Why and How Should We Pray?

SF, Stagecoach, NV

Dear Brothers, Sisters, Prodigals and Unsaved,

The very first thing, you should always do before you start reading the Bible, or any Christian material [including mine], is ASK the Holy Spirit to guide you in understanding what’s being said.  He’ll teach you “What to DO, or NOT DO.”  The Holy Spirit is OUR TEACHER and will never steer you in the wrong direction!

Whatever category you are in above, YOU were still created by Abba [Daddy-God].  You become empowered when you accept Jesus as your Lord.  All your sin is washed away, and you'll feel so FREE - and best of all, IF you sincerely asked the Lord for forgiveness and accept Jesus into your heart - ALL your sins are WASHED AWAY into the Sea of Forgetfulness, which means He will no longer remember.  That's FREE INDEED!

WHY PRAY:  First, let’s see HOW NOT TO PRAY…

[James 4:2-3 NASB] 2 “You lust and do not have; [so] you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; [so] you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend [it] on your pleasures.”

• A very good reason is because you want something or somebody you can’t/shouldn’t have, and probably kill someone for it.  Abba’s command is “Thou shalt NOT KILL [murder].  That would be another problem for you to repent of  - should you kill someone to get what you want.  Here, I’d like to specify that Abba has no problem, finding you a mate - but He won’t send you one to just “shack-up” with - Abba is into, “till death do you part” in fact the Bible says “He hates DIVORCE.  So if you’re looking for a mate, you might ask Him who is your best mate and please send one to you.  
• [Romans 7:2 NASB] For the married woman is bound by law to her husband while he is living; but if her husband dies, she is released from the law concerning the husband.”  NOTE: This is not just for a woman, reverse the names to your gender.
• Then the next reason you won’t get what you want is because you DO NOT ask the Lord.  That’s one of the reasons, You DO NOT get answered prayer.  Even little children tell Jesus/God or their parents what they want for a gift at the celebration of Christmas or their birthdays.  So, NO ASK - NO GET!
• Don’t ask for something that is bad for you, or that will go against any of the “Fruit of the Spirit” we talked about this last Sunday.  Abba WILL NEVER go against His own Will or Word!
• FYI, I’ll have to admit, without asking, just thinking about how nice it would be to get a new car, rather than start paying a lot of mechanical bills, when my car was 11 years old.    Guess what - He gave me a new car FREE - I must have been a good girl, or He has a lot more traveling for me to do and in these mountains in NV, He wanted me to feel safe. 
      Here’s a few more Scriptures to back up these reasons.
• [Matthew 6:5 NASB] "When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.”
• [Matthew 7:6 NASB] "Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.”

Basically this means, Do not waste good things [effort/time] on people who will not appreciate them. This proverb is adapted from a saying of Jesus from the Gospels, “Cast not pearls before swine.” Jesus appears to be warning his disciples to preach only before receptive audiences, meaning they are looking for what they’re missing - or there’s got to be a better life somewhere.

NOW - HOW SHOULD WE PRAY?

[Romans 8:26-27 NASB] 26 “In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for [us] with groanings too deep for words; 27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to [the will of] God.”

• OK, the first and best way, when you don’t know how to pray and you’ve received the Gift of Tongues [1 Corinthians 12] know, that you could be speaking in a foreign language or a Heavenly language [groanings].  Both would be from the Lord.  This is best used, when you are unsure of what you want to pray for.  This is also very helpful, when you’re praying for someone and you’re not sure of what they really need.  Abba always knows what any of us need.
  This is also very helpful when you are interceding for someone or a nation.
• The Lord will ALWAYS HEAR YOUR PRAYER.  It’s His promise, doesn’t matter if you pray in the Spirit, or in you native tongue.  Why?  Here’s 3 reasons: He knows your NAME, THOUGHTS [MIND] AND HEART.
• [Isaiah 43:1 NASB] “But now, thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel, "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine!”
• [Revelation 2:23 NASB] “And I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds.”
• [Psalm 139:2 NASB] “You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar.”
• So never doubt you can get away with ANYTHING… He’s got ALL our NUMBERS!

Prayer is the means, by which we approach God. ... Jesus' disciples have no doubt noticed, Jesus' prayer time [i.e., 3 am - 6 am estimate] and in this passage they ask Him to teach them how to pray (Luke 11:1). Jesus starts His instruction by saying "when you pray." For the follower of Christ, prayer is not a matter of IF, but when.  This is what’s called THE LORD’S PRAYER:

• [Luke 11:1-4 NASB] 1 “It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples." 2 And He said to them, "When you pray [pray like this], say: 'Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. 3 'Give us each day our daily bread. 4 'And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.’"
• Many versions say “He said, pray like this”  So this Scripture teaches you the steps you should take:
• 1 - Everyone needs to learn “HOW TO.”
• 2 - Acknowledge your Father in Heaven, for Who His Is - HE IS HOLY.  It’s HIS KINGDOM/Home that we’ll be going to.  IF you are unsure you can acknowledge His Fruit of the Spirit - that’s His Character and His Goodness toward us.
• 3 - This day, give us our daily bread.  NOTE: this is not just literally food, but also, the spiritual food you’ll need to walk in Him daily.  Remember the song?  "1 day at a time, sweet Jesus.  That’s all I’m asking of you.  Help me today, show me the way, one day at a time."   We’re told in the Word, that there is enough evil in each day, that we shouldn’t worry about tomorrow.  Both in Scripture and this old song.
• 4 - Forgive my sins.  As I forgive those who have sinned against me.  There’s a reason not to carry grudges - they make you ill.  Plus if you don’t forgive, Abba cannot forgive you.  Remember my favorite scripture, [Luke 6:38].
• 5 - Don’t lead me into temptation  - He knows how hard it is for us in the flesh, not to go with the flow in the world [enemy].  He’ll keep you on the straight and narrow road - IF YOU OBEY HIM.

There are so many goodies in the Bible to help us, in any situation we might be in.  Your best bet, is to START reading the Bible and before you do, ASK the Holy Spirit to explain it to you as you read.  This will help you to learn His voice and find the answers or understanding you’re looking for.

I just found out from Google Plus, that I’ll have to move this blog page to another internet provider.  I have till April 2, 2019, but they'll start eliminating some things as of February 2nd.  I’ll let you know when and where I find a new site.

So my prayer this day, is for you, to pray for me to find another place for this blog, that covers the 30+ nations you blessed ones are in.  And also LOOSE a Ministering Spirit who knows computers and blog set-ups - because I don’t.  Someone else set this one up for me and they’re no longer around.  

Blessings to you and your family,

Your Sister in Christ,

Sandy F. - The Lord’s Servant

  

Your Authority/Works In Christ

SF, Stagecoach, NV

Dear Brothers, Sisters, Prodigals and Unsaved,

Whatever category you are in above, YOU were still created by Abba [God].  You become empowered when you accept Jesus as your Lord.  As a child may leave home and change their name, wanting no contact with any of their family - that’s what Adam and Eve did, when they disobeyed Abba - their Creator.

If you’ve read much of the Old Testament [OT], then you’d know Israel didn’t choose Abba, He chose them.  There we no checks and balances, until Moses led them out of 400-450 years in Egypt [without any help from Abba], until He took pity on them and sent the Deliverer - Moses, to set them free.

Our Deliverer is Jesus, sent by Abba to set us free from bondage; of sickness and sin, because Jesus’ inheritance is the Earth - and Abba never gives junk!  There was so much sin going on in the world, as in the days of Noah too, the only way to give us free choice to accept Abba, was to offer a way for mankind - was to offer His ONLY Begotten Son in the flesh - HIS BLOOD AS OUR SACRIFICE to cover ALL our sin.  

Jesus had to be born and raised like any human; living in a world of sin, then tempted as we are, ridiculed and mocked [Isaiah 53:1-7], as we are, as we followed the worldly ways.  Then beaten, by the Religious and Non-Religious [ruler of Rome] for judgement to crucify Him since the religious leaders had no authority to Jesus crucified any other way.  Plus it fulfilled another prophecy of Jesus’ death.

Why do you think Abba gave us the same authority, He gave Jesus?  It was to learn and practice what Jesus did and as the Book of James says,

• [James 1:21-22 NASB] 21 “Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and [all] that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. 22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.”  If you live in the “Show Me” State of Missouri, you’ll understand this probably better than others.

James was the 1/2 brother of Jesus.  He warns us, IF we DO NOT put away all the wickedness and filthiness that has been ingrained from living in the world, we’ll be deluding ourselves and not have our name written in the Book of Life.  

Abba proved His LOVE for you, now we can prove our LOVE for Him, by being doers of His Word.  A doer of the Word, is a person that does something, especially a person who gets things done with vigor and efficiency.  A person characterized by action, as distinguished from one given to contemplation, [thinking about it only].

Why do you think the Word tells us; that we will do GREATER WORKS than Jesus?  Maybe because the number of people in the Jesus’ day were much fewer?  OR because as of the 2107 the number of people on earth was 7.3 billion people on earth?  I’ll go with the greater number of people plus the various number of nations presently in the world - not there in Jesus’ day.  

Think about this, Jesus was trained for 30 years to do His work ALL to be done within the time frame of 3 1/2 years.  Did He get to everyone - of course not, but He did complete ALL that was Prophesied about Him.  That’s why He trained the 12 Disciples, to teach others [like us] as they were taught - to go forth and; 

• [Luke 9:1-2 NASB] 1 “And He called the twelve together, and gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases. 2 And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing.”

That’s YOUR AUTHORITY/PURPOSE!  OVER DEMONS TO CAST THEM OUT, HEAL DISEASES finally to PREACH THE KINGDOM.

• [Matthew 28:18-20 NASB] 18 “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

The Word is our TEACHING from the Disciples of what we should do, and should not.  His Word has been kept safe for over 6,000 years and counting.  It will stay alive, as long and you and I speak of it and spread the Gospel - because He promises to be with us till the end of the age [for us it’s the church age & rapture].  Then, the 2 Witnesses and the 144,000 will take over.

As I told you last week, the FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT, should be the first thing you focus on learning.  Why?  Because it is the CHARACTER OF GOD, and the closer you draw to Him, the more He can use you.  Jesus only did what the Father told Him to say and do, in doing so,  He revealed His Father’s will to us.  I’m still working on a couple to master myself.

I know the GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT are necessary, but when you’ve master the FRUIT in your own life, your light will shine so bright all will know you speak the truth, because the gifts will manifest faster than for others.  Because you’ll be more like Abba - to His Glory!

PURPOSE FOR GIFTS: 

[John 4:47-48 NASB] 47 “When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and was imploring [Him] to come down and heal his son; for he was at the point of death. 48 So Jesus said to him, "Unless you [people] see signs and wonders, you [simply] will not believe." 

If you live in the “Show Me” Missouri State in USA, you’ll understand this better than most. “You have to see it to believe it.”

This is always done to GLORIFY ABBA, be sure to give Him the praise.  My mom at 54 and her mom at 72 were unsaved yet healed.  But once they saw the truth, that Abba healed them, they accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior that night.  I can’t wait to see them again in Heaven.

Don’t be afraid to ask Abba to heal someone, who’s not saved YET!  You’ll be amazed how the miracle working power of God can work through you, when they see His Love for them when they're; healed, delivered or their prayer is answered.  

They now know that Abba is real, no matter what their religious background was or what anyone else may say, BECAUSE Abba heard them and set them free from their bondage.  Remember to receive ALL that He gives you humbly - it’s His gift to you.  You can’t do it your own, IF your flesh is ruling you, and doesn’t want to change.  But in Christ, ALL things are possible!

John also tells us;

• [John 10:37-38 NASB] 37 "If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; 38 but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father." 

• [John 14:11 NASB]  "Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves.”

  Faith without Works is dead.  To have Works, you MUST HAVE FAITH TO BELIEVE IT’S HIS WILL TO HEAL, RESTORE and BLESS ALL OF HIS CHILDREN!

• [John 15:24 NASB]  "If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well.”

I hopefully will list all the healings and miracles Jesus did in Matthew on earth, after we finish our Bible Study on Wednesdays.

PRODIGALS AND UNSAVED, 2019 has been prophesied  that you will be returning this year.  DO NOT WAIT TO LONG this world is going to hell and a hand basket don’t miss your chance to fly away with us.

I’t’s so EASY - just sincerely ask Jesus to come into your heart.  Admit you’ve sinned against Him and the Father, asking for His forgiveness and making you whole.

My Prayer for YOU is exactly what I prayed for one of my best friends, who was a prodigal and returned, Jesus even healed her of alcoholism - she no longer craves/desires any alcohol and is in the Word daily - she’s a Helper and giver to many and is now blessed instead of cursed.  PTL!!!  Whatever healing; spirit, soul or body you need, whatever deliverance you may need, whatever your need - OUR GOD IS BIG ENOUGH TO HANDLE IT!  Jesus is still knocking at your door - open it and welcome Him in - don’t forget, He remembers your sins NO MORE!

TIP:  Would you like to hear the Holy Spirit talk to you?  Just pick-up the Word and ask Him to give you the understanding of what you’re reading.  Now that you’re in the family, He loves to help.  In fact another name for the Holy Spirit is HELPER [John 14:26].  That’s truly when He talks to me the most.
        [John 14:26 NASB] "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”

Also, remember Matthew 7:7,

[Matthew 7:7 NASB]  “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”

Blessings to you and your family,

Your Sister in Christ,

Sandy F. - The Lord’s Servant