Prayer Changes Things Pt. 1 Series

Prayer Changes Things Pt. 1

Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7. and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

The Apostle Paul is telling us that we should pray and make our requests made known to God, but firstly he is telling us to not be anxious. This is step one. There is no need to go to step two if step one is not followed. Unlike a set of instruction you may get when assembling something purchased, you can often look at the thing and see that this part goes here and that part goes there. God’s instructions are specific in the way they are written and in the way we are suppose to follow them. You must follow God’s instructions if you want to get the desired results. If you don’t follow God’s instructions there is no need in blaming God for the lack of results, just go back to the Word of God and find out where you missed it.

An anxious heart will not be able to receive the promises of God by faith. Be anxious for nothing. Do not have any anxiety about anything, as one translation says. Then you can make your request made known to God, and the desired result will be peace of mind and heart. You may ask what that has to do with whatever your request was. Peace is an incredible thing. It is the desired result of praying according to God’s will. If you don’t have God’s peace, you won’t receive what ever your petition was.

First of all, you are to go to God with confidence and full assurity. You get this way by thinking continually on the word of God and keeping His promises before you. Secondly if you don’t have peace, you need to check and see if you have followed the first two steps. I would like to point out that this is not a formula, buts God’s instructions to us in order to receive His promises.

John 15:7 "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

Jesus the master teacher said it so simply and directly. Step one, you must abide in Him. Step two, His words must abide in you. Step three, ask what you desire and it shall be done for you. He said a very similar thing to what the Apostle Paul later said, Didn’t He?

You see the Word of God always flows together. You are not going to have anxiety if you are doing what Jesus said to do, are you? If you are abiding in Jesus, and His words are abiding in you, then you are going to the Father in prayer, anxiety free, and the end result will be the peace of God will keep you heart and mind in Christ Jesus. I would like to point out something else while we are looking at this Scripture, Jesus said ask what you desire. He didn’t say to just ask what you need, but what you desire. Then He said that it, or the desire you petitioned God about would be given to you.

Your hearts desires will be in line with God’s Word if you are abiding in Him and His words are abiding in you, won’t they? Yes they will! You won’t have to worry about asking for the wrong things, you will be so full of God’s Word that nothing but things in line with His Word will be asked for.

When you are praying this way, your prayer is the will of God. Prayer is another way of saying you are processing out the very will of God, working out His will and bringing His will into existence here on the Earth. You might ask why do I have to ask if it is already God’s will. Won’t He just bring it to pass? NO! We must ask!

The Apostle James said; Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. James 4:2b-3.

Again, if you are abiding in God’s Word, you are not going to ask amiss as the Apostle James was saying here.

John 16:23 "And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. 24. "Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

Peace was one of the end results of prayer, but Jesus was saying we are to ask so that our joy may be full. Have you ever considered that God wants us to have joy and peace, and He’s telling us in His Word what to do in order to walk in these things.