2)
4. You will gain strength to overcome sin (Psalm 119:11)
5. You will come alive. (Hebrews 4:12)
6. You will be able to know your heart (Psalm 139:23, James 1:23-25)
7. You will receive everything for which you pray. (I John 5:14-15)

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. ¹⁵ And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.”  I John 5: 14-15  (NIV)

We can have confidence - free and fearless confidence, cheerful courage, boldness.

Hearing here is more than just a matter of God acknowledging that we have spoken;  it means He grants the request.  He says, “Yes.”

 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” 

  Matthew 21:22  (NIV)

How? I'll share more tomorrow....